I’ve known for a long time that he likes plain milk; I specifically bought it for him.
But now I’m pretending to be oblivious, making it seem like I’m only offering it because it’s a “buy one get one free” deal today.
Observing his hobbies and understanding his habits are all just so that, at some point, I can casually mention our common interests, creating some unintentional coincidence or fated connection.
Because it’s a secret crush, I’m terrified of him discovering my feelings.
Because it’s a secret crush, I can only restrain these feelings within the safest boundaries, afraid he’ll notice and feel offended.
The love in my heart is so clear and bright; I like him so much.
Yet, I have so many little schemes for him, calling him “husband” in my mind, fantasizing about our most intimate moments every day.
But when I’m actually in front of him, it’s just a polite and distant “Classmate Bo.”
The affection that’s almost overflowing from my heart is hidden from him.
This genuine yet extremely covert liking and care make it so he doesn’t even know how to refuse.
If it weren’t for that accidental bubble tea, he probably would never have known.
Never known that someone liked him so much.
Bo Jiangxin had to admit, whether it was Xiang Di, who was playing little tricks in front of him now, or the flirtatious Xiang Di, she greatly affected him.
Gently taking the milk she offered, Bo Jiangxin said, “I quite like drinking it.”
[Hehe, I knew you liked it.]
Xiang Di smiled brightly and generously said, “Then it’s my treat.”
She also grabbed a bottle of plain milk for herself. Next to the plain milk was banana milk, which was Xiang Di’s favorite flavor. But it didn’t matter; today she wanted to drink the same thing as Bo Jiangxin.
After all, she could drink banana milk every day, but Bo Jiangxin walking her home wasn’t an everyday treat.
So, she could only reluctantly abandon the banana milk for now.
After all, you cherish what you can’t have more.
Between banana milk and Bo Jiangxin, of course, she’d choose Bo Jiangxin.
[Dear banana milk, I love you, but I love Bo Jiangxin more. I hope you can understand my unavoidable decision right now, boohoo.]
Silently enacting a breakup scene with banana milk in her mind, Xiang Di inadvertently saw the famous cheese crispy cream puffs at this bakery. They actually still had some for sale.
Xiang Di often came to this bakery to buy desserts, specifically 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 store’s cheese crispy cream puffs were the best cream puffs she had ever eaten.
The outside was crispy and perfectly baked, the cream filling wasn’t too sweet, and with one bite, it was crunchy outside and soft inside, with a mouth full of cheese aroma, both sweet and fragrant.
Usually, these cream puffs would sell out within a few hours of being baked.
Xiang Di could only get them if she came early on a holiday. She didn’t expect them to still have some so late today.
Unfortunately, her phone was at home, and she didn’t bring enough cash, only enough for bread and milk.
She had finally found a good deal, but couldn’t take it home.
Xiang Di pursed her lips, thinking that she must set an alarm to come buy them this holiday week.
[Sigh, Bo Jiangxin, you troublemaker! It’s all your fault; I can’t eat the cream puffs.]
Not wanting to admit that she prioritized boys over cream puffs, she secretly blamed him in her heart.
Xiang Di said, “I’ve picked everything out. We can pay now.”
Bo Jiangxin: “Wait a moment.”
Xiang Di: “What’s wrong?”
Bo Jiangxin: “I’m going to buy something too.”
He directly took the food tongs from her hand and walked straight to the cream puffs, taking all the remaining ones.
Xiang Di looked at him in surprise: “You like to eat cream puffs?”
“Suddenly felt like buying some to eat.” Bo Jiangxin asked her in return, “You like them?”
What a coincidence?!
Xiang Di’s eyes widened; she couldn’t describe how pleasantly surprised she was at that moment.
How could this not be a huge stroke of fate!
Liking the same thing as the person you like, having such a common topic, Xiang Di’s words suddenly poured out.
She only regretted her limited vocabulary, unable to describe to him how delicious these cream puffs truly were.
