The Ticket-Buying Incident

Let Ouyang run errands for them. In her heart, she secretly gave Shangguan Xiao a thumbs up! What a remarkable person! Xiao’ai decided that from now on, she would take Xiao as her idol!

She was simply too cool! Worthy of admiration! Xiao was grinning so widely her cheeks nearly blossomed. As expected, having him handle things was far more convenient!

Actually, the two of them often went out together before. There was this one time when they went to an amusement park. Xiao wanted to buy some ice cream, but queuing was exhausting.

That year was a sweltering summer, the burning sun so bright it was hard to keep your eyes open. Yet Xiao and Yu played happily in the amusement park, and it was then that Yu told Xiao to sit aside and wait while he went to buy the ice cream himself. Yu had never liked crowds, and on top of that, he worried about Xiao’s safety.

He exuded such a chilly aura that those sweating under the midsummer sun felt a cold draft whenever he passed. The scene overlapped with the present—back then, people parted to make way for him, just as they did now.

Xiao had noticed this oddity and exclaimed delightedly that she must bring Yu along on all future outings! Yu looked at her, and in that joyful, warm amusement park, he made a promise.

He vowed to be with Xiao forever, to protect her! To keep her always happy and blissful! Yu even promised to take her to the movies the next day. But alas!

Fate did not comply. That day, Yu’s parents arrived. They took him away from the Shangguan household. Xiao did not go to see Yu off. She hid alone in her room, heartbroken, with no one to understand her pain.

The bitterness was hers alone to taste. The feelings of love that had slowly grown were dashed in an instant—shattered and scattered! With Yu’s departure, everything changed.

Love ceased to be.

Now, Yu stood before the ticket counter, his voice cold as he said to the cashier, “Nine tickets for My Deskmate.”

The ticket girl’s expression froze. She could not meet the gaze of this man who seemed the very image of a king! He was awe-inspiring, almost otherworldly!

With a slightly trembling voice, she asked, “My… Deskmate?” Her face was full of confusion; she swallowed nervously, her legs barely holding her up.

In another moment, she lost her balance and collapsed to the ground! The other attendants glanced at Yu, then at the fallen girl. Like frail old ladies, they tottered over to help her up.

Yu took in the scene, feeling not the least bit responsible. What was wrong with these people? If they couldn’t even stand properly, why were they working here?

Irritated, he furrowed his brows and impatiently asked, “Are tickets still being sold here?” His icy tone made cold sweat bead on the brows of everyone nearby.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Xiao had no choice but to step forward. She patted Yu’s shoulder, teasing, “Young master, why don’t you step aside? Leave this menial work to me! Heh!”

Then she turned to the ticket attendant with a gentle smile, apologizing, “I’m sorry about this! It’s our young master’s first time buying tickets. Are there still showings of My Deskmate?”

The ticket attendant looked at Xiao, feeling as if the girl before her had stepped out of a fairy tale—so exquisitely enchanting she stared in a daze.

In spite of herself, she blurted out, “Yes! I’ll treat you!”

The smile on Xiao’s face froze for a moment—not because she was startled, but because she remembered how Yu had once promised to take her to the movies.

But then he had left.

Xiao lowered her head, staring at her toes, lost in thought.

Yu, hearing those words, seemed to lower the temperature around him by three more degrees. In an instant, the attendant snapped back to her senses, realized she’d said something inappropriate, and quickly bowed her head, apologizing again and again!

———Author’s Note———
Writing as fast as I can… Please add this to your collection! Collection brings motivation! (*^◎^*)