Miss Lin is a hunky VTuber today?

This is the art of language!

"No, no, no, I didn't say that! Miss, please don't misunderstand me. Besides, how could someone like me, a shapeshifter, possibly surpass you in feminine charm?"

Xu Lin quickly begged for mercy, but the two continued to playfully fight without stopping, so the shop assistant was unlikely to hear them.

The shopping mall that Xu Lin and her friends came to was a newly opened one. Because it was located on the edge of the commercial street, there weren't many people there, which was one of the reasons why the two of them chose to come here.

They all dislike places with too many people.

It's not just because they're both homebodies; the main reasons are the nature of their work and Xu Lin's transformation, which means they can't chat freely in crowded places.

If that store hadn't been so quiet, and if customers hadn't just bought things and left, they wouldn't have been able to start a live stream.

However, this was disrupted when the two walked near the movie theater.

"There are so many people here!"

As soon as the two entered the cinema lobby, before they even went to the self-service ticket machine to get their tickets, they found that the benches outside were completely full, packed with people, most of whom, judging from their clothing, were probably students.

That's true; on weekday afternoons, only students probably have free time to watch movies.

"After all, this is a commercial street, so this movie theater should be the only one that still has tickets left."

Xu Lin glanced at the large promotional poster on the wall and understood.

"Want to go play the claw machine? There's no room left over there anyway."

Although the young lady asked a question, her body had already involuntarily leaned towards that claw machine.

"Then I'll go get the tickets first, I'll be right back."

Xu Lin thought for a moment and didn't refuse, but he didn't forget the important matter and said softly.

"Okay! Hurry up!"

"and many more!"

Xu Ling was about to call out to the young lady, but found that she had already run far away. It was not appropriate to shout loudly in the movie theater, so he could only wait and say it later.

[How are you going to play the claw machine if you don't have your phone with you?]

The claw machines here are no longer the coin-operated type they used to be. In this era where mobile payment is ubiquitous, even roadside sweet potato stalls support Alipay. Claw machines, which are designed to rip people off, have naturally been upgraded long ago.

Besides, the young lady's bag was still in her hand, so how could she possibly have any coins on her?

"Ah...this rabbit is so cute!"

The young lady walked over to the claw machine, circled it twice, and finally found her favorite pink bunny doll among a pile of inferior plush toys. Just as she was about to take out her phone to scan the QR code to pay, she touched her skirt pocket and found that her phone was not there.

"Never mind, let's wait a bit."

The thought had barely formed in my mind when I caught a glimpse of a slender, white hand holding a pure black phone scanning a QR code.

"I told you to wait for me, but you still ran so fast."

Xu Lin's complaining words and the soft sound of the successful QR code scan reached the young lady's ears at the same time.

She suddenly looked up and saw the white-haired girl looking down, fiddling with her phone and muttering to herself.

"Alright, ten chances, half for each of us, Miss, you go first."

P.S.: Ah, my computer system crashed again. I was going to just leave it at that, but I still wrote www. This one was written on my phone, so there might be a lot of typos.

Section 45, Chapter 45: The Movie Opening

Although there are certain patterns and mystical elements to claw machines, such as the claw becoming stronger after a certain number of tries and increasing the chances of grabbing a toy, for tourists, playing claw machines is just a pastime while waiting for the movie to start.

No one would bother to observe how many times a claw machine has been used, analyze its patterns, and then try to use it at the right time, all for the sake of one or two low-quality plush toys.

So for Xu Lin and the other person, everything was still random. They didn't know how many people had played with the machine before them, or how many times the grappling hook would become stronger. But it was precisely this randomness that made the toys they caught here more joyful than those they bought.

Although the plush toys here may not be as good as those bought in stores for the same amount of money in terms of quality and workmanship, the joy of getting them through one's own efforts is the essence of claw machines.

This is probably one of humanity's illusions.

"Isn't there a saying that food you cook yourself tastes better than food cooked by a restaurant chef? Miss, would you like to try it sometime?"

These words were uttered helplessly by Xu Lin when the young lady, who had spent nearly thirty yuan to finally "buy" the toy from the claw machine, was happily hugging the toy and showing it off wildly.

"Are you saying I can't cook because you think so?!"

The young lady instantly bristled. Girls always have a delicate sense of pride in this matter, and the fact that Xu Lin kept bringing up this topic made her uncomfortable.

"No, I'm just worried about what you'll do if I'm not home one day. Eating takeout isn't good for your health."

Xu Lin explained calmly, but when the young lady got into a temper, how could she possibly listen to her explanation?

