Chapter 57
She had come to look for the benefactor who had saved her life, so how had it turned into becoming boyfriend and girlfriend... Yun Duo could not be blamed for being slow — the events today had really developed too rapidly and unexpectedly. So when Tang Yi-Bai led her by the hand out of the training base, she still had not fully come to terms with the situation.
Tang Yi-Bai noticed her bowing her head in silence and his heart skipped a beat. He asked quietly, "Yun Duo, you don't like me?"
"Huh?" Yun Duo raised her head in surprise to see his nervous expression. Her heart warmed — she knew this was a sign that he cared. Wasn't it the same for her?
The person you liked liking you in return... there was nothing better than this.
At the thought, she felt lighter and she shook her head and said, "No such thing."
Tang Yi-Bai relaxed. "That's good. I like you too."
Such a direct confession made her blush. She quickly turned away with a soft sound of agreement.
Tang Yi-Bai really liked seeing Yun Duo shy and embarrassed. She looked as soft as water, the rosy colour on her cheeks like red apples hanging high on the branches of trees during the early frost of autumn. Even the rounded lobes of her ears would turn red, making him feel like squeezing them between his fingers, or perhaps bending down to nose them or kiss them.
Well, they were currently out in public so he couldn't do that.
Tang Yi-Bai hailed a taxi. The driver recognised him and excitedly asked for an autograph for his daughter, and that was when Tang Yi-Bai realised that he had forgotten to put on a face mask and sunglasses. When they arrived at the Wudaoying Hutong{五道营胡同: A 'hutong' is a narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, especially Beijing. This particular hutong mentioned here is a pretty popular tourist attraction.}, he let Yun Duo walk in front of him to help him hide his face.
Yun Duo huffily turned her head to look at him. "You bully!" She was more than 20 cm shorter than him — it was impossible for her to hide his face!
Tang Yi-Bai laughed and ruffled her hair, and then he pulled her by the hand and ran into the courtyard of one of the buildings with green tiles and white walls.
The building was actually a restaurant specialising in vegetarian food. Before Tang Yi-Bai left, Wu Yong had reminded him not to eat any meat outside. He was the focus of national attention right now, so as his coach, Wu Yong was being extra cautious, taking no chances whatsoever. Thus, Tang Yi-Bai had chosen this restaurant after some discussion with Yun Duo.
The environment of the restaurant was very elegant. It was surrounded by water, and there was plenty of shade from trees. There was even artificial mist being produced, so when one first walked into the restaurant from the raucous outside world, there was an instant sense of awe and astonishment.
The rays of the setting sun shone into the restaurant, casting a golden net of light through the lush trees. This light highlighted the mist, lending it a quiet air of mystery. The atmosphere was like a fantasy.
Yun Duo's jaw dropped. She mumbled, "So pretty! Eating in a place like this, it's completely acceptable even if there's no meat!"
Tang Yi-Bai smiled and said, "So sorry you can't have any meat today. I'll make it up to you next time."
Yun Duo waved magnanimously. "It's fine, it's fine. I like this place."
"As long as you like it."
As soon as Tang Yi-Bai stepped in through the door, the waitress welcoming them recognised him. However, the service staff here were all very professional. Even though she recognised him, she did not make a fuss or harrass him, very considerately leading them to a quiet corner where they would not be seen by many others.
A while later, the waitress came over again to say that the restaurant manager had agreed to let them use a private room when he found out that Tang Yi-Bai was here. Private rooms were typically only available upon reservation, but someone just so happened to cancel their reservation today, and so Tang Yi-Bai and Yun Duo were offered the private room.
Yun Duo could not help but sigh. Life's great as a celebrity!
After they had moved to the private room, they no longer had to worry about being recognised and disturbed. Tang Yi-Bai handed the menu to Yun Duo for her to order first. Yun Duo ordered two dishes, and then Tang Yi-Bai took over and ordered another additional six dishes, followed by some desserts and drinks. Yun Duo was a little worried. "Won't we be unable to finish all that? Don't waste."
"Don't worry. It won't go to waste."
Very soon, Yun Duo understood what he meant by "it won't go to waste". He was being very honest and practical, because the size of the dishes were really... so ridiculously small!
But the food was really delicious.
Tang Yi-Bai observed Yun Duo as he ate, his eyes brimming with a smile. Yun Duo was a little embarrassed under his steady gaze. She touched her face and asked, "Is there something on my face?"
