Chapter 26: The First Date: Bubble Tea and Suspicion

Even after the movie concluded, Sister Yuan continued to playfully caress Xiao Xi’s stomach with keen interest, occasionally leaning in for a closer look, as if genuinely trying to decipher the secret to his pregnancy.

‘Or perhaps I’m already pregnant…’

Every gaze in the vicinity seemed to converge on him; he was truly the target of all their stares. Xiao Xi nervously glanced around, quickly urging Sister Yuan.

“Sister, stop looking! There’s really nothing. We should go!”

“Hmm…” Sister Yuan lifted her head, a hint of disappointment clouding her features. She patted Xiao Xi affectionately.

“We’ll definitely succeed in the future. Don’t worry, Xiao Xi, we’ve only just gotten married. There’s no rush.”

‘You can wait forever, but it won’t happen! At least, no baby will be coming out of *my* stomach!’

Despite his internal protests, Xiao Xi couldn’t bear to stay any longer. Even though the crowd was sparse, the collective gaze still filled him with acute embarrassment. He quickly pulled Sister Yuan to her feet and practically fled the cinema.

****

The night deepened, and the biting wind stirred Sister Yuan’s skirt. Xiao Xi instinctively hunched his shoulders, exhaling softly.

It was getting quite chilly. It was late; normally, he’d be fast asleep by now.

‘A date, then?’

‘His first date… he hadn’t expected it to be so proper. Though, truth be told, he hadn’t *intended* for it to be quite so proper…’

Xiao Xi and Sister Yuan stood rooted to the spot for a while. His original intention had been to wait for Senior Sister and Xiao Meng, to see when they would emerge. Yet, after a considerable wait, there was still no sign of them.

There was nothing for it. Sister Yuan, after all, wasn’t waiting for anyone, and it wouldn’t do to simply stand by the roadside indefinitely. He mused that there must be a reason for Senior Sister and Xiao Meng’s prolonged absence.

‘Perhaps they were still strategizing some elaborate plan?’

‘Hmm…’

****

“Hoo… hoo… hoo…”

“Ma’am, miss~ could you please wake up…”

“Huh? Uh… where am I? Abba abba… Wait? Did I fall asleep? I fell asleep?”

“Ah, yes… Hahaha, it was rather boring, wasn’t it? Many people fell asleep. But the movie has ended, so please wake up and escort your friend out.”

“Friend?… Oh, right, right! Xiao Meng, Xiao Meng! Stop sleeping, Xiao Meng!”

“Hoo… hoo… hoo…”

“Wake up! Wake up! Why are you sleeping like a little piglet? Wake up!”

****

‘Hmm… if I wait any longer, Sister Yuan might grow suspicious. What are those two doing? Are they changing outfits again? And what exactly is the next step in our plan? Senior Sister didn’t explain anything clearly…’

‘Hmm…’

He couldn’t wait any longer. Sister Yuan, having surveyed their surroundings, turned back to Xiao Xi.

“Don’t just stand there like a blockhead~ What should we do next?”

“Hmm…” Xiao Xi pondered. ‘What’s the usual sequence for a date? Shopping—eating—watching a movie?’

‘It seems we’ve already fast-forwarded straight to the end…’

‘Ahem, of course, this had a lot to do with the time they’d come out. If they were to go shopping, eat, and watch a movie all over again this late at night, wouldn’t they be out until dawn?’

‘Xiao Xi, at least, couldn’t last that long…’

Awooo—

‘He was already tired.’

‘Perhaps they should just go home? Since they couldn’t find Senior Sister anyway, going home to sleep seemed like a sensible option.’

“I don’t know, I’m a little tired. What do you think, Sister?”

“Hmm… Pfft, silly Xiao Xi. Didn’t *you* suggest this date? Of course, you should be the one to plan what we do next~” Sister Yuan chuckled.

“I…” Xiao Xi found himself in a predicament. ‘What should they do next? Go to an internet cafe for some gaming? Grab late-night snacks from a street stall? Shop at a night market?’

‘Why was his date itinerary running in reverse?’

‘Ah!’

‘His decision-making paralysis had struck. What on earth should they do?’

