"We volunteer!!" i i squeaked.
The words were barely out of her mouth when she was dragged to join others that were standing at the front, behind tables that had boxes of different Pocky stick varieties.
Jingzhe chose the cookies and cream variety. He had a few hidden pictures of her eating that type of pocky when she was in school. He knew all her favorite flavors. Cookies and cream, milk chocolate, crunchy strawberry, premium almond milk and almond crush.
i i was giggly and embarrassed, but the encouragent of the crowd made her tough it out. Puppy eyed Jingzhe was looking at her with a begging hopeful aura. If she said no, the system woul just turn it into a mission.
"May the crunchiest lovers win." The host declared.
They had ten sticks and two minutes. Jingzhe was determined to win. He whispered to i i, "Stay still and I will co to you."
She nodded.
The host started the countdown, "Three, two, one....chomp."
What followed was a steady quick inching--nose to nose, breath fogging and lips brushing. Jingzhe was very serious about the competition, he did not laugh even once. The man was pocky competition robot!! The host was loving them, narrating their progress like a sports comntator.
The crowd was cheering them on and laughing at other couples were approaching the task with slow inching and breaking off quickly due to laughing or blushing.
"We are entering the last ten seconds." The host announced.
The crowd started counting down. Jingzhe and i i were on their last Pocky stick, with only two centiters left.
"And.....ti up." The host declared.
The crowd erupted, but which couple they were applauding was still a myth and judgent had not been passed.
The judges, two representatives of the Pocky manufacturing company stepped forward, one with a ruler and the other a tape asure. Very dramatically, they started to asure what was left of every couples sticks. The couples were holding hands, nervous like this was a real sports competition and gold dals would be awarded at the end.
When they got to i i and Jingzhe’s side, they were left amazed.
"1.2 centiters for all ten sticks!!" The host roared. "Even the judges are baffled by this couple."
The crowd applauded as the judges held up the tiny biscuit remnants which were almost imasurable.
"We have our winners ladies and gentlen." The host declared.
Soone threw flowers at their table as the plushies were brought over and handed to the couple. What followed was a small photo op and then the competition was restarted with calls of new couples.
i i and Jingzhe laughed for at least five minutes.
"I cannot believe that we just did that!" She exclaid. Hugging the soft stick shaped plushie she squealed.
Jingzhe held up his own pocky plushie and he nodded. "It was worth it."
The plushies were two colors, chocolate brown up and yellow on the bottom. In the chocolate brown area was a perfect smile and two eyes which added cuteness to the plushies.
He got his phone and shared the pictures which one of his bodyguards had been taking of them during the competition.
The pictures were ant to be shared with his inner circle of friends only, but lately that circle had grown to included mbers of i i’s family.
Two seconds after he posted the pictures, they made their way to the family chat group.
i i received a notification and she saw them, which made her sigh. "You realize that a certain soone is going to confiscate these as soon as we return ho." The certain soone was none other than Jun Mingzhu, conqueror of all plushies in the houses.
Most of them were currently sitting in her tea house and she had daily etings with them. The green alien man was the bodyguard that was responsible for keeping other plushie thieves away and he was always stationed in one of the windows.
Mingzhe had given Mingzhu a toy gun and it was also placed by the window next to the green alien man as his weapon.
"I will talk to her." Jingzhe said.
i i laughed skeptically. There would be no talking, if the plushies were not surrendered, they would et the sa fate as interrogation bear.
"Or, I will just buy her one of her own." He changed his decision when he detected the sarcasm in her laugh.
i i received a text. The notification was one which was set to Mingzhu’s texts and calls. Her daughter had sent a text.
[Mommy I love you.]
"Oh boy." i i mumbled. She looked at Jingzhe and shook her head. "You just had to show off. The plushie bandit has seen it and now she is texting I love you. That is code for ’make the right decision’"
Jingzhe laughed in response first. "Why do you always make our sweet Mingzhu sound like so kid of scary ninja in the dark waiting to take you out."
"Because she is." i i whispered and emphasized her words.
She even looked around just in case Mingzhu popped out of the crowd with a gun like a bank robber and said, "Hand over the plushie if you know what’s good for you. Don’t be smart lady, it is not worth your life."
"You are picturing her as a bank robber, aren’t you?" Jingzhe nudged her shoulder as he asked.
She gasped. "How did you know?"
He shrugged. "Because you call her the plushie bandit. Also, you are looking around as if you are expecting to be jumped by thieves at any mont. I have already asked my assistant to purchase Mingzhu her own Pocky plushie even if he has to contact the company directly or find a toy maker to do it. I will make thousands of them if it will make the two of you live in peace."
i i yawned. In the distance, the clock chid, sharing the current ti which was 8:00 p.m.
"Should we go ho?" He asked her.
i i yawned. Sohow, they had spent four hours at the amusent park and yet they had not taken a single ride.
Mingzhu sent another text declaring her love. This ti, she added a video of herself making finger hearts and sending very loud air kisses.
i i shuddered. "We are going to need bullet proof vests before entering the house."
Reviews
All reviews (0)