As the taxi moved along, Jiang Xueli sat stiffly, her face flushed as she stared out the window.
She looked really nervous—probably because this was her first official date. Her small hands were tightly clasped together.
But while it was technically their first date, it wasn’t the first ti she and Lin Zhengran had hung out alone.
Lin Zhengran glanced at her tense posture and wondered—was she like this because it had been too long since they last went out together?
The taxi didn’t head all the way to the city center, as it was too far. Instead, it stopped at a large mall on the outskirts.
This place was always lively, with plenty of entertainnt and shopping options. And since it was still the National Day holiday—even though it was the last day—there were still lots of people coming and going, including many couples.
It was bustling.
Lin Zhengran asked Jiang Xueli what she wanted for breakfast.
Jiang Xueli looked around and spotted a fast-food restaurant nearby. After thinking for a mont, she said, “A burger?”
“Let’s go!”
As they walked into the restaurant, Jiang Xueli suddenly suggested, “I’ll order!”
Lin Zhengran didn’t object.
But just as he was about to watch her place the order, Jiang Xueli panicked and pushed him toward the seating area. “Go sit down! No need to watch , just go and rest!”
“You don’t need to carry the food?”
“No, no! If I can’t carry it all, I’ll call you! Hurry and find a seat before they’re all taken.”
After Lin Zhengran left, Jiang Xueli lowered her voice and asked the cashier, “Do you have any… couple’s al deals?”
The cashier, a cheerful young woman, nodded. “Yes! We recently launched two couple’s al options. Here, take a look.”
She slid a nu across the counter and pointed to the section with the couple’s als.
Jiang Xueli looked at the first option: two burgers, two chicken wraps, two sodas, and a choice of snacks.
She frowned.
How was this a couple’s al?
It was just a regular two-person al with a heart symbol slapped on it.
Did these people even understand why couples bought special al deals?!
Just as she was ntally complaining, the cashier added, “If you choose the first set, you’ll also get a free heart-shaped toy!”
Jiang Xueli flashed her small tiger teeth in a grin but imdiately refused. “I’ll check the other one.”
What am I, a kid?!
The second option included four burgers, six chicken wraps, one extra-large couple’s drink, and four snack items. The highlight of this set was the straw—it was one of those trendy online designs, where two straws rged into one in the middle.
The mont Jiang Xueli saw it, she was tempted.
But… this set was more than twice the price of the first one.
She sighed. It wasn’t that burger places didn’t know how to do business—it was that they were too good at it.
Damn capitalists!
“Does the second set co with any freebies?” she asked.
“Nope~” The cashier smiled, showing a row of neat teeth.
“But the first one does?”
“Yep! Fewer people buy the cheaper one, so we include a toy to encourage sales.”
Jiang Xueli didn’t know what to say.
But as she thought about that straw, her face turned red. “Fine… I’ll take the second set.”
“Alright! Please wait a mont.”
A short while later, Lin Zhengran was stunned to see Jiang Xueli carrying an entire tray loaded with food—burgers, chicken wraps, snacks, and a huge cup of milk.
His eyes widened. “Did you skip dinner last night?”
Jiang Xueli blinked. “No, I ate.”
Lin Zhengran recalled that she had ssaged him last night about her dinner, so he knew she wasn’t lying.
“Then why’d you order so much? Can you even finish all this in the morning?”
Jiang Xueli, being her usual tsundere self, wasn’t great at lying. Her face turned red as she placed the tray on the table and pretended to be clueless.
“I… I didn’t realize it’d be this much. I just saw a set al and ordered it without looking closely. It’s fine! I’ll eat more so it doesn’t go to waste.”
Before sitting down, she discreetly removed the two-in-one couple’s straw from the drink. It would’ve been too obvious if she left it in.
“Um… Zhengran,” she said, trying to sound casual. “I only just noticed the straw after I ordered… It’s one of those couple’s ones… So, if you want so, um…”
Lin Zhengran had already seen her sneakily hide the straw earlier, so he knew exactly what was going on.
He smirked and deliberately teased her. “I’m not thirsty. You drink it.”
“Huh?!”
Jiang Xueli was horrified.
Then what was the point of her buying this ridiculously big drink?! What was the point of this couple’s al?!
But she still stubbornly said, “O-okay… I’ll drink it myself then.”
She plugged in the straw—two separate tips but a shared middle section—and sipped her drink with a pout. She then unwrapped a burger and took a few bites, looking like a defeated puppy.
Lin Zhengran took a bite of a chicken wrap and shook his head. “Actually… I’m kind of thirsty. Can I have so?”
“You’re thirsty?!”
Jiang Xueli’s eyes lit up. She put down her burger and excitedly handed him the drink.
“Here! Drink from the other straw!”
Lin Zhengran took it and drank a couple of big gulps.
Jiang Xueli stared at his moving Adam’s apple, her gaze fixed.
Even though they were using separate tips, the middle section was the sa…
And she had already drunk from it before…
D-does this count as an indirect kiss?!
