Xue Yang cleared his throat and said, "Young ladies shouldn’t be so curious. Just focus on the movie."
Si Wen pouted and retorted quietly, "I’m already eighteen. I’m not a young lady."
She turned her attention back to the screen and tried to watch the movie attentively.
However, the couple next to them grew bolder, and their noises grew louder. Even soone as oblivious as Si Wen eventually realized what they were doing.
Si Wen’s face flushed crimson. Oh my God, are couples this open nowadays? They can’t hold back even in a movie theater. Aren’t they worried about how dirty a place like this is?
In contrast to Si Wen’s inner turmoil, Lin Xi and Xue Yang seed far more composed. Lin Xi rested her head on Xue Yang’s shoulder, her focus on the movie. They would never be intimate in such an environnt. If they were to, they would find a private space just for the two of them, with no one around to disturb them. Whatever they wanted to do, no one would know.
But when will we ever have a world that’s truly just our own?
As the movie ended, the theater lights ca back on.
The couple was only a few ters away from the trio, with about five seats between them. It was only because Lin Xi and Si Wen weren’t very tall and were blocked by the chairs—while Xue Yang was leaning close to Lin Xi in the dim light—that they had been hard to spot. This created the illusion that no one was sitting in front of the couple. Now that the lights were on, everything was clear as day.
The girl’s face turned deathly pale. So, everything we were just doing... all three of them heard it?
Compared to the girl’s look of utter despair, the boy seed unconcerned. In fact, his eyes lit up upon seeing Lin Xi and Si Wen.
Today, Lin Xi and Si Wen wore complentary retro Lolita JK dresses—Lin Xi’s was apricot and Si Wen’s was coffee-colored. They had their hair in two small braids with matching little hats, and their pleated, lace-edged skirts were paired with small capes. Underneath, they wore thick, flesh-colored stockings and Princess-style shoes—one white pair, one black—each adorned with a playful bow.
Elegant and retro, yet exuding a youthful charm, they were exceptionally eye-catching and stood out imdiately in any crowd.
Having one beautiful girl with you would be amazing, but this lucky guy has two! He’s really hit the jackpot.
The girl, who was initially just embarrassed, felt utterly mortified after seeing Xue Yang and scrambled to run away.
The boy hurried after her, though not without glancing back at Lin Xi and Si Wen one last ti. When he t Xue Yang’s intimidating gaze, he hastily looked away, and the two of them disappeared into the crowd.
That guy looks like he’d be easy to bully, but his presence is overwhelming. A single glare from him just sent a chill down my spine.
The trio shared an awkward glance. The rule was, as long as they weren’t embarrassed, the awkwardness belonged to soone else.
"There’s a New Year’s countdown tonight, and it’s still early. Let’s go eat first, then stroll around nearby," Xue Yang suggested, breaking the awkward silence.
"Okay," Lin Xi and Si Wen replied in unison.
With their decision made, the three of them headed out.
With Miss Si treating, the food was naturally top-notch. Xue Yang once again witnessed the true power of money.
"I’m telling you, next ti we want to see a movie, we should just book the whole theater," Si Wen said elegantly as she forked a piece of steak into her mouth.
Xue Yang nodded. "Mm-hm."
We really should book the whole theater, Xue Yang thought.
Lin Xi ate her steak, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.
After dinner, the three of them walked along the road. There weren’t many pedestrians on the streets after ten o’clock, with only an occasional car whooshing past.
They walked through the bustling pedestrian street, passed the dimly lit sidewalks, and finally set foot on a large bridge spanning the river, as if they wanted to walk down every road there was. Whenever a car passed, the bridge deck would vibrate slightly. Xue Yang and Lin Xi held each other’s hands tightly, enjoying the faint sensation of weightlessness.
Sotis, it takes adversity to truly understand certain things.
Finally, they reached the middle of the bridge, where a small observation deck protruded outward. Standing on it felt like being on the deck of a massive ship.
Si Wen rubbed her arms. "So this is what you ant by ’strolling around’? Coming to a bridge to get blasted by the cold wind?"
"Yep."
"Don’t you find it boring?" Si Wen asked, not understanding.
"Not at all," Lin Xi said. "Being in love ans doing things that other people find boring."
There are many things that, if you don’t do them when you’re young, lose that reckless feeling if you try to do them when you’re older.
Si Wen looked at the sickeningly sweet couple and shrugged. "I guess people in love can’t be judged by common sense."
Despite her words, she stood quietly behind them.
Not too far from the trio, a Rolls-Royce followed them slowly.
A little after eleven o’clock, the three of them finally arrived at Kou City’s largest supermarket, Shankou Supermarket. From a distance, they could see a sea of people gathered there.
Xue Yang held Lin Xi’s hand, and Lin Xi held Si Wen’s. The mont the three of them appeared, they drew all eyes.
"Wow, look! Those three are so good-looking."
"Who do you think the guy is with?"
"Is that even a question? Didn’t you see how the beautiful girl in the apricot dress can barely take her pretty eyes off him? And the way he looks at her... even from this far away, you can feel a tenderness so profound it could lt your heart."
"..."
Xue Yang protectively guided the two young won toward the public square, where a huge stage had been set up. An emcee was hyping up the crowd.
On the big screen, a tir was counting down. Ti until the New Year: 00:21:03.
"It’s so lively," Lin Xi couldn’t help but remark.
She rarely had ti to have fun and disliked crowds, so she had never experienced a New Year’s countdown before. Her life was usually just a rotation between school and ho.
"The countdown is this lively every year," Xue Yang said.
"Thanks to you two, I get to experience the real spirit of the new year this ti," Si Wen said excitedly.
If I hadn’t co out tonight, what would I be doing at ho right now? Probably entertaining all sorts of guests, or maybe attending a ball sowhere. That’s fun too, I guess, but it always feels like sothing is missing. Maybe it’s this... this vibrant, down-to-earth feeling?
Xue Yang glanced down at Si Wen. For a young lady like her, every step of life was planned, preventing her from having a normal childhood.
Lin Xi’s gaze was fixed on the countdown. I wish ti would stop right now so Xue Yang and I would never have to part.
But a wish was just a wish. The emcee on stage urged the crowd to get ready for the final countdown.
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