I'm in high school, is my dating system working correctly?

"Bai Lu, since you're just sitting here doing nothing anyway, why don't you and Xiao Lu go shopping at the mall?"

After tidying up the countertop and preparing to repair the next item, Cheng Yichuan looked up as if remembering something.

"what?"

Cheng Bailu fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, looking at the boy beside her, unsure how to answer.

"Okay, we can stay here and keep Uncle from working."

Lu Yu didn't care. He had already received today's system reward, Cheng Yichuan's work was on track, and more importantly, he had finished all his homework, so he could relax and have some fun.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate...?"

Cheng Bailu stammered.

"Go ahead, you specially wore this dress and clothes that you usually wouldn't wear. If you stay here and get them dirty, you'll have to hand wash them when you get home."

Cheng Yichuan saw through his daughter's little scheme with just one sentence.

They are father and daughter, their personalities are almost identical.

"dad!"

Cheng Bailu shouted something and then glanced furtively at Lu Yu.

"Because, well, it's my dad's first day here, so..."

"Hmm, I've never been to the shopping mall upstairs before, could you show me around?"

Lu Yu said generously.

"......OK."

Cheng Bailu nodded and turned to look at her father.

"Then I'll pick you up after you get off work."

"No need, your mom's at the supermarket. I'll go home with her. We haven't been out for a walk in ages."

Cheng Yichuan, who had already started repairing the trolley, waved his hand, signaling Cheng Bailu to take her cloth handbag with the words "Community Service Center" on it.

"Well, okay then."

Since everyone said that, Cheng Bailu had no reason to refuse.

As soon as she stepped out of the community service center, her phone vibrated. It was a transfer of two hundred yuan and a message from Cheng Yichuan.

[Dad]: Take the money and eat and have fun. Don't always let Xiao Lu spend money.

*

He was supposed to be shown around by Cheng Bailu, but once inside the mall, Lu Yu ended up walking ahead of him.

The girl followed him about half a person's width behind, nervously clutching her bracelet.

"This shopping mall is quite big, it even has a movie theater, so I can come here to watch movies in the future."

After glancing at the layout of the mall map, Lu Yu said casually.

"Huh? Yes, that's right."

When Cheng Bailu heard about the movie, she remembered Lu Yu's casual invitation on the bus earlier, and her reaction was a beat slow.

"Since there's a Walmart downstairs, the food court and arcade are upstairs. Um, would you like to browse the bookstore?"

Lu Yu pointed to the bookstore on the fourth floor of the map.

Based on his impression, a top student like Cheng Bailu would probably like the atmosphere of a bookstore or library.

"Okay, okay."

The top student in the grade, who usually gives off a cool and aloof vibe, seems a little out of place in the shopping mall.

We walked into the bookstore, which had a trendy, Instagram-worthy feel, one after the other.

sorry.

Lu Yu took Cheng Bailu on a tour, only to be greatly disappointed.

There are quite a few books, but what's on display are mostly self-help books, celebrity autobiographies, sociological treatises that don't distinguish right from wrong, or those old, clichéd tomes.

There's also a trendy coffee shop in one corner of the bookstore, where you can see a few female college students taking pictures of latte art with their phones, and it's a bit noisy.

Do you read books regularly, outside of class?

Lu Yu avoided the chattering female college students, slipped into the bookshelf behind him, and casually asked Cheng Bailu behind him in a low voice.

"I occasionally read... classics from the extracurricular reading list."

The girl confessed in a low voice.

"That's good, it's all the best stuff."

Lu Yu responded, and the two passed a bookshelf where they saw a couple whispering in front of it. They immediately looked away.

To be honest, there are quite a few couples in this bookstore.

"And you?"

Cheng Bailu's ears turned slightly red. She stole another glance at the couple holding hands, and her gaze inexplicably fell on the boy's loosely clenched hand in front of her.

The scene of going to eat noodles after school that day came to mind.

Did that count as holding hands?

Although we only held each other's wrists, well, that shouldn't count, right?

While her mind was wandering, Cheng Bailu suddenly bumped into a wall.

It wasn't a wall, it was Lu Yu's back.

"...Feel sorry......"

Stunned by the hard back, Cheng Bailu was about to apologize when Lu Yu silenced her with a gesture of quiet.

Shh, look over there.

Following Lu Yu's example, Cheng Bailu peeked out from behind the bookshelf and saw another couple deep inside.

Moreover, the audacious college student couple actually made out in front of the bookshelf.

No, there's a camera, you bastard. Or do you two have some special fetish and like being watched?

