Chapter 19 (1/2): Enchanting

Xia Yu didn’t stay to watch it again.

Maybe she felt she’d been there too long, or maybe it was that sudden unease that hit her the moment she heard that sentence.

Once panic set in, all she wanted was to escape the scene.

“Miss Xia, are you leaving now?”

At the entrance of the residential complex, the Security smiled and asked her.

Xia Yu felt the heat flush to her cheeks and murmured a vague “Mm.”

Security: “If you need anything, you can ring the bell at the gate anytime. Nearby colleagues can come to pick you up immediately.”

“It’s nothing… I’m just wandering around,” Xia Yu smiled at him and moved to a shaded spot.

The ride-hailing car would still take ten minutes to arrive, so she had to wait where she was.

During that idle wait, she couldn’t stop herself from recalling what Xu Baiyan said earlier and the look in his eyes at that moment.

She thought… it must have been Lin Ying’s bold summer romance talk that got to her.

Otherwise, why would she, sitting on the sofa watching Xu Baiyan, think about that messy kiss?

And why did it feel like the tone in which he said those words was slightly different from usual?

No, no, no, there was nothing different.

The second half of the movie must be exciting; he simply said he could watch it with her again…

The focus wasn’t on the “trap” at all!

Yes, that’s exactly it.

Xia Yu fanned herself with her hand, trying to cool her face and also to fan away the quiet, gentle gaze Xu Baiyan had given her.

“Miss Xia, want some mineral water?”

The Security kindly asked, noticing how hot she seemed.

Xia Yu suddenly snapped back to reality.

“No, no, my car’s here!”

The white car stopped in front of her.

Xia Yu opened the door and left as if escaping the place.

Back at her residence, Xia Yu changed clothes, took a shower, and lay in the cool air-conditioned room, her mind finally calming down a bit.

After lying there a while, Lin Ying sent her a video call.

Lin Ying was at home, holding half a watermelon, scooping out the flesh as she greeted her.

“Xia Yu, I’m planning to go to Hai Cheng next Friday!”

Xia Yu was surprised: “Really?”

“Really! My mom agreed, even gave me some spending money!”

Xia Yu calculated the days.

“Then there are nine days left.”

“Yeah, I can buy the plane ticket now. Hey, can I stay with you then?”

“That I have to ask the Boss.”

“Okay, ask away. If it’s a no, it’s fine. I can just book another room at the guesthouse you stay at.”

“Sure.”

Lin Ying: “By the way, how’s your surfing lately? Can I still catch up to you?”

Xia Yu: “I haven’t been learning lately… didn’t I tell you? The Coach hurt his foot, so he can’t teach.”

“Since the handsome Coach is hurt, why not ask another coach? Must it be him?”

Since the last time Xia Yu wanted to learn surfing from He Jiasen but Xu Baiyan got angry, she hadn’t seriously considered finding another coach.

Her only focus was to wait for Xu Baiyan’s foot to heal.

“Damn, Xia Yu, why that expression? You really must have him, huh?”

“No… no,” Xia Yu explained nervously, “His injury has something to do with me too. I’ve had to take care of him recently, so I don’t have much time for surfing. Besides, he’s an expert; having him teach definitely saves time and effort.”

Most importantly, she promised him she wouldn’t look for another coach. If he found out, he’d definitely get angry again.

“Really? Why does this feel so off?”

Lin Ying took another big bite of watermelon and teased, “Hey, speaking of which, why don’t you consider the handsome coach? He’s so good-looking and close by, wouldn’t dating him be a pity?”

Here she goes again.

Lin Ying’s words were messing with her thoughts.

Xia Yu’s heart, which had barely calmed, started pounding wildly: “Enough! Saying ‘dating’ is not as easy as buying cabbage. Don’t joke about him with me, I have no such intention.”

“Your expression tells me otherwise.”

Chatting with a close friend usually had no taboos, but when it came to Xu Baiyan, Xia Yu didn’t want to touch the subject anymore.

Because she thought it was impossible, so she didn’t want to imagine it.

And to completely dispel that lingering uneasy feeling, the next day, Xia Yu asked He Jiasen to help deliver meals to Xu Baiyan.

The same happened on the third day.

Xu Baiyan didn’t message or call her about her not coming to deliver meals, which made Xia Yu breathe a sigh of relief, feeling she had been right—everything was just an illusion.

