Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

He Xinglan felt she was gradually becoming immune to ‘flirting-girl’ Yin Qiuman.

She even asked Yin Qiuman curiously: “Can you do anything else?”

“What?”

“Flirting with girls.”

“Yin Qiuman, although you’re a straight-A student, when it comes to this sort of thing, your repertoire is a bit too monotonous,” He Xinglan seriously assessed Yin Qiuman’s recent behavior.

“Except for the very beginning when you managed to flirt with me, honestly, I’m almost losing the feeling now.”

It was like the story of the boy who cried wolf. If the child cried out those words too often, who would believe the last time was real?

They would only be treated as a repeat offender, and no ripple would stir in the heart.

Yin Qiuman fell silent for a few seconds. He Xinglan was already reviewing whether her words had been too harsh, when Yin Qiuman’s voice, full of eagerness to learn, rang out.

“Then what should I do to make you feel something?”

“To make me feel something? Well, that would be…” He Xinglan subconsciously started to answer, but her rationality returned just as she reached the most crucial point.

She almost spilled her guts again?!

Wiping away a nonexistent cold sweat, He Xinglan felt a lingering fear.

Sure enough, her underachiever brain should not play games with the straight-A student.

Yin Qiuman was still looking at her, and He Xinglan could feel that focused gaze.

“Why did you stop?” Yin Qiuman even prompted her.

“Well… I just don’t want to say it anymore. Alright, are you done shopping? Let’s go back…” He Xinglan decisively changed the subject, preparing to walk back with her arms full of bags.

“Wait.” Yin Qiuman stopped the ‘back’ from leaving He Xinglan’s lips.

“What is it? Something else? You’ve bought enough clothes for me; any more and you’ll go bankrupt,” He Xinglan turned back to her, her sharp tongue like a machine gun, the words of dissuasion coming out effortlessly.

She looked genuinely concerned and thoughtful for Yin Qiuman.

Yin Qiuman’s mouth curved: “So you were worried about me.”

This realization filled Yin Qiuman’s eyes with a smile, which made He Xinglan freeze for a moment.

Yin Qiuman…

She was the one who used to be happy or sad based on Yin Qiuman’s slightest mood swing.

He Xinglan suddenly felt a little lump in her heart.

This emotion made He Xinglan’s face look displeased.

The smile in Yin Qiuman’s eyes instantly vanished when she noticed He Xinglan’s mood.

“Sorry, I just want to buy some flowers,” Yin Qiuman explained.

“Buy flowers for what?” He Xinglan asked in a muffled voice.

“To give them to you,” Yin Qiuman replied. “I remember you once said you wanted me to buy you a bouquet of roses once I started earning money. I promised you then.”

Eighteen-year-old Yin Qiuman made a promise, and twenty-five-year-old Yin Qiuman was here to fulfill it now.

He Xinglan’s bad mood somehow dissipated a little.

He Xinglan did not stop her, allowing Yin Qiuman to walk away while she waited patiently in place.

Perhaps afraid that He Xinglan would get anxious waiting, Yin Qiuman returned very quickly, holding a huge bouquet of red roses in her arms, almost obscuring her entire head.

He Xinglan: “…”

“I don’t have a free hand to help you hold them,” He Xinglan looked at the bouquet, hiding her fondness, and said crossly.

Yin Qiuman hadn’t asked for that, only saying: “It’s enough that you are willing to accept them.”

Yin Qiuman holding the roses she gave her—the scene felt like a reversal of eighteen-year-old He Xinglan constantly helping Yin Qiuman carry things.

A shopping mall is already a place with huge foot traffic, not to mention He Xinglan’s eye-catching appearance with bags hanging all over her arms. Now, adding Yin Qiuman’s extra-large bouquet of roses, anyone passing by couldn’t help but stare.

He Xinglan was not socially anxious, but even she felt a little overwhelmed by the public attention right now, so she urged Yin Qiuman: “Let’s hurry up and go.”

He Xinglan’s steps were very quick. It wasn’t clear what she was rushing for, and Yin Qiuman even had to jog to keep up behind her.

So, when the two of them got into a taxi back to the hotel, He Xinglan’s breathing was perfectly normal, while Yin Qiuman was gasping for air.

“Why were you running so fast?” Yin Qiuman asked, still panting, confused.

“I was afraid of being robbed. We were showing off too much wealth today,” He Xinglan even noticed someone taking pictures.

She hadn’t told her family that she had returned from her grandparents’.

People nowadays love to post short videos and moments on social media. He Xinglan was afraid of being exposed.

She was even more afraid of her parents asking who Yin Qiuman was.

After she came out to her family, they went from initial non-acceptance to seeing her change girlfriends every few days, to finally settling for her just staying stable and having a serious relationship. Now that she was 25 and still single, her family had started actively introducing her to girlfriends.

Going to spend the New Year with her grandparents was partly to avoid her parents, as the New Year is prime time for blind dates in any family.

