When the two arrived at their destination, Li Xingya realized that Lin Jin’an had brought her to the huge department store in the city center.
In her previous life, Li Xingya had always wanted to come here.
But she never had the time or the money—so until she dropped dead at her desk, she never had a chance to visit.
Because it was the weekend and they had traveled for two hours, even though it was only 10 AM, the mall was already crowded with people.
Li Xingya stood outside the crowded square, looking at Lin Jin’an beside her.
Logically, it should be her, who was here for the first time, who was more nervous… but no matter how you looked at it, Lin Jin’an seemed more nervous.
At that moment, Lin Jin’an was still wearing a heavy mask and black sunglasses, her breathing growing quicker.
She lowered her peaked cap and reached out her hand to Li Xingya.
“Xiaoya, give me your hand.”
“You… Lin Jin’an, are you okay?”
Li Xingya asked with concern.
“It’s September, you look like you’re about to get heatstroke.”
“What’s this? When I first debuted, I even danced five songs straight under an open-air stage in hotter weather. If you want to be a qualified idol, you need at least this much perseverance.”
Li Xingya was taken aback.
‘I don’t think this is something that can be solved by perseverance anymore.’
Li Xingya recalled how she was after running half a lap.
‘If it were me, I would probably just cry on stage.’
‘It would be embarrassing…’
‘But I’d definitely not be able to hold back tears.’
After a moment of thought, Li Xingya still gave her hand to Lin Jin’an.
The mall was crowded, and Li Xingya was afraid of social interaction.
In situations like this, she subconsciously avoided eye contact with strangers.
Therefore, Li Xingya was worried about getting lost… comparatively, letting Lin Jin’an hold her hand was a more acceptable situation.
“Xiaoya…”
“Hmm?”
Lin Jin’an looked at their joined hands and said in disbelief, “I thought you would never agree.”
“Do I seem that unfeeling?”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Lin Jin’an tugged at her peaked cap nervously.
“It’s just…”
‘It’s just that times like these, you’ve always refused very bluntly.’
‘The kind that leaves no room for negotiation.’
‘Every time like this, Sister feels like a knife has been stabbed into her heart.’
“Don’t think too much, let’s go.”
Li Xingya urged.
“How about we eat lunch first? I’m a bit hungry since we left.”
Lin Jin’an nodded.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
She thought Li Xingya was right.
Since they were out to have fun today, she shouldn’t overthink.
Coincidentally, Lin Jin’an was also a little hungry.
Under Lin Jin’an’s lead, they went to a hotpot restaurant on the first floor of the mall.
As soon as they entered, the owner seemed to recognize Lin Jin’an and led them to the innermost booth for two.
“Still the extra-spicy beef tallow broth?”
“Xiaoya, can you eat spicy?”
“I… I guess so.”
Li Xingya said uncertainly.
If it were her previous life, Li Xingya was sure she could handle spicy food, but with this body… Li Xingya had no confidence in “Li Xingya’s” taste.
After all, spiciness was a kind of pain, and this body’s reaction to pain was truly despair-inducing.
To put it simply:
‘If I can’t cry within three seconds, it’s a fail.’
Seeing Li Xingya like this, Lin Jin’an simply waved her hand.
“Let’s do a split pot today, one side extra-spicy beef tallow, one side tomato broth. As for the side dishes… how about your newest two-person combo?”
“Understood.”
The owner smiled and nodded.
Watching the owner’s retreating back, Li Xingya whispered to Lin Jin’an, “Do you come here often?”
“Yeah, I really like the taste here, and the overall atmosphere is good.”
Lin Jin’an nodded.
“Even an idol needs a cheat meal sometimes to comfort their tired spirit.”
Next, after the owner brought the broth and side dishes, the two quickly started eating.
Li Xingya had experience eating hotpot alone a few times, so overall she wasn’t too unfamiliar.
But when she picked up a slice of fatty beef from the extra-spicy broth and put it in her mouth, the fiery explosion of pain made her completely understand one thing.
‘I am completely destined to never eat spicy food.’
An hour later, Li Xingya was drinking iced milk, holding hands with Lin Jin’an as they left the hotpot restaurant.
“How was it?”
“Not bad.”
Li Xingya sniffed.
‘My tongue hurts so much.’
After that, under the pretext of the day being “memorable,” Lin Jin’an took Li Xingya to take big head photos.
Li Xingya didn’t know much about this.
So from start to finish, she just watched Lin Jin’an fiddle with it; all she had to do was show an appropriate smile in front of the camera.
‘So boring.’
But in the end, seeing Lin Jin’an grinning foolishly at the photos, Li Xingya didn’t say much.
‘It’s overtime anyway.’
‘As long as the boss is happy.’
When it was afternoon, as they passed by the dance machine outside the arcade, Lin Jin’an stopped.
Out of a desire to show off in front of a junior, Lin Jin’an specifically asked Li Xingya to play a round with her.
But Li Xingya flatly refused.
‘Are you kidding me?’
‘Me vs Lin Jin’an in a dance battle?’
‘For real?’
In the end, Lin Jin’an could only dejectedly step onto the dance machine alone, and solemnly demanded that Li Xingya watch carefully.
Great Idol Lin Jin’an’s live performance—this wasn’t something you got to see every day!
As the dance machine started playing one of Lin Jin’an’s own songs, Lin Jin’an quickly began to follow the arrows appearing on the screen, moving her body rhythmically.
This immediately attracted the attention of people around the arcade.
It couldn’t be helped—once Lin Jin’an started performing, her innate idol aura was impossible to hide.
“So amazing.”
“Is she a pro who lives nearby?”
“No, I think she might be a professional.”
“This rhythm, it feels just like Lin Jin’an.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, why would Lin Jin’an be in a place like this?”
As the discussions around grew, Li Xingya couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
But more than this discomfort, what Li Xingya cared about was Lin Jin’an on the dance machine.
‘It’s like she’s glowing.’
‘Just like the Lin Jin’an I saw on my phone, on the school stage.’
‘When it’s time to perform, it’s like she becomes a different person.’
“So dazzling.”
Li Xingya murmured.
‘She’s from a completely different world than me.’
***
“Xiaoya?”
“…Huh?”
When Li Xingya came back to her senses, she saw Lin Jin’an holding her hand.
“Get ready.”
“Get… get ready for what?”
When Li Xingya looked around, she saw that they were surrounded on all sides.
“Lin Jin’an!”
“It really is Lin Jin’an!”
Around them, excited shouts made Li Xingya subconsciously tense up.
She saw that Lin Jin’an had taken off her mask and sunglasses at some point.
“Hehe, I was dancing too excitedly, and my sunglasses fell off, so I got recognized right away.”
Lin Jin’an tightened her grip on Li Xingya’s hand.
“So, we need to start running.”
“Huh?”
As she was pulled into a run, Li Xingya finally understood what was happening.
“Waaaahhhhhh!”
‘No way!’
‘I…’
‘I’m not good at running!!!’