Regarding Lin Ying coming to visit in a week, Xia Yu mentioned it to KK when she went to the shop that day, asking if her friend could stay at her place for a few days.

KK said there was no problem at all.

That room was originally meant for her, so an extra person wouldn’t be an issue.

Xia Yu was happy and took the chance during downtime to message Lin Ying about it.

Just as the message was sent, the door chime rang. Xia Yu immediately put her phone aside, ready to receive her guest.

Unexpectedly, it was Xu Baiyan.

His foot looked much better, and he wasn’t using crutches.

Only his ankle was wrapped with a bandage for simple support.

After two days apart, the moment Xia Yu saw him, she suddenly felt a bit nervous.

“Ayan, can you walk now?”

KK asked from the side.

Xu Baiyan walked slowly: “A bit better.”

KK: “You recovered pretty fast, huh.”

“Not bad.”

Xu Baiyan sat on a barstool at the counter.

Xia Yu looked up and realized he was sitting right in front of her, watching her.

The nervousness inexplicably intensified. Xia Yu quietly took a deep breath and asked, “Want something to drink?”

Xu Baiyan’s face was calm: “Bubble water.”

“How about Mint Green Grape flavor?”

< Okay. >

Xia Yu lowered her eyes: “One moment, I’ll make it now.”

Soon, a new customer came in to order, and KK went over to serve them.

Xia Yu pushed the finished Mint Green Grape bubble water over to Xu Baiyan.

“Coach, here you go.”

“Been busy these past two days?”

Xia Yu hesitated slightly, noticing KK was busy making juice elsewhere and not paying attention to her. She nodded.

“But I heard you got off work pretty early the past two afternoons,” Xu Baiyan said quietly as he took a sip of the bubble water.

The lie was immediately exposed. Xia Yu’s face turned a bit awkward, but she couldn’t say it was because she felt weird and wanted to avoid him.

“I… just happened to have some things to do after work these two days.”

“So you stood me up.”

Xia Yu quickly said, “I asked Jia Sen to bring you meals.”

Xu Baiyan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Clearing her throat, Xia Yu dryly added, “But I didn’t expect that in just two days, your foot could walk out the door.”

“Yeah, if you don’t show up for another two days, I could go surfing directly.”

“Oh, really… then you’re impressive.”

Xu Baiyan’s gaze darkened.

Xia Yu pressed her lips together and stayed silent.

Just then, orders suddenly increased. KK asked her to help out.

Xia Yu seized the chance to escape the awkwardness.

But Xu Baiyan didn’t leave.

She could see him out of the corner of her eye, leisurely drinking bubble water while she took orders and made juices.

During this, she noticed him answer a phone call.

She couldn’t hear what was said, but he responded in French.

She couldn’t help but glance at him again.

After hanging up, he looked around the shop.

“I’ll tidy up that spot. You can hold your meeting over there,” Xia Yu said when she noticed his hesitation.

Xu Baiyan glanced at her.

“You understand?”

“My university elective was French…”

Xia Yu paused, then added, “But I wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping on your call.”

After speaking, she left the counter and cleared the empty cup from Xu Baiyan’s usual seat.

When she finished washing the cup and turned back, Xu Baiyan lightly tapped the counter.

“Xia Yu.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you free now?”

Xia Yu paused what she was doing: “…What’s up?”

“I need your help with something.”

Xu Baiyan said, “I just got notified of a meeting I absolutely must attend. They’re speaking French. Can you help me take minutes? Half an hour will do.”

French was a language Xia Yu was quite interested in, so she had done well in the elective.

But taking minutes… she had never done such a professional task before.

Xia Yu asked, “About what content? I’m not sure if I can manage.”

“No problem, just assist.”

Seeing how serious and stern he looked, it was clear he urgently needed help.

In this situation, Xia Yu was naturally willing to help, although she felt a little strange being with him.

When Xu Baiyan saw she didn’t refuse, he directly said, “KK, can I borrow your seat?”

Xu Baiyan spoke, and KK naturally didn’t object, though she was surprised Xia Yu could still speak French and praised her for being so low-key.

Xia Yu felt a bit embarrassed. Her listening was okay, but her spoken French was lacking.

Unlike Xu Baiyan, who was very fluent.

His French had a different feel from Chinese — less cold and pure, every syllable seemed warmed before it came out, just like the protagonist in a French film.

Very “local.”