Chapter 55 Returns: "Spend the night with me."

Even Bai Ye was stunned for two seconds.

Yes, it's that chopped chili pepper.

But she couldn't say it directly, so she quietly took Yi Sheng's hand and pressed it against his palm to show her approval.

She was troubled by the current situation.

Yi Sheng was probably in a bad mood, and she would have to comfort her properly later. If Zheng Xiao realized what was going on, the situation would be even more awkward.

Zheng Xiao seemed to connect the keyword "chopped chili peppers" with something in her memory, while "weird" clearly didn't express praise. With this connection, Zheng Xiao's face shifted dramatically, a series of emotions flashing across her: doubt, speculation, embarrassment, anger…

"What chopped chili peppers?" Zheng Xiao, abandoning his usual refined demeanor, questioned with a dark expression.

"It's nothing." Yi Sheng's face was still expressionless, but not as cold and hard. She pressed her hand in Bai Yeke's palm as she said, "I just personally don't like eating chopped chili peppers."

They avoided the topic, clearly giving a perfunctory answer.

However, at least it shows that they don't intend to argue.

Zheng Xiao certainly wouldn't want to be openly humiliated to his face, so he didn't intend to pay any more attention to this woman who was so assertive on their first meeting. He turned to Bai Yeke and asked, "And what about Miss Bai?"

He was still a little reluctant to give up Bai Yeke.

He held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that Bai Ye had clearly performed well in all the previous tests, so her thoughts must be different from those of the woman just now.

"I'm fine," Bai Yeke said truthfully, referring to the food she had eaten since childhood.

Zheng Xiao looked relieved.

Yi Sheng scratched Bai Yeke's palm to express his dissatisfaction.

Bai Ye was so tickled that she almost instinctively pulled her hand away. She quickly changed her mind, "However, Mr. Zheng, please don't send any more gifts in the future."

Zheng Xiao's expression, which had just been relieved, froze.

"I have someone I like." Bai Yeke decided to stop beating around the bush and end this untimely blind date farce directly.

Another point is that if someone like Yi Sheng is dating her, it's one thing for her not to go public with it among her family and friends, but if she also has to erase Yi Sheng's existence from the lives of her suitors, then that would be too unfair to Yi Sheng.

Zheng Xiaoke wouldn't listen to such words, taking it as Bai Yeke just finding another excuse to reject her, "Fine, fine, fine!"

He laughed angrily and said "good" three times in a row, his gaze towards Bai Yeke filled with embarrassment, anger and disdain. "I overestimated you, thinking you were different from those materialistic women."

Bai Ye didn't defend herself, but Yi Sheng, standing to the side, couldn't help but chuckle. Even though Yi Sheng didn't say anything, her long-standing air of authority was incredibly ironic.

Zheng Xiao stopped dwelling on it and turned to leave.

"Tsk." Yi Sheng looked at Zheng Xiao's back.

Bai Yeke shook Yi Sheng's hand, wanting to tell Yi Sheng not to be unhappy, but for a moment she didn't know how to coax him. Unexpectedly, when Yi Sheng looked at her, his eyes were smiling.

Bai Yeke smiled too, and shook Yi Sheng's hand, "I thought you were unhappy."

Yi Sheng held her hand. "It was a little bit at first, but what you said later was very good."

Does it refer to her statement that she admitted to having someone she likes?

Bai Yeke chuckled for a moment, "You know that already."

She had never liked Zheng Xiao, but now she really liked Yi Sheng.

"Let's go eat." After a while, most of the colleagues had left, and Bai Yeke pulled Yi Sheng along as well.

The main lights were all off, leaving only a few wall lamps, making the lighting quite dim.

Yi Sheng stood still and exerted force, pulling Bai Yeke back into Yi Sheng's arms. In a fleeting moment, Yi Sheng quickly gave Bai Yeke a light kiss on the lips.

The two of them laughed at the same time. Bai Ye was a little shy and a little worried, so she patted Yi Sheng's arm.

"There's no one here." Yi Sheng then pulled her outside.

No matter how you look at it, it's just a little playful squabble between best friends. If you hadn't heard their earlier conversation, no one would have thought much of it.

After the two had completely left, Lü Feiteng walked out from behind the frosted glass door. He frowned, unusually using his brain to think about something, and vaguely remembered what Bai Yeke had said on the night she ran away from home and made a scene.

Lu Feiteng came to look for something he had left at the store.

He didn't want to see Bai Yeke. Last time he came to the store, even though he was a high-level leader in the competition, Bai Yeke didn't give him any face and even called him a loser...

Although he was the one who started the mockery, Lü Feiteng felt that what he said was far less excessive than what Bai Yeke had said.

The competition has been very intense recently, and he knows that Bai Yeke has a high probability of winning. Therefore, he doesn't want to have any more conflicts with Bai Yeke to avoid affecting his work.

He didn't have such a mind and temperament before, but now he has someone he cares about very much. That woman taught him to be tactful, so he endures it.

Actually, he also wanted to achieve something so that his father would treat him differently and let him be with the person he liked...

The semi-finals have reached their final round, with 16 teams advancing to the top 8. After this round, the semi-finals will not begin until spring.

Today happens to be Christmas.

Although it didn't snow, the restaurant that Bai Yeke and Yi Sheng chose had a nice festive atmosphere.

Christmas trees, banners, string lights, and windows decorated with Santa Claus and various candy stickers.

