Chapter 199: Just a Little Bit Closer And That’s Enough!
What a pair of lovers, huh?
Even though the two of them weren’t doing anything special, just sitting close together and watching the fireworks. It still somehow felt like the air was full of sweet candy, stuffed right into your mouth.
The fireworks shone brightly in the girl’s eyes, and the smell of gunpowder still hung faintly in the air.
Really... it was expensive!
Whether you watch fireworks from below or from the side, they still cost money.
Five minutes, over a thousand yuan.
And just like that, it was all gone.
Only one final streak of light remained, trailing a glowing tail behind it.
Xia Changyu was already full of joy from this “reward.” He asked himself, how could he be greedy and expect even more?
But then...
Was this really the end? Was that last tail of light really the biggest surprise of the night?
Maybe... it was?
That final firework, the last one to burst. Its tail faded in the sky as Lin Yibai sadly realized just how fast the money had burned away.
No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t feel worth it.
But what bothered her wasn’t the money spent on her “love rival.” It was the feeling that… something was missing.
Just a little more. Just one small step away.
She could’ve made that last bit of fireworks mean something.
She believed that even a short moment… could become eternal.
BOOM~~
The last firework exploded beautifully, like a summer flower blooming in a barren wasteland, bright and full of life.
Finally, Lin Yibai made her move.
She moved slowly, her hand resting on the ground to steady herself. Her heart was beating fast. The space between them felt small, but it carried so much weight.
She leaned in, bit by bit, holding her breath.
Her face was close to his now. She could see the curve of his mouth, the way his eyelashes cast little shadows. The warm air between them felt full of something she didn’t have words for.
Then, very gently, she tilted her head… and kissed him.
Just a small kiss at the corner of his mouth. Not long. Not deep. Just soft, and careful, and full of feeling.
Her lips stayed there for a few seconds. Then she pulled back, her cheeks were burning, her heart louder than ever.
She wasn’t sure what he’d say, or if he’d say anything at all. She wasn't daring to look at him.
“A bit rough… dry… firm.”
That was the feeling from her lips.
So that’s what it feels like… to kiss a boy’s cheek or the edge of his mouth?
Her eyes were dazed. She looked up one last time at the fireworks blooming in the sky.
Was it real? Or just an illusion?
Can someone tell her... What just happened?
She wondered if what she’d done was too sudden. Too much?
But the truth was, Xia Changyu’s feelings were even more intense.
It felt like his whole scalp exploded!
He couldn’t even put into words what he was feeling.
It was soft… slow… warm… gentle… deep… lingering...
A touch that didn’t just brush the skin. It stayed, sinking in, carving itself into memory.
It was totally different from the sneaky tricks and fake moves he used to rely on to get results.
Taking the lead and waiting passively. The feeling was completely different.
Xia Changyu felt a wave of heat run from his back to the top of his head. Even his voice started to shake as he asked,
“Bai... Baiyi?!”
Lin Yibai’s ears were bright red, but she still acted tough and said, “What?”
Xia Changyu said, “Just now, you—?”
Lin Yibai quickly cut him off. She didn’t let him finish, and muttered,
“Yes... yes. I’m saying, even if we’re just fake, temporary, or uncertain lovers right now. That was still part of being in love. So… do you have a problem with that?”
Xia Changyu shut up right away.
Problem? He had no problem!
Ask again? What would he even ask? The best thing now was to just stop talking. Got it?
As the final spark of fireworks faded into the sky, he knew he had already received more than enough.
To want even more?
Even the heavens might not allow it!
Today, Xia Changyu planned everything for the first half of the day. In the second half, Lin Yibai only did one thing for him, but just that one thing, Xia Changyu would call it, a move from the gods!
No matter how sweet and romantic the moment is, it always has to end eventually. Lin Yibai had already calmed herself down and decided not to bring up what happened earlier again.
She went to the barbecue grill and cooked a bit more food, planning to take it home to eat later.
Her body was almost fully healed now.
She couldn’t keep living at her love rival’s house forever, right?
After all, she wasn’t his wife yet. In the end, it was still someone else’s home. It didn’t feel like her own, and she wasn’t really used to it.
After knowing this, Xia Changyu looked a bit sad and disappointed. He asked, “So… this is it for today?”
Lin Yibai, holding a sausage, nodded and said,
“As your temporary girlfriend, I’ve already given you everything I can give. I’ve helped you live out your dream of having a girlfriend. But the things I can’t give you… I told you before, I won’t give them, and you can’t ask for them.”
There were still many hours left before their 24-hour “relationship” ended, but she felt that it was enough already. It was time to stop.
If they kept going… Wouldn’t they be crossing the line of what’s right?
She packed up a lot of food, even grilled some small buns to eat for breakfast the next day.
What else could she do? Girls without boyfriends live like this.
She couldn’t expect to wake up every morning and have someone like her love rival Xia Changyu already making breakfast for her.
And about that kiss earlier...
She wasn’t going to say anything like ‘We’ve shared something special, let’s forget each other now.’
Lin Yibai just hoped they could both remember it in their hearts, but let it fade into the background of their lives.
Because... she still wasn’t ready.
She wasn’t ready to fully welcome those feelings.
But she was really trying, trying hard to accept her new identity, her gender, and even... herself.
After her annoying love rival drove her home...
Lin Yibai gave her house a big, deep clean, inside and out.
Then she took a deep breath, gently touched her chest, and finally relaxed.
“Nothing weird here, no weird smell like that so-called osmanthus flower scent.”
Only she knew just how wild and confused she had been those past few days. But all kinds of changes were really happening.
Ever since she convinced herself in her heart, or rather made up her mind—
Her “transformation value” had been going up a little more each day. And it was clearly visible now.
Transformation Value: 38%
A number that made her feel a little nervous. The last time she checked, it was at 35%.
According to the system’s notes, every 1% increase would make her “little buddy” shrink by a matching amount.
One reason she didn’t finish the 24-hour romance game was because, after being cared for by her love rival for a few days, her body was starting to turn back to male again.
So she had to wait.
And after midnight passed...
Lin Yibai could finally feel that “it” had returned. But… not completely.
In the bathroom—
Splash splash~~
Under the warm water of the shower, Lin Yibai stared at the thing that had come back.
Based on the 1% = 1 cm formula, she figured it out.
“So every 1% means I lose 1 centimeter? This time I went up 3%, so that’s 3 centimeters gone!”
At first, she felt a bit conflicted. But standing under the warm shower, she suddenly let out a relieved laugh.
“Hahaha~~”
At 50%, she already knew, when her transformation level hits 50%, her “little buddy” will completely disappear.
After all, she had already lost 3 centimeters, and she could see it with her own eyes.
How long is 3 cm?
Hold up your hand and compare it to about one and a half finger joints. That’s how much she had already lost.
Just one or two inches. No big deal at all.
Just kid stuff.