Chapter 196: Chapter 188: Cousin 1
"Yeah, Meng Meng and I are going to eat some sweets, so we’re busy."
"What? Could it be... Brother Shunyuan wants to join us?"
Yin Meng squinted her eyes, blinking as she asked.
Su Xiaomeng listened to Yin Meng’s tone, and it seemed as if Bai Shunyuan nodded, she’d surely drag him along without hesitation, causing her heart to tremble.
She didn’t know why, but she was scared of Bai Shunyuan to this extent.
Bai Shunyuan glanced at Yin Meng, feeling uncomfortable with her calling him "Brother Shunyuan."
"Why would a big guy like him eat sweets? Just hearing it sounds girly."
Su Xiaomeng said deliberately.
But before Bai Shunyuan could refute, Yin Meng blinked and said, "Xiao Meng, I didn’t know eating sweets makes a guy girly. You just don’t want to take Brother Shunyuan with you, right?"
Su Xiaomeng widened her eyes, looking at Yin Meng, thinking this girl must’ve taken something wrong today. Hasn’t she had enough fun?
Yin Meng held back her laughter, having a belly full of mischief.
"I don’t eat."
Bai Shunyuan said coldly.
Su Xiaomeng was slightly relieved hearing this, but before she could fully relax, Bai Shunyuan’s next sentence startled her.
"You shouldn’t go eat either."
Su Xiaomeng was stunned, unable to refute before Bai Shunyuan grabbed her.
"I have something to discuss with Xiao Meng; if you want to eat sweets, go yourself."
Bai Shunyuan said to Yin Meng and then dragged Su Xiaomeng away.
Yin Meng blinked, chuckling, "No wonder Su Xiaomeng dislikes Bai Shunyuan; he’s just a bit too domineering."
Such a personality is suited for idol dramas, admired and obsessed by screenwriters and ignorant young girls under sixteen.
If placed in reality, it’s definitely a sign of low emotional intelligence and excessive self-centeredness, a flaw, which can be considered a character defect if severe.
Yin Meng wasn’t bothered by their cousin-to-cousin bonding, so she opened WeChat and sent a message to her uncle:
My cousin stole my little aunt... so pitiful...
Yin Meng sent a voice message, sounding pathetic.
Yin Shixiu listened, silent for a moment before replying with a few words:
You can try to steal her back.
—Haha, Uncle, wouldn’t that be bad?
—Does Bai Shunyuan know Xiao Meng is his cousin?
Yin Shixiu typed this with some hesitation. He’s a sensitive person, and Yin Meng is particularly perceptive.
—He definitely knows, otherwise why suddenly get so close to Xiao Meng? As far as I know, Bai Shunyuan doesn’t even get this close with his girlfriend.
Yin Meng said matter-of-factly, not realizing the subtle ambiguity in her uncle’s words.
But she didn’t know, far away in London, Yin Shixiu’s eyes darkened upon seeing Yin Meng’s message...
After returning home, the first thing he needed to verify was Bai Shunyuan.
—Alright, Uncle, I won’t chat with you much more. You must remember to bring Xiao Meng Christmas gifts; she’s eagerly waiting.
—Alright.
Yin Meng ended the chat with Yin Shixiu, then walked alone to the dessert shop at school.
After Bai Shunyuan dragged Su Xiaomeng out of the activities center, she felt quite unsettled.
"Bai Shunyuan! You’d better have something huge to discuss with me, or else..."
"Can you not shout? The way you avoid me, if I hadn’t forcibly dragged you, would you walk with me?"
Bai Shunyuan glared at her before releasing her wrist.
He continued forward, Su Xiaomeng rubbed her wrist, hesitating whether to follow—
"See, once I let go, you start scheming."
Bai Shunyuan didn’t even turn around, just spoke lightly, facing against her.
Su Xiaomeng scratched her head, provoked by his words and followed, "Who says that? Besides, someone as simple-minded as me wouldn’t have schemes to use, if anyone would scheme, it might be you!"
Bai Shunyuan stuffed his hands in his coat pockets, glanced at Su Xiaomeng sideways, "Schemes... even if I had them, they wouldn’t be directed at a married woman like you."
Listening to him hum, Su Xiaomeng suddenly laughed, "Bai Shunyuan, sometimes you’re really childish."
"Your tone, actions, all quite juvenile, oh, and your thick eyebrows, from afar you kinda look like Shin-chan!"
"Stop laughing so much."
Bai Shunyuan’s tone suddenly turned cold, his words stiff.
"You’re controlling whether I laugh or cry?"
Su Xiaomeng frowned, "Seriously, within three sentences with you, I can’t seem to get to the point. What exactly did you pull me out for?"
Bai Shunyuan glanced at her, speaking softly, "Did you forget? I said I particularly like those who laugh often, I just want to see how they look when crying!"
With this reminder, Su Xiaomeng remembered him saying such... baffling words before.
Considering it, Su Xiaomeng chose to stop arguing pointlessly with him.
Outside, it was chilly, the wind against Su Xiaomeng’s face, stinging painfully.
