bookbashuk Page 175
Page 175
"This is a gift for you, you absolutely can't refuse it." Ram took out the mysterious bag from behind and stuffed it into Xia Yan's arms, then quickly tossed it back into Xia Yan's arms like a hot potato.
"What is this? I can't accept something too valuable." Xia Yan was about to open the bag to see what was inside when he saw a black gift box. Then, his view was blocked by Ram's hands.
"Go back and look at it again," Ram said, covering the opening of the bag with her hand to prevent Xia Yan from looking at it again. Then she pouted and said to Xia Yan in a slightly coquettish voice.
"I was rash. Okay, I'll go back and look at it again." Because of Ram's obstruction, Xia Yan temporarily suppressed his curiosity about the gift, put it aside, and then cut a medium-rare steak and put it in his mouth.
"tasty!".
Chapter 103 Returning the Gift
In Xia Yan's opinion, this dinner party was a bit too formal, lacking the relaxed feeling of a date with friends. He felt inexplicably awkward at the dinner party with Ram.
He usually gets along with Ram in the same way he does with his friends, and it's never awkward. In fact, it's even more comfortable than when he's with Chika. But for some reason, this time, Xia Yan's time alone with Ram was a bit of a failure.
"Looks like we can't finish eating. Should I call Qianhua over and help us solve this problem?" For some reason, Xia Yan suddenly thought of Qianhua. It felt a bit strange not having her at this dinner party.
Normally, he spends most of his time with Chika, but now Chika isn't at the table. When Ram heard Xia Yan say this, the spaghetti he was about to pick up froze in mid-air, and the spaghetti twisted slightly.
As the pasta twisted and turned, the air seemed to freeze along with it. Xia Yan realized he had said something he shouldn't have. "Never mind, it's too much of a mess to make Qian Hua clean it up."
Xia Yan knew that this was probably originally an agreement between the two of them, and with an extra person, the other party would definitely be unhappy. As the host who was treating, he was also a little annoyed by this situation.
"Thank you for the gift today. I'll arrange it another day, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied." After Xia Yan and Ram finished their meal, Xia Yan picked up the gift and was about to leave when he looked at Ram.
Ram realized that Natsuhiko's words seemed to imply a desire to invite her over, so she put aside the unpleasantness she had just experienced because Natsuhiko wanted to call Fujiwara Chika over.
"Don't mention it. I'm thanking you today. I'm so glad you're here," Ram said, raising her glass of red wine to Xia Yan and inviting him to clink glasses.
After clinking glasses with Ram, Xia Yan slowly sipped the delicious red wine. It wasn't that Xia Yan didn't want to finish it quickly, but the red wine was just too tempting to drink quickly.
After finishing the last bit of red wine, Xia Yan mentioned Ram's gift. "Are you happy today?" Ram asked Xia Yan as they walked to the door. "Yes, I'm happy. The setting for this dinner was absolutely amazing. I must say, Ram, you have excellent taste."
Xia Yan looked around, surveying the shop's environment, then gave Ram a thumbs-up. Ram stopped, seemingly a little disappointed. "Is this all you like?"
For a moment, Xia Yan didn't know what Ram meant. He stopped with Ram and looked at Ram with a surprised expression. "Well, never mind, I'll have another chance in the future, right?" Ram suddenly raised her head and looked at Xia Yan firmly.
These girls' emotions are hard to fathom, whether it's Fujiwara Chika or Ram, it's all the same; you never know what they're thinking. What opportunity? What opportunity can I give Ram?
Xia Yan didn't know what the opportunity Ram meant, and his expression became even more confused. "Don't take it to heart. You said it yourself, you'll treat me another day." Before they knew it, they had arrived at Ram's door.
"It was probably around three or four o'clock when we finished eating," Ram said as she walked towards her door, pointing at Xia Yan with her finger to remind him of their promise.
Xia Yan smiled and nodded at Ram, indicating that he would definitely keep his promise.
Chapter 104 Meeting Chika
"Eh? Xia Yan?" Xia Yan, who had just taken Ram home, was heading home when someone called him from behind. The voice sounded familiar. Could it be Fujiwara Chika?
Xia Yan hadn't expected to run into Fujiwara Chika here. He turned his body completely around and saw the person behind him calling his name. "Chika? What are you doing here?" Xia Yan's tone was somewhat excited.
