Rat, Rabbit, And Rabbit Transformed Into Humans And Married Their Natural Enemies. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Bai Zhi looked straight ahead. A sliver of the setting sun’s afterglow adorned the horizon, and the slowly descending night cast a soft, hazy glow.

He kept his eyes fixed, put the small plushie back into his pocket, and took out the square tin candy box from the other side. He spoke slowly, drawing out his words slightly: “CEO Xie—

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat anything sweet. I heard Aunt Lin say you prefer coffee, black coffee with no sugar or milk. That’s so bitter.”

Xie Yuzhan glanced at Bai Zhi out of the corner of his eye. Is he just making conversation?

Ten seconds later, he replied, “I’m not interested in sweets. I do drink black coffee more often, but it’s not just bitter.”

Bai Zhi smiled. Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.

As long as he’s willing to engage!

He continued, “I drink coffee too, but I prefer lattes and cappuccinos. They’re creamy and sweet, very fragrant. Just one sip makes me feel dopamine bubbling up, and my mood instantly improves.”

Xie Yuzhan had noticed this.

Bai Zhi was very enthusiastic about all kinds of sweets, including but not limited to cake, milk tea, and milky coffee. He also liked some sweet dishes.

He agreed, “Sweets do help secrete dopamine and can lift one’s mood. Whether you’re nervous or feeling down, eating some sweets helps.”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm, it’s a very effective and quick method, and it doesn’t burden the body much. It gets metabolized quickly.”

Xie Yuzhan was silent for three seconds. What was Bai Zhi planning? The small candy box in the other man’s hand was making a crisp rattling sound.

Perhaps…

He took the opportunity to ask, “Tonight, they mainly want to see if their arrangements have worked. You can push any difficult questions to me, especially since your past persona is well-known in the circle.

“Also, don’t speak ill of me.”

A pretty ornament with nothing but good looks, poor social skills, ignorant of social etiquette, clumsy, silly, and clueless—that was the persona.

So there was no need to be nervous.

As long as he didn’t speak ill of him, it didn’t matter if he spoke frankly or said something excessive.

The more attention he paid to such a silly, sweet vase, the more reassured his uncle and aunt would be. If he was taken with a mere pretty face, how much insight and cunning could he possibly possess?

Bai Zhi pouted slightly, then quickly replied, “I know what I’m doing, don’t worry.”

A vase might be brainless, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a temper.

If no one provoked him, he would naturally be fine. But if someone did, he wouldn’t just tolerate it good-naturedly. Of course, the prerequisite was that he couldn’t cause trouble for Xie Yuzhan.

He opened the candy box, ate two candies himself first, and then, as naturally as possible, offered the box toward Xie Yuzhan. “They’re mint flavored, with a hint of grassy fragrance. It took me a long time to find this flavor. It’s not too sweet, and the scent is very refreshing, perfect for summer. Want to try one?”

Xie Yuzhan truly didn’t eat sweets; he avoided dishes like sweet and sour or candied fruit.

A not-sweet candy?

His fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel. When he stopped at the intersection for a red light, he turned his head to look at Bai Zhi and said, “It’s not impossible to try.”

With 90 seconds of red light time, he wanted to see how far the other person would go.

Bai Zhi’s half-extended hand froze.

What did CEO Xie mean by that?

A brainstorm started unexpectedly. Well… he said he wanted to try, but he didn’t reach out his hand, and he showed no intention of doing so. Was he waiting for Bai Zhi to feed it to him?

Wouldn’t that be too intimate?!

The incident where they swapped dumplings at the dinner table was an accident, an impulse that he hadn’t thought through, and they had barely managed to gloss over it. What about this time?

Was CEO Xie addicted to being fed?

Feeding… he could do it, but last time, at least they had chopsticks, maintaining some distance. Feeding candy would definitely require using his hand. That was too close, too close, too close.

It was far too intimate!

With chopsticks, he might attempt it, but going straight to his hand? He would be utterly audacious!

Was it still possible to retract the invitation to “try one”?

He slowly took a deep breath, braced himself, and shook the small candy box, trying to look composed as he made one last attempt: “Should I pour two out for you?”

Xie Yuzhan completely failed to read the intense desire in Bai Zhi’s eyes that screamed, “Hurry up and reach out your hand.” He did have hands, but now was not the time to use them.

He just wanted to be lazy.

Their eyes met, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly. “Your suggestion is good, and I’m willing to give it a try. Why not finish the good deed?”

Whoa! That was a clear hint!

Since that was the case… Bai Zhi hardened his heart. He had never pulled teeth from a tiger’s mouth, but this was definitely the closest he had ever been to a wolf’s maw… aside from the bite that ended his rabbit life…

Ahem.

What was there to fear? Xie Yuzhan still needed him to play the role of the obedient, sensible little vase. He wouldn’t bare his fangs at him.

