“Where to sit?” Jian Heng scanned the area.
“Row 9, seats 9 and 10,” Qin Cheng pulled him back while speaking, “There were no tickets when I bought them, and just as I was about to switch movies, two people returned their tickets. I quickly bought them, the timing was perfect.”
Jian Heng looked at the row of couple seats in front of him and raised an eyebrow: “Indeed, perfect.”
Qin Cheng shamelessly continued to make up a story: “Maybe they thought a tough guy like me is more suitable for this kind of mushy movie, so they automatically gave up their seats. I should send them a banner for that.”
Jian Heng pushed him forward, agreeing: “Send it.”
They arrived early, with more than twenty minutes until the movie started. Qin Cheng placed the popcorn in the holder, tasted one, and found it quite sweet.
“What time does the movie start?” Jian Heng casually asked.
“In about twenty minutes,” Qin Cheng replied.
Qin Cheng took the cola from Jian Heng’s hand, took a couple of sips, and felt the icy cola cool him down to the core, the carbonation fizzing in his mouth.
He was almost in tears.
When was the last time he had cola? A month ago? It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Why did you choose this movie?” Jian Heng asked, noticing Qin Cheng’s eyes brimming with tears of excitement. He took a sip too, but just a tiny one. Qin Cheng couldn’t help but suspect that the cola was poisoned, considering how he sipped it like it was a shot of liquor.
“You said you wanted to watch a romantic movie,” Qin Cheng sighed, “This is a romantic movie, and a good one at that. The posters are all pink.”
Jian Heng was noncommittal.
Qin Cheng leaned closer to him: “Are you afraid of spoilers?”
Jian Heng stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth: “Legs broken.”
Qin Cheng closed his mouth.
Jian Heng didn’t like sweet things, and even with his hand resting on the seat, he didn’t take any popcorn. He just left it there, making Qin Cheng reflect on himself for a moment.
This is a movie theater, a public place. Qin Cheng, you’re not a rogue. You need to stay calm and restrained…
After a few seconds, Qin Cheng quietly placed his hand next to Jian Heng’s, almost touching.
Jian Heng turned his head to look at him, and Qin Cheng simply held his hand, unconsciously lowering his voice: “What are you looking at? Can’t your Ge touch you? Was it okay before but not now?”
After saying that, he gripped harder.
Jian Heng didn’t resist and chuckled: “Go ahead, touch.”
With such acting skills, what else could be said?
Qin Cheng was satisfied, curled his fingers, and pressed his fingertips against each knuckle one by one.
After a while, Jian Heng added: “Aren’t you going to take a photo for keepsake?”
“Hmm? Right, let’s post it on Moments and let them guess which hand is yours and which is mine,” Qin Cheng quickly took out his phone and snapped a picture. Displeased with the angle, he took five consecutive shots in various ways but still felt something was off, “Why do I feel like it doesn’t look good…”
Jian Heng didn’t say anything. He raised his hand and held his hand, their fingers intertwined tightly. The two hands held each other tightly and the backs of their hands showing the marks of their grip.
Qin Cheng snapped another picture, scrutinized it for a while, and was satisfied.
He didn’t turn off his phone, casually opened WeChat, found ‘Tan Qi’er‘, opened it, accessed the album, and sent nine consecutive photos.
No one mentioned letting go of each other’s hands.
“This student,” Qin Cheng leaned closer, sticking to Jian Heng, “After the movie, we have two choices: one, take you out to have fun; two, take you out to eat. Which one do you want to do first?”
Jian Heng also leaned closer, their shoulders touching, fingers intertwined, heads close together, just like countless couples around them, sweet and intimate, almost as if they were sharing the air they breathed.
“Are you hungry?”
Qin Cheng rubbed his stomach, whispering: “I was a bit stuffed earlier.”
Jian Heng looked at him and whispered: “Me too.”
“Then let’s go have some fun. I haven’t shown off for a long time,” Qin Cheng suddenly became eager, mysteriously saying: “Let me show you my superpower later.”
“Superpower?” Jian Heng pinched his fingers.
