The Lady I Flirted With Is Here - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Blushing

With her back to the subway station, Lin Xian stood under the large willow tree. Previously, she had stood right at the exit under the blazing sun, worried only that Daiyu wouldn’t see her. Now, she was so exhausted that she simply squatted on the ground, prepared to let her “tomboy” side show without a care—anything to finish this early and go home.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Lin Xian scrambled up in a panic. It was the number she had given Fang Daiyu earlier, and this was the first time it had actually been dialed.

“Hello?” Lin Xian straightened her spine. Looking forward from where she stood, the person who had just been thinking about breaking up was suddenly nervous again. I’ll give her a chance, just for the sake of it, she thought.

Fang Daiyu’s voice was as pleasant as ever: “Xianxian, I’m here. Which exit are you at?” Hearing such a gentle voice, Lin Xian felt it would be embarrassing to throw a temper tantrum. Endure it, endure it, she told herself.

“The Pedestrian Street exit.” Lin Xian rarely came to Wangfujing and didn’t actually know how many exits there were. Her vague answer was partly due to her lingering pique.

“Okay.” Fang Daiyu hummed in response and instructed: “Wait right there for me, I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Okay.” Lin Xian hung up. As someone who never initiated hanging up on people, she felt a bit restless. At this moment, she remembered what Fang Daiyu looked like when they first met. A Japanese-style artistic youth, she thought, subconsciously pouting one moment and frowning the next.

She looked around and, upon turning her head, froze.

The person in front of her was that person, yet different. Her curly hair seemed a bit longer now, with a few stray strands hanging casually by her ears and forehead. Her eyes were deep and beautiful, hidden beneath those loose bangs. Combined with a high bridge of her nose and delicate features, her skin—which had looked pale and translucent last time—now had a faint wheaten glow, though it was still several shades fairer than most. Around her neck hung a vibrant red Beats wireless headset. She wore a black base layer under a bright yellow-trimmed utility-style trench coat, paired with simple grey sweatpants and black high-top Converse.

The person looked at her and blinked with a smile. Fragmented light danced upon her; she looked like a bright, athletic, handsome youth stepping out of the sunshine. Youthful, sunny, energetic, and clean.

Fang Daiyu held a small white canvas bag. She walked up to Xianxian and instinctively reached out to touch Lin Xian’s soft, obedient “meatball” bun.

“I’m here, Xianxian.” Daiyu’s voice was low, and the cold fragrance was slightly more intense than before. Standing so close, the scent filled Xianxian’s nose.

Lin Xian had imagined a thousand versions of Daiyu, but she never expected “Sunny Athletic.” She had never paid much attention to that type of person before, but now, her heart was thumping wildly. Lin Xian had to admit—she had lost.

What “Artistic Little Girl” persona? Against a hormonal powerhouse like Fang Daiyu, it was useless.

Thankfully, she had dressed up in advance. If the Fang Daiyu of their first meeting had been hiding seventy percent of her charm in the crowd, the person now was radiating all her brilliance. Passersby frequently turned their heads to look at them.

Lin Xian was almost too nervous to speak.

“Are you hungry?” Fang Daiyu asked gently. The hand touching the top of Lin Xian’s head seemed glued there; her fingers ran casually through Lin Xian’s hair, stroking it almost addictively, as if she had discovered a new continent.

Lin Xian shook her head dumbly. To be honest, she was a bit panicked.

Is the “head-rub kill” a standard thing for the first date? Lin Xian didn’t know, and she didn’t dare move.

It wasn’t until she remembered the gifts that she felt a surge of new energy. Lin Xian quietly dodged Fang Daiyu’s fingers and leaned down to pick up the gift box. She offered a pleasing smile: “These are roses for you.” Then she picked up the plushie, too shy to look at Fang Daiyu, fearing the gift might be too modest: “This is the Liuliu plushie I won that day. I… I haven’t used it. It’s for you.”

Fang Daiyu let out a soft laugh, seemingly finding it very endearing. She took the gift box and tucked it under her left arm, then handed her own small white bag to Lin Xian.

Lin Xian: “Huh?”

Fang Daiyu smiled: “Xianxian, hold this for me.”

The act of holding a girlfriend’s bag somehow struck a chord in Lin Xian’s shy, maidenly heart. She obediently held the small bag. She watched as Fang Daiyu moved the plushie to her left hand as well.

“It’s heavy.” Seeing this, Lin Xian immediately suggested: “You can’t carry it well with one hand, use both.”

