Chapter 315

On the BYD heading back.

Because they had actually been eating non-stop all afternoon, and even now Lin Li still held a bag of unfinished snacks and cold dishes, so even though it was already past six, the three of them weren't all that hungry.

That was also why the three didn't eat dinner nearby; plus, they weren't too familiar with Jinshui Town, and there really wasn't anything to do, so they chose to return to Xiling first.

"Master, driving this steadily?"

In the car, Lin Li, fidgeting restlessly, hesitated a moment before speaking to the driver in the front seat.

"Are you guys in a hurry?"

The driver glanced at Lin Li through the rearview mirror, then asked.

Sensing the two girls beside him, who had originally been lowering their heads selecting photos, lift their heads to look at him with concern and surprise at his words, Lin Li couldn't bring himself to lie with his eyes open, so he could only force an awkward laugh and shake his head:

"Not really, it's just that the ride-hailing cars I've taken before all drove as fast as possible, so suddenly driving this steadily, I'm a bit unaccustomed for the moment."

"I'm naturally different from them!" The driver immediately grew a bit smug and proud at this: "When you just hailed the car, did you see my rating? Five points! If you tap in, you can see it's all five points, not a single bad review, not a single one!

This is my reputation; the platform has even used me as a learning example twice.

Other drivers all just want to drive faster to earn more money, but I'm different. If the passenger is in a hurry and wants speed, then I naturally go all out, but if they're not in a hurry, then I let the passenger ride in comfort.

Young man, don't know if you've noticed, but every time I take a turn, I start slowing down a good long stretch in advance?

The goal is that when turning, you all can still sit steady as a rock; in the car, never mind playing on your phone, even drinking water or eating is completely unaffected, and passengers who get carsick therefore won't get too sick or simply won't get sick at all.

Two Misses, how do you feel about this speed? Is it okay?"

The driver finished speaking and looked expectantly at Chen Yuying and Ding Sihan.

"It's great, I can even edit photos with peace of mind, thanks driver, I'll definitely give you a good review later."

Ding Sihan, who felt Lin Li was just looking for something to chat about, immediately nodded at this.

And Chen Yuying blinked, turned to look at Lin Li beside her, then, with a smile, also nodded at the driver.

The joys and sorrows of humans and anthropomorphs do not connect.

Lin Li gritted his teeth and smiled.

You still ask if I noticed?

I fucking noticed alright (╬~皿~).

Damn it, I even specifically asked you because I noticed this (╬~皿~), you idiot!

Who told you to slow down on turns, BYD, huh? Answer me!

Have you ever thought that there might be some passengers in this world who just like riding in cars that throw them around inside?

Damn, how is this driver so bad.

Not thinking about drifting at turns, only thinking about slowing down; Lin Li didn't know how he played QQ Speed as a kid? How did he hold back?

Seriously suspect that when the driver played QQ Speed, no female account would be willing to marry him.

The more Lin Li thought, the angrier he got.

Holy shit, this damn car; when I open an app and a shake-ad pops up, it can't even redirect, how can it be this stable?

You're stable, but who's going to make up for the cuddling between me and Yingbao? Zhan Yapeng? He can give me an egg!

Still "all five points! Not a single bad review"?

BYD, you better be glad this car wasn't hailed with your own phone, otherwise in a couple days you'll see a sudden bad review appear and then lose your little pearls.

And you, Ding Sihan, you even go along with this talk? You really should be stripped of your human status!

What, Yingbao you nodded too? Then Ding Sihan should be stripped of her human status even more!

Of course, even though Lin Li's heart was already a thousand horses galloping, roaring non-stop, cursing the whole world, on the surface he still had to smile and raise two thumbs up:

"Too amazing, Uncle, too·am·az·ing! Didi is lucky to have recruited a driver like you!"

"Should thank the salesperson of this car instead; when I went to the offline store, the money wasn't even paid off yet, but the salesperson had already pulled me into five Didi groups, and said after work he'd hail my car to let me do my first order.

Without him I wouldn't have been able to get into this line of work so fast."

The driver waved his hand modestly.

Damn BYD, decided it; I won't be an astronaut eating jelly anymore, I'll be a transport inspector, see a BYD and inspect a BYD, especially those parked on the roadside with hazard lights on!

I'll thoroughly destroy this brand!

But Lin Li ultimately resigned himself, leaned back against the chair, tilted his head, and looked at what those two were doing.

Both were selecting from the large number of photos taken this afternoon.

"Ding Ding, every time you edit photos you're this serious, even the background has to be perfect, but your Moments is only visible for three days, what's the point of editing then?" Lin Li looked at Ding Sihan, asking with some puzzlement.

