The two of them faced each other but neither moved.
After all, they weren't very familiar with each other, especially without Li Hua, that troublemaker, around. It would be awkward to greet each other out of the blue.
After a mont of awkwardness, Jiang Nian spoke first.
"I rember you, Li Hua's..."
The girl's face changed, she didn't even take her tokens. Almost without warning, she pulled up her hood and dashed out the door.
The store clerk was shocked. Did a thief co in?
This shabby shop is full of cheap plush toys bought wholesale, ones that are even unfit for wiping feet. More importantly, the salary is only 2,600.
So, can little ...
...win?
While the clerk hesitated, she had already run out. He scratched his head and turned back to take a look at the machine.
No problem there, so why did she run?
The other clerk was checking the surveillance with a serious look, but gradually, his expression beca confused.
What the heck, practicing sprints in the store for no reason?
Jiang Nian was even more puzzled. He glanced at the claw machine. Dozens of tokens were still unused, lying quietly in a pink basket.
Really, is Li Hua's cousin that quirky too?
Zhang Ningzhi heard the commotion and ca over from the corner, still holding a pink plush toy.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing."
Jiang Nian stood there, as a clerk ca over, about to reclaim the ga tokens. He stopped him.
"These are my friend's. She had to run to the bathroom."
A friend's cousin, after all, is still a friend. Since she left, these ga tokens shouldn't be wasted.
After winning a bunch of prizes, he'll give so plush toys to Li Hua and let him hand them over to his cousin, a win-win.
Upon hearing this, the clerk nodded and left.
"Alright then."
Zhang Ningzhi watched Jiang Nian turn around and collect a stack of ga tokens. She blinked and curiously asked.
"What friend?"
"Li Hua's cousin."
"Huh?"
Jiang Nian explained the whole situation. Zhang Ningzhi was a bit confused, "Why did she run after seeing you?"
"Who knows." Jiang Nian didn't care.
"Oh."
Zhang Ningzhi didn't think much of it either. The date was only halfway through, so she happily continued with the claw ga.
anwhile, Li Hua received a few pictures.
"Hmm?"
"What's up now?" Ma Guojun ca over with a pile of shrimp, complaining, "Is this beef synthetic or sothing?"
Li Hua looked up and pointed at him.
"Just eat it. You want the recipe too?"
"You asshole!" Ma Guojun retorted but then shrugged it off, "Well, it's free after all."
"If it were unlimited seafood and beef, your cousin wouldn't have just given up the buffet coupons to feed the dogs."
"Chi Shi!!" Li Hua couldn't hold it anymore, "She did it out of respect for , but... fine, you're right."
"She gave us the buffet coupons and went downtown to play the claw ga herself, and Jiang Nian bumped into her."
"Jiang Nian with who?"
"Zhang Ningzhi."
"Oh." Ma Guojun lost interest instantly, "Don't those two often hang out together?"
"Yeah, they do."
Li Hua grumbled a bit and sent a ssage to his cousin.
"Went to play the claw ga?"
Lin Jinxin: "?"
Li Hua: "(Haha) My friend saw you and said you run like a fat rat preparing for winter in the streets."
"If you'd said earlier that you like the claw ga, who would've thought you also have a girly side, Xinxin? What did you say during New Year's again?"
"That plush toys are boring and you prefer chess?"
He sent a bunch of emojis, shalessly mocking.
Lin Jinxin: "Spit out the buffet."
Li Hua: "Don't be such a stranger, I'll bring the plush toys to you tonight. My friend used your tokens to grab a big bag of them."
Lin Jinxin: "...."
"Don't want them?" Li Hua typed as he sent a photo, "[Image] If there's nothing you like, never mind."
Lin Jinxin: "I want them!"
....
"Clunk!"
The claw malfunctioned again, going haywire.
The toys here were graded in quality, and the better ones required more tokens, with claws that were ridiculously loose.
Zhang Ningzhi seed a bit upset, glaring at the machine. The panda plush on the other side of the glass seed to be grinning cheekily.
As if to say, "What can you do about , huh?"
The young girl pursed her lips, looking sadly down for a mont. She then decisively decided to call for help.
She found Jiang Nian, who was busy collecting quality claw prizes, and tugged on his sleeve.
"Jiang Nian, I want that one."
"Oh, okay." Jiang Nian easily picked up the smug panda plush.
However, as they say, a thief never leaves empty-handed.
"Zhizhi, good things co in pairs." He pointed at the panda's thick fur in the machine, "Why don't you get it out too."
"?" Zhang Ningzhi was taken aback.
She pointed at herself, with an expression as if she were about to fight Sun Wukong.
"I... I can't."
Jiang Nian of course knew Zhang Ningzhi couldn't do it. That's exactly what he wanted.
"It's okay, I'll teach you."
With that, he started inserting tokens one after the other. The machines here were graded, starting at one token each ti.
"Let's go."
"How do I grab it... I, I..." Zhang Ningzhi didn't have ti to think much, as the ga had already begun.
Her hand instinctively went to the joystick, and Jiang Nian's hand covered hers, his body softly leaning into hers.
Too close and it's flirtation, just right and it's ambiguous.
Zhang Ningzhi felt electrified, her mind blank, blinking rapidly and tightly pressing her lips.
When the panda plush was finally retrieved, her body almost felt like it would lt.
"Alright."
"Huh?" She barely ca to her senses, her heart still racing, looking down to see Jiang Nian squatting to fetch the toy.
"I've already got it out." he said looking up.
"Oh, okay." Zhang Ningzhi felt her face heating up, as if she'd been on a rollercoaster, "That was fast."
At this, Jiang Nian stood up with a serious face.
"Zhizhi."
"What is it?" She bit her lip to suppress a smile, so no one would notice her blushing.
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