Chapter 35: This Time it’s just right!
Guang Yu was happy, but she had overlooked something important.
Hospitality, no matter how perfect, only works when you’re a guest to be treated!
No one would buy a drink for an invisible little fox.
Guang Yu was dumbfounded.
She watched as Ye Zhibai and Lin Zihan each held a drink, sitting happily on a bench outside the Mi Yu Bing Cheng.
This… this isn’t right, is it?
What about me?
The moment Guang Yu realized the seriousness of the situation, she puffed up her little face like a balloon!
She was anxious, really anxious!
The fox’s shriek immediately exploded in Ye Zhibai’s mind.
This isn’t fair! I’m invisible to avoid scaring you humans, it’s a goodwill gesture from the gods! How did it end up that I didn’t even get the right to have a drink? I want to protest, I demand a drink!
The voice echoed directly in her mind, so even if Ye Zhibai covered her ears, she couldn’t block it out.
Could you please stop torturing me, Ye Zhibai thought!
Initially annoyed by the noise, Ye Zhibai considered ruthlessly withholding Guang Yu’s drink or buying one later after going home.
But… there wasn’t much else going on right now, so maybe she could get one for Guang Yu now?
There was some free time because Lin Zihan seemed to be on the phone explaining things to her mother.
“Yes, Mom, I went home to hang up some clothes. Yeah, the ones I washed in the morning. I can’t just leave them in the washing machine. No, no! I’ll be back soon! Don’t worry!”
Ye Zhibai didn’t have a mother, but she had heard that mothers tend to nag.
Based on that, it seemed like Lin Zihan wasn’t getting off the phone anytime soon.
Since that was the case, Ye Zhibai didn’t mind giving Guang Yu some advice on how to get a drink, if only to stop her from torturing her brain with those constant buzzing noises.
You’re not hitting a bell, you’re sending me one, Ye Zhibai thought.
“Stop, Guang Yu, I know you’re in a rush, but listen to me.”
“Huh? Are you going to give me your drink?”
“Thank you, Ye Zhibai, I knew you were a good person.”
“No.”
“You’re not a good person!!”
Being a good person has become too cheap!
It’s not like Ye Zhibai cared much about the drink.
But the problem was that Lín Zihan had just bought it for her. It would be strange if the drink suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye.
I can’t exactly say that I chugged it all at once, can I?
I can’t give you my drink.
But I can give you some ideas.
“Guang Yu, I mean, aren’t gods like you supposed to have all sorts of powers? Didn’t you say earlier that you can be invisible or visible at will? Why don’t I give you my phone, and you can buy one yourself?”
“Easy for you to say! I have a tail and fox ears, I’ll scare people!”
“So… can’t you just hide your tail and ears? You can hide your whole body, after all.”
“……”
Ye Zhibai’s first thought was that Guang Yu’s powers were too weak to do that.
But when she saw Guang Yu whistling awkwardly (though no sound came out), with her little hands clasped behind her back, avoiding her gaze and reaching out for the phone at the same time, Ye Zhibai understood.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it.
She was just a stupid fox!
You seriously didn’t think of that, did you?
Of course, I thought of it!
It’s just… just that gods have a lot on their minds, and we can’t focus on such trivial details!
I also have to think about how long the osmanthus cakes at home will last… such a big issue, it’s taking up a lot of mental space, right?!
Yè Zhǐbái handed the phone to Guang Yu, curious to see how this dumb little fox would handle things.
Now that Guang Yu had a plan, she finally started acting smart.
She glanced around and quickly locked her eyes on the giant plastic statue of the “Rain King,” the ice cream-wielding mascot of Mi Yu Bing Cheng, standing at the entrance!
Guang Yu darted over in a few quick steps.
Using her small size, she squeezed herself into the narrow gap between the statue and the wall.
For an ordinary girl, squeezing into such a tiny space would flatten her chest!
But not Guang Yu.
After all, she was already as flat as a board.
