Su Bai's Unconstrained Demeanor Touched Her Deeply

Seeing the playful expression on Su Bai's face, Li Xingya wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Wait, if she crawled into a hole, she might get stuck... so it was actually best to crawl under the covers. Yes, exactly. When embarrassing things happened in her childhood, she would always go home at night and hide under the blankets to heal... Wait, what on earth was she rambling about in her head?!

Li Xingya's thoughts became a jumbled mess.

She couldn't help it. After all, she had thought Su Bai was still out camping today. She never expected him to come back so soon.

Not only did he come back, but it seemed he had also overheard something incredible.

Waaah...

Inside, Li Xingya felt like she was going to explode from embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry! I was wrong, I was wrong! I wasn't slacking off... No, wait, I was slacking off, but I'll fix it right away! Please, boss, I, I, I..."

Seeing Li Xingya become incoherent, Su Bai quickly comforted her, "Don't be nervous, I didn't mean to blame you. I just wanted to say... well, if you're interested in camping, I can take you sometime when you're free. Oh, you don't even need to be free later, actually, tonight works. It's just that Mount Tianrong might not be suitable. If you're a complete beginner, going near the reservoir would be better. We can catch some fish to eat while we're at it."

...He actually made a pun on the "slacking off" she had just mentioned!

She didn't know if he was teasing her on purpose or what. Ugh, the boss was so bad.

Accompanied by a burst of good-natured laughter, Li Xingya's mood relaxed significantly.

Su Bai leaned against the nearby desk, arms crossed, looking with interest at the girl in front of him who was recovering from her panic.

He had to admit, Lu Yuning's eye for fashion was truly sharp.

This outfit on her was simply a lethal weapon.

Paired with those quite stylish rimless glasses and her flushed cheeks from panic, this strong contrast made her look so adorable that it made someone want to bully her until she cried.

"So, what do you say? Camping tonight?"

"Um... I, I don't want to trouble you, boss."

"Just go. There doesn't seem to be any serious work tonight, right? It's just for one night, it won't delay your project. I'll just let Shengsheng know."

Su Bai's prompt decisiveness made Li Xingya feel quite a sense of novelty.

How should she put it? In her impression, outings always required careful planning. After all, going out to play meant spending money. Poor people's travels always had to be budgeted strictly; otherwise, every extra unjustifiable expense would make one's heart bleed.

However, Su Bai seemed to have a spontaneous, leave-at-a-moment's-notice style. This couldn't help but stir a strong sense of longing in Li Xingya.

It was the kind of life she dreamed of...

Then again, who wouldn't want to do whatever they pleased and just pack up and go?

Looking at her expression, Su Bai knew she was already tempted. He smiled and said, "I'll make the decision for you. Tonight we'll go camping at the reservoir and try some night fishing while we're at it. I've never gone fishing at night before."

"Um... okay, boss. If you need me to accompany you..."

"I do."

Su Bai stared seriously into her eyes. This instantly made Li Xingya's heart flutter with budding emotions.

Wow, the boss's eyes were just too beautiful.

Li Xingya began to seriously wonder if Su Bai really needed her... on that level.

Actually, she had that vague feeling from the beginning, but she wasn't sure and was afraid she was just flattering herself.

After all, Su Bai was truly too dazzling, and the girls around him were so perfect. Would he really be interested in her?

Her childhood experiences of lacking self-confidence gave Li Xingya a very low sense of self-worth. The so-called inferiority-complex girl was probably exactly like this.

No matter what the situation was, she would always subconsciously think it was her own fault. If it was something good, she would feel she was just overthinking it.

As for accompanying Su Bai on a camping trip, of course she wanted to. That kind of romantic scenario was simply a dream experience for Li Xingya, otherwise she wouldn't have been muttering those embarrassing things to herself just now.

Strictly speaking, this was equivalent to accompanying a superior for fun in the workplace, to please the boss.

But unlike accompanying a boss to drink at a corporate job, this kind of thing was purely to her benefit!

Also, Li Xingya quickly thought of a very important point.

Su Bai had just been out having fun for two days. Coming to the lab, he must have been looking for Chen Yusheng. Now she was taking up Su Bai's time and energy, which originally belonged to Chen Yusheng.

Would her teacher be angry?

Thinking of this, Li Xingya said cautiously, "Boss, you should go accompany Teacher Chen. I won't take up any more of your time..."

"How is this taking up my time? To be honest, I didn't have enough fun yesterday. Tonight is the perfect time to enjoy ourselves again, and then I'll have to come back and review for the final exams."

Su Bai laid out his plan.

Actually, with his level, he could easily handle the final exams without needing to review much.

But at any rate, it was his first time experiencing the legendary exam week since starting college.

He needed to have at least a little sense of ceremony.

...Actually, the main reason was that he wanted to review together with Shengsheng. Reviewing while being all lovey-dovey, holding hands and whatnot, wouldn't that be wonderful?

"Then it's happily decided. You finish up the work you have on hand first. I'm going to find Shengsheng, and I'll contact you after dinner... I'll just pick you up directly from your school dormitory then. You'll need to bring some of your personal belongings, right?"

"Um... okay... I'll follow your arrangements, boss."

Li Xingya said weakly.

What else could she do? Su Bai was so dominant; she simply had no other choice.

However, this feeling of being controlled by a dominant man actually made Li Xingya feel quite sweet inside. Oh my, how should she put it? It felt like one of those legendary domineering CEOs!

But he wasn't as greasy as the domineering CEOs in novels. Su Bai gave Li Xingya a fresh and bright feeling.

As a result, the social death of being caught red-handed by Su Bai while reading gossip successfully faded away.

"Oh, right," Su Bai said before leaving. "This outfit suits you very well. It looks even better than when you tried it on in the store last time. It seems I have a good eye, and you wear it well."

Li Xingya looked down at the clothes she was wearing, and an indescribable wave of sweetness and shyness welled up in her heart.

So... he remembered everything.

She had thought that Su Bai taking women out to buy clothes was a very common occurrence, so he wouldn't care much after buying them.

Before leaving the lab, Su Bai also ordered a dessert combo for Li Xingya.

He remembered that she liked to eat sweets, and working overtime on the weekend was hard work. As a boss, he needed to properly reward his employees!

Half an hour later.

Several deliverymen in exquisite uniforms filed in, carrying insulated boxes printed with the logo of a three-star Michelin restaurant.

The lab was instantly filled with a sweet and enticing aroma.

"T-This is..."

Li Xingya stared at the massive, delicate three-tiered dessert tower placed on the desk, her eyes wide as saucers.

Macarons, mousse cakes, French puddings, handmade chocolates...

Every single dessert was as exquisite as a work of art, gleaming with an enticing luster under the cool-toned lights of the laboratory.

She had only ever seen this kind of thing in fashion magazines or idol dramas.

Rumor has it that this afternoon tea set costs several thousand bucks?

Oh my god...

Why does every casual move the boss makes leave Li Xingya's heart pounding out of her chest?

Still, it really does look absolutely delicious.