Next, Qin Chuan and Li Ya strolled through the entire snack street.
After a round, both of them were greasy around the mouth and their stomachs were bulging, even burping with fullness.
Under the lamplight, Li Ya's bright and beautiful face was filled with pure joy. It was hard to imagine that this was the same person who, during the day, had a stern expression as the head of a department, holding the livelihoods of hundreds of employees.
"Huh, there's a video arcade here?"
As they stood by the roadside to rest, Li Ya suddenly exclaimed.
Qin Chuan followed Li Ya's gaze and indeed saw a video arcade, dimly lit. A sign hung at the entrance, listing "Young and Dangerous 4: Always Victorious," "The Good Man," and "The Beast Stalker."
Below it was another line: "Infinite Loop, Never Clearing the Room!"
Seeing the familiar scene, Qin Chuan's thoughts were immediately stirred. What a long-lost sight, this was truly a special memory for those born in the 70s and 80s!
Especially for the post-80s generation, it represented their entire youth.
He wondered how many people spent their youth in these small video arcades. Qin Chuan still remembered that he was one of them, secretly going to the arcade whenever he had money.
But it was a pity that the disappearance of video arcades was drawing nearer. In less than two years, everything here would be obsolete, replaced by more advanced entertainment venues like internet cafes.
"Qin Chuan, I've never been to a video arcade before. How about we go in and take a look?"
As Qin Chuan's thoughts churned, a voice reached his ears. He snapped back to reality and found Li Ya beside him looking eager.
"Let's go!"
Qin Chuan didn't hesitate and led Li Ya inside. He also wanted to re-experience the passion of those bygone years.
However, as they entered, Qin Chuan asked Li Ya to cover her face with a scarf. As someone who had been through it, he knew very well that video arcades were absolute havens for all sorts of people.
Fights and brawls were common occurrences here. If a woman of Li Ya's looks were to be spotted, trouble would surely follow.
"Boss, two people!"
Qin Chuan called out familiarly as they approached the counter.
"Two yuan each, four yuan for two!"
A calm voice came from inside. Qin Chuan promptly paid and led Li Ya in.
Video arcades of this era were basically slightly larger rooms, equipped with a VCR, a color TV, and rows of long benches.
As for the environment, it was even worse: smoky, filled with fumes, and various other unpleasant odors.
Yet, everyone watched with great absorption because this was the best and cheapest form of entertainment available at the time, something the masses could afford.
Li Ya was clearly here for the first time. Upon entering and seeing the dense crowd, she was startled and froze on the spot.
Especially upon smelling the smoky atmosphere, she started coughing.
Seeing this, Qin Chuan quickly whispered, "The environment here is like this. If you're not comfortable, we can leave!"
"No, we've already paid, and they won't give us a refund!"
Li Ya shook her head. "It's okay, I'll get used to it quickly!"
"Alright, then I'll take your hand, and we'll sit in the back."
Qin Chuan took Li Ya's small hand and led her towards a more vacant spot in the back. He didn't notice Li Ya's eyes glimmer as she looked at their clasped hands during this process.
After finding seats, they settled down. Currently, they were showing the immensely popular "Young and Dangerous" series. The scenes were incredibly passionate, exciting almost all young men and women.
Characters like Chen Haonan and Brother Pheasant became idols for countless youths. It was precisely this series that contributed to many incidents of fighting and brawling.
Qin Chuan had initially worried that Li Ya wouldn't like this type of movie. However, after observing for a while, he found that Li Ya was watching with great interest, which put him at ease, and he too became immersed.
Shortly after "Young and Dangerous" finished, the owner switched to a new film. This time it was "The Beast Stalker," starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung Ka-fai. It was equally thrilling and exciting, drawing cheers from the video arcade crowd.
Time passed by unknowingly. After several films, it was already midnight.
At this point, Qin Chuan noticed that a lot of people were pouring in at the entrance of the video arcade, while some were starting to leave. These were the people who had brought female companions.
As someone experienced, Qin Chuan had a premonition of what was about to happen and couldn't help but whisper to Li Ya, "Sister, let's go. It's getting late!"
"What's the rush? I'm planning to rest tomorrow anyway and won't go to work. Let's watch a bit longer!"
"It's rare for me to be this excited..."
Li Ya refused and ordered Qin Chuan not to leave, insisting he stay with her.
Qin Chuan's expression was conflicted. He wanted to explain a few times, but then his eyes rolled, and he gave up, calmly sitting back down.
"Boss! Boss!!"
"Put on the movie!! Hurry up!!"
"I've been waiting half the night for this moment!"
At this moment, a chorus of loud shouts, vulgar in nature, erupted from the front of the video arcade.
"What's the hurry? No matter how eager you are, you can't pull the girls inside out and sleep with them?"
The boss appeared, long accustomed to such situations, and retorted familiarly.
However, despite his words, he didn't delay, swiftly changing the tape and leaving.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!!!"
The familiar intro music played again, and a line of text appeared on the screen: "Bao Gong Battles Pan Jinlian."
Seeing those words, Qin Chuan was utterly certain of what was about to be shown. He couldn't help but say again, "Sister, let's go! It's getting late..."
"No rush, let's watch a bit longer and finish this movie!"
Li Ya's attention was captivated, and she flatly refused. After a moment, she mumbled softly, "Why is this title so strange?"
Seeing this, Qin Chuan gave up persuading her and thought to himself, "You asked for this. Don't blame me later!"
The color TV quickly showed the picture. At first, it was quite normal, but as the plot developed, things gradually became not right.
Especially when the male and female characters started undressing, Li Ya couldn't help but let out a startled gasp and covered her mouth with her hand.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her face turned a deep red.
She then finally realized what was being shown and glared furiously at Qin Chuan beside her.
Qin Chuan shrugged innocently, a hint of amusement on his lips. "Sister, do we want to keep watching?"
"You..."
Li Ya, overcome with shame and indignation, stood up without hesitation and fled. She truly couldn't bear to stay any longer!