"Idiot, I can't guarantee I'll edit the same every time; if someone compares and finds out, what then? Of course it has to be three days visible." Ding Sihan cursed without even lifting her head.

Lin Li: "... Sorry."

Instantly felt it made sense.

"So, when we get back later, are we just splitting up directly, or what?" After a moment of silence, Lin Li, with nothing to do, spoke up again.

Because how long they'd play at the pet park was uncertain to begin with, the three's arrangement was to have no arrangement; what to do next was completely undecided.

"We'll get to Xiling before seven; wouldn't splitting up directly be too early? Do you two have anything going on tonight?" Ding Sihan put down her phone and crossed her arms, asking at this.

Lin Li and Chen Yuying naturally shook their heads.

"Then let me think..."

"How about we just go to the cinema near my place and watch a theatrical release? Haven't watched one in a long time; by the time it's over we'll be just about hungry, eat dinner + late-night snack, home before ten isn't too late, just right."

Ding Sihan thought for a moment at this, and quickly gave a plan.

In a small county town, without going out far, there are really just those few entertainment options, no variety.

"Sure."

"I have no objections."

Seeing the two agree, Ding Sihan temporarily halted her grand photo-editing undertaking, opened Maoyan, and started looking at recent theatrical releases.

In recent years, the quality of theatrical films has been getting worse and worse; there are very few movies worth looking forward to, the kind you can't wait to watch the moment they release.

Domestically, it can only be said to be stable; occasionally there are still films that catch the eye, but overseas... political correctness is guilty of heinous crimes.

Black Snow White, Black Mermaid — both are examples.

One can only say, the only IP Disney has left that can avoid this kind of blackwashing is "Mulan"; after all, Mulan needs to take her father's place in the army — provided she has a father.

After watching for a while, Ding Si brought the phone to Chen Yuying, who was sitting in the middle, so that both Lin Li and Chen Yuying could see the content clearly, and said:

"Feel like these few should still be watchable; I'm quite interested in this mystery film. What do you two think?"

Theaters certainly have romance films, but Ding Si knew Lin Li would fall asleep watching that stuff, so she dropped it.

"This one works for me too." Chen Yuying nodded.

"Then I'll go watch this action movie." Lin Li reached out and pointed at another movie on the phone, then looked at the two women: "After the movie ends, let's meet at the theater entrance."

"..."

"..."

The BYD fell silent for a moment; Ding Si, Chen Yuying, even the driver in the front row through the rearview mirror were all staring at Lin Li.

The three people's gazes were each different.

— The driver was looking at a dumbass with shock.

— Ding Si was looking at a dumbass speechlessly.

— Chen Yuying was looking at a dumbass cutely.

"Holy shit! Uncle! Watch the road! Watch the road! Don't look at me! You don't want to get in an accident and then have me give you a bad review, do you?!" Lin Li said anxiously.

The two of them looking at me like that is one thing, but you're the driver, watch the damn road!!

"Oh oh, sorry sorry." The driver apologized repeatedly, looked ahead, though he still glanced at Lin Li from time to time, his gaze complex.

"Alright, stop looking at me with that look, I was joking. We'll just watch the one you two picked."

Seeing Ding Si and Chen Yuying still maintaining their gazes fixed on him, Lin Li smiled and waved his hand.

As expected, wanting to learn from Hikigaya Hachiman and be a sigma male still requires paying a price.

Ding Si's home being next to the county library, the location was already quite good; all kinds of supporting facilities were very complete, and the comprehensive shopping mall with a cinema was naturally not far either.

But saving a few steps is a few steps; Ding Si still modified the destination on Didi, having the car deliver them directly to the shopping mall.

Arrived.

The whole trip was very smooth; the veteran driver was indeed steady. When getting out, Lin Li gritted his teeth and said thanks to the driver.

"Let's go buy some bubble tea." The movie tickets had already been bought in the car; checking the start time, there was still time to spare, Ding Si said.

"Okay."

"Hello, what would you like to order? There's a promotion recently — second drink half price on all items when ordering via mini-program."

Seeing the three approach, the cashier immediately introduced with a standardized smile.

"Then three cups, second cup." Lin Li said happily.

Cashier: "(；o_o)?"

"Th-that might not work."

The cashier looked at Lin Li, whose smile was innocent yet still quite handsome, and suddenly understood a truth.

People are just dumbasses.

Handsome people are just handsome dumbasses.

Chen Yuying, Ding Si: "..."

How come in just the time it took to think about what to drink, they couldn't keep an eye on this guy, and he went crazy again.

