Chapter 29

Jiang Nian obviously wasn't going to do homework—life is short, seize the joy.

In Xu Qianqian's room, across the hall from the Xu family.

One sat at the desk playing with her phone, the other lay on the bed playing with his phone—each occupied in their own way, silently in sync, a long-standing tradition.

After all, under the elders' watchful eyes, nothing felt natural.

Pull out your phone, and your parents start shaking their heads; if anyone says, "All you do is play, all day long on your phone," the conversation instantly shifts from family gossip to how phones ruin lives.

"Any good movies out lately?" Xu Qianqian suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Couple tickets are discounted—you're free anyway."

Jiang Nian's chest tightened with indignation, his pride slightly chilled—wait, since when am I just a discount tool for your movie tickets? I'm tall, handsome, and your dad!

"What if I already have a girlfriend?"

"You?"

Holy shit, one word delivered a ton of damage. The last time he'd heard such a devastating word was last time—originally… crow… man.

"True or not?" Jiang Nian sighed. "I don't have a girlfriend. Women ruined me—lie down and all I think about is women: Hu Shang Auntie, Nai Xue's Tea."

"So, are you coming or not?" Xu Qianqian was exasperated.

She thought: if only his personality weren't so abstract, maybe he'd actually find someone. But judging by now, his condition seemed worse than ever.

Used to be mischievous, now he's into abstract nonsense—the kid's probably got lung heat.

Jiang Nian wasn't really eager to watch a movie, hesitating. After all, pretending to be a couple wasn't as fun as imagined—Xu Qianqian would stare coldly the whole time.

Ding! 【At thirty-eight, you've won your first battle against weight loss. Half a month ago, you had a pleasant conversation with your childhood friend—officially begin your dating invitation.】

Task: Complete a pleasant date with Xu Qianqian. Reward: 30,000 RMB.

Looking at the system's pop-up message, Jiang Nian suddenly felt strange—like he was simulating his thirty-eight-year-old self through his eighteen-year-old self.

More accurately, simulating another life path's version of himself, making a comeback at thirty-eight.

At least now, when the system started, Jiang Nian already knew his fate line. Forget other things—he'd never compromise on marriage, never marry a trash woman.

Even more extreme: marriage? Who gets married once they've got money?

Just take the big reward and be a bastard.

Seeing him stay silent for so long, Xu Qianqian pouted and turned away.

"Fine, don't go then."

"Huh? Who said we're not going?" Jiang Nian suddenly became flustered, acting all flirty. "Do you think… this counts as a date?"

In the past, Xu Qianqian would've kicked him—stop acting up.

"Date? Pfft!" Xu Qianqian shot up, cheeks slightly flushed. "Are you coming or not? If not, I'll find someone else."

"Alright, same old rule—you buy snacks, I buy tickets." Jiang Nian dropped his smug act. "I'll sneak the e-bike key from home, wait for me by your stairwell."

As he turned to leave, she called out to stop him.

"Hey, I'll buy both the snacks and tickets," Xu Qianqian said suddenly. "You can treat me next time—you've got no money right now. My dad just gave me my allowance."

"How dare you assume I'm broke?" he turned back.

"My dad said you gave all your earnings to Li Yi for an emergency—probably nothing left," she said slowly, eyes lowered. "He told me to occasionally help you out, so you don't starve."

In truth, Director Xu had never said anything about helping him—he knew their relationship was terrible—but this lie wouldn't be exposed anyway.

"Fine, you pay then," said Jiang Nian, who had 17,000 RMB to his name.

Living off a woman's money has nothing to do with how much you have.

Back home.

Three adults were still chatting in the living room, talking about work and daily life, occasionally sighing about five or six years ago—the atmosphere was heavy.

Old Xu had never really recovered since Xu Qianqian's mother passed away.

He slipped home quietly, passing the living room just as Old Xu removed his rimless glasses. He turned to look at him, eyes still half-closed.

"Xiao Nian's back?" He forced a smile—unnatural, strained, a mask of grief twisted into something stiff.

"Yeah, I'm grabbing the e-bike key to take Xu Qianqian out to play with classmates," he said, wisely invoking Xu Qianqian as his shield.

Sure enough, Li Hongmei swallowed the words she'd been about to say.

"The key's on the table in (your dad's and my) room. Don't stay out too late."

"Mm."

Jiang Nian took the key and walked through the living room, barely catching fragments of hushed words. He didn't want to listen more, so he quickened his pace.

He couldn't understand Old Xu's heartache, only felt a pang of regret. For some reason, a line popped into his mind—probably because of the memory bread.

"In the courtyard stands a loquat tree, planted by my wife in the year she died—now it stands tall, its canopy spread wide."

He shook his head, clearing the chaotic thoughts. By the time he reached the stairwell, he'd shaken off the mood. He waited a while—Xu Qianqian still hadn't come.

Holy crap, even the dance girl's costume change takes less time than this.

After a long while, Xu Qianqian came down, wearing a light green dress. The girl before him had her hair tied simply in a ponytail, fine and soft.

Her face hadn't fully matured yet—like all southern girls, her cheeks were pale and smooth, her chin slightly pointed, brows like distant mountains, her chest full and rounded.

Her face looked pure and fresh, yet her figure was unexpectedly curvaceous.

Xu Qianqian felt guilty—she didn't even know why she'd changed into a dress. It was just a movie. Jiang Nian wasn't even anyone special.

Yet she'd done it anyway, nervous and uneasy.

"Why so long?" he asked, eyes lingering on her.

"Oh, I accidentally got my clothes wet washing my face, so I changed," she said, offering a flimsy excuse—she could've just said she changed clothes.

"Changing clothes takes this long? Did you spend forever putting in those insoles?"

The word "insoles" shattered her anticipation. She clenched her teeth, forcing a smile. "You're young—your eyes aren't useful enough to stir-fry a dish."

"Didn't expect you to have such heavy taste, Xu Qianqian."

"......."

There were only two cinemas in Zhennan County, one in the south and one in the north, both attached to shopping malls.

The two of them biked to the southern one; there were still twenty minutes before the show started. Xu Qianqian went to the snack shop outside the mall to buy snacks, while Jiang Nian handled parking.

Plenty of people were watching movies during the National Day window; ticket checks didn't inspect bags, and loads of people brought their own snacks.

The two met up at the manual ticket counter—couple tickets had to be bought on-site. Halfway through the line, Xu Qianqian's face suddenly went terrified, and she tugged at Jiang Nian's clothes.

"What?" Jiang Nian was playing on his phone.

Xu Qianqian's voice trembled. "Look up ahead—couples have to kiss."