"Mommy? Daddy?!" Hearing this address, those strange men who had been chasing closely looked up and saw Yan Yincheng standing there with a cold face. In terms of height, appearance, and the price of his clothes, he outshone all the other men on the scene.
So she's already married and has kids...
These people stopped awkwardly and scattered in all directions.
Without those annoying guys around, Xu Zixi breathed a sigh of relief and didn't bother to scold the two kids for deliberately announcing to everyone that they were a family.
Yan Yincheng smelled a sweet and cloying scent getting closer and closer until it stopped in front of him. He frowned and asked,
"Zixi? What do you have in your hand?"
Xu Zixi replied, "Popcorn and cola. They're must - haves for watching movies. I waited in line for a long time to get them. Okay, the movie is about to start. Let's go in."
Since it was the weekend, the showtime they bought was right after lunch, so there were a lot of people. The entrance was a bit crowded. Xu Zixi walked in front, deliberately or not blocking the pushing passers - by for him. After they got inside, she turned around and reminded him,
"Watch out. There are steps here."
"Go up two more floors."
"Here we are."
"Be careful. It's a bit narrow here."
"Our seats are here."
Stopping, Yan Yincheng groped for the chair and sat down. The two kids sat on either side of him. But when Xu Zixi saw him sit down, his brows were tightly furrowed, and he even vaguely raised his hand to cover his nose and mouth. Remembering that he had a sensitive sense of smell, she guessed he must have smelled a lot of odors he didn't like.
So she switched seats with Yuan Xiaoxuan and sat next to him.
After she sat down, the familiar fragrance was right beside him. His expression softened a little, and Xu Zixi also felt relieved.
While waiting for the movie to start, Yuan Xiaoxuan took a sip of the cola Xu Zixi bought. His little face immediately wrinkled, and he looked like he was about to cry. "Woohoo, Mommy, it tastes bad. It's spicy."
But Yuan Xiaoxu said, "Brother, it's delicious! It's sweet! Xiaoxu likes it!" Then he gulped it down loudly.
Xu Zixi also prepared a cup of cola for Yan Yincheng and put it beside his hand. Hearing Yuan Xiaoxu say it was delicious, he couldn't help but pick it up and take a sip. But then he coughed violently. He covered his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed tightly. Although his fair face was flushed red, he looked so uncomfortable as if he had drunk poison.
Xu Zixi quickly took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to him. "Are you okay?"
Yan Yincheng wanted to spit out the stuff in his mouth, but considering this was a public place and it would be bad for his image, he had to endure the explosive feeling in his mouth. However, as the cola stayed in his mouth for a while, after the initial stimulation of the carbonated drink faded, all that was left on his tongue was a strong sweetness.
It wasn't the natural sweetness but the kind created by food additives.
Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard for him to accept.
After swallowing the cola in his mouth, he smacked his lips with a hint of longing. Yuan Xiaoxu had been observing him. When he saw Yan Yincheng swallow the cola, his eyes lit up. "Daddy, isn't it delicious?"
Yan Yincheng paused. "… It's okay, I guess."
Xu Zixi couldn't help but laugh. She still stuffed the tissue into his hand and asked, "Is this your first time drinking cola?"
Master Yan nodded. The look on his face as if he had discovered something new made Xu Zixi feel as if she had brought three kids out to watch the movie today. It wasn't the first time she had this feeling. She had felt the same way when they went to the zoo and the aquarium.
Thinking for a moment, she pushed the popcorn towards him and asked, "Then try some popcorn?"
The sweet and cloying smell of butter wafted over. Yan Yincheng hesitated for a moment, then groped for a popcorn kernel. Instead of putting it into his mouth immediately, he carefully felt its shape with his fingertips.
Popcorn? Why is it like this? There are soft parts and hard parts, and some parts are a bit sticky.
Xu Zixi said beside him, "Popcorn is made by frying corn, shortening, and sugar together in a closed space at high temperature. It's not a rare food, but it's a great snack for watching movies and TV shows to kill time."
Yan Yincheng discarded the popcorn kernel in his hand and picked a new one. He carefully put it into his mouth. As soon as the popcorn entered his mouth, the exploded part melted easily with the secretion of saliva. The sweetness from the syrup instantly spread from his tongue to his heart.
It wasn't delicious, but it wasn't bad either. It was just very sweet.
Very sweet, and that was enough.
After the pre - movie advertisements, the movie finally started. Everyone in the theater quieted down and started watching the movie intently. Even Xu Zixi turned her attention to the big screen. Yan Yincheng could only listen, but as he listened, he couldn