"Hmph! You just look down on me because I can't cook! So what if I can cook! Huh!? So what if Iris can cook? Go find her and live with her!"

"No, what does this have to do with that child, Tobi-chan?"

Xu, a straight man, even after transforming into a girl, still couldn't understand women's thought processes and asked with a puzzled look.

"Hmph! Who knows what kind of spell you cast on that kid to make him like you so much..."

As the young lady spoke, her voice grew softer and softer. She knew that this had nothing to do with Xu Lin, and she was also aware that she was being unreasonable, but she couldn't suppress the emotions in her heart, as if she would suffocate if she didn't speak them out.

In the past, she couldn't understand those girls in TV dramas who liked to make unreasonable demands and bring up past grievances. She thought they were brainless, that they didn't know how to cherish such good boys, and that if it weren't for the TV drama, how could the male lead have fallen for them? They were pretentious, stupid, poor, and unattractive, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

But that's just how things are in this world; the onlooker sees more of the game than the player. Before, when she and Xu Lin had nothing, she certainly wouldn't be jealous of her junior. But now that the two of them have finally made progress, and seeing that Xu Lin, this straight man, is about to see the light, she can no longer suppress the little emotions in her heart.

"Oh, this..."

Xu Lin hesitated for a moment. It wasn't that he didn't know how to coax her, but he felt that the young lady was behaving strangely.

In her memory, the young lady should be the kind of cheerful and optimistic girl who comes and goes like the wind. She can play with Xu Lin's jokes without caring, share notebooks with him, and not make a fuss when she is criticized for playing games, unlike some e-sports bitches who try to hook men to rank up.

But Xu Lin lacked experience; after all, she was a girl in love...

Those are the smartest and dumbest creatures in the world.

"What! You're speechless!?"

Seeing that Xu Lin hadn't spoken for a while, the young lady's anger flared up again, and she snapped at her.

"No, I have something to say about that."

The white-haired girl pulled the young lady into a corner and switched back to a male voice.

Yes, this voice tone is just right for this situation!

Xu Lin nodded silently to himself and continued speaking.

"I'm living with you, not with someone else. I'm having you learn to cook for your own good. I'll still do the cooking most of the time. I don't have any intention of having you cook all the time, I'm just afraid you'll starve to death."

"You mentioned Yuan Chu? I find that strange. What does it have to do with me whether she can cook or not? But since we're on the topic, Miss, let me ask you a question."

The young lady was a little confused by Xu Lin's long speech, but she still subconsciously kept an eye out for anyone getting close to her.

Even the slightest risk of Xu Lin's identity being exposed must not be revealed!

Xu Lin, however, paid no attention to this at all, staring intently into the young lady's eyes with a serious and focused expression.

Did I agree to the collaboration invitation from "Iris"?

Have I ever refused your invitations for a collaboration?

"No."

The young lady answered instinctively.

"Did I go out with Yuanchu offline when she asked me to?"

Have I ever refused your invitation to go shopping?

No...no.

"So, do you think I would have agreed if it had been Izumi who invited me to live together in the first place?"

"should..."

The young lady couldn't continue.

Because she knew that Xu Lin would never agree to it, she would rather stay overnight at a shady internet cafe than stay at the home of a girl she didn't know very well.

So she also knew that from the very beginning, she was special.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so shy in the bathroom for more than half an hour the day Xu Lin stayed overnight!

The two looked at each other in silence for a long time before the young lady finally spoke up in a weak voice.

So...

"Was that... a confession?"

Her voice was filled with uncertainty, yet also with a strange hint of anticipation and a touch of shyness.

"No."

However, Xu Lin's words instantly shattered the little bit of expectation in the girl's heart.

"What kind of idiot confesses their feelings on the first time they go to the movies together?!"

Before she even finished speaking, she saw the "danger" sign above her head. So, as soon as she finished speaking, Xu Lin nimbly dodged the young lady's attack as she opened her mouth to bite her neck, and then decisively slipped away!

"Xu Lin, you bastard!"

The young lady stood there stunned for a moment, then, disregarding all ladylike manners, she roared out in anger!

Well, actually, because of her height of 148cm and her youthful face, the young lady's roar has no intimidating power at all, just like a little kitten.

"What flavor of popcorn would you like, young lady?"

Xu Lin calmly escaped. Although he was no match for the young lady in strength, Xu Lin, who had trained in free fighting for two years, was far superior to her in agility. It was all too easy for him to see through the young lady's simple pounce and bite.

"Stop right there!"

The young lady lunged to the left.

"Okay, you'd like a Coke, right?"

Xu Lin dodged again, then turned and ran towards the counter where snacks were sold.