Wait, stop, stop, where are you putting your hands? This is a public place!

The two high school students immediately pulled their heads back.

Regardless, the synchronized audio-visual experience of watching a real person eat up close is still quite exciting for high school students.

Moreover, this isn't the kind of innocent love position; it's more like a sensual, erotic kiss.

Good heavens.

Lu Yu glanced at Cheng Bailu subconsciously.

The girl was clearly shocked; her pupils dilated, and her heart seemed to race. She stared blankly at her fingers, lost in thought.

A faint lemon scent mingled with the smell of ink from the books, seeping into my nostrils like a feather gently tickling my heart.

Her pale cherry-colored lips were slightly pursed, a little moist, and looked soft, like some kind of sweet and delicious fruit.

No, Brother Yu, what are you looking at?

Lu Yu noticed the sinister thought that had quietly emerged and hurriedly looked away.

Noticing the boy's movements, Cheng Bailu raised her head slightly and found herself right in front of Lu Yu's chest, as if she were nestled in his arms.

The familiar, comforting scent of laundry detergent wafted from his T-shirt, lingering in the girl's thoughts.

His face was very close, and his slightly thin lips seemed to be covered with a thin layer of mist under the bookstore lights.

If I stand on tiptoe at this moment, I might be able to barely touch it?

stop.

Cheng Bailu, what do you want to touch?

"Let's not wander around here anymore. Next time, I'll take you to a quieter place to read."

The lips made a sound, causing Cheng Bailu to turn her face away in a panic.

"Yes, yes."

next time?

Is this...an agreement?

They nodded guiltily and walked back the way they came, remaining silent the whole way, with only the deafening sound of their heartbeats.

Lu Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief after the two walked out of the bookstore side by side.

"Why do couples all like to date in bookstores these days? When will we book-loving students be able to stand up for ourselves?!"

I made a comment.

"Um......"

Cheng Bailu responded.

Couples often enjoy dating at bookstores.

Did we just have a date?

I guess... it doesn't count, right?

In the girl's view, dating is something that happens after two people have established a relationship, where they go out together to nurture their feelings, which involves holding hands, hugging, and...

In conclusion, she and Lu Yu were completely innocent and had no regrets.

We're just classmates.

Classmate...?

Well, let's leave that aside for now.

If this counts as a date, then didn't our previous trip to the bookstore also count as a date?

Yes, this isn't a date, it's, well, an inspection? It's to check if the mall has done a good job in fire safety!

Muttering to herself, she followed Lu Yu to the fifth floor.

The fifth floor is half an arcade and half a food street.

"fire hydrant……"

"What's wrong with the fire hydrant?"

When Lu Yu asked her a question, Cheng Bailu snapped out of her daze and hurriedly shook her head.

"N-nothing..."

"Oh, would you like some milk tea? I'll treat you to Snow King. After all, if I hadn't come to see you today, I probably wouldn't have earned that thousand yuan."

Lu Yu pointed to the milk tea shop in front of him.

From both a practical and systemic perspective, Cheng Bailu is indeed closely related to this thousand yuan.

Being with you feels like I've become so much luckier.

"Well... okay, thank you."

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Cheng Bailu suppressed the corners of her mouth, nodded slightly, and chose a simple glass of chilled lemonade.

While we were waiting, a college couple came over to buy milk tea. The girl was holding an adorable cat plush toy and chattering away.

"Isn't it cute? Everyone online says that whoever catches this Hakimi will be lucky. I'm going to post it on my WeChat Moments right away."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Bailu glanced in the direction they had come from; it was the claw machine at the arcade, and two of the machines contained all sorts of cat figures.

They're all quite cute.

However, she quickly looked away.

It's more cost-effective to buy these toys online; you'd have to spend a lot more money on claw machines.

She usually wouldn't even buy a doll, let alone try to grab one.

Returning with two glasses of lemonade, Lu Yu noticed her momentary lapse in concentration.

"Let's go play the claw machine."

"what?"

As Cheng Bailu took the lemonade with the straw already inserted, she felt a faint sense of shame, as if her inner secret had been revealed, mixed with a quiet joy at being seen.

"I have a feeling you're having a really good run of luck today. Could you catch one for me? I'd like to give it as a gift."

Lu Yu said it casually.

hum-

Cheng Bailu's mind went blank for a moment, and her throat felt itchy. But the next moment, a slight bittersweet feeling welled up in her chest. As if possessed, she gently bit the straw and then opened her mouth.

"Yes, is it for Zhou Qianyun?"

*

Thank you everyone for your votes and monthly passes!