“The new movie is out recently, Yi Bao! Do you want to go see it together?”
“A movie? Not really interested.”
Busy studying every day, Xu Xintong hadn’t paid much attention to recent events.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t be like that.”
“If you’re not going, ask Ruoxi if she wants to go.”
“I want to ask her out.”
“Huh?”
So that was her game plan.
Xu Xintong really couldn’t bear to watch this hopeless romantic.
Although Xu Xintong wore an expression of utter speechlessness, Chen Linming knew she would definitely help out.
Fine, seeing it through to the end it is.
Ye Ruoxi, do you have time this Saturday? As in tomorrow.
As soon as class ended, Xu Xintong walked over to Ye Ruoxi’s desk, biting the bullet and stepping up.
“You want to ask me out?”
Ye Ruoxi couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the girl in front of her. She started by asking her out, but she looked extremely shy and deeply reluctant.
“Ah, no, no.”
“It’s my friend, Chen Linming.”
“The girl who played with you at the amusement park last time.”
“She wants to ask you to a movie. If you’re busy, I can just tell her.”
Xu Xintong rushed through her explanation, failing to notice Ye Ruoxi’s slightly amused expression.
Nong Wanshi… Is this who you’ve set your sights on?
Quite interesting, actually.
Can she catch Uncle Nong’s attention?
“Um, if you really don’t want to go, just refuse.”
Xu Xintong muttered under her breath, feeling like Ye Ruoxi was pondering something, likely figuring out how to turn her down.
“No, I’ll go.”
“Saturday, right? I’ll message her and let her know I’m going.”
Ye Ruoxi was also quite interested in the girl who had stayed with her at the amusement park. She was an Alpha, too.
“Achoo!”
Who is talking about me?
Chen Linming rubbed her nose and looked out the window.
There weren’t many green leaves left on the trees. The maple leaves blown down by the wind were swept away, taking the dust with them.
It’s already autumn. No wonder the weather has turned a bit colder.
I wonder if Yi Bao helped me ask.
“Ding.”
A message notification came in.
Chen Linming checked her phone the second class ended, and right on cue, Ye Ruoxi had sent her a message.
“Ouch, yes!”
Great, time to figure out what to wear tomorrow. Blue or white? What color would she like best?
Her thoughts drifted away, leaving a silly smile plastered across her face.
“Yi Bao, Yi Bao!”
“Yi Bao.”
Hearing Chen Linming shouting for her from afar, Xu Xintong just wanted to keep her head down and walk fast.
“Don’t rush off, Yi Bao.”
“I still need to thank you.”
“Hehe, thanks a lot! Ruoxi agreed to go to the movies with me, haha.”
Chen Linming was thrilled, but she was still agonizing over one thing.
“However.”
“It’s just, Yi Bao, actually.”
Seeing her like this, Xu Xintong knew she had another favor to ask.
She hadn’t even settled the score yet; clearly, the two of them had each other’s contact information.
Why make her make a fool of herself by asking on her behalf? It was so embarrassing.
“Spit it out if you have something to say.”
“Hehe.”
“I’m a bit, uh, do you think.”
“Xu, so this is where you are.”
Suddenly, a female voice interrupted what Chen Linming was about to say.
Ou Yue walked over cheerfully, a playful look in her eyes as she glanced at Xu Xintong.
Chen Linming didn’t know why Ou Yue had wandered over, but she just thought of a brilliant idea.
“Ou Yue, you’ve come at the perfect time.”
“Do you want to come to the movies with us tomorrow?”
“Huh?”
Xu Xintong and Ou Yue spoke in unison, their gazes locking in mid-air.
“Sure! I was actually looking to go out and have some fun this Saturday.”
Ou Yue agreed instantly. Since it was “us,” Xu Xintong must be going too.
“Let’s settle on that, then.”
“That makes four of us now, hehe.”
Looking at Chen Linming’s innocent expression, Xu Xintong didn’t even know what to say to her.
This girl was just worried she’d get bored playing by herself.
Xu Xintong shook her head, letting out a sigh.
Wait, this girl found someone she liked and completely forgot about her friends!
Only thinking about sticking close to her crush. She’s a lost cause!
“Xu, aren’t you going?”
“Oh, ah, no, I’m going, I’m going.”
“See you tomorrow, then. I’m heading back.”
“Ah, okay.”
Ou Yue watched Xu Xintong walk away before remembering why she had come to find her in the first place.