He had just been thinking of calling Qianhua to come over and have dinner with them, but he didn't expect to see Qianhua right after the meal ended, which surprised Xia Yan.
"I didn't expect it to really be you, Xia Yan. What are you doing here?" Fujiwara Chika tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand and then ran towards Xia Yan with small, quick steps.
"Oh, I was just having dinner with Ram. We just finished eating, and I took Ram home." Xia Yan pointed to Ram's house, indicating that he had just taken Ram home.
"Oh, is that so? Hmm? Your bag is really nice~" Fujiwara Chika didn't seem to care that Natsuhiko and Ram were eating alone. Perhaps her attention was drawn to the bag that Natsuhiko was carrying.
"This is a gift from Ram to thank me. I haven't opened it yet." Xia Yan shook the bag in his hand and raised it slightly so that Fujiwara Chika could examine it.
“Speaking of gifts, right, I haven’t given you my thank-you gift yet.” Fujiwara Chika clenched her right fist and then slammed it hard on her flat left hand, making a look of sudden realization.
"No need, why would I want a gift? I wanted to refuse, but Ram insisted, so I couldn't do anything about it," Xia Yan said, scratching the back of his head, afraid that Qian Hua in front of him would also insist on giving him a gift like Ram did.
“In that case, why don’t you give Ram a gift in return? It’s right not to refuse a girl’s gift, but we’d be even more excited to receive a gift in return from a boy,” Chika suddenly jumped in front of Natsuhiko.
Xia Yan was startled by Chika's sudden liveliness. After calming down, he realized what Chika had just said. "Giving a gift is a good idea. If I give a gift in return, it's the same as not receiving it."
After saying that, Xia Yan was about to open the bag to see what the gift was, so that she could avoid the awkwardness of giving a cheap gift when returning the favor.
“No, Xia Yan, you absolutely mustn’t buy something based on what the gifts inside are. Right now, you don’t know what kind of gifts to give Ram so that the most sincere gift is the one you give her.” Chika also made the same gesture of covering the gift as Ram in front of Xia Yan.
“~In that case, why don’t you come with me to pick out a gift? It’s still early, let’s go shopping together.” Xia Yan invited Qian Hua to go shopping. Then Xia Yan looked at Qian Hua, wanting to see if she was averse to the sudden invitation.
“Great! I’m the best at helping people choose gifts. I know Ram pretty well, so I’m happy to be able to help you.” Hearing Xia Yan say this, Fujiwara Chika seemed very happy and quickly agreed to Xia Yan’s request.
Eight
Natsuhiko and Fujiwara Chika were walking down the street when they entered a boutique. "Chika, what do you think of this? Will Ramu like it?" Natsuhiko picked up a doll and showed it to Chika, wondering if it was a suitable gift.
“Hmm, I don’t think Ram would really like this doll,” Fujiwara Chika said after a moment of thought.
Chapter 105 An Encounter with Kaguya
“I know there’s something that girls would like, and a refined girl like Ram would like it even more.” Fujiwara Chika looked around the boutique but didn’t find anything particularly unique or profound enough to repay Ram’s feelings for Natsuhiko.
Chika originally wanted to find something more girly and unique, but these days everything in boutiques is the same: a few cushions, a few bowls and plates, dolls and stuffed animals.
"That's too ordinary, it's not enough to express Xia Yan's feelings. Would you like something a little more expensive?" After Xia Yan went out with Fujiwara Chika, Fujiwara Chika asked Xia Yan what price he could accept.
"Anything is fine, no problem." Xia Yan didn't care too much about the price, just like when Nalam treated him to dinner, he didn't care too much about the price of the restaurant.
"I get it, money talks. How about we buy some lipsticks?" Fujiwara Chika suggested that the gift for Ram be lipsticks. All girls who wear makeup would love this gift. I heard that a certain store has released a new color.
Fujiwara Chika pulled Natsuhiko into a lipstick counter. "Hello, are you here with your girlfriend to buy lipstick?" The sales clerk greeted Natsuhiko and Chika as they walked in, as it's common for boyfriends to accompany their girlfriends to buy gifts.
"Oh, no, no, he's my friend," Ram quickly denied the speculation about their relationship when she heard that the shop assistant seemed to have misunderstood something.
"Oh, that's a shame. In my opinion, the two of them are a perfect match." The shop assistant stepped aside, feeling embarrassed for ordering the wrong couple.
