Chapter 90 - The Date

Returning home early from school today, Tang Huaijin found that his sister hadn’t come back yet. He took a shower first and then headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Originally, he thought of finding Bai Yuerou, partly for Xia Xinya and partly because he felt that he and Bai Yuerou were just friends. Moreover, Bai Yuerou was understanding and wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Considering all this, Bai Yuerou was the only suitable candidate for the title of nominal girlfriend. Her sincere expression made Tang Huaijin agree to her request, as a form of compensation.

But when the task reward notification sounded, Tang Huaijin was stunned.

I considered you a friend, but you always wanted more?

Isn’t this a dead-end question? Since Bai Yuerou likes him, how can Tang Huaijin complete the task of making her like him even more?

Tang Huaijin felt troubled. He initially thought Yuerou was the most normal one, but even the gentle Bai Yuerou seemed off.

As he was thinking, a soft and fragrant body pressed against his back. His sister’s small hands gently wrapped around his waist, and she whispered, “Jin, why did you come back so early today?”

Lost in thought, he hadn’t heard his sister’s footsteps. Tang Huaijin smiled helplessly and said, “It’s the school sports meet, so the teacher let us leave early.”

“Mm…” Tang Yaoyao responded, pressing her chest against his back. She tiptoed to kiss his cheek but noticed his hair was still slightly damp. Curious, she asked, “Jin, did you take a shower?”

“Yeah, I had a competition today and sweated a bit,” Tang Huaijin nodded, teasingly saying, “Didn’t want to smell bad for you.”

“Jin never smells bad,” Tang Yaoyao giggled. Her brother had always been clean, with a faint fragrance on him, which she loved since childhood.

After cuddling with her brother for a while, Tang Yaoyao suddenly asked, “Jin, did Bai Yuerou agree to be your nominal girlfriend?”

Tang Huaijin nodded somewhat awkwardly, saying, “I haven’t told her yet. I’m planning to tell her in a couple of days. If she agrees, I’ll let you know.”

“Oh, then make sure to get a photo from her for me,” Tang Yaoyao said, pouting. “I want to show it to that annoying Han Yaoyao, so she stops thinking about you.”

“Alright, I’ll ask her for one,” Tang Huaijin felt conflicted. He couldn’t tell his sister that Bai Yuerou liked him, as she wouldn’t agree, which would stall progress with Xia Xinya.

He disliked keeping secrets from his sister but had no choice. However, given Yuerou’s character, she probably wouldn’t make things too difficult for him.

Tang Huaijin sighed inwardly, turned to his sister, and gently kissed her lips, softly saying, “Sis, while I cook, why don’t you wash the clothes? I’ve put my dirty clothes in the laundry basket.”

Tang Yaoyao let her brother kiss her lips, smiling contentedly as she snuggled in his arms, feeling a sweet sense of enjoyment like a wife and husband. Hearing Tang Huaijin’s words, she softly agreed and left the kitchen.

…

In the following days, Bai Yuerou acted as usual, with a gentle smile on her face, as if nothing had happened. This troubled Tang Huaijin, as it felt like scoring full marks but the examiner wouldn’t acknowledge it.

Xia Xinya didn’t notice anything unusual, but she seemed to avoid Tang Huaijin, as if dodging him. Yet, when she saw him close to Bai Yuerou, her resistance was more evident, increasing Tang Huaijin’s sense of urgency.

On Saturday morning, after lunch with his sister, Tang Huaijin returned to his room to write. Due to recent events, his writing progress had slowed, with half of the middle section unfinished.

Just as he started writing, Mrs. Xia’s call came through, undoubtedly to urge him again.

Tang Huaijin felt anxious but could only listen to Mrs. Xia’s displeased urging.

After hanging up, Tang Huaijin sighed, opened Bai Yuerou’s chat box. Since Bai Yuerou added him on WeChat, she occasionally chatted with him, and recently, she messaged him whenever she had free time.

After hesitating for a moment, Tang Huaijin prepared to type and invite her out. But before he could finish, Bai Yuerou’s message popped up: “Jin, are you free now?”

Tang Huaijin was surprised, deleted his unfinished message, and replied, “Yes, what’s up?”

“Nothing much, just wondering if you’d like to go out for dinner and watch a movie.”

It was just after two in the afternoon, perfect timing. Tang Huaijin agreed, saying, “Sure, should we go to the same mall as last time?”

“Let’s try a different one, closer to your place. The address is…”

…

Inside a milk tea shop in a shopping mall.

After agreeing on the time with Tang Huaijin, Bai Yuerou put down her phone and looked at Xia Xinya sitting opposite her, softly saying, “Xinya, I have something to do, so I might have to leave first.”

Xia Xinya was staring at her phone absent-mindedly. Hearing this, she snapped back to reality, pouting and saying, “Oh, okay. Then I’ll go home and sleep; I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Seeing her listless demeanor, Bai Yuerou frowned and asked with concern, “Xinya, what’s wrong these past few days? Why are you so down? Is it because of Jin?”

“Who, who would be upset because of that jerk?” Xia Xinya’s face reddened, quickly denying, “I’m just feeling a bit unwell.”

Bai Yuerou looked at her for a moment, then nodded, smiling helplessly, “Alright then, go home and rest. I’ll be off now. Goodbye, Xinya.”

“Mm… Goodbye, Rou,” Xia Xinya sighed as she watched Bai Yuerou get into a nearby Maybach. These past few days, she felt uneasy, all because of Tang Huaijin, that jerk, talking about kissing and such…

Thinking about last night’s dream, Xia Xinya’s face turned red again, and she huffed in embarrassment.

She definitely didn’t want to do that with a jerk…

…

Putting down his phone, Tang Huaijin left his bedroom and sat beside his sister, who was playing on her phone on the sofa. He softly said, “Sis, I have to go out for a bit. I might not be back for dinner, so you can eat with Han Yaoyao-Jie.”

Tang Yaoyao put down her phone, curiously asking, “Where are you going, Jin?”

“To see Bai Yuerou and discuss the nominal girlfriend thing,” Tang Huaijin smiled.

“Oh…” Although she accepted the situation, hearing her brother was going to meet another girl made Tang Yaoyao a bit unhappy. She snuggled closer to him, softly saying, “Don’t tell her about me, and don’t fall for her.”

“Mm, don’t worry, sis,” Tang Huaijin gently rubbed his cheek against his sister’s, softly saying, “I won’t leave you.”

“Okay.” Tang Yaoyao responded, lightly kissing her brother’s cheek, softly saying, “Then let’s go together. I’ll visit Han Yaoyao-Jie.”

Tang Huaijin wasn’t in a hurry, as the mall was just a few minutes away. He waited for his sister to change clothes and walked out with her.

Since discussing the matter, Tang Yaoyao felt more relaxed, walking arm-in-arm with her brother in the neighborhood, greeting familiar neighbors with a smile. Feeling reassured, she found strangers’ gazes more normal.

Tang Huaijin noticed these changes, appreciating Doctor Bai’s advice and feeling relieved. Holding his sister’s arm was quite normal; it was Tang Yaoyao’s guilty demeanor that raised suspicion.

Tang Huaijin rode his electric bike to drop his sister off at Han Yaoyao’s place, as it was on the way to the mall.

This shopping mall was close to home, so Tang Huaijin often visited with his sister. He locked his bike and headed to the agreed location with Bai Yuerou.