“Top secret for now. Just know that your Ge is freaking amazing,” Qin Cheng’s hand felt ticklish under his touch, but this kind of ticklishness was deeply satisfying, a kind of secret intimacy.
The people around them were not as close and intimate as the two of them.
After a loud ‘ding ding ding ding’, the movie started.
Qin Cheng closed his mouth and, along with Jian Heng, muted and dimmed their phones.
The movie had a realistic style, with few filters, making it a pleasure to watch both physically and mentally.
Qin Cheng couldn’t stand this kind of romantic movie about dating; he was here purely to watch Jian Heng. After watching the screen for a while, he couldn’t help but turn his head.
Jian Heng approached everything with a serious attitude. For instance, right now, if this movie wasn’t personally chosen by Qin Cheng, he would have no doubt that what Jian Heng was watching was a serious documentary.
With a serious expression, he focused intently on the screen. Qin Cheng thought that if Jian Heng were in a classroom with this posture, he could seamlessly transition into attending class.
This kind of state is very contagious. As Qin Cheng watched, he couldn’t help but shift his gaze to the screen and watch along with him.
For the first time in his life, he watched a movie that was just about two people in love.
He hadn’t paid much attention at the beginning, but when Qin Cheng watched, the main characters were already in their third year of high school, and their personalities could be judged at a glance.
The cool, arrogant Alpha male protagonist who struts around showing off, and the strong, independent yet insecure Omega male protagonist.
After settling down to watch, Qin Cheng became curious. How could a love story turn into a movie? Eating, drinking, kissing, and hugging——how boring it would be to film such things.
The director was teaching Qin Cheng how to be a person. Because this kind of relationship could be portrayed like this——
From the flashback, he saw the Alpha male protagonist encountering the Omega male protagonist in the library. The Alpha dropped his book, and the Omega picked it up. Then, the Omega searched the entire school to find the school grass Alpha, who was known by every student and teacher except him. Eventually, the Alpha corners him at the bathroom door, pinning him against it, and asks if he likes him and if he stole his book on purpose.
Qin Cheng didn’t want to ask why, with such a busy high school schedule, anyone would have time to read extracurricular books in such a big library. He also didn’t want to ask why, with such a loud thud when the book fell, the protagonist didn’t hear it when he wasn’t even wearing headphones. He just wanted to ask about the book; couldn’t it just be left with the gatekeeper? It would be easy to spot it on the way to and from school. And there was also that Alpha, blocking someone he didn’t even know and not letting him go——wasn’t that harassment1耍流氓 (shuǎ liú máng): to behave like a hooligan; to act in a dirty or indecent manner; behave like a hoodlum; take libertes with women; act like a rogue; play the rascal; be a scoundrel; engage in indecent behavior; act immorally.?
Qin-ge didn’t know that there was something called a ‘little sweet cookie2小甜餅 (xiǎo tián bǐng): an Internet buzzword. It is used on Weibo to refer to a person with a very cute and sweet personality and appearance, also refers to a smooth and sweet story. It can also be used to describe cute animals and super sweet novels with smooth sailing.‘. A straight man with such rigid logic like him isn’t suitable for watching this; he should stick to watching soldiers from a certain country shooting and killing.
He tilted his head; Jian Heng was still watching seriously. Qin Cheng couldn’t help but reflect on himself, wondering if he hadn’t grasped the essence.
Young man, you must see through the phenomenon to understand the essence, and absolutely cannot fall into the error of formalism3形式主義 (xíng shì zhǔ yì): (linguistics, computing, mathematics) formalism; excessive red tape; bureaucracy; Strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice etc.; (literature) An approach to interpretation and/or evaluation focused on the (usually linguistic) structure of a literary work rather than on the contexts of its origin or reception. Refers to a way of thinking and work style that only looks at the appearance of things without analyzing their essence..
Qin Cheng understood and continued watching.
The more he watched, the more he felt something was off.
Isn’t this a sweet movie for couples? Why are there still obstacles? You love me, I don’t love you… And yet the Omega still stubbornly chase after the Alpha, so humbly that Qin Cheng almost got up to leave several times.
