Chapter 44 Guide: Be My Girlfriend on the Forty-Fourth Day
But judging from Bai Jiangxin's answer, last night was probably not a dream.
Xiang Di breathed a sigh of relief. Even through the phone, her courage, which was smaller than a hamster's, suddenly grew.
What happened between us last night?
To everyone's surprise, Bai Jiangxin replied: "Nothing happened."
Xiang Di's mind was a little muddled. How come nothing had happened again? His words made her start to doubt herself again.
Xiang Di could only cautiously remind him: "You seemed to have talked to me a lot yesterday."
Bai Jiangxin casually replied: "Really?"
Xiang Di sounded a little anxious: "Yes."
Bai Jiangxin: [What did I say to you?]
Xiang Di didn't want to talk about it, so he passed the buck back to Xiang Di.
Don't you even remember what you said yourself?
Bai Jiangxin: [I don't remember.]
Xiang Di was stunned.
Why is he like this?
But then, a twist occurred: Bai Jiangxin said, "[I only remember confessing my feelings to a clueless idiot yesterday.]"
Xiang Di's breath hitched. Before she could process his words, Bai Jiangxin pretended to remember but not quite.
[Could that idiot be you?]
Xiang Di: "..."
Even if she was slow to realize, she would realize at this moment that Bai Jiangxin was deliberately teasing her to retaliate for her feigning ignorance earlier.
Her fingers were a little numb, but Bai Jiangxin kept pressing her: "Is it you, you idiot?"
Even through the phone, Xiang Di inexplicably felt like she was being cornered and being calmly and deliberately questioned by him.
Others might find it annoying to be teased like this, but Xiang Di really falls for Bai Jiangxin's charm.
Xiang Di covered her face.
She was wrong; she shouldn't have doubted that he was incapable of foreplay.
I really hope he can use this trick in bed someday.
It would be even better if he could slowly rub his geoduck against her abalone meat, creating a pool of salty, sticky seawater that wets the tip of his clam, while deliberately asking her in a low, husky, patient voice, "Want some?"
I wanted to eat seafood, lots of seafood, so much so that the entire passageway was stretched out.
Xiang Di hadn't thought about it all day yesterday, but today, just thinking about it made her legs go weak. She excitedly slapped her thigh, but she didn't control her strength and hurt herself. She could only gasp for breath, rubbing her thigh to relieve the pain while continuing to daydream.
Lost in thought, a silly smile graced her youthful, collagen-filled face. Zhou Linxiao, who was beside her, observed her for a long time before finally smiling.
I wonder what adorable things this Chinese doll is thinking to make such a cute expression.
-
Bai Jiangxin still hadn't arrived at school by the time all the morning classes were over.
With no other option, Xiang Di went to the cafeteria for lunch. Coincidentally, there was a dish of stir-fried clams on the cafeteria's menu today, so she ordered it without hesitation.
Liang Qianqian was shocked and asked her when she started to like seafood so much.
Xiang Di mumbled, "I've recently developed a liking for seafood."
Since Bai Jiangxin hadn't arrived at school yet, Ye Minjia ate in the cafeteria with them today, and also brought Zhou Linxiao along.
Ye Minjia asked curiously, "Hey, what kind of seafood do you like to eat?"
Xiang Di was too embarrassed to say it was a geoduck, so he just casually said oyster.
“Oysters are great,” Ye Minjia said without hesitation. “A woman’s beauty salon, a man’s gas station.”
The boys seemed to have a natural understanding of these slightly suggestive topics, and Zhou Linxiao understood immediately, giving a knowing smile.
Ye Minjia realized that he had accidentally made a lewd joke in front of the girl. Sure enough, Liang Qianqian pointed her finger at him and scolded him for speaking without any sense of propriety and making lewd remarks in broad daylight.
Ye Minjia felt wronged. With the internet so developed now, even elementary school students can tell a few dirty jokes. Besides, he didn't say anything particularly explicit.
Ye Minjia retorted, "What are you pretending to be so innocent for? If you can understand it, it means your thoughts are impure."
