Jiang Linchuan glanced at Lian Xiao out of the corner of his eye.
That gaze was calm and serene, yet it was like a needle, precisely piercing the sore spot.
Lian Xiao wanted to impress Xu Xinghe, but he was still too young and acted in a simple and crude way, thinking that money could solve everything, but he ended up making a fool of himself.
But this is good, it has created an opportunity for me.
Even something as trivial as buying sweet cakes is enough to distinguish between superior and inferior.
Lian Xiao's face was extremely ugly, his jawline was tightly clenched, and the air pressure around him was frighteningly low.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I should never have agreed to buy this damn sweet cake.
Unaware of the subtle competition between the two, Xu Xinghe held the warm oil paper bag, her nose filled with fragrance. She couldn't help but pull down her scarf and carefully take a bite.
The moment you bite down, your teeth first touch a thin, brittle shell.
Immediately afterwards, the tip of your tongue sank into the soft, warm cake.
The millet dough has a slightly grainy texture, yet it's perfectly glutinous and not sticky at all.
The red bean paste is smooth and delicate, not too sweet, but with the rich flavor of the beans themselves, mixed with the aroma of freshly fried oil, it's incredibly delicious.
Xu Xinghe couldn't help but squint her almond-shaped eyes and slowly chewed with half a mouthful in her mouth.
It's so comforting to eat something sticky like this in winter.
She swallowed the last bite, licked the last bit of red bean paste from her lips, and let out a satisfied sigh. "Delicious! I love it! Was this really something we ate in the palace before?"
Looking at her cute and charming appearance, Jiang Linchuan smiled faintly and said a long sentence, "To be precise, it is a food of wealthy families in the old days. In the early years, grain was precious, and glutinous rice and sugar were rare, and ordinary people rarely got to taste them. The pastries in the palace were even more exquisite. Although there were similar methods, they were made with much more care and craftsmanship, with more than a dozen kinds of fillings alone."
Lian Xiao scoffed, "No matter how precious it is, it's still just a piece of fried glutinous rice. You're making it sound like it's something special."
Even so, he no longer had the same cold expression as before.
The main thing was that Xu Xinghe's smiling face as she ate the sugar cake made him inexplicably unable to look away, and even his gloomy mood improved a lot.
After finishing their fried rice cakes, the three headed towards the movie theater.
The exterior walls of the cinema, made of blue bricks, were painted white, with eye-catching slogans written in red paint on the walls. A faded red silk hung at the entrance, rustling in the cold wind.
The ticket gate was a small wooden window, and staff members wrapped in cotton-padded coats stood inside tearing up tickets.
What Xu Xinghe finally got was a small piece of paper with very uneven edges, but she still put it in her pocket.
Because this is something worth remembering.
Commemorating her first movie viewing after her rebirth.
The cinema was dimly lit, with rows of long wooden benches sloping upwards.
The chair surface was worn shiny, and some sunflower seed shells were stuck in the gaps.
Xu Xinghe chose a relatively clean spot to sit down, and the chairs on both sides creaked at the same time.
Jiang Linchuan sat on the left, his posture upright and his back straight. He looked more like he was there to inspect something than to watch a movie.
Lian Xiao sat on the right, leaned back, swung one leg gently, and rested his elbow on the back of the chair.
His gaze passed over Xu Xinghe's shoulder, met Jiang Linchuan's gaze briefly in mid-air, and then they looked away.
Suddenly, all the lights in the theater went out.
A few specks of static flashed across the screen before the picture lit up.
The opening sequence begins amidst loud, chaotic music.
Soldiers in military overcoats crowded in the corridor, the bayonets on their rifles gleaming coldly in the dim light.
A soldier stood at the door of the train carriage, his scarf fluttering in the cold wind. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he addressed the gathered crowd, his breath visible in the white mist as he spoke.
The camera switched quickly, sometimes panning across the red flags fluttering on the barricades, sometimes freezing on the soldiers' clenched fists, and the music inexplicably made people's hearts tremble.
