Chapter 43 Watching a Movie with Xi Yan
The next day, An Liang didn’t stay long in Magic City and went straight back to Shengqing. It was close to noon when he returned home wearing casual clothes. An Shengyu and Sun Xia were naturally not at home since both were at work.
An Liang opened the fridge to check and found there were no leftovers. With no lunch in sight, he immediately contacted Li Xiyan via WeChat.
[Goddess, any plans for lunch? Want to eat together?] An Liang messaged.
Li Xiyan replied.
[Perfect timing. There’s nothing at home. You pick the place.]. [That’s great!].
An Liang sent back, then followed up with.
[Hot pot? Japanese food? Chinese? Or something else?]. [We just had hot pot last night.] She replied. [Then let’s do Japanese. Goddess, send me your location, I’ll come pick you up.].
An Liang responded.
Li Xiyan sent over her location. Actually, An Liang already knew where she lived—or rather, nearly all the boys in Class 6 of Grade 3 did. Her place wasn’t far from his—just over three kilometers. An Liang didn’t bother changing into luxury brand clothes and just went with Uniqlo.
After all, he and Li Xiyan were just classmates, and she already knew he drove a Porsche 911 Turbo S and had seen him wearing a Patek Philippe 5160/500G-001 on WeChat Moments. He didn’t need to impress her with luxury brands anymore.
Fifteen minutes later, An Liang drove his Porsche into her residential compound. Thanks to the car, he got in smoothly without even needing to register.
You really have to admit—this world is just unfair!
As he arrived, Li Xiyan happened to be coming downstairs. She saw the Porsche and got into the passenger seat, asking, “How did you get in?”
An Liang smiled and replied, “The security didn’t ask, so I just drove in. Oh right, Goddess, how about the reservation I made at Sky Wing?”
Sky Wing was the best Japanese restaurant in Shengqing, located on the 58th floor of the Maritime Building in the Liberty Monument Central District. Dining there meant enjoying seafood from around the world while overlooking the city’s bustling business hub.
“You’re such a rich guy!” Li Xiyan teased.
Sky Wing cost 498 yuan per person—definitely not cheap for your average office worker.
Over half an hour later, they arrived at the underground parking of the Maritime Building, took the elevator to the 50th floor, and then transferred elevators to reach the 58th.
At a window-side seat in Sky Wing, while Li Xiyan was ordering, An Liang secretly scanned her friendliness level using his “Friendliness Scan System.”
Li Xiyan’s friendliness score was 70—just enough to enter the “close friend” threshold. If it hadn’t hit 70, An Liang probably wouldn’t have been able to invite her out solo.
After she finished ordering, she looked at him curiously and asked, “By the way, why were you and the class rep going at it again on Moments?”
An Liang ordered some new Zealand crayfish and small lobsters from Danao before answering, “Mainly because He Siming is just too fake!”
“This dude posted his new watch on Moments and blocked me from seeing it—can you believe that?” An Liang complained. “If he had posted it publicly, I might’ve even given him a like. I actually think Longines’ new moonphase line is pretty nice.”
Li Xiyan laughed too.
“He really blocked you?”
“Not his whole Moments, just that one post showing off. That’s why I fired back,” An Liang explained.
“Oh, I see now!”
She nodded, understanding his reaction.
After they finished eating, An Liang took the initiative to suggest, “Goddess, want to go see a movie or something?”
Li Xiyan smiled at him and eventually nodded.
“Sure. By the way, which university did you choose in the end?”
“Tianfu’s School of Economics. Not exactly a no-name school, but mostly I just like the city,” An Liang replied.
“And you—still going with Fudan University, right?” He asked in return.
Li Xiyan nodded confidently.
“Yep, I had that goal for a long time.”
At the cinema, An Liang originally wanted to watch a popcorn flick, but Li Xiyan pulled him into a romance movie instead. As he watched her get teary-eyed, he couldn’t help but wonder—was it really that touching?
Maybe because An Liang was already successful at a young age and didn’t feel insecure, he simply couldn’t relate to the struggles in the film—like the couple struggling to buy a home. Just buy one, what’s the big deal?
But the movie had one upside: Li Xiyan’s friendliness score rose by one point, from 70 to 71. The increase was small, but still a good sign.
An Liang didn’t try to hold her hand or anything during the movie. With his Friendliness Scan System, he knew that at 70 points, any bold moves might just backfire.
With Li Xiyan, he was planning to play the long game. After all, as the saying goes—haste makes waste. If he pushed too hard, it might ruin everything. Right now, An Liang had money and time—and plenty of patience.