——No problem at all!
Hiding behind the statue was mainly to avoid scaring people when she switched from being invisible to visible.
This was the self-restraint of a goddess.
Ye Zhibai observed the statue from the corner of her eye.
Then… she couldn’t help but brighten up!
When Guang Yu emerged from behind the statue, she had indeed temporarily hidden her ears and tail, making her indistinguishable from an ordinary human!
No… there was still a difference.
Even though Ye Zhibai didn’t want to admit it, if you set aside her bias against Guang Yu’s personality and the urge to smack her, Guang Yu was an unbelievably cute loli.
With long, slightly wavy brown hair, eyes as deep and blue as the endless night sky, and a tender, flawless face.
Her snow-white over-the-knee socks looked more like ice cream than the giant cone the statue was holding.
A loli that could rival any beautiful girl—Guang Yu was the perfect example!
In Ye Zhibai’s eyes, Guang Yu was still the same.
The only difference was that now she wasn’t invisible and could walk confidently to buy a drink!
Guang Yu obediently lined up, eagerly peeking around, trying to get a quick look at the menu, just like a little elementary schooler on their first spring outing.
She even had a backpack on, making the resemblance even stronger.
But Yè Zhǐbái wanted to say:
Uh… Guang Yu lift your head.
There’s a big screen above with the full menu.
Why do none of you understand the importance of looking around?
The female employee behind the counter pointed to the QR code on the table, reminding the customers.
“You can scan the code to place an order! No need to line up!”
Scan the code…?
Guang Yu froze.
She didn’t understand!
I’ll just stay in line!
A god unwilling to embrace new things is a failure.
But fortunately, thanks to the employee’s reminder, most of the people in front of Guang Yu left the line.
At that moment, Lin Zihan finally ended her phone call reporting to her mother.
Weary, she pocketed her phone and gave Ye Zhibai a wry smile of apology.
“Sorry, ye Zhibai… The flower shop was so busy, I talked for a bit longer. Huh…? Ye Zhibai, what are you looking at?”
Ye Zhibai replied, “Nothing, just looking around.”
Lin Zihan said, “Really just looking around.”
I can’t exactly tell you I’m watching a dumb fox try to order a drink, can I?
Ye Zhibai had just shifted her gaze back when she suddenly heard the female employee at the counter speaking with shock as if she had seen a ghost.
“Little… little girl? Did you just say… Do you want mustard in your drink? But we don’t have that as an ingredient here! And are you sure… you meant mustard?”*
[*” Mustard (芥末)”: Used humorously here as an odd request in a sweet drink, highlighting Guāng Yù’s strange tastes.]
Guang Yu!!
You snack-obsessed maniac!
Could you stop causing trouble for the poor employee?!
Forget being a god, you’re not even acting like a normal person!
Ye Zhibai had no choice but to look back again.
Lin Zihan was still blinking in confusion, so Ye Zhibai had to call her attention.
Something is going on, take a look.”
Lin Zihan responded, “Something? Oh… you mean that cute little girl? Yeah, kids today are so independent. Elementary school students can buy their drinks with a phone now, that’s impressive.”
Luckily, Guang Yu didn’t hear that.
Otherwise, she would’ve lost her temper.
Ye Zhibai figured she’d step in if things got out of control to prevent Guang Yu from causing more trouble for the store.
But… strangely enough, Guang Yu was being reasonable today.
It was as if she could understand the hardships of the world, including the employee’s inability to provide mustard.
Even though she was just a loli, she sighed arrogantly like a little adult.
Guang Yu said, “Ah… no mustard, I guess that’s fine. I’ll take coconut jelly instead.”
The poor employee replied, “Okay… sure! Little girl, please scan the code to pay, and I’ll give you a receipt with your order number.”
“?!”
Another code?!
Is your store just full of codes?
This isn’t a grassland!
Guang Yu frowned and raised her phone.
