Chapter 69

A few days ago, when the bus incident first went viral, the video of Lin Qingle getting splashed with coffee at the café also spread widely. Later, when the truth came out, the blogger who originally posted the video got heavily criticized by netizens, and the video stopped circulating.

But after guide dog advertisements were placed on public transportation across the city, for some reason, that video suddenly resurfaced.

— “Does anyone still not know that the guy in the video is the President of Aurora’s China division?! Aurora funded all the guide dog awareness ads in our city!”
— “For real? That guy… looks really young.”
— “Absolutely true! You can look it up on Baidu Baike.”
— “Isn’t Aurora a home furniture company? Why are they running these types of ads?”
— “It’s for charity! That girl who got misunderstood last time is a volunteer at the guide dog center. She got into trouble because many older people aren’t aware of guide dogs. So Aurora basically turned this into a massive public awareness campaign.”
— “Holy crap, so he did it for his girlfriend?! Damn, and he’s this good-looking too? I’m jealous!”
— “What public awareness campaign? This is a full-blown PDA session!”
— “As an insider… yeah, the whole company knows our boss and Manager Lin are ridiculously sweet.”
— “Ahhh, this is straight out of a romance drama!”

…

While Weibo was exploding with talk about their relationship, Xu Tingbai and Lin Qingle had just finished dinner with the entire team from the guide dog center and were getting ready to drive home.

Between raising public awareness and securing donations, Xu Tingbai had been a massive help to the center. No matter what, Dong Xiaoni insisted on treating him to a meal as a thank-you, which led to tonight’s gathering.

By the time they finished eating, it was already past 7 PM.

After getting into the passenger seat, Lin Qingle took out her phone. She had been too busy eating and chatting to check her messages earlier, but now she saw that she had received a flood of WeChat notifications.

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G zsv sq vblx olal qasx sze nzyppxyvlp—

— “Ckdtzl, nyd R hkpkv vbl twkel est nldvla kd rlapsd? R oydv vs esdyvl vss~”
— “Usdtayvp! Zsw yde Dw Mkdtcyk yal plakswpzu vss tsse vstlvbla.”
— “Fs vbkp kp obu usw dlhla eyvle kd nszzltl—clnywpl usw olal pyhkdt kv yzz qsa zyvla!”
— “Xze nzyppxyvl, pyo usw valdekdt sd Elkcs ytykd, bybyby!”

…..

Nkd Ckdtzl pbkhlale vbl xsxldv pbl pyo vbl osaep “valdekdt vsrkn.”

Tyed’v vbyv obszl vbkdt czsod shla? Ebu oyp kv valdekdt ytykd?

Fbl iwknjzu vyrrle kdvs Elkcs. Mbl vsrkn “Qwkel Pst Gep Gnaspp Gzz Vwczkn Maydprsavyvksd kd vbl Uyrkvyz” oyp aydjkdt bktb, cwv yqvla nzknjkdt kd, pbl alyzkgle vbl alyz alypsd kv oldv hkayz—bla yde Dw Mkdtcyk.

Gqvla pnaszzkdt vbaswtb vbl dlvkgldp’ nsxxldvp, pbl eked’v jdso oblvbla vs zywtb sa nau.

“Ebyv kp kv?” Dw Mkdtcyk tzydnle yv bla, dsvknkdt bso kdvldvzu pbl oyp pvyakdt yv bla rbsdl.

Lin Qingle held up the screen in front of him. “President Xu, did you buy another trending topic?”

“Me? No.” Xu Tingbai took the phone and looked at it for a moment before saying, “I really didn’t.”

Lin Qingle rubbed her nose and muttered, “We’re not even celebrities… why is everyone talking about our relationship?”

Xu Tingbai mused, “Hmm… maybe because we’re good-looking.”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “Are you complimenting yourself?”

“I’m complimenting you, Vice Manager Lin.”

Lin Qingle shot him another look. “I think it’s more about your connection with Aurora… But, well, it’s a good thing! Our guide dogs just got another wave of exposure—for free.”

Xu Tingbai smirked. “Oh? So does that count as my contribution? Adding that to my tally.”

“‘Adding’?”

He glanced at her. “Forgot already? Last time in my office, you promised to thank me however I wanted.”

Lin Qingle paused before recalling it. “Oh… Right. Well, go ahead, I’m listening.”

Xu Tingbai rested his fingers on the steering wheel but didn’t start the car. His fingertips tapped lightly, as if he were deliberating something.

“What?” Lin Qingle urged. “Just say it.”