Then Lin Xian thought better of it. Her girlfriend was carrying such heavy things; how could she just stand there? “Let me do it! You just carry your own bag.”

Fang Daiyu didn’t speak, but laughed again: “This is just right.”

“Just right?” Lin Xian didn’t understand how this was “right.” Using one hand to struggle with two items when you have two hands seemed painful.

My god, could Fang Daiyu be a bit of a fool?

While Lin Xian was still dazed, Fang Daiyu accurately reached out with her right hand and took Lin Xian’s left.

Their fingers intertwined, and both their souls seemed to let out a sigh of contentment.

Lin Xian was completely stunned. Not just the tips of her ears—she felt like she had been fished out of a deep fryer. Her cheeks were flushed red, and she didn’t dare move the fingers connected to Fang Daiyu’s. Holding Daiyu’s bag and being led by the hand, she felt like a child following behind her.

A child? Heavens, what am I thinking?

Fang Daiyu’s fingers were so soft—slender and gentle, not at all hard like Lin Xian’s.

Is this what a date feels like?

Lin Xian looked at their joined hands, feeling it was all incredibly surreal. They had met. They were on a date. She was doing what other couples did—holding the other’s bag—while someone was taking care of her.

Lin Xian smiled secretly. She was excited. Then, she suddenly needed to use the restroom.

She gave Fang Daiyu’s hand a small tug.

“What is it, Xianxian?” Fang Daiyu’s voice sounded like it had been kissed by an angel. Lin Xian could hardly take it. The constant bombardment of a voice-fetishist… when will it end?

Afraid of being judged, Lin Xian whispered awkwardly: “I need to go to the bathroom.” Looking around, it was all shopping malls and pedestrian streets—where was the restroom?

Lin Xian wanted to beg Fang Daiyu to stop smiling, but Fang Daiyu just laughed more. Ever since she saw Lin Xian today, the corners of her mouth refused to stay down. If she had a megaphone, Fang Daiyu would want to tell the whole world: “I have a girlfriend, Xianxian, and she’s the cutest person on earth!”

Receiving roses from her little girlfriend, along with a plushie of a writer they both liked… The scene of how hard Lin Xian had fought for that plushie at the meet-and-greet was still fresh in her mind. To have her little girlfriend give it to her now—how could she not be happy?

The clothes her girlfriend wore were lovely, and she was beautifully made up. When she first found Xianxian, Fang Daiyu had seen several boys stealing glances at her. She even heard them debating who should go up and ask for her WeChat. Fang Daiyu was possessive by nature; she had to declare ownership of what was hers. How could she let others covet her?

Lin Xian knew none of this.

Lin Xian had waited for her for nearly an hour without getting angry or rushing her. When she arrived, she saw a disappointed, exquisitely dressed young girl standing by the road. But the moment Lin Xian saw her, her eyes filled with shock—a kind of daze that Fang Daiyu was all too familiar with. People attracted to her always had that look.

When it came from her girlfriend, it felt quite nice.

“Come on, I’ll take you.” Fang Daiyu led Lin Xian, soothing her patiently: “We’re almost there, don’t worry.”

They walked into the nearest mall. “I think the cinema on the basement level has a restroom.” Fang Daiyu led Lin Xian onto the escalator. “Hold onto the handrail.” Looking at Lin Xian, she couldn’t help but treat her like a child.

Lin Xian obeyed. The cinema level was bustling. A few girls in “Lolita” fashion were coming out of a theater; they saw Fang Daiyu and Lin Xian and huddled together with racing hearts.

“So cute~”

“I want to be led by the hand by a sister like that too~”

In subculture circles, people were often quicker to spot “moe” points. One of the Lolita girls spoke a bit too loudly, and Lin Xian caught the phrase “being led by the hand.” She tried her best to shrink her presence, feeling a mix of pride and dissatisfaction.

Hey, she’s my girlfriend! Why are you fantasizing about her!

Around the corner was the restroom. Lin Xian handed the bag back to Daiyu and took off her own crossbody corduroy bag.

When she took it, Fang Daiyu realized how heavy it was: “What are you carrying? Why is it so heavy?”

“It’s not much~” Lin Xian ducked into the restroom shyly. Once she was out of Fang Daiyu’s sight, she stared at herself in the mirror. Noticing a stray hair sticking up, she quickly flattened it with some water.

Only then did she manage to catch her breath, letting out a long sigh from her chest: “Good luck, Lin Xian!”