Chapter 08 Chapter 8
Cheng Yuhang’s friend didn’t get any bonus after all, because he was dragged away by Wen Shuo by the collar.
Wen Shuo took him to the ticket office at the door, but didn't say what he wanted him to do. He just took out his mobile phone, scanned the code, and paid for a few tickets.
Cheng Yuhang was still a little angry because of Wen Shuo's behavior just now: "Why don't you buy the ticket yourself? I will transfer the ticket money to you later."
Wen Shuo: "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Didn't you ask me to come here today?"
Cheng Yuhang was speechless for a moment. Wen Shuo was right. After all, he was the one who organized today's game and called the people here. It was just that he did not expect to meet Ren Li here.
Cheng Yuhang stopped being angry immediately. Thinking that there were more girls today, he discussed with Wen Shuo, "Let's buy all the girls' tickets. It's just right for each of us to get one. I'll be responsible for the pears."
He specifically emphasized Ren Li. Originally, this arrangement was insignificant, but Wen Shuo replied, "No need, I'll pay for it."
It took Cheng Yuhang a long time to realize that Wen Shuo meant to pay everyone.
Meanwhile, Wen Shuo had already scanned the QR code for everyone to enter, without mentioning anything about tickets. Since he didn't mention it, no one asked. Perhaps this incident was nothing to others, and everyone was used to it, but Ren Li couldn't stop thinking about it.
She didn't want to owe anyone, especially Wen Shuo.
It was called a sports field, but it wasn't until she entered that she realized it was actually a large party hall. The venue was huge and had all sorts of entertainment facilities. Ren Li had never been to a place like this before, so her first reaction was novelty.
Jiani dragged her to play several games, and she had a lot of fun during the process. After everyone played a round, they formed teams freely. Yuan Jiani was dragged to play games by Zhou Qi. Cheng Yuhang invited Ren Li several times, and Ren Li couldn't resist, so she also tried to play a few rounds of Switch games with him, but for some reason, she always felt uncomfortable playing with Cheng Yuhang.
Because the other party always stayed close to him intentionally or unintentionally, even though Ren Li had deliberately kept a distance.
Later, Ren Li excused herself to go buy some water and separated from Cheng Yuhang. After she sat in the corner for a while, Lin Yuan called and said that she was going out to do something and asked if she could give Ren Li a ride. Ren Li glanced at the time and saw that it was almost time for dinner, so she agreed.
With a little time left, Ren Li planned to go find Jiani and play for a while. The venue was too big, and she wandered around for a long time without finding her friend. However, she saw Wen Shuo and Zhao Manyue standing together in front of a claw machine.
Sometimes, Ren Li wondered if Wen Shuo had some kind of built-in detection radar. The moment she saw Wen Shuo, he also happened to raise his head.
The scene almost looked like Ren Li was peeking, even though she hadn't meant to.
"Do you want to play?" Ren Li's first reaction was to slip away, but Wen Shuo stopped her.
Ren Li thought she had misheard, but she later confirmed that Wen Shuo was indeed talking to her.
There are many claw machines in this area, neatly arranged in several rows. Inside the pink shells lie the girls’ radiant dreams.
Ren Li has always loved these things. Ever since she was a child, every time she passed by the claw machines in the mall, she would be deeply attracted, holding Lin Yuan's hand and refusing to move, unable to move at all.
There seemed to be something more attractive to her in today's claw machine - a pink plush little star.
The moment she saw them, Ren Li felt like she too was starry-eyed. They lay inside the glass of the claw machine, seemingly waving and calling out to Ren Li to take them away quickly.
In the end, her heartbeat trumped everything else. The claw machine was still quite a distance away from Wen Shuo, and Ren Li felt that if she stood there, she wouldn't disturb the two "young lovers" nearby.
This was the only machine in the venue that required an additional fee, and it wasn't cheap: ten yuan for two spins. Ren Li knew these things wouldn't be worth ten yuan if purchased online, but placed behind that layer of transparent glass, they seemed to possess a meaning beyond their own value.