While waiting for the food to be served, Bai Ye checked the voting results on her phone and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Yi Sheng noticed a moment of disappointment in her.

"No." Bai Yeke put down her phone and smiled.

Yi Sheng raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

Bai Ye didn't want Yi Sheng to be unhappy because of her today, so she simply took out the gift she had prepared from her bag, "Ta-da!"

"What?" Yi Sheng's eyes suddenly brightened.

Yi Sheng took a small paper bag and then took out a small gift box from it.

"What is it?" Yi Sheng asked, holding the gift box and looking at Bai Yeke.

"You can open it." Bai Yeke avoided Yi Sheng's gaze, a little shy.

Yi Sheng smiled and generously opened the gift box, inside which lay a small diamond ring.

Yi Sheng's smile froze, her eyes filled with surprise, even astonishment.

Bai Yeke felt even more uncomfortable instantly.

Actually, she was always struggling with what gift to give. Yi Sheng had everything she needed, and giving her something expensive wouldn't make her even glance at it. As for handmade items, she didn't really have any skills, so instead of rushing to make a clumsy, ugly thing to express her feelings, she'd rather give something more meaningful.

The diamond ring is quite small, but it's still acceptable for Bai Yeke's current income.

She knew that Yi Sheng would most likely not wear such a small diamond ring, but it would be nice to take it out and look at it occasionally to cheer him up.

"It's quite pretty." Yi Sheng picked up the diamond ring and slowly turned it.

To create a Christmas atmosphere, the store did not turn on the main lights, but only the spotlights and downlights, and each table had a small candlestick on it.

Under such light, the diamond ring sparkled with tiny, delicate rays of light.

Yi Sheng handed the ring to Bai Yeke, who smiled gently, "Help me put it on."

Even though it was Bai Yeke who chose to give her the ring, the scene made her feel embarrassed.

"You really wear it?" Bai Yeke was still a little incredulous.

"Since you gave it to me, of course I should wear it." Yi Sheng noticed her embarrassment and simply took it back and wore it himself.

Taking advantage of the moment, Bai Ye quickly said, "Happy birthday!"

"Huh?" Yi Sheng was a little confused.

Just then, the waiter came over to serve the food.

After the waiter left, Bai Ye explained with a touch of pride, "I looked up your birthday online."

Yi Sheng's expression became somewhat complicated. She hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, "So, you gave me a ring?"

"Um."

"Oh..." Yi Sheng pondered, "Then may I make a wish?"

"We haven't picked up the cake yet. We'll go get it after dinner," Bai Yeke said hesitantly.

“It’s not a wish that needs to be granted by God.” Yi Sheng put the small gift box back into the paper bag and placed it on her seat. She looked at Bai Yeke and said, “You can help me.”

"Hmm?" Bai Ye chuckled. "Then tell me."

"Stay with me tonight."

"What?"

"Come home with me."

Bai Ye was stunned for a moment, and then she thought of many scenes that were not suitable for children.

Two little figures popped into my head, arguing. One said something bad was going to happen, something bad was going to happen, while the other said it was nonsense, that the person didn't mean it that way, they just wanted to keep each other company.

But Yi Sheng was still looking at her, earnest and expectant. She met Yi Sheng's deep black eyes, and after a long while, she answered, "Okay."

She thought she was willing to do whatever it meant.

After dinner, they went together to get the cake.

When I got home, as soon as I entered the entryway, that familiar feeling came back to me.

Bai Ye placed the cake on the cabinet in the entryway, changed her shoes, and glanced around.

This time, my feelings about returning are completely different from when Yi Sheng picked me up last time.

I felt relieved, excited, and a little nervous about what might happen next...

Just then, after they had changed their shoes, Yi Sheng hugged her from behind.

Bai Ye couldn't help but laugh.

Yi Sheng rested his head on her shoulder, his arms and embrace enveloping her completely.

"What are you laughing at?"

There was no reason for her laughter, she was just happy. Bai Ye thought for a moment and said, "When you hug me like this, it feels like a big dog."

After Bai Ye finished speaking, she could feel Yi Sheng pause for a moment, "...What big dog?"

"Samoyed".

Yi Sheng was speechless.

...?

That big, silly white dog that only knows how to grin?

Does it have anything to do with her image?

Bai Ye explained, "Warm, comfortable, and clingy."

"..."

Yi Sheng quickly replied, "So, I also feel like I'm holding a puppy when I'm holding you."

Bai Ye found it amusing, "What puppy?"

Pomeranian.

That little white dog that looks like a Samoyed puppy?

He's also the kind of guy who's always grinning like an idiot.

“Hey, but Pomeranians get angry easily, and sometimes they throw a tantrum and bark a couple of times…” Bai Yeke felt that this was very different from her.

Of course, in terms of personality, Yi Sheng is not like the silly Samoyed.

"Aren't you easily angered?" Yi Sheng still hugged her, nuzzling his cheek against her neck and then against her cheek.

"I don't—" Bai Yeke felt that she still got angry sometimes, but she didn't show it much in public. "Sometimes, I guess, but I don't get angry with you much."

Bai Yeke thinks Yi Sheng is very, very good. She likes Yi Sheng very much now, and it's hard to imagine her being angry with Yi Sheng.

"Ahem." Yi Sheng let go of her and walked in front of her. "Actually, today is not my birthday."

Bai Yeke was stunned. "...You're lying to me?!"