Xu Tingbai turned his head slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of mystery. After a brief pause, he suddenly leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

Lin Qingle’s ears turned red. She shot him an annoyed glare.

Xu Tingbai leaned back into his seat and said lazily, “You’re the one who said anything goes.”

“I—”

“That means you agreed.” The corners of his lips lifted slightly. “Let’s stop by the supermarket first.”

“For what?”

“We’re out of snacks at home, gotta restock. Also… we’re out of condoms. Need to replenish.”

Lin Qingle: “……”

Xu Tingbai drove to the nearest supermarket. Once inside, he grabbed a shopping cart while Lin Qingle followed beside him.

“Don’t buy too much,” she reminded him as he kept tossing things in without restraint.

“I’m picking all your favorites.”

“Still, don’t overdo it. I can’t finish it all.”

Xu Tingbai glanced at her with mild surprise. “You sure? The snack stash at home is completely empty.”

Lin Qingle choked on her words and immediately pinched him. “You ate them too! It wasn’t just me!”

“Hiss…” Xu Tingbai winced but quickly pulled her into his arms. “I only ate what you left behind.”

“Stop making it sound like I’m starving you!” Lin Qingle huffed, trying to pry his arms off. But Xu Tingbai wouldn’t let go, wrapping his arm around her neck and half-dragging her along.

“Alright, alright. Not starving—I’m willingly suffering.”

Lin Qingle struggled against him. “So you admit you ate them too?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmph… Now let go!”

With his height advantage, Xu Tingbai held her like a little chick, refusing to release her. Lin Qingle was uncomfortable walking like that and kept trying to wriggle free. The two of them wrestled near the shelves, tangled up in a playful scuffle.

“Uh—!”

Just then, two young women turned into the aisle. Seeing the affectionate couple glued to each other, they froze for a moment.

Lin Qingle noticed them and quickly smacked Xu Tingbai, who finally let go—albeit at a leisurely pace—his face returning to its usual calm expression.

“Hey, isn’t that the girl from today’s video?” one of the young women whispered after passing by.

“It is! And that’s her boyfriend!”

“Ahh, what a coincidence!”

“Yeah, yeah!”

The two girls weren’t speaking quietly, and since Lin Qingle hadn’t walked too far, she naturally overheard them. She turned around and glanced at them. When the girls saw her look back, they instinctively raised their hands to greet her.

Lin Qingle was a bit stunned but raised her hand in return.

“Are you the… the one from Aurora, the one with the guide dog? No, no, you’re the one from the trending search, right?” One of the girls stammered, nervous after Lin Qingle greeted them.

Lin Qingle felt a little embarrassed but nodded. “Hello.”

“Ah! Hello, sister!” The two girls rushed over, giggling. “We saw the news, and my friend and I already donated to the base. We even plan to apply as volunteers at the guide dog base this summer!”

“Really? Thank you so much,” Lin Qingle replied.

“No, no, we’re just helping a little. We love dogs, after all.” The girl glanced at Xu Tingbai, originally wanting to say something to him, but seeing his calm demeanor, which was completely different from the smiley version from earlier, she hesitated and decided against it. She then looked back at Lin Qingle and said, “Brother and sister are the ones really helping blind people and guide dogs…”

“As long as there’s good intention, it’s the same,” Lin Qingle replied.

“Yeah… that’s true!” the girl responded cheerfully.

…

Lin Qingle hadn’t expected to run into someone who recognized them while shopping. Indeed, the power of trending searches was impressive.

“Why are you smiling?” Xu Tingbai glanced at her.

Lin Qingle replied, “I just feel really happy. More people are noticing what Xiaoni and the others are doing now.”

Xu Tingbai gently ruffled her hair. “Mm.”

“Alright, we’ve got enough, let’s head back.”

“Okay.”

They reached the checkout, and coincidentally, the two girls they had just met were in line behind them. Lin Qingle quickly waved at them.

The two girls smiled and waved back.

“Which one?” As soon as Lin Qingle lowered her hand, she suddenly heard Xu Tingbai’s voice.

“What?” she asked, turning to him.

Xu Tingbai had picked up two boxes of condoms from the shelf next to the counter. “Which one, this one or that one?”

Lin Qingle looked at the boxes in his hand, and once she realized what they were, her mind exploded. Her face turned bright red.

The two girls, hearing him, instinctively glanced over, and when they saw what the handsome guy was holding, they froze for a moment before quickly pretending they hadn’t seen anything and looked elsewhere.

Oh my god… Can people really be this unpredictable? Is this the kind of thrill we’re going for?!

