Chapter 33 Rival's Tale: Let's Date

The two sat together in the back seat. Before getting in the car, Xie Changyu hesitated about how to sit, but once they were in, they naturally sat close together, their shoulders touching.

It was warm in the car. Xie Changyu rubbed his face, which had been stiff from the wind, trying to get his facial muscles moving again. He made a face and grinned. Chen Du, whose attention was drawn to this, naturally saw this and stared at him intently, like a doll.

Xie Changyu paused, a little embarrassed. His face had just been rubbed red, and he glanced around nervously, asking, "What's wrong?"

The two were now too close, and he was hesitant to turn his head, only daring to stare at the passenger seat in front of him with his eyes darting around.

Shen Du stared at him openly and said very naturally, "Beautiful."

Hearing this, Xie Changyu's face turned genuinely red. He retorted softly, "I'm handsome..."

Chen Du was still staring at him, so he naturally changed his tune and said, "Yeah, handsome."

The atmosphere between the two became strange; one kept staring at the other, while the other kept turning his head to look in another direction, prompting the driver in the car to remark, "Young people falling in love!"

Xie Changyu instinctively wanted to refute this, but he stopped himself in time. He pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and remained silent.

Just then, Chen Du's phone vibrated again. His eyes, darkened by the contact lenses he wore, narrowed slightly. This time, he answered, calmly asking the person on the other end, "What is it?"

This time, the voice was so cold that Xie Changyu, who was leaning slightly towards the car window because she didn't really want to eavesdrop on other people's phone calls, couldn't help but cast a glance at him, and a strange feeling welled up again.

His eyelashes trembled slightly as he turned his head to look at the stunning profile before him. His expression was cold and even somewhat numb, and his tone of voice was also indifferent.

Is this really Sui Sui?

Or is the image she projects online just a persona?

His complex inner thoughts were unheard by those around him. Chen Du was still chatting with the person on his phone, whose tone was frantic, with rapid, panting breaths faintly coming from the phone: "Chen Du!!! You must hide well! I'll be able to escape from here soon!"

Chen Du's expression didn't change at all. He blinked slightly and said, "Of course."

"Damn it! Someone must have told on me, otherwise how would the old man have known I was trying to escape today, causing me to be locked up again and almost miss my date."

Shen Zisui's expression was twisted with resentment as she scratched the bed repeatedly, leaving obvious creases. "If I find out who told on me..."

His tone was menacing, conveying a resentful intent to arrest this person and exact revenge.

Because he was discovered and put in solitary confinement, he was watched even more closely this time. So he had to ask Chen to impersonate him so he could meet up with Changyu. He had always known that his brother looked a lot like him, so after the other party hesitated for a long time before agreeing, he gritted his teeth and gave the clothes to the other party. He also told him some things that only he and Changyu knew, so as not to be exposed.

He gave me a long and detailed plea before reluctantly saying, "You absolutely must not be discovered. I will definitely come out today... no, tomorrow. You must take good care of him and make sure he doesn't find out."

Shen Du listened to the long, rambling conversation on the phone and found it boring. He wasn't afraid or nervous at all that his pretense of being his brother would be exposed. Instead, he said to Shen Zisui, "I'm going on a date. I'm hanging up."

"you--"

Shen Zisui was hung up on before she could finish speaking. She felt a surge of anger welling up inside her, her eyes fixed on the black screen of her phone, with nowhere to vent her frustration.

He slammed his hand hard on the bed.

“My brother made the call,” Shen Du said, his face regaining its expression, as if he had transformed back into the familiar Xie Changyu.

Xie Changyu suddenly felt a headache coming on. Could it be that he hadn't rested well yesterday? Otherwise, why would he keep having this feeling? He took a deep breath, then turned his head and looked into those eyes. "Your brother must care about you a lot."

He also understood why the phone had been ringing so many times. "He was probably worried that his sister was being scammed, but he should be relieved now."

With a slight smile, she mimicked his every move from memory, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "How could you possibly lie to me?"

"But my younger brother is indeed a good younger brother..."

Xie Changyu laughed and said, "I'm an only child, I don't have any brothers or sisters. I've always envied you guys who do. You must have a very good relationship."

Shen Du blinked lightly. "It is indeed very good."

As if a conversation had just begun, Xie Changyu relaxed and started chatting with Shen Du. Shen Du didn't talk much, but he responded to every word, and the two became more and more harmonious.

"We've arrived," the driver said.

Xie Changyu stopped talking, his face relaxed and happy, his eyes crinkling as he said, "Let's get out of the car." Seeing the other person nod, he got out of the car first. Just as he was about to open the door for the other person, he saw that the other person had already gotten out of the car very quickly.

Seeing that he hadn't been of any help, Xie Changyu didn't think much of it, but when he saw the man holding flowers in one hand and a bag in the other, he quickly reached out his hand: "Give me the things first."

Shen Du, dressed in a white overcoat, had snowflakes gently falling on his hair. His features were delicate. He shook his head. "No need."

"Alright." Seeing that the other party did not agree, Xie Changyu did not force the issue. "Then let's go inside quickly, it's too cold outside."

The two walked into the restaurant side by side, one in black and one in white, attracting attention.

He handed over the membership card as he went in, saying, "Two people."

The waiter was initially surprised to see the card, but the next second he bowed and extended his hand, saying politely, "This way, please, gentlemen."