"No." He shook his head.
"Then why are you looking at me?"
He smiled. "My appetite is better when I look at you. You look so delectable."
This fellow was such a sweet-talker! Yun Duo was a little embarrassed. She looked down as she gently stirred her bowl of soup before her. "You look just as delectable, you know!"
"Then why don't you look at me?"
Yun Duo looked up at him and her eyes met his smouldering passionate gaze. Her heart pounded. In the end, Yun Duo's gaze drifted aside as she said helplessly, "Tang Yi-Bai, have you already upgraded your flirting skills to the max?"
"I don't know. I've only ever used them on you."
Yun Duo rested her chin on her hand, joy spreading quietly in her heart. Good, Tang Yi-Bai had never liked anyone else before.
She hadn't either! They were like two sheets of white paper when it came to relationships, no scribbles or markings from the past sticking to them. This way, they could avoid a lot of discomfort and internal conflicts.
It's great that their feelings were as pure as it could be, the simplest form of romance.
Her heart felt like it was coated in a layer of sugar, sweet and ready to melt. Still propping up her chin, Yun Duo looked at Tang Yi-Bai, and she could not help but break out in a silly grin every so often.
Under her gaze, Tang Yi-Bai's heart was beating fast, erratic. Really now, having such a cute girlfriend, how was he to control himself? He shifted his chair to move closer to her.
His gaze was intent, first meeting her eyes then travelling downwards to her lips.
Yun Duo quickly ducked her head to drink her soup to conceal her nerves.
And so Tang Yi-Bai did not take any further action.
After all, the meat was already in his bowl — they had many more days before them. ^_^
After dinner, Tang Yi-Bai wanted to take a walk with Yun Duo, but Yun Duo glanced at her watch and fretted, "Don't you usually have training at night as well?"
"It's fine. Coach Wu said that I could take a break for tonight."
Speaking of Coach Wu, Tang Yi-Bai was a little concerned. After all, the one they had offended was Matron Yuan, whose existence was lke that of a T-Rex. He took out his phone and saw a text message Coach Wu had sent to him.
Coach Wu: When will you be back?! Matron Yuan has already found out. She's after my blood now! You come back and turn yourself in!
Tang Yi-Bai looked at Yun Duo sitting beside him. The two of them only just got together today. How could he bear to separate from her so soon? Thus, he shamelessly replied Coach Wu: I'll be back tomorrow morning.
It did not take long for Coach Wu to respond with a voice message: "Scum! Traitor!!!"
Yun Duo was startled when she heard the message. "What did you do?"
Tang Yi-Bai was not going to tell the truth, of course. He walked around the Wudaoying Hutong with Yun Duo. The hutong was rather like Nanluoguxiang{南锣鼓巷: A narrow alley that gives its name to an old part of the Beijing city centre.} but it wasn't as crowded as Nanluoguxiang. The streets of the hutong were narrow, lined with shops on both sides, and there were also plenty of bars. Fortunately, it was already night so Tang Yi-Bai's face was not so conspicuous under the inconsistent lighting. Occasionally, someone might stop them to ask him whether he was Tang Yi-Bai, but he would always reply with a straight face, "No, you've got the wrong person."
Yun Duo really admired his composure, able to lie with nary a blink.
Tang Yi-Bai walked a little behind Yun Duo, his arm resting on her shoulder. He secretly brought out the rose and then circled his arm fully around her to present the flower before her eyes.
"Oh!" Yun Duo cried out in surprise at the sudden appearance of the rose.
The rose was elegant in form and vivid in colour, and it was exuding a rich fragrance. Yun Duo accepted the rose and took a deep whiff with her eyes closed.
Tang Yi-Bai took the opportunity to come even closer to her, his chest practically pressing against her back. His long arms reached out to circle around her from behind and he pulled her fully into his embrace. Yun Duo was still entranced with her rose. When she opened her eyes again, she found that was already trapped in his arms. They were too close now, so close that she could feel his breath against the cradle of her neck.
It was warm and ticklish.
"Cough..." Don't be like that! There's so many people around!
He bent his head to whisper by her ear, "Do you like this?" As he spoke, whether intentionally or unintentionally, his lips brushed lightly against the cuff of her ear.
Yun Duo flushed and said a little wearily, "Tang Yi-Bai."
"Hm?"
"Does your family know you're so good at romance?"
