Chapter 31: A Bucket of Popcorn, Cola with Ice
Chapter 31: Chapter 31: A Bucket of Popcorn, Cola with Ice
In Chi Xinyue’s room.
She was lying on her back on her bed, holding her phone high with both hands, staring repeatedly at the cheesy pickup line Zhang Yan had just sent. Her cheeks were a deep pink, practically broadcasting a young girl’s secret thoughts. Her eyes held a trace of shyness, a hint of joy, and something indiscernible.
She recalled their first meeting. She had initially taken an interest in Zhang Yan, her senior, when she accidentally overheard him sitting behind her, uttering a line that was two parts goofy, two parts domineering, and six parts confident:
"I’m sorry for interacting with you all as an ordinary person at Provincial University all this time. But since we’ve graduated now, I won’t pretend anymore. I’m laying my cards on the table—I’m actually a super-rich second-generation heir."
At the time, while she had smiled in amusement, she faintly felt in her heart that this person didn’t seem to be joking. When she took the initiative to turn around and greet him, seeing his handsome face filled with inexplicable confidence and ease, her heart skipped a fierce beat. At that moment, he seemed to be the center of the world, confident that he could control everything.
Chi Xinyue had approached Zhang Yan with an ulterior motive. This slightly flattering mindset also opened up her own emotional defenses to a certain extent, causing her feelings for him to grow rapidly. They had only met a few times, chatted in private, and gone on just one date, but she knew she was already in love.
She had experienced this feeling once before during her ignorant and youthful high school days, but back then, due to her inferiority complex, it had remained an unrequited crush that eventually amounted to nothing. Therefore, she knew very well what this feeling was.
She wondered if she, having approached him with such an ulterior motive, even had the right to talk about love.
Chi Xinyue’s bright, joyful eyes dimmed significantly. She liked everything about Zhang Yan: his handsome appearance, his interesting personality... and of course, his extravagant wealth.
Thus, Chi Xinyue looked down on herself a little. She wondered if she truly liked him, or if she only liked the wealthy version of him simply because he could help her. Biting her lower lip hard, she fell silent.
***
At 7:50 PM, in front of the Qinda Cinema.
"Senior! Over here, over here!" The junior spotted Zhang Yan from a distance and waved happily.
Today, Chi Xinyue was wearing a white off-the-shoulder top that fully displayed her beautiful shoulder lines and delicate collarbones. The hem of the top featured a perfectly cropped design that exposed her navel, highlighting her proud Small Waist. For her lower half, she was still wearing those low-rise blue denim hot pants, but this time her legs were bare, lacking a bit of charm but adding a touch of youthful vitality.
Under the envious gazes of passersby, Zhang Yan walked straight to Chi Xinyue’s side. The two exchanged enthusiastic greetings and walked inside shoulder to shoulder.
"How long have you been here? Didn’t we agree to meet at eight o’clock?" he asked.
"I haven’t been here for long! It’s just that I thought if I arrived early, I might be able to see you a little sooner, Senior. I just couldn’t wait! See, my wish came true now, didn’t it!"
Zhang Yan cast a slightly surprised glance at the junior, whose eyes were darting everywhere except in his direction. In their previous interactions, although she had been proactive, he could still sense a push-and-pull dynamic. She never gave a completely certain answer, always trying her best to maintain an ambiguous atmosphere. He wondered what kind of change had occurred in her heart for her to be so forward right off the bat today.
However, this change was exactly what Zhang Yan wanted, as he was just about to accelerate his conquest of the junior. "What a coincidence, I was thinking the exact same thing. It seems our minds are in sync."
Hearing his reply, the junior smiled sweetly, her hands clasping together behind her back, causing certain curves to thrust forward even more prominently.
The closer they got to the cinema, the denser the crowd became. Although it wasn’t quite at the point of being packed shoulder-to-shoulder, Zhang Yan still considerately guarded the junior’s side. One of his hands naturally rested on her smooth, fragrant shoulder, gently pulling her toward him.
The junior’s body only stiffened slightly at first, but then she leaned in, yielding to his strength without resistance. A fresh, faint fragrance wafted over, and her bouncing hair occasionally drifted against Zhang Yan’s neck, tickling him.
"We’ll have a popcorn and two colas. Do you want ice in yours?" Zhang Yan naturally looked at the junior and asked. Upon receiving a positive reply, he added to the cashier, "Both colas with ice."
As everyone knows, when watching a movie with a girl, buying popcorn is a must. Moreover, you must buy exactly one bucket; any more or less would ruin the mood. As for asking the extra question about whether to add ice to the cola—those who know, know.
It was time for ticket checking, and the crowd surged toward the entrance. To prevent them from being separated, Zhang Yan took the opportunity to hold the junior’s hand. It was soft and slightly cool.
Perhaps because *Welcome to My Side* was premiering today, the junior hadn’t been able to book good seats. In the end, they sat down in the corner of the back row.
"Senior, when I bought the tickets, these were the only two adjacent seats left. The viewing experience might not be very good, I’m really sorry," she said apologetically.
Zhang Yan smiled faintly. "It’s fine. Whenever the view on the screen is bad, I’ll just look at you a few times to make up for it."
The junior was actually overthinking it. When a normal guy and girl go out for a movie date, who actually watches the movie? The lights had already dimmed, so Zhang Yan didn’t clearly see whether she blushed at his response.
Soon, the movie began. Zhang Yan placed the popcorn on the armrest between them. The two took turns reaching for the crispy, sweet popcorn in an orderly manner, but inevitably, their rhythm occasionally faltered, causing their hands to unavoidably brush against each other. Every time they touched, the junior would react as if jolted by electricity, withdrawing her hand to avoid him for a moment.
Although just now when entering the venue, Xiaoxiao had held the junior’s hand for a short distance, the meaning of their current touches was different. It was like the difference between being pressed against him in a packed bus versus being pressed against him while walking alone on a wide, empty path.
After a few more bites, Zhang Yan noticed that the junior was too shy to reach out for more. He looked at the nearly empty popcorn bucket, his mind spinning rapidly for a moment.
"Junior, my hand accidentally touched something dirty just now, so I can’t eat anymore. You go ahead and eat."
"Oh, oh, okay."
But after taking a few bites, the junior noticed that Zhang Yan subconsciously reached out to grab a handful of popcorn several times, only to give up, probably because his hands weren’t clean.
After hesitating for a moment, she stretched out her slender fingers, grabbed a small handful of popcorn, and brought it to Zhang Yan’s mouth.
"Senior, say ahh~"
The corners of Zhang Yan’s mouth curled up slightly as he opened his mouth and ate the popcorn.
After a few bites, perhaps because it was too dark to see clearly, or perhaps because their coordination was poor, Zhang Yan took a rather large bite.
He took the junior’s fingers into his mouth along with the popcorn.
He even gave them a lick.