“Yes, yes, I super love eating them,” Xiang Di said excitedly.
“You’re so lucky, let me tell you, the cheese cream puffs at this store are super delicious. It’s no exaggeration to say they’re the best cheese cream puffs I’ve eaten in my eighteen years.”
Bo Jiangxin imperceptibly curved his lips and asked her, “If you like them so much, why didn’t you buy them?”
Xiang Di stammered.
[I can’t tell you that it’s because you like floss bread, and I was trying to please you, so I lied that I also like floss bread, and to maintain the image of someone who likes floss bread in front of you, I didn’t buy the cream puffs, right…?]
She also couldn’t tell him she hadn’t brought enough money.
His family was well-off; the shoes he usually wore started at four figures, and Qian Qian said he had several limited editions.
She also wanted to act like a young lady in front of him.
Xiang Di said, “I used to like them a lot, but recently my No. 1 is pork floss bread. But I didn’t expect you to like cream puffs, wow.”
Bo Jiangxin raised an eyebrow slightly, not exposing the “young lady’s” true thoughts.
“I haven’t eaten them much before,” he paused, and said softly, “but the cream puffs at this store look quite appetizing.”
Xiang Di agreed with a hum, giving a thumbs up: “You have excellent taste! Let me tell you, they don’t just look appetizing; they’re a delicacy. Trust me, buy them, you won’t regret it.”
Bo Jiangxin hummed and put the plain milk back, picking up a bottle of banana milk instead.
“Treat me to this one,” he said.
He’d had enough plain milk and occasionally wanted something sweet to drink, to try her favorite flavor.
Xiang Di knew nothing; she only knew that everything was too coincidental.
So coincidental that if he weren’t there and she didn’t have to be reserved, she probably would have jumped up and down on the spot by now.
[What is this! This is the fate between me and my husband!!]
[This is an unexpected fate! It’s a fate cultivated in a past life! It’s a fated destiny! What are Cowherd and Weaver Girl, Xu Xian and Lady White Snake are nothing, and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai should step aside. My husband and I are the most perfectly matched!]
Bo Jiangxin frowned.
On one hand, she was noisy, and on the other, he thought her examples were really bad.
Cowherd and Weaver Girl only met once a year on Qixi. Xu Xian and Lady White Snake: one became a monk, the other was suppressed under Leifeng Pagoda. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai had an even more tragic fate, only uniting after death as butterflies.
If you can’t give good examples, don’t give any.
Xiang Di was still excited.
The cashier at the counter urged them: “Students, have you two picked everything out? We’re closing soon.”
Xiang Di quickly said, “Yes, yes, we have.”
Walking to the counter, with her backpack on her front, she was about to pull money out of her bag when the person next to her already pulled out his phone from his school uniform pocket.
Xiang Di thought he wanted to pay for the cream puffs first, so she told the cashier, “We’ll pay separately. I’ll pay for the bread and milk.”
Bo Jiangxin said, “Pay together.”
Xiang Di politely refused: “No, no, I brought money, and I said I’d treat you to milk.”
The cashier looked at the young boy and girl in front of her, a knowing smile appearing on her lips.
She had seen this situation many times, typically between a boy and a girl who were subtly flirting but not yet officially a couple.
The boy wants to treat, and the girl insists on paying herself.
This is where the opportunity to break the ice comes.
Once the girl says, “You’re not my boyfriend, how can I let you pay for me? No, no!” The boy, if he understands romance, can follow up with, “Then let me be your boyfriend, then I’ll be qualified to pay for you, right?”
Then pink bubbles would float between the two, and the cashier would just smile like an auntie, and enjoy some dog food.
Young people nowadays were very good at flirting. The cashier was already prepared to eat dog food.
The girl had already refused the boy’s offer to pay. Now it was the boy’s turn to make his move.
“You’re too slow,” Bo Jiangxin said calmly.
“I’ve already paid. You can give it to me later.”
