When Ruolin saw the menu, she was stunned. It was so expensive! She couldn't afford it at all.
"Order whatever you want, don't worry about the price. It's on me today." Han Haoxuan seemed to have read her mind.
"No, I promised to treat you. Let's go somewhere else." With that, Ruolin picked up her bag and stood up.
Ruolin quickly walked outside.
Han Haoxuan apologized to the waiter as he chased after him.
"What do you want to eat?" Han Haoxuan really didn't know what to do with Ruolin. Was she really the kind of difficult person she claimed to be?
"I'm sorry," Ruolin said softly.
"Do you like me and are you testing my patience on purpose?" Han Haoxuan asked with a smile.
"Of course not, don't flatter yourself." Ruolin hurriedly denied it, but her face turned red.
"If not, why are you blushing?" Han Haoxuan looked at Ruolin's cheeks and smiled even more smugly.
"..." Ruolin was speechless.
"From now on, you have to follow my instructions. Otherwise, we won't be able to eat for a whole day." Without waiting for a reply, Han Haoxuan grabbed Ruolin's hand and led her to a small alley next to the Italian restaurant.
After turning left and right, Ruolin was almost dizzy from all the twists and turns, but finally at the end of the alley, she saw a house with a sign that read "Sister Li's Private Kitchen".
"Who would open a restaurant in such a secluded place?" Ruolin wondered.
"Although the place is secluded, the dishes are unique home-style cuisine that can only be enjoyed here." Fearing that Ruolin might have concerns about the price, Han Haoxuan added, "Most importantly, the food here is delicious and inexpensive."
The restaurant has a classic and elegant ambiance, with wooden windows and lush bamboo groves growing outdoors.
Perhaps because they had been busy for half a day, both Han Haoxuan and Ruolin were hungry.
After the food was served, neither of them spoke, and they began to wolf down their food.
After finishing his meal, Han Haoxuan ordered a pot of Pu'er tea.
The two began to talk face to face.
Han Haoxuan told Ruolin about his previous blind dates.
He spoke vividly, and she was a good listener, occasionally joining in with knowing laughter.
Finally, the conversation turned to the first time Han Haoxuan met Ruolin. Han Haoxuan asked Ruolin, "Why did you look at me with such disdain when you first met me?"
“It’s not that I look down on you, it’s just that I’ve never taken blind dates seriously. In my opinion, aren’t blind dates just a way to freeload off people?” Ruolin said emphatically.
Han Haoxuan was stunned when he heard this for the first time. Isn't blind dating usually considered the most convenient and effective way to get married? When did blind dating become synonymous with freeloading?
"Want to know my first impression of you?" Han Haoxuan asked.
"Whether you tell me or not is your choice, I don't care." Although Ruolin said this, she still wanted to know the answer.
"Do you really not care?"
"Hmm." Now Ruolin knew what it meant to "suffer for the sake of saving face."
"Since you don't care, there's no point in me saying it. Let's go." With that, Han Haoxuan called the waiter to settle the bill.
For the first time, Han Haoxuan tasted defeat. It was like hitting a ball of cotton—his strength was wasted.
"I promised I'd pay," Ruolin quickly took out her wallet.
Han Haoxuan did not argue with her.
Watching her pull out those loose bills from her wallet, he suddenly felt as if he were committing a sin by asking her to treat him to a meal. Surely university professors these days aren't that poor?
"Your total is one hundred and eighty yuan." When the waiter's crisp, clear voice rang out, Ruolin's smile vanished instantly. She hadn't brought enough money with her today. What to do? She had promised to pay the bill; she couldn't go back on her word.
Just as Ruolin was at her wits' end, a hand reached out from under the table, holding two hundred-yuan bills.
Ruolin accepted the money and quickly paid the bill.
Once outside, Ruolin felt grateful to Han Haoxuan for helping her out of that predicament and said to him, "Thank you."
"You don't need to be so polite to me."
"I'll pay you back next time we meet," Ruolin said hurriedly, afraid that Han Haoxuan would misunderstand her sincerity in treating him.
"Okay, I look forward to seeing you again next time," Han Haoxuan said with a smile.
