I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

I've written so many romantic scenarios, but when it comes to my own, I'm completely lost.

Sure enough, stories are just stories, and the difference between them and reality is huge.

Unable to touch her, Chen Shuo could only glance at her occasionally, just to satisfy his visual craving.

Her hair was loose and disheveled over her shoulders, partially obscured by the hood of her sweatshirt. The loose clothing accentuated her slender figure, making her appear soft and delicate. Her skin was exceptionally fair, and her little ears looked tender.

It's so beautiful, how can it be so beautiful?

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Noticing his gaze sweeping over her from time to time, Bai Xiaoqi turned her head.

"It's nothing." Chen Shuo looked away and changed the subject, saying, "I suddenly thought of something."

"what?"

"Well, I told my parents I had a girlfriend, and then they asked me to bring her..."

Chen Shuo was interrupted halfway through his sentence.

You have a girlfriend?!

Bai Xiaoqi's tone suddenly rose, her voice becoming extremely loud, drawing the attention of everyone around her and instantly making the place the center of attention.

"Uh..."

Chen Shuo felt awkward, and could faintly hear the whispers around him, such as "scumbag" and "two-timing".

"Don't be so loud, come on, let's go over there."

Chen Shuo grabbed her sleeve, trying to escape, but Bai Xiaoqi shook her sleeve away angrily and said, "Don't touch me."

Right now, all she could think about was this guy holding hands with other girls while they were shopping, and then kissing and hugging them.

The thought of this immediately put her in a bad mood, giving her the feeling that something that rightfully belonged to her had been taken away.

"Okay, I won't touch you. Come on, let's go over there and talk." Chen Shuo withdrew his hand, turned around and walked forward, then quietly sighed, "This girl reacted so strongly just from tugging at my sleeve."

If I were to touch her little hand, this girl would probably beat me up.

As expected, trying to win her over as a girlfriend is a long and arduous journey.

Bai Xiaoqi stared at his back, hesitated for a few seconds, then followed him angrily, the two walking one after the other.

After walking a short distance and seeing that there was no one around, Chen Shuo stopped and turned around to wait for her to walk over with her short legs.

"Hmm...where was I?"

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment, then Chen Shuo looked away, feigning nonchalance, "Oh, right, that girlfriend..."

"I don't want to listen to my girlfriend!"

"Okay, then I won't say."

“…”

"..."

The two remained silent. After a long pause, Chen Shuo asked, "Should I say something?"

"I don't want to hear it."

Bai Xiaoqi covered her ears with her hands, then turned around and walked away. She didn't know where she was going; she was just very angry and wanted to get as far away from this person as possible.

"No, where are you going?"

"Mind your own business." Bai Xiaoqi turned around and made a face at him, looking very cute, but this time Chen Shuo couldn't laugh and could only silently follow behind her.

I was a little puzzled. What was wrong with her today? Why was she so angry? Just because I tugged at her sleeve?

That can't be right.

Did she anticipate my prediction and know that I wanted her to pretend to be my girlfriend, and that she was resistant to it, which is why she got angry?

Chen Shuo's mind was racing, but he had no idea what she was thinking. He could only see her walking with her head down, her little legs moving incredibly fast, and he had to take big strides to keep up.

"Don't follow me." Hearing footsteps behind her, Bai Xiaoqi said without turning her head, then continued walking forward with her head down.

The guy behind me has a girlfriend.

But then I realized something was off; how come I didn't know he had a girlfriend?

I've lived and eaten with him for so long, yet I've never even seen him before.

Yeah, this person must have been secretly looking for her behind my back. He chats with so many people in that group every day, his girlfriend must be in there.

Thinking of this, she felt the wind was so strong today that it made her eyes a little sore, so she simply pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head.

With that little hat on, I don't care about anyone.

"Alright, I won't let you pretend to be my girlfriend anymore, stop this nonsense."

You want me to play the girlfriend?

Bai Xiaoqi keenly caught the meaning of those words and extracted the key point. She subconsciously stopped and turned around to ask, "What kind of girlfriend are you pretending to be? Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend at all. My parents think I have one, which is completely fabricated. So, let me ask you, do you remember when my dad came to our house the month before last?"

"Ah."