Finally, the Omega succeeded in chasing the Alpha, and Qin Cheng almost cried for him.
As a result, the two didn’t have much time for flirting, and the Alpha’s family disagreed again, even forcing the Omega to transfer schools. Later, on the day of the college entrance exam, the Omega didn’t take the exam and moved away. The Alpha suddenly realized that the Omega was his true love, and without taking the exam, he rushed to the train station to find the Omega.
Qin Cheng estimated that the two were about three meters apart? But they just couldn’t see each other! Even if he turned around for 360 degrees, he still couldn’t see the other person! So blind!
Qin Cheng’s head ached from watching.
In the end, the Omega still left. Just after getting off the train, there was a ‘bang’, and he got into an accident, his leg was crippled, and he lost his memory.
Then, eight years later. the Alpha got engaged, and at the engagement ceremony, the Omega was a waiter… There is another round of chasing after each other.
Ending: the Alpha married another Omega, and the Omega, who had a terminal illness, quietly passed away alone in the hospital, on the very day of the Alpha’s wedding. The final scene freezes on the Alpha kneeling at the grave, crying.
Qin Cheng really wanted to tell him: Go cry somewhere else, you’re dirtying the path of reincarnation.
“Can I report this?” When Qin Cheng came out, his mind was full of the Omega’s eyes before dying, and his head ached from the annoyance, “This is false advertising, right? Who’s the director? Can I have their number? I want to talk to them.”
Jian Heng wanted to laugh a little: “How was the synopsis written?”
“How was it written?” Qin Cheng took out his mobile phone and read it word by word, “For couples, watch it with your beloved, and harvest every sweet moment.”
“I also harvested sweet moments, I harvested moments of holding my breath,” Qin Cheng took a deep breath.
“Watch it with your beloved?” Jian Heng caught the key point, not waiting for him to finish his daze, and said, “Is this movie ticket discounted?”
“Ah…” Qin Cheng held his phone, the promotional slogan in his eyes seemed to mock his stupidity, “Yes, right…”
“Isn’t it?” Jian Heng pretended to look at his phone.
Qin Cheng quickly pulled it back, chuckling awkwardly: “Yes, I bought it as soon as I saw the second one was half price, who told me to be so frugal…”
Jian Heng meaningfully said ‘oh’, looking at him sideways: “Movie tickets aren’t counted by ‘pieces,’ right?”
He added: “You said you’re used to it?”
Qin Cheng forced a smile, waving his hand: “Yes, I’m used to it, used to it.”
Fuck, who would come to his rescue?
With Jian Heng’s barrage of questions, Qin Cheng’s dissatisfaction with the movie soared into outer space, leaving only two lines of tears and a few bold, capitalized words on his forehead——’Seen through’.
Qin Cheng took a deep breath, his heart tangled for a moment, but then he let it go.
From what he knew of Jian Heng, even if Jian Heng saw through it, he definitely wouldn’t say anything. The most likely scenario was that he would pretend not to know and quietly watch him perform.
Thinking about it this way was quite beautiful, as if they were starting from scratch, like ordinary couples of the same age, moving from secret crushes to mutual flirting, then to being openly in love, and finally, one of them took the initiative, piercing through that layer of window paper.
When it comes to dating, at their age, it was all about romance and impulsiveness.
As for how to be impulsive, Qin-ge had a plan in mind.
“Let’s have a competition,” Qin Cheng looked at the claw machines on both sides, “Ten coins each, see who can catch more. The loser agrees to do one thing for the winner.”
“Anything?” Jian Heng glanced over.
“Anything,” Qin Cheng said.
After exchanging game coins, Jian Heng went to play first.
Qin Cheng watched him from behind, and his phone buzzed.
Tan Qi’er: Even if I’m a dog, I’m still a good dog that guards your home and goes through fire and water for you! Is it appropriate to abuse me?! Qin-ge, think about it with your conscience, is it appropriate?! Is it appropriate!!!
Qin Cheng reflected for a second and replied.
Earning money to support the family: Appropriate.