She remembered that when Ye Zhibai bought things, she just handed over her phone to pay.
The employee’s hand, holding the scanning device, trembled slightly.
Because this seemingly mature little loli had handed over a phone with the screen locked!
“What’s this?! Are you trying to pawn your phone for a drink?!”
Guang Yu didn’t understand either. She responded, Why aren’t you scanning it?”
“Scan it already. How long will it take for the drink to be ready?”
“Uh… little girl?”
“I’m not a little girl, I’m quite old.”
“Well… not-so-little girl, if you don’t unlock your phone, I can’t scan it.”
“Oh, I see!”
The quick-witted Guang Yu unlocked the phone and returned to the home screen.
Now, she was confident!
Let’s try again.
“Go ahead, scan it.”
“……”
Ye Zhibai really couldn’t bear to watch any longer!
The speed at which she was figuring things out step by step was slower than how grandpas and grandmas used their old flip phones!
Ye Zhibai had a feeling that even if Guang Yu managed to unlock her mobile payment app, she wouldn’t know the password.
Ye Zhibai couldn’t sit idly by any longer.
Otherwise, she’d die from sheer embarrassment at Guang Yu’s clumsy efforts!
Lin Zihan asked, “Ye Zhibai? What are you…”
Ye Zhibai replied, “I think I need to help that little girl. She doesn’t know how to pay. It’s kind of pitiful. I’ll pay for her.”
“Ye Zhibai… you really are…”
Lin Zihan had thought that meeting up with Ye Zhibai today would be healing in itself.
But she didn’t expect that the healing would happen so fast!
An angelic act had already appeared!
Little did Ye Zhibai know, she simply couldn’t stand Guang Yu’s devilish antics.
As Ye Zhibai walked over, the female cashier was dumbfounded.
Today… was it a gathering of high-quality humans? Why were they all so beautiful?!
Including that little loli* just now, and the blonde girl drinking outside earlier, this was the third outrageously stunning “new breed of human” today.
[* ”Loli (萝莉)”: Derived from the Japanese term “Lolita,” it refers to young girls or characters with youthful, doll-like appearances.]
Is humanity’s beauty evolving, and they didn’t bring me along?!
However, Ye Zhibai’s naturally cold expression made the cashier pause, momentarily forgetting to speak.
But Ye Zhibai wasn’t there to buy a drink for herself.
Without a word, she swiftly grabbed Guang Yu’s phone from her hand under the counter.
Ye Zhibai said, “Hey, why are you still holding on to it?!”
“Give it here!”
This wasn’t bullying the little fox.
Guang Yu just couldn’t swallow her pride.
Her first attempt at buying something didn’t go well, so she was undoubtedly upset inside.
“But I can’t let you keep messing around; otherwise, my blood pressure will rise.”
“Better luck next time.”
Ye Zhibai unlocked the phone, opened the payment code, and told the cashier,
“I’m paying for her drink. Please scan this.”
“Huh…? Oh! Right!”
The cashier scanned the QR code Ye Zhibai held up.
And just like that, the payment was complete.
Ye Zhibai, the little rich girl, was twenty yuan down from her card loaded with 2 million.
Ye Zhibaiwas stunned, “Twenty…?”
Guang Yu, you’re drinking by yourself, yet you “bought two cups?!”
“Are you a dog or what?!”
Lin Zihan was still waiting outside.
Ye Zhibai handed the two drinks that the cashier had finished preparing to Guang Yu.
Before leaving, she whispered in her ear:
“Listen… take your drinks, go back to where you were, and turn invisible again. You really shouldn’t be showing yourself. Suggesting that earlier was my mistake.”
Guang Yu said, “You don’t need to blame yourself, Ye Zhibai, I don’t blame you, I made mistakes too.”
“……”
“I seriously want to hit you!”
“Do you have no self-awareness?!”
Ye Zhibai told herself to stop arguing with her.
Pointlessly arguing wouldn’t lead to any results.