They were led to a very private room. After the two were seated, Xie Changyu helped put the bouquet of flowers and the bag aside, then took off his coat and loosened his neck. "It's a bit hot in here, do you want to take your coat off too?"

Chen Du shook his head. "I'm not hot."

"Oh, okay." Xie Changyu didn't force the other party. Although it was a little strange that he didn't take off his coat, what if he was really cold?

Chen Du took off his scarf and gloves and put them into the gift bag. He looked at the person opposite him with a strange expression: "You seem to come here often. Is it delicious?"

Xie Changyu didn't notice anything amiss. He nodded and replied earnestly, "It is indeed quite delicious. We'll see if it suits your taste later."

Although Chen Du was wearing a coat over his clothes, he was still wearing a turtleneck sweater underneath, which covered his prominent Adam's apple. He lowered his eyes, and his obviously feminine makeup was particularly striking on his face. He smiled and said, "Baby doesn't seem very happy. Is he dissatisfied with me?"

Xie Changyu's eyes widened when he suddenly heard him ask that question. He quickly waved his hand and denied it, saying, "No, no, why would you think that?"

After denying it, he realized that the other person had just called him "baby," a term of endearment used only in online chats. He was a little embarrassed to hear it in person.

Chen Du looked up, her eyes filled with a smile: "That's good. I thought the baby didn't like me."

“…Of course I like it,” Xie Changyu said, his expression somewhat conflicted.

“I like babies too.” Shen Du imitated Shen Zisui’s expression and continued, “Now that we’ve met, we’re dating.”

Xie Changyu choked on his saliva when he heard that. He turned his head and coughed incessantly, frantically pounding his chest. After a while, he calmed down, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and slowly said, "This..."

He didn't expect Sui Sui to bring this up so suddenly, and he panicked for a moment. If that incident hadn't happened, he would have agreed, but not now. He came here with the intention of making things clear.

“…Sui Sui, I…” Xie Changyu pursed his lips, hesitating about how to say it, when he heard the other person suddenly grab his hand and hold it tightly. His pupils contracted involuntarily. This was…

Shen Du recalled how his younger brother usually acted spoiled, his expression shifted slightly, and he opened his lips to ask, "Doesn't my baby want to date me?"

"I..." Xie Changyu was even more at a loss for words. He looked flustered and clearly at a loss. "I'm sorry."

Those hands didn't loosen their grip; in fact, they tightened even more. Chen Du's expression clearly turned cold as he said, "You don't want to date me?"

He tilted his head slightly, his expression as innocent as a wild animal cub, making Xie Changyu feel guilty and unable to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry, I can't date you."

As he spoke, he forcefully pulled his hand away, looking like he was ready to risk everything.

Chen Du's eyes flickered, but his tone remained indifferent: "Because of other people?"

Xie Changyu puffed out his cheeks, not expecting the other party to guess so accurately. He lowered his head, feeling very guilty: "...Mm."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Xie Changyu assumed their relationship was over. His chest heaved slightly, and his eyes reddened. "Yes..."

Suddenly his hand was grabbed again, and he stared wide-eyed at the person sitting opposite him, looking completely bewildered.

"Do you like me?" Shen Du asked.

Before he could answer, she continued, "I don't mind, as long as you like me."

ha?

Xie Changyu was truly shocked; his tongue felt like it had been burned. "You...you don't mind?!"

This wasn't what he imagined; it wasn't scientific...

"But I did something wrong!" he argued, trying to convince the guy in front of him who seemed a bit love-struck, as if the other person's love interest wasn't him. "Wake up."

But Shen Du simply nodded. "I'm perfectly sober."

So, you've agreed to date me?

Xie Changyu didn't speak. He pursed his lips and asked cautiously, "You really don't mind?"

When he asked that question, he stared intently at the other person's expression, as if trying to discern something.

Chen Du met his gaze, his eyes shifting slightly, and said softly, "I don't mind. I just want to be with you. Don't you agree?"

Of course I disagree.

Xie Changyu looked at the other person's nonchalant expression, but her own expression was conflicted. "You must have been chilled by the cold wind and haven't woken up yet. Let's talk about this later."

In reality, Shen Du, who was wrapped up tightly, looked up at him and only hummed in response, as if she had no emotion at all. This made Xie Changyu even more certain of his thoughts: Sui Sui must not have reacted yet, and she would definitely be angry later.

"Let's eat first," Xie Changyu said.

The dishes they had just ordered were served at that moment. Xie Changyu put aside the complicated emotions in his mind, took a deep breath, and suddenly called out to the waiter, pointing to one of the dishes with a puzzled look, and asked, "We don't think we ordered this dish. Did you send the wrong dish?"

The waiter was also stunned. He stepped forward to check and then replied, "Sir, we did not send the wrong dish. This dish is for this private room."

Yeah?

Xie Changyu wondered if he had remembered it wrong, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

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Author's note: In the next chapter, I discover my girlfriend has turned into my boyfriend, and I'm being forced into love.

The first book's first modern world is a bit simple, a straightforward love triangle with no major twists and turns, and the characters are also relatively simple. Later books will have more complex worlds, including ancient Chinese BL, infinite flow, ABO, and Xianxia, ​​with more engaging characters. Don't worry, there won't be any abuse on the male lead.