She shrank her neck.
Bai Shunyuan saw her move, took a shallow breath, removed his scarf and handed it to her, "Wrap it."
Su Xiaomeng shook her head, "No need, thank you."
Bai Shunyuan stopped in his tracks, and Su Xiaomeng blinked at him...
"You say I’m domineering, but I found that if I’m not a bit forceful and ask for your opinion gently, the response I get always leaves me quite unhappy."
As he spoke, Bai Shunyuan took two steps forward and fiercely wrapped the scarf around her neck several times!
For a moment, Su Xiaomeng almost thought Bai Shunyuan intended to strangle her.
After wrapping the scarf around her, he continued walking forward...
Su Xiaomeng looked at the scarf around her neck, feeling a bit awkward, but didn’t try to undo it. Instead, she caught up with Bai Shunyuan, speaking kindly, "You say the response you get always makes you unhappy, but don’t you think that being domineering makes others unhappy?"
"If, according to you, you’re just concerned about whether you feel good, then why do you need a response at all..."
"This is just how I am! Do you have any objections?"
Bai Shunyuan was very annoyed by her nagging and said with displeasure.
Su Xiaomeng rolled her eyes, fine, she didn’t say anything.
Bai Shunyuan took her to Wutong Avenue and into a small forest.
Su Xiaomeng knew that the small forest, with few people, was Bai Shunyuan’s "territory"...
"Why did you bring me here?"
"You talk so much, you look pretty smart, so try to guess."
"Do you have to speak in such a sarcastic tone? Can’t you talk without being ironic?"
Su Xiaomeng took a deep breath, unable to understand how Bai Shunyuan’s character was formed.
The qualities that Uncle talks about are truly just Aunt’s privilege...
"Tomorrow is Christmas..."
Bai Shunyuan suddenly said.
"That’s obvious." Su Xiaomeng shrugged.
"As classmates, I’ll give you a Christmas gift."
"Whoops!"
Bai Shunyuan had just finished speaking when Su Xiaomeng nearly tripped over a tree root.
Bai Shunyuan’s heart skipped a beat, seeing that she didn’t fall and stood firmly, he immediately scolded, "Can’t you even walk properly?!"
"Why are you yelling? If I fall, it’s me who falls!"
"If you fall, am I just fine? I brought you out, if you get hurt, don’t I have to be responsible?"
"Who told you to say such strange things!"
"...What strange things?"
"What do you mean by giving me a Christmas gift? You give me a Christmas gift for no reason, it makes me really scared!"
Su Xiaomeng spoke frankly without holding back.
He dragged her out here forcefully, only to give her a birthday present.
Bai Shunyuan stood in front of her, looking at her seriously, "It’s not for no reason..."
Su Xiaomeng raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
Bai Shunyuan licked his lips...
"No way? Blushing?"
Seeing his fair skin flushed with a hint of pink, Su Xiaomeng couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
"Ahem, don’t overthink it, giving you a Christmas present is a way to apologize, didn’t I do some things before that made you hold a grudge?"
"Stop." Su Xiaomeng raised her hand to stop him in front of her eyes, "Bai Shunyuan, you can’t just lightly skip over this, you did some things... what things? Make me hold a grudge? I’m not that petty to hold grudges over things that happened so long ago..."
Bai Shunyuan saw her smug expression, clearly pretending to be modest after gaining an advantage.
"Okay, then I’ll be frank, the first time we met, I threatened you without distinguishing right from wrong, then kept bullying you, later dragged you to a KTV to sing, causing your mother-in-law to scold you..."
Su Xiaomeng crossed her arms, leisurely looking at Bai Shunyuan.
The winter sunlight around three o’clock shone through the layers of sycamore branches and fell on Bai Shunyuan’s handsome face.
At this moment, Bai Shunyuan seemed to overlap a little with the charm Uncle exuded, making people... feel a bit comfortable.
"All these things, I apologize."
Bai Shunyuan said lightly, perhaps one of the few times in his life he proactively apologized.
He asked himself why he wanted to apologize to Su Xiaomeng?
Of course, it was his fault, that was undeniable, but he wasn’t someone who would apologize first just because he was wrong...
He thought for several days and came to a conclusion.
Maybe... that’s how people are, when someone makes them feel a bit fond, they always hope she has a better impression of them.
Even someone like Bai Shunyuan, who normally doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion and follows a "supreme self" ideology, would still care about the opinions of a select few.
"...Really?"
Su Xiaomeng raised an eyebrow and asked, her red lips slightly curled into a smile.
"Really."
Bai Shunyuan gave her an affirmative answer without hesitation.
Then he reached out his hand to Su Xiaomeng, saying, "Let’s get to know each other again. My name is Bai Shunyuan, and I’m twenty-two years old."
Su Xiaomeng looked at the hand stretched out in front of her, slowly started to smile, and raised her hand to pat his, "Why so formal, it makes me embarrassed!"
"Though I know you’re apologizing mainly for Grandpa’s sake. Otherwise, I think with your domineering personality, why would you specifically come to apologize to me?"