The Movie

"Time really flies. It's almost evening already." Su Xiaoqiang glanced at the time. It was nearly six o'clock.

Lu Mingfei figured it was about time to head home. He hadn't told his aunt he'd be coming back late today.

"Um..."

"Um..."

They spoke at the same time.

"You go first."

"You go first."

They looked at each other and laughed.

"Then I'll go first," Lu Mingfei volunteered.

"It's getting late, so I should head home. I didn't say I'd be back late when I left today. If I get home too late, they'll worry."

"Why don't you call your aunt and let her know?" Su Xiaoqiang asked.

"Oh, right. But I don't have a phone!" Lu Mingfei said matter-of-factly.

"Dummy, use mine!" Su Xiaoqiang handed him her phone. "Here, go ahead and call."

"Oh, okay." Lu Mingfei took the phone and dialed home.

"Uncle, one of my classmates is having a birthday party today. Could you tell Auntie I'll be home late? Whose birthday? Xu Yanyan's. Got it, I'll be careful."

"All done." Lu Mingfei handed the phone back to Su Xiaoqiang.

Su Xiaoqiang gave Lu Mingfei a long look. Life really wasn't easy for people with superpowers these days—not even a phone to their name. She snapped her fingers and said, "I've decided. We're going to buy one more thing."

"Wherever you say, Miss Su, I'll follow," Lu Mingfei said obsequiously.

He'd spent the whole day tagging along, so he couldn't help lowering his guard.

Su Xiaoqiang led Lu Mingfei to the third floor and into an Apple Store.

"You're buying a phone?" Lu Mingfei realized.

"This is the newest model this year, the IPhone 3G. What do you think?" Su Xiaoqiang directed the clerk to bring her a black one.

"Looks good to me," Lu Mingfei said with a nod.

"Great, then I'll take it." Su Xiaoqiang waved a hand and bought the phone, then handed it to Lu Mingfei. "Come on, let's get you a SIM card too."

"Me?" Lu Mingfei asked in surprise.

"If not you, then who?" Su Xiaoqiang shot back.

"Hey, you can't just accept gifts without earning them! You've already bought me so many things today. Buying more doesn't feel right!" Lu Mingfei waved his hands, refusing.

Su Xiaoqiang pressed the phone into Lu Mingfei's hand. "Just take it. The clothes I bought you today cost more than this phone. It's not like I'm short on money."

"How much was it, anyway?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"4,700."

Lu Mingfei froze. He'd thought he'd spent maybe ten thousand yuan today. He knew the Little Goddess's family owned plenty of mines, but he hadn't expected one phone to account for nearly half that amount.

Whether he was here or in Soul Society, he always relied on his own abilities to get what he needed. Whatever he did, he felt more at ease when it was within his means.

He grew a little more serious. "I really can't take this. You've already bought me plenty today. I've heard you never spent this much even when treating your girlfriends to dinner. It wouldn't be right for me to accept."

Watching Lu Mingfei like this, Su Xiaoqiang felt a pang in her heart for some reason.

She thought he must have suffered a lot in the past. She'd heard his parents had been abroad for years and rarely came to see him.

He'd always been alone, with few friends, and would only go to internet cafés after school. Before she'd changed her opinion of him, she'd even thought of him as a sworn enemy.

Now he wouldn't even accept a phone from her. Maybe his pride had kicked in. What she'd said just now really had been disrespectful. She'd assumed that because she had money, she could disregard what other people thought.

She felt so guilty. Lu Mingfei must be feeling awful.

The two of them were thinking about completely different things.

Feeling a little guilty, Su Xiaoqiang softened her tone and explained, "I'm actually buying you a phone for my own sake. If I run into danger in the future, I'll need to call you, right? I don't even have your contact information now, and you're hardly ever on QQ. If I run into bad guys, I'd have no way to reach you."

"Okay, that makes sense." Lu Mingfei accepted her reasoning. If she were in danger, he'd definitely come help her.

And just like that, Lu Mingfei happily accepted the phone.

Su Xiaoqiang hadn't expected him to give in before she'd even tried her other tactics. She couldn't help wondering whether all the things she'd been thinking just now were really true.

After they bought a SIM card, they exchanged numbers. Su Xiaoqiang entered her number as Lu Mingfei's first contact.

She'd become Lu Mingfei's first contact. Huge success!

After they left Jiuguang Department Store, Su Xiaoqiang looked up at the sky. It was completely dark.

Time really flew. She didn't want to go home so soon, but what excuse could she use to keep Lu Mingfei with her a little longer?

Lu Mingfei was already thinking about what to eat for dinner.

"Mingfei, let's go see a movie," Su Xiaoqiang said, giving his sleeve a gentle tug.

"Sure, but let's eat first," Lu Mingfei replied.

"Okay!" Su Xiaoqiang beamed.

Once they entered the cinema lobby, they each had their own thoughts.

Apart from school-organized screenings, Lu Mingfei had never watched a movie at a theater before. This was his first time. Awesome!

This was Su Xiaoqiang's first time going to a movie with a boy. She giggled foolishly. Awesome!

Su Xiaoqiang chose a romance movie. The two of them bought popcorn and cola and went into the theater.

They sat together in the middle of the fourth row. There was no one on either side of them, and it looked like the movie had been showing for a while.

They put the popcorn between them and waited for the movie to start.

The film was a sweet school romance about a boy and a girl who sat together in class. They joked around at school, then gradually fell for each other.

Lu Mingfei watched the movie intently. Su Xiaoqiang, meanwhile, kept glancing at his profile, just as intently.

The movie reached its most engaging part, and both of them got absorbed in it. They slowed down as they ate their popcorn.

They both reached into the bucket at the same time.

"Mm." Su Xiaoqiang's face flushed. She felt her fingers brush against Lu Mingfei's.

After that, she couldn't focus on the movie. She only occasionally touched Lu Mingfei's hand, finding it rather warm.

She brushed against Lu Mingfei's hand again with a little trick, and the Little Goddess looked completely satisfied.

Suddenly, Lu Mingfei took Su Xiaoqiang's hand and held it tightly.

Her hand was small compared to Lu Mingfei's. His hand enclosed hers, making her feel warm. Su Xiaoqiang didn't know why he'd done it, but she didn't want him to let go.

Su Xiaoqiang's face turned bright red, the color spreading down to her neck. She looked rosy and delicate.

"Xiaoqiang," Lu Mingfei said, gazing at her tenderly.

"What is it? Just say it." Su Xiaoqiang lowered her head, not daring to look at him.