Tang Yi-Bai felt a little bummed out. Isn't the correct answer at this time "I like it"? Why did she have to spoil such a good moment? So unromantic! He rubbed her head. "You think I'm good at romance?"
"Yes!" Yun Duo nodded emphatically. "Not just 'good at', you have profound insight in it." She had only been with him for a couple of hours and she was already so dazed that she no longer knew which way was up.
Tang Yi-Bai suddenly turned her body around to face her. With his hands on her shoulders, he looked solemnly at her. "Yun Duo."
"Yes? What's wrong?" She was a little taken aback by the sudden change in his expression.
He pressed his lips together then said, "You're really the only one."
"What?"
Tang Yi-Bai sighed. He raised a hand and gently caressed her face. "In the past, there was only swimming in my world. I have never considered being in a relationship. If I didn't like you so much that I could not control myself, I wouldn't have chosen to confess."
This plain but moving admission made her heart tremble.
"In short, you are my first love," concluded Tang Yi-Bai.
Yun Duo's lips moved but the words lodged in her throat and could not come out. In the end, she lowered her eyes and said softly, "I know."
Tang Yi-Bai smiled then and took her hand and continued walking. Yun Duo held the rose in the other hand and she turned to look at his face under the night lights. She suddenly said, "Tang Yi-Bai, why don't you ask me?"
"Ask you what?"
"Ask me whether you're my first love."
Tang Yi-Bai stopped walking. His head dipped to look at her and he smiled helplessly. "I'm afraid."
Afraid to ask. Such a beautiful girl with such a lovely personality, who knows how many suitors had lined up to pursue her back during high school up till university? How could he dare hope that her relationship history was pure and flawless? Although he knew that reality was likely as he feared, he did not dare to find out for sure, because every time the thought that Yun Duo might have held some other man's hand or kissed them crossed his mind, he would be tormented by the emotion called 'jealousy'. His heart ached from soaking in vinegar but he could do nothing about it.
So he did not dare ask.
Hearing his reply, Yun Duo inexplicably felt like laughing. She tapped him softly on the forehead with her rose. "Stupid!"
Previous: Chapter 56
Next: Chapter 58
Back to Index
Tang Yi-Bai noticed her bowing her head in silence and his heart skipped a beat. He asked quietly, "Yun Duo, you don't like me?"
"Huh?" Yun Duo raised her head in surprise to see his nervous expression. Her heart warmed — she knew this was a sign that he cared. Wasn't it the same for her?
The person you liked liking you in return... there was nothing better than this.
At the thought, she felt lighter and she shook her head and said, "No such thing."
Tang Yi-Bai relaxed. "That's good. I like you too."
Such a direct confession made her blush. She quickly turned away with a soft sound of agreement.
Tang Yi-Bai really liked seeing Yun Duo shy and embarrassed. She looked as soft as water, the rosy colour on her cheeks like red apples hanging high on the branches of trees during the early frost of autumn. Even the rounded lobes of her ears would turn red, making him feel like squeezing them between his fingers, or perhaps bending down to nose them or kiss them.
Well, they were currently out in public so he couldn't do that.
Tang Yi-Bai hailed a taxi. The driver recognised him and excitedly asked for an autograph for his daughter, and that was when Tang Yi-Bai realised that he had forgotten to put on a face mask and sunglasses. When they arrived at the Wudaoying Hutong{五道营胡同: A 'hutong' is a narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, especially Beijing. This particular hutong mentioned here is a pretty popular tourist attraction.}, he let Yun Duo walk in front of him to help him hide his face.
Yun Duo huffily turned her head to look at him. "You bully!" She was more than 20 cm shorter than him — it was impossible for her to hide his face!
Tang Yi-Bai laughed and ruffled her hair, and then he pulled her by the hand and ran into the courtyard of one of the buildings with green tiles and white walls.
The building was actually a restaurant specialising in vegetarian food. Before Tang Yi-Bai left, Wu Yong had reminded him not to eat any meat outside. He was the focus of national attention right now, so as his coach, Wu Yong was being extra cautious, taking no chances whatsoever. Thus, Tang Yi-Bai had chosen this restaurant after some discussion with Yun Duo.
The environment of the restaurant was very elegant. It was surrounded by water, and there was plenty of shade from trees. There was even artificial mist being produced, so when one first walked into the restaurant from the raucous outside world, there was an instant sense of awe and astonishment.
