"You work here, so you should know how to win the claw machine, right?"
Xi Qingxu looked at the girl in front of him and inexplicably felt that her current expression was a bit like that of a little fox.
He paused for a moment and said, "I'm not sure. I've never played this before, so I don't know if I'll definitely get caught."
Lu Chuqing glanced at Qu Fusang, whose eyes were full of gossip, and asked her with a look. Qu Fusang immediately understood and put the card in her hand.
"Then give it a try." She handed the card to Xi Qingxu. "I want you to help us win a few more plush toys."
The boy reached out and took it, agreeing without hesitation, "Okay."
Although she knew she wouldn't lose money by winning more plush toys, she was still angry and wanted to win more so that the girl wouldn't be able to explain herself later.
Xi Qingxu swiped his card in front of the Pikachu machine and started operating the joystick.
Lu Chuqing leaned closer and stared at the paw. Seeing that the boy's expression was normal, he only glanced at the position of the paw and the plush toy, pressed the button, and the paw firmly clamped a Pikachu up.
The girl's eyes lit up, and she unconsciously grabbed the boy's wrist. "You're really something! You caught it on the first try!"
The basement was already quite cool, and with the air conditioning on, Xi Qingxu didn't feel too cold after spending the whole morning there. However, Lu Chuqing, who had just arrived and had just had an argument with someone, touched her wrist.
The girl's fingers weren't hot, but they were very warm.
He simply couldn't ignore it.
It was as if something had fallen into his previously empty heart, unnoticed, yet he could sense that subtle difference.
The mechanical claw shook and made a sound, causing the Pikachu that had just been grabbed to fall off.
Lu Chuqing's happy face instantly turned into regret and disappointment. "Ah, I really shouldn't have said it too early."
Xi Qingxu snapped out of her daze, glanced at the fallen Pikachu, and said as if to reassure it, "I'll try again. It fell relatively close, so it's easy to catch."
"Yes, I also think you can succeed." The girl looked relaxed, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
He didn't say anything more, swiped the card, and manipulated the joystick again.
Qu Fusang, who had initially been clamoring to catch Pikachu, stood behind the two of them, her glasses unable to conceal the strange, gossipy gleam in her eyes.
In front of a claw machine filled with Pikachu figures, a girl with a single ponytail looked expectantly at the mechanical claw inside the glass door.
The boy was tall and thin, wearing a simple, loose-fitting white short-sleeved shirt, with a dark vest printed with an arcade logo over it, and basic blue jeans.
The two stood together, looking very much like they were wearing matching outfits.
Although she knew that taking photos without permission was not a good thing, Qu Fusang couldn't resist and secretly took out her phone to take a picture of the two people standing together.
Xi Qingxu was very clever. She knew the tricks of the trade in this part-time job. After trying it once, she easily picked up the doll the second time and it fell smoothly into the opening.
Lu Chuqing squatted down, took out Pikachu, looked at him and said, "No wonder you're a genius, you're so good at playing claw machines."
Xi Qingxu didn't respond to her question, but only asked, "Want more?"
"Yes! Of course I want it!" Lu Chuqing said without hesitation. "Take a lot, so many that they fill a bag!"
The boy nodded when he heard what she said, "Okay, I'll pick out as many as you want."
Qu Fusang, who was secretly filming from behind: Help! What kind of domineering CEO quotes are these?!
Lu Chuqing remembered Qu Fusang's tearful expression, pressed her little face against the glass and pointed to a Pikachu, "Try to see if you can pick that out."
Xi Qingxu glanced at it and roughly estimated the location. "Hmm, it's a bit far. I'll give it a try."
As he spoke, he pinched the magnetic card with his slender fingers and swiped it on the machine. After the preparatory prompt music sounded, the boy manipulated the joystick to control the mechanical claw to start moving.
Lu Chuqing stood a little to the side so she could see if the claws matched.
Seeing the mechanical claw suddenly stop, she instinctively reached for the joystick, "Wait, it's a bit too far back."
The warmth touched my skin again, covering a larger area than my fingers had just touched; my palm felt soft and smooth.
Lu Chuqing shook the joystick and was about to pull her hand back when her palm was brushed against the back of the boy's hand. The slightly hard and rough touch made her pause for a moment. She quickly let go of his hand and looked down.
On the back of a teenager's hands where the knuckles are prominent, there are scabs or scabs forming on the skin of the fingers or joints, whether large or small.
She remembered that she didn't have so many wounds before the holiday.
Looking at the boy's focused expression, Lu Chuqing suddenly felt that she was being quite immoral.
Xi Qingxu was only working here temporarily, and the wages for temporary jobs were already low. However, she used the excuse that he was a staff member here to make him "cheate" and help her win the claw machine.
If the employer is kind-hearted, they might not pursue the matter; but if the employer is bad-hearted, the employee might lose their job without pay.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Xi Qingxu, when do you get off work?"
Xi Qingxu had checked her phone not long ago, and now it was probably around eleven o'clock.
He replied, "I get off work at 12:30, and I have to take turns leaving with them."
Lu Chuqing then asked, "So you work here all day?"
"No, I'm covering for someone else today, so I'll pay you for today."
He works part-time at a night market stall where the owner has a cousin, and he's filling in for his cousin.
"Okay." Lu Chuqing was a beat slow to react as she watched him take out the crying Pikachu. The doll had already been taken out by the boy and handed to her.
"What's wrong? Is there anything else?" Xi Qingxu asked.
Lu Chuqing took Pikachu and said, "It's nothing, I was just asking."
"Since you're still working, let's not try our hand at the claw machine. It's too much trouble for the two of us girls to carry a big bag of plush toys."
Xi Qingxu maintained her expressionless face. "Okay. Are you guys still going to play?"
“Let’s play. We’ll go out to eat together after you get off work,” Lu Chuqing said.
Xi Qingxu looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I won't be off work for a long time, you don't need to wait for me."
Lu Chuqing didn't seem to care at all. "It's okay. We just had some milk tea, so we've had something to eat. We can wait until you get off work."
"Alright then. You guys play first, and if you can't wait, go eat." Xi Qingxu didn't insist any further.
"good."
After agreeing to have lunch, Lu Chuqing handed the crying Pikachu to Qu Fusang, saying, "You've got your eye on that little crybaby."
The little girl took it, her eyes gleaming with gossip, and pulled her away.
Watching the girl's figure disappear into the crowd, Xi Qingxu walked towards the front desk work area.
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