Tan Qi’er: …All these years of sincerity, was it all misplaced!!!
Qin Cheng looked at Jian Heng’s back, paused, and typed.
Earning money to support the family: Qi’er, actually, Ge is very sad.
Tan Qi’er: ?
Earning money to support the family: You’re still a single dog4單身狗 (dān shēn gǒu): (neologism, slang, often self-deprecatory) single person; singleton; (Internet slang) person who is neither married nor in a relationship (used self-deprecatingly); an Internet slang. It refers to people who are single or who don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend. In China, this state is like that of a dog, afraid of being lonely and in need of company. It has a similar meaning as “光棍 (guānggùn),” but is a derogatory term and is usually used as a way of self-mockery., you don’t understand the pain of not being able to love someone.
Tan Qi’er: !??
Earning money to support the family: He’s standing right in front of me, I can only look at him openly, touch him secretly, and hug him pretending to be casual. You wouldn’t understand.
Tan Qi’er: …
Tan Qi’er: Comrade, please know when to stop and don’t force me to reflect on our eighteen years of friendship.
Qin Cheng sighed, looked at his reflection in the glass. Qin-ge felt a bit self-pitying, thinking no one understood his heartache.
Earning money to support the family: Do you think your Ge is showing off to you?
Qin Cheng looked up.
Jian Heng was standing in front of a pink claw machine, his face, his legs, his cold aura creating a stark contrast with the machine. Just a side profile made Qin Cheng feel hot.
Not to mention the passersby; at this moment, he had already attracted quite a crowd. The annoying part was that the gazes included not just Omegas, but also Alphas!
But Qin Cheng didn’t have time to be jealous right now. Jian Heng’s relentless questioning just now clearly indicated the seriousness of the situation. It was very dire, and Tan Qi didn’t even understand his sadness.
Before Tan Qi could reply, Qin Cheng sent another message.
Earning money to support the family: Use your smart little brain and help your Ge think of a cool way to confess that matches your sister-in-law’s standards. Is there any holiday coming up in a few days?
Tan Qi’er: …Does Xiaoxue5小雪 (Xiǎo xuě): Xiaoxue or Lesser Snow, 20th of the 24 solar terms. The traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms (節氣). Xiǎoxuě (Chinese: 小雪; pinyin: xiǎoxuě) is the 20th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 240° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 255°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 240°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around 22 November and ends around 7 December. count?
Earning money to support the family: Yes, send me the contact information of the flower shop behind the school. Your Ge is going to propose. Are you envious, dog?
Tan Qi’er: Get lost!!!!!!!
Qin Cheng looked at the line of exclamation marks and clicked his tongue twice.
Earning money to support the family: Just playing around, forget it. I won’t talk to you anymore. Your sister-in-law didn’t catch a single one, your Ge going to coax him.
Qin Cheng turned off his phone.
Xiaoxue is great; just got together and already thinking about growing old together.
Jian Heng tried five times, and as expected, he didn’t catch a single one. When he let go of the machine and turned to look at him, his expression was very calm, raising his hand as if to say, ‘you do it if you can’.
Qin Cheng glanced at his phone, unable to stop the corner of his mouth from lifting. ‘Sigh, my wife isn’t good at this, I have to step in’.
“This requires skill; you can’t just grab randomly,” Qin Cheng said as he walked over, confidently scanning the area, “Which one do you like? I’ll get it for you.”
Jian Heng scanned the area. The machine he had just used was one he picked randomly, filled with a bunch of piglets. Next to it was a bunch of ponies, watermelons, strawberries, and grapes. Further to the right was a blue cabinet filled with a pile of plush figures——some holding guns, some holding grenades, and some wearing camouflage gear…
Jian Heng’s eyes flickered, and he nodded his chin: “That one.”
Qin Cheng also looked over, his eyes lighting up: “Isn’t this a PUBG outfit? It’s quite well-made.”
Jian Heng hummed in agreement, standing beside him watching his moves.