Ruolin couldn't help but feel that Han Haoxuan's smile was malicious. It wasn't that she was too stupid to accidentally say "see you next time," but rather that her enemy was too cunning, and she had fallen into his trap without even realizing it.
The two people were walking aimlessly down the road.
"It's still early, how about we go see a movie?" Han Haoxuan said, glancing at his watch.
"I've already watched a lot of movies on my computer," Ruolin lied, when in fact she hadn't had time to watch any movies lately.
"You only get the atmosphere and feeling when you watch a movie in a theater," Han Haoxuan insisted. "I happen to have two movie tickets here. The movie is about to start, and it would be a waste not to see it." Han Haoxuan said, showing off the two movie tickets.
Ruolin still went to the movie theater with Han Haoxuan in the end. She really couldn't find a suitable reason to refuse him, and lying would only make things harder for herself.
It wasn't time for the movie to start yet, so the two of them strolled around outside the movie theater.
There were a few small stalls scattered outside the movie theater, and couples kept passing by. They were probably considered a sweet couple by others.
Ruolin's eyes suddenly stopped at one spot, a blurry light flashing in them, and she stood there for a long time.
"Here you go." A voice interrupted Ruolin's wandering thoughts, and she suddenly came back to her senses, looking at the cotton candy that Han Haoxuan had conjured up from nowhere with great excitement.
This was her favorite cotton candy from childhood, and the lingering sweetness it contained became her most beautiful memory.
But the most beautiful memories often have the most bitter taste.
When she was little, whenever she saw a cotton candy stall, she would pester her father to buy her some. Her family wasn't well-off at the time, but her father felt sorry for his daughter. He felt that if he didn't buy her any, other parents would buy her things, and he would feel that his daughter was being unfair.
This loving father, when she was ten, approached her with cotton candy, bent down, and said to little Ruolin, "Child, you must take good care of your little sister, and listen to Mommy. Daddy will be back soon after I leave." Little Ruolin looked at her father with her clear eyes and obediently nodded. Little did she know that she would never see her father again after that parting.
Back then, her daily routine included turning a page of the calendar before bed and looking at photos of the family together, paying close attention to her father.
She would often whisper to the photo, "Dad, when will you come back? Mom told me to turn a page of the calendar every day, and you would come back when I turned to the last page, but I really want to turn the whole calendar in one day."
Little Ruolin, clutching the photo, had fallen into a deep sleep, a cold tear still clinging to the corner of her eye. When her mother came late at night to tuck her in, she saw Ruolin clutching the photo and frowned, sighing. Her mother tried to take the photo from her, but Ruolin held on so tightly, murmuring, "Daddy, please come back soon..."
Recalling the past, Ruolin's eyes became sore.
Looking at the pure white cotton candy in front of her, a mix of emotions surged in Ruolin's heart.
"Thank you!" Ruolin took the cotton candy from Han Haoxuan's hand and smiled at him to hide the sadness she felt when she recalled the past.
"You're welcome," Han Haoxuan replied politely. He had turned and bought cotton candy from another stall when he saw Ruolin lost in thought. Ruolin hadn't noticed him leaving at all; her focused gaze surprised him. He thought, perhaps only when encountering something they truly like would they have that kind of look in their eyes.
The fluffy white silk threads intertwined, forming a round shape. They felt light in the hand, yet Ruolin found them somewhat heavy. As the sweetness brushed against her teeth, her lips curved slightly, and the bitterness in her eyes quietly faded.
Han Haoxuan looked at Ruolin quietly. Her expression was as pure as a child's. In the soft light, her eyes were even more clean and bright, untouched by any worldly dust.
The way she chewed slowly, her satisfied expression, and her absorbed look all captivated him.
She seems to have perfectly captured the innocence of youth.
Chapter Seven
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Ruolin sat alone in the movie theater. The movie hadn't started yet, and the lights overhead were still bright.
A short while later, Han Haoxuan returned with a shopping bag, sat down next to Ruolin, and then took out a bag of popcorn from the shopping bag and handed it to her.
Just as Ruolin was politely accepting it, her hand accidentally touched Han Haoxuan's hand. The moment they touched, she jerked back and gave an embarrassed smile.
