After coming out of the restaurant, Zhou Xiaqing and Chen Jinshan walked to the nearby shopping mall.
The distance wasn’t far; they arrived in less than ten minutes.
The movie theater was on the basement level of the mall.
Perhaps because the foot traffic near Financial Street was low, even on a weekend, there weren’t many people here to watch movies.
Every current showing for each movie had many unsold empty seats.
After browsing around on her phone, Zhou Xiaqing closed the ticketing app and let out a long breath.
Fortunately, there weren’t many people.
The seats she had chosen were also in the very back, keeping some distance from others.
Otherwise, she would truly be worried about affecting other people when she officially made her move.
Chen Jinshan walked over from the concession stand, carrying an absolutely massive bucket of popcorn in his arms and holding a cup of cola in each hand.
He placed the items on the table, sat down, and asked her, “When did you start liking popcorn? How come I didn’t know?”
“People’s tastes change,” Zhou Xiaqing said.
In reality, just like before, she still felt indifferent about popcorn; if it were up to her, she definitely wouldn’t have bought it.
But in order to create an opportunity for physical contact with him, in order to successfully seduce him, in order to sleep with him, and in order to study more efficiently, what was eating a little popcorn?
“Have you decided what movie to watch?” Chen Jinshan asked again.
“I’ve already bought the tickets.” She had bought them last night.
“Which movie?”
“I didn’t know which one to watch, so I just picked one at random.”
It wasn’t at random.
It was a foreign romantic film she had meticulously selected after gathering reviews of all the recently released movies over the past two days.
The overall atmosphere of the film was steamy and intimate.
The chemistry between the male and female leads was off the charts; even their eye contact was so intense it could draw strings, and their kisses were both restrained and heart-fluttering.
If she wanted to have some subtle, barely-there physical contact with Chen Jinshan, watching this kind of movie was the absolute perfect choice.
“Is it this one?”
Chen Jinshan pointed to the life-size cardboard cutout in front of the theater.
It featured the classic scene from the movie where the male and female leads fell in love at first sight and smiled at each other.
“I think so,” Zhou Xiaqing replied evasively.
Afraid he might ask something more, she quickly stood up. “It’s about to start. I’ll go print the tickets.”
Chen Jinshan watched her retreating back, deep in thought.
He immediately did a quick search on his phone: [How to hold hands with the girl you like at the movie theater?]
As the movie started, the two of them walked through the pitch-black aisle and sat down in the middle seats of the very last row.
The popcorn was placed between them.
Scene after scene transitioned on the big screen.
It had been half an hour since the movie started, and Zhou Xiaqing figured it was about time.
Catching Chen Jinshan reaching for popcorn in her peripheral vision, she seemingly casually reached out her little wicked paw with an ulterior motive.
Right at the moment their fingers were about to touch, as if suddenly remembering something, Chen Jinshan put down the popcorn and lifted his hand, causing her paw to grasp at thin air.
He even took out a wet wipe and wiped his hands, making it look like he wasn’t planning on eating anymore.
The scene before her had deviated from her expectations once again.
Zhou Xiaqing was frantically anxious inside, but she maintained a normal tone on the surface: “Chen Jinshan, why aren’t you eating anymore?”
“Popcorn is high in calories; I can’t eat too much,” Chen Jinshan said with complete seriousness.
Nonsense.
It was obviously because he felt there were crumbs on his hands, and he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable when they held hands.
How on earth was he supposed to hold hands with Zhou Xiaqing naturally?
He racked his brains trying to figure it out.
What kind of garbage was the internet teaching him?
His brain was working in overdrive, and as his gaze landed on the wet wipe in his hand, he suddenly had an idea.
“Zhou Xiaqing,” he called her in a lowered voice, a hint of anticipation in his tone. “Do you want to wipe your hands?”
If she said yes, he would naturally take the wet wipe and wipe them for her.
If she didn’t refuse, he would push his thick skin to the absolute limit and, pretending as if nothing were happening, slowly take her hand in his.
“No thanks, I still want to eat popcorn,” Zhou Xiaqing replied, urging him instead. “You should eat a little more too.”
“I’m not eating anymore, and you shouldn’t either. Wipe your hands,” Chen Jinshan coaxed, equally harboring ulterior motives.
Zhou Xiaqing was already frustrated because things weren’t developing as she expected.
Hearing his words now, they took on a completely different meaning in her ears, and she couldn’t help but get a little angry: “Is my eating popcorn bothering you?”
“Please, go ahead,” he said in a helpless tone.
His plan falling through, Chen Jinshan stuffed the wet wipe into his pocket.
Looking like a dejected puppy with drooping ears, his movements were sluggish, and he didn’t even have the mood to watch the movie anymore.
He wracked his brain thinking of other methods, and before he knew it, he had finished his entire cup of cola.
Beside him, Zhou Xiaqing was equally depressed and frustrated.
She had already reached the third step of the strategy guide; how could there still be no results whatsoever?
The Chen Jinshan who opposed her at every turn.
The Chen Jinshan who refused to fall into her trap.
The unromantic Chen Jinshan.
She hated Chen Jinshan.
On the big screen, the female lead was currently feeding the male lead a blueberry.
Zhou Xiaqing’s eyes lit up as she was struck with inspiration.
Time was of the essence.
Although she felt this action was a bit too abrupt and intimate, she steeled her heart, pinched a piece of popcorn, and reached her hand toward Chen Jinshan.
Her little paw was eager to try, but before it could even get near his mouth, as if deliberately contradicting her, he suddenly stood up and whispered, “I’m going to the restroom for a bit.”
After saying that, he hurried away.
Zhou Xiaqing tossed the pitiful piece of popcorn back into the bucket, so angry that she chugged her cola like a madwoman to vent her frustration.
Walking down the aisle, Chen Jinshan inexplicably felt a chill down his spine.
He instinctively glanced back, but the lighting was too dim for him to see anything clearly.
He had already drank quite a bit of water during lunch, and coupled with the fact that he had just downed his entire cola in one go, all he could think about was going to the restroom.
He completely failed to notice the hand that had stealthily reached over from beside him.
When he returned, he noticed that Zhou Xiaqing had also stopped eating popcorn.
Still fixated on taking the opportunity to hold her hand, he refused to give up and asked again, “Done eating? Do you want to wipe your hands?”
“I already wiped them myself.” In a foul mood, Zhou Xiaqing shot him a sidelong glance, her tone icy. “It’s just wiping my hands; there’s no need for you to keep reminding me.”
“I didn’t mean anything else by saying that,” Chen Jinshan explained unhurriedly.
“Watch the movie. Stop talking.” An impatient tone.
Obediently, Chen Jinshan made a gesture of zipping his mouth shut.
Zhou Xiaqing turned her head away and inconspicuously shifted to the very edge of her seat, trying her best to put some distance between them.
Even though it was only a mere distance of five centimeters.
He turned his head to look at her huffing in anger, his heart melting with tenderness as the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curve upwards.
Zhou Xiaqing was adorable no matter what.
When she was angry, she looked just like a tsundere puppy turning its back to him, refusing to look back, all fluffy and explosively cute.