Xu Xinghe was completely absorbed in watching.
She leaned forward slightly, her chin resting on her scarf, her eyelashes casting soft shadows in the dim light.
The light and shadow on the screen flowed across her face, making her dark eyes shine exceptionally bright, as if they were sprinkled with tiny starlight.
When she saw something tense, she would subconsciously purse her petal-shaped lips and twist the hem of her dress with her fingers, completely unaware that the gazes on both sides had already shifted from the curtain to her profile.
Jiang Linchuan's gaze lingered on her trembling eyelashes for a moment, then turned to Lian Xiao.
The other person was resting their chin on their hand, their eyes undisguised and direct, and they didn't even flinch when the gunshots rang out on the screen.
The moment their eyes met, the temperature in Jiang Linchuan's eyes suddenly dropped, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Is there anything else he doesn't understand?
What the other person wanted to watch was never a movie, but his fiancée.
An hour and a half later, the movie ended and the lights came back on.
Xu Xinghe was still immersed in the plot, her eyes sparkling as she turned to the two people beside her, "Look at the general's speech, it was so powerful! And when the soldiers charged, it was so exhilarating..."
She was talking animatedly, completely oblivious to the looks in Jiang Linchuan's and Lian Xiao's eyes.
Neither of them was in the mood to watch the movie; their minds were filled with thoughts of her.
A movie is an hour and a half long, and they stared at her for an hour of it.
Now that she had asked them this, they could only guiltily look away.
Jiang Linchuan coughed lightly, "It's getting late, let's go back to the military headquarters."
Lian Xiao also stood up, unusually refraining from objection.
Are there generals in the movie?
He couldn't remember; he'd even forgotten the movie's name.
All I remember are those trembling eyelashes...
Back in the car, the three of them sat in the same seats.
The atmosphere was quiet, with Xu Xinghe occasionally mentioning scenes from the movie, but Lian Xiao cleverly changed the subject each time.
If he continues, it will be revealed that he didn't actually watch the movie.
Outside the military headquarters.
The three got out of the car and walked side by side towards the courtyard.
Xu Xinghe stood at the gate of the courtyard, smiled at the two of them, her eyebrows and eyes appearing particularly gentle under the dim streetlights, even the cold wind seemed less biting cold, "I've arrived, you should go back and rest early too."
Jiang Linchuan stepped forward, his gaze lingering on her wind-blown hair. Suddenly, he raised his hand and gently ruffled her fluffy little head, the gesture natural and affectionate. "Let's go inside, it's cold outside."
As he spoke, he stretched out his arm and pulled the person into his embrace.
Xu Xinghe was stunned for a moment, but without thinking much, she naturally raised her hand to hug him back, her cheek pressed against the thick military coat, and she could smell the faint scent of soap. "Then I'll go in."
Lian Xiao, standing to the side, stared intently at the scene, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
He didn't speak, but his gaze remained fixed on the two of them, not understanding why his mood had suddenly soured.
Xu Xinghe turned around and pushed open the courtyard gate. "Good night."
"Good night," Jiang Linchuan replied, his gaze following her figure.
Lian Xiao merely twitched the corner of his mouth without uttering a sound.
The courtyard gate creaked shut, and soon after, the lights inside the house came on.
After a while, the lights went out, and the surroundings were plunged into darkness again.
"I'll say it again, stay away from her from now on." Jiang Linchuan's voice was cold in the night. "We can be friends, but keep your other thoughts to yourself."
In the darkness, Lian Xiao's face was blurred. "I never had any other intentions. I just couldn't stand the way you were. You're not good enough for her. I want her to find someone better. My grandfather must think so too."
"That's all I'll say. You'd better watch yourself." Jiang Linchuan's eyes darkened. "Even if you helped her, I will still take action against you."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the office building.
Lian Xiao sneered, rubbing his cheeks in annoyance. "Heh, you think I won't take action? Sooner or later, I'll beat you to a pulp!"
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