【Right, Xiang Di, you need to stay calm, you need to calm down, you absolutely cannot show a look like you really care that he accidentally kissed the corner of your mouth just now, otherwise you’ll be completely in his grasp, understand?】

【You have to be composed, you have to be calm, you can’t be love-brained, you have to be like a big female lead, acting like it was just a little accident, I totally don’t care～】

Just as she had finished persuading herself in her heart to be a calm big female lead, the next second, she was once again despairingly howling inside.

【But I’ve already been firmly taken in his grasp!】

【He just touched your upper lips a little, not your lower lips, so is it really necessary for your whole body to heat up, your legs to go weak, and for you to be unable to even walk? Is your defense really this low?】

【You useless thing, you’re not even as good as those yellow-novel female leads who cry and beg for mercy after being licked a few times. How did you ever have the nerve to mock those female leads for being too easily overwhelmed?】

Only now did she finally realize that she was just a paper general.

She thought that because she had read tons of yellow novels, talked every day about wanting to kiss him to death, and prided herself as a veteran driver who knew everything about men and women, she would be invincible.

But in the end, Bai Jiangxin only lightly used a basic attack, and she was so scared she directly used her ultimate move.

Too embarrassing.

The key point was that he was drunk and not clear-headed, and in the end she was the only one who cared.

And she was so cowardly that she didn’t even dare to go confront him.

She started blaming him again.

【Bai Jiangxin, damn man, how dare you tease me. Isn’t it just because you know I like you? Just wait, see how I deal with you in my dreams tonight, I’ll tie you up and drip candle wax on your J8……】

“……”

Between his legs, there was a sudden tightening, as if something had really been scalded.

Bai Jiangxin abruptly stopped walking.

Zhou Linxiao beside him asked, “What’s wrong?”

Bai Jiangxin’s expression was slightly awkward. He shook his head and could only say it was nothing.

Helplessly looking at the figure walking ahead, Bai Jiangxin let out a deep sigh.

How could there be a fool who, after being kissed, still actively defends the culprit?

With her defending him like that in her heart, he instead didn’t know how to admit to her that impulsive, offensive act of his at that moment.

She thought of him as too much of a gentleman.

Little did she know that the darkness in his heart was actually no less than hers.

She said he had her in his grasp, but had she not also had him in her grasp?

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

After all that, she no longer had the energy to take public transportation home.

Xiang Di chose to spend big money and take a taxi.

At this hour, hailing a ride was still quite convenient. As soon as she placed the order, a driver accepted it.

Xiang Di said goodbye to everyone.

“Um, I got a car. It’ll be here soon. I’ll head off first, okay?”

Ye Minjia said, “It’s so late, isn’t it unsafe for you to take a taxi home alone?”

“Probably not.” Xiang Di said. “I used to take taxis alone all the time. Nothing ever happened.”

“Nothing happening before doesn’t mean nothing will happen now. Haven’t you seen the social news? What if you run into a perverted driver?”

Xiang Di felt a chill run down her back from what he said.

“Then I’ll cancel it and take the bus home…”

Ye Minjia said, “It’s fine. You already got a car anyway, just take it. Have someone accompany you in the car and walk you to your door. Wouldn’t that be foolproof?”

Liang Qianqian proactively raised her hand. “Then I’ll go with her.”

Ye Minjia clicked his tongue. What a pig teammate—sometimes her IQ was online, and sometimes it dropped offline.

“You’re sending her? That’s perfect. If you run into a perverted driver, you two besties can deliver yourselves together.”

Liang Qianqian thought Ye Minjia was looking down on her and said, “Don’t underestimate me, okay? I learned taekwondo when I was a kid.”

“Don’t cause trouble. You yourself still need someone to send you home.” Ye Minjia said. “We need to find a guy to send Xiang Di home for me to feel at ease.”

Xiang Di thought that since Ye Minjia said that, it meant he planned to send her home. Her heart stirred, and she was just about to say class monitor you’re really great, when he immediately added:

“I’m not free though. My mom just called and urged me to go home for dinner.”

Then he directly ignored Zhou Linxiao and Wang Sichen and looked at Bai Jiangxin.

“How about you send Xiang Di home?”

Xiang Di widened her eyes.

The next second, she almost blurted out, “No no, I think what the class monitor said makes sense, so for safety, I’d better not take a taxi. I’ll take the bus home.”

As she spoke, she pointed at a bus that happened to be passing by on the roadside.

“Well what a coincidence, looks like I’m destined to take the bus home today. I’ll go first, bye bye bye bye!”

Without giving anyone any time to react, Xiang Di ran.

Ye Minjia blinked and secretly observed Bai Jiangxin’s expression.

A pair of pitch-black eyes stared expressionlessly in the direction of the bus. After the bus drove away, he lightly tugged at the corner of his lips and suddenly let out a low chuckle.

Others might not know, but Bai Jiangxin knew.

He had sent Xiang Di home before and knew where her house was. That bus did not go directly to her residential area at all.

There was only one possibility.

She was avoiding him.

After Xiang Di left, Bai Jiangxin also hailed a taxi and went home first.

The other four decided to take the subway home. While walking toward the subway station, Wang Sichen suddenly said out of nowhere:

“Don’t you guys think Bai Jiangxin and Xiang Di seem to have something going on?”

As soon as he said it, Ye Minjia and Liang Qianqian spoke at the same time:

“You just realized? We’ve known for a long time.”

Wang Sichen let out a blank “Ah?” and looked at Zhou Linxiao.

“You knew too?”

Zhou Linxiao smiled. “More or less. Not completely certain.”

Wang Sichen pointed at himself. “Damn, so I’m the only one who didn’t know they had something going on?”

