Don't underestimate the poor and elderly; I was thrilled to refuse the class beauty's adva

When Zhang Yifan arrived at the movie theater, Shen Zhiyi was already standing in the lobby.

She was still wearing that simple dress, her ponytail neatly tied, and she was looking up at the film schedule.

The lobby was bustling with people. There were couples carrying buckets of popcorn, parents with children, and a group of high school students who had just finished their exams, chattering about whether to watch a sci-fi movie or an animated film.

"Let's choose the back row," Shen Zhiyi said, pointing to the seating chart on the screen.

"The view from the back row is easily blocked by the people in front, but there are seats in the middle of the front row where you can see clearly."

"It's quiet in the back."

"The back row is full of couples."

Shen Zhiyi paused for a moment on the screen.

She turned her head and looked at Zhang Yifan, her expression still the same indifferent look as always, but her ears were tinged with a very light pink.

She didn't change seats; she directly selected two seats in the middle of the back row.

Zhang Yifan silently made a mental note of his own thick skin; he would never have dared to speak like that before.

It's probably the effect of increasing my charm by ten, or maybe it's because I've spent so much time with her that I've become more thick-skinned.

The film is a science fiction movie that tells the story of humanity awakening self-awareness in an alien colony.

The special effects are dazzling, the plot is convoluted, and there are quite a few logical flaws.

Halfway through the movie, the protagonist is confronting an alien creature when suddenly a loud bang comes from the speakers, and the door behind the protagonist is blown open.

Shen Zhiyi's whole body trembled, and her fingers instinctively gripped Zhang Yifan's arm tightly.

Zhang Yifan glanced down at her hand, then looked up again to continue watching the movie.

He neither dodged away nor spoke.

After a moment, the tension on the screen subsided, and her hand was still on his arm.

After a moment, she seemed to realize that she was still holding on, and slowly loosened her grip, quietly pulling her fingers back.

When the lights came on after the show, Zhang Yifan stood up and stretched.

Shen Zhiyi straightened her skirt and followed him out.

As I walked to the entrance of the screening room, I bumped into three boys wearing basketball jerseys.

Zhang Yifan recognized one of them; he was the sports committee member of Class 9, named Wang Chao.

He usually loves to stir up trouble in class. Last time when Shen Zhiyi came to issue a challenge, he shouted "love letter" the loudest.

When Wang Chao looked up, he first saw Zhang Yifan and was about to greet him when he saw Shen Zhiyi following behind Zhang Yifan.

His hand was raised in mid-air, his mouth was open, and his gaze darted back and forth between Zhang Yifan and Shen Zhiyi several times.

Then the mouth shape silently switched from "Zhang Yifan" to "Holy crap".

"Brother Fan, is this... watching a movie?" Wang Chao's tone carried an ambiguous meaning of "I understand everything, you don't need to say anything."

"Yeah, I just finished the exam and came out to relax." Zhang Yifan said naturally.

Wang Chao's gaze then drifted towards Shen Zhiyi.

Shen Zhiyi stood next to Zhang Yifan, her expression still the same indifferent look, but a blush spread from her ears all the way to her neck.

She turned slightly to the side, avoiding Wang Chao's probing gaze, but did not leave Zhang Yifan's side.

Wang Chao gave Zhang Yifan a thumbs up and quickly pulled the two boys who were still in a daze to the ticket gate.

After walking a few steps, he turned back and called out, "Brother Fan, remember to treat everyone to a meal when you go back to school to get your files," and then disappeared into the crowd in a flash.

"Wang Chao's mouth runs even faster than Zong Wen's; the whole class will probably know by tomorrow..."

"What do you know?" Shen Zhiyi asked, her head bowed.

"They know I came to see a movie with the school beauty."

Who is the school beauty?

"you."

"Who said that?"

"Unanimously recognized by the entire school."

Shen Zhiyi didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly before she quickly suppressed it.

After leaving the screening room, the two strolled around the mall.

As they passed a jewelry store, Shen Zhiyi paused in front of the window. Zhang Yifan thought she wanted to look at the sparkly hair clips, but she was just looking at the reflections of two people in the glass.

She saw Zhang Yifan turn his head and look at her in the reflection of the glass. Her gaze met his in the reflection, and then she quickly looked away.

I'm thirsty.

"There's a milk tea shop over there, it just opened, and people online say it's pretty good."

There was a long queue outside the milk tea shop.