Lin Qingle saw the two girls trying to suppress their laughter and felt so embarrassed that she lowered her head and mumbled, “I don’t want them…”

Xu Tingbai remained indifferent. “You can’t not have them.”

Lin Qingle tugged at his shirt, pleading, “Please, don’t hold those anymore!”

However, Xu Tingbai, not fully understanding, thought she was just being shy, so he smiled slightly and placed both boxes in the cart. “Then we’ll take both.”

“…”

From that point on, Lin Qingle couldn’t bring herself to look back at the two girls. After paying, she turned and hurriedly left.

“Why are you walking so fast?” Xu Tingbai followed, holding the items.

Lin Qingle ignored him.

When they reached the parking lot, she finally turned around and said, “What was that earlier? People were still behind us watching, and you were holding those…”

“Who?” Xu Tingbai asked.

“Those two girls who talked to us earlier!” Lin Qingle clarified.

“Oh, is that so?” he replied casually.

“How embarrassing!!”

Xu Tingbai thought for a moment. “I saw they’re not too young, so they probably understand.”

Lin Qingle sighed, “That’s not the point…”

Xu Tingbai gave a faint smile and said, “The key point is that what we need to buy most here is this. We can’t not buy it just because others are watching.”

“…”

---

After they got home, Lin Qingle dumped all the snacks from the bag onto the table, and the two boxes of special items stood out awkwardly among the pile of snacks. She silently took them out and set them aside.

After Xu Tingbai came back, he went to his room. Lin Qingle finished putting away the snacks, then glanced at the two boxes of items. Taking advantage of Xu Tingbai’s absence, she picked them up and looked at them.

“Supreme ultra-thin… spiral lasting type…” Lin Qingle muttered, dazed. “Is there a difference?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe we should try both later?”

Suddenly, Xu Tingbai’s voice came from nearby, and Lin Qingle was startled, quickly putting the boxes down. “How did you walk without making any sound?!”

“It’s because you were too focused.” Xu Tingbai came over, picking up both boxes. “Let’s go.”

“…Go where?”

Xu Tingbai leaned down, looking at her, and slowly said, “The bath water is ready. You can soak now.”

Lin Qingle hesitated, “You go first…”

Xu Tingbai raised an eyebrow, pulling her up by the arm. “What did you promise me earlier? One of the rewards: bath, together.”

“…”

She didn’t believe it was just about soaking in the bath together!

However, she couldn’t resist Xu Tingbai. In just a few movements, he had her carried into the bathroom.

The bath water was still running.

In fact, Lin Qingle had been staring at the bathtub for a long time, wanting to soak. But every time she mentioned it, he insisted on joining her.

The bathtub was large, but still, two people together might feel a little cramped! Moreover, the lighting was bright and clear… just thinking about that scene made Lin Qingle feel flustered, so she always said she wouldn’t soak after all.

To her surprise, he had kept this in mind and even brought it up with the excuse of a reward…

“Do you want me to help you take off your clothes?” Xu Tingbai looked at her, his eyes burning with an indescribable desire, fast and intense.

Lin Qingle felt her heart race and knew she couldn’t escape now. She lowered her head, “I’ll do it myself.”

“Alright, you do it.”

He said this and really didn’t move, just watching her remove her clothes, piece by piece.

It wasn’t their first time, but Lin Qingle was extremely shy in this regard. Under his intense gaze, she felt her face burning as she undressed.

The hot water in the bathtub began to produce steam, and the air seemed to be covered by a thin veil. Xu Tingbai looked down and, seeing her head lowered, he noticed her fair, delicate neck and the enticing curves of her body, partially obscured.

“You… why aren’t you undressing?” Lin Qingle asked, stretching her hand to remove the last bit of her cover when she suddenly realized he was still wearing his shirt and trousers, without even trying to unbutton them.

“Do you want me to help?” she looked up at him, imitating his earlier words.

The mist grew thicker, and the corners of her eyes seemed to shimmer with moisture. Her soft, pale lips parted slightly, revealing the glimmer of her moist tongue.

Xu Tingbai’s brows furrowed slightly, his jawline tightening.

“Mm, you do it,” his voice grew a little tense.

Lin Qingle didn’t continue undressing herself. She nodded and reached for the buttons on his shirt—one, two… just as she touched the third button, he suddenly picked her up by the waist and carried her directly into the large bathtub.

She looked up at him in surprise. “Your clothes…”

Before Lin Qingle could finish her sentence, she was pushed into the water. His shirt immediately soaked through, and the water level rose above his neck. His kiss came down on her without restraint…

The water rippled, and excess water splashed over the edge, hitting the bathroom tiles.

The floor was soaked, but the long night had only just begun…