While eating, Yan Luqing’s phone vibrated several times in a row.

It was Little Mahua sending her messages.

Little Mahua’s real name was Xiao Xiao. Yan Luqing hadn’t gotten around to changing her remark name yet, so she quickly changed it before switching to look at the messages she sent.

【Little Mahua】: Where are you?

【Little Mahua】: Let me guess, after he picked you up from school, you went to eat fried chicken?

Yan Luqing: “……”

【Runaway Saintess】: No.

Yan Luqing took a photo and sent it over.

【Runaway Saintess】: The two of us both have stomach problems, so right now the situation is that we’re eating nourishing chicken soup in a fried chicken shop.

【Little Mahua】: ………… Truly moving heaven and earth.

【Little Mahua】: Right, let me send you this, I just casually took it.

She sent over a photo.

Yan Luqing opened it and froze for a few seconds.

When Little Mahua had been walking out after class earlier, she had been standing diagonally behind her. This photo was taken from that angle, capturing the scene that had just happened outside the classroom.

Only a small part of Yan Luqing’s cheek was visible, while more than half of Gu Ci’s face was in the frame—though not fully, because from Little Mahua’s position, he was slightly turned to the side.

At that moment, he was smiling. His entire outline seemed blended with the light behind him, yet his face was still very clear. His long, feather-like eyelashes drooped, casting a small shadow, giving rise to the illusion that he was gazing with great gentleness at the girl in the photo whose face wasn’t shown.

At that time, what Yan Luqing saw was him directly facing her. She hadn’t expected that, from someone else’s angle, it looked like such a scene.

【Little Mahua】: Seems like I’m the only one who took a photo. The sisters in class asked me for it, so I showed them, but whether they’ll spread it further, I don’t know～

Right after sending this, bubbles suddenly popped up over Little Mahua’s head.

Red: Actually lied to me about being single! Hmph! Already at the stage of living together yet still lying! So in her eyes I was just a plastic sisterhood that lasted a single day!

Pink: But maybe she was just shy… ahhh they really are such a good match!

“…………”

Yan Luqing wanted to explain, but there was nowhere to even begin, so she just exited for now.

Then, sweeping her eyes over, she saw that in one of the group chats she had just been pulled into today by Little Mahua, a flood of new messages had popped up—this was one of them.

Someone said: 【Good heavens, within five minutes I’ve experienced great joy and great sorrow.】

【Just now one of my bros told me that a junior sister came into our Software program, super stunning, super pretty. But within a few minutes he sent me a photo, saying that she already has a boyfriend. [image]】

It was exactly that photo Little Mahua had warned her about—“I don’t know if they’ll spread it.”

Since the one shown clearly was Gu Ci, the conversation quickly shifted to him.

【? This guy has a girlfriend? Fine then, I too have experienced great joy and great sorrow.】

【??? This is the first time I’ve seen the guy in your pic… who is this? How can he look this good??? And right when I get to know him, I find out he already has a girlfriend, my happiness just flew away with a snap…】

【Ahhhh look, the guy’s holding a backpack in his hand! Obviously a girl’s schoolbag!】

【Classmate here to expose: our Software Engineering schedule today was inhuman, we had back-to-back Electrical and Physics big classes this afternoon. Our whole group was suffering to death, so we all posted on Moments with a sticker saying ‘Come on, parent, pick up the kid after school.’ Then the sister in the picture also followed suit, and then what? Hahaha, her boyfriend actually came to pick her up after school! I’m not jealous, really, not at all.】

Yan Luqing: “…………” Good heavens, now this was completely uncleanable.

From the moment she picked up her phone to the moment she put it down, not even five minutes had passed.

Yan Luqing, with a complicated expression, continued eating. Sitting opposite her, Gu Ci quickly noticed, lifting his eyes to look over: “What’s wrong.”

How could she say it?

—That in the audience’s eyes, we’ve already become a couple?

Forget it. Yan Luqing shook her head. “Nothing.”

