Chapter 45 Milk Tea "Let me try yours."

The lights in all the stores in the mall were on very brightly, making the corridors seem dim.

Bai Ye looked at Yi Sheng's profile. As usual, he was aloof and cold. His excessively fair skin looked like crystal-clear ice and snow under the light and shadow from various angles. His eyes were deep and distant.

She felt conflicted.

On one hand, her heart was pounding so hard she could hear each beat clearly; on the other hand, her mind was clear and rational, quietly observing and discerning Yi Sheng's emotions.

But was she truly clear-headed and rational?

Baiye had no idea.

She even had a misconception that Yi Sheng might have some different feelings for her.

Hehehe~

The screams and laughter of children broke Bai Yeke's reverie.

"Sweetie! Slow down!" A woman who looked to be in her fifties or sixties, somewhere between an aunt and a grandmother, was jogging after two children about ten meters ahead.

Baiye can walk on the inside side closest to the glass, while Yisheng should walk on the outside side.

Seeing the two little boys rushing towards her, Bai Ye grabbed Yi Sheng without hesitation and pulled him towards her.

But Yi Sheng reacted quickly, having already taken evasive action, which led to the unexpected incident.

"Hey!" Bai Yeke exclaimed in surprise, because due to her own strength and the angle at which Yi Sheng turned, she lost her balance and fell backward.

Very quickly, in about half a second, Yi Sheng had already bent down and hugged her from behind, stopping her from leaning back.

As a result, Bai Yeke's terrified expression froze, and the two of them seemed to freeze in place as well.

Bai Ye had never seen Yi Sheng from this angle before.

Their cheeks were very close, and Yi Sheng's arms were wrapped around her back, trembling slightly as she could not support them.

Bai Yeke didn't even dare to breathe, because she could feel Yi Sheng's breath.

In such a public setting, in such an ambiguous position, Bai Yeke felt her cheeks and ears rapidly heating up.

"Hmm." Yi Sheng frowned, and used his arm again to pull her back to a standing position.

The two children also fell to the ground due to inertia and sudden braking, one kneeling and the other sitting, both crying loudly.

Bai Yeke's heart was pounding violently, and Yi Sheng was shaking and massaging his arms in place, which must have been very strenuous just now.

"Are you... alright?" Bai Ye asked blankly.

Yi Sheng glanced at her sideways. "Not bad."

Bai Ye could avoid eye contact, squat down, and help one of the children stand up, thus easing the awkwardness.

Miss Yi was very precious; she was preoccupied with relaxing the tense muscles in her arms and completely ignored the other crying child on the ground.

The parent finally caught up and quickly scooped the child up from the ground. "Oh, don't cry, don't cry, my precious baby, Grandma will hold you!"

"Wah!" The child, who had stopped crying and laughing after being helped up by Bai Yeke, cried even louder when he saw this scene.

"Hey!" The parent quickly freed her other hand and hugged the child as well. "It's okay, it's okay. Grandma will buy you some food later."

Bai Ye took a step back and straightened up. She was still a little uncomfortable facing Yi Sheng. Just then, the mall staff finally arrived, belatedly. "Excuse me, parent, is your child alright?"

The woman ignored him completely, focusing only on comforting the two crying children.

People from nearby stores were looking in this direction from all directions.

The staff member tried to persuade him, "Excuse me, please don't let the child scream and cry. Children are not allowed to run around in the mall."

"Didn't you see they cried because they fell? How old are they?! How could they not cry?" the woman said angrily. "Such young children naturally like to run around and play! Who can control them?! How can you be so unreasonable?!"

"The mall provides strollers specifically for children. If it's inconvenient for parents to supervise their children, they can consider using them—" The staff member didn't finish her sentence under the woman's angry glare.

"I'm sorry, but crying in the mall can disturb other people. We have a mother and baby room. Would you please move over there to comfort your child?" The staff member pointed in one direction. "Please follow me."

"Are you sick?" The woman looked at him as if he were mentally challenged.

"Let's go," Yi Sheng said softly to Bai Yeke.

