She had long known that he liked to drink plain milk. It was obviously bought especially for him, yet at this moment she deliberately played dumb, pretending it was only because today the milk was buy-one-get-one-free, so she casually treated him to one.

Observing his preferences, understanding his habits—everything was just so that at some moment, she could inadvertently mention a point they shared, create some kind of unintentional coincidence, or fate.

Because it was a secret crush, she was terrified of letting him know her feelings. Because it was a secret crush, she could only restrain this affection within the safest boundaries, afraid of letting him notice, afraid of making him feel offended.

Such open and unmistakable love in her heart—she clearly liked him so much, played so many little schemes for him, called him “husband” in her heart, fantasized every day about doing the most intimate things with him—yet when she was really in front of him, there was only a polite and distant “Classmate Bai.”

Feelings that were already about to spill out of her heart, yet hidden from him—this kind of sincere but extremely concealed affection and care made it so that even he didn’t know how to refuse.

If it hadn’t been for that accidental cup of milk tea, he probably really would never have known.

Never known that there was actually someone who liked him this much.

Bai Jiangxin had to admit that whether it was the Xiang Di in front of him now, playing little tricks on him, or that lustful Xiang Di, she affected him very much.

Gently taking the milk she handed over, Bai Jiangxin said, “I quite like drinking this.”

【Hehe, I knew you’d like it.】

Xiang Di lifted her smiling face and said generously, “Then I’ll treat you.”

She took herself a bottle of plain milk as well. Next to the plain milk was banana milk—that was actually Xiang Di’s favorite flavor—but it didn’t matter. Today, she wanted to drink the same thing as Bai Jiangxin.

After all, banana milk could be drunk every day, but Bai Jiangxin walking her home wasn’t a benefit she got every day, so she could only bear the pain for now and abandon banana milk. After all, what you can’t get is what you love more. Between banana milk and Bai Jiangxin, she would of course choose Bai Jiangxin.

【Dear banana milk, I love you, but I love Bai Jiangxin more. I hope you can understand my helpless decision at this moment, sob sob.】

Silently staging a breakup scene with banana milk in her heart, Xiang Di accidentally noticed the signature cheese crispy cream puffs of this bakery—there were actually still some for sale.

Xiang Di often came to this bakery to buy desserts just for these cream puffs. She was a cheese fanatic—no matter what food it was, as long as it had the word “cheese” in it, she had to try it. And this shop’s cheese crispy cream puffs were the best she had ever eaten. The exterior was scorched and crispy, baked just right; the cream filling wasn’t very sweet. With one bite, it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, filling her mouth with the aroma of cheese—sweet and fragrant.

Usually, these cream puffs would sell out just a few hours after coming out of the oven. Xiang Di could only buy them if she came early on her days off. She hadn’t expected that so late today, there would still be some.

Unfortunately, she had left her phone at home and hadn’t brought enough cash—only enough to buy bread and milk. Just when she finally managed to get lucky, she couldn’t take it home.

Xiang Di pursed her lips, thinking that when she was off this week, she would definitely set an alarm and come buy them.

【Sigh, Bai Jiangxin, you blue-faced disaster, it’s all your fault—I can’t eat the cream puffs now.】

Unwilling to admit that she valued beauty over cream puffs, she secretly blamed him in her heart and said, “I’m done choosing. We can check out.”

Bai Jiangxin: “Wait.”

Xiang Di: “What’s wrong?”

Bai Jiangxin: “I’ll buy something too.”

He directly took the food tongs from her hand, walked straight to the cream puffs, and took all the remaining ones.

Xiang Di looked at him in surprise. “You like eating cream puffs?”

“Suddenly felt like buying some to eat.” Bai Jiangxin asked her in return, “You like them?”

Such a coincidence??

Xiang Di widened her eyes, simply unable to describe how surprised she was at this moment.

How could this not count as a heaven-sent coincidence!

Having the same likes as the person she liked—now that there was such a shared topic, Xiang Di suddenly had much more to say, only hating that her words were too limited to properly describe just how delicious this cream puff was.