“I never said I was pure of heart. It’s fine if you drive in front of me,” Liang Qianqian said righteously. “But I will never allow you to corrupt Xiang Di’s mind.”
Seeing Liang Qianqian's protectiveness, Xiang Di was moved and finally couldn't help but reflect on whether she had been pretending to be innocent too much.
She can pretend in front of her elders, but she goes too far with her friends, which has led to people deliberately avoiding her whenever they tell dirty jokes. She really feels isolated.
God knows how much she wanted to tell dirty jokes with everyone and see who could be the dirtiest and the best at driving.
Since Bai Jiangxin wasn't around, Xiang Di decided to reveal her true colors a little. She advised, "Qianqian, don't talk about the class monitor. He didn't really say anything."
"He hasn't said anything yet? He already said 'a man's gas station'." Liang Qianqian realized, "Never mind, it's good that you don't know what 'gas station' means."
“I understand,” Xiang Di said.
She smiled shyly and continued, "Oysters contain a lot of trace elements, such as zinc and taurine. Zinc can promote testosterone synthesis in men, enhance libido, and promote muscle growth. Taurine can relieve physical fatigue and enhance endurance and stamina. That's why oysters are said to be a man's energy booster."
"..."
The three of them fell silent.
They had no idea that Xiang Di knew such detailed scientific analysis; it was as if he was driving the most obscene car with the most innocent expression.
What on earth did she say with that innocent face? It's really disillusioning, like a well-behaved girl suddenly starting to smoke, drink, and get her hair permed.
Or was she really just explaining physiological knowledge to them, and it was just that they had impure thoughts and misunderstood?
At this moment, Xiang Di smiled, hoping they would respond and continue the conversation, exploring the topic of "men's refueling station" in greater depth. However, after a few seconds of silence, the three of them tacitly changed the subject.
"I see... By the way, speaking of gas stations, isn't the exam the day after tomorrow? Has the seating chart been released yet?"
"It seems not yet, probably tomorrow. Zhou Linxiao, are you taking the exam?"
"Yes, I'll participate. I've already told Teacher Chen."
Xiang Di pouted.
Before, when she didn't join in, she seemed like an outsider. Now that she's joined, why does she seem even more of an outsider?
I really don't understand them.
-
When Ye Minjia returned from the cafeteria, the first thing she noticed was that Bai Jiangxin had a new schoolbag on his desk.
"Oh, young master has finally woken up and gone to school."
At this moment, Bai Jiangxin only has his schoolbag in the classroom; he's not there. He's probably in the office getting scolded by the teacher.
Seeing the top student in the grade being reprimanded was a spectacle that Ye Minjia decided to skip her afternoon nap and immediately called everyone in the classroom to go to the office to watch the show.
A group of people arrived at the office door and peeked inside. Sure enough, Bai Jiangxin was inside, standing in front of Chen Jinghua's desk, receiving ideological education.
Chen Jinghua was still scolding Bai Jiangxin absentmindedly when he suddenly heard a soft, sweet voice.
Sigh, I feel so sorry for my husband; he got scolded by the teacher.
Without even turning around, Bai Jiangxin knew that someone had come to watch the spectacle.
He thought that after having a frank conversation with her yesterday, things would be much more natural when they interacted in the future. Now that he had admitted to having feelings for her, he had given up his inner resistance. He would no longer deliberately avoid any future developments with her, but would let things take their natural course. At least that way, he wouldn't have to keep struggling with and denying his feelings for her, torturing himself every day with the mental struggle of knowing he was interested in her but unwilling to admit it.
After experiencing insomnia last night, Bai Jiangxin realized that his confession last night had no effect when he heard Xiang Di's familiar voice again today.
It even had the opposite effect. After admitting his feelings for Xiang Di and choosing to take things further with her, he not only didn't feel at ease, but seemed to care about her even more.
When he couldn't see her, he could still tease her, but once he actually heard her voice, all his thoughts instinctively followed her, and his attention was entirely on her, to the point that even the homeroom teacher's scolding became blurred in his ears.