The rays of the setting sun shone into the restaurant, casting a golden net of light through the lush trees. This light highlighted the mist, lending it a quiet air of mystery. The atmosphere was like a fantasy.
Yun Duo's jaw dropped. She mumbled, "So pretty! Eating in a place like this, it's completely acceptable even if there's no meat!"
Tang Yi-Bai smiled and said, "So sorry you can't have any meat today. I'll make it up to you next time."
Yun Duo waved magnanimously. "It's fine, it's fine. I like this place."
"As long as you like it."
As soon as Tang Yi-Bai stepped in through the door, the waitress welcoming them recognised him. However, the service staff here were all very professional. Even though she recognised him, she did not make a fuss or harrass him, very considerately leading them to a quiet corner where they would not be seen by many others.
A while later, the waitress came over again to say that the restaurant manager had agreed to let them use a private room when he found out that Tang Yi-Bai was here. Private rooms were typically only available upon reservation, but someone just so happened to cancel their reservation today, and so Tang Yi-Bai and Yun Duo were offered the private room.
Yun Duo could not help but sigh. Life's great as a celebrity!
After they had moved to the private room, they no longer had to worry about being recognised and disturbed. Tang Yi-Bai handed the menu to Yun Duo for her to order first. Yun Duo ordered two dishes, and then Tang Yi-Bai took over and ordered another additional six dishes, followed by some desserts and drinks. Yun Duo was a little worried. "Won't we be unable to finish all that? Don't waste."
"Don't worry. It won't go to waste."
Very soon, Yun Duo understood what he meant by "it won't go to waste". He was being very honest and practical, because the size of the dishes were really... so ridiculously small!
But the food was really delicious.
Tang Yi-Bai observed Yun Duo as he ate, his eyes brimming with a smile. Yun Duo was a little embarrassed under his steady gaze. She touched her face and asked, "Is there something on my face?"
"No." He shook his head.
"Then why are you looking at me?"
He smiled. "My appetite is better when I look at you. You look so delectable."
This fellow was such a sweet-talker! Yun Duo was a little embarrassed. She looked down as she gently stirred her bowl of soup before her. "You look just as delectable, you know!"
"Then why don't you look at me?"
Yun Duo looked up at him and her eyes met his smouldering passionate gaze. Her heart pounded. In the end, Yun Duo's gaze drifted aside as she said helplessly, "Tang Yi-Bai, have you already upgraded your flirting skills to the max?"
"I don't know. I've only ever used them on you."
Yun Duo rested her chin on her hand, joy spreading quietly in her heart. Good, Tang Yi-Bai had never liked anyone else before.
She hadn't either! They were like two sheets of white paper when it came to relationships, no scribbles or markings from the past sticking to them. This way, they could avoid a lot of discomfort and internal conflicts.
It's great that their feelings were as pure as it could be, the simplest form of romance.
Her heart felt like it was coated in a layer of sugar, sweet and ready to melt. Still propping up her chin, Yun Duo looked at Tang Yi-Bai, and she could not help but break out in a silly grin every so often.
Under her gaze, Tang Yi-Bai's heart was beating fast, erratic. Really now, having such a cute girlfriend, how was he to control himself? He shifted his chair to move closer to her.
His gaze was intent, first meeting her eyes then travelling downwards to her lips.
Yun Duo quickly ducked her head to drink her soup to conceal her nerves.
And so Tang Yi-Bai did not take any further action.
After all, the meat was already in his bowl — they had many more days before them. ^_^
After dinner, Tang Yi-Bai wanted to take a walk with Yun Duo, but Yun Duo glanced at her watch and fretted, "Don't you usually have training at night as well?"
"It's fine. Coach Wu said that I could take a break for tonight."
Speaking of Coach Wu, Tang Yi-Bai was a little concerned. After all, the one they had offended was Matron Yuan, whose existence was lke that of a T-Rex. He took out his phone and saw a text message Coach Wu had sent to him.
Coach Wu: When will you be back?! Matron Yuan has already found out. She's after my blood now! You come back and turn yourself in!
Tang Yi-Bai looked at Yun Duo sitting beside him. The two of them only just got together today. How could he bear to separate from her so soon? Thus, he shamelessly replied Coach Wu: I'll be back tomorrow morning.
It did not take long for Coach Wu to respond with a voice message: "Scum! Traitor!!!"
Yun Duo was startled when she heard the message. "What did you do?"
