Two hours until mealtime, but Xia Yu was already nervous.
Opening her wardrobe, she started scrutinizing all her clothes, pants, shorts, tank tops, short sleeves…
What the hell should she wear?
Forget it, try everything.
First, the new clothes she’d bought with kk.
They looked good, but all brand new—too deliberate.
Frowning, she took them off and tried on a regular oversized T-shirt. Not deliberate, but also not pretty—no hint of a date vibe.
What to do? Wear the garlic-colored skirt?
No way… although it looked nice, she had worn it not long ago. He would definitely remember.
Torn back and forth, she ended up picking the first new outfit again.
A white halter-neck sleeveless dress, thigh-length, with a few small red bows sewn onto it.
Fresh and cute, kk said this style suited her.
Whatever, deliberate it is. She didn’t care.
After changing, Xia Yu decided to wash her hair and shower, then carefully apply makeup.
By the time she finished, most of the time had passed.
Just as she packed her lipstick away, her phone rang.
“Ping!”
Xu Baiyan: “I’m at the homestay entrance.”
“…You’re already here.”
Xia Yu stood up immediately, growing more flustered.
Xu Baiyan: “Take your time. Come down when you’re ready.”
“Mm, okay.”
Suddenly unsure what to say, the two fell silent for a moment.
Xia Yu: “I’ll pack up first, okay to hang up?”
Xu Baiyan: “Okay.”
About ten minutes later, Xia Yu hurried downstairs.
Stepping out the homestay door, she saw Xu Baiyan standing next to the passenger seat. When he saw her, he reached out and opened the car door.
Xia Yu slowed her pace and walked over, surprised to find that the clothes he wore today somehow harmonized perfectly with her dress.
Black pants with a white loose short-sleeve shirt, a bright red heart-shaped logo on the chest.
Both dressed in red and white.
A bit of an unspoken connection.
Xu Baiyan also noticed her dress and lightly raised the corner of his mouth.
“Kind of like couple outfits.”
Xia Yu felt a little awkward: “I just threw this on…”
“Mm, looks good.”
How come he was suddenly so talkative?
Not at all like the sharp-tongued coach from before.
Xia Yu thought, Xu Baiyan was probably the kind of guy good at dating, knowing exactly how to make a girl happy.
Opening the car door, that thought solidified.
On the passenger seat was a bouquet of flowers—pink and white peonies, stunningly beautiful.
She immediately turned to Xu Baiyan, who cleared his throat and said, “For you. I saw it on the way and bought it.”
“Thank you…”
“Get in.”
The car headed toward the mall where they were going to watch the movie. Xia Yu sat in the passenger seat, holding the bouquet, occasionally looking down at it with a fresh, dreamy feeling.
This was the first time she’d received flowers from a boy.
Why did so many firsts happen with Xu Baiyan?
“What did you have for breakfast?”
Xu Baiyan asked on the way.
“Uh… got up late, didn’t eat.”
“Good. Eat more lunch later.”
What do couples usually do when they go out? Xia Yu wasn’t sure, so she just followed Xu Baiyan’s lead.
He first took her to a restaurant—a Western-style place with very bright decor.
After eating, they stopped by a milk tea shop and ordered two fruit teas.
While waiting, Xia Yu noticed other customers occasionally glance in their direction.
She felt a little self-conscious, but the person beside her remained calm, as if those gazes didn’t exist.
Maybe… that’s what being handsome feels like?
With milk tea in hand, they strolled slowly through the mall.
“Want to go in and take a look?”
Passing by a Japanese IP boutique, Xu Baiyan asked.
The shelves were lined with all kinds of cute mascot dolls.
Xia Yu remembered a similar store had opened in Hangzhou not long ago.
She and Lin Ying had gone inside and thought everything was super cute.
Thinking the seaside city might have exclusive limited edition dolls, she nodded with interest.
“Give me that.”
Xu Baiyan took her milk tea to free her hands.
Xia Yu thanked him cheerfully and went to admire the dolls.
“This one’s so cute… this one’s cute too.”
She pinched a doll’s ear, eyes sparkling, looking back at Xu Baiyan for approval.
