Accidentally Becoming a Green Tea Goddess Everyone Loves - Chapter 23

Shen Shirou was startled by Qi Yan’s sudden, bold move.

She jerked her hand back and retreated several steps, her gaze fixed on Qi Yan as if she were looking at a stray cat that had just made off with a prize.

“Miss Qi, please conduct yourself with some dignity,” Shen Shirou said.

Qi Yan’s eyes curved into a crescent shape as she let out a sultry laugh. “Not a bad taste at all.”

“Unfortunately,” she added teasingly, “that wasn’t the spot I most wanted to taste.” Her sharp, deep gaze swept over Shen Shirou, as if she were a predator staring down prey caught in her web.

Rather than looking angry, Qi Yan looked utterly smug about the kiss she had just stolen.

“If you want tonight to end here, that’s fine,” Qi Yan said, leaning back against her car. “But there’s a condition.”

Shen Shirou wanted nothing more than to send this troublesome woman packing. “What condition?”

Qi Yan held out a hand toward her. “Your phone. Let me borrow it for a second.”

What does she want with my phone?

Wary, Shen Shirou handed it over anyway. For all her shamelessness, Qi Yan had a track record of keeping her word once a deal was struck.

Qi Yan pulled out her own phone as well. After a moment of tapping away, she seemed to be inputting something. Since Shen Shirou was keeping her distance, she couldn’t see the screen clearly.

A few minutes later, Qi Yan handed the phone back.

“What did you do?” Shen Shirou asked.

“I saved my number for you,” Qi Yan replied. “And I took the liberty of keeping yours for myself.”

Shen Shirou looked at her with uncertainty. “Just to save a number?”

Given who Qi Yan was, getting a phone number should have been as easy as snapping her fingers. Why go through the trouble of staking out her villa?

As if reading her mind, Qi Yan said dismissively, “There are plenty of ways to get your number, of course. But my favorite method is to ask for it in person.” She offered a beaming smile. “Besides, if I didn’t come, how would I have collected such a precious ‘punishment’?”

She tapped her own red lips, her meaning crystal clear.

“I’ll be calling you anytime, baby,” Qi Yan said, waving her phone. “Of course, you can choose not to answer, but the next punishment might be a bit heavier than today’s. I suspect you wouldn’t want to find out what that entails.”

Her tone was incredibly gentle, but to Shen Shirou, it sounded like a blatant threat.

“The number is saved. Now, can Miss Qi leave?”

“Of course, darling.” Qi Yan climbed into her car and waved through the window. “We’ll be seeing each other soon.”

As the car pulled away, Shen Shirou felt a massive headache coming on. She had been careless before, but thinking back, it wasn’t just Lu Yanwei who was acting strange. Even this “Big Villain” was behaving completely outside the script.

Where did it go wrong? Shen Shirou couldn’t figure it out.

The next day, Lu Yanwei invited Shen Shirou out for dinner.

Shen Shirou assumed it was just another casual meal and agreed. It wasn’t until Lu Yanwei led her into a high-end, fine-dining restaurant that she asked in surprise, “Yanwei, are we eating here?”

She had expected Lu Yanwei to take her home for a home-cooked meal like usual.

“Yes, it’s my treat today,” Lu Yanwei said considerately. “If you don’t like it here, we can go somewhere else.”

“It’s fine,” Shen Shirou replied. “This place is great.”

After months of spending time together, Lu Yanwei knew Shen Shirou’s dietary habits inside and out. Without even asking, she ordered several dishes from the menu. Shen Shirou didn’t notice at first, but when the plates were served, she realized the table was covered in all of her favorite foods.

“Yanwei.” Shen Shirou looked up, startled.

“What is it?” Lu Yanwei asked. “Are these not to your taste?”

Shen Shirou struggled to find the words. “You, you seem to have forgotten to order anything for yourself.”

“As long as you like it, it’s fine,” Lu Yanwei smiled. “Besides, when I’m having dinner with you, I’m happy to eat anything.”

Shen Shirou sighed inwardly. The female lead was truly personifying the “perfect soulmate” role to a tee. She was the ideal heroine.

But the better Lu Yanwei treated her, the more Shen Shirou worried. If Lu Yanwei valued their friendship too much, she might end up sacrificing her destined romance with Jiang Peixing for the sake of that friendship.

Shen Shirou thought for a moment and said, “Yanwei, you’ve already done so much for me. If you keep doing all these little things, I won’t know how to face you. I wish you wouldn’t take my matters so much to heart. I feel so guilty when you’re always like this.”

Perfect, Shen Shirou thought. This keeps my ‘Green Tea’ persona intact while subtly reminding her to maintain a healthy distance. It was the best of both worlds.

Lu Yanwei usually never refused her. But this time, she didn’t nod in agreement. She looked at Shen Shirou and said softly, “That is the one thing I cannot promise you. I don’t need a reason to be good to you.”

The dinner ended just as the sun was setting. Shen Shirou was about to say her goodbyes when Lu Yanwei suggested they visit the bar where they first met. Seeing that it wasn’t too late, Shen Shirou agreed.

Returning to the bar after so long felt nostalgic. It had been nearly three months since they met. Shen Shirou expected they were there for a drink, but after sitting at the bar, Lu Yanwei didn’t order anything.

Is she just here for a trip down memory lane?

They sat in silence for a while. Soon, Lu Yanwei stood up. “Shirou, wait for me here. I need to make a quick phone call.”

“Okay.”

Shortly after Lu Yanwei left, the sound of a guitar filled the bar, drawing Shen Shirou’s attention. She looked toward the stage and saw a slender figure holding a guitar.

It was Lu Yanwei.

As Shen Shirou stared in shock, Lu Yanwei’s gaze swept toward her. Their eyes met, and Lu Yanwei’s expression softened into something incredibly tender. She began to play, beautiful notes flowing from her fingers as the sunset glow spilled through the windows onto her.

When the song ended, Lu Yanwei set the guitar down and returned to the bar.

“You never told me you could play the guitar,” Shen Shirou praised. “That was beautiful.”

“It’s not too late to know now,” Lu Yanwei said with a smile. “That song, I wrote it for you.”

“Does it have a name?” Shen Shirou asked.

“It does,” Lu Yanwei’s smile deepened. “Shirou, close your eyes and I’ll tell you.”

Shen Shirou thought she was just being mysterious. She paused, then followed the instruction and closed her eyes.

In the darkness, something soft pressed against her lips—a tender, fleeting touch.

Shen Shirou opened her eyes in a daze.

With the tips of her ears flushed a deep crimson, Lu Yanwei whispered, “Its name is—’I love you.'”