He Xinglan didn’t have an answer yet for the questions her parents might ask, so she naturally had to actively avoid exposure and be careful about being seen.

Back at the hotel, Yin Qiuman ordered a suitcase on a delivery app and meticulously folded and placed the clothes she bought for He Xinglan inside.

He Xinglan had arrived empty-handed, but now she was the recipient of a large suitcase, a reversal that made one marvel.

However, what attracted He Xinglan more was the roses Yin Qiuman had placed on the table.

“These flowers… won’t last more than a few days, right?” He Xinglan murmured, standing in front of the roses and rubbing her chin.

This was her first-ever bouquet of roses—well, the first one from Yin Qiuman. Of course, her ex-girlfriends had sent plenty before, but since the sender was different, the meaning was different to He Xinglan. Although she wasn’t that eager to accept them, she did in the end, so, given its special significance, He Xinglan wanted this bouquet to have a unique final destination.

Turn them into bookmarks? The quantity was too large; even a hundred books would probably be more than enough.

Then… He Xinglan suddenly glanced at the bathtub in the bathroom, and a not-so-mature idea popped into her mind.

“Did you give this bouquet of roses to me, Yin Qiuman?” He Xinglan asked.

Yin Qiuman: “Yes.”

“Then is it my freedom to decide how to handle it?” He Xinglan asked again.

Yin Qiuman: “Yes.”

At the same time, Yin Qiuman looked up from organizing the clothes and saw the eagerness stirring in He Xinglan’s bright eyes.

“Then you wouldn’t mind if I used the petals to take a bath?” He Xinglan’s voice involuntarily rose a little when she asked this question.

Yin Qiuman got up, walked to He Xinglan’s side, and said in a moderate voice, “So all those unnecessary questions you asked were just to find out if I would allow you to bathe with this bouquet of roses?”

Yin Qiuman’s tone was flat, revealing no emotion. He Xinglan subconsciously pursed her lips: “I was just afraid you’d go back on your word and suddenly decide not to give them to me anymore.”

He Xinglan had to be careful with Yin Qiuman.

Of course, Yin Qiuman wouldn’t suddenly change her mind. She looked at the bouquet of roses, then suddenly looked up at He Xinglan and asked, “Then can I bathe with you?”

“Bathe… with… me?” A romantic bath for two? These three words popped into He Xinglan’s mind, causing a sudden rush of blood.

The last time Yin Qiuman tricked her into the bedroom and almost succeeded, when He Xinglan’s hands roamed over Yin Qiuman’s body, she had already felt how good Yin Qiuman’s curves were. Yin Qiuman’s skin was also very fair, which could be described as creamy smooth. He Xinglan could still recall how wonderful the feeling was then.

“Isn’t that… a little inappropriate?” He Xinglan refused, but only she knew that this refusal was merely symbolic. She had already been swept away by Yin Qiuman’s suggestion.

With such beauty right in front of her, she could hardly resist.

Her self-proclaimed strong willpower always struggled to work in front of Yin Qiuman.

Yin Qiuman did not speak, but answered He Xinglan with her actions.

Yin Qiuman went into the bathroom, and a gentle sound of running water soon followed.

He Xinglan hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t help but move her legs. Her two legs were like they had a GPS installed, heading straight for the bathroom.

She even forgot the crucial tool—the roses.

When He Xinglan appeared in the bathroom, Yin Qiuman glanced at her, her gaze falling on He Xinglan’s empty hands. She didn’t remind her, but instead asked more directly: “Do you want to undress first, or should I?”

That single sentence instantly made He Xinglan’s heart race, as if it was about to jump out of her chest the next second.

“I… you… I…” He Xinglan felt like her tongue wasn’t her own.

Rationality had long been thrown to the wind. She was currently filled with intense anticipation for the co-bathing that was about to happen.

“I’ll undress first,” Yin Qiuman calmly made the decision for He Xinglan and started taking off her own clothes.

Hearing He Xinglan’s words, Yin Qiuman’s movements paused, and then she sped up, as if the two were in a race.

He Xinglan was still slower. By the time she was completely naked, Yin Qiuman was already immersed in the bathtub. The dense foam covered her body, with only her head sticking out.

All He Xinglan could see was her beautiful, flower-like face.

Yin Qiuman was looking at her with an ambiguous gaze, examining her from head to toe, not missing an inch.

Eighteen-year-old He Xinglan was active; she was always present at sports events, and you could often see her on the playground during break time. Twenty-five-year-old He Xinglan was immensely grateful that she had maintained the good habit of exercising.

That’s why she could now ask Yin Qiuman very calmly: “Does my six-pack look good?”

“I trained for a long time,” He Xinglan’s voice was full of pride, and a small request for Yin Qiuman to praise her.

Yin Qiuman: “Mm, it looks good. The lines are more defined than before.”