Chapter 202: If Even Spending Time with Him Feels This Good, Is He Still a “Love Rival”?
After staying up half the night without sleep, the heavy feeling in Xia Changyu’s heart finally started to calm down.
In fact, he even had a small smile on his face, part amused, part happy.
He had seen many people upgrade their lifestyles, especially some girls, born to live an ordinary life, but always wanting to spend like a princess, with no sense of reality.
To put it simply, in Xia Changyu’s eyes, the girl he liked was very clear-minded. She understood what she should and shouldn't do. She had self-awareness.
He couldn’t help but think to himself.
“She can’t keep up with the way I spend money, so she’s asking me to spend less too?”
At that thought, Xia Changyu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. After a while, his voice turned soft and filled with love as he said,
“She could’ve easily done what others do, if she couldn’t keep up with my spending, she could’ve asked me to support her financially, to help her live a higher lifestyle instead!”
But when one person spends more and the other spends less, and it turns into a relationship where one is supporting the other, it becomes a matter of pride and dignity.
The sad truth, though, is that in real life, the person being supported often expects that support, and even gets upset if it’s not “enough.”
So thinking the other way around, Xia Changyu started to understand Lin Yibai’s mindset. She doesn’t want to use someone else’s money for no reason. Because if the two of them ever got into a small argument one day, she didn’t want to hear things like, ‘You eat my food, use my money, what right do you have to argue with me?’
The more he thought about it, the more he understood. And the more he understood, the happier he felt.
The girl he liked really was different from all those flashy girls out there.
But… this also gave him a new problem.
She said to spend less money. But how, exactly?
This was Xia Changyu’s first time falling for someone so deeply. He honestly didn’t know what to do!
Just like most guys when they like a girl. They want to do more because they’re afraid she might be unhappy. But if they do too much, they’re scared she might not like it either.
So in moments like this, the best thing to do… is ask for help.
He sent a message to his mom, who was back home in the countryside, to ask for her advice.
Before noon the next day, Xia Zhilan replied. But her reply sounded more like she was praising her future daughter-in-law than giving advice!
“No wonder she’s my good daughter-in-law, so considerate, so smart!”
Xia Zhilan didn’t care what the situation was. First, praise the girl, then talk about other things.
Xia Changyu: “Mom?”
Xia Zhilan: “You dummy. Don’t talk.”
Xia Changyu: “….”
As someone who had been through all this before, Xia Zhilan got straight to the point.
“This whole ‘spend less money’ idea? It’s not really a real solution. If you believe it 100%, then you’re hopeless.”
Xia Changyu was confused. “Huh??”
Honestly, women’s thoughts were like needles in the ocean, hard to find and harder to understand!
Still, he truly believed Lin Yibai wasn’t someone full of tricks.
She was a pure and straightforward girl. If she wanted something, she’d just say it directly.
And what she said was simply, ‘Don’t spend too much money on me. That’s all.’
So as her mother-in-law-to-be, Xia Zhilan didn’t say too much either. She just gave one tip.
“In short, just think about it yourself. How can you keep the total spending the same, but still spend it all on my good daughter-in-law in the right way?”
Xia Changyu: “Can’t you just tell me the answer?”
Xia Zhilan shook her head and replied, “This is part of your ‘training’ as her boyfriend. Once you figure it out and do it right, then you’ll be ready to become not just a good boyfriend, but even a great husband!”
Xia Changyu: “!!”
This was the start of his “training arc” on how to become a good boyfriend, and maybe even a future husband. You could say that once he mastered it, he’d earn the right to marry her!
Since then, something in Lin Yibai’s daily life began to subtly change.
At some point, whenever she came downstairs, the “love rival’s” car would already be waiting for her.
Xia Changyu would smile and greet her, “Morning!”
Lin Yibai tilted her head slightly and responded with a friendly smile, “Morning! And you? Today?”
