Planning a confession

On January 16th, Nie Jiayuan finally finished her last exam and left immediately without lingering at the school for even a second.

Bai Yixia leaned against the car window and breathed softly, drawing a round little cat on the misty windowpane.

Ding. The phone rang. Bai Yixia picked it up, smiled, and said to Zhou Qingchi in the driver's seat, "Jiajia said the train has arrived at the station."

Zhou Qingchi glanced at the road ahead and decided not to squeeze into the sea of ​​cars and people. He pulled over and said, "Tell her we'll wait for her outside."

He turned his head and looked out the window. The little cat that Bai Yixia had drawn was still there, blurry and indistinct, its round eyes as cute as its owner's.

Zhou Qingchi couldn't help but chuckle. "Tell her it's next to that milk tea shop outside."

“Hmm…” Bai Yixia held her phone and shook it at him. The screen showed a shaky scene, and soon Nie Jiayuan’s somewhat indistinct voice came through.

Perhaps because she was squeezed in the crowd, her tone was rather harsh, with a hint of teasing: "Wow, it's less than a kilometer from the station, and Brother Zhou is still so unwilling?"

"According to you, I'd have to practically stand in front of the train door to pick you up before I'm willing, right?" Zhou Qingchi retorted indifferently.

The camera shook violently, and Bai Yixia was startled. "Jiajia, what's wrong?"

A dozen seconds later, Nie Jiayuan's face appeared in the camera's view. She quickly gave Bai Yixia a smile to indicate that she was alright, saying, "Someone wasn't watching where they were going and almost knocked my phone away."

Zhou Qingchi said, "You should just hang up now, so your phone won't get damaged later."

"You idiot!" Nie Jiayuan insisted on going against him, ignoring him and focusing on talking to Bai Yixia.

When the two of them bicker, Bai Yixia usually just watches, finding it funny while also learning from their linguistic skills.

Seeing that Zhou Qingchi's gaze was no longer on her, Bai Yixia lowered her head and spoke to Nie Jiayuan.

She asked, "Jiajia, what color clothes are you wearing today? I'll be able to find you later."

Nie Jiayuan glanced down at her clothes, frowned and pondered for a moment, then hesitated and said, "This color, what's it called again? Taro, taro paste? Oh no, taro purple."

The station was too noisy, and the noise completely drowned out Nie Jiayuan's voice. Bai Yixia had to hold the phone to her ear and say, "What taro paste? Taro paste? It's too noisy, Jiajia, say it again."

The two of them started chatting in this way, repeating themselves over and over again.

On the other side, Zhou Qingchi looked at the milk tea shop outside the car. It seemed to have a lot of customers, so the taste should be pretty good.

He leaned slightly towards Bai Yixia, bent down to unbuckle his seatbelt, and asked gently, "Xia, what flavor of milk tea would you like?"

Suddenly, a car horn blared outside, piercing his ears. He only heard Bai Yixia mutter "taro paste" twice.

Zhou Qingchi followed the noisy car with displeasure. He was about to ask more questions when he turned his head and saw that Bai Yixia was having such a hard time talking to Nie Jiayuan, so he didn't disturb her.

He got out of the car and walked a few steps to the milk tea shop. Just then, the customer in front of him finished ordering. Zhou Qingchi stepped up to the clerk and said without hesitation, "I'd like a coconut jasmine milk green tea, with some taro paste."

The shop assistant smiled and agreed, "Okay, is there anything else you need, sir?"

Zhou Qingchi was about to say no, but then he thought that if he did, Nie Jiayuan would probably start yelling again. However, he wasn't sure what Nie Jiayuan liked to drink, so after a few seconds of hesitation, he said, "I'll have another serving of your signature milk tea."

The shop assistant nodded. "Okay. How sweet would you like it?"

"Full sugar".

Zhou Qingchi placed his order and then left to the side. There were still five or six people ahead of him, and it would probably take another ten minutes or so. But Nie Jiayuan should be coming out by then.

Inside the car, Bai Yixia, feeling dizzy, struggled to communicate with Nie Jiayuan several times before finally giving up. She let go of his hand, tilted her head back, and lay down.

"Let me tell you... just now... on the car... there was someone—oh dear, why are they blocking the road!" Nie Jiayuan was still complaining on the other side, completely unaware that her beloved Xia had disappeared from the camera's view.

Bai Yixia couldn't hear Nie Jiayuan's voice very clearly, but she didn't ask her to hang up. She just leaned back in her seat and occasionally responded with a few "uh-huhs".

