29: Chapter 29 Peach Blossom Grove Qiao You

When Su Bai arrived home, the living room was very quiet.

The light in the entryway was on, and a few pairs of shoes were neatly arranged on the shoe rack.

He changed into slippers and walked inside, only to see Lin Qiaoyou sitting on the living room sofa.

She was wearing a loose grey hoodie with a wide neckline that revealed a patch of fair skin.

On her lower half, she wore black casual pants, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with bare feet, pressing out a plump curve.

A drawing board lay on her lap, and with a pencil in hand, she was drawing something intently.

The main light in the living room wasn't on; only a floor lamp was lit, enveloping her in a warm yellow glow that made her profile look exceptionally soft.

Su Bai was taken aback for a moment.

Normally at this hour, shouldn't Lin Qiaoyou be staying in her own room?

She was a textbook shut-in who barely ever stepped out of her room except to eat.

"Sister Qiaoyou?" he called out.

Lin Qiaoyou looked up, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes when she saw him.

She instinctively pulled the drawing board closer to her chest, covering up what was on it.

"Y-You're back," she said in a tiny voice.

"Yeah." Su Bai put down his backpack and couldn't help but ask curiously,

"Where are the others?"

"None of them are back yet."

Lin Qiaoyou lowered her head and continued drawing, but her movements were clearly less natural than before.

"Luo Ying and Song Qian are doing self-study at school, and Chu Yi and Chu Xiang are at the library too, saying they need to cram for finals."

Su Bai nodded, walked over to the sofa, and sat down.

He glanced at Lin Qiaoyou's drawing board. He could only see a portion of it, but she seemed to be drawing figures; the lines were very smooth, and her skills were quite good.

"Why didn't you go to self-study?" he asked curiously.

Lin Qiaoyou's hand paused.

"I don't need to," she said calmly.

"What do you mean?"

"There's no need."

She kept her head down, her pencil moving gently across the paper.

"I understand the school courses after looking at them once."

Su Bai was slightly surprised.

Oh? A genius girl?

Lin Qiaoyou didn't look up, but the tips of her ears flushed slightly.

She understood after looking once.

If someone else had said this, he might have thought they were bragging.

But when Lin Qiaoyou said it, her tone was flat, without the slightest hint of showing off.

She genuinely felt it was no big deal.

"So Sister Qiaoyou is actually a genius straight-A student," Su Bai said with a smile.

Lin Qiaoyou finally looked up and glanced at him.

There was no smugness or pride in her eyes, only a faint confusion.

"I... I guess so." After saying that, she lowered her head again to continue drawing.

Su Bai didn't say anything more and sat down on the single sofa nearby, holding his cup.

He checked the time; it was 7:30.

He figured Luo Ying and the others wouldn't be back anytime soon.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

"Not hungry," Lin Qiaoyou said without looking up.

Yet, her stomach chose that exact, inopportune moment to growl.

Her face instantly became burning hot.

Su Bai smiled.

"How about we go out to eat?" he suggested.

"I know a pretty good restaurant nearby."

Lin Qiaoyou froze.

"Go out?"

"Yeah."

She clearly hesitated.

Su Bai recalled Luo Ying mentioning that Lin Qiaoyou was a shut-in who avoided going out whenever possible, relying entirely on online shopping.

For someone with social anxiety, going out was a major hassle.

"Forget it," Lin Qiaoyou lowered her head. "You go ahead, I don't..."

"Sister Qiaoyou," Su Bai interrupted her.

Lin Qiaoyou looked up.

Su Bai leaned against the sofa, looking into her eyes.

"I haven't had a chance to apologize to you about what happened last time."

Lin Qiaoyou blinked, seemingly failing to register his words.

"You know, that time..." Su Bai paused, winking.

"When I first arrived and accidentally pushed the door open, seeing you..."

Lin Qiaoyou's face instantly flushed crimson!

"Alright, don't say another word!"

Su Bai tactfully shut his mouth immediately.

Ever since that day, Lin Qiaoyou had instinctively avoided him.

The two of them had also tacitly avoided bringing it up again.

But... Su Bai believed that the first step to solving a problem was facing it.

She couldn't keep hiding away whenever he was around forever.

But she was so socially anxious...

Su Bai's gaze fell upon her drawing board.

From this angle, he could see a portion of the drawing.

It featured two figures, a man and a woman, in a very intimate pose.

The man was looking down, and the woman was looking up.

They were kissing.

The man's profile had sharp lines and deep-set eyes, with a complex expression that looked like deep affection mixed with restraint, along with an indescribable hint of desire.

The tension in the image practically overflowed from the drawing board.

It was beautifully drawn!

Su Bai praised her in his heart.

Although he didn't understand art, he could tell that the lines, lighting, and details were definitely not the work of an amateur.

However...

Su Bai's eyes narrowed slightly.

The profile outline of that man...

He looked closer.

Why did it look more and more familiar the more he looked?!

Sensing his gaze, Lin Qiaoyou suddenly snapped her head up.

Their eyes met.

Before Su Bai could speak, Lin Qiaoyou swiftly grabbed a nearby canvas cover and slapped it over the drawing board with a "whoosh."

She moved as fast as a thief!

"D-Don't look!"

Her face flushed red, and her voice went up an octave.

"This is my privacy!"

Lin Qiaoyou clutched the drawing board like some precious treasure and curled up into the sofa, leaving only her eyes visible.

Her eyes were red—it was hard to tell if it was from embarrassment or anger.

Looking at her like this, Su Bai suddenly found it a bit amusing.

This girl, who usually liked to play games by herself, actually had such a lively side to her.

However, Su Bai had no intention of letting her off the hook.

He stared at her, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.

"Sister Qiaoyou, that guy in your drawing... you based him on me, didn't you?" he said meaningfully.

Lin Qiaoyou's face turned even redder.

"N-No, it's not. It just looks a tiny bit like you..."

"And the girl..." Su Bai paused. "Is that you?"

"No!" Lin Qiaoyou practically screamed. "No, no, no!"

But the more she denied it, the redder her face became.

It flushed all the way down to her neck, and her earlobes looked ready to bleed.

Su Bai didn't press her any further.

He just leaned back on the sofa, looking at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Lin Qiaoyou felt completely uncomfortable under his gaze. Clutching her drawing board, she stood up and walked toward her room.

After taking a couple of steps, she stopped.

Without turning around, she said in a muffled voice, "Um... dinner, right..."

"Hmm?"

"I'll go with you. Let me change my clothes first." With that, she hurried into her room and slammed the door shut.

After the door closed, Su Bai heard rustling sounds from inside, like she was rummaging through her wardrobe for clothes.

He leaned back on the sofa, sipping his water as he waited.

Ten minutes later, the door opened.

When Lin Qiaoyou walked out, Su Bai was stunned for a moment.

She had changed out of her loose grey hoodie and put on a black turtleneck knit sweater.

The sweater was very form-fitting, outlining the curves of her body.

Her upper body was quite plump, yet her waist was so slender it looked like it could be held in one hand.

Overall, she had proportions that looked like they only existed in Korean manhwas.

A pear-shaped figure.

The term popped into Su Bai's mind.

Standing at the door, Lin Qiaoyou felt a bit self-conscious under his gaze. She lowered her head, nervously tugged at her hemline, and didn't dare to look at him.

She whispered,

"Is this... okay?"

Su Bai withdrew his gaze and nodded in satisfaction.

"It's fine, more than fine!"