After coming out, they discussed it and decided to go see a movie.
Eat, watch a movie, and finally go to a hotel.
Isn’t that the usual date routine for couples?
Jiang Ling was randomly pondering.
Having never been in a relationship, she had only heard netizens online talk about it—saying something like, on a date, the final part is the most important.
Jiang Ling didn’t understand.
She was still a kid.
Still, she subconsciously looked at Ji Qingyan, whose expression was serious as she scrolled through her phone, picking a movie to watch.
After some deliberation, they settled on a recently released romance film.
“Do you want some popcorn?”
Jiang Ling saw popcorn being sold at the ticket check-in counter, so she turned and asked Ji Qingyan.
Ji Qingyan nodded, but then added,
“Just buy one serving. I can’t finish it by myself.”
Jiang Ling didn’t overthink it.
She ordered a large popcorn and a cup of cola for herself, and a bubble tea for Ji Qingyan.
Their seats were in the back row, with Jiang Ling by the aisle.
After sitting down, she placed the popcorn on the tray table between them, then took a sip of her icy cola.
A long-lost pleasure.
So satisfying.
A while ago, Lu Yuyao had suddenly cleared out all the carbonated drinks at home.
She was trying to lose weight and said that seeing those things made her want to drink them without thinking.
So Jiang Ling had inexplicably been ordered not to drink cola or similar carbonated beverages.
Yeah, right.
As long as Lu Yuyao didn’t catch her drinking them, it was fine.
“You really like cola, huh?”
Ji Qingyan tilted her head, seeing the blissful look on Jiang Ling’s face, and asked.
“That’s pretty normal. What guy can resist an ice-cold Coca-Cola?”
“Guy?”
“But Jiang Ling, you’re a girl?”
Ji Qingyan didn’t quite understand what Jiang Ling meant.
Was she saying that her carefree personality was a lot like a boy’s?
Actually, thinking about it that way made sense.
After getting familiar with Jiang Ling, Ji Qingyan saw her always acting as she pleased, very boyish.
Compared to the people who had tried to befriend her before, Jiang Ling lacked that restraint, and it made Ji Qingyan feel comfortable.
“The movie’s starting.”
Jiang Ling had let something slip.
Seeing the screen light up, she changed the subject.
Ji Qingyan didn’t dwell on it and simply assumed Jiang Ling was joking.
Although the reputation of domestic romance films had been declining in recent years, the one Ji Qingyan had picked was decent.
Among the romance movies Jiang Ling had seen, it could rank in the top ten.
As expected of the Literature Club President’s taste—spot on.
The movie’s ending: the female lead fell into the sea, the male lead went to save her alone, and they both drowned.
That surprised Jiang Ling.
Why wasn’t it the usual happy, neatly wrapped-up ending?
Jiang Ling glanced around.
She could faintly hear sighs and sobs.
Clearly, this ending was well received.
She looked back at Ji Qingyan, who was still expressionless.
If she hadn’t noticed the crushed popcorn powder at the bottom of the bucket, she would have thought Ji Qingyan was truly an ice block.
***
Ji Hai was finally relieved.
After leaving the residential area, he had followed them all the way to the shopping plaza.
The bad boy he had imagined never appeared.
Instead, his daughter approached a girl with blonde hair, around her age.
They chatted for a bit, then headed into the mall.
Ji Hai was stunned.
This wasn’t the blonde delinquent he was looking for.
Maybe he had misunderstood.
Maybe his daughter really was just out with a friend?
Hesitating, Ji Hai decided to make sure.
He secretly followed the two until after they had eaten and he personally watched them walk into the cinema.
No one else joined them.
Only then did Ji Hai finally breathe a sigh of relief.
His perpetually stern face relaxed a little.
“Phew. I knew it. How could my daughter be attracted to some nasty blonde?”
Ji Hai said this out loud, as if the person who had been so nervous he couldn’t eat or sleep wasn’t him.
Tired from the tailing, Ji Hai sat down at the cinema entrance, rested for a bit, and then decided to leave.
If his daughter caught him, it would be hard to explain.
***
The movie ended.
After it was over, the two wandered around the mall.
Since leaving the cinema, Ji Qingyan had noticed that Jiang Ling’s gaze kept being drawn to the arcade.
This was already their fourth lap around the third floor.
“If you want to play, I can go with you.”
Ji Qingyan really didn’t want to keep walking aimlessly.
