Chapter 165: The Clown Turns Out to Be Me
She had been studying in this city for more than two years, yet An Han could count on one hand the number of times she had come to the city center.
She had heard about all the tourist spots, but had never actually been to any of them. She hadn’t even tried many of the city’s famous local foods.
Sitting in the car, she almost pressed her face against the window, staring at the busy traffic outside.
Maybe it was because she was alone with Su Peng, but her face was a little red. She wasn’t really interested in the view. She was just trying to keep a bit of distance from him.
“We’re almost there,” Su Peng said. “There’s still more than an hour before our appointment. Let’s find somewhere to have breakfast first.”
“Oh~ Is tusun jelly good?” An Han asked, noticing a street sign advertising the local dish.
Su Peng drove steadily, eyes on the road, a gentle smile on his lips. “You’ve been studying here for two years and haven’t tried it?”
“Does it have worms in it?”
“Kind of,” he said calmly. “It’s a kind of seafood that looks like a worm. If you can’t handle that, better not try it.”
An Han pursed her lips and frowned a little, her expression showing both hesitation and curiosity. She was scared but also wanted to know what it tasted like.
“You drive so slow,” she complained, glancing at him. “Even electric scooters are faster than you.”
“There are a lot of people and cars. Slow is safer.”
“You probably haven’t driven since you got your license, huh?”
Su Peng’s driving was very steady, his calm driving style matched his gentle personality.
The car fell quiet for a while before Su Peng spoke again, sounding a bit hesitant. “Back in high school, I liked riding my motorbike and speeding at night…”
“Then, in my senior year, I spent more than half a year lying in bed.”
“......”
An Han looked at him in silence.
“Otherwise,” he continued with a small smile, “I would’ve gone abroad for university right after high school. My parents probably didn’t want me going overseas and getting myself killed doing stupid stuff.”
Her lips twitched. No wonder a rich kid like him ended up in such an average university.
If he’d spent half of senior year bedridden and still managed to get into college, that was already impressive.
She couldn’t believe someone like Su Peng, who always acted so calm and refined, had actually been a thrill-seeker.
Then she suddenly remembered his forceful side… and that time he kissed her without warning.
So this gentle image of his, it was all just an act!
“We’re here. Let’s get breakfast,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
She quickly shook off the memory of that kiss, opened the door, and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
The moment she did, she could feel the eyes of passersby turning toward her. She instinctively straightened her skirt and crossed her arms in front of her chest, feeling a little uneasy and shy.
Even though she was already a complete girl now, she still wasn’t used to wearing women’s clothes, especially not to being the center of attention while wearing them.
If she hadn’t experienced something similar at that cosplay event before, her face would’ve been bright red by now.
Su Peng paid the rental fee, locked the car, and stretched as he walked up beside her. “What do you want to eat? My treat.”
“I’ll pay for myself,” An Han said quickly. She didn’t want to owe him for little things like this, too many small debts would make it harder to say no to him later.
“What about the steak later then—”
“Okay, fine, you treat me!” she interrupted instantly.
Lowering her head, she shuffled closer and hid behind him, using his body to block the gazes of strangers.
Su Peng glanced back at her and chuckled. “You weren’t this shy at the cosplay event last time.”
The outfit she was wearing now was actually more modest than that cheongsam from before. It was a short skirt, but not revealing at all.
“It’s different,” she muttered.
At anime conventions, An Han could still enjoy the attention from others, but now that she’d become more sensitive, she could faintly feel those gazes falling on her chest, thighs, and face. It was unbearable.
She regretted it. If she'd known, she wouldn’t have worn women’s clothes...
Su Peng could clearly sense her discomfort. After a brief thought, he casually put his arm around her shoulders, just like close buddies would.
“?” An Han turned her head and looked at him in confusion.
“I’m helping you out,” Su Peng said. “If a handsome guy and a pretty girl stand together, people won’t only stare at you.”
“You just want to take advantage of me!” she shot back immediately.
“How could I? This is just a normal friendly arm-around-the-shoulder,” Su Peng replied with a grin. “You’re the one with the dirty mind.”
An Han glanced at the arm resting on her shoulder. If she were still a man, it would’ve been totally normal to link arms like this. But now that she was a girl, being touched by Su Peng just felt like a loss.
“What handsome guy...” she muttered softly, turning her face away so she wouldn’t have to look at him.
Being looked at by strangers only made her a little uneasy, but being this close to Su Peng made her cheeks burn. Even though she didn’t have any romantic thoughts, her body started reacting on its own. Her heart beat faster, and her breathing quickened slightly.
Damn this stupid system!
Su Peng noticed her expression and quietly relaxed inside. So An Han still liked him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t blush and act shy every time they got close.
Her usual coldness must just be bad moods and the fact that she agreed to come along as soon as she heard he had a blind date pretty much said it all.
With one arm around her soft shoulder and the faint scent of a girl in the air, Su Peng led her into a small restaurant by the street.
“Rice noodles okay?” he asked.
“Mm.”
An Han quickly slipped out from under his arm and plopped down on the chair across from him, finally able to breathe again. She scanned the menu fast and said, “Add meat!”
“Sure. You should eat more meat anyway, you’re way too skinny.”
Hopefully, the meat all goes to her chest, Su Peng added silently in his mind.
He called the boss over to order two bowls of noodles, then took out his phone to ask his parents for some details about his blind date.
He didn’t even know the girl’s name yet, let alone her contact info. Just that she came from a well-off family.
While waiting for breakfast, An Han got bored and leaned across the table, trying to peek at his phone. But because of the angle, she couldn’t see anything.
So without hesitation, she got up and sat right next to Su Peng, openly peeking at his screen.
Just then, Su Peng’s parents sent over a photo of the girl.
“Whoa!” Before Su Peng could react, An Han exclaimed, “This girl is crazy pretty!”
“You, wearing women’s clothes and staying quiet, don’t look any worse than her,” Su Peng sighed helplessly. “Can’t you act a little more ladylike?”
A perfectly pretty girl, yet she had to open her mouth like that.
“How I talk is none of your business!”
Leaning closer, An Han studied the photo carefully and clicked her tongue. “If she were my blind date, I’d say yes on the spot. Forget engagement, I’d marry her tonight!”
“Too bad same-sex marriage isn’t legal here, and your parents definitely wouldn’t set you up with a girl,” Su Peng said.
But An Han didn’t seem to hear him, her eyes were still fixed on the picture.
Great, she thought miserably. Even after dressing up and putting on makeup, I still can’t compete with her...
And to her surprise, the one feeling self-conscious now was herself.