Tang Yi-Bai was not going to tell the truth, of course. He walked around the Wudaoying Hutong with Yun Duo. The hutong was rather like Nanluoguxiang{南锣鼓巷: A narrow alley that gives its name to an old part of the Beijing city centre.} but it wasn't as crowded as Nanluoguxiang. The streets of the hutong were narrow, lined with shops on both sides, and there were also plenty of bars. Fortunately, it was already night so Tang Yi-Bai's face was not so conspicuous under the inconsistent lighting. Occasionally, someone might stop them to ask him whether he was Tang Yi-Bai, but he would always reply with a straight face, "No, you've got the wrong person."
Yun Duo really admired his composure, able to lie with nary a blink.
Tang Yi-Bai walked a little behind Yun Duo, his arm resting on her shoulder. He secretly brought out the rose and then circled his arm fully around her to present the flower before her eyes.
"Oh!" Yun Duo cried out in surprise at the sudden appearance of the rose.
The rose was elegant in form and vivid in colour, and it was exuding a rich fragrance. Yun Duo accepted the rose and took a deep whiff with her eyes closed.
Tang Yi-Bai took the opportunity to come even closer to her, his chest practically pressing against her back. His long arms reached out to circle around her from behind and he pulled her fully into his embrace. Yun Duo was still entranced with her rose. When she opened her eyes again, she found that was already trapped in his arms. They were too close now, so close that she could feel his breath against the cradle of her neck.
It was warm and ticklish.
"Cough..." Don't be like that! There's so many people around!
He bent his head to whisper by her ear, "Do you like this?" As he spoke, whether intentionally or unintentionally, his lips brushed lightly against the cuff of her ear.
Yun Duo flushed and said a little wearily, "Tang Yi-Bai."
"Hm?"
"Does your family know you're so good at romance?"
Tang Yi-Bai felt a little bummed out. Isn't the correct answer at this time "I like it"? Why did she have to spoil such a good moment? So unromantic! He rubbed her head. "You think I'm good at romance?"
"Yes!" Yun Duo nodded emphatically. "Not just 'good at', you have profound insight in it." She had only been with him for a couple of hours and she was already so dazed that she no longer knew which way was up.
Tang Yi-Bai suddenly turned her body around to face her. With his hands on her shoulders, he looked solemnly at her. "Yun Duo."
"Yes? What's wrong?" She was a little taken aback by the sudden change in his expression.
He pressed his lips together then said, "You're really the only one."
"What?"
Tang Yi-Bai sighed. He raised a hand and gently caressed her face. "In the past, there was only swimming in my world. I have never considered being in a relationship. If I didn't like you so much that I could not control myself, I wouldn't have chosen to confess."
This plain but moving admission made her heart tremble.
"In short, you are my first love," concluded Tang Yi-Bai.
Yun Duo's lips moved but the words lodged in her throat and could not come out. In the end, she lowered her eyes and said softly, "I know."
Tang Yi-Bai smiled then and took her hand and continued walking. Yun Duo held the rose in the other hand and she turned to look at his face under the night lights. She suddenly said, "Tang Yi-Bai, why don't you ask me?"
"Ask you what?"
"Ask me whether you're my first love."
Tang Yi-Bai stopped walking. His head dipped to look at her and he smiled helplessly. "I'm afraid."
Afraid to ask. Such a beautiful girl with such a lovely personality, who knows how many suitors had lined up to pursue her back during high school up till university? How could he dare hope that her relationship history was pure and flawless? Although he knew that reality was likely as he feared, he did not dare to find out for sure, because every time the thought that Yun Duo might have held some other man's hand or kissed them crossed his mind, he would be tormented by the emotion called 'jealousy'. His heart ached from soaking in vinegar but he could do nothing about it.
So he did not dare ask.
Hearing his reply, Yun Duo inexplicably felt like laughing. She tapped him softly on the forehead with her rose. "Stupid!"
Previous: Chapter 56
Next: Chapter 58
Back to Index
Thank so muuch
ReplyDeleteI want a Tang Yi Bai 😭
Tthiss is so sweet but I can't help having a premonition that something bad is happening soon. This Linzi is fishy. The picture he showed had a shilouette of TYB's head.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if LZ's sister was rejected by him and then tried to suicide.
It's a poor girl, but love can't be forced upon someone.
How unfortunate if LZ is taking revenge and ruin his future
Yess!! Linzi is so fishy because he wants revenge
Delete