Her face grew even redder.
Lin Zhengran handed the drink back. “If you can’t finish all the food, we can just pack it up.”
Jiang Xueli took it, her voice full of suppressed excitent. “Okay.”
She smiled. “But don’t worry, Zhengran. I’m still really hungry—I probably won’t leave much behind.”
With that, she eagerly gulped more of the drink and chomped down on her burger.
Her appetite had returned.
Half an hour later, thanks to her enthusiastic eating, there wasn’t much left—just one burger and two chicken wraps. Though, to be fair, Lin Zhengran had eaten nearly half of it himself.
Still, Jiang Xueli was stuffed.
She clutched her stomach. “Ugh… I ate too much.”
After breakfast, they sat at the table and checked the showtis for the romance movie.
But there weren’t any morning screenings. The first one was at 10:30 AM.
It made sense—most film festivals wouldn’t schedule romance movies first thing in the morning. After all, couples wouldn’t wake up early just to watch one.
Jiang Xueli saw the timing and asked, “There’s no morning screening… so what do we do now?”
She already knew this in advance. She had checked last night.
This whole conversation was an act—a ploy to extend their date.
Today’s Jiang Xueli was full of sches.
But Lin Zhengran casually replied, “If that movie’s not available, let’s watch sothing else. How about this one? It says it’s a groundbreaking Chinese animated film.”
Even after two lifetis, Lin Zhengran still enjoyed entertainnt. He was still a sixteen-year-old boy, after all.
Jiang Xueli liked animated films too.
But… if they watched this, would they still watch the 10:30 romance movie?
She didn’t dare ask, since she had offered to pay today, and her money only covered one movie.
Plus, Zhengran had already suggested it himself.
“Okay,” she agreed. “Hey, Zhengran, doesn’t this tagline sound familiar? I feel like I’ve seen it before…”
“Who knows? Maybe they’ve had multiple ‘groundbreaking’ monts.”
They bought their tickets and headed for the entrance.
As they handed their tickets over, the ticket girl suddenly asked, “Excuse , are you two a couple?”
Jiang Xueli’s body stiffened. She looked at Lin Zhengran.
Lin Zhengran nodded.
Jiang Xueli bead. “Yes! We’re a couple!”
The ticket girl smiled. “We have a promotion for couples today! If you touch each other’s noses, you get a free bucket of popcorn.”
Jiang Xueli’s heart pounded.
“Really? But… w-we have to do it here?” She turned to Lin Zhengran and pretended to hesitate.
“Zhengran, do you think it’d be embarrassing? But if we don’t do it, we’d be losing free popcorn…”
Lin Zhengran pointed to a sign nearby.
Jiang Xueli looked over and saw that the promotion started at 10:30 AM—right when the romance movie was scheduled to begin.
The ticket girl added, “This event only starts at 10:30, so if you’d like, you can co back later for another movie.”
Jiang Xueli’s expression fell instantly.
Then why even ntion it?!
What was the point of bringing this up when she definitely wouldn’t be able to watch the 10:30 movie? She didn’t even have money left!
Lin Zhengran noticed her sulky expression, a small smile playing on his lips.
He had his own plans.
The ticket girl asked again, “Would you two like to buy popcorn and drinks?”
Since they had just eaten, they both declined.
After getting their tickets checked, they entered the theater.
As they approached the screening room, Jiang Xueli suddenly marveled, “Wow, so this is what the inside of a movie theater looks like! It’s so dark.”
Lin Zhengran was confused. “You’ve never been to one before?”
Jiang Xueli shook her head matter-of-factly.
“Nope. Who would I go with? My parents are always busy, and I usually have singing practice. I don’t really have close friends… It’s just you… I an, I only know you. Have you been here before?”
Lin Zhengran found her response ridiculous. Was this girl experiencing mory loss?
“You forgot? I took you to the movies last ti. You wouldn’t stop complaining about how you fell asleep and missed the whole thing.”
“Oh, right!”
She suddenly rembered.
She had literally spent days whining about how she fell asleep and missed the ending—so how did she forget this?
But then…
“I really don’t rember much about that movie,” she muttered blankly. “I just rember watching it with you… and then falling asleep.”
Lin Zhengran thought for a mont. “Probably because you were too tired. You were half-asleep the whole ti. Maybe you were even sleepwalking.”
“Emmm… That’s possible. But this ti, I’m gonna pay attention!”
She clenched her tiny fists determinedly.
They pushed open the door.
Darkness.
Jiang Xueli hesitated. “Zhengran… It’s so dark. How do we find our seats?”
Lin Zhengran reached for her hand.
“Just follow . Your eyes will adjust soon.”
His warm hand clasped hers.
In the darkness, Jiang Xueli could barely process what was happening. Her heart pounded wildly.
She stared at their barely visible hands, her face burning as she let him lead her to their seats.
Lin Zhengran checked the seat numbers before letting go. “Here.”
