"Will You Be My Girlfriend?"

May 20th, evening.

Chen Wen squeezed off the subway and ambled towards the entrance of Wanda Plaza. His handsome profile drew quite a few admiring glances from the opposite sex.

He pulled out his phone and saw he was half an hour early for their meeting.

Good, this buffer time makes me feel at ease.

As for why he was here, it was naturally for a date.

However, it wasn't with his girlfriend, but to have dinner and watch a movie with his childhood friend.

Chen Wen was naturally introverted and never actively made friends.

Even if he added someone on WeChat, he rarely communicated with them.

Now in his third year of university, he was unfamiliar with over ninety percent of his classmates, only knowing his three roommates from his first and second years.

But ever since he moved out this year, his contact with his roommates had gradually dwindled to zero.

Every day, besides attending classes, Chen Wen stayed in his rented room making handicrafts, creating little trinkets that interested him.

Besides that, the only time he went out for entertainment was when his childhood friend took him out.

"Hey!"

A clear, sweet voice came from behind him.

At the same time, Chen Wen's shoulder was patted.

He turned his head and saw Jiang Qiuyi, his date for today, standing prettily behind him.

The girl wore light makeup. She had on a long-sleeved white shirt, the hem tucked into her capri pants, and a pair of white casual shoes, highlighting her slender waist and long legs.

She had unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, revealing her alluring, delicate collarbones. From Chen Wen's height of 1.85 meters, he could clearly see a gaze that seemed to peer into the abyss.

Perhaps accustomed to his childhood friend's stunning looks since they were young, Chen Wen didn't react much. He just raised his hand in greeting.

"I knew it." Jiang Qiuyi grabbed Chen Wen's wrist, a look of helplessness on her face. "We agreed on five-thirty, and you're always this early."

"Nothing much going on at school, coming early or late makes no difference," Chen Wen replied, shaking his head.

The two walked along the bustling commercial street.

Jiang Qiuyi held Chen Wen's wrist, and seeing his lack of reaction, she happily didn't let go.

It wasn't until they reached the restaurant that Jiang Qiuyi reluctantly released his hand. She glanced at Chen Wen beside her, and seeing his consistently indifferent expression, she couldn't help but sigh.

What a big dummy...

"You order," Chen Wen said after they sat down. He picked up the menu on the table and handed it to Jiang Qiuyi opposite him.

Taking the menu, Jiang Qiuyi saw Chen Wen take out his phone and helplessly put her hand to her forehead. She quickly ordered a few dishes Chen Wen liked from the waiter, then casually got up and sat next to Chen Wen.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, I'm watching your new video." Chen Wen turned his phone screen to show her. It was a Bilibili video of a girl playing the piano.

The camera only captured the area below the girl's neck, but Chen Wen knew, of course, that this music streamer with over a million followers was his childhood friend sitting beside him.

"The actual person is sitting right next to you, what's so good about the video?" Jiang Qiuyi said speechlessly.

"Better safe than sorry," Chen Wen said quietly. "Last time we went out, you asked me what I thought of your latest video, and I hadn't watched it, so you said I didn't care about you."

"..." Jiang Qiuyi was exasperated, torn between laughter and tears. She put her hands on her hips and asked, "Does cramming at the last minute like this show that you care about me?"

Chen Wen was stumped by the question, so he simply nodded. "You're right. Then I won't watch it."

Jiang Qiuyi's eyes widened, and she puffed out her cheeks, feigning anger. "What should you do after watching my video?"

Startled by the girl's intensity, Chen Wen, who had been about to close the video, froze. In the end, he could only long-press to like it, giving his precious "one-click triple" (like, comment, share).

"Happy now?" Chen Wen asked.

"???" Jiang Qiuyi exclaimed.

"Is that what I meant?!" Jiang Qiuyi angrily hit Chen Wen's shoulder. "After watching my video, of course, you have to praise it!"

"This..." Chen Wen was momentarily speechless.

For Chen Wen, he would rather lock himself in a dark room for three days and three nights than praise someone face-to-face.

"Piano and a girl are a perfect match."

"Your pure white wings, soaring across the sky, are as poetic and moving as a verse, flowing into my heart."

"Started for the looks, stayed for the talent."

Chen Wen began to praise her earnestly.

"No reading comments!"

Jiang Qiuyi blushed and quickly covered the phone screen. Seeing that Chen Wen could no longer see the compliments from his "excellent viewers," he immediately fell silent.

Just then, a plate of poached chicken in sesame oil was served.

"Let's eat, the dish will be bad if it gets cold," Chen Wen attempted to change the subject.

"Poached chicken is a cold dish, you know," Jiang Qiuyi rolled her eyes, but she didn't make things difficult for him anymore. She picked up a piece for Chen Wen, then took one for herself and started eating.