Qin Cheng’s hands were very steady, just like when they played games together. The knife wound on his palm had completely healed, not affecting his performance at all. He even chatted while playing: “I still like playing PUBG the most. You like it too, why don’t you say so? One day when you’re free, I’ll take you along. I’ve never taken you before, always letting you watch me learn. When can Qin-ge be a big shot and take you to fly…”
The mechanical claw that others fumble with and can’t catch anything seemed to come alive in Qin Cheng’s hands, deftly grabbing a little figure holding a gun, steadily moving to the exit, and letting it go.
With a ‘clank’, it fell down.
Qin Cheng used to play this game all the time. Not to say he hit the jackpot every time, but it was close enough. Tan Qi used to joke with him, “My Ge, if the platform goes under in the future, come over and catch dolls to earn money to support me.”
It’s a task that’s difficult for others but quite simple for him. After doing it so many times, it became a bit boring. Qin Cheng hadn’t felt a sense of achievement in a long time.
But when he took the doll out from the exit and turned to look at Jian Heng, he couldn’t suppress the smile on his face.
Qin Cheng tried hard to keep the corners of his mouth from curving up too much, trying not to look like a lovesick fool trying to show off to impress a crush.
But he couldn’t help it.
“Feels pretty soft when you squeeze it,” Qin Cheng handed the doll to him, unable to hold back a laugh, “Isn’t Ge amazing?”
“Amazing indeed,” Jian Heng took the doll, recalling the scene on the first day they met when someone got a headshot in a live stream, he praised earnestly, “Really amazing.”
“Which one do you want next?” With one compliment, Qin Cheng strutted like he had just won a billion, resting his hand on Jian Heng’s shoulder, waving his hand grandly, “Pick one, this is all the territory I have conquered for you.”
Jian Heng looked at the dancing machine in the distance, which had a sign saying ‘First place wins ten free movie tickets’ hanging on it.
Qin Cheng paused, forcibly turning Jian Heng’s head back to the claw machine, awkwardly saying: “Don’t look over there, we haven’t conquered that yet.”
Jian Heng smirked, pointing at a dog lying lazily among a bunch of cute dogs, looking at people with a mocking expression, “How about this one?”
Qin Cheng looked over and was also taken aback by the dog’s expression. Then, more interested than Jian Heng, he leaned over to look through the glass, pointing at the dog and saying with a smile: “This one looks kinda cool, lazy and all.”
Jian Heng nodded: “Pretty cute, grab it.”
Qin Cheng hit the target in one go, handing the plush toy to Jian Heng while laughing: “Which one next? We can still play three more times.”
“Ah, that one really won’t work, I can’t do it,” Jian Heng looked at the dancing machine again, and Qin Cheng quickly pulled him back to look, “Look at this one, the plush toy is so cute, you can put it on your bedside when you sleep to scare away monsters.”
Jian Heng raised an eyebrow, surprisingly persistent: “Free movie tickets.”
“Even if they’re free, I won’t watch,” Qin Cheng said, “We’re not short on those few dozen bucks.”
Since childhood, Qin Cheng had no talent for physical activities. When a group of kids learned to dance, he was the only one who stood out, tall and good-looking among a bunch of little beans, like a bear who didn’t exercise at all.
Little friend Qin knew from a young age that he wasn’t good at dancing. Even the radio calisthenics were considered the most difficult set of combined exercises.
Later, when he became Qin-ge, he simply stopped doing the radio calisthenics altogether; no one at school could manage him.
Although Qin-ge didn’t have any idol baggage, he also didn’t go out of his way to attract attention in a crowd. After years of not exercising, he had probably devolved from a bear to a sloth.
But Jian Heng seemed unusually persistent about the free movie tickets, so much so that the claw machine didn’t seem appealing anymore.
Qin Cheng hesitated.
He had promised to reach for the stars and the moon, so why was he backing down now? Gritting his teeth, he thought, ‘a big bear is still a big bear. If Jian Heng likes it, then I’ll be a big fool if I have to’.
“Do you really want that movie tickets?” The two of them stood in front of the dancing machine. Qin Cheng read the instructions on the sticker one word at a time, not very confident. “I think even if I took my arms and legs off and tried to dance separately, I still couldn’t score that high.”