For some reason, the thought of her standing at the office door watching him filled Bai Jiangxin with a mix of excitement and nervousness, along with a vague sense of anxiety and unease.
Denying his feelings for her made him anxious, but admitting they made him even more anxious. Bai Jiangxin sighed inwardly.
He's really a nemesis, a natural counter to him.
However, this little nemesis does have some conscience; at least he knows how to care for him.
But then, Bai Jiangxin heard her breathe a sigh of relief.
[Luckily, my dad helped me get sick leave in advance, otherwise I would have gotten scolded by the teacher today, hehe, Dad, I love you.]
Bai Jiangxin's previously chaotic emotions cooled down immediately.
He got scolded by the teacher because of her, but what was she doing? Was she confessing her feelings for her dad in her heart?
Bai Jiangxin's lips twitched.
His disdainful micro-expression was quickly caught by Chen Jinghua, who raised an eyebrow: "What's with your reaction? You were late for class and the teacher said a few words to you, and you're still not convinced?"
Realizing he was still being scolded, Bai Jiangxin composed himself and said, "...No."
"Bai Jiangxin, don't think that just because you have good grades, the teachers won't say anything to you. No matter how good your grades are, you're still a student at this school, and you still need to come to school on time every day—"
It was quite interesting to hear the top student in the grade get scolded. A group of people watched the spectacle from the office door for as long as Bai Jiangxin was being scolded, until Chen Jinghua finally finished speaking, picked up his thermos, and ended today's lecture.
"Alright, I'll let it go this time. But if this happens again, I won't tolerate it." Chen Jinghua blew on the rim of his thermos, took a sip of tea, waved his hand, and said, "Go back to the classroom. Prepare well for the exam the day after tomorrow. The teacher will be watching your performance."
Bai Jiangxin nodded.
The onlookers were somewhat indignant when they saw the old teacher give a long speech, but in the end, it was all bark and no bite, with no real punishment given, and Bai Jiangxin was let off so easily.
Being first in the grade is great. I slept in all morning and didn't come to school, but nothing happened to me. If it were them, their parents would have been called to discipline them.
"Ugh, this is boring, let's call it a day."
The group immediately dispersed, hurrying back to the classroom for their lunch break.
Only Xiang Di hasn't left yet.
He had just stepped out of the office when he was greeted by her smile.
Bai Jiangxin's eyes flickered slightly, his gaze quickly sweeping across her face before looking away.
Xiang Di greeted him somewhat awkwardly: "...Hi, you're at school."
Thinking about what he had said to her yesterday, Xiang Di still couldn't help feeling a little nervous when facing him.
[Ugh, this is so embarrassing! Is this the aftereffect of confessing your feelings? ...Wait, I'm the one who was confessed to, so why am I embarrassed?]
...So it was a side effect of confessing one's feelings.
Bai Jiangxin frowned slightly. If he had known he would have these symptoms, he would have kept quiet.
After last night's ecstasy, Xiang Di was looking forward to Bai Jiangxin's reaction, but Bai Jiangxin seemed to have reverted to his previous indifferent attitude towards her. He simply hummed in response and walked past her.
Xiang Di was somewhat confused.
What's wrong with him now? Didn't he just say yesterday that he wanted to pursue her? And they even chatted on their phones this morning. Why is he being so aloof towards her now that they're at school?
Chatting on a phone and chatting face-to-face are completely different experiences. You can be as bold as you are when chatting on a phone, but you can be as awkward as you are when you are face-to-face. In front of Bai Jiangxin, even though she was the one being confessed to, Xiang Di still couldn't be calm and could only follow him back to the classroom.
Back in the classroom, Bai Jiangxin didn't sit for long before getting up again, seemingly to go somewhere.
Xiang Di didn't dare to ask, but thankfully Ye Minjia asked him, "Where are you going?"
Bai Jiangxin: "Let's go eat."
Ye Minjia's eyes widened: "You haven't eaten yet? The cafeteria has long since run out of food."
Bai Jiangxin nodded and said, "I'll go to the supermarket to buy a bowl of instant noodles."