Ye Zhibai awkwardly held her still-unopened drink, walked out of the store, and sat back down on the bench next to Lin Zihan with a soft sigh.
When Lin Zihan saw her return, she welcomed her as if she were a hero.
“Thank you, little angel, l~ That kid must be grateful to you!”
“I don’t think so…”
“Really? But look, she’s coming over!”
“?!”
Sure enough!
Ye Zhibai noticed that Guang Yu, who had almost walked back to the statue to turn invisible, hesitated.
In the end, she lightly tapped her toe on the ground, turned 90 degrees, and walked toward Ye Zhibai.
She asked, “What are you up to?!”
Lin Zihan couldn’t tell, but Ye Zhibai could see the subtle mischievous grin on Guang Yu’s face.
Unfazed by the cold, Guang Yu held her two iced drinks in her arms and stood in front of Ye Zhibai.
She gave a deliberate bow, her brown hair falling forward.
She even purposefully made her already soft voice sound even more childish and sweet!
“Th-thank you, big sister! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to buy a drink. I didn’t know what to do… You’re such a kind person!”
Get lost.
I’m going to throw up!
What scheme are you hatching now?!
When Guang Yu lifted her head, beneath her innocent gaze, there was a glint of triumph.
——Ye Zhibai instantly understood.
She hadn’t managed to buy the drink earlier and lost face, but she wasn’t willing to accept defeat.
To recover some pride, she had to make up for it in another way—like, for example…
Politeness!
Ye Zhibai had once told her that politeness was a human virtue and that rude kids weren’t liked by anyone.
That’s why Guangy was acting like this—to use Ye Zhibai as a stepping stone to achieve her “politeness” accomplishment!
Ye Zhibai muttered, “Guang Yu, you’re despicable!”
Why, thank you for the compliment.
Watching Guang Yu finally go behind the statue and turn invisible again, Hmph.
In the end, Ye Zhibai was the one who won this little battle.
You’ve lived for thousands of years as a god,
And you’re calling me “big sister”?
It’s obvious who came out on top.
Guang Yu, thanks for always being so easy to defeat—it makes my victories effortless.
Wait, what are we even competing over?!
Ye Zhibai shook her head, jabbed her straw into her drink, and took a few big sips.
Lin Zihan, hearing the “glug glug” sound, smiled with delight, but there was also a hint of hesitation on her elegant face.
Without showing any of her conflicting emotions, Lin Zihan casually started a conversation.
“Ye Zhibai, I’m sorry~ I wasn’t fully prepared today. I should’ve taken us across the street to the tea house in the shopping district for tea. I went there when I was younger—it’s a perfect place to sit down and chat, and it’s so quiet! But right now… hehe, I’ve got to live within my means.* My budget only stretched to buying you a drink today, so… you don’t blame me, do you?”
[* ”Living within my means (量力而行)”: An idiom that means being mindful of one’s financial limits.]
Ye Zhibai responded, “Hm? No need for tea. The drink’s fine.”
Now invisible again, Guang Yu, wagging her big tail and gulping down her drink, also gave a thumbs-up.
Ye Zhibai is right—drinks are great!
Ye Zhibai’s casual remark inadvertently soothed the bit of unease in Lin Zihan’s heart once again.
Her small hand, holding the drink, trembled slightly. At that moment, she was about to give Ye Zhibai a loving hug!
“Ye Zhibai, my angel! My angel! Let mehug youg!”
“Stop.”
“Huh?”
Lin Zihan’s movement froze midair.
The moment she opened her arms, Ye Zhibai reached out and stopped her.
Setting aside the possibility that there might be a maid squad secretly protecting her and ready to report to Yun’er at any moment,
That wasn’t the main reason—Ye Zhibai wasn’t exactly strict about physical closeness! (Probably.)
The main issue was… the moment Lin Zihan opened her arms, Ye Zhibai suddenly sensed a faint, almost imperceptible, killing intent around them.