Xu Baiyan wasn’t interested in these little things but knew the shop was popular among girls because kk had mentioned it before.
“That one’s even a limited seaside edition! The cat’s wearing a bikini—too cute!”
Xia Yu whispered excitedly.
Xu Baiyan’s gaze landed on her.
His face showed little emotion, but his heart uncontrollably thought she looked even cuter than those cats and dogs.
Wanted to pinch.
“There are so many badges too… and the stationery around here looks nice.”
Xia Yu browsed around and, after finishing, turned to Xu Baiyan behind her: “All done, shall we go?”
Xu Baiyan paused slightly.
She had just admired everything but was going to leave empty-handed?
“Not cute enough?”
“Huh?”
“Why not buy something?”
Xia Yu rubbed her nose.
Sure, the stuff was cute, but insanely expensive.
Even a small pendant was over two hundred yuan, not to mention the big dolls.
Her salary hadn’t come yet, so she hesitated.
“The dolls are pretty big, and carrying one to the movie is inconvenient. Let’s not buy.”
“I can carry it for you.”
Xu Baiyan had already noticed her liking and handed back the milk tea, heading toward the doll section again.
When he came out the second time, he was carrying a big bag.
A little head peeked out from the top—the seaside limited edition bikini cat doll she had loved earlier.
Xia Yu looked at him in surprise, unsure how to react.
“You didn’t have to buy it.”
“You like it, don’t you?”
Xia Yu bit her lip.
“Then I’ll transfer you the money.”
“You transfer me money?”
Xu Baiyan leaned down slightly to look at her, smiling, “Does that sound reasonable?”
“A boyfriend’s little gift doesn’t need to be paid for.”
Xu Baiyan patted her head, “Alright, let’s go to the theater.”
The bag was blue, swaying with his steps, tugging at the heartstrings.
Xia Yu walked beside him, occasionally glancing down shyly, feeling a bit guilty about making him spend money but also as if her heart had been poured with honey, sweet and overflowing with a smile she couldn’t suppress.
She hadn’t known that being noticed and actively cared for was such a joyful thing…
“Your smile’s about to crack. Do you like this thing that much?”
Xu Baiyan’s teasing voice came from beside her.
Xia Yu immediately composed herself.
She wouldn’t admit that she was this happy not just because of the doll.
“Yes, it’s really cute.”
“Well, let’s come back and shop some more after the movie.”
“No need, one is enough!”
“Are you sure?”
By then, they had reached the theater.
Xia Yu nodded firmly and added, “I want to go to the restroom first.”
“Alright, I’ll get the tickets.”
Split up.
The restroom wasn’t far.
Xia Yu jogged in and saw her flushed face in the mirror.
A little unfamiliar, but after a few looks, she actually liked this version of herself.
She couldn’t help but smile softly, turning on the faucet to cool her face—but then remembered she had makeup on and shouldn’t mess it up.
So, she didn’t use water on her face, finished in the restroom quickly, and left.
Coming out, she spotted Xu Baiyan not far away.
He was tall and incredibly handsome.
Surprisingly, she saw three unfamiliar girls with him.
They were dressed exquisitely and flirtatiously, obviously here to watch the movie.
They gathered around Xu Baiyan, chatting with bright smiles and straightforward, confident glances.
Xia Yu’s smile stiffened, hesitating as she froze in place.
Was it better not to approach now?
But she was his girlfriend already…
What was a girlfriend supposed to do?
She wavered, and just then, Xu Baiyan, still with his back to her, suddenly turned and looked her way.
Xia Yu’s heart tightened, and she forced a smile, pointing toward the ticket gate and mouthing, “I’ll wait for you there.”
She decided not to go over.
The ticket line had started forming, and Xia Yu stood aside, careful not to block anyone.
After a while, someone called her.
Turning around, she saw Xu Baiyan approaching, holding her cat doll in one hand and the half-finished milk tea in the other.
“You’re ready?”
Xia Yu asked, pretending to be casual.
“Why were you running?”
Xia Yu was stunned: “I wasn’t running. Didn’t I tell you I’d wait for you at the ticket gate?”
Xu Baiyan’s eyes darkened slightly.
“Then why didn’t you come over earlier?”
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