Xia Changyu opened the front passenger door for her and explained, “Didn’t I tell you already? It’s on the way, so I thought I’d drop you off.”
Lin Yibai adjusted the small mirror on the passenger side and looked at her pretty reflection. After a moment, she said slowly,
“Actually… it’s not really on your way, is it? If I remember right, driving me to that part-time job at Brother Jin’s place and then heading to your school’s startup building means going several kilometers out of your way.”
Xia Changyu replied, “Do you really think a few extra kilometers is a big deal for someone driving?”
Hearing this, Lin Yibai covered her mouth and laughed. Maybe… she was overthinking things?
But in reality, she could already feel the kindness and care behind what her “love rival” was doing.
She once asked her good friend Yang Chenjun how to save money and reduce spending.
But now, Xia Changyu had used actions instead of words to show her. This kind of smart saving could simply mean picking her up early each day.
Instead of her struggling every morning, deciding whether to take an overcrowded bus or call a taxi, he could just show up.
Going a few kilometers out of his way wasn’t a big deal. At most, it cost him ten more yuan in gas.
But in return, he got to spend more time with her, and their feelings grew stronger.
Isn’t that a great deal?
Lin Yibai looked at the front of the car and saw a lunchbox sitting there. She smiled and asked, “Hey, lunch... is that for you? Or...?”
While reversing the car, Xia Changyu replied, “It’s obviously for you! I got some cod fish and remembered you like fried cod rolls, so I made you a lunchbox.”
Lin Yibai’s eyes curved into little crescent moons as she smiled. She picked up a piece of crispy fried cod and took a bite. It was fragrant, tender, and melted in her mouth.
Her review: Delicious.
There were even side dishes inside. Everything was arranged beautifully, like something from a fancy cafe. It looked just like a meal that would make anyone hungry.
Hugging the lunchbox, she said happily, “This is really, really tasty! You really put effort into it! Thank you!”
Hearing the girl he liked praise him so sincerely, Xia Changyu almost couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from rising. He smiled proudly and said, “Haha!”
Xia Changyu had truly listened to Lin Yibai’s opinion. But he believed, everything in life could be flexible.
She said she couldn’t keep up with his spending?
So why lower his lifestyle just to match hers?
Instead, he could change the way he spends money. Turn visible spending into something invisible but meaningful.
Like this lunchbox he made with fried cod fish. The fish was real Norwegian deep-sea cod, definitely not cheap. But because he cooked it at home, it felt totally different compared to eating out.
When made in your own kitchen, even expensive food feels okay. But eating the same food at a restaurant might feel uncomfortable or “too much.”
Xia Changyu admitted, “Maybe I’m not smart. But this is the best way I could think of… to show you how much I like you.”
And Lin Yibai clearly felt it too.
She really liked this kind of feeling. To her, this way of being together felt right and healthy.
Otherwise, if they were eating at fancy restaurants or trendy cafes every day. Just the seat fee could cost dozens of yuan, and the whole meal would be a few hundred.
What does that mean?
That money could buy 50 pounds of chicken legs, two big pork hocks, one boiled chicken, some fish, and lots of vegetables.
Hugging the lunchbox, Lin Yibai grinned and said, “Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll make some for you too!”
Xia Changyu smiled, “Are you going to make a lunchbox for me too?”
Lin Yibai nodded hard, “Yes, yes! I’ll make you a lunchbox tomorrow too! We’ll trade! What do you think?”
While waiting at a red light, Xia Changyu looked at her sweet, adorable face and couldn’t help but gently pat her head.
With a soft voice, he said, “Okay. I’ll do whatever you say.”
Ahhh—
Head pat?
But somehow, it didn’t feel awkward or hard to accept at all.
Actually, none of that really mattered anymore. Because the thoughtful Xia Changyu had started to notice...
Their relationship, just like this…
Was becoming more and more comfortable and joyful.
He could feel it, something was changing.
It seemed like… Everything was starting to go in the right direction.