But when she looked around, as was her habit, she didn’t see anyone.
That’s odd.
The hug didn’t happen, and Lin Zihan lowered her arms,
Quietly placing them back on her lap, on top of her plaid skirt.
Hehe, no hug, but I’m already satisfied. Lin Zihan had felt a bit down when buying the drinks earlier.
This was her first time inviting a friend to hang out, Yet she couldn’t offer the best hospitality.
You should know… just these two drinks, with all the extra toppings, had already cost Lin Zihan her entire day’s allowance.
She only had about twenty yuan a day to spend on herself. The rest had to go towards family expenses. The flower shop wasn’t doing well lately, so she had to chip in with her pocket money, too.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhibai could casually help a little girl she didn’t even know by paying for her drink.
Facing that situation… it was hard for Lin Zihan to feel good inside.
But Ye Zhibai’s words just now made her feel a lot better!
Lin Zihan realized that she had dressed up in her best clothes just to meet Ye Zhibai today… and now, thinking about it, that seemed kind of silly.
She placed her drink on the bench between herself and Ye Zhibai, then touched her cheeks with her cold hands, chilled by the iced drink, to calm down a little.
Phew… time to get down to business, time to get down to business.
Lin Zihan reached into the plaid-decorated pocket of her top, And soon, she pulled out the gift she had prepared for Ye Zhibai today.
——A brand-new woven vine ring.
“Ta-da!! Ye Zhibai, look at this! What do you think it is?!”
“!”
“It’s a vine!”
“I haven’t seen you in a day, and here you are, vine!”
“But now the vine… had evolved into a ring.”*
[*” Vine ring (藤条戒指, téng tiáo jiè zhǐ)”: A handcrafted ring made from woven vines, symbolic of Lín Zǐhàn’s hard work and dedication.]
Ye Zhibai carefully took the ring from Lin Zihan’s hand, holding it up to the sunlight to take a closer look.
She was quite surprised.
Even as someone who knew a lot about weaving vines, Ye Zhibai couldn’t help but offer some praise.
“You’ve put effort into this… the texture is clear and orderly, the loops are numerous, and the surface hasn’t been worn down. It’s very delicate.”
“Really?! Thank you for the compliment, Ye Zhibai~ Actually, I put a lot of effort into this one! I stayed up half the night yesterday just to research how I could make it even better. I’m so glad you like it—makes all the effort worth it!”
Ye Zhibaiwas surprised, “Half the night…?”
“You, you, you… was that necessary?!”
“You just finished your college entrance exams, take a break already! Stop getting into fights with vine weaving!”
Ye Zhibai turned her head in astonishment.
That’s when she noticed Lin Zihan’s right eye, the one not covered by her blonde bangs. Though it still sparkled brightly and shone with a rosy brilliance, there were faint, barely visible dark circles around her eyes.
“You… are a master weaver of vines.”
Defeated, Yè Zhǐbái asked softly.
“Can I… accept this? It seems like it wasn’t easy to make. Maybe you should keep it as a memento…”
Lin Zihan replied, “Please, take it!”
“……”
See that? Now that is the attitude of a true master!
No selfishness at all!
Inwardly admiring her, Ye Zhibai stopped refusing and spread her fingers, sliding the ring onto her index finger.
Then… she was a little surprised.
The ring fit her finger perfectly.
Not too tight, not too loose, just right.
“Ye Zhibai, does it fit?”
“Yeah, it’s perfect.”
“Phew… looks like I got it right. Last time in class, didn’t I make the ring a bit too big? I’ve been learning from that experience. I even memorized the shape of your fingers this time. While making the ring, I was constantly thinking about your fingers and being very careful… luckily, this time the size is just right!”
“!”
“Ahem! I admire your craftsmanship and dedication, But why does it sound so weird when you say it like that?!”
It sounded weird—because Yè Zhǐbái, after what happened last night, now had a deep-seated fear of fingers!