However, when Qi Xuan's attention was focused on the movie, he became exceptionally uncomfortable.
This was because the movie was truly terrible… no, to be precise, the movie was nonsensical, so boring it made one drowsy.
Qi Xuan finally understood why, out of the entire screening hall, only the two of them were present.
Earlier, he had subconsciously thought that Ye Zhi had booked the entire hall. Now, it seemed he had overthought it again; she was essentially forced into booking it.
After watching for a while longer, Qi Xuan found he couldn't bear to continue. He turned to look at Ye Zhi, and was even more speechless.
The flickering light from the screen cast upon her peacefully sleeping face, making her look so serene and beautiful.
Yes, Ye Zhi had fallen asleep.
Qi Xuan rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He was suffering through the movie, and Ye Zhi had actually fallen asleep? And slept so soundly.
Just as Qi Xuan was considering whether to wake Ye Zhi, perhaps switch to another movie, or do something else, Ye Zhi's head gently tilted, and she leaned onto his shoulder.
Qi Xuan was slightly taken aback, then his heart softened. He suddenly realized that this boring movie wasn't so torturous anymore.
When the movie ended, Ye Zhi opened her eyes and stretched comfortably.
"Did you sleep well?" Qi Xuan asked in a low voice.
"Quite well..." Ye Zhi replied instinctively.
But as soon as she spoke, Ye Zhi looked around confusedly. She was currently disoriented from just waking up. Where was this? How did she get here?
Looking at the scrolling credits on the screen, Ye Zhi's thoughts gradually returned. By the time she realized where she was, she regretted it so much she wished she could crawl into a hole.
Good heavens! How could she fall asleep during a date with Qi Xuan!
Ye Zhi was extremely embarrassed. "Ahem, well... it's all this movie's fault for being too boring!"
"It was quite boring," Qi Xuan chuckled. "We shouldn't need to watch it again, right?"
Seeing the staff coming to clear the hall, Ye Zhi got up awkwardly, preparing to leave with Qi Xuan.
Suddenly, she looked down at the popcorn bucket in her arms and said with some surprise, "Huh? Where did the popcorn in here go? I remember I only ate about half the bucket..."
Qi Xuan: ...
He had eaten the other half of the bucket. The movie was too boring, so he had to do something to pass the time.
"Never mind, maybe I remembered wrong," Ye Zhi casually tossed the empty bucket into the trash bin.
They walked out of the screening hall together. Suddenly, Ye Zhi looked across and saw a couple walking towards them. The woman was holding a bucket of popcorn, smiling as she picked a kernel and fed it to her boyfriend.
Ye Zhi suddenly understood. So this was the reason for only buying one bucket of popcorn? She had been wondering why Qi Xuan, who was usually generous, had suddenly become so stingy!
Thinking that a date had turned out like this because of her, Ye Zhi was truly regretful now. What had she done with all the preparation she had done?
Oh well, fortunately, she still had other plans. She had also booked a candlelit dinner at a popular online-famous restaurant, and it was their special couples' set meal.
She had seen the reviews for that popular online-famous restaurant on a review site before, and the ratings were quite high.
"Qi Xuan, are you hungry? Let's go for dinner," Ye Zhi suggested.
"...Alright," Qi Xuan agreed. Although he had devoured half a bucket of popcorn, he wasn't hungry at all right now.
Soon, they arrived at the popular online-famous restaurant, but upon arriving, Ye Zhi immediately felt something was off.
The private room they were in was dark, with only a single red candle lit on the table.
With that faint candlelight, Ye Zhi could barely make out Qi Xuan's face.
"Can you turn on the room lights?" Ye Zhi asked the waiter.
"Madam, this is the atmosphere we serve here. You see, how romantic it is," the waiter said.
Ye Zhi: ...
Perhaps she lacked romance bacteria, but she felt like she was going blind.
Ye Zhi now deeply regretted it. She shouldn't have trusted any popular online-famous restaurants! She was now hesitating about whether to switch to another restaurant.
However, she had booked the restaurant in advance and paid for the set meal. Since they were already here and the money was spent, she might as well try it. With so many good reviews, it couldn't be that bad, could it?
"Serve the food," Ye Zhi waved her hand.
Soon, the waiter brought over the couples' set meal she had ordered.
They each took a bite, then silently looked at each other, and then put down their cutlery in unspoken agreement.
"A Zhi," Qi Xuan said after a long silence, "Next time, just cook for me yourself, okay?"
Ye Zhi: ...
She now truly regretted it. How could something made by a restaurant be even worse than what she made!
This was supposed to be a couples' set meal, and a popular online-famous restaurant at that. Those ratings must have been fake!
Ye Zhi even felt that couples who ate the couples' set meal here and didn't break up should get married on the spot!
Thinking that a perfectly good date had turned out so badly, Ye Zhi felt quite dejected.
"Those review sites are really a scam," Ye Zhi sighed helplessly. "It looks like Tao Xun should just create its own!"
Qi Xuan nodded. "That's possible. Tao Xun's review site could be integrated with Tao Xun Maps. I believe merchants would also be willing to cooperate. Given Tao Xun's current scale, promotion wouldn't be difficult."
Ye Zhi nodded. She was already considering whether to build a new review site or acquire an existing one and remove the inflated ratings.
"Never mind, let's go eat something else," Ye Zhi sighed. "The mall hasn't closed yet, and I wanted to browse and buy some things."
"Okay, I'll accompany you," Qi Xuan agreed.
The two left the popular online-famous restaurant, and Ye Zhi immediately wandered among various food stalls, buying a lot of snacks. Of course, Qi Xuan paid for everything.
Afterward, she bought two cups of milk tea. After taking a sip, she suddenly remembered the couple she had seen earlier feeding each other popcorn.
Could she do something similar?
"Do you want to try my milk tea?" Ye Zhi handed the cup over.
"Didn't we buy the same flavor?" Qi Xuan asked, surprised.
Ye Zhi: ...
She finally understood. The fact that she and Qi Xuan had reached this point was definitely not just her problem!
Qi Xuan's expression stiffened, and he suddenly understood something.
"A Zhi, I want to try yours," he said with a low laugh.
"No, drink your own," Ye Zhi said petulantly.
"But this cup of mine doesn't seem as sweet as yours," Qi Xuan said softly.
Just as Ye Zhi was about to change her mind, a couple walked past them.
The man said with a smirk, "Wife, let me try your milk tea..."
The woman replied, "No! After you drink it, the straw will be covered in your saliva, it's disgusting!"
Ye Zhi: ...