"Lin Li, what do you want to drink?" Sighing, but also used to it, Chen Yuying simply asked.

"I'm not drinking. You two order. I drink AD calcium milk, still have some left." Lin Li patted the bag he was carrying, and said to the two.

"If you can't afford it, call me Mom, I'll treat you." Ding Si said with a smile, "Married to a rich merchant, but husband is infertile. I want a child. As long as you can fulfill my dream of being a mother, heavy reward — 13 yuan."

Lin Li found it funny, laughed and pointed at Ding Si: "That's not how 'heavy reward for a child' works on those little ads, right? I already took my pants off, and you tell me you just want me to call you Mom? Fuck!"

"Really not drinking?"

"Just nothing I want to drink."

Because they understood Lin Li's personality, the two knew it was his genuine thought, so naturally they didn't insist.

Got the bubble tea, the three took the elevator up to the top-floor cinema.

Suspense murder film; gray and dark was the main tone; there were quite a few people in the theater.

Watching intently, Ding Si was patted, turned her head — it was Chen Yuying.

Seeing the scene before her clearly, understanding Chen Yuying's intention, Ding Si reached out, past Chen Yuying, and poked Lin Li from afar.

"What's wrong?" Lin Li turned his head, lowered his voice and asked caringly.

"Lin Li, I'm a little scared." Ding Si swallowed, stammering.

Lin Li was a bit surprised; a mystery investigation touching on horror is normal, but this is Ding Si we're talking about — a god-like figure who dares Wei Kun — how can she be afraid of this?

Lin Li asked doubtfully: "No way, Class Monitor and I aren't scared. What are you afraid of? What's scary about this?"

Ding Si took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and said word by word: "Then can you stop taking fucking notes?"

— Just now Chen Yuying patted her to signal her to look at Lin Li.

Then she saw Lin Li taking notes intently.

— Also, the current movie plot is the police reviewing how the killer ingeniously disposed of the body.

Never mind where Lin Li conjured paper and pen from; what the hell is he doing frantically taking notes while watching this?

Ding Si was truly scared.

"Sigh, I'm just a kid who doesn't know better, always thinking about playing—don't worry, it's not like I'm holding a grudge because you made me call you Mom, and now I'm taking notes just to find a chance to use it against you later, right? How could I possibly do something like that?"

Lin Li waved his hand, laughing as he spoke.

Ding Si Han: "..."

I feel like I'm about to die.

Fortunately, Yingbao stepped in, slapped Lin Li on the back, and directly confiscated his paper and pen.

The movie ended, fairly ordinary.

The three of them casually found a restaurant in the comprehensive center to eat.

"Yingying, how are you getting back later? Taking a taxi? It's not safe for a girl to take a taxi alone late at night, is it?" Ding Si Han asked, looking up mid-bite.

"My family's car is coming to pick me up." Chen Yuying replied with a smile.

"Then monitor, you missed the chance to have the warm-hearted Lin Li walk you home," Lin Li heard, shook his head, and sighed, "I've already sent Qu Wanqiu home several times, and I'm about to send Ding Si Han home shortly—only you don't get this honor. How pitiful, how pitiful."

"Are you supposed to accompany me in taking a taxi back, then take another taxi home yourself?"

"That's just how the warm-hearted guy is."

"Next time, for sure." Chen Yuying smiled sweetly.

"Wait, what are you going to do when you walk me home later? My place is just nearby—walking back takes only a few minutes, and the whole route is safe, wide roads. You could just go home yourself, couldn't you?" Ding Si Han frowned, puzzled.

"As I said, we warm-hearted gentlemen are just like this." Lin Li adjusted his collar slightly, feeling a bit smug, and gave Ding Si Han a gentle smile: "Hanhan, today I will definitely walk you home."

"Yue——"

"Lin Li, are you secretly in love with me?"

After vomiting, Ding Si Han clutched herself, curled into the corner of the wall, and watched Lin Li warily.

Lin Li's expression remained gentle, but his voice slightly wavered, unable to hold steady—

"2B, my bike is parked downstairs at your building. Even if your dad is waiting downstairs to pick you up today, I still want to walk you home with your dad."

Ding Si Han: "Eh?"

"Hahaha——"

Ding Si Han seems to be an M—clearly scolded, yet laughing happily.

"You should've said so earlier. Well, now I allow you to be this princess's knight." Ding Si Han raised her orchid finger.

"... Can't be bothered to retch." Lin Li also raised his middle finger in an orchid gesture.

Full and satisfied, the three settled the bill and rode the electronic escalator downstairs.