“It’s fine. With your IQ, being able to figure it out yourself is already pretty good.” Ye Minjia said. “Since you’ve noticed too, perfect timing, let’s vote. Qianqian and I both think they already dated, then recently broke up, so they’re in that awkward post-breakup phase.”

“What?” Wang Sichen’s mouth fell open. “They dated before? That’s impossible, I couldn’t tell at all.”

Ye Minjia shrugged. “That’s why we’re voting. Zhou Linxiao thinks they haven’t reached the stage of dating yet—it’s Xiang Di having a one-sided crush.”

“What? Xiang Di has a one-sided crush?” Wang Sichen’s questioning tone rose another notch. “I couldn’t tell that either.”

Zhou Linxiao smiled without speaking.

If he hadn’t accidentally seen that the pinned chat at the top of her WeChat was Bai Jiangxin’s plush cat avatar, he wouldn’t have been able to tell either.

Zhou Linxiao’s elder sister had been a devoted bjd enthusiast since childhood, collecting dolls for many years until they could fill an entire room. Over the years, he had seen many beautiful, adorable dolls with his sister. The first time he saw Xiang Di, he naturally felt an affinity for her appearance.

Petite and cute, with fair skin and pink lips, a pair of round, almond-shaped eyes—she was practically a Chinese doll stepped right out of a display window.

It was a pity this Chinese doll already had her heart set on someone else. Xiang Di had a very good personality, generous and friendly to everyone. Only toward one person was her attitude always cautious and careful. When talking to Zhou Linxiao, she dared to look directly into his olive-green eyes, but every time she spoke to Bai Jiangxin, her eyes were always slightly lowered, not daring to meet his dark gaze.

Ever since discovering that the pinned profile picture in Xiang Di’s WeChat belonged to Bai Jiangxin, her fondness for him, in Zhou Linxiao’s eyes, had been impossible to hide.

He wasn’t at all afraid of becoming Bai Jiangxin’s rival in love. Although Bai Jiangxin was a formidable opponent, he was too aloof, arrogant, and couldn’t let go of his pride. In a real contest, he might not be Zhou Linxiao’s match. But Zhou Linxiao didn’t want to force a lovely lady whose heart was already elsewhere, so he chose to give his blessings.

At that moment, Ye Minjia asked Wang Sichen, “Which one do you vote for?”

Wang Sichen hesitated for a long time before mumbling, “How do I feel like it’s neither?”

“Then what do you think it is?” Ye Minjia said. “Either it’s mutual affection and they dated but broke up, or it’s Xiang Di’s one-sided crush. Are there any other possibilities?”

Wang Sichen hemmed and hawed: “Isn’t there also the possibility that Bai Jiangxin has a one-sided crush?”

Ye Minjia simply laughed.

“Then you really don’t understand him well enough. The likelihood of him having a one-sided crush on someone is basically smaller than an asteroid hitting Earth and destroying it.”

Two passive people could never make progress; one side had to be active. But that Bai Jiangxin—even if the sky fell, it wouldn’t bend his proud head. So it must be Xiang Di who took the initiative.

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

Xiang Di had absolutely no idea that the matter between her and Bai Jiangxin had already been thoroughly dissected by four people.

Finally back home, too tired to deal with Xiang Sheng, Xiang Di wandered into her room in a daze, closed the door, and threw herself face-down on the bed.

The whole way home, she kept replaying the scene. Even though she was sure it wasn’t a dream or an illusion, it still felt unreal.

Over and over in her heart, she made excuses for Bai Jiangxin. He definitely didn’t do it on purpose. Only this way could she explain his actions today and calm her racing heart.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered a certain possibility, but that possibility was so minuscule, Xiang Di really didn’t dare think about it. She was afraid that thinking too much would, in the end, turn into another dream of wishful thinking.

Because if you don’t expect, you won’t be disappointed—this is a compulsory course for every person with a secret crush.

Turning over on the bed, the light on the ceiling was too glaring. She reached up to cover her eyes and only then realized her forehead felt burning hot.

She touched the corner of her mouth. It wasn’t hot, but cool. Yet the sensation seemed to linger faintly.

“Ahhh!!!”

Xiang Di clutched her head, nearly driven crazy.

Bai Jiangxin! Did I owe you in my past life?!

For the first time in her life, she angrily muttered his name. Before she could even catch her breath, her phone, carelessly tossed by the bed, suddenly vibrated.

Irritably picking up the phone, when she saw in the notification center who had sent a message, that earlier agitated mood instantly transformed into a girl’s flustered indignation.

She opened the message. Bai Jiangxin was asking if she had gotten home.

She didn’t want to reply, but was afraid that if she didn’t reply this time, he might never message her again.

So useless.

Xiang Di pursed her lips and typed into the input box: 【Mm mm, I’m home.】

No, this tone is too enthusiastic.

After thinking for a long time, she deleted the mm mm and the word home.

【Arrived.】

This way it wasn’t so enthusiastic.

Bai Jiangxin seemed not to mind her coldness: 【Is it convenient to voice call right now?】

Ah!

Xiang Di instantly sat up from the bed.

God knows how much restraint it took for her to type the three words: not very convenient.

Bai Jiangxin: 【Then let’s talk by typing.】

Xiang Di: 【What do you want to talk to me about?】

Bai Jiangxin: 【What happened in the private room.】

Xiang Di didn’t dare reply anymore.

She was afraid he would say it was just an accident—although she had already expected that, she would still inevitably feel disappointed.

Yet she was also afraid he would say it wasn’t an accident.

She wouldn’t be disappointed.

But her heart might directly explode.