Then he went out. Xiang Di hesitated for a few minutes, but finally mustered up her courage, picked up the cream puffs she had bought for him that morning, and followed him out.
Don't just follow him around, go up and talk to him!
Bai Jiangxin heard Xiang Di's thoughts and noticed that she had been following him the whole time.
Why is she following him? He needs time to calm down. Doesn't she think he's already embarrassed enough in front of her?
Bai Jiangxin took a deep breath and looked back at her.
The moment their eyes met, they both froze, realizing at the same time that something very serious had happened.
It's over. Last night's confession seems to have had no effect. They've been brought back to square one.
The atmosphere was completely different from last night. Although it was tense last night, at least we could still talk to each other, but today we couldn't even have a conversation.
Her heart tightened, and an electric current immediately flowed through her limbs. Xiang Di quickly lowered her head, her fluttering eyelashes betraying her rapid heartbeat.
[Oh my god, we've already crossed the line, why am I so nervous?!]
Yes, he's already confessed his feelings, so he should be able to face her calmly. What's he so nervous about?
This stalemate couldn't go on, so Bai Jiangxin finally spoke first: "...Is there something you need?"
Xiang Di scratched his face and said, "Well, I heard you didn't have lunch. I also overslept this morning, so I stopped by that bakery on my way to school and bought some cream puffs... I brought you a serving."
She bought two portions; one portion was shared with her classmates, and the other portion was reserved for him alone.
Bai Jiangxin was slightly taken aback, whispered a thank you, and took the cream puff she offered.
"Also, when you buy the instant noodles sold in the school supermarket, pay attention to the production date, some of them are about to expire," Xiang Di said. "Personally, I think eating instant noodles on their own is too dry. Buying a braised egg and ham and mixing them in with the noodles will make them taste much better. This is my own experience, you can try it."
Having said that, Xiang Di had nothing more to say.
She really wanted to continue yesterday's conversation with him, but she was clearly not good at flirting or this push-pull tactic, so she had to give up.
"Then you go ahead, I'm going back to the classroom."
"Do you want to come with me to the supermarket?"
The two spoke almost simultaneously, paused for a second, and then spoke again at the same time.
"Then you can go back to the classroom."
"I'll go with you!"
Xiang Di didn't know what to say.
[Please, can you be a little more reserved? You're the one who got confessed to! Why are you being so forward?!]
Bai Jiangxin pursed her lips, her voice softening: "Come with me."
Xiang Di: "Oh, okay."
The two remained silent on the way to the supermarket, where Xiang Di, based on her experience, recommended some ham and braised eggs that she thought were delicious.
Bai Jiangxin was about to pay the bill when she said, "Wait a minute, let's check the production date first."
The production date on the packaging of the braised egg was printed in small, blurry characters. To see it clearly, Xiang Di held the egg up to his eyes and examined it closely.
She was looking at the hard-boiled eggs, while Bai Jiangxin was looking at her.
In a daze, he seemed to remember that the first concrete impression he had of Xiang Di was in this supermarket, when she reminded him that the bread's production date was not good.
He still doesn't know exactly how long Xiang Di has liked him—maybe a semester, maybe a year, or even longer.
But he could guess that when she mustered up the courage to remind him that day, she must have been very nervous.
In the past, if he had known that he had been observed and watched for so long without his knowledge, he would have felt uncomfortable and disgusted, feeling that he was being monitored.
But now, when he thinks about how, for countless days he didn't know, this person in front of him had been silently liking and watching him, remembering his hobbies and understanding his habits, he only felt warm and moved.
Who says she hasn't done anything? She has done far too much.
"Hmm, the date is fine." Having finally seen the production date, Xiang Di handed him the braised egg. "Go pay the bill."
The moment she looked up at him, Bai Jiangxin's gaze quickly shifted away from her face.
After paying, Xiang Di told Bai Jiangxin where to get hot water.
While waiting for the instant noodles to soak, Bai Jiangxin planned to eat two cream puffs first.