Ren Li quickly scanned the code and paid. The small screen on the claw machine unlocked. She gripped the round handle tightly, concentrating and holding her breath. She wiggled the handle until she found the perfect angle, then pressed the button. The silver gripper lowered and then lifted again. Unfortunately, after two attempts, she didn't catch anything.
Feeling depressed because her wish was not fulfilled, Ren Li looked up and found that Wen Shuo had stood beside her at some point.
As far as she could remember, Ren Li had never been so close to Wen Shuo.
Wen Shuo's height and body shape difference gave off an oppressive feeling. When they stood together, his unique scent, mixed with the faint scent of woody perfume, swept over her like an overwhelming force, instantly dominating every inch of Ren Li's senses.
Ren Li's breathing began to become difficult and her heartbeat inexplicably accelerated. She knew clearly that she had to keep a certain distance from Wen Shuo, but her feet seemed to be nailed to the ground and she couldn't take a step.
Wen Shuo: "Why did you run just now?"
She was caught red-handed after trying to escape several times today, but Ren Li remained stubborn and said, "No."
As they were talking, Zhao Manyue also came forward. She ignored Ren Li, abruptly pushed the two of them apart, and stood directly next to Wen Shuo. Seeing the pink star in the claw machine, she turned around and said:
"Brother Wen Shuo, can I try this?"
The name is somewhat intimate.
Wen Shuo glanced at Ren Li, then took out his mobile phone, scanned the code and paid.
Zhao Manyue was very happy: "Wow, thank you Brother Wen Shuo."
Although she took the initiative, she was a bit casual in her play. After several unsuccessful attempts to grab the doll, she immediately lost interest and said, "Forget it, I don't want to play anymore. It's boring. How about we try something else?"
Wen Shuo didn't respond to her and asked Ren Li, "Do you want to try it?"
Ren Li was a little confused when she was suddenly called out. When she realized that Wen Shuo was referring to paying to play with dolls, she shook her head like a rattle: "No need. If I want to play, I can just pay myself."
Wen Shuo didn't seem to want to listen to her advice. He unlocked his phone, scanned the code, and paid. He pulled Zhao Manyue aside and gave up his spot in front of the claw machine.
Zhao Manyue's face turned cold. She finally took notice of the girl who had been standing quietly by her side. Perhaps it was intuition, but she felt that Wen Shuo and she seemed to have some special relationship.
Ren Li didn't need Wen Shuo's "kindness," especially in this situation. She stood still, and Wen Shuo just stared at her, also unmoving. The two of them held their ground for a moment, but ultimately, Ren Li gave in.
She was shy, and when Wen Shuo stared at her, Ren Li felt like blushing again. She also didn't want anyone to think she was boring and uninteresting. After all, no one would care if a boy paid for a girl, except herself.
She once again walked to the claw machine and gripped the round handle tightly. Although she was nervous, she cherished every opportunity. She didn't know how much Wen Shuo had just scanned the code to pay, but on the fifth try, it actually worked.
The silver gripper fell, and the fateful pink plush little star was caught in the air. Ren Li's heart was in her throat. She pressed one hand on the glass, watching it move on the predetermined track without blinking, until the little star was moved to a safe area. With a click, the mechanical claw released and the little star fell down.
At that moment, Ren Li was so happy that she couldn't describe it. She squatted down and took the toy out of the receiving slot. Before she had time to take a good look at it, it was snatched away by Zhao Manyue.
Zhao Manyue smiled at Ren Li and said, "Sorry, Senior, this belongs to Wen Shuo. I want it."
Ren Li's smile was a little forced, but she quickly convinced herself and calmed down. It was true, Wen Shuo had paid the money in the first place, and she had earned it by playing for someone else for so long and enjoying the whole process.
"Okay, take it." Ren Li answered straightforwardly. When she spoke, her tone was soft and gentle, as if she would never get angry at anyone.
Wen Shuo didn't want to see her expression like that. He felt an inexplicable fire rising in his heart. He reached out and took the thing from Zhao Manyue's hand and handed it to Ren Li: "Don't worry about her, this is yours."
Zhao Manyue might not like this thing very much, but when she saw Wen Shuo taking the initiative to speak for Ren Li, her expression instantly showed some emotion.
