On the other hand, Yi Qin didn't know that there were a lot of people who had their attention on him right now solely because he was close to Liu Xinyu. Even if she was an unfamiliar face, it only made this case more mysterious.
Was the ever-loyal Yi Qin going to cheat?
Did Yi Qin change his mind?
Did Yi Qin finally get tired of his demanding girlfriend?
Was Yi Qin finally going to break free?
In fact, there were a lot of rumors flying around within one day. Just one appearance of Liu Xinyu and the fact that Yi Qin not only accepted the water from her but also spoke with her with a smile. Later, he even left with her, leaving behind a crowd that was too enthusiastic about the gossip surrounding him.
By now, who knew where had these rumors reached in their circle?
But Yi Qin didn't know anything about it and neither was he too concerned. In fact, in his own opinion, even if he did something out of the ordinary, it wasn't worth talking about.
He took Liu Xinyu to eat at a well-known restaurant close to the university. While they were going back, Yi Qin stopped the bicycle in front of a dessert shop and asked Liu Xinyu, "Do you want something?"
Liu Xinyu looked at the dessert shop and shook her head.
"You don't have to save money. We should never overlook our desires. I'm craving something sweet after that bowl of beef noodle soup. This is my favorite dessert shop. Why don't I buy you their new flavor of the chocolate cake? I heard it's very good but I hadn't gotten a chance to try it yet."
Looking at his excitement, Liu Xinyu had no doubt that he was really craving some sugar right now. She was having an internal struggle and finally replied, "Sure. Let's try it together then."
Yi Qin was happy to get that answer. He loved sweets but he felt that eating desserts alone wasn't that fun. When you have someone to share it with, only then can you enjoy the dessert to the fullest. That's why he had been delaying coming to this dessert shop because he didn't want to try the new cake launched by the shop alone. He wanted to bring his girlfriend here but she didn't have a lot of time to spare these days... She was rather busy unlike him who looked like he had nothing to do.
And that was true indeed, he really had nothing to do.
He was genuinely happy when Liu Xinyu agreed to try the cake with him. He happily led her in and started introducing her to all the flavors that he had tasted which ones he liked most and which ones he wasn't particularly fond of.
Liu Xinyu listened to him talk silently but she appropriately added her own comments too, just to let him know that she was truly engaged in this conversation and was very interested. Actually, maybe she was interested. Although she knew her father's love for sweet things, she had never seen his eyes light up just talking about his favorite desserts. This was another new experience and she was quite willing to experience it too.
Although she had always tried her best to make it seem like she was enjoying the desserts, her parents still saw the clues that she did not like desserts at all. Sweetness was a taste that didn't suit Liu Xinyu's palate but she'd still try to make it seem like she loved it just for the sake of the little dessert fan in their family, her father. Oh, maybe she should call his old dessert fan? Whatever! It was pointless to dwell on this.
Yi Qin hurriedly bought the cake he wanted and found a table to sit with Liu Xinyu. He asked her if she wanted to drink anything and she said, she'd just take black coffee which made Yi Qin scrunch up his nose. So, he asked her for confirmation, and seeing that she hadn't changed her choice, he went back to get the black coffee.
He put the black coffee in front of her and put his own Caramel Iced coffee down on the table too before sitting down. He seemed to be very satisfied as he ate the cake while smiling happily.
"Now, this is called life," he commented.
Liu Xinyu narrowed her eyes at him as she took small bites of the sweet cake and washed it down her throat with the bitter coffee. Yes, she was someone who placed bitterness over sweetness. So, she preferred even the bitter medicine over the sweet things. She had been called weird because of this reason for years but she couldn't go against her own preferences now.
Her tongue just could not accept sweetness as well as other flavors.
"Why are you eating so slowly?" asked Yi Qin. "Don't you like the cake? How is that possible? The baker here makes the best cakes. He learned from France and only came back to China in the last five years. This dessert shop is immensely popular around here."
"I am just taking my sweet time enjoying the cake," was her response which was clearly a blatant lie but she could speak the truth and dampen his spirit right now. She couldn't bring herself to do something like that to him of all people.
Yi Qin laughed at her words and said, "You know the shop's name is 'Sweet Times'? Is that why you said that?"
Liu Xinyu shrugged nonchalantly.
"You are really..." He shook his head not knowing how to describe her.
"Is something bothering you?" asked Liu Xinyu which made Yi Qin freeze in shock. That question came out of nowhere but it seemed to have hit the mark because Yi Qin suddenly craved something sweet because he was feeling suffocated in his head.
"Is it that obvious?" he asked.
Liu Xinyu shook her head, "No, you have been trying too hard to suppress your own emotions. It made it easy for me to find out. What's bothering you? Is it something very personal that you can't share with me? Is it because of me? Am I bringing you trouble?"
Yi Qin hurriedly shook his hands and denied her speculations immediately, "It has nothing to do with you. Really, it's not you. It's my girlfriend. No! It's not her either. It's me. I am being too sensitive these days. A lot of people have a lot of expectations from me but I'm not sure if I can..." He didn't continue as he didn't know what to say.
"What are your expectations?" asked Liu Xinyu. "Yi Qin, what others' expectations are of you shouldn't be the reason for you to stop thinking about your self."
"My parents think I should follow the life plan they have drafted for me. There is nothing wrong with it," he smiled bitterly as he spoke. "Everyone in our circle is like this. We all have to pay a price for being born in this high-class circle. Just like my brother. His marriage is not his own choice. As the younger brother, I can't be free too. I also have to make some sacrifices. I know my parents have my best interests at their heart but what if that's not what I want?" He rubbed his forehead as he sighed, "I thought Tingting will understand me but she also thinks that I am being rebellious and I should stop living in daydreams but focus on the reality."
He didn't expect to hear such words from the person who he gave all his love for years. It actually left a deep scar on his heart which he couldn't even share with others.