I'm in high school, is my dating system working correctly?

Chapter 69 Grandpa's Tea (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader [Yuri Nanaka])

The shopping mall was packed with people the night before the holiday.

Lu Yu and Cheng Bailu walked hand in hand through the crowd. Whether it was because they were wearing school uniforms or because they were a handsome couple, they attracted a lot of attention.

The girl moved slightly closer to the boy beside her, hiding their intertwined hands between their school uniforms. If one did not look closely, one might not be able to see their clasped hands.

"Is it a little hot?"

Lu Yu could feel that the palms of their hands, which were clasped together, were slightly sweaty.

...It seems...there is a little bit.

Cheng Bailu's thoughts were clearly drawn to the interlocked fingers, and she hesitated for a moment before responding.

Hmm, are you annoyed that my hands are sweating because I'm nervous? Should I tell you to relax for a bit? We might run into some classmates here, and if they see us...?

"Sorry, but guys tend to sweat more."

Lu Yu slightly raised the hand he was holding.

"Ah...it's okay."

Cheng Bailu was startled, then pursed her lips and murmured, loosening her grip on Lu Yu's hand slightly.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yu immediately let go of her hand, because her palms were sweaty and felt cool.

Hmm, he says it's his sweat, but it's clearly mine... But really, there's no need to hold hands all the time; that's something only couples do. We're just...

"That's good."

Lu Yu moved around to Cheng Bailu's other side, switched hands, and gently and naturally took the girl's soft, boneless, smooth and delicate hand in his own. He slipped his fingers between her fingers, gently closed them, and held her hand tightly.

【what? 】

An otter's puzzled expression appeared in her thoughts.

Since it was his initiative, then... well, that's the only way. There's nothing we can do.

It's not that there's no way.

"Let's go buy some drinks. That milkshake shop we went to last time was pretty good. Let's see if they have a buy-one-get-one-half-off deal."

Lu Yu then made a suggestion.

"Okay, okay, but... there might not be a discount."

1

Cheng Bailu had just recovered and said in a gentle tone.

[Because there wasn't a buy-one-get-one-half-off deal last time, I thought that if we drank different flavors, maybe something would happen... so I lied to him.]

Nani?

You've learned to lie, haven't you, Cheng Bailu? This is a public reprimand.

"It's okay, even without a discount, we can order two different flavors and drink them alternately."

Lu Yu ultimately couldn't bring himself to be soft-hearted.

wrong.

Cheng Bailu's hands were even softer.

Although Lu Yu had held Zhou Qianyun's hand before, that girl's hand was slender and soft, but strong. When you held her hand, you always suspected that you were about to start arm wrestling.

It leans towards sports.

Cheng Bailu's work leans more towards business style.

Pshaw, she's a bit too girlish.

The palms are soft and warm, the fingers are slender and a little cool, the backs of the hands are smooth and feel like cotton candy, and the fingertips have a distinct tactile sensation.

Just holding hands is a pleasure.

No, you actually enjoyed it?

I've worked so hard for so long, and I finally get a break. Can't I even enjoy myself?

Just enjoy it, hehe.

Lu Yu ordered two milkshakes at the original price, which wasn't actually that expensive, just slightly more expensive than Xue Wang. But then again, we wouldn't dare to casually try a milk tea shop that's cheaper than Xue Wang.

A cup of matcha, a cup of vanilla.

"Then I'll have the vanilla flavor."

Cheng Bailu pondered for a moment, then pointed to the pale pink glass.

[The vanilla flavor should be a bit sweeter, right? Hmm, I still can't accept anything too bitter. Sorry, Lu Yu.]

Life is hard enough as it is, so let's have something sweet.

There wasn't really anywhere they wanted to go, so the two of them simply sat in the shop and drank.

After letting go of her hand, Cheng Bailu sat facing her and took out her phone to take a picture of Milkshake.

Click—

The photo, taken with her old phone, shows two milkshakes with straws that appear to be intertwined due to visual reasons.

"Then I'll drink it?"

Lu Yu took a sip of the matcha milkshake. The slight bitterness of the matcha combined with the sweetness of the milkshake balanced it out quite well, earning him the reputation of being a superior person.

"Speaking of which, my dad mentioned before that you share the same name as the Tea Sage, so I looked it up, and it's true!"

Cheng Bailu gently bit the straw.

"Is it because your uncle really likes drinking tea?"

[The topic we'd been preparing for so long finally came together naturally. You're amazing, Cheng Bailu.]

Wow, Cheng Bailu is amazing! A top student doesn't fight unprepared battles, right?

"No, it's because my dad likes Jay Chou, so he named me that."

"Does...it matter?"

"Because the tea that Grandpa brews has a taste that's called home."

"Why are we talking about Grandpa again?"

[Ugh, am I too stupid? I didn't understand what he was saying. Waaah, I just want to hide in a trash can.]

While Cheng Bailu appeared confused on the surface, she was already beginning to want to escape reality.

Mine mine.

Lu Yu realized what was happening.

Last time I talked to her about music, I was too busy pretending to be a pretentious artsy type, and we talked about Queen, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson.

They didn't mention Jay Chou at all.

"It's a song."

Lu Yu simply took out his earphones from his bag and handed one to Cheng Bailu.

"Here, you'll understand when you hear it."

Cheng Bailu slowly took the headphones.

Sharing headphones with him to listen to music... it feels a bit...

Although these are just Redmi earphones that cost only a few dozen yuan a pair, don't look down on them.