“Is it that difficult?” Jian Heng glanced behind the dance machine, where there was a small karaoke booth, also one of those challenge-with-prizes types. He looked over there, “How about that?”
Qin Cheng raised his head with a look of deep resentment, and his eyes lit up the moment he saw the karaoke booth: “This one is good!”
Dancing is a big bear, but your Ge isn’t bad at singing.
The author has something to say:
Thank you, my little cutie, for the reminder. The pace has indeed been a bit slow recently, and I will be adjusting the progress soon. Thank you, everyone! Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or nourished me with nutrient solutions during the period from 2020-05-21 17:07:41~2020-05-22 14:30:45~
Thank you very much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
I almost forgot today’s update!! Sorry for the late update.
List of Idiom in Chapter 50
熱淚盈眶 (rè lèi yíng kuàng): eyes brimming with tears of excitement (idiom); extremely moved; to be moved to tears; dissolve in/into tears; tears come to one’s eyes.躍躍欲試 (yuè yuè yù shì): to be eager to give sth a try (idiom); to itch for a try; itch to have a go.
聚精會神 (jù jīng huì shén): to concentrate one’s attention (idiom); be all eyes and ears; to maintain one’s concentration; to stay focused; to be attentive or absorbed.
你追我趕 (nǐ zhuī wǒ gǎn): keep up with each other; compete actively; chase each other; strive to outdo one another; race against each other; pursue relentlessly; friendly one-upmanship; to try to emulate; the competition is fierce and everyone is unwilling to fall behind.
強顏歡笑 (qiǎng yán huān xiào): to put on a forced or strained smile; to pretend to look happy; to force oneself to smile; put on a brave face/front; to put on a forced smile even though one is not happy at heart.
見好就收 (jiàn hǎo jiù shōu): to quit while one is ahead (idiom); to know when to stop; stop before going too far; leave while the going is good; have a sense of proportion, to stop in moderation, and not to be greedy.
顧影自憐 (gù yǐng zì lián): lit. looking at one’s shadow and feeling sorry for oneself (idiom); fig. alone and dejected; feel sorry for oneself; indulge in selfpity; be selfabsorbed; wallow in selfpity; to look back at one’s own shadow and feel sorry for oneself. It is used to describe a lonely and frustrated state, and also refers to self-admiration.
白頭偕老 (bái tóu xié lǎo): (to live together until the) white hairs of old age (idiom); (said of a couple) to live together until the white hairs of old age; to live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss until death do us part; to remain happily married to a ripe old age; (of husband and wife) live together till old age; live in harmony till old and grey; remain a devoted couple all through their lives.
百發百中 (bǎi fā bǎi zhòng): lit. a hundred shots, a hundred bull’s-eyes; (literally, figuratively) every shot hits the target; to shoot with unfailing accuracy; to be a crack shot; one hundred shots, one hundred hits; to carry out a task with great precision; never miss; hit the target every time; to shoot an arrow or a gun accurately and hit the target every time; it also means to be fully confident in doing something. From the book Zhan Guo Ce: 楚有養由基者，善射，去柳葉百步而射之，百發百中之。左右觀者數幹人，皆曰善射。, In Chu there was Yang Youji, a sharpshooter. After having walked one hundred paces away, he would shoot at willow-leaves, shooting one hundred times and hitting one hundred times. Left and right, several officials who watched (him shooting) all said he was a sharpshooter.
情竇初開 (qíng dòu chū kāi): first awakening of love (usually of a girl) (idiom); budding love; first stirrings of love; first experience of love; just beginning to understand love (mostly referring to young girls , aged 13 to 14).
特立獨行 (tè lì dú xíng): independent in mind and action; unconventional and strong-minded; not follow the crowd; not drift with the tide.
引人注目 (yǐn rén zhù mù): to attract attention; eye-catching; to draw attention; to catch people’s eyes; to stand out; to be conspicuous; attract the gaze of people; catch sb’s attention; describe people or things that are very distinctive and attract people’s attention.
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