Jiang Xueli was amazed.
“How did you find it so fast? It’s so dark!”
“It’s not that dark anymore. Haven’t you noticed? You can see now.”
She looked around. He was right—her vision had adjusted. “Oh! Did they turn on so small lights?”
Lin Zhengran smirked. “See? You really don’t study enough. Your eyes just adapted.”
Jiang Xueli sat down, still marveling. “I know that, but it’s still kinda cool.”
She really did seem like it was her first ti in a theater.
They sat side by side.
Jiang Xueli glanced around. Besides a couple sitting far away, the theater was almost empty.
“Not a lot of people…”
“We ca too early. But hey, it’s like we rented out the whole place—pretty nice, right?”
Since she had never properly been to a movie theater, everything felt new to Jiang Xueli.
Everything except… the armrest between them.
Why did they design this thing? It kept people apart.
Wait.
Had this armrest been here last ti?
She swore it wasn’t.
Lin Zhengran noticed her confusion and demonstrated, “It moves.”
He lifted the armrest up.
Jiang Xueli was shocked.
“Wait, what?! This thing can move? I was just thinking—how do couples even watch movies comfortably with this thing in the way?!”
Lin Zhengran turned to the screen. “The movie’s starting. Focus.”
Jiang Xueli followed his gaze, thinking, Even if it’s not a romance movie… it’s still the first—no, the second—ti I’m watching a movie with Zhengran!
This ti, she was determined—she wouldn’t fall asleep!
And maybe, just maybe…
Her cheeks flushed.
She rembered how he held her hand when they walked in.
Would he… do it again?
His hands were so big and warm…
Stay awake. Hold hands.
The movie began.
Three minutes later.
Jiang Xueli’s eyelids started fighting each other.
Her head tilted slightly… and soon, she was fast asleep, leaning against Lin Zhengran’s shoulder.
Lin Zhengran wasn’t surprised at all.
He had already guessed this would happen.
Even though she had been energetic in the morning, anyone who pulled an all-nighter looked different from soone who had a full night’s sleep.
She might have been fine while walking, but after stuffing herself with food? No chance.
And with the comfy theater seats?
She was dood.
In fact, this was exactly why Lin Zhengran picked this early morning movie—not to watch it, but so this twin-ponytailed idiot could take a nap.
That way, she’d be well-rested for the 10:30 AM romance movie.
As Jiang Xueli slept peacefully beside him, Lin Zhengran glanced at her face.
He had always thought she was the cutest of the three of them.
He Qing was playful, but not exactly cute—she was more like a mischievous gremlin.
Jiang Xueli, though, was all chaotic energy.
She looked different from when they were kids, but so things never changed—like the way she bounced when she was happy, or the way she’d turn her head away stubbornly whenever she got shy.
Watching her always made Lin Zhengran smile.
The movie ended.
Outside the theater, Jiang Xueli stood in a daze.
“…Where am I?”
Lin Zhengran crossed his arms. “The theater entrance. The movie’s over. Not that you watched it—you fell asleep.”
Jiang Xueli froze.
Slowly, she turned to him.
“…Over? I fell asleep?”
Lin Zhengran laughed. “I’m guessing you barely slept last night?”
Jiang Xueli clutched her head in despair. Why. Why. WHY.
“I fell asleep again?! That’s two dates completely wasted! What was I even doing?!”
She sniffled dramatically, wiping away imaginary tears.
Lin Zhengran started walking. “Co on, let’s walk around for a bit.”
Jiang Xueli sighed and reluctantly followed.
Despite her frustration, the nap had cleared her mind.
They strolled down the lively streets outside the mall.
Jiang Xueli looked around and suddenly realized—it had been so long since she had aimlessly wandered around with Lin Zhengran.
Back in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade, they were always together.
Every day.
They ate together. Went to school together. Left school together.
For three whole years.
At the ti, she never thought much about it.
But now…
She could barely rember all the little monts they had shared.
Lin Zhengran spoke. “The last ti I wandered around with you like this must’ve been… a long ti ago.”
Jiang Xueli looked up at him, her ponytails bouncing with each step.
“Yeah. Ever since we started middle school, we’ve never gone out alone together… Not since He Qing joined us. It’s always been the three of us.”
Lin Zhengran smirked. “You’ve really changed. You’re prettier now… and a lot calr.”
Jiang Xueli blushed furiously.
She shyly murmured, “…Do you think being with is fun?”
Lin Zhengran t her gaze.
“…Yeah. I do.”
Jiang Xueli bead, and in that mont, she knew—
She was madly, hopelessly in love with him.
And then—
Lin Zhengran pulled out two movie tickets.
“For the 10:30 AM romance movie.”
Jiang Xueli gasped.
“…You planned this?!”
Lin Zhengran smiled. “So, wanna go?”
Jiang Xueli grinned.
“You big idiot—of course I do!”
Hand in hand, they rushed back to the theater.
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