No rush, though. There’s still plenty of time.
Although they agreed on one o’clock in the afternoon, someone had woken up super early just to try on clothes.
“Is this one a bit too mature?”
“This one looks a bit too cute.”
“What about this one, also not quite right.”
Chen Linming muttered to herself for ages, wondering if she should ask Xu Xintong for her opinion.
Then she remembered Xu Xintong probably wasn’t even awake yet at this hour.
Never mind. Asking her is still worse than picking it myself.
The breeze outside the window was gentle. The autumn air always brought an inexplicable sense of calm.
Xu Xintong rubbed her tired eyes. In her past life, weekends meant no work, but now she had to hustle on Saturdays and Sundays.
Such a hard life.
“Yi Bao, time to eat.”
Xu Xintong rushed downstairs. Her stomach had already been emptied out by all that hateful knowledge and urgently needed a refill.
As she ate, Xu Xintong pondered some of the concepts Nong Wanshi had explained to her last time.
Without Nong Wanshi’s tutoring, Xu Xintong had no idea how long it would take her to grasp these concepts that she barely understood in her past life.
From the bottom of her heart, she felt deeply grateful to Nong Wanshi, as well as full of admiration.
Every confusing problem seemed to automatically dissolve and become clear and simple in front of her.
“Oh no! I’m supposed to go to the movies today!”
Xu Xintong hurried to her closet and frantically grabbed an outfit to put on.
If she hadn’t just glanced at the clock, she would have completely forgotten about Chen Linming’s movie outing.
“Driver, to Vidi Plaza.”
Phew, taking a taxi got her there in about ten minutes.
She definitely didn’t want to show up to an awkward situation where everyone else was already gathered and waiting solely on her.
Chen Linming was overly excited, arriving half an hour early and sitting around out of boredom.
She wasn’t looking at her phone, wasn’t looking at anyone else, just spacing out.
Mainly, she was a bit nervous, though she couldn’t explain why.
It wasn’t like it was her first time hanging out.
This feeling was identical to the time she spent alone with Ye Ruoxi at the amusement park.
What on earth is wrong with me?
“Slap!”
A sudden tap on the shoulder startled Chen Linming, who shot an annoyed glare at the person behind her.
“What’s wrong? What are you daydreaming about?”
“Thinking about how you actually managed not to be late.”
Noticing the faint aura of murder in Chen Linming’s tone, Xu Xintong chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.
“Alright, relax.”
“Huh?”
Chen Linming hadn’t expected Xu Xintong to read right through her nervousness, her face turning slightly red.
“No way.”
“Hahahaha, look at how nervous you are.”
It had been so long since Xu Xintong had seen such a childish Chen Linming. It really brought back memories.
Xu Xintong knew when to quit while she was ahead.
Right on cue, Ye Ruoxi and Ou Yue arrived as well. With everyone present, Chen Linming immediately handed out the tickets.
Oh my, hiding a little secret, are we?
That’s right, taking advantage of the moment, Chen Linming passed the ticket for the seat immediately to her right to the person dressed in a light, elegant white dress.
The plain white dress set off skin as flawless as delicate porcelain, giving off an icy, untouchable fragility.
Chen Linming stared in a daze until Xu Xintong patted her on the back.
This girl is really, sigh, beauty can really trip a person up.
Xu Xintong shook her head repeatedly. She was definitely not like that.
The movie started, and the audience watched quietly.
Chen Linming casually placed her milk tea in the cup holder to her right and began watching the film intently.
She had been looking forward to this movie, and she was watching it with someone she wanted to see it with.
The other three were also engrossed in the plot, sharing the emotions and breathing right alongside the characters on screen.
She had to admit, this movie was really good. It felt almost like she was watching it for the second time.
The last time she watched it was with Nong Wanshi.
As she watched, Xu Xintong’s mind drifted back to the movie she’d shared with Nong Wanshi, and she spaced out.
“Ah.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Chen Linming’s head was still turned toward the screen, and when she reached out to grab her milk tea, she never expected her hand to collide with Ye Ruoxi’s.
Just that single touch sent Chen Linming into a panic.
She was an Alpha; how could she casually touch an Omega?
Flustered, she rushed to apologize, making Ye Ruoxi look exceptionally poised by comparison.
Ye Ruoxi hadn’t minded in the first place, as accidental touches were no big deal, but looking at this flustered person apologizing so smoothly, she looked just like a puppy that knew it did something wrong.
