“Hey, Meng Huange, are you almost done eating?”
After the fireworks atop the Jiugui Snake Cake had faded, Su Wanli let out a small yawn.
She signaled the shop attendant to turn the lights back on and then grinned teasingly at Meng Huange.
“If you’re finished, then I guess that’s about all the time we can spend at a dessert shop today.”
She added, “Well, that’s it for tonight.”
Meng Huange felt a slight, inexplicable loneliness in her heart. She let out a quiet sigh but maintained her gentle smile and nodded to Su Wanli.
“You’re right. It really is getting late today. We should—”
“Late? Who told you it’s late already? What time do you think it is? The night has just begun!”
Su Wanli tilted her head mischievously and cradled her cheeks in her palms.
“What, have you only hung out with me for an hour or two and you’re already feeling impatient, itching to go home and face that desk of yours with your mountain of textbooks?”
Hearing this, Meng Huange looked a little apologetic and tilted her head slightly.
“So, you mean we can still spend a little more time together?”
“It wasn’t easy making it through the Examination, so of course we should have a great time! Let’s see… how about we go home around ten or eleven tonight?”
Su Wanli glanced out at the dazzling towers and neon lights outside the Spring Sweet Shop, stifling another yawn.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s still early. If you want to go back, just go ahead. Don’t expect me to hold you back.”
Of course, that last bit was just her persona talking—she already knew full well that Meng Huange would never just leave her alone.
Besides, the Spring Sweet Shop the system recommended wasn’t in the very heart of the Commercial City, but it was still a large city after all. It would be such a waste to have a beautiful girl to herself for once and only eat two desserts before heading home!
What’s more, if possible, Su Wanli really wanted to see more of Meng Huange’s expressions that she rarely showed.
After the fireworks blazed atop the snake cake, Meng Huange immediately returned to her usual calm and indifferent expression, as if the moment of sparkle in her eyes just now had never existed.
But now that she had caught a glimpse of that genuine expression, Su Wanli thought, would Meng Huange be able to keep hiding her true feelings?
Even a haloed protagonist like Meng Huange would break into a blissful smile at a delicious treat, flash a confident smile when outsmarting the so-called “villainess,” and reveal a rare glimmer of longing when watching the fireworks atop a cake.
Heh, even if the system wouldn’t tell her how Meng Huange was really feeling, Su Wanli wasn’t blind. She could see for herself.
Meng Huange… she must really, really love this kind of cozy little dessert shop!
Even though her face now looked cold and reserved as always, after hearing she could stay a little longer, Meng Huange’s fingertips quietly began tapping on the table, a sign that she was actually feeling quite excited inside!
Well, that made sense. The whole Commercial City had a vibe of sophistication and chill, very much matching the impression Meng Huange always gave. No wonder she seemed so at ease, even lowering her guard in Su Wanli’s presence and flashing a rare, childlike look of wonder.
Su Wanli waved to the waiting attendant, signaling for her to pack up the remaining desserts on the table, and then got ready to stand up.
“All right, let’s go, Meng Huange. Next, let’s—”
Wait, if she were honest, Meng Huange really did seem to like this sort of refined atmosphere and sparkling lights, but… where to next?
Su Wanli had never made plans to hang out with a girl before, let alone with the explicit aim of winning her favor.
They started with a dessert shop, then probably dinner, then maybe a movie, or even a visit to some fancy arcade…
Wait, hang on. At first it didn’t feel like anything, but now, listing out the itinerary—why does this sound so much like…
…like a date?
And worse, she was the one who had dragged Meng Huange out for this “date”!
No, that couldn’t be right. This was just to relax after the Examination, like a group dinner with classmates. Nothing sneaky about it.
Su Wanli swallowed hard and glanced at Meng Huange’s smiling face, then at the big, bright Rose Snake Cake between them.
A shiny Love Forever plaque was firmly set atop the cake’s rose petals.
…If this isn’t a date, what else could it possibly be!?
“What’s wrong, Miss Wanli? Was the Examination really that exhausting?”
Meng Huange saw Su Wanli start to stand, only to sit right back down, and there was a trace of concern in her voice.
“If you’re tired, we can just end the Relaxation Plan here for tonight and—”
“No, Relaxation Plan!”
Right! Even Meng Huange herself thought tonight was just some post-Examination relaxation, so what was there to worry about!
Given this excuse, Su Wanli quickly nodded at Meng Huange.
“Yes, this is just some relaxation after the Examination. So, everything we do next is only part of the Relaxation Plan, not a date or anything like that, so don’t get any funny ideas.”
“Of course, naturally.”
Meng Huange smiled and shrugged.
“So, is there anywhere you want to go next?”
After all that, they were right back to where they started.
If it wasn’t a date, just relaxing, where should they go?
With her limited imagination, the only things Su Wanli could come up with were eating a meal or watching a movie.
But after eating so many desserts herself, her stomach felt as full as if she’d just had a feast, so suggesting dinner with Meng Huange would just be weird. That wasn’t in line with her “big eater” persona at all.
Besides, if she wanted to see more of Meng Huange’s expressions…
“Oh, I remember there’s a movie theater nearby with a really big screen. I wonder if there are any good movies playing right now?”
Su Wanli stood up from her seat and stretched lazily before smiling at Meng Huange.
“By the way, don’t tell me you’ve never been to a movie theater before? This time, I’ll show you what city folks’ nightlife is like…”
Of course, the “nightlife” she’d imagined was going to some bar and ordering a cocktail, maybe even dancing a waltz or something. But since both she and Meng Huange were still high school students, naturally their nightlife ended with watching a movie at the theater. Honestly, that was already pretty daring, wasn’t it?
What do you think?
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