"Back then, my dad mistook you for my girlfriend, right? Then some things happened, and by some twist of fate, my mom found out that I had a girlfriend. She asked me to bring my girlfriend home, but I didn't have one, so I wanted you to play the role."

After a pause, Chen Shuo said, "If you're willing, you can come home with me for a meal another day. If you're not willing, just pretend I didn't say anything, and don't make this mess of things."

"Is it just acting?"

"Yes, it's just acting, it's not real."

"It's not true?"

Bai Xiaoqi pressed on, unwilling to give up, but Chen Shuo interpreted her behavior as hesitation and nodded, saying, "Well, it's not true. If you don't want to, then forget it."

Bai Xiaoqi was silent for a moment, then asked, "What would it take to play your girlfriend?"

"You don't have to do anything, just eat well, and when they ask, just say you're my girlfriend."

"Oh...."

Seeing that she just said "oh" and then fell silent, Chen Shuo scratched his head and asked, "What does 'oh' mean? Do you agree or disagree? Never mind, I'll take that as you agree."

"..."

Bai Xiaoqi remained silent, wrinkled her nose, suppressed her emotions, and felt no guilt.

"Alright, let's go home."

........

The two turned and walked out of the park in silence. Chen Shuo glanced at her and, seeing her sullen expression, broke the silence by saying, "You're quite vigilant."

"What do you mean?"

"It's to praise your high level of vigilance. Even when you're playing the role of a girlfriend, you keep a sullen face, as if you suspect some kind of conspiracy. If you were to encounter a bad guy, you would definitely be able to escape unscathed."

Bai Xiaoqi puffed out her cheeks. "You're a bad person."

"Nonsense, I'm a very good person."

Feeling misunderstood, Chen Shuo began to argue with her, "Let me tell you, it's lucky you came to me for a title. If you had been unlucky and found a bad person, you wouldn't even have any dust left by now. You would have been tricked into becoming a wife. Unlike me, a good person, I just let you play the role of a girlfriend."

"Being tricked into becoming a wife?"

"Hmm, isn't it especially scary?"

"......"

Bai Xiaoqi remained silent, not feeling scared at all. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.

You can be really bad sometimes, so why don't you lie to me?

Chapter 45 Go tighten the screws

Why not lie?

Chen Shuo was also pondering this issue.

He could easily make up lies to his parents and used to fool Bai Xiaoqi whenever he wanted, amusing himself with her silly antics. But after realizing he had fallen for her, he became completely clueless when facing her.

After thinking for a long time, Chen Shuo could only attribute it to his feelings for her.

When facing someone you like, it's inevitable to feel anxious and insecure, always worrying that using certain methods will leave lasting consequences.

Besides, how can you use deception to handle matters of the heart? That's too despicable.

I, Chen, would never stoop to such a thing.

Upon thinking of this, Chen Shuo felt as if he had been elevated, as if he had been cleansed from the inside out.

When are we going to your parents' house for dinner?

"No rush, let my mom urge me five or six times first."

When facing his family, Chen Shuo was incredibly calm. Every time he went home, Wu Yulan would urge him several times before he would leave.

The reason for this is actually quite simple.

As people grow up, staying at home seems superfluous. When you first come home, people love you to death, but if you stay for a couple more days, they become annoyed and urge you to leave every day, asking why you haven't gotten out yet.

Therefore, Chen Shuo summarized a set of experiences: when urged to go back, never take the initiative.

If I go back like this and get kicked out, I'll have something to say. You were the one who urged me to come back, and now you're telling me to get lost?

Okay, then get out!

They're pulling and tugging at each other; it's full of details.

........

Over the course of two weeks, several autumn rains fell in succession, each rain bringing a chill, and the weather quickly turned cold. Unfortunately, Bai Xiaoqi's relatives also had to visit along with them.

Fortunately, Chen Shuo helped her calculate the dates, which prevented the tearful outcome that happened last time.

This time, even though I started controlling my diet two days ago and didn't eat anything cold, the pain still came.

It's that awkward season again; it's raining and chilly outside, but the heating hasn't been turned on yet.

Bai Xiaoqi was wearing thick pajamas, wrapped in a small blanket, curled up on the sofa, with cotton socks on her feet and a hand warmer in her arms.