"It's okay, people often say that," Xia Yan said, but then seemed to realize something was off. The shop assistant's gaze had become more ambiguous. Could it be because of what he had just said?
Xia Yan patted his mouth to indicate that he had misspoke. "Are there any new lipsticks recently?" Xia Yan asked the shop assistant about lipsticks, trying to avoid bringing up their relationship again.
"We recently launched several new lipstick colors at our counter, which would be perfect for your girlfriend," the sales clerk said, extending her left hand and pointing four fingers at Fujiwara Chika.
"No, no, she's not my girlfriend," Xia Yan said three times, strongly indicating that there was really nothing between him and Fujiwara Chika next to him.
"I know, female friends are also considered girlfriends," the sales clerk explained after blurting out the sentence, and then began to explain the lipstick to Jiang Yan in front of her.
"Qianhua, can you help me figure out what color suits Ram? Is this okay?" Sure enough, straight men all choose Barbie pink. Xia Yan picked up a lipstick, not just pink, but fluorescent pink.
"You, um, do you want Ram's lips to glow in the night?" Although Fujiwara Chika didn't know much about lipsticks, she could tell that the shade Natsuhiko had chosen was terrible. It was okay for stage makeup, but it wouldn't be suitable for everyday makeup.
"Chika? Natsuhiko?" Upon hearing the voice, Natsuhiko recognized Kaguya. He glanced at the distance between himself and Fujiwara Chika, noting that they were quite close. At that moment, Chika also took the initiative to increase the distance between herself and Natsuhiko.
Both of them were equally worried that Kaguya would suspect something between them.
Chapter 106 Kaguya's Reminder
"You two... um... buying lipstick? Xia Yan is buying it for Chika, right?" Kaguya walked over, looking at the two with an expression of having heard some earth-shattering gossip. Sure enough, it was just as Xia Yan had expected.
"No, this lipstick was bought for Ram by Xia Yan." Fujiwara Chika was also very embarrassed. Seeing Kaguya's expression, she knew that she had become the so-called female protagonist of gossip that Kaguya had seen.
"Ram? Xia Yan, you can even pick out lipsticks?" Kaguya put away her smug expression and instantly became serious. The speed of this change was comparable to the face-changing act in Peking Opera. The sudden change made Xia Yan feel a little uncomfortable.
Kaguya walked over to Natsuhiko and looked at the lipstick he was holding. "So, Natsuhiko, are you trying to pursue Ram?" Natsuhiko thought that giving a girl a gift was just a way to win her heart.
Moreover, it was a lipstick, a gift that directly appeals to a girl's heart, and it was a gift that the boy personally picked out in a physical store. With such thoughtfulness, Kaguya couldn't help but suspect that Natsuhiko wanted to pursue Ram.
"I don't have that idea." This time, Xia Yan didn't deny it directly, but added a subject, which made him seem more certain and his tone more firm.
"Really? I don't quite believe it." Kaguya came over from the men's perfume stand next to her, so Xia Yan knew that Kaguya was there to buy perfume. But at this moment, Kaguya picked up a lipstick from the counter and examined it closely.
Then, while pretending to be nonchalant, she questioned Xia Yan. Xia Yan was a bit confused. Xia Yan was a rather perceptive person and could sense changes in other people's emotions. At this moment, Xia Yan felt that Kaguya in front of him was a little angry.
"It's true, that's how it is, it's not what you think, I was there too." Fujiwara Chika, sandwiched between the two men, also noticed that the atmosphere between them was a bit off, seemingly because of the Ram lipstick incident.
Then Chika pulled Kaguya aside and casually stuffed a lipstick into Natsuhiko's arms, saying, "This one should suit Ram quite well," even though Kaguya had been pulled to the other side by Chika.
However, Xia Yan still felt that Kaguya's gaze was somewhat sharp, as if carving his features with a knife, making Xia Yan feel very uncomfortable as he picked up the lipstick.
Their conversation ended at this point. Although Kaguya was smiling as she walked towards Natsuhiko, Natsuhiko felt that only her mouth was smiling; the rest of her body was tense, especially her eyes.
0 ····Requesting flowers···· ·········
Without a hint of a smile that would make others feel comfortable, Kaguya grinned and walked towards Natsuhiko, then put an arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I think I misunderstood something. Chika told me everything."
.... . .......