The atmosphere began to become awkward. Ren Li had no intention of interfering and disturbing the "young couple's" "date", but now Zhao Manyue was unhappy. It was all because of her. How could she possibly accept this thing?
Ren Li didn't take it, and Wen Shuo's hand remained suspended in the air, neither of them retracted it.
"Ding-ling-ling—" The sound of a phone ringing broke the silence. Ren Li, as if she had seen a savior, hurriedly took out her phone and said, "Sorry, I have to go answer the phone first."
The call was from Lin Yuan, who was already downstairs at the mall. Ren Li pressed the call button and sweetly called out "Mom." Then, taking the opportunity of the call, she fled from this inexplicable Shura field. She walked a long way, not stopping until she was sure she could no longer see Wen Shuo.
Although it was shameful to escape, it was useful after all. After finishing the call, Ren Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She sent Jiani a message explaining the situation, but she didn't respond for a long time. On her way back, Ren Li received a message from Jiani, who said she had been having too much fun to check her phone. She also said she had a great day and told Ren Li to go back and have a good rest. She also sent a "love you" message at the end.
Jiani sent a lot of messages in one go, and Ren Li could tell she was really happy. She was glad her departure hadn't dampened everyone's spirits. She put away her phone and read for a while after returning home. It was almost dark.
During this time, Zhang Xintong also sent a message to ask about Ren Li's homework. The two chatted for a while, and Ren Li thought about it and told Zhang Xintong about her encounter with Zhou Qi and Wen Shuo at the mall. Of course, she only mentioned the key points, for example, she didn't mention the unpleasant experience at the claw machine.
As expected, Zhang Xintong's focus was always on Zhou Qi. She dragged Ren Li along and chatted for a long time, even regretting not going out today because she had something else to do. She said that she hadn't received a single message from Zhou Qi yet, and her disappointment was obvious in her words.
After the chat, Ren Li accidentally browsed her Moments and saw a new post from Yuan Jiani: Happy Day, I met a new friend. /Cute
The following pictures were a few photos, the background was familiar: the party venue. The last picture was a group photo of the dinner. Ren Li saw the same people from today in it: Zhou Qi, Cheng Yuhang, and even Zhao Manyue, but Wen Shuo was missing.
Ren Li liked this status and then continued to do her homework.
After dinner, Ren Li returned to the bedroom and continued her happy reading time before going to bed. However, she was obviously absent-minded today. She looked at her mobile phone several times and finally sighed helplessly.
The events of the day were still fresh in her mind. Ren Li had always been unable to hide her feelings, and her concerns, whether they were real or not, would always be too obvious. She did have one thing that was on her mind today: the ticket money she still owed Wen Shuo.
She didn't like owing anyone anything, especially boys. She always felt it was a delicate matter, like the law of conservation of mass in physics class: elements in the universe are conserved, and so are kindness. Even if you accept someone's kindness, you still have to repay it. And as they said in Chinese class, "Every gift bestowed by fate has a price tag already hidden."
What a mess. Ren Li desperately tried to banish all the confusing knowledge from her mind, and finally came to a conclusion: she had to pay Wen Shuo back.
After making up her mind, the next step was to implement the plan. However, in order to pay back the money, she had to add Wen Shuo as her friend. The two of them didn't communicate much on a daily basis, and Ren Li wondered if it would be strange for her to suddenly initiate a chat.
Ren Li opened the chat dialog box with Zhang Xintong and flipped through it for a long time. She found the Wen Shuo business card that Zhang Xintong had pushed to her before. She hesitated for a long time. Five minutes later, the friend request message was sent, and she started to get uneasy.
She began to check her phone's notifications from time to time. Five minutes passed, no movement, ten minutes passed, still no movement.
It's eleven o'clock at night. Would Wen Shuo be asleep by this time? Ren Li thought for a long time, and finally came to another conclusion:
Maybe there are too many girls who add Wen Shuo as his friend, so he doesn't even look at their applications.
Ren Li suddenly felt that all her worries from the previous night had been in vain. After she figured it out, she calmed down, put her phone on the table, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
The phone screen suddenly lit up.
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