I'm a little happy.

"6

'

Lu Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly, wondering how hard this child's life must have been, and how many things could make her happy.

"Come sit with me, I'll show you the lyrics."

Is it an English song?

"Chinese songs".

Do we need to look at the lyrics when singing Chinese songs?

"Hard to say."

"Then I'll sit here."

Cheng Bailu moved her chair and sat down next to Lu Yu. The two were close together, their arms touching and their knees occasionally brushing against each other, sharing a pair of headphones.

On the eve of the holiday, in a quiet corner of a bustling shopping mall, two milkshakes, each with only a few sips remaining.

There could be no more pleasant time than this.

At this point, some music is needed.

Click to play "Grandpa's Tea".

"ah...

'

Upon hearing the first sentence, Cheng Bailu understood immediately.

[Oh, those were lyrics. Hmm, I guess I missed the point...]

..

[Ah, the second line is about Lu Yu. So this song is about Lu Yu?]

The melody is beautiful, and the lyrics are quite evocative, but honestly, without the text, it's a bit hard to understand.

[Oh, it's not a love song after all. I thought all pop songs were about love and romance.]

[Yes, I know that Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty wrote the three-volume Classic of Tea. I also know his life story; I've looked it all up.]

Wow, this lyric is so good!

The lyrics of a blues melody flowed gently through my headphones.

That day, I flipped through the dictionary, looking up words to describe something very far away, perhaps on the other side of the sea...

'

Lu Yu turned his head to look at the girl who was listening quietly. He didn't expect her to think so much while listening to the song, just like she was doing a problem.

I wonder what she'll be thinking when she watches the movie later.

I'm really looking forward to it.

This is how you should watch reaction videos!

Before the song finished playing, Lu Yu casually picked up the milkshake and took a sip.

As soon as I put it in my mouth, something felt off.

Why is it so sweet?

Wait, this is vanilla flavored.

Cheng Bailu's saliva... wait, how did they end up together? It's hard not to mix them up!

Hmm, she doesn't seem to have noticed, so I quietly put it back.

Lu Yu pretended not to care and put the milkshake down.

then.

He might have been infected by Lu Yu.

Looking at her phone screen, Cheng Bailu also reached for the milkshake.

Because Lu Yu had just picked up the cup on the left, she subconsciously picked up the cup on the right.

等—

Gurgle.

He took a sip of the thick milkshake, biting into Lu Yu's straw.

Stop! Lu Yu, don't use your Chinese language skills like this! Rewrite it!

Cheng Bailu suddenly stopped moving.

Even the heartfelt appreciation for the lyrics and melody has vanished.

It's a bit bitter... huh?

This is matcha flavored, it's Lu Yu's cup, so does that mean I'm...

.】

Wait a minute, I took the glass that he put back next to mine. Doesn't that mean he just drank from mine too?

【What should I do?】

If all else fails, try making a cold stir-fried egg salad; it's delicious and looks great.

Pretend you didn't notice, and quietly put it back.

Excuse me, Cheng Bailu, but because you tricked me into giving you the second cup half price, I have to punish you.

"Hey, why did you drink my milkshake?"

Lu Yu spoke with an air of seriousness.

[Oh no, I've been found out! Where's the trash can? I'm going to hide right now!]

Cheng Bailu's attempt to revert to her cute and innocent demeanor froze.

"...Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

After a long while, he spoke in a low voice.

[I really didn't mean to, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't... uh, I just thought of it, but it really, really, really was just a coincidence!]

My mind was a complete mess, and I blurted out everything I should and shouldn't have said.

"Is the matcha-flavored milkshake tasty?"

Lu Yu asked with a smile on his lips.

The girl nodded, bewildered.

Then, Lu Yu took the matcha milkshake from her hand and took a big gulp using the straw that Cheng Bailu had bitten.

"It must taste delicious, because it's Lu Yu's tea."

They used a meme with the same name.

Under Cheng Bailu's wide-eyed gaze, he put down the matcha milkshake and picked up the vanilla one, pointing the straw at the girl.

"Take another big gulp, then we'll switch."

[He just drank it like that?]

Did you drink it?

Isn't this equivalent to indirectly... doing... you know?

Even if you don't dare to say that word out loud, it really fits the image of a well-behaved high school student in China.

Lu Yu didn't care. If we're talking about saliva, he ate more of Zhou Qianyun's saliva. But you can't say that he and Zhou Qianyun ate each other's lips many times.

Last time in the cafeteria, I ate the stir-fried pork with chili peppers that Cheng Bailu served me with a spoon. If I had to say I was drooling, I would have eaten it that time.

I wouldn't mind eating it a few more times.

"Okay then."

After hesitantly agreeing, Cheng Bailu reached for the cup, but Lu Yu held her hand back, preventing her from touching it, and then handed it to her again after she pulled her hand back.

【W-You're going to feed me this too?】

What do you mean by "hey"? I'm afraid you'll take it and then not give it to me.

Cheng Bailu gave a soft "hmm," sipped her drink through the straw, and took only a regular sip.

"The rest is yours."

She picked up the matcha milkshake on the table and held it in her hands.

"Then this cup of Lu Yu is mine, and you can't take it from me."

F

"What do you mean by 'this cup of Lu Yu'? It means this cup of Lu Yu's matcha milkshake."

"Okay."

I don't care, it's mine.

The girl smiled faintly, pursed her lips, and drank the milkshake.

They're all mine.

*

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