After being attacked by the rich young ladies with hatchets, I chose to enter "sage mode".

Even after her rebirth, Lin Ying's severe social anxiety and inferiority complex remained unchanged. From childhood, she had made humility and caution a habit, and changing them would be extremely difficult. For her, being able to look Bai Yu in the eye for two seconds without looking away was already quite remarkable.

After finishing their meal, they stepped out of the restaurant into the sweltering heat of Lieyang High School. Bai Yu, dressed in shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, and canvas shoes, was alright, but Lin Ying, dressed in a fully covered outfit of a short-sleeved shirt, long pants, and sneakers, was already quite hot. Not to mention, her hip-length golden hair added to the heat of the blazing sun.

"Boss lady, your hair is really long. Why don't you tie it up?"

After saying that, Bai Yu handed her the black rubber band that she had taken from Lin Ying's room.

Looking at the black rubber band in Bai Yu's hand, Lin Ying paused for a moment before nodding and carefully taking the rubber band from his palm with her index finger and thumb.

Lin Ying's hair was too long, and it wasn't appropriate to braid it into a plait on the street, so she could only tie the ends with rubber bands to keep it from getting messy.

Even though Lin Ying is dressed very conservatively now, she still makes people's eyes light up when she walks down the street. This is mainly because her skin is exceptionally fair, which is a result of her not liking to go out for many years. Her long golden hair and blue eyes are even more eye-catching.

However, Lin Ying would selectively avoid these people's gazes. In the past, when she went out, her selective avoidance was to lower her head and choose to be unable to see others, thus deceiving herself so that others could not see her.

But things are different now. With Bai Yu around, she will definitely stay close to Bai Yu, which will give her a great sense of security.

"Madam, you'll be too hot dressed like that. How about we go to the mall and buy a couple of cooler outfits?"

"I'll listen to you."

Picking up the notebook, Lin Ying really liked writing those three words to Bai Yu.

Bai Yu could only say that dealing with Lin Ying was a million times easier than dealing with many other girls, because Lin Ying never picked and chose, nor did she have any opinions. She really liked to agree to what he asked unconditionally.

"Let's hurry up and go. It's really hot walking on the street, and... you don't really like shopping, right?"

Nodding, Lin Ying did not deny Bai Yu's words. She did not really like shopping, mainly because she did not like the feeling of being the center of attention. It made her very uncomfortable and made her feel uneasy.

Reaching out to hold Lin Ying's soft little hand, Bai Yu knew that holding hands under the scorching sun on such a hot day would be very hot, but he didn't let go. He wanted to give Lin Ying the encouragement and courage that she would be alright as long as he was there for her.

As for whether Lin Ying would feel hot and want to let go, there's no need to even think about it. Even if she were to die from the heat, she would never choose to let go of Bai Yu's hand.

For Lin Ying, even if Bai Yu abandoned her a thousand times, she would never want to abandon Bai Yu even once.

Lin Ying's extremism remained unchanged even after her rebirth. She loved Bai Yu simply because she loved him, even if Bai Yu didn't love her at all and even tried to destroy her, she was still willing to love him.

Of course, a normal person wouldn't be so extreme. No matter how much they love someone, if they are completely hurt in the end, they would have no choice but to give up. But Lin Ying is not normal. All she wants is to love someone. She would feel happy if Bai Yu could just look at her even once.

Contentment is very easy for her. She would feel happy and satisfied if Bai Yu bought her a bottle of water. Greed might exist in Lin Ying, but it is definitely not much, and can even be ignored. Selfless love is nothing more than this.

After stepping into the mall from the scorching sun on the street, Bai Yu finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

He held Lin Ying's hand the whole way, and his hand was sweaty as he held hers, while Lin Ying's hand was sweaty as she held his.

It was much cooler inside the mall, and Bai Yu was definitely the first to let go of Lin Ying's hand, because Lin Ying would never let go on her own.

Just as Bai Yu let go, Lin Ying raised her sweaty fingers and put them to her lips to taste Bai Yu's flavor.

The salty taste had a hint of bittersweetness; it was the smell of Bai Yu's sweat. She didn't dislike the smell at all; in fact, she liked it.

Bai Yu, perhaps sharing the same thoughts as Lin Ying at that moment, or perhaps acting somewhat strangely, raised his hand and curiously tasted the sweaty handprint that belonged to Lin Ying.

The taste was actually a bit salty, but the place where Lin Ying held his hand had a cherry blossom scent. Does this really reflect the rule that beautiful women always smell good?

"Boss lady, after you held my hand and it got sweaty, it tasted salty with a floral scent. Are you a cherry blossom? How come you smell so good?"

