Since We're Here

On the ground-level platform, the air drifted with the unique scent of a summer morning in the city.

Xie Yuling examined the tracks elevated on the ground before her, then looked at Lin Mo beside her.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"To take you on a simple and happy ride on the APM line," Lin Mo explained with a smile.

This was the shortest subway line in Yangcheng. With stations just a few hundred meters apart, it only took ten minutes to complete the entire route. Since most of the journey was above ground, it was purely a sightseeing line.

It might seem a bit pointless, but taking a ride and watching the high-rises and river scenery speed past the window truly had its own special charm.

Xie Yuling had genuinely never ridden it before.

Today she wore a pink short-sleeved shirt paired with black shorts. Her legs were long and straight, and her whole person exuded a youthful, playful energy.

She tilted her head, a hint of teasing in her pretty eyes. "You think you can buy me off with just two bucks?"

"How would I dare?"

Lin Mo raised both hands in a cat-like surrender pose. "The two bucks are just the entry fee. Getting to watch the scenery with you—that service is priceless."

The young girl's cheeks grew slightly hot.

This seemed to be their first proper date alone. With no one else around, the atmosphere inevitably felt a little subtle.

Seeing her eyes dart around, Lin Mo casually asked, "You rushed out this morning and didn't eat breakfast, right? Are you hungry?"

Xie Yuling practiced the Yellow Court Spirit-Nourishing Scripture, and nourishing the spirit didn't mean abstaining from mortal food.

She paused for a moment, subconsciously touching her flat stomach, then slowly nodded. "A little."

As soon as she spoke, Lin Mo pulled an oil-paper package out of his pocket like he was performing a magic trick.

Opening it, a steaming hot chicken leg appeared, and a rich, savory aroma instantly filled her nose.

Seeing the chicken leg, Xie Yuling wasn't too surprised, but she still looked around guiltily like a thief. Fortunately, there weren't many people on the platform, and they were all quite far away.

Lowering her voice, she playfully scolded, "Are you crazy? What if someone sees?"

"Don't worry, my pocket has a built-in barrier that blocks all prying eyes," Lin Mo spouted nonsense with a straight face, casually ruffling her hair.

Despite her verbal complaints, the joy in Xie Yuling's eyes was practically overflowing.

Unable to stop the corners of her mouth from turning up, she whispered, "Then I'm going to eat it."

She took the chicken leg, brought it to her lips, and elegantly opened her small mouth to take a tiny, delicate bite.

"Are you feeding a fish?"

Lin Mo couldn't stand it anymore. "Don't you usually open your mouth wide and gnaw on it when you eat chicken legs? What, are you trying to play the lady in front of me?"

"Mind your own business!"

Xie Yuling's face flushed red. Without thinking, she raised her elbow and gave Lin Mo a hard jab.

It didn't actually hurt Lin Mo, but he still let out an exaggerated ouch and clutched his chest, looking as if he had been gravely injured.

"Who did you learn that move from? Are you Cai Junhuang's true disciple?"

"I think it works pretty well," the young girl replied indistinctly while gnawing on the chicken leg, proudly tilting her chin up.

As they chatted, the chime for an approaching train rang out.

The doors opened, closed, and the train slowly pulled away.

Neither of them moved; they just watched the train leave.

After all, the girl hadn't finished eating her chicken leg yet.

As she ate, Xie Yuling seemed to lose her bones, tilting her head and naturally leaning it against Lin Mo's shoulder.

Lin Mo's heart stirred, and his arm very directly wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer into his embrace.

Xie Yuling lifted her eyelids, shot him a sidelong glance, and let out a soft snort from her nose.

"Hmph! You're taking advantage of me."

"I won't allow you to talk about yourself like that."

Annoyed, Xie Yuling thumped Lin Mo again, this time hitting him squarely on the chest with a muffled thud.

"I'm talking about you!"

"Is that so? My bad, my bad." Lin Mo repeatedly apologized, but the smile on his face only grew brighter, and the arm holding the girl showed no intention of letting go.

Xie Yuling couldn't be bothered to argue with him anymore. She nestled comfortably in his arms, finishing off the chicken leg in her hand.

The broadcast on the platform sounded again, announcing that the next train was about to arrive.

Lin Mo lowered his head, leaning close to her ear. His warm breath tickled it.

"Eat faster, the train is coming again soon."

--System: What about your disciple? Aren't you going to check on your disciple?!--

Outside the train window, the bustling scenery of Yangcheng rapidly retreated, with tall buildings and old trees weaving into a flowing painting.

Cai Junhuang withdrew her gaze and leaned back gracefully in the seat of the APM subway, exuding an air of leisure.

She stretched, revealing her slender waist.

"How did you find such a beautiful route?"

Fang Jun glanced at Cai Junhuang, his palms sweating slightly, but he feigned a relaxed expression and raised an eyebrow. "I've wanted to come check out this area for a while, but An Yuexin is such a dense straight guy and absolutely refused to accompany me. So, it just so happened you were free today."

He deeply remembered Lin Mo's advice.

He absolutely had to pay attention to his tone and manner of speaking!

He couldn't be too much of a try-hard, but he couldn't be too distant either!

The main goal was to play the role of a pure, good friend!

Fang Jun felt like a student taking a final exam; every word and action had to match the standard answer key.

Cai Junhuang glanced at him, the corners of her lips curling up. She didn't expose his little ulterior motives, instead just swinging her legs and looking out the window in silence.

Some things were much more interesting when you saw through them but didn't point them out.

Soon, the towering Yangcheng Tower appeared at the edge of their vision.

As Yangcheng's landmark building, looking around, there were actually very few local accents. The air was filled with dialects from all over the country and the excitement of tourists.

The price board in front of the ticket booth made Cai Junhuang frown slightly.

"No way, spending over a hundred just to go up and take a look?"

"It's my treat, so are you going up or not?" Fang Jun immediately chimed in, his tone carrying an undeniable sense of generosity.

Cai Junhuang instantly changed her tune upon hearing this, smiling so widely her eyes turned into crescents. "I'm going! Why wouldn't I go if it's free! If I came by myself, I wouldn't spend this money even if you beat me to death."

She was indeed a native of Yangcheng, and she had genuinely never been up there before.

In the eyes of the locals, this place was specifically designed to rip off out-of-town tourists.

Inside the Yangcheng Tower at this moment, Lin Mo withdrew his spiritual sense.

"Let's go. Next stop, the cat cafe."

"Yay!" Xie Yuling nodded excitedly. To her, where they went didn't matter; what mattered was who she was with.

The two walked into a descending sightseeing elevator.

And right at the moment their elevator doors closed, another elevator next to them let out a soft ding.

The elevator doors opened.

Ding!

Fang Jun and Cai Junhuang walked out.

When Cai Junhuang saw the ticket stubs in Fang Jun's hand, her eyes went wide.

"You've got to be kidding me, you actually bought such an expensive package ticket? It's three hundred bucks a person!"

Fang Jun feigned composure and spread his hands. "To be exact, it's two hundred and ninety-eight. That's a two-dollar difference. We're already here, so we either don't go up, or we go up and get the most complete experience. Otherwise, it's a waste."

He spoke these high-sounding words so well that he almost believed them himself.