Chapter 281: So, How Should I Punish You?
One failure doesn’t mean much.
Right now, she still hadn’t officially graduated yet, and she still had the valuable title of a fresh graduate. That was Lin Yibai’s biggest advantage.
She even thought, if she was really serious about becoming a civil servant and kept failing the exam, maybe she should try to delay her graduation. For example, what if she messed up her thesis defense on purpose?
But things didn’t need to be that pessimistic.
In their warm little apartment, the two of them ate hot pot together. While they ate, Xia Changyu tried to comfort her.
“The national exam is open to people all across the country. It’s normal for the competition to be tough, especially for a popular job like the one you applied for.”
Lin Yibai said, “You don’t need to comfort me.”
Xia Changyu quickly shook his head and said, “I’m really not trying to comfort you. After the New Year, the provincial exam will happen. You can choose a city or county you like. If that doesn’t work out, you can still apply to a small town. You could…”
As he spoke, his voice gradually got quieter. He realized he was touching on some real-life issues that weren’t so easy to talk about.
Because he definitely had his own selfish thoughts.
It was just like how parents don’t want their daughters to marry far away. As a boyfriend, how could he want his girlfriend to take a job far from him?
This was a real-world issue.
For Xia Changyu, the ideal outcome was that she would pass the exam in Fucheng and settle down there. The next best option would be if she got a job in his hometown.
For Lin Yibai, of course, the best thing would be getting a job in her hometown.
But if Xia Changyu went to her hometown, would he really have better opportunities than in Fucheng?
Lin Yibai already knew what he was thinking. She peeled a big shrimp, ate it, and said, “Relax. My first choice is Fucheng too. There’s really nothing to develop in my hometown. It’s too quiet and far behind.”
Xia Changyu cautiously asked, “What about my hometown? Have you thought about it?”
Lin Yibai shrugged and said, “Your hometown might just be a county, but it’s one of the top 100 counties in the country. In our province, it’s also one of the top five economically. So yeah, it’s not a bad choice.”
Suddenly, Xia Changyu felt a little guilty. Was he being too selfish?
Even if his hometown wasn’t the best place, it was still the place where he was born and raised.
It wasn’t so easy to let go of that.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was a bad person. In a quiet voice, he said,
“Baiyi, I’m sorry. Maybe I really am being selfish. I want you to stay in Fucheng. I’d even be happy if you moved to my hometown, but I never once thought about your hometown.”
Lin Yibai peeled another big shrimp for him and fed it to him herself. Then she waved her hand and said,
“Don’t say such nonsense. There’s nothing in my hometown to help me grow my career. People go where the economy is better. If I don’t stay in Fucheng, I’ll go somewhere else. And if I really have to choose a place, why would I ever hesitate to go where you need me?”
Lin Yibai wasn’t the type who had to stay in one specific city.
People follow opportunity. Wherever has better growth, that’s where she’ll go.
And honestly, a top-five city in the province and one of the top 100 counties in the country? She didn’t think there was anything to complain about.
So whether it was Fucheng or Xia Changyu’s hometown. Both were good choices.
Because no matter what, they were still better than the poor little town where she was from.
The two of them talked about a lot of things. Every time they had these conversations, Xia Changyu felt more and more lucky.
He cheered silently in his heart. What an amazing girl, and she actually became his girlfriend! What a win!
He even had a sudden, strong urge and asked, “So, are you going home for New Year?”
Lin Yibai sighed and said softly, “I left home on the fifteenth of the first lunar month in February. Now it’s almost the end of the year again. And I didn’t go back during the summer either, for all kinds of reasons. So it’s been a full year since I’ve gone home. What do you think? Do I need to go back?”
Not going home… was no longer an option.
But going home… was such a hassle.
As for this 'raising a son to become a daughter' thing, even though the system forces things to happen a certain way, she still couldn’t help but feel a bit trapped, like she was just following a path with no choice.
How would mom and dad react? What would they think?
The neighbors, classmates... oh right, after the first year of college, she’d pretty much lost contact with all her high school friends. So maybe it’s fine…?
Yeah, right. In the end, going home for the New Year was still such a headache.
But Spring Festival was a traditional holiday all about family reunions. Not going home really didn’t seem right.
Maybe she could just say she was too busy with her internship and couldn’t go back?
As soon as the thought popped into her head, Lin Yibai quickly shook it off. ‘No way. I have to go back. I can’t just turn into someone else and pretend I don’t even have parents anymore, right?’
It’s not like she had some huge fight with her parents or anything. So yes, she had to go back. No doubt about it.
On the other side, Xia Changyu was getting some sneaky ideas again.
“Have you ever thought about spending the New Year at my place…” Xia Changyu cut himself off mid-sentence, almost slapping himself.
What was he even thinking? This was someone else’s daughter, how could he be so shameless and not even let her go home for New Year’s?
So he quickly changed his words, “How about this! I’ll go visit your hometown during New Year instead?”
Lin Yibai was stunned. “Huh?”
Xia Changyu kept going, “Don’t worry, Baiyi. I promise, I absolutely, 100% won’t bother you. I’ll just stay in a hotel by myself.”
But Lin Yibai quickly shook her head and said no.
It wasn’t about whether he would bother her or not. Bringing Xia Changyu home for New Year was already a huge deal, okay?
No. Seriously, don’t come.
Even if he did come, she’d find a way to send him back.
Lin Yibai took a deep breath. After a while, she calmly said, “It’s better if you don’t come.”
Xia Changyu: “But—”
“Stop.” Lin Yibai cut him off. “I know what you’re thinking. You're very serious about our relationship, so you want to show your face in front of my parents, right? Don’t worry, if I get a chance, I will mention you to them.”
Still, it really was a crazy situation.
Not only would she have to explain the whole "raising a son to become a daughter" thing, she’d also have to tell her parents that she already had a boyfriend. And just how close were they?
Well... let’s just say, close enough to not use protection.
Sigh. She hadn’t even officially entered the adult world yet, but the end of the year made her feel like some annoyed grown-up adult already.
After dinner, Lin Yibai finally had a bit of free time.
She had just finished her exams and didn’t want to look at a single book again. She really didn’t feel like studying anymore.
Besides, studying hadn’t helped her much anyway. She looked over at a certain someone who was diligently washing the dishes. Let’s see what excuse he would use to “study” next.
He started out pretending to help study… and somehow that turned into something else entirely?
Lin Yibai bit her lip in frustration and grumbled, “Tch! Of course I failed, it’s all that idiot’s fault. Hmph!”
But she had still underestimated how determined boys could be when it came to that kind of thing, and how smart they got when they wanted something.
After digesting dinner, he tried to trick her into bed again.
Whether he said it was because the weather was cold or used some random excuse, his sneaky hands started moving toward her.
This time… Was he really going to get his way again?
But when some time passed and Lin Yibai still felt nothing inside, she couldn’t help but ask, “Hey... why are you just holding still?”
Why was he just standing outside the door, not coming in?
Facing the tightly closed bedroom door that felt like it had reset itself to factory settings, Xia Changyu was sweating like crazy.
It was not that he didn't want to go in, but...
Everyone always says things get easier over time…
So why did this feel like it was getting tighter?