Chapter 30

"Jiang Nian, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Are you counting with your hands?"

"Get lost!"

Xu Qianqian, furious and embarrassed, "We're at a critical moment—stop acting crazy and think of a solution!"

"Look, the first couple's already making out—holy shit, they're even drooling." Jiang Nian stared in shock, "In broad daylight, so bold—definitely college students."

As soon as he spoke, the two college couples ahead turned around.

Bam—Xu Qianqian slapped her forehead.

"You've got lung heat—someone told you to find a solution, not give a live commentary."

"What I mean is… the theater's rule says kissing gets a 40% discount, but it never says you have to tongue-kiss." Jiang Nian, channeling Detective Conan, "The first couple definitely has some weird kinks."

"Who asked you that!" Xu Qianqian was about to explode.

"Think of it this way—just lip contact should be enough, right?" He looked at Xu Qianqian and slowly brought two fingers toward his lips to demonstrate, "Just like this…"

"Ugh!"

"Ugh!"

Both gagged simultaneously, wiping imaginary saliva from their mouths.

Some things can be done with the lights off, or in secret—but in public, especially with an audience watching, just imagining it made them want to gag.

"Is this movie really that essential to watch?" Xu Qianqian said.

"I second that," Jiang Nian raised his hand, "Let's go back—the fridge still has watermelon."

"No!" Xu Qianqian gritted her teeth, uttering the timeless truth: "We came all this way—I bought snacks already—we can't turn back now!"

"Chì chù."

The two exchanged glances, leaned in, and began whispering.

"No tongue." She said.

"No bringing up the past." He said.

They spoke in unison, "After today, we erase the memory—anyone who mentions it is a puppy."

After reaching consensus, they calmly joined the queue.

Xu Qianqian frowned, 【He's definitely going to stick his tongue out and then deny it—I know him too well. I'd rather trust a dog than Jiang Nian.】

【She's definitely going to dredge up the past—100% guaranteed.】 Jiang Nian stared at the floor, thinking, 【Xu Qianqian is a fickle woman.】

Their eyes met again; Xu Qianqian spoke first.

"Forty percent off saves over thirty yuan."

"Yeah, almost half the ticket price—basically free." Jiang Nian agreed, "Thirty yuan can buy a lot of snacks—it's like our snacks are free."

Two novices appeared to have reached agreement, both wearing expressions of casual indifference.

Xu Qianqian pursed her lips, 【Ha, caught you out immediately—so eager to answer. You really want to kiss, don't you? Little rookie guy—you're dying to stick your tongue out!】

Jiang Nian glanced back at the line behind them, 【Something strange is afoot—Xu Qianqian's willing to kiss me for thirty yuan? She's definitely planning to bring up the past.】

【Since I'm going to get the past dredged up anyway, I might as well stick my tongue out—at least I get my money's worth.】

【He's definitely going to stick his tongue out—so I'll just bring up the past. Then I can threaten him not to tell anyone, and make him do chores for me.】

Only one couple remained ahead; they kissed openly in front of the staff. The guy even seemed reluctant to stop, wiping his lips.

Already? Xu Qianqian froze!

Her mental preparation, flimsier than paper walls, had crumbled—she'd thought of it as just being kissed by a dog. But now, facing it in public…

Though the couple's theater was far from the general crowd, everyone behind them were young couples.

But… that kind of thing…

Jiang Nian was just as panicked, wrestling with whether to stick his tongue out. Before he could decide, the staff's blank gaze turned toward them.

Watching Jiang Nian approach, Xu Qianqian's mind went blank.

Pata—she twisted open the white lid of the Xixi Le jelly. The sound vanished into the cinema's audio surge; the lights flickered with the movie's shifting glow.

Jiang Nian tasted the jelly's texture, thinking: it feels just like it, just like it.

This National Day film's tickets sold out; occupancy was around sixty percent. Looking down from above, the entire theater was nearly full of couples.

He turned to look at Xu Qianqian beside him; her eyelashes fluttered slightly, ignoring his gaze entirely.

"This movie's pretty good."

He started forcing small talk, but it fell flat. Xu Qianqian sat beside him, staring intently at the screen, focused and serious—as if she'd forgotten everything that just happened.

"You just…" Jiang Nian's voice had barely begun when Xu Qianqian shot him a murderous glare.

"So what do you want to say?" She glared at him.

"Nothing. It's just… weird, don't you think?" Jiang Nian leaned close, whispering in her ear, warm breath pulsing against her skin, "What about you?"

"No feeling at all. If I have to describe it—it's like being bitten by a dog…" Xu Qianqian tilted her head; her pupils reflected the sudden flash of light from the screen.

Jiang Nian fell silent, instantly losing interest in asking.

Like hanging halfway up and suddenly stopping—ask why your neck itches, scratch it, then hang again.

So fucking abstract.

"Bitten by a dog"? What kind of description is that? Come on, sis—you're really that clueless!

Until the movie ended, Jiang Nian remained listless. He'd watched it, but remembered nothing.

The soundtrack was decent—he often listened to the diva singer Pei Muchan.

After the post-credits scene, the theater lights blazed on; the two joined a flood of couples exiting. Time: 11:30 PM. Both phones buzzed with incoming calls.

In this small county, streets were empty after 10 PM. At this hour, even passing cars were rare. But with National Day holiday, the bustle stretched an hour later.

Beside the supermarket, dim yellow streetlights filtered through sparse leaves, casting mottled shadows.

Jiang Nian steadied his electric scooter and called his mother back.

"Mm, she's right beside me."

After saying that, he handed the phone to Xu Qianqian. "Here, say hi to your grandma."

Xu Qianqian punched him, took the phone, and replied, "Mm-hmm, Li Yi, we'll be back in a bit. Jiang Nian? Oh, no, he didn't go to an internet cafe."

After hanging up, Jiang Nian patted the back seat of his little lamb electric scooter, still looking as lazy and loose as ever.

"What are you spacing out for? Get on, let's go home."

"Oh."

The little lamb cut through the dry, hot night breeze of late summer, rolling straight along the county city's main road.

Jiang Nian rode along, a little absent-minded. On second thought, this probably counted as a mission failure—after all, Xu Qianqian hadn't exactly seemed overjoyed.

He stopped at a traffic light intersection, waiting for the red light to let them through.

"Xu Qianqian, did you have fun today?" He was grasping at straws, asking without even turning his head.

Xu Qianqian on the back seat grew a little flustered at his words, staring at his straight, clean nape.

"Why are you asking that?"

"Nothing, just asking casually." Jiang Nian said, "Showing some concern for my dim-witted friend, raising my moral standards."

"Not happy. What's there to be happy about? Next time I won't ask you."

Ding—a system panel popped up.

【Mission: Complete one pleasant date with Xu Qianqian. Reward: 30,000 RMB (Completed).】