Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“Am I really that petty in your heart?” He Xinglan complained while asking the waiter for yogurt.

She even thought the waiter was too slow, so she ran to the front desk herself, and then hurried back, inserted the straw, and held it to Yin Qiuman’s lips.

Yin Qiuman stared at the yogurt very close to her, her expression unreadable.

He Xinglan appeared careless and informal, but in reality, her heart was very attentive.

Even though she was anxious, the yogurt she fetched was the exact brand Yin Qiuman liked seven years ago.

“Drink it,” He Xinglan grew anxious when Yin Qiuman only stared at the yogurt without drinking.

Hearing He Xinglan’s urging, Yin Qiuman finally took the straw into her mouth and started sipping.

After two or three sips, the burning sensation in her mouth finally subsided a little.

“How is it? Are you feeling better?” Seeing Yin Qiuman stop, He Xinglan immediately asked with concern.

The anxiety that was present earlier was still clearly visible in her eyes.

Yin Qiuman curved her lips slightly and smiled at He Xinglan: “Much better.”

He Xinglan finally let out a sigh of relief, placed the yogurt by Yin Qiuman’s hand, and returned to her seat.

“I’ll order two more non-spicy dishes for you,” He Xinglan said, picking up the menu.

However, He Xinglan would absolutely not admit that this behavior was due to feeling sorry for Yin Qiuman. She was merely afraid that if Yin Qiuman hurt her stomach by eating too much spice, what if she used that as an excuse to depend on her?

He Xinglan felt this was a smart and ingenious way of preparing for the unexpected.

She was indeed clever.

While He Xinglan was diligently ordering food, Yin Qiuman’s voice suddenly rang out.

“That brand of yogurt… can we buy more?”

“What?” He Xinglan looked up, too focused on ordering to catch Yin Qiuman’s words clearly.

“That brand of yogurt has been hard to find in the small county town for a long time,” Yin Qiuman repeated. “I remember I went home for the New Year during my freshman year, and I really wanted to drink it, but I couldn’t find it anywhere in the whole county.

“Later, I asked a friend and learned that this brand of yogurt was rarely distributed to supermarkets and other places because of poor sales. I didn’t expect to run into it today.”

Yin Qiuman spoke calmly and methodically, like she was telling a story.

No, she was telling a story.

Yin Qiuman was leading He Xinglan to recall the minute, warm moments of their past together.

Yin Qiuman was doing this on purpose, He Xinglan was a hundred percent sure.

Because of this mention, some dusty memories surfaced in He Xinglan’s mind.

She even recalled a time when the stores around the school didn’t sell this yogurt. To let Yin Qiuman drink it, she skipped class and searched the entire county town for it.

What did Yin Qiuman mean by this?

He Xinglan thought for a moment, then put down the menu and stood up.

“I’ll go talk to the owner and buy all the yogurt they have,” He Xinglan said, leaving the table and heading straight for the front desk.

Seeing that He Xinglan actually went to talk to the owner and watched her interacting with him, Yin Qiuman’s mood was somewhat complicated.

He Xinglan’s reaction completely exceeded her expectations, yet it seemed perfectly reasonable.

A moment later, He Xinglan came back carrying three whole cases of yogurt. Placing them on an empty chair, He Xinglan panted and told Yin Qiuman: “I’ve emptied the owner’s stock. It’s all here.”

Yin Qiuman: “…”

“Thank you.”

He Xinglan returned to her seat and waved her hand: “You’re welcome, it’s a small thing.”

“However, the owner just said that this brand of yogurt is indeed very hard to find now. The factory that produces it is rumored to be mismanaged and close to bankruptcy. The factory manager is her relative, and she only keeps it in her shop out of kinship. So, if you want to drink it in the future…”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you,” Yin Qiuman took over He Xinglan’s words.

He Xinglan: “???”

Yin Qiuman added: “Before the factory goes bankrupt.”

He Xinglan was about to say, Why me?, believing that Yin Qiuman must know someone in this city.

But Yin Qiuman always had a way to leave her speechless.

“After all, I’ll be going back in two days at most.” A deep sense of reluctance was scattered throughout Yin Qiuman’s sentence, making her sound… a little pitiful.

He Xinglan’s old weakness flared up. She couldn’t stand Yin Qiuman looking like this, and her heart instantly softened.

“Fine, call me whenever you want a drink. I’ll buy it and mail it to you,” He Xinglan agreed.

“Okay,” Yin Qiuman did not stand on ceremony with He Xinglan.

After the two non-spicy dishes He Xinglan reordered arrived, they seriously finished their meal.

After eating, He Xinglan didn’t want to return to the hotel, afraid that Yin Qiuman would try to lead her to the bed again. So, she took the initiative to invite her after leaving the restaurant: “I’ll take you around. I know there’s a big shopping mall nearby. The clothes and everything inside are very nice, and there are some…”

“You want me to buy you clothes?” Yin Qiuman seemed to only hear the word ‘clothes.’ She tilted her head and looked at He Xinglan, her eyes… a little excited?

Could it be that Yin Qiuman wants to play the ‘Miracle Nikki’ game?

Bah, is that the point? He Xinglan wanted to smack herself on the forehead twice.

“I didn’t mean that,” He Xinglan quickly said.

“I know,” Yin Qiuman smiled at He Xinglan: “I want to buy you an outfit to show my appreciation.”

“You helped me buy yogurt.”

He Xinglan: Can I still say no to buying things in the future?

He Xinglan felt she had been pulled into another trap by Yin Qiuman.

He Xinglan realized that Yin Qiuman truly seemed to be playing Miracle Nikki. She thought Yin Qiuman would only buy her one piece of clothing as a gesture, but she didn’t expect… He Xinglan stared at the bags hanging on both her hands and sighed: “It seems architects get paid quite well.”

“Yin Qiuman, stop buying. If you buy any more, I won’t be able to wear everything in a week without repeating.”

Having a lot of money shouldn’t be spent like this.

Yin Qiuman, however, shook her head firmly. “We still haven’t bought any innerwear.”

He Xinglan’s eyes widened instantly. “Y-y-y-you… you want to buy what I wear underneath, too?”

“Aren’t we close enough for that?” He Xinglan said awkwardly.

Yin Qiuman stared at He Xinglan and said affectionately: “Only if you want to.”

He Xinglan: No, she didn’t want to.

He Xinglan turned her head: “Hey, where is there a lingerie store?”

The moment she finished speaking, He Xinglan wanted to smack her own mouth.

These words could easily make people misunderstand that she was very expectant.

Yin Qiuman, however, didn’t give He Xinglan time to overthink. She grabbed her by the arm and walked towards the store He Xinglan had mentioned.

“Good, then let’s go pick out seven sets.”

“Seven sets?”

“Mm, one set to change into every day.”

“Yin Qiuman, are you plotting something?”

“Yes, to make you remember me every day.”