Stay calm, don’t panic, it’s not a big deal.

He flipped the box with his hand, pouring out two green, mint-leaf-shaped candies. Pinching them with three fingers, he leaned over and offered the candies to the other man’s mouth. “I suggested it, and the candies are mine, so it’s only right that I take full responsibility. CEO Xie, please open up and eat your candy. Good boy, ah—”

Xie Yuzhan chuckled softly. He must be doing this on purpose, treating him like a child. Just then, the tip of Bai Zhi’s finger brushed against his lips.

Slightly cool, very soft.

Bai Zhi jumped in surprise, his hand stiffened, and then he quickly fed the candies to the other man before swiftly sitting back up—sitting ramrod straight.

He tried to quickly move past this little interlude, speaking quickly and with a somewhat forced, dry tone: “That… the flavor is good, right? Very fresh! It’s like drinking a mouthful of cool mountain spring water in the middle of summer. Not too cold, just right.”

Xie Yuzhan also tasted the flavor Bai Zhi described.

It was a very comfortable kind of freshness, so crisp it felt like standing in a mint field with clear spring water gurgling nearby, pleasant and carefree.

And, why did he say it wasn’t sweet?

It was quite sweet.

Perhaps it was because he didn’t usually eat sweets, and Bai Zhi loved them, so their perception of sweetness was different.

He glanced at the traffic light. Ten seconds left on the red light.

He leaned slightly closer to the person in the passenger seat, lowering his voice as he chuckled softly. “What I wanted to taste just now wasn’t the candy you poured out.”

After speaking, he withdrew his gaze, adjusted his posture, started the car, and fell silent for the time being.

Bai Zhi gripped the candy box, stunned for half a minute before realizing what Xie Yuzhan’s last sentence meant. Good heavens! If he didn’t want to taste the newly poured candy, what did he want to taste?

The one in his mouth?!

How would he taste it? Spit it out? Impossible, impossible. Was it… mouth-to-mouth?

What was this? What was he doing? Was he flirting with him? Was he teasing him, this pure-hearted, weak, innocent little bunny?

Huh?

Ah ah ah ah ah—!!

He wanted to shake Xie Yuzhan hard. CEO Xie! Mr. Wolf! Big Boss! Can we please not make jokes like that? A little bunny’s heart is so fragile, so fragile, it can’t handle a scare!

It must have been his posture while feeding the candy that was wrong. Otherwise, why would the Big Boss, who was mostly quite serious, suddenly joke about kissing?

They weren’t a real couple.

After roaring internally, he didn’t forget to grumble aloud, “Don’t joke with me like that! We’re not real, we’re just pretending, fake! So don’t say random things like that, it makes people… it makes people very embarrassed!”

He then emphasized, “And we’re getting divorced in a year!”

Xie Yuzhan looked at Bai Zhi. The tips of the other man’s ears were red, clearly from embarrassment. To be able to speak these words frankly, the little bunny was indeed straightforward, not hiding anything.

He softened his tone, comforting him, “If I don’t make jokes like this, others will. This is just helping you adapt in advance, so you don’t get ruffled by a few jokes from others and give away the act.”

Bai Zhi glared fiercely at Xie Yuzhan, then quickly looked straight ahead again.

He pursed his lips and said stiffly, “So you’re saying I should thank you for helping me prepare?”

“You’re welcome. It’s what I should do.”

“Vile! That’s too vile!”

Bai Zhi wasn’t sure if he was just embarrassed and angry or if he had gotten a little too familiar with Xie Yuzhan, but he actually dared to say the word “vile” right to his face, without feeling the slightest bit guilty or afraid.

He angrily stuffed the candy box into his pocket. If his quality as a protocol lover wasn’t good enough, he wouldn’t even go to this dinner tonight!

Wasn’t it expected for Mr. Wolf to be so vile? He shouldn’t stoop to the level of his natural enemy. Bunny is a good bunny!

Xie Yuzhan looked at the sulking Bai Zhi beside him and couldn’t help but smile slightly. This wasn’t just anger; there was shyness too, with the anger acting as the outermost layer of self-protection.

Alright.

He reflected. He still needed to coax the little bunny.

Bai Zhi didn’t say a word for the rest of the journey. Bad wolf, he shouldn’t talk to him too much!

When they arrived at Xie Minghong’s villa, Xie Yuzhan thoughtfully opened the car door for him. Looking at the tall, elegant CEO Xie, the dark eyes hidden behind his glasses revealed a complex mix of emotions in the dim night.

There was a rare gentleness, along with a lot of deep, dark complexity.

He tilted his head, showing a soft, non-aggressive smile. He remained seated and extended his hand toward the person by the car door.

Hurry up!

This was a perfect opportunity to showcase their harmonious relationship as a couple. Uncle, Aunt, and cousin were all watching. If not now, when?