Chapter 75: Our First Date (2/2)

The couple looked over their shoulders at us and didn’t even dare to touch each other again after that. Xiaotao leaned back and snorted with satisfaction.

“How did you know about that?” I whispered.

“Did you forget that I’m a police officer? Now be quiet, I’m watching the movie.”

“Okay.” I nodded.

We were watching was a crime thriller. Xiaotao was giving me commentaries based on her professional experience throughout the movie, so my watching experience was peppered with remarks like “That’s just not realistic at all!” and “The scriptwriters are a bunch of idiots!” and “How can anyone escape from the prison so easily? This is just stupid!” and “There’s no way anyone could dodge that many bullets without a scratch!”

What was the story about, you ask? Well, I wouldn’t know. All that time my concentration was not on the screen at all. I kept stealing glances at Xiaotao with the corner of my eye. What was of particular interest to me was her hand resting on the armrest between us. I tried to reach out and hold it, but after several unsuccessful tries due to my cowardice, I gave up. I felt like the most useless piece of trash in the world.

“Was the movie good?” I asked when we came out of the cinema.

“Why are you asking me? Didn’t you watch it too?”

“Of course I did! But… I don’t usually watch this type of movie…” I stammered.

She turned to me and smiled slyly. “You didn’t spend the whole time staring at me, did you?”

“No! Absolutely not!” I denied.

Xiaotao smiled knowingly, then looked at her watch. “It’s eleven o’clock now. Let’s find a place to eat!”

I suggested we go to the nearby food street and find a restaurant there. I asked her if she preferred barbecue or pizza. She shook her head and replied, “I’m not really that hungry. Let’s just find a simple restaurant and have a light lunch.”

“That’s out of the question,” I insisted. “I promised you I’d treat you to a nice meal!”

Xiaotao smiled.

“But a nice meal doesn’t have to be expensive,” she said. “Frankly, I’ve been to many of these restaurants so many times before that they bore me now. Besides, you just spent two hundred yuan for the movie tickets. There’s no need to waste more money on food.”

“But you’ve been paying for our meals all the time! Why shouldn’t I pay for you this time?”

“How is that even comparable?” she countered. “You haven’t even graduated yet! It’s not like you get a salary every month! Anyway, can you cook? Maybe you can buy some ingredients and go back to my house and cook for me there.”

“But I don’t even know how to boil water.”

Xiaotao sighed.

Looking back, I wish I could go back in time and kick myself. I should’ve noticed that Xiaotao was trying to invite me to her house, yet I rejected her like an idiot and missed the opportunity.

“Fine. Let’s go shopping then! We can just find a place to eat when we get hungry. There’s no reason to take it all so seriously since we’ve known each other for quite a while now.”

“Okay.”

We then strolled around the mall, not speaking a word to each other.

“Have you been on a date before?” asked Xiaotao suddenly.

“No. Have you?”

“Me neither.”

Last night, I imagined how my relationship with Xiaotao would bloom today. But the way things went now had me deflated. We didn’t know what to chat about with each other as we strolled. The only things I knew had to do with corpses and autopsies, and those weren’t known to create a romantic atmosphere. It made me realize how boring I was.

After having explored the mall, we decided to go outside and take a stroll in the park. The trees there were densely packed together and the surrounding area was nice and quiet. Xiaotao told me she was tired of walking and would like to take a break there.

I saw a beverage stall nearby and asked her, “Are you thirsty? Let me buy you a drink.”

Xiaotao smiled and said, “How thoughtful of you! That’s a rare sight! Um, I think I’d like some blueberry juice.”

“Okay,” I nodded. “Wait for me here, okay? Don’t go anywhere!”

I rushed to the stall and bought two bottles of juice, only to return to find that Xiaotao was gone. Her small handbag was lying on the floor…

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