The cashier’s expression froze.
Xiang Di’s expression was also a bit awkward. She should have put the money in her school uniform pocket.
Now he thought she was being slow.
“Sorry about that, then you pay first. I’ll give you the cash when I find it.”
After paying, the boy also specifically asked for an extra bag. The cashier silently scoffed at him for being stingy, even haggling over a bag.
The boy and girl in school uniforms left.
Watching their backs, the cashier sighed.
So disappointing.
He had the face of a destined crush, yet he was so stingy that he wouldn’t even pay this little bit.
That girl was also a pity. She was so cute, but she was so lovestruck. She even apologized to him. Such a stingy man, no matter how handsome, was not worth it.
The two who had left were completely unaware that their words and actions had just been labeled “stingy guy” and “lovestruck girl” by the cashier.
Outside, Xiang Di continued to search for money in her backpack.
She finally found it and quickly handed it to Bo Jiangxin.
Bo Jiangxin, however, didn’t take it, saying, “I don’t accept cash.”
Xiang Di’s mind didn’t process it immediately, and she asked, “Then… card?”
“?”
Bo Jiangxin raised an eyebrow at her.
After a few seconds of silence, Xiang Di suddenly realized how stupid her words had just been.
[What did I just say?!]
[Is he going to think I’m an idiot, ahhh!!]
Just as Xiang Di was feeling annoyed, Bo Jiangxin suddenly said, “I didn’t bring a POS machine; I can’t swipe.”
Xiang Di hadn’t even reacted when he added, “Just transfer the money.”
“Oh, oh, that works too.” Xiang Di suddenly thought, “But you haven’t added me yet, I can’t transfer it.”
She thought for a moment and suggested, “How about this: I’ll transfer it to the class monitor first, and then the class monitor can transfer it to you? Is that okay?”
Bo Jiangxin suddenly frowned.
He could hear her thoughts and knew that she wasn’t deliberately playing dumb at this moment, but was genuinely thinking about how to give him the money.
She usually had so many little tricks, but why had she suddenly become a single-celled organism now?
Sometimes she was frustratingly flirtatious, and sometimes she was frustratingly slow-witted.
Xiang Di saw that he seemed displeased, thinking he found it troublesome, and said again, “Then I’ll bring my phone to school during the day, and I’ll scan your QR code to transfer the money to you?”
Bo Jiangxin interrupted her: “Xiang Di.”
Xiang Di: “Huh?”
“Does my WeChat have a virus?” Bo Jiangxin’s tone was very light. “What’s the big deal if you add me?”
Xiang Di: “Huh?”
At this moment, she also had a big question mark in her heart.
What does he mean?
Bo Jiangxin sighed almost imperceptibly.
So, what’s the use of liking him so much in her heart, calling him “husband” countless times, and fantasizing about making love to him countless times, if her brain isn’t good?
She deserved to have a secret crush for a lifetime.
He had finally softened a bit, but she hadn’t felt it at all.
“Don’t ‘huh’ anymore.” Bo Jiangxin was too lazy to talk nonsense.
“I’ll add you directly.”
After saying that, he picked up his phone, opened WeChat, clicked on the Class 97 group for third-year high school, and asked her, “Have you changed your group nickname? Which one is you?”
Before she could answer, he had already scrolled to Xiang Di’s name.
Her profile picture was a chubby orange cat.
Bo Jiangxin directly added her to his contacts and told her, “Remember to accept.”
His whole series of actions was smooth as flowing water, and Xiang Di was completely stunned.
Her voice was timid: “You really want to add my WeChat?”
Bo Jiangxin: “Can’t I add you?”
[Oh my goodness, am I dreaming?]
[Bo Jiangxin actually added me on WeChat on his own initiative?]
Xiang Di bit her lip in disbelief.
Bo Jiangxin actually knew very well why she looked so foolishly shocked and speechless at this moment, but he still leaned down slightly.