Seeing that the two of them had made up and the atmosphere was gradually becoming harmonious, Chika went to try out the lipstick colors. After Chika walked away, Kaguya lowered her voice and spoke to Natsuhiko.
"Stay away from Ram," Kaguya said before leaving, leaving Xia Yan with only her back view. Before disappearing, Kaguya turned around and looked at Xia Yan, whose eyes were full of warning.
Xia Yan felt that everything that had just happened was utterly inexplicable. He inexplicably encountered Kaguya, received a warning from her for no apparent reason, and wondered if he shouldn't have been kind to Ram, shouldn't have come here with Chika. Was it all his fault?
Chapter 107 Encountering Shirogane Miyuki
Everyone has their own thoughts, and no one can control how they are perceived by others. Just like Xia Yan's current situation, his intentions have been distorted in Kaguya's mind.
Xia Yan was very unhappy about this, and he felt a sense of frustration. "Qianhua, I got one for you too, but the color is a secret." Xia Yan buried his feelings and put it in a box.
I wish the chains on that box were the strongest in the world; I wish I could use the Five Finger Mountain of Buddha to suppress it and never let that emotion out again.
Xia Yan smiled at Fujiwara Chika, then picked up a bag for himself and gave Chika an extra bag as well. "I can't accept this, Xia Yan, you're so thoughtful," Chika said as she took the bag from Xia Yan.
Xia Yan was the gentlest boy Fujiwara Chika had ever met. She never expected that while picking out a gift for Ram, she would also get a gift. "Consider this your fee for accompanying me shopping," Xia Yan said to Fujiwara Chika.
Xia Yan was worried that Fujiwara Chika would give him more gifts later, and that would go on and on. He still longed for a simpler friendship, so he said that he wanted Chika not to take this small matter to heart.
"By the way, has Kaguya left?" Fujiwara Chika noticed that Kaguya had already left when she arrived, and she couldn't find any trace of her around the lipstick counter.
“Yes, Kaguya bought perfume and left first,” Xia Yan said to Fujiwara Chika, finding an excuse for Kaguya to leave. Then the two of them left the lipstick counter together.
"No need to see me off. I'm already very happy with your gift. You should go and give your gift to Ram." When Fujiwara Chika reached the bus stop, she stopped and told Natsuhiko not to see her off, as Natsuhiko hadn't driven today.
It's quite far from Fujiwara Chika's house. If Natsuhiko takes me back, it will probably be dark by the time I get back, and I won't have time to give Ram the gift.
"Okay, it's alright, I'll take you home first." Xia Yan felt that taking Fujiwara Chika home had become a habit, an indispensable habit.
"No, someone will come to pick me up later." Xia Yan was a little stunned by Fujiwara Chika's straightforward rejection for the first time. Was this still the same Fujiwara Chika? "Alright, I'll go back first then." Xia Yan didn't insist anymore.
After parting ways with Qianhua, Xia Yan walked to Ram's house and quietly placed his lipstick gift there. Xia Yan squatted down at Ram's door and took out a piece of paper, writing something on it.
"Hey, isn't this the famous Xia Yan from 417? What do you mean by meeting you here?" Xia Yan's thoughts, which were focused on writing a note, were interrupted by this deep voice that sounded like there was phlegm pressing on his neck.
Xia Yan looked up and saw that the person who came was Shirogane Miyuki. Xia Yan raised his hand to give Shirogane Miyuki a perfunctory greeting as he was walking, and then squatted down to continue writing what he was writing.
"What are you doing here? Squatting and pooping, haha?" Shirogane Miyuki walked over to Xia Yan, noticed that Xia Yan seemed to be writing something, and then teased Xia Yan.
Xia Yan ignored Shirogane Miyuki, as they were both working on the contents of their own notes. Shirogane Miyuki pursed his lips, finding it boring, and walked away.
Chapter 108 Rem's Party
After Xia Yan finished writing, he looked up and found that Shirogane Miyuki was gone. He seemed to have said something before leaving, but Xia Yan couldn't remember. He only knew that Shirogane Miyuki seemed to have smiled, so he must have been in a good mood.
Xia Yan stopped caring about Shirogane Miyuki, but Shirogane Miyuki reminded him of the time he met Kaguya at the lipstick counter. The more he thought about it, the stranger and more confused he became. Xia Yan sighed and lamented the hardships of life.