“Wuwu… I can’t think of anything. Why don’t you decide, Sister? I’ll listen to whatever you say…” Xiao Xi lowered his head in distress.

Sister Yuan, amused by his expression, kept chuckling. She patted his head and said,

“Xiao Xi, it’s your first date, after all~ It’s perfectly normal not to have experience.”

“Wuwu… I’ll slowly learn for the future.”

Xiao Xi lowered his head, admitting his ‘mistake’…

‘Ah, wait?’

‘Hmm?’

‘Doesn’t this mean I’ve agreed to go on more dates with Sister Yuan in the future?’

‘That’s not right, is it?’

‘Sister, you’re setting a trap for me!’

“Mm-hmm! Alright, I’ll forgive you, my dating novice~ But actually, this is my first time on a date with someone too~ Xiao Xi, I’m so happy today.”

Sister Yuan’s spirits had indeed been remarkably high all day, Xiao Xi could tell. However…

Now, Xiao Xi viewed every word from Sister Yuan with profound suspicion. ‘She wasn’t trying to set another trap for him, was she? Surely not?’

‘No, he had to listen carefully, fully grasp the underlying meaning of her every sentence before responding!’

“How about we… find a bubble tea shop to rest for a bit?” Sister Yuan suddenly suggested. Xiao Xi instinctively recoiled, his guard rising.

‘A bubble tea shop?’

‘What hidden meaning could there possibly be?’

Hiss—

‘Could it be that Sister Yuan intends to fatten him up with bubble tea, then launch a sudden attack when he’s too full to move, delivering a fatal blow?’

‘This is a wuxia script.’

‘Or perhaps Sister Yuan plans to add some strange powders to his bubble tea, knock him out, and then seize the opportunity to steal his kidneys?’

‘This is a legal drama script.’

‘Or maybe Sister Yuan intends for him to drink 99 cups of bubble tea to prove his love for her, then prevent him from going to the bathroom, just to enjoy watching his desperate expression?’

‘This… this, I don’t even know what this is anymore.’

Ahem…

‘Could she be planning to fill his stomach with bubble tea to create the illusion of pregnancy? Impossible! Even filling his *stomach* isn’t going to make him pregnant, Sister Yuan!’

‘Stop fantasizing! Silly Sister Yuan!’

****

Gulp, gulp, gulp…

‘Mmm, the bubble tea here is really delicious.’

‘Okay, maybe I was just overthinking things earlier…’

Sister Yuan watched Xiao Xi, a warm smile gracing her lips.

“Xiao Xi, did you grow up eating ‘Cutie Pies’? Why are you so adorable even when drinking bubble tea?”

“Because it’s so tasty…”

Xiao Xi pouted reluctantly. ‘Sister Yuan made it sound as if drinking bubble tea was something shameful. Don’t girls all love bubble tea?’

‘Ah, no…’

‘He didn’t mean he was a girl; he just meant that plenty of people drank bubble tea.’

The two of them sat together in the bubble tea shop, sipping their drinks and looking at their phones. Sister Yuan occasionally teased Xiao Xi, and the scene was perfectly normal. After a while, Xiao Xi suddenly heard that familiar voice.

“Hey, hey, hey, Xiao Xi, can you hear me?”

‘It’s Senior Sister!’

Senior Sister, who had been offline for what felt like ages, had finally reappeared. Xiao Xi suddenly sat upright, startling Sister Yuan beside him. Shi Yuan looked at Xiao Xi curiously.

‘Had something happened to this child?’

Unaware of Sister Yuan’s gaze, he continued to try and receive Senior Sister’s message. Sure enough, Senior Sister spoke again moments later.

“Hiss— I fell asleep in the cinema earlier. Xiao Meng and I are out now. Where are you two?”

“Uh…”

‘What should I do? How do I tell Senior Sister where I am?’

Xiao Xi glanced around, his eyes finally landing on the name printed on his bubble tea cup…

“Sister Yuan, this ‘Taste of Fruit’ is really good! Hahaha, truly worthy of being ‘Taste of Fruit’—! We definitely have to come to this ‘Taste of Fruit’ bubble tea shop more often next time—!”

“Ah…” Sister Yuan stared at Xiao Xi in bewilderment. ‘Was he… advertising for someone?’