And she seemed to have forgotten that she’d already crossed the line and held her hand last time.
“It’s fine.”
Ye Ruoxi didn’t want to dwell on it either, turning her head back to continue watching the movie.
Chen Linming remained trapped in self-blame, missing most of the second half of the movie.
Meanwhile, Ou Yue kept stealing glances at Xu Xintong throughout the film.
She really was gorgeous, not in a conventional way, but carrying that dashing, heroic aura.
Yet Ou Yue constantly felt that staring was impolite, so she forced herself to look away and quietly focus back on the screen.
Each of the four girls harbored their own thoughts, but eventually, the movie came to an end.
Afterward, the four of them went shopping together, a procession of girls buying things all along the way.
The final stop was dinner. They picked a hot pot restaurant; with the weather turning cold, nothing beat something hot and spicy.
“Ou Yue, do you really like Xu Xintong?”
Ye Ruoxi smiled as she looked at the girl across the table, her gaze entirely free of hostility.
“Huh?”
True enough, after spending a whole day together, even a fool would have picked up on her intentions.
Except for Xu Xintong herself, of course.
“Yeah.”
“Oh.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Ye Ruoxi just smiled, leaving Ou Yue completely baffled.
“Then you.”
Before Ou Yue could ask what was on her mind, Chen Linming and Xu Xintong returned.
Taking advantage of the brief moment when the other two had stepped away, Ye Ruoxi had confirmed her suspicions.
Thinking of a certain someone, a sly smile crept across her face.
How should she embellish the story when she got back? She really wanted to see what kind of reaction Miss Nong would have.
“You guys should take a Polaroid together! It’s a free shop promotion.”
The clerk greeted them warmly. After all, who doesn’t like pretty girls?
They snapped a Polaroid that everyone was satisfied with and even received small complimentary gifts.
Happy times flew by, and partings are always filled with reluctance.
Everyone had a great time, but it was time to say goodbye.
Their directions didn’t quite line up, so after exchanging goodbyes, Xu Xintong boarded the car heading home.
Back home, she saw Chen Linming’s social media post.
And a message sent directly to her.
“Yi Bao, you should post it too.”
Xu Xintong casually posted it as well, just a simple Polaroid photo, nothing more.
Chen Linming was the first to like it, and a faint smile touched the corner of Xu Xintong’s mouth.
Exhausted from the day out, Xu Xintong desperately wanted to rest.
Yet once she lay down, she couldn’t fall asleep. She wanted to chat with Diudiu for a bit.
Only, Diudiu was unreachable, seemingly back in sleep mode.
Her heart felt hollow, a strange, unsettled feeling washing over her.
She really was acting like a child.
Standing by the window, staring at the photo starkly glowing on her phone screen, Nong Wanshi felt a strange sense of dissonance.
Why am I paying attention to her?
She’s just a chess piece.
That person is the girl from before.
Nong Wanshi’s eyes unconsciously drifted to the clean-looking girl next to her. Her expression remained neutral, making her look rather proper and serious.
She tapped the like button, exited Xu Xintong’s profile, and locked her phone screen entirely.
What on earth am I caring about?
Lately, her interactions with Xu Xintong had grown increasingly frequent, not just the daily tutoring, but imperceptibly, their relationship seemed to be shifting.
Nong Wanshi didn’t want to waste time on this. She was just an Alpha used to test her father.
Perhaps she still had utility.
Nong Wanshi comforted herself inwardly.
She would not be swayed by emotions.
“Tick-tock.”
“System updating.”
Hearing the voice in her mind, Xu Xintong immediately tried to call out to Diudiu.
“Diudiu, are you there?”
“Yi Bao, I’m here. It’s just that the system here seems to have a few glitches that need correcting.”
“That’s great, you’re finally back!”
Xu Xintong was thrilled. Finally, someone to talk to, she’d recently come up with an idea and was just fretting over needing Diudiu’s help.
Looking up at the sky, she recalled how she used to search the night sky every evening, trying to find the unique star representing her father.
She silently made a wish, hoping for a smooth, worry-free life and peace in all things.
At last, the wish had been granted. In this lifetime…
She wasn’t lacking in sentiment; rather, she had been forced to cast aside the vulnerable soft spots of sentimentality during her growth, donning an armor of toughness.
This time, she would claim both as her own, allowing her to become the person she truly wanted to be.