His clear, cool black eyes reflected her dazed, silly appearance.
He looked at her wide, round eyes and asked her somewhat deliberately and slowly.
“Or is there a threshold for adding your WeChat, and I’m not qualified to add you?”
Xiang Di tensed up, her heart stopped, and her hands in her school uniform sleeves instantly clenched.
Afraid he would misunderstand, she spoke with her hands and mouth: “No, no, no threshold, anyone can add!”
Saying that made it sound like she had no standards, so Xiang Di stammered to amend: “…No, that’s not right. There is a small threshold, but you definitely meet it!”
That didn’t seem right either.
Xiang Di lowered her head in shame, her face almost burning.
Even if her usual fantasies were bold, she knew in her heart that they were her one-sided imagination.
In reality, they had almost no communication, not even counting as regular classmates.
Yet today, not only did he walk her home, but they also became WeChat friends.
It didn’t matter if she couldn’t continue being his deskmate; this little bit of sweetness was enough for her to savor for a long time.
She didn’t dare to hope for something as good as her secret crush coming true, but even just being friends with him, chatting on WeChat, liking a post on his Moments, was a huge surprise for her.
No matter how flirtatious she was, she was essentially just a little girl with a secret crush.
Just looking into his clear, indifferent eyes, the thought of making eye contact with him was almost unbearable for Xiang Di.
Even a hundred imaginary encounters with him couldn’t compare to one simple “add friend” in reality.
[I’m speechless, isn’t it just adding WeChat? Is it necessary? Xiang Di, do you know you look so cheap like this! So not reserved!]
She cursed herself with her head down, naturally not seeing the person in front of her silently curving his lips.
He had delivered her to the bottom of her apartment building.
Taking the elevator should be safe, so Bo Jiangxin stopped there.
Of course, Xiang Di couldn’t invite him up for tea or anything.
You shouldn’t be greedy, and they weren’t familiar enough to go to each other’s homes for tea.
Bo Jiangxin reminded her again: “Remember to accept.”
Xiang Di nodded vigorously: “I’ll accept as soon as I get home, and then I’ll immediately transfer the money to you, don’t worry.”
Bo Jiangxin said, “Whether you transfer the money or not is fine.”
“How can that be?” Xiang Di put on an upright facade, “I can’t accept favors without earning them; I can’t take advantage of you. I must transfer this money to you.”
Bo Jiangxin: [Flirt, haven’t you taken enough advantage normally?]
Never mind, too lazy to expose her.
Let her pretend to be an upright person.
Bo Jiangxin said, “Suit yourself.”
He didn’t rush to turn and leave, picking up the cream puffs in his hand again.
When checking out, he had specifically asked the cashier for an extra bag, splitting the cream puffs into two portions, and then gave one to her.
Xiang Di pointed at herself: “For me?”
Bo Jiangxin: “Yes, you like to eat them too.”
Xiang Di was very polite: “No, no, if I like to eat them, I’ll buy them myself.”
“You treated me to milk, I’ll treat you to cream puffs. It’s giving and taking,” Bo Jiangxin said.
“Take them.”
This reason was unassailable, so Xiang Di could only accept them: “…Thank you.”
[By the way, can cream puffs be made into permanent specimens? I’ll check when I get home.]
Just as Xiang Di was thinking about how to make the cream puffs into specimens, Bo Jiangxin frowned and said, “Eat them all, don’t waste food.”
“Oh, oh.”
Xiang Di nodded obediently, “I’ll eat them all.”
She agreed perfectly with her mouth, but her heart thought completely differently.
[I can’t bear to eat them; they’ll turn into poop, get flushed down the toilet, and be gone.]
[…I can’t make my own poop into a specimen, can I?]
Sigh.
Bo Jiangxin closed his eyes for a moment, then bit his lip, but still couldn’t resist, letting out a sighing laugh.
Xiang Di looked up, confused, at him.
What was he laughing at?