Bai Ye quickly followed, and with this interruption, the little incident between the two of them was put behind them.

"Miss Yi, do you like children?" Bai Yeke asked casually.

Images flashed through Yi Sheng's mind: birthdays, holidays, the occasional weekends, the sun shining brightly on the grass, the grand banquet hall...

Children of varying ages, noisy and looking at her with a mixture of fear and disdain.

He deliberately bumped into her, knocked over things on the table, and hid behind her uncle's legs.

And then there's the kid with the fancy buzz cut who shoved her and pointed at her, calling her a "jinx."

Yi Sheng brushed the images from her mind and said calmly, "I don't like it."

Bai Ye muttered, "I knew it."

Look how indifferent she was to the child who fell to the ground just now, and the time in the supermarket last time, her eyes were also devoid of any emotion.

Bai Yeke couldn't help but say, "Some kids are really annoying."

“But there are also some very cute kids,” Bai Yeke said. “It depends on how the parents raise them.”

Yi Sheng seemed to have really thought about what she said, and nodded in agreement, "Mm."

Children are a reflection of their parents. The younger the child, the more they reflect their parents' genes and qualities. As children grow up, they experience and learn more from school, books, and people, and thus form a different self.

Bai Yeke suddenly became very curious about what Yi Sheng was like when he was a child.

Isn't it completely unlike those annoying kids who like to cry and make trouble?

Bai Yeke imagined it for a moment, "Miss Yi, you must be the kind of child who is particularly easy for adults to take care of, with good grades and a quiet personality that is not annoying."

"Heh." Yi Sheng chuckled. "In our family, these aren't the key factors that make someone likeable."

"Hmm?" Bai Ye was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Yi Sheng. Yi Sheng didn't seem inclined to continue, so she silently ended the conversation.

"Want to go eat?" Bai Yeke noticed that Yi Sheng seemed to have a slightly low mood, and it just so happened to be mealtime.

"Not very hungry." Yi Sheng was a little puzzled. "Are you hungry?"

How is that possible?

It only took a short while to finish a bowl of noodles.

Bai Yeke also felt that now was not the right time to eat, "How about milk tea?"

"Okay." Yi Sheng looked up and saw a milk tea shop in front of him with three or four people gathered around it.

Bai Yeke had already resigned herself to ordering, "What would you like to drink?"

"Look..." Yi Sheng said halfway through her catchphrase, but suddenly changed her mind. Contrary to her usual nonchalant demeanor, she walked over and seriously looked at the drink list at the front desk.

"Eh~" Bai Yeke said with some curiosity, "Then take a good look."

"Jasmine Milk Green Tea with Snow Top," Yi Sheng murmured. "Or maybe Da Hong Pao Milk Tea with Milk Foam?"

"I'd like to order Da Hong Pao," Bai Yeke said. "That's what I'm planning to order."

Yi Sheng glanced at her, "Then I want milk green tea."

Bai Ye didn't care that she didn't accept her suggestion, and nodded to scan the code to place her order.

The staff worked quickly and efficiently, and their two drinks were served in no time.

The two of them took their milk tea and sat down at a small table.

Yi Sheng's Jasmine Milk Green Tea with Snow Top was served iced; you could feel the coolness even through the paper cup.

Bai Ye could see that the side of Yi Sheng's hand that was holding the paper cup, where his fingers touched the cup, was starting to turn red.

But Baiyeke's milk foam Da Hong Pao is different. It's warm and cozy, and it feels very comfortable to hold in both hands. Baiyeke stirred the milk foam with a straw, took a sip, and the smoothness of the black tea combined with the salty and fragrant milk foam created a very mellow taste. The warmth went down her throat and into her stomach.

Soothing instrumental music played in the shop, interspersed with the occasional sound of rain mixed with thunder.

Bai Yeke smiled and looked at Yi Sheng across from her, "Miss Yi, is your milk tea delicious?"

"Not bad." Yi Sheng took a small sip. "Quite refreshing."

Bai Yeke just stood there laughing.

It's refreshingly cool, isn't it?