Bai Yu's words startled Lin Ying, who looked at him with wide, watery eyes, completely bewildered.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Little Secrets

Lin Ying was really confused when she saw Bai Yu seriously saying that his sweaty hands smelled a bit like flowers. The main thing was that Bai Yu seemed to be implying that he had also tasted her sweaty hands.

As for Bai Yu, who was being stared at by Lin Ying at a loss, he didn't feel any shame about what he said, or even that there was anything wrong with it. Perhaps he himself had a problem but didn't realize it.

"what happened?"

Looking back at Lin Ying, Bai Yu directly asked a question.

In this situation, how could Lin Ying possibly answer him? Should she reply that it smelled good, or... "Are you being strange?"

If you nod and say yes, wouldn't you seem strange too? But if you say Bai Yu is strange, didn't you try it yourself?

When their eyes met, Lin Ying really didn't know how to answer Bai Yu's question.

Seeing Lin Ying looking at him but slowly shifting her gaze away without responding, Bai Yu didn't linger on this stubborn topic any longer.

"Ahem, ma'am, we agreed to buy you clothes. Let's go upstairs and take a look at the shops?"

Lin Ying nodded, not denying Bai Yu's words, but her lowered head and silent demeanor, not even daring to look at Bai Yu, made her appear very cautious and timid.

However, Bai Yu understood Lin Ying quite well. After all, that was just her personality. She wouldn't change much just because she was dating him. It was already quite good for her to be able to boldly express her feelings.

Upon arriving at the second floor of the mall, Bai Yu was asked to pick out clothes for Lin Ying. To be honest, as a grown man, he wasn't very good at judging women's clothes, although he was quite good at recognizing sexy and attractive styles.

However, Lin Ying might not like this type of clothing. After all, she is a rather conservative girl and might not be able to accept it. At most, she would buy dresses or something similar.

Standing at the entrance of the women's clothing store, Bai Yu reached out and squeezed Lin Ying's hand, indicating that she could go in and choose clothes herself.

Lin Ying misunderstood Bai Yu's gesture, thinking he wanted to hold her hand. Although she felt shy, she still opened her fingers and took Bai Yu's big hand.

Turning his head to look at Lin Ying, who was looking down at her shoes, Bai Yu was about to say that he meant for her to go in and choose clothes, as it wouldn't be appropriate for him, a boy, to go in alone. After all, they sold not only outerwear but also a lot of underwear, and it would feel awkward.

However, the next moment he felt that it might not be good to so bluntly expose Lin Ying. Perhaps for ordinary couples, such a misunderstanding would just be laughed off and nothing would happen.

But Lin Ying is different. If this misunderstanding is explained, it might really leave a knot in her heart that won't dissipate for a long time. And since she finally had the courage to hold his hand, why should he hurt her hand?

"Boss lady, um... let me take you inside and help you choose. Pick whatever you like to wear, okay?"

Nodding, Lin Ying tightened her grip on Bai Yu's hand slightly.

"Welcome! What kind of clothing would you like to choose?"

As soon as I stepped into the store, the sales clerk came forward and greeted me with an incredibly warm bow and a smile.

"Oh, my girlfriend is looking for clothes. She prefers slightly conservative summer outfits, like dresses, short-sleeved tops, but not low-cut ones. Do you have any of those here?"

Bai Yu knew that Lin Ying definitely wouldn't be able to communicate normally with the sales clerk, and she certainly wouldn't like to initiate conversations with strangers, so he simply told her all the habits and preferences he knew about Lin Ying.

Just when he thought he was telling the sales clerk exactly what Lin Ying had said, based on her low self-esteem and introverted personality, Lin Ying gently let go of Bai Yu's hand and turned to look at him with a hint of apology in her eyes, as if she was comforting Bai Yu that she would hold his hand again later and that it was just a temporary farewell.

Lin Ying bent down and picked up the notebook she always carried with her. She quickly wrote a line on it with a fountain pen, then turned the notebook over and handed it to the sales clerk.

"My boyfriend prefers things to be cool and comfortable, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a dress."

The sales clerk genuinely didn't understand why Lin Ying wanted to write something. Why didn't she just say so? But the customer is always right, so she figured, "Let her write it, just follow the instructions."

The sales clerk glanced at Bai Yu. Even though he knew that Lin Ying was the one buying the clothes, he knew even more clearly that Bai Yu should have more say here. So, both out of courtesy and reason, he wanted to see what Bai Yu had to say.

What will Bai Yu say?

He was definitely following Lin Ying's opinion. This girl had finally taken the initiative to say what she wanted, so how could he refuse?

Of course, it's unreasonable for him to want to see Lin Ying dressed more lightly, and it's definitely not because he likes people dressed lightly that he agreed.