Fortunately, Nie Jiayuan just wanted to express herself and didn't care about Bai Yixia's perfunctory attitude.

After about ten minutes, the noise subsided a bit, and Nie Jiayuan suddenly said, "I think I saw Zhou Qingchi's car. Xiaxia, I'll hang up now. See you soon."

Bai Yixia breathed a sigh of relief, but when she turned her head she didn't see Zhou Qingchi. She sat up abruptly and opened the car window to look outside.

Zhou Qingchi didn't see it, but Nie Jiayuan was already standing in front of her.

The girl had long, wavy hair that reached her chest, which was tucked into her neck as a scarf. A mask covered most of her face, leaving only her smiling eyes visible.

Bai Yixia exclaimed in surprise, "Jiajia! You're so fast!"

Nie Jiayuan pulled down her mask, reached out and affectionately rubbed Bai Yixia's face, and said with a smile, "Surprised? Actually, I was already in front of the car when I hung up the phone."

Her gaze fell behind Bai Yixia, and not seeing the other person in the car, she gently patted Bai Yixia's head, her eyes filled with resentment: "Were you looking for me just now?"

Bai Yixia guiltily looked away, but her voice was quite self-righteous: "Yes."

"What about Zhou Qingchi?" Nie Jiayuan asked icily. "Could it be that he'd rather take a taxi home than drive me?"

Just as Bai Yixia was about to say that she hadn't noticed where Zhou Qingchi had gone, a cup of milk tea was handed to her over Nie Jiayuan's shoulder.

"When was your new book published, Mr. Nie?" Zhou Qingchi stood an arm's length away from Nie Jiayuan, his expression a half-smile.

Nie Jiayuan was caught talking badly about someone behind their back, so she quickly shut her mouth and didn't bother to argue with his sarcastic remarks.

The only one who was truly happy was Bai Yixia. She took the milk tea, and the warmth from the cup seemed to travel from her palm to her heart. She smiled with her eyes crinkling: "Brother Zhou, when did you go downstairs?"

Zhou Qingchi said, "When you were video chatting with Nie Jiayuan."

Nie Jiayuan: "..." I'm speechless. What a nasty mouth.

Zhou Qingchi handed her another cup of milk tea, gestured with his chin toward the back seat, and said, "Get in the car."

Nie Jiayuan accepted the milk tea, flattered. "Oh? There's one for me too? That's incredible."

Zhou Qingchi almost laughed in anger, "Be reasonable, Nie Jiayuan. Do you think I'm a petty person?"

Nie Jiayuan pushed the suitcase to him and got into the car herself. "Don't be stingy, don't be stingy. Could you please help me with my luggage, Qingchi-ge, Yue?"

Bai Yixia: "..."

Zhou Qingchi: "?"

Nie Jiayuan: "..." I'm disgusted with myself.

Zhou Qingchi glanced at her with a pale face, stuffed his suitcase into the trunk, and immediately got into the car. He didn't even fasten his seatbelt before looking at Bai Yixia.

Bai Yixia had already started stabbing her milk tea with a straw in her mouth, her cheek puffed out like a hamster.

Zhou Qingchi was charmed by her cuteness, and his stomach, which had just been deliberately disgusted by Nie Jiayuan, calmed down.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

Bai Yixia nodded. "It's delicious." She looked at him with a bright smile. "How did you know I was craving taro paste?"

After saying that, Zhou Qingchi was stunned. "Didn't you say you wanted taro paste?"

Bai Yixia was somewhat bewildered. "Me? Did I...did I say that?"

The two looked at each other blankly for a few seconds, then turned to look at Nie Jiayuan in the back row.

She leaned lazily against the car door, wearing a light purple down jacket that, because of her posture, made her look round and plump like a ball.

Bai Yixia realized that Zhou Qingchi had probably overheard her conversation with Nie Jiayuan while he was talking to her, and mistakenly thought that she was replying to him.

She was about to tell Zhou Qingchi when she heard him sneer, not at her, but at Nie Jiayuan.

As expected, Nie Jiayuan suddenly raised her head, looking at Zhou Qingchi with a wary gaze, "What are you laughing at?"

Bai Yixia leaned closer to the car door at the opportune moment, shrinking herself down a bit.

"It's nothing. Have you packed everything? We're about to leave, Ms. Taro Ball."

Although Nie Jiayuan didn't quite understand how he came up with that nickname, he was clearly asking himself the same question. "Okay, let's go."

A cheerful "Oh" came from the front row.

Nie Jiayuan: "?"

When she opened the milk tea, took a sip, and sucked up a purple taro ball, Nie Jiayuan understood.