She could see that Yi Sheng was taking small sips and didn't dare to drink in big gulps.

Two girls were sitting at the table next to each other, each with a milk tea and a box of fried chicken and potato towers.

"And yours?" Yi Sheng asked casually.

“Mine is delicious.” Bai Yeke took another sip. “Do you regret it? I already recommended it to you.”

Yi Sheng rolled her eyes at her and didn't reply.

The girls at the table were chatting and laughing. One of them picked up a potato tower and took a few bites. After they started talking, the girl handed the potato tower to the girl opposite her, who then took a bite from the tower.

Bai Yeke caught a glimpse of this scene, paused for half a second, and then looked away.

Yi Sheng noticed her gaze and followed it.

Another girl happened to be feeding a piece of fried chicken to the girl with the potato tower. The girl with the potato tower took a bite of the fried chicken covered in sauce, while the other girl naturally put the remaining half of the fried chicken into her mouth and ate it.

Yi Sheng frowned slightly, it was unclear whether he disliked the action or was thinking about something.

Bai Ye didn't know where the impulse came from, but she didn't want to see Yi Sheng frowning at the two girls. She explained softly and naturally, "It's normal for ordinary girls to share food and drinks."

"An ordinary girl?" Yi Sheng repeated these words, his tone slightly questioning.

Bai Yeke's ears burned. These few things, singled out, seemed to carry a different meaning, whether it was because Bai Yeke felt guilty or something else.

It seems that the "extraordinary" aspect of "ordinary girl" refers to girls who have different feelings or different perceptions of other girls.

Bai Ye quickly explained, “Miss Yi, you have been well-fed and clothed since childhood, so you must have always eaten separately from others. Your classmates and friends must have done the same. But ordinary girls are like me, girls from ordinary families. And when we have a good relationship with our best friends, we don’t look down on each other. Instead, we naturally share things, just like real sisters.”

"Oh." Yi Sheng nodded.

Bai Ye carefully exhaled, and she actually felt a little hot.

What exactly are they so nervous about?

How could Yi Sheng overthink it? Her explanation was completely unnecessary.

The girls at the table were drinking milk tea. Their mouths moved, they laughed together, and then they exchanged milk teas.

They took a sip of each other's milk tea and nodded as if giving their assessment.

Bai Ye tried to ignore the girls at the table in Yu Guangli's presence.

She looked at Yi Sheng opposite her and suddenly noticed that Yi Sheng's breath had turned into a white mist.

"Pfft." She paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

How icy was Yi Sheng's milk tea?!

Yi Sheng looked at her speechlessly.

Bai Ye tried hard to suppress her laughter by pursing her lips, but the laughter still escaped from her nose.

Yi Sheng sighed, "Let me try yours."

"Huh?" Bai Yeke laughed, not quite understanding.

"Your milk tea." Yi Sheng gestured with a slight lift of her chin.

Bai Ye's laughter abruptly stopped. Following Yi Sheng's gaze, she naturally looked down at her own milk tea, where there was still a thin layer of lipstick smudged on the straw.

How should she react?

Should I refuse?

Bai Ye didn't want to refuse, nor did she have a reason to.

Should it be handed to Yi Sheng?

Just thinking about this action made Bai Ye's mind go blank and shut down.

"You despise me?" Yi Sheng's voice was still indifferent. He just looked at her expressionlessly, without any emotion, and he didn't seem to have much of an emotional reaction to the fact that she might despise him.

Bai Yeke felt a surge of anxiety. She didn't want Yi Sheng to misunderstand her. "No, it won't happen."

Her actions were a step faster than her thoughts; she pushed the milk tea in front of her to Yi Sheng with one hand.

Then, she felt her thoughts stop, like a blank, standby state.

She watched as Yi Sheng picked up her cup of milk tea and took a sip. "It's better when it's hot."

Yi Sheng took a sip and then gave the milk tea back to her.

Yi Sheng handed the milk tea back to its original spot. Bai Ye could clearly see that the lipstick mark on the straw was slightly darker, but the contrasting shades were not jarring.