"Just listen to her, buy whatever she likes."

"Okay, this way please."

He nodded and smiled at Bai Yu, and then the sales clerk led Lin Ying and him inside.

Sitting in a seat next to the changing room, Bai Yu then completely enjoyed Lin Ying's costume change show.

You mean Bai Yu likes to see girls wearing miniskirts or shorts with white stockings, black stockings, or over-the-knee socks? But Lin Ying is her girlfriend. It's fine for her to see it herself, but she doesn't want others to see her wearing it in public.

With Lin Ying's figure and looks, she's a perfect clothes hanger; she looks good in anything. It's just that the direction she exudes depends on the style of the clothes, such as cute, sexy, or alluring.

Cute, sexy, and charming—Lin Ying can pull off any style, and she looks good in every one of them.

However, when Bai Yu and he finished shopping and left the store, he couldn't help but blurt out his true feelings.

"Boss lady, how about you just wear a light long dress or something when you go out normally? Or should you just avoid wearing shorts or anything like that?"

It's the 21st century now, and Bai Yu knows that she can be jealous and have minor complaints, but she absolutely cannot force others to tell Lin Ying what to wear when she goes out, since it's not like she's being revealing.

However, Lin Ying was different from what he thought. She would only wear miniskirts and shorts at home because she didn't like wearing them out at all. As for why she would buy them, it was because of what she wrote before: her boyfriend liked them.

After all, she was a woman who had seen Bai Yu's study materials, so she knew what kind of clothes Bai Yu liked. So, dressing up for him in the future would add some romance.

Picking up her notebook, Lin Ying quickly wrote a sentence in response to Bai Yu.

"I just bought it to wear for you to see."

Lin Ying put down her notebook, tiptoed, and planted a sexy red lip print on Bai Yu's face, because she had noticed Bai Yu's little scheme.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Before the Dream Ends

Feeling Lin Ying's quick, light kisses on his face, how could Bai Yu possibly back down?

Without saying a word, he lowered his head and kissed her rosy lips in retaliation.

Although it was just a fleeting kiss, weren't the two of them overjoyed?

After shopping, the two went to the nearest shrine. A day can go by quickly, but it didn't seem to go by at all. Yet, it seemed to pass slowly, and before they knew it, dusk was approaching.

The sunset glow on their cheeks made them blush, and stretched their shadows long and thin, so long that they disappeared from sight and merged into one.

Bai Yu originally planned to take Lin Ying out for a nice dinner and then go home to rest early, but Lin Ying insisted on cooking for him herself.

If Bai Yu had been a little more assertive, Lin Ying would definitely have gone with him, but he didn't, because frankly, he actually wanted to eat the food she cooked herself.

Dinner at home is never as elaborate as eating out. It's not that Lin Ying doesn't want to make it more elaborate, it's just that she didn't buy enough ingredients to make a very substantial meal at home.

In the living room, with a kotatsu, the two of them ate dinner rather quietly, as Bai Yu kept talking about all sorts of things, while Lin Ying would look into his eyes and occasionally respond with a smile.

Perhaps this is the feeling that comes from souls attracting each other: one wants to tell her all the interesting things about himself, and the other is willing to listen to all his stories.

It was only eight or nine o'clock at night. After telling Lin Ying to go and get some rest, Bai Yu didn't leave her house. It wasn't that he didn't want to go back, but he shamelessly wanted to sleep on the sofa one more time and keep her company for another night.

Lin Ying would never refuse Bai Yu's request; in fact, she felt a secret delight and anticipation.

What she was secretly pleased about, what she was expecting, only she herself knew what was on her mind.

I turned off the lights and went to sleep. Time passed by, and the surroundings gradually became quieter and quieter. The chirping of insects outside the French windows was so clear, and the wall clock in the living room kept ticking away.

However, it is said that people have many more thoughts at night than during the day. For example, Lin Ying is currently preoccupied with what happened between her and Bai Yu today.

Lin Ying had originally thought today would be a very happy day, but as she thought about it, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. It wasn't that something was wrong with her, but that something was wrong with Bai Yu.

Why do I say that? Because she recalled that when Bai Yu first came to the dessert shop for a job interview before she regained her memories, she seemed to have used sign language, right?

At first glance, Bai Yu seemed to have no problem with sign language, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that the problem was that Bai Yu had a problem with sign language at this particular time.

In his previous life, Bai Yu didn't know sign language. In the end, Bai Yu had to learn sign language from him before he taught him.

So now that I think about it, why does Bai Yu know sign language? And when I used sign language to express myself to him at noon, it seemed like he understood what it meant.

Lin Ying frowned slightly, and soon felt a pang of sadness in her heart.