So when the two of them walked out of the cinema after the movie, their expressions were both hard to describe.
Because the movie had absolutely no atmosphere, Lin Xiu’s plans in the dark theater had all ended in failure.
He cleared his throat and spoke.
“Well, it’s still early. Let’s keep walking around.”
Liu Yun nodded at his words. She didn’t even realize how natural she’d become, compared to how shy and hesitant she’d been when she first went out dressed as a woman.
As they walked past a row of claw machines in the mall, each one filled with fluffy plush toys, looking irresistibly cute, Liu Yun’s gaze paused for a moment.
Lin Xiu, sharp as ever, caught her lingering look. He stopped and said,
“Sis Yun, let’s play this.”
Liu Yun was stunned for a second, then snorted softly.
“This is kids’ stuff. I’m not interested.”
Lin Xiu couldn’t help but laugh at her response.
“Sis Yun, you’re so young and beautiful—why insist on lumping yourself in with the middle-aged?”
Liu Yun fell silent at those words. Only then did she realize she was already thirty-two. If her life were to be a short one, she’d already passed the halfway mark.
She hadn’t thought much about it before, but now she found herself a little emotional…
But the boy gave her no chance for sentimentality. Lin Xiu pulled Liu Yun directly to a claw machine filled with Pikachus, scanned the code to pay, and prepared to show off his skills.
“Sis Yun, watch me grab a whole pile for you.”
With that, the boy focused intently, controlling the joystick with confidence. The sight left Liu Yun in a bit of a daze.
Was this guy so skilled because he’d won toys for a lot of girls before?
For some reason, the thought made Liu Yun feel a twinge of annoyance, but she quickly caught herself. What did it matter to her which girl he’d helped win toys for?
As Liu Yun’s thoughts ran wild, the boy suddenly let out a miserable wail and complained,
“Sis Yun, let’s forget it. This thing is just a money pit—there’s no way to actually win anything.”
He’d just spent ten tries in a row and failed every time. Not a single Pikachu.
Seeing how embarrassed and indignant he looked, Liu Yun couldn’t help but freeze, then burst out laughing without hesitation.
“Hahahahaha…”
Lin Xiu saw this and black lines appeared on his forehead. He said helplessly,
“Is it really that funny?”
Liu Yun nodded seriously, then nudged him aside and said,
“Alright, move over. Let me show you how it’s done.”
Lin Xiu raised an eyebrow.
“Sis Yun, you’re good at this?”
Liu Yun puffed out her chest and said with confidence,
“Of course! Back in the day, I was the claw machine queen of our whole neighborhood.”
As she spoke, Liu Yun also scanned the code for ten tries. But with the boy watching her so intently, she felt nowhere near as confident as she looked.
Honestly, Liu Yun wasn’t that good at this. When she’d been a teenage boy, she had helped some girls win toys, but her success rate had been rather dismal.
Now, memories faded like smoke—there was no going back to those years, not in terms of age, at least…
The only reason she’d boasted just now was because Lin Xiu had failed so badly that she got carried away.
But now, having said so much, there was no turning back. If she didn’t win a single toy, that guy would definitely mock her for it.
“Sis Yun, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Seeing Liu Yun stand motionless for a while, Lin Xiu squinted at her suspiciously and teased.
Liu Yun gritted her teeth and glared at him.
“Don’t rush me, don’t rush me! The master needs peace and quiet.”
With that, Liu Yun started to work the joystick, eyes locked on the claw, silently chanting in her heart: Get it, get it, get it…
Then, as the claw went up and down, something unexpected happened—a yellow Pikachu fell right into the prize bin.
Both of them were stunned for a moment, but Liu Yun was the first to react. Instantly, she puffed out her curvy chest like a proud peacock and announced triumphantly,
“See? I told you I’m a claw machine queen!”
She pulled out the Pikachu and stuffed it into the boy’s arms, delighted.
Seeing her so happy, Lin Xiu curled his lips into a smile and said gently,
“Yes, yes, Sis Yun, you’re amazing. Use up the rest of the tries—no need to waste them.”
Liu Yun nodded, her confidence swelling.
What happened next more than lived up to her confidence—or perhaps her luck was simply outrageous.
With the nine remaining tries, Liu Yun caught nine more Pikachus!
Now Lin Xiu was holding a pile of Pikachus, looking completely dumbfounded. Was he really just that bad at this? Not even able to catch one?
But at the same time, Liu Yun was equally shocked. Was she really this good at claw machines? Catching every single time?
“Sis Yun, are we really going to take all these Pikachus home?”
Lin Xiu struggled to hold the mountain of Pikachus, accidentally dropping one. When he bent down to pick it up, even more tumbled from his arms.
Liu Yun picked one up, smiled lightly, and said,
“I don’t want them anyway—I’m not a kid.”
Just then, a little girl walking by saw the Pikachus in Liu Yun and Lin Xiu’s arms, her eyes full of envy.
“Auntie, big brother, you’re amazing! You actually caught so many toys!”
Liu Yun froze at her words. Auntie? And Lin Xiu gets called big brother? Hmph, this kid really isn’t cute…
Still, she crouched down in front of the little girl and said,
“Do you want this toy? If you do, I can give it to you.”
The little girl’s eyes lit up, though she hesitated.
“Really, Auntie?”
Liu Yun’s lips curled into a smile, and she nodded.
“Of course. But you have to call me big sister.”
The little girl, clearly won over by the Pikachu, immediately called out sweetly,
“Big sister!”
Liu Yun, satisfied, patted her little head and handed her the Pikachu.
Watching the girl walk away, Lin Xiu teased,
“Sis Yun, seems you still want to be young. Don’t pretend to be so old-fashioned anymore.”
At this, Liu Yun’s beautiful eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed red.
“Mind your own business!”
Ahhhh, what was she even doing just now?
Does it really matter if it’s auntie or big sister? After all, she was really a man—why should she care about any of this…