At this moment, the movie began, all the lights went out, and the movie theater was plunged into darkness, with only the light from the big screen visible.
"If you feel thirsty after eating, there's water here." Han Haoxuan waved the drink in his hand and then placed it beside him.
"Mm." Ruolin nodded, a hint of shyness hidden in the darkness.
A captivating American blockbuster was playing on the screen, and when the scene suddenly switched to the male and female leads kissing passionately, an ambiguous atmosphere hung in the air.
The dreamlike and beautiful scenes slowly stirred a flutter in the hearts of the audience, making them eager to try it out.
In the darkness, a bold couple kissed, and coincidentally, there was one right in front of Ruolin. Watching a movie already made her a little shy, and this real-life scene only made her more embarrassed. Even though she hadn't done anything, her face felt hot, and her popcorn felt unusually dry. With her mouth parched, she turned to look at Han Haoxuan beside her, only to meet his gaze. A wave of panic washed over her, as if she had done something wrong, and she quickly looked away.
Her panic also stemmed from the moment their eyes met; the image of them holding hands and their fingers touching flashed through her mind. Was it because the real-life version was too ambiguous that it made her think of those things? She didn't know if that was it, but the feeling she had at that time was exceptionally clear: his broad palm, his slender fingers, tracing gentle curves in her palm, entwining her heart.
This was neither her hallucination nor her delusion; it felt like warmth was right there, within reach.
Han Haoxuan couldn't help but smile as he looked at Ruolin. After a moment, he took the drink beside him, skillfully unscrewed the cap, handed it to Ruolin, and smiled, "Are you thirsty? Have some drinks."
He didn't actually know why Ruolin turned her head away; he just thought that she had been eating popcorn for a long time and should be thirsty.
"Thank you," Ruolin said politely. This time she was extra careful, taking the drink from just outside the space between her long, slender fingers.
Ruolin couldn't help but admire Han Haoxuan's exceptional ability to read people's expressions. It was as if he knew everything she was thinking, and... he was also so considerate.
Yes, how did this word come to mind? Ruolin quickly drank her beverage, and the coolness instantly spread to every cell in her body, and the heat on her face gradually subsided.
Perhaps she was too engrossed in watching the film, when a scary scene suddenly appeared and a terrifying sound was deliberately made to enhance the atmosphere, Ruolin couldn't help but hug her arms tightly to her chest, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes, completely unaware that the popcorn in her hand was tilting and sliding down.
It was supposed to be a romance movie, but a sudden terrifying scene startled her, and all the popcorn in her hand spilled out with a "whoosh," landing squarely on Han Haoxuan, rolling off him and falling to the ground.
Ruolin was immediately stunned. The popcorn bag in her hand was now empty and weightless. Through the light from the screen, the white popcorn stuck to Han Haoxuan's body. He was wearing black casual trousers, which made him look even more strikingly black and white.
"I'm sorry!" Ruolin whispered.
After apologizing, she thought about it again, and her furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.
Isn't this perfect? Now let's see if he'll still come looking for me? A smile appeared on Ruolin's face, but it was faint and unusually subtle.
"It's okay." Han Haoxuan didn't seem angry at all. He smiled as he picked up the popcorn off his body and put it in the bag from Ruolin's hand.
Seeing Han Haoxuan's meticulous movements, Ruolin could no longer feel happy, and her faint smile vanished completely.
"It's really not easy to watch a movie with a beautiful woman!" Han Haoxuan smacked his lips, seemingly serious.
"I...I...I didn't mean to." Ruolin stammered for a long time, but in the end she didn't say anything sarcastic.
"You're such a grown-up, why are you acting like a child? Those kinds of scenes are everywhere in horror movies, look how scared you are," Han Haoxuan laughed.
“I don’t usually watch horror movies,” Ruolin said.
"Then I'll go with you next time." Han Haoxuan looked at Ruolin and smiled rather strangely.
"It's better not to watch it. Watching those things late at night will make you overthink." Ruolin never watches horror movies, feeling that watching them would just scare herself, which is just making things difficult for herself.
"..." Han Haoxuan smiled calmly, then sat down again.