Her goal wasn't to get Chen Wen's praise anyway; she just wanted to naturally sit next to him.

Sitting side-by-side, with their arms occasionally brushing against each other, was exactly what Jiang Qiuyi preferred over sitting face-to-face.

Glancing at Chen Wen, who was calmly eating his vegetables, Jiang Qiuyi giggled. Then, as if struck by a thought, a faint blush spread across her face and her heart started to beat faster.

To ease her nervousness, Jiang Qiuyi tried to start a conversation to distract herself:

"Is your next video almost done?"

"The ring is finished. I just need to do the post-production editing, and it should be out tomorrow," Chen Wen replied honestly.

As he spoke, Chen Wen pulled a dark blue ring from his pocket and placed it on the table for Jiang Qiuyi to see.

After moving out on his own this year, spurred on by Jiang Qiuyi, Chen Wen, who loved crafting, started posting DIY videos on Bilibili.

His first two videos, "Silver Filament Bracelet" and "Silver-Inlaid Wooden Comb," had already garnered over ten thousand views each.

And now, the video for "Meal Card Ring Transformation," with an idea provided by Jiang Qiuyi, was nearing completion.

"Can this be used to swipe a card?" Jiang Qiuyi picked up the ring, examining it from all angles, and casually slipped it onto her right ring finger. "It's quite pretty."

"I tested it at school today. You have to press the side with the chip firmly against the card reader," Chen Wen said. "If the ring were thinner, it would probably be more sensitive."

"Also, embedding the chip into a bracelet, necklace, or earrings should be feasible."

"It's just a bit too attention-grabbing when swiping, not really suitable for me."

When the topic turned to crafting, Chen Wen's words clearly became more numerous.

Jiang Qiuyi raised her hand to admire the ring under the light and asked curiously, "So, you'll be using this ring to pay for meals from now on?"

"No need," Chen Wen said, pulling a meal card from his pocket. "After testing the ring, I got a replacement card. The chip in the ring is no longer useful."

"..." Jiang Qiuyi was speechless. Finally, her eyes darted around, and she said, "So this ring is useless now, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then this ring is mine now~"

"Oh."

With Chen Wen's agreement, Jiang Qiuyi didn't take the ring off her right ring finger.

After dinner, Jiang Qiuyi paid the bill first, and Chen Wen transferred half the amount to her. Then, the two left the restaurant and headed to the cinema.

With two tickets for "The Last of Us" in hand, they bought popcorn and milk tea. When the time came, they walked into the cinema one after the other.

Chen Wen followed Jiang Qiuyi upstairs to the last row of the screening hall. He paused, a look of confusion on his face, and asked, "Why are these couple seats?"

"Ah, it's all the same!" Jiang Qiuyi grabbed Chen Wen's wrist and pulled him to the couple seats in the very corner of the last row.

Under the warm lighting of the cinema, the blush on Jiang Qiuyi's face was well concealed, unnoticed by the oblivious Chen Wen.

Couple seats, as the name suggests, are specifically designed for couples.

Unlike regular seats, couple seats allow two people to sit together without an armrest in between, making it convenient for couples to embrace or engage in even more affectionate actions.

Furthermore, being in the last one or two rows, with tall dividers between each couple seat, they form a semi-enclosed private space, so there's no need to worry about attracting the attention of other audience members.

Of course, this is assuming you don't make any strange noises.

However, these were not Chen Wen's main concerns.

"Couple seats seem to be a bit more expensive than regular seats," Chen Wen said, putting down his milk tea and stroking his chin in thought.

Jiang Qiuyi glared at Chen Wen, as if disappointed, and huffed, "Then I'll pay you the difference, okay?"

"...That's not necessary."

The lights in the cinema dimmed, and the movie began.

The film told the story of two young people who met, got to know each other, and fell in love during the Spring Festival travel rush, then broke up, only to meet again ten years later.

The story was very moving, but Jiang Qiuyi's mind was elsewhere entirely.

In the dim cinema, in the corner couple seats, only the light from the screen fell on the boy's cheek.

Jiang Qiuyi kept turning her head, stealing glances at Chen Wen's handsome profile. Her small hands clenched into fists, her palms already slick with sweat, her heart pounding faster and faster.

Seeing that the movie was more than halfway through, Jiang Qiuyi finally mustered up her courage, closed her eyes tightly, and extended her left hand.

The next moment, Chen Wen's right hand was tightly grasped by a warm, soft small hand.

"Chen Wen."

Jiang Qiuyi's shy voice reached Chen Wen's ears.

"Hmm?"

After a long silence without a response, Chen Wen, in his confusion, was about to turn his head when the girl's trembling voice came again:

"I've liked you for a long time..."

"Can I be your girlfriend?"