The two stood at the end of the line. Zhang Yifan told Shen Zhiyi to sit down and wait, but Shen Zhiyi didn't go and just stood next to him.

Halfway through the queue, Shen Zhiyi suddenly spoke up: "I used to see you buying milk tea for Lin Wanqing every day in the corridor."

Back then, every time you passed by our classroom, you were carrying a milk tea. Sometimes it was Starbucks, sometimes it was Bawangchaji, and the brand was different each time.

I was thinking, how come this person buys milk tea for others every day, but can't even bear to replace their own thermos? The lid is even broken from being dropped and they're still using it.

Zhang Yifan remained silent for a moment.

He remembered the timeline the system had mentioned.

Shen Zhiyi had a crush on him, while he would walk through the corridor every day to deliver milk tea to Lin Wanqing, passing by her classroom door without ever glancing inside.

"I'll only buy for you from now on."

He paused for a moment after saying that.

Shen Zhiyi was also taken aback.

She lowered her head, pretending to be carefully studying the colorful drink names on the menu.

My finger swiped across the menu from left to right, then from right to left, back and forth several times.

But the blush on her ears betrayed her.

Zhang Yifan mentally gave himself a thumbs up.

After gaining ten points in charm, I did become much more thick-skinned, but the effect was surprisingly good.

The two walked out of the store with their milk tea and sat down on a bench in the small square outside the mall.

The evening breeze carries the warmth of summer and the aroma of cumin from roadside barbecue stalls.

Shen Zhiyi stuck the straw into the milk tea and took a small sip.

Then she began to talk about how she participated in a city-wide piano competition when she was in the fourth grade of elementary school.

That time she played Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major, the same piece she played at the villa last time.

She practiced for the entire summer vacation, six hours a day, until her neighbor knocked on the door and asked if she could change the piece.

She performed very well on the day of the competition, without making a single mistake. Her father even stood up and applauded when she came off the stage.

When the judges commented, "The technique is very good, but the emotion is lacking."

She was indignant at the time, feeling that she had done everything she was supposed to do, and what did it mean that her emotions were insufficient?

Later, she went back and listened to Chopin's original recordings repeatedly, practicing and playing them over and over again. Eventually, the piece became ingrained in her bones, but she still didn't fully understand what the judges meant by "emotion."

After listening, Zhang Yifan thought for a moment and said:

"When I heard you play at the villa last time, I felt that you were very emotional, at least I listened to it."

"That's because you don't understand the piano. If someone who doesn't understand it listens to you, it doesn't count."

"Then next time I'll play it for someone who understands it."

Shen Zhiyi turned to look at him: "From now on, I'll only play for you."

Children were chasing bubbles in the square, and the sound of a street performer playing the violin could be heard in the distance.

The two sat on the bench, their knees less than a fist's width apart, but neither of them spoke.

After a moment, Shen Zhiyi placed the empty milk tea cup on the armrest of the chair and asked, "When you said you wanted to learn to drive, were you serious?"

"Seriously, I've even found a driving school near my house. The registration fee is 2,800 yuan, and it guarantees you'll pass."

"I want to learn too."

"Let's register together."

"it is good."

The milk tea is finished.

The two of them stood up and walked back.

When they reached the edge of the small square, Shen Zhiyi suddenly stopped and turned to look at him:

"What you said to me at the villa last time, that you wanted to apply to the same university as me... were you serious?"

"Seriously."

Shen Zhiyi lowered her head.

She looked at her toes and then softly said "okay".

The two walked back side by side, their elbows occasionally touching. The streetlights cast their shadows on the ground, sometimes long, sometimes short.

Back home, he lay in bed when a news notification popped up on his phone: Chixing Technology's stock price rose slightly by two percent today.

The system is right; a minor incident at a press conference will not dampen the enthusiasm of the capital market.

The halo effect of chrysanthemum endorsement is more convincing to investors than any bug.

He doesn't want to worry about these things right now; the stock will rise on its own, and he'll just sell it when the time is right...

The phone beeped; it was a WeChat message from Shen Zhiyi.

"The movie was pretty good today."

"Next time it's your turn to choose the movie."

"it is good."

He stared at the word "good" for a long time.

He scrolled through the chat history, from "Have the provincial joint exam results been released?" all the way back to the previous "Okay", from beginning to end, then stared at the ceiling and smiled, turned off his phone, and placed it on the bedside table.

I should be able to have a good dream tonight.