I’ll Treat You

Luo Ye sent a message to "Qin Yuwen" on QQ, but she didn't reply.

He then sent another message to Su Baizhou on WeChat, but still no response.

What's going on?

Could this be the legendary "being stood up"?

Squatting on the ground, Luo Ye stared at the chat screen, his face filled with disappointment.

But he didn't blame Qin Yuwen or Su Baizhou. After all, they were third-year students, and Su Baizhou was even the student council president. It was normal for them to be busy.

Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit down.

Suddenly, a "ding" sounded in his ear.

Luo Ye looked up to see a pink compact car with its hazard lights flashing, stopping right in front of him.

Just as he was wondering who it belonged to, a message popped up from "Love Hotpot":

"Get in the car."

Staring in surprise at the pink car, Luo Ye thought, Is this Qin Yuwen's car?

No wonder she didn't reply—she was driving.

Feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, Luo Ye hesitantly opened the passenger door.

Inside the car, there was only one person—Su Baizhou, sitting in the driver's seat.

Nervously, Luo Ye stammered, "S-Senior Su… W-Where's Senior Qin?"

"She's busy, but she didn't want to stand you up, so she asked me to come instead," Su Baizhou replied calmly.

Hearing this, Luo Ye couldn't help but give an invisible thumbs-up to Qin Yuwen in his heart.

Thank you, Senior Qin. My life is so much more exciting because of you.

(Meanwhile, somewhere in the girls' dorm, Qin Yuwen sneezed.)

Luo Ye was so nervous that he didn't even notice the most critical detail—

If Qin Yuwen wasn't in the car, then why was it "Love Hotpot" who messaged him just now?

Sitting this close to Su Baizhou, Luo Ye's mind went completely blank.

He took back what he'd thought the night before—

Love really does make people stupid.

And he wasn't even in a relationship yet—just a one-sided crush.

If I ever really date her, would I just turn into a stuttering fool in front of her every day?

Su Baizhou was wearing a khaki vintage dress today, with a touch of light makeup—just some lipstick.

Normally, she didn't wear makeup at all.

In the car, neither of them spoke, just like that day when they'd sheltered from the rain under the eaves.

Eventually, Luo Ye mustered up the courage to break the silence.

"S-Senior Su, is… is this your car?"

"Yeah, just bought it. Not expensive," she replied.

She'd worked part-time for two years during university, saving up to buy this 40,000-yuan compact car.

Being a computer science prodigy at a prestigious university, earning that much in two years wasn't difficult for her.

Su Baizhou's driving was steady. The famously aloof "Ice Queen" of Jiang University looked just like any ordinary girl when she was focused on the road, her eyes darting between the windshield and the rearview mirrors.

Seeing her like this made Luo Ye a bit nervous.

"S-Senior, are you…?"

"Yeah, I got my license last week. This is my first time driving on the road."

Luo Ye's mouth twitched.

If it weren't for the fact that it was Su Baizhou driving, he'd probably be shouting to get out of the car right now.

He'd ridden with his aunt before. That had ended in an accident. He was fine, but his aunt was in the hospital for half a month.

Since then, he'd been terrified of riding with newbie drivers.

"S-Senior Su, h-how about… I drive instead?"

Without hesitation, Su Baizhou pulled over, got out of the car, and walked around to the passenger side.

Her movements were swift and smooth, almost like she was escaping.

Luo Ye hesitated for a moment, then got out and switched seats with her.

Once she was safely buckled into the passenger seat, she casually asked, "You have a driver's license?"

"Y-Yeah, got it over the summer."

Sitting next to him, Su Baizhou's subtle fragrance was enough to make Luo Ye's heart race.

The steering wheel was slightly damp, with faint traces of sweat—probably from her nerves.

She'd been anxious the whole way from the dorm to the school gate.

No wonder she was so eager to switch seats.

Luo Ye's driving was excellent, and with Su Baizhou beside him, he somehow felt even more confident.

Following the GPS, he drove them to Jiangcheng Park.

After parking the car, he asked, "S-Senior Su, w-why are we here?"

Su Baizhou glanced at him. "It's only 3 PM. What, you want to head straight to dinner?"

Luo Ye was stunned.

Good point.

Then she added, "Do you always stutter like this?"

"No!" Luo Ye blurted out, realizing he'd been stammering the whole time.

Trying to compose himself, he explained, "I'm just nervous. It's my first time going out alone with a girl."

Su Baizhou didn't respond, but she noted his quick adjustment.

Clearly, he wasn't a stutterer—just nervous around her.

Hah, still just a boy with little experience dealing with girls.

The two of them strolled side by side through the park.

A young, attractive pair, they created a picturesque scene against the leisurely backdrop.

There was a subtle distance between them—not because Su Baizhou insisted on it, but because Luo Ye maintained it.

For him, keeping a respectful distance felt appropriate when they weren't yet close.

He didn't like the playful, roughhousing style of his friends Wang Dazui and Li Haoyang when they first met girls.

But that didn't mean their approach was wrong—just different personalities, different ways of connecting.

Luo Ye preferred to take things slow.

The more steps in the process, the stronger the bond.

In today's fast-paced world, not many people had the patience for that.

But he wasn't going to change himself just because of that.

After all, "not many" didn't mean "none."

He'd wait. Eventually, someone would be willing to take it slow with him.

The weather was beautiful today—unlike their first meeting in the rain.

Walking in the park with Su Baizhou felt like a dream come true for Luo Ye.

All thanks to Senior Qin Yuwen.

He owed her big time.

As they passed a small ice cream cart, Luo Ye asked, "S-Senior Su, do you… want some ice cream?"

The moment he asked, he regretted it.

Last night, he'd read tons of first-date tips online.

One golden rule stood out: Never ask a girl if she wants something. Just buy it for her.

But Su Baizhou didn't follow the usual script.

Raising an eyebrow, she replied, "You want some? Sure, I'll treat you."

One sentence completely threw Luo Ye off.

Without waiting for a response, Su Baizhou walked straight over to the ice cream cart.

It seemed like she wasn't very experienced with guys either—her actions were stiff and awkward, but somehow… kind of cute.