She was out to have fun, not to accompany Jiang Ling on a step-counting exercise.
Jiang Ling rubbed the tip of her nose.
She hadn’t expected Ji Qingyan to see through her.
She chuckled sheepishly.
The last time she came here with Lu Yuyao, she had wanted to go in and play.
Guys always had a strange attraction to arcades.
Even if they didn’t play, they still wanted to take a look around.
“Let’s go.”
Ji Qingyan took the initiative to grab Jiang Ling’s hand.
It was soft, smooth, like a warm, polished jade.
That was Jiang Ling’s first reaction.
Ji Qingyan pulled her into the arcade and went up to the counter.
Seeing that Ji Qingyan was about to exchange two hundred dollars’ worth of game coins, Jiang Ling quickly stopped her and said to the cashier,
“Just fifty dollars’ worth. I’ll scan to pay.”
“Is fifty dollars enough to play?”
Ji Qingyan wasn’t very familiar, but she wanted Jiang Ling to have a good time.
Jiang Ling hastily replied,
“It’s enough! There’s only the two of us. We’ll just play for a bit. Two hundred is way too much.”
“Alright.”
It was Ji Qingyan’s first time at an arcade.
Everything looked new and interesting.
In one corner, there were many devices that looked like game consoles, with seats shaped like motorcycles in front, which seemed to be motion-sensor games.
There were also shooting games and fishing games.
Ji Qingyan stopped in front of a claw machine.
This, she was familiar with.
She had played it as a child with her mother at the mall.
But the plushies inside weren’t ones she recognized.
They seemed to be a popular style these days; she had seen them in some videos.
Seeing her staring blankly at the plushies in the machine, Jiang Ling thought to herself that even girls like Ji Qingyan couldn’t resist stuffed toys.
Then she would grab a plushie and give it to Ji Qingyan.
It was perfect.
Ji Qingyan had helped her so much, and she hadn’t repaid her yet.
Jiang Ling looked it over.
This claw machine seemed to be the most expensive one here: three coins per try.
“Let me do it.”
Jiang Ling put on a fierce expression and inserted three coins.
Under Ji Qingyan’s curious gaze, she manipulated the joystick, aiming for the biggest cat plush.
Ji Qingyan owned a cat, so she would probably really like a cat plush.
Now!
The claw dropped, but it came up empty.
“Again!”
***
Half the coins were used up.
They hadn’t caught anything.
That cat plush had only moved slightly, and its smile seemed to be mocking Jiang Ling.
Dejected, Jiang Ling turned to look at Ji Qingyan.
There was clear amusement in Ji Qingyan’s eyes.
Her beautiful eyebrows curved, and she bit her lower lip as if holding back a laugh.
Being laughed at by a girl made Jiang Ling a bit annoyed.
She stepped aside.
“Then you try.”
“Alright, I’ll give it a shot. But I haven’t played in a long time.”
Finally, when only two coins remained, Ji Qingyan successfully pulled the cat plush out of the machine.
She held it up to Jiang Ling, tilting her head and smiling lightly.
Lucky.
It had to be luck.
That’s what Jiang Ling thought.
She felt a little regretful that she hadn’t caught the plush herself to give to Ji Qingyan.
If she wanted to repay her, she would have to think of another way.
Ji Qingyan seemed to be getting into the swing of things.
The two bought some more coins, and Jiang Ling accompanied her as they tried out just about every game machine in the arcade.
Ji Qingyan had gaming talent.
No matter what game it was—shooting, fishing, or racing—Jiang Ling couldn’t beat her.
That made Jiang Ling feel a bit defeated.
But at least in the basketball shooting game, Ji Qingyan lost to her.
See?
She still had something she was good at.
Jiang Ling watched Ji Qingyan, who was completely focused on the fishing game.
Ji Qingyan was serious about everything she did, even games.
Both hands were busy, utterly concentrated, and she would lift her head to look at Jiang Ling with joy whenever she caught a high-value fish.
Even though her face was expressionless, the delight in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.
When Jiang Ling praised her, she became even happier.
Was this still the cold, beautiful club president from school?
Jiang Ling suddenly felt very happy.
Maybe it was because she was infected by Ji Qingyan’s joy in playing games, or maybe it was because she saw sides of Ji Qingyan that were so different from her usual self.
In this world of books, being able to make friends with Ji Qingyan was a good thing.
In every sense of the word.