Chapter 79: It's Over

The planned itinerary was now halfway through.

After helping Wang Zijun with his computer, taking a quick look at his fake workplace, and finishing lunch, it was still just past 1 PM.

As they stepped out of the restaurant, Jiang He shrank her neck into her shoulders. She didn’t squeeze the little bear in her hands as tightly anymore; after all, it had just treated her to a big meal and tirelessly grilled meat for her.

Cold mist hovered around her breath, the sun was beginning to dip westward, casting a warm glow. Xu Qing held her hand, glanced around, and decided that milk tea was out of the question for now. The plan to go shopping and watch a movie could be combined.

The cinema was a bit of a walk away. Walking there after a full meal would save money and aid digestion. He explained this plan to Jiang He, who agreed readily.

Even if she didn’t, there wasn’t much choice. If he asked her opinion, she’d probably just say, “Let’s go home and play games.”

“It’s so easy to keep you happy,” Xu Qing sighed. “If it were one of those rich guys’ girlfriends, they’d stomp their feet, pout, and say they can’t walk…”

“Is there something wrong with their legs?”

“...You don’t know what pouting means?” Xu Qing was stunned.

Seeing her frown, Xu Qing thought for a moment, stomped his foot, and said, “Oh, come on, please~ Ugh, something like that.”

“I want to hit you,” Jiang He said after a brief silence.

“I was just demonstrating. Want to try?”

“Like you just did?”

“Yeah, stomp your foot and sway your body… Forget it, if you squeeze that bear any harder, it’ll pop. Let’s skip it.”

Xu Qing mourned for the little bear, feeling slightly worried. In Jiang He’s eyes, that bear was basically his stand-in.

Thirty minutes later.

They strolled to the cinema at a leisurely pace. Xu Qing, who’d been chatting nonstop since morning, felt thirsty. Instead of looking for milk tea, he bought two bottles of mineral water at a store, stuffed them into his pocket, and walked inside with Jiang He.

“Can’t we just watch at home?” Jiang He asked, looking around the posters and quickly figuring out what kind of place this was.

“It’s different. This is called a date.”

Xu Qing shook his head. “Watching at home feels like completing a task. The mindset is all wrong. This is pure relaxation. For you, it’s also about learning more about culture, but it shouldn’t feel like that…”

Jiang He was too serious about everything. He thought for a long time and decided that experiencing the outside world firsthand was the best way to integrate.

Staying home was just theoretical. Experiencing it in person was much quicker… That’s why he brought her out for a date.

Both goals accomplished.

“Do you need to use the restroom?” he asked.

“I…” Jiang He hesitated.

She’d been living here for almost half a year, but Xu Qing asking such a question so naturally still made her uncomfortable.

“No.”

“Better go anyway. You don’t want to miss the movie later… It’s an hour and a half long.” Xu Qing was already pulling her toward the restroom. “If you don’t need to, I do. Wait here and don’t wander off.” RAℕοʙΕS̩

“Fine, I’ll go,” Jiang He mumbled and went into the women’s restroom.

Two minutes later, Xu Qing, benefiting from the efficiency of being male, had already finished and was wiping his hands with a tissue while waiting. Figuring Jiang He would take a while, he went to buy some popcorn.

He didn’t like sweet things, but watching a movie without popcorn just felt wrong.

The afternoon crowd at the cinema wasn’t as large as in the evening. Only when a show was about to start did a few people trickle in, probably having spent time shopping before coming in at the last minute.

Xu Qing had already picked out the movie and collected the tickets. He handed the popcorn to Jiang He and played with his phone while they waited.

“What are we watching?” Jiang He asked. She wasn’t used to staring at her phone, using it only as a pocket-sized Baidu tool, and often forgot to bring it when going out.

“The only suitable movie showing right now is Dying to Survive.”

He pulled the tickets from his pocket and handed them to Jiang He.

He had thought this through while researching on the computer. Foreign films weren’t suitable for her right now; seeing white, black, brown people, or blue-eyed monsters wouldn’t help. Horror, absurd comedies, sci-fi, or historical dramas wouldn’t make sense either and might confuse her more.

Comedies were okay, but the overly exaggerated ones didn’t help her understand social relationships or culture.

Movies like Goodbye Mr. Loser had another barrier — she’d need to understand what “rebirth” meant first.

Too serious was bad, too exaggerated was bad. The movie needed to reflect ordinary people and everyday life, something relatable. The atmosphere of watching with a crowd would also help…

After considering options like Mountains May Depart and other films by Director Jia, Xu Qing concluded they were too serious. Jiang He needed to experience movies as entertainment, not as an evening news broadcast.

A movie date was about feeling the atmosphere, sitting in a theater with others, and learning how people engage with films.

“We’ll be in a big, dark room, sitting in the back row. Try not to talk loudly… If possible, don’t speak at all. If you want to say something, wait until we’re out. Here’s a bottle of water… Can I hold your hand during the movie?”

“Do you need to hold hands to watch a movie?” Jiang He asked.

“No, but it’s nice. I can feel your emotions, and you’ll know I’m right beside you in the dark.”

“…You just want to hold my hand, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Xu Qing admitted shamelessly.

“Scoundrel!”

“I was just asking. If you don’t want to, that’s fine… I’m seriously asking for your opinion. How does that make me a scoundrel?”

Xu Qing threw in some twisted logic. “Besides, I’ve told you before that ‘scoundrel’ is a good guy. You should say ‘rascal’ instead.”

“Rascal?” Jiang He repeated. The word seemed to fit perfectly.

“Yeah, that’s what you mean. But I’m not a rascal…

Can I hold your hand? We’re a couple, after all. You held my hand all the way here. This is called a date.”

Xu Qing’s sincere gaze wavered Jiang He’s resolve.

Holding hands… wasn’t that just like holding onto his hand?

They had been holding hands for a while now anyway.

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