Gu Ci’s pitch-black eyes still rested on her, as if he wanted to say more. But just then, a shadow passed before Yan Luqing’s eyes, followed by the voice of the shop’s server—

“Excuse me, dear customers. Sorry to disturb. Our shop is doing a joint promotion with the cinema in the mall. With enough spending, you can purchase a movie ticket for only 9.9 yuan, limited to two per table. Would you like it?”

Yan Luqing immediately fixated on the “9.9.”

So cheap?

Aside from moments when she deliberately spent money and felt rich, at all other times she still maintained her old habits. Things like this promotion, in her eyes, were no different from someone handing her money.

Yan Luqing immediately asked Gu Ci: “Want to watch a movie?”

The person opposite narrowed his eyes slightly, smiled at her: “Either way is fine.”

Yan Luqing said to the server: “Two tickets, thank you.”

After she left, Yan Luqing met Gu Ci’s gaze. Seeing the amusement in his eyes, she suddenly realized that her entire string of actions just now had all been a conditioned reflex triggered by the “9.9.”

Too impulsive—she hadn’t even checked what movies were showing today.

“Actually, maybe you don’t quite know yet, but I…” Yan Luqing hesitated, then gave herself a fair assessment, “I kind of like to take small advantages.”

Gu Ci didn’t comment on this, only nodded and said gently: “As long as you’re sure you really got the advantage.”

“……”

At the cinema.

This “taking a small advantage” trip made Yan Luqing realize deeply: from now on, she had to check what movies were showing before deciding whether or not to seize the deal.

At present, the two films with available seats were: a horror movie and one about dual personalities.

Gu Ci glanced over them briefly and said: “I recommend the horror movie, but it’s your choice.”

Yan Luqing’s feelings toward horror movies were complicated. Some she had watched without any fear at all, and some, just a few images were enough to scare her so much she couldn’t sleep.

Even if someone was accompanying her, that still couldn’t stop her from being afraid.

So, to play it safe, she chose the latter.

Ten minutes later, after entering the theater, Yan Luqing opened her phone and saw a message—Little Black had told her where the car was parked.

She replied “Okay,” then saw the endless stream of pink bubbles above Little Black’s head.

Yan Luqing could already guess.

But out of habit, she still popped them open.

Miss Yan, aren’t the two of them on a date? First dinner, then a movie—the steps are all there!

I knew it was real. If this isn’t dating, what is?!

Ahhh, love is so nice. I want to fall in love too.

Yan Luqing: “……” With your current level of IQ and EQ, Daddy thinks it’s better to forget it.

Just now, Gu Ci had come in with her, but before he even sat down, he had said he was going out for a moment, and still hadn’t come back.

Yan Luqing thought he must have gone to the restroom.

It was only after she sat down that she suddenly realized her hands were empty—coming to the movies, she had actually forgotten to buy popcorn. So she locked her phone and was just about to get up and buy some.

But before she even stood, as if someone had heard her inner voice—

A bucket of popcorn appeared before her eyes like magic.

She stared blankly for a few seconds, and soon the sweet aroma unique to popcorn reached her nose. Yan Luqing raised her eyes, and in an instant saw Gu Ci’s face.

She held the bucket and took it: “…Thank you.”

“I thought you just went to—” No matter how she thought about it, Yan Luqing still felt this coincidence was unbelievable. “Why did you go buy popcorn? At home you don’t even eat the sweets Auntie makes.”

She paused, then added: “And I never even said I wanted to eat popcorn.”

After asking, she popped two pieces into her mouth. As she chewed, she thought—could it be that because this was the princess who bought it, it tasted so good?

Gu Ci sat down beside her, turned his head, and in the dim light his black eyes shone like ink.

“Maybe even you forgot yourself,” the princess tapped the armrest with his fingertips one beat at a time, his tone leisurely. “Earlier, when we were eating, they served a snack platter.”

“……” Yan Luqing chewed with her mouth full, only nodding.

Then she heard Gu Ci’s warm voice say: “You emptied the popcorn on that platter.”

“……”