"We really had fun today~" Ding Si Han linked arms with Chen Yuying and exclaimed loudly:

"I've already started looking forward to next week—we've already agreed on it, no one's allowed to make excuses not to come, ah ah ah ah, I wish time would pass faster~~ I want to go to the night market to play~~"

Can a battle cry be used to speed up time?

I don't know, maybe it could—after all, Lin Li isn't the guy who understands battle cries.

"Mm." Chen Yuying also nodded with a smile, "I'm also very, very happy."

"I really envy you guys—being able to meet someone as great as me, being happy every day, while I can only hang out with those fox friends and dog companions."

Lin Li, walking behind, sighed upon hearing that.

"Get lost." Ding Si Han didn't turn around, flipping off the person behind her with her middle finger.

Upon hearing that, Chen Yuying looked up, locked eyes with Lin Li on the escalator, and asked: "So you're not happy today, then?"

"Hiss—well, I can't deny it, I'm still 95% happy." Lin Li thought for a moment, then said.

Aside from the clueless driver on the return trip, everything else has been pretty perfect today.

"And what about the remaining 5%?" Ding Si Han wasn't satisfied either, and turned her head.

"It's to keep you two from getting too arrogant—leaving room for improvement, hoping you'll do better next time." Lin Li said with a smile.

"Tch." Ding Si Han scoffed.

"Yingbao, where is your car parked?" Upon reaching the first floor, Ding Si Han asked.

"East gate."

"That's this way—follow me." Ding Si Han, familiar with the place, led the way, linking arms with Chen Yuying and bumping her lightly: "Another painful parting moment, Yingbao, my Yingbao~"

"We can meet tomorrow, we saw each other yesterday too—seeing you every day makes you sad over your big dam?" Lin Li joked from behind.

"You talk too much, downer guy, small mouth, shut up!"

Lin Li and Chen Yuying exchanged a glance.

Calculating from after National Day, the two have basically been seeing each other every day, with a reason to meet every Saturday, and this has lasted over a month.

"Maybe it's because I'm too sexy—even a small parting makes me tear up, can't help it." Ding Si Han rubbed her nonexistent tears and sobbed.

"Who said changing the word order in Chinese doesn't affect pronunciation or reading?" Lin Li joked back, "Just be emotional, stop talking about how sexy you are."

Walking out of the comprehensive center, not far away, a car with double flashing lights was parked.

The driver was a Chen family driver Lin Li had seen before, not Chen Zhongping.

"Monitor, see you tomorrow."

Watching Chen Yuying open the car door, Lin Li lazily said, resting his hand on the back of his head.

"Okay~"

Chen Yuying, who had already lifted one foot into the car, paused mid-motion.

"Lin Li."

She turned her head to look at Lin Li, and as she turned, her pleated skirt flared, revealing ripples of dark green.

"Eh, I'm here—what—"

The moment Chen Yuying suddenly turned back, her toe kicked up half a ginkgo leaf from the roadside.

She practically crashed into Lin Li's arms with her eyes closed, the citrus scent of her sweater collar mingling with the youthful fragrance unique to a young girl, rustling down and diffusing as their clothes rubbed together.

"You have to be 100% happy~"

The young girl tilted her face up, her voice light as a feather, brushing across the young man's heart.

The streetlamp was bright, illuminating the crimson flush spreading from behind her ear down beneath her collar.

Then Chen Yuying fled into the back seat, her knee lightly bumping the soft rubber strip stuck to the car door with a dull thud, yet she didn't even bother to rub it.

Perhaps she urged the driver, for in a flash the taillights lit up and the vehicle gradually pulled away.

Left standing there in a daze, Lin Li still wreathed in the lingering fragrance.

Oh right, yes, there was still Ding Sihan beside him.

The two's expressions were slightly in sync, both staring blankly at the departing vehicle merging into the traffic flow.

Ding Sihan, whose gaze was still shocked, finally closed her mouth, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and licked her slightly dry lips.

She came to Lin Li's side, elbowed his kidney, and upon hearing the miserable cry beside her, Ding Sihan didn't turn her head, still watching the direction Chen Yuying had left, saying in disbelief:

"Six-six-six, Lin Li, you guys... aren't even salty anymore?"

Lin Li slowly half-squatted, elbowed Ding Sihan's kidney (he couldn't reach the kidney without half-squatting; elbowing the chest would be a bit hooliganish), and upon hearing the miserable cry beside him, also didn't turn his head, still watching the direction Chen Yuying had left, shaking his head and answering:

"I don't know either, she, um... she stopped acting??"

(End of chapter)