After eating two, he said to Xiang Di with some regret, "If only you had come to school earlier, these cream puffs would have been too soft and the cheese filling inside would have melted a bit."
After a pause, she suddenly had a bright idea: "There are refrigerated display cases in the supermarket. How about I take it to refrigerate it for you before you eat it?"
Bai Jiangxin said it was okay, but Xiang Di insisted: "Trust me, it tastes better when chilled, it has the texture of ice cream."
Bai Jiangxin: "It tastes good even without refrigeration."
"But it's not the best-tasting."
Xiang Di just wanted him to enjoy the best cream puff texture.
Ke Baijiangxin said, "This is the best it tastes now."
No.
"yes."
Xiang Di thought he was a bit stubborn and asked, puzzled, "Do you really like this melted texture?"
"I don't like it, it's sticky." Bai Jiangxin said honestly, "I don't like it."
"Then why don't you—"
“I like it when you eat with me,” Bai Jiangxin said.
"..."
Xiang Di fell silent for a moment.
[…What's wrong with this person? He was so cold just now, why is he suddenly flirting with me?]
Not knowing how to reply, she quickly found something to do and said to Di, "Um, I'll take it to the refrigerator for you..."
She took the cream puff and was about to leave when the boy's broad hand gently grasped her wrist.
He suddenly said, "Actually, I've been very nervous all day."
Xiang Di looked up in surprise.
Bai Jiangxin softened his voice and explained to her, "I didn't realize it when we were chatting on the phone this morning, but once I got to school and saw you..."
He apologized to her: "I just realized that I'm not as composed as I thought I was, so my attitude towards you was a bit awkward. I didn't mean to be cold to you, I'm sorry."
Xiang Di lowered his head in a panic.
"N-It's okay..."
I'm so happy! It turns out he didn't forget what he said last night, and that he was just as nervous as she was.
"I...I'll go refrigerate the cream puffs for you..."
Forgive her; she really doesn't know what else to do besides this.
Bai Jiangxin still held her wrist, not allowing her to leave.
Seeing her so fixated on the cream puffs, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Why are you always trying to do this and that for me? Am I the one pursuing you, or are you pursuing me?"
"...It's true that you pursued me, but I just couldn't help wanting to be good to you, wanting to do something for you."
Not knowing what excuse to use, Xiang Di stammered, "Well, I can't just lie around like a king, only enjoying your pursuit. I have to give you something in return..."
Bai Jiangxin was at his wit's end.
This person says things like how heartbreaking it is to have a crush on someone, that she should enjoy his pursuit and become the queen, but her body tells a different story. Her heart races whenever she sees him, and she wants to do anything for him whenever she sees something she can do for him.
He was different from her. She only felt thirsty in her heart, but he did not. His spiritual, physical, and even physical desires far outweighed his spiritual needs.
If he really did what she wanted and revealed all his desires to her, she might not be able to handle it.
His heart had been desolate for too long, and he was still trying to accept the feeling of someone suddenly moving into his solitary spiritual world. He was still learning how to truly care about someone, to treat her well, to let her into his world, and to make her a part of his spiritual world.
He was far more greedy and terrifying than she could have imagined.
Just like that day in the private room, for the first time in his life, impulse overcame reason, and he couldn't help but kiss her.
Bai Jiangxin wondered if, if things continued like this, she might lose control and do something even more outrageous.
So he tried to make their relationship progress gradually by pursuing them, at least so that they could learn to get along naturally and not be at a loss for words when facing each other.
His palm tightened slightly on her slender wrist, his fingertips caressing her thin skin, as if trying to feel her heartbeat beneath her veins.
Bai Jiangxin lowered his eyes, his usually cool and aloof expression now tinged with helplessness. His voice, too, was different from its usual clear and calm tone; it was low, hoarse, and muffled, as if he were suppressing something.
"But the way you are makes me like you more and more."
Saying the word "like" was truly embarrassing. Bai Jiangxin's Adam's apple bobbed; given his personality, this was something he would never have said before.
"I can't wait until the college entrance exam is over, I just want you to be my girlfriend right now."
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