“I like it, I like it, I really like it.” Xiang Di’s tone was excited. “You’re so lucky, I’m telling you, this shop’s cheese puffs are super delicious. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they’re the best cheese puffs I’ve eaten in my eighteen years.”

Bai Jiangxin imperceptibly hooked his lips and asked her, “Since you like them so much, why didn’t you buy them?”

Xiang Di let out an uh.

【I can’t exactly tell you it’s because you like pork floss, and I was catering to your preferences, so I lied and said I also like pork floss, and in order to build a persona of someone who likes pork floss in front of you, I didn’t buy the cream puffs…】

She also couldn’t tell him that she hadn’t brought enough money. His family background was good—he usually wore shoes that started at four digits. She had heard Qianqian say that a few pairs were even limited editions. In front of him, she also wanted to pretend to be a little rich miss.

Xiang Di said, “I used to like them a lot, but recently my No.1 is pork floss bread. I just didn’t expect that you’d actually like eating cream puffs.”

Bai Jiangxin slightly raised his brows and didn’t expose this “little rich miss”’s inner thoughts.

“I haven’t really eaten them before.” He paused for a moment, then said softly, “But this shop’s puffs look quite appetizing.”

Xiang Di agreed with an mm, raised her thumb, and said, “You have great taste. I’m telling you, it’s not just that they look appetizing—they taste like something out of heaven. Trust me, buy them, you won’t regret it.”

Bai Jiangxin gave an mm, then put the plain milk in his hand back and picked up a bottle of banana milk instead.

“Treat me to this.” he said.

After drinking too much plain milk, sometimes he also wanted to switch to something sweet, to see what the flavor she liked tasted like.

Xiang Di knew nothing about this. She only knew that everything was just too coincidental—so coincidental that if he weren’t here, and she didn’t have to be a little reserved, she probably would have already jumped in place.

【What is this! This is the fate between me and my husband!!】

【This is fate by chance encounter! Fate cultivated in a past life! Fate destined by heaven! What are the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen are nothing special either, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai can move aside—my husband and I are the truly perfect match!】

Bai Jiangxin frowned. On one hand, it was because she was being noisy; on the other, it was because her examples were really terrible.

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could only meet once a year on Qixi¹Qixi Festival (七夕), also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, held on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. It originates from the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, lovers who are separated by the Milky Way and allowed to meet only once a year on this day.. Xu Xian became a monk while Bai Suzhen was suppressed under Leifeng Pagoda. As for Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, that was even worse—they only got together after death by turning into butterflies.

If you don’t know how to give examples, then don’t.

Xiang Di was still caught up in her excitement when the shop clerk at the counter urged them, “Students, have you two finished choosing? We’re closing.”

Xiang Di hurriedly said, “Yes, yes, we’re done.”

Walking up to the counter, she swung her backpack to the front and was just about to take money out when the person beside her had already taken his phone out of his school uniform pocket.

Xiang Di thought he wanted to pay for the cream puffs first, so she said to the clerk, “We’ll split the bill. I’ll pay for the bread and milk.”

Bai Jiangxin said, “Let’s pay together.”

Xiang Di declined, “No need, no need. I brought money, and I said I’d treat you to milk.”

The clerk looked at the young boy and girl in front of her, the corners of her mouth lifting into a knowing smile. She saw this kind of situation all the time—usually between men and women who were in an ambiguous stage but hadn’t yet confirmed a relationship: the boy wanted to pay, the girl insisted on paying for herself.

At this moment, the opportunity to pierce the paper window arrived. Once the girl said, ‘you’re not my boyfriend, how can I let you pay for me’, the boy only needed to respond with a bit of tact—‘then let me be your boyfriend, that way I’m qualified to pay for you’.

Footnotes

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  Qixi Festival (七夕), also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, held on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. It originates from the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, lovers who are separated by the Milky Way and allowed to meet only once a year on this day.