Upon hearing those words, Xie Ruhe’s expression froze for a moment, and then he lowered his chin and laughed. He immediately stood up, strode out of the dessert shop, went to Shu Nian’s side, and bent down to half-embrace her.
Shu Nian’s feet were still numb. She waited a moment before allowing Xie Ruhe to lead her into the dessert shop.
Passing by the counter, Xie Ruhe casually picked up a menu.
Shu Nian finally realized that her behavior just now seemed a bit foolish, and she lowered her head, feeling embarrassed. She released Xie Ruhe’s hand, ran ahead, and sat down across from him.
On the table, there was only Xie Ruhe’s computer, some paper and pens, and a cup of coffee.
Nothing else.
Xie Ruhe glanced at her, put the menu in front of her, and sat down.
The menu was thick and large, like a slightly thinner large dictionary. Shu Nian laboriously opened it, muttering softly: “I forgot that squatting for too long makes your feet go numb…”
Xie Ruhe made an affirmative sound and said carelessly, “Next time stand.”
Shu Nian nodded.
For a moment, she couldn’t remember why she had insisted on squatting.
“Do you want to eat something?” Shu Nian flipped through the menu, looking at the pictures printed on it with a hesitant expression. “It seems like everything looks quite delicious.”
Xie Ruhe raised his eyes slightly and said softly, “Choose something for me.”
“Oh.” Shu Nian looked at him eagerly. “Can I choose anything?”
“Only two items,” Xie Ruhe looked away and added, “We’ll have dinner soon.”
These words seemed to pierce Shu Nian’s thoughts. Her expression became awkward, and she forced herself to explain: “I was just asking if you wanted to eat something, I wasn’t planning to eat your portion.”
“Hmm?” As if thinking, Xie Ruhe quickly replied, “Then don’t order anything for me.”
“…”
Not knowing how large the cake portions were here and afraid of wasting food, Shu Nian didn’t order extra. She only ordered a mousse cake and a milk tea. With nothing else to do, she went over to see what Xie Ruhe was working on.
Shortly after, she returned to her seat, held her phone, and started playing a game.
Having roughly filled in the words, Xie Ruhe closed his computer.
Just at that moment, the cake and drinks arrived. Shu Nian immediately put down her phone, first asked Xie Ruhe if he wanted any, and after confirming he didn’t, she began eating by herself.
Xie Ruhe thought for a moment and asked her, “How was the voice audition?”
Shu Nian took small bites of cake and said languidly, “I think it went well; the results should be out this week.”
Xie Ruhe tilted his head and asked, “Were there many people auditioning?”
“Mm, around a dozen or so. By the way, today I…” Shu Nian’s voice paused as she swallowed what was in her mouth, then said quietly, “I think I made a few friends.”
Xie Ruhe looked up. “Oh?”
As she spoke, Shu Nian opened WeChat and handed it to him to see. “I even added them on WeChat.”
Like showing off a treasure, she stared at him with rosy cheeks, her eyes like two stars, especially bright, carrying a hint of pleasant surprise. Her mood seemed particularly good.
To others, it might have seemed like an ordinary event.
But for her, it was a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Xie Ruhe met her eyes, his Adam’s apple moving.
Then, he reached out to stroke her head and said softly, “That’s very good.”
The movie theater Shu Nian chose was near Xie Ruhe’s home.
After dinner, Xie Ruhe simply drove back to the neighborhood, left their things in the car, and then took her hand as they walked toward the movie theater.
The evening temperature had cooled somewhat, no longer as stuffy as during the day, with a touch of comfort. The sky was without a trace of clouds; stars could be seen twinkling, and occasionally planes passed overhead.
Shu Nian counted her steps idly for a while. Not long after, she asked casually, “Do you like watching animated films?”
Xie Ruhe answered honestly, “I haven’t watched many.”
“The one we’re seeing is very good.” Shu Nian’s eyes curved. “The main character is a cat, very cute.”
“Are you also a cat?”
“No,” Shu Nian said. “Besides the cream cat, there are four other main characters, all different animals.”
Xie Ruhe asked, “So what animal are you?”
Without much thought, Shu Nian replied directly, “I’m a dog.”
Xie Ruhe turned his head and saw her somewhat stiff and serious expression. He paused, then curved his lips. The next moment, he reached out to ruffle the top of her head: “Mm, the one I keep.”
“…”
They arrived at the movie theater.
The movie would last about two hours. Worried that Shu Nian might get thirsty or hungry during the film, Xie Ruhe excused himself and went to the counter to buy popcorn and orange juice.
Shu Nian walked to the ticket machine.
She hadn’t been to a movie theater for a long time. Now she stood frowning in front of the ticket machine for half a minute before realizing she needed to take out the QR code to scan.
There weren’t many people in the theater.