She couldn't hold back at all, "Big brother, who are you calling fat?"

Zhou Qingchi ignored her completely while driving, his tone flat, "I wasn't implying anything, your clothes just suit that nickname. Right, Xia?"

Xia didn't dare to say a word, she just kept sipping her milk tea.

Nie Jiayuan let out a cold laugh, then took a deep breath as if venting her anger, “…”

She swallowed the milk tea hard, staring at the label in horror. "Full sugar? No wonder it's so sweet. I haven't had full sugar in years."

The light was red, and Zhou Qingchi gave her a look. "Really? Xia likes it all sweet, so I ordered it according to her preference."

Bai Yixia nodded and smiled at Nie Jiayuan through the rearview mirror, "It's nice to enjoy some sweetness once in a while."

Nie Jiayuan leaned forward, wrapped her arm around the seat, and pinched and rubbed Bai Yixia's face. "I'm not like you, you can eat anything and not gain weight."

She glared at Zhou Qingchi, "If we don't keep an eye on him, we might have to change how we address him one day."

Zhou Qingchi choked, then said helplessly, "I really didn't mean that."

Nie Jiayuan snorted. She knew Zhou Qingchi wasn't one to gossip, but she was just instinctively trying to outdo him.

They hadn't seen each other for three or four months, and Bai Yixia was afraid they would fight, so she sat up straight to block Nie Jiayuan's view. She glanced at the supermarket not far away and said, "Wait, it seems like we're out of snacks at home. Little Zhou, Jiajia, shall we go to the supermarket for a while?"

Zhou Qingchi naturally had no objection. "Okay. I'll just buy some groceries to take back with me."

They haven't gone out much lately. It seems Zhou Qingchi has unlocked his full potential in gaming, clearing all the game levels that Bai Yixia and Zhou Qingyan couldn't beat before.

Zhou Qingyan was so angry that he jumped up and down when he returned from his holiday.

Unsure of how much to buy, Zhou Qingchi pushed a large cart.

Seeing that Bai Yixia kept glancing into the car, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Want to come in? I'll let you play."

Bai Yixia looked at him suspiciously, making sure he looked normal and wasn't looking to get revenge for what happened at the subway station.

She shook her head with a laugh, "How old are you now?" She then patted the frame of the bicycle, "I just suddenly remembered when I was little. I actually spent time in a bicycle back then, with my dad pushing me around."

Bai Yixia tilted her head. "Oh, when I invited you to come along, you weren't happy about it."

She joked, "Were you so aloof when you were little, Brother Zhou?"

Zhou Qingchi paused upon hearing this, and stood there for a long time without replying.

Bai Yixia took a few steps before realizing he hadn't followed. She turned around and looked at him, calling out in confusion, "Brother Zhou?"

Zhou Qingchi's expression was unreadable as he asked in a low voice, "Don't you like it?"

Bai Yixia was a little confused: "What?"

"I am not like I am now."

Bai Yixia quickly understood what he meant and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "How could that be? You are you, no matter what you are, I like you no matter what."

Zhou Qingchi looked at her expressionlessly, then after a few seconds his eyes curved into a smile. "That's good."

Bai Yixia felt that he seemed to have something he hadn't said yet, and just as she was about to ask, Nie Jiayuan pulled her away.

Feeling like he'd been fed dog food the whole way, his childhood friend, his voice low, pleaded, "Please, what's the progress on your relationship? Can you at least give me a heads-up?"

Bai Yixia suddenly stopped and turned to look at Zhou Qingchi. Seeing that he was seriously picking out vegetables, she leaned close to Nie Jiayuan's ear and said, "Jiajia, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."

Nie Jiayuan didn't seem to mind. "What's our relationship? Please. What's the matter?"

"Can you distract Zhou Qingchi the day before his birthday?"

Nie Jiayuan sensed something was wrong, and her heart skipped a beat. "What are you going to do?"

Bai Yixia took a piece of butter. "We need to celebrate his birthday. I'm planning to make him a big cake."

"What's wrong with making a cake? It's not like it's the first time you've made one for him." Nie Jiayuan felt a little relieved.

"Hmm..." Bai Yixia picked up another box of whipped cream. "I need to prepare. I plan to confess my feelings on that day."

"What's so good about confessing your feelings?!" Nie Jiayuan suddenly turned to look at Bai Yixia, her voice almost choked with emotion.

Seeing Bai Yixia's serious expression, Nie Jiayuan closed her eyes in despair.

Damn, I put my mind at ease too early.