Chapter 196: What My Love Rival Loves Is the Girl He Likes
Xia Changyu’s plan was completely ruined. Many places he wanted to visit couldn’t be reached in time, and all the tickets he had booked became useless.
But actually, he liked this kind of pace even more. If only time could slow down a little…
If today could repeat itself over and over again, like a 24-hour loop, wouldn’t that be wonderful?
They had walked through the old shops on the street and visited the lakeside park. For Lin Yibai, who was going on a date as a girl for the first time, it made her start to wonder, ‘Is being in love just about walking and walking and walking nonstop?’
She finally said, “My feet hurt!”
Her cool, calm voice carried a hint of complaint. This snapped Xia Changyu out of his dream-like state. He had been enjoying this “pretend romance” so much that he forgot to think about how she was feeling.
Come to think of it, aren’t girls supposed to be better at walking and shopping?
Anyway, she clearly didn’t want to keep walking. Pretending to be lovers for a whole day was just too tiring.
“Can love be done in parts? My feet hurt today. Let’s continue tomorrow.”
Thankfully, Xia Changyu realized the issue and quickly found a bench on the side of the street for them to sit down.
He raised his hand a few times, scratched his head, rubbed his face. Looking like he wanted to say something but was too nervous to do it.
Lin Yibai asked, “What are you doing?”
Xia Changyu glanced at her feet, and after a long pause, slowly said, “Didn’t you say your feet hurt?”
Lin Yibai replied, “Yeah, so what?”
Xia Changyu scratched his head again and mumbled, “Ah, well, um… nothing, really.”
Lin Yibai narrowed her eyes. She seemed to guess what he was thinking. Now the question was, should she go along with it or not?
She could just ignore what her love rival wanted, but she was soft-hearted.
Since he couldn’t say it himself, Lin Yibai asked directly, “Do you want to… help me massage my feet?”
Xia Changyu’s eyes lit up. What kind of girl was this? She figured out what he was thinking so quickly!
But still, if he had said it first, it might have sounded creepy, like something only a weirdo would say.
Now, the girl had given him an excuse. So, what should he do?
Following his heart, Xia Changyu nodded and said, “Is that okay?”
Wait, he actually said yes?
Lin Yibai smiled playfully. She was already thinking about how she might mess with him, maybe make him look really silly.
But then, she saw the warmth and honesty in his eyes. That serious look, it reminded her of how she used to look when she liked her ex-girlfriend, Gu Xiaoxue.
Back then, she had also been teased like this. Sometimes she even became the subject of jokes between Gu Xiaoxue and her roommates.
“Am I really going to become the kind of girl I hate most? Someone who plays with sincere feelings just for fun?”
She sighed quietly, then let go of her playful thoughts and nodded, “My feet really do hurt. If you don’t mind, can you take a look?”
Xia Changyu smiled and said, “Sure!”
He carefully lifted her legs and placed them on his lap, then gently started tapping with his fingers.
His expression was serious and respectful. There was nothing dirty or rude about his actions. Only warmth and care.
Lin Yibai knew she had made the right choice.
Or maybe, as someone who used to be a boy. She just understood how another boy, her love rival, might feel inside.
Because she believed, out of a hundred boys, at least 99 of them just want their honest, caring hearts to be treated seriously. Not turned into a joke by girls.
What? You’re saying there’s still one guy out of a hundred who wouldn’t be like that?
Well, that guy’s probably just not sharp enough to understand anything.
Lin Yibai leaned against the back of the bench. The soft tapping on her legs felt so good that she almost wanted to let out a sound of pleasure.
But no! She had to act like a proper lady.
Xia Changyu had his own way of giving a massage. At least, it felt very relaxing to Lin Yibai. Then he changed the “battlefield” and said, “Let me help massage your ankles and feet. If not, you might get a strain injury!”
Lin Yibai was startled, “Huh? Feet?”
Her face changed quickly. Last time she went on a trip, something happened because of her feet.
It turned into a memorable experience, but one that made her blush and feel nervous every time she remembered it.
Since then, her feet were marked as a danger zone. No touching unless absolutely necessary!
“No way,” she said, shaking her head. After a moment, she firmly added, “Anywhere but the feet. That part is off-limits!”
Xia Changyu looked confused. “Why?”
Lin Yibai still shook her head, then blurted out, “It’s so hot today, and I’m wearing sneakers. My feet might stink! What if the smell knocks you out?”
Xia Changyu burst into loud laughter and swore, “Do you think I don’t already know whether your feet stink or not?”
Lin Yibai got mad, “You—!”
Xia Changyu: “What?”
Lin Yibai stuck to her decision. “Anyway, the answer is no.”
Last time something really happened with her feet, and it was in a quiet mountain path at a tourist spot. She didn’t want to go through that again, and she definitely didn’t dare take the risk.
Seeing her so serious, Xia Changyu had to give up on the idea.
But their little story wasn’t over yet.
Lin Yibai leaned to one side on the bench, and from that angle, she noticed something new. She realized that all day long, his pocket had looked quite full.
Of course, it wasn’t ‘that kind of thing’ making it bulge.
It was tickets, restaurant reservation slips, order pick-up receipts...
Lin Yibai finally noticed what her love rival had been secretly doing this whole time.
Now she thought back. Every time Xia Changyu left and came back sweating, it wasn’t because he got hot easily.
A thought popped into her mind, and suddenly… Everything started to make sense.
Maybe lots of guys are like him? They do thoughtful things for girls without saying a word. Sometimes the girls don’t even realize it.
But these days, doing good things in silence feels kind of outdated.
Good thing he didn’t carry a bag, so all the receipts were stuffed into his pockets, which is how she happened to see them.
She quietly pulled out one of the slips. Reading the address and plan on it, she asked with surprise.
“Huh? You were planning to take me to a barbecue by the riverside later?”
Xia Changyu froze. “How did you know?!”
He looked up and realized his secret had been discovered by this girl.
Oh no. I’m doomed!!
What would she think about this plan? What would she think about him as a person?
Xia Changyu nervously asked, “Since everything was planned in advance, and it looks like there’s no surprise left… Will you think this whole thing, or perhaps me as a person, is boring or lame?”
But Lin Yibai didn’t think that way at all.
She gently brushed her bangs aside, then softly said, “No, not at all! Even though we’re just pretending to be a couple, Seeing how serious you are about this… I don’t know how other girls would feel. Maybe some would complain that everything is too arranged and there’s no surprise. But for me, it’s not like that.”
Xia Changyu held his breath and asked, “Then… what is it like for you?”
Lin Yibai continued, “They say a thousand people see a thousand different perspectives. I don’t know what other girls think. But as for me… I can say for sure, what I see is your effort. Your heart.”
Hearing that, Xia Changyu felt deeply moved. His heart was full of joy and relief.
He wanted to shout out loud, “See? This is why I like her. This is the kind of girl I like!”