The pedestrian street next to Walmart was pretty crowded for a weekend.
Most of the people there were young men and women from the nearby universities, friends joking around, couples whispering as they held hands.
Bai Yao never imagined she’d become one of them, clinging to someone’s arm like a girl, her cheeks flushed with a shyness she couldn’t shake off.
She’d always disliked places like this, bustling and lively, especially when she was alone and had to watch others walk by in groups.
But today, she was in a great mood, her steps almost bouncing as she walked.
“Do you want to try the fish balls?”
Bai Yao barely said much normally, but she always talked more around Qiu Ye.
“You want them, don’t you? If you want them, just buy some.”
Qiu Ye led Bai Yao over to the fish ball stand.
“One small order, please.”
He automatically pulled out his phone to scan the payment code, but Bai Yao had already scanned hers first.
“I’ll pay. How much is it?”
Bai Yao asked.
She still wasn’t used to letting Qiu Ye always pick up the tab.
“Ten yuan. You don’t have to. You’re always the one spending…”
“Isn’t this exactly what my mom’s love fund is for?”
“Love fund?”
Bai Yao realized then that Qiu Ye had already had his eye on her back then.
But she hadn’t noticed at all, thinking he was just making up an excuse to ask for money.
Qiu Ye switched his phone to the front camera and took a photo of the two of them together.
“Let me take a few more. I’ll send them to my mom and get a bit more money out of her.”
“Huh? Don’t. I don’t look good.”
Bai Yao didn’t like taking photos, thinking she wasn’t photogenic and looked ugly in them.
“You look great, though. Don’t worry, I’ll add some beauty filters. That works, right?”
She stood on her tiptoes to look at his screen.
The filter smoothed away her freckles and made her skin look better.
It was actually decent.
“Fine, I guess?”
Qiu Ye sent the group photo to his family, ready to fleece them for money.
Meanwhile, Bai Yao was eyeing the System for its rewards.
They were on a date now, after all.
Wasn’t the System going to offer anything?
And she was even wearing cross-dressing clothes!
The fish balls were ready.
“Thanks.”
Bai Yao took the fish balls and immediately stabbed one with a toothpick, popping it into her mouth.
Yeah, it really tasted awful.
It felt like a starch ball, a gooey paste coating her entire mouth.
She pressed her lips together awkwardly.
She wasn’t picky about food, but something that bad still ruined her mood.
She didn’t want to waste it, though.
Ten yuan, after all!
Bai Yao looked up at Qiu Ye.
If she thought it was bad, he definitely wouldn’t eat it either.
That guy had a picky palate.
“That bad?”
“Yeah.”
“Give it to me then.”
Qiu Ye took the fish balls without hesitation, then complained.
“Yeah, it’s terrible. How do they have the nerve to charge ten yuan? Eating these is worse than just throwing them away.”
“Better not waste them?”
Qiu Ye grinned and teased her.
“Save the money. We’ll use it for our house later.”
“That’s true~”
Their families could at most cover a down payment, so if the two of them saved up more, they’d have more breathing room with the future mortgage.
Bai Yao really hated being in debt.
She remembered that future where that Chinyu bought an apartment with a down payment, then lost her job and got crushed by the monthly payments.
She felt sorry for her.
But now, she was actually looking forward to the idea of buying a home with Qiu Ye, paying the monthly installments together.
Working hard, earning money, buying a place that belonged to the two of them, decorating it just the way they liked…
Just thinking about it felt amazing!
“I want an elevator apartment with a private entry, and it has to be the top floor. It’s quieter.”
“That’s pretty expensive, right? I’ve heard top floors can leak.”
“We’ll earn the money together~ And even if it leaks, what’s the problem? It’s still better than dealing with noisy neighbors upstairs.”
“I have over three thousand right now.”
Bai Yao glanced at her bank information, feeling satisfied and almost giddy about it.
“Where did you get that much money?”
“I earned it by seducing you during menstruation. And then there’s my living expenses. One hundred for every time my heart fluttered.”
The two of them ate and strolled along.
With Bai Yao leading the way, Qiu Ye started to look forward to their future home together.
“We should make an e-sports room, so we can game together easily.”
“Right, right. I also want to install a projector in the bedroom, a hundred-inch screen. At night, we can watch TV or lie in bed and play games with a controller. It’ll be so great.”
“Let’s get a cat and a dog too? I’ll handle walking the dog.”
“I like short-legged cats.”
“Sure. Then I want a border collie. I heard they’re really smart, smarter than you.”
Bai Yao jabbed Qiu Ye with her elbow, annoyed.
From one end of the pedestrian street to the other, Bai Yao’s eyes went wide taking everything in, and she’d accumulated several more snacks in her hands.
“This soft serve is pretty good.”
Bai Yao was going to suggest Qiu Ye buy one to try, but he just bent down and took a huge bite of the remaining cone in her hand, grinning at her with that smug, irritating look.
She turned her head away, her cheeks faintly pink.
“You’re not grossed out, since I already licked it?”
“Huh?”
“It tastes even better now!”
“Are you a pervert or something?”
Qiu Ye had expected Bai Yao to hit him in a huff, but she was just embarrassed instead.
She was so soft and gentle, so cute~
It was about time to head to the movie theater.
Qiu Ye bought another soft serve and handed it to Bai Yao.
“Want me to grab two bottles of Coke? And some fries and popcorn at the theater?”
“Sure, whatever.”
The cinema was on the top floor of the mall.
They entered the mall from the pedestrian street, found the elevator, and within a few minutes, they were at the theater.
Qiu Ye picked up the tickets, bought the combo bucket of fries and popcorn, and by then, it was just about time to line up for entry.
“So many people.”
The ticketing gate was packed.
Bai Yao didn’t like crowds, so she followed behind Qiu Ye and murmured quietly.
“I’m not going to get lost.”
“Then hold onto me so you don’t get lost.”
That’s what he said, but it wasn’t like I was a kid.
Still, she held the combo bucket in one hand and grabbed the hem of Qiu Ye’s shirt with the other.
Being treated and looked after like a child felt pretty nice, too~
If given the choice, who would really want to grow up and become someone who had to handle everything alone?
Of course, being independent once in a while was still pretty rewarding!
[Going to the movies on a date is the right choice! Especially during a romance, when the mood gets intimate, it makes people crave a kiss~]
[Steal Qiu Ye’s first kiss during the movie! Cash reward: one hundred!]
Huh~
Bai Yao just realized they were watching a romantic comedy.
She followed Qiu Ye to the back row and sat down beside him.
After the initial rush of people split into the different screening rooms, only a handful remained in hers, quiet and peaceful.
She adjusted her seat, set down the combo bucket, then curiously leaned over to Qiu Ye’s ear, purposely breathing warm air onto his most sensitive spot as she asked:
“Qiu Ye, do you still have your first kiss?”
His ear flushed red.
“Yeah, still have it. Why?”
“No… nothing.”
Just checking whether the System’s information was accurate.
Bai Yao’s eyes flickered.
So she had to be the one to kiss Qiu Ye first to complete the task?
Just a hundred yuan…
But if it was to claim Qiu Ye’s first kiss, then whether or not the reward was there didn’t really matter, right?
Having once been a man, Bai Yao’s possessiveness was strong, too!
“Why’d you suddenly ask that?”
“How am I supposed to know you’re not lying?”
Bai Yao still couldn’t quite believe it, muttering:
“With looks like yours, you really never had a romantic relationship?”
“Seriously, I haven’t. I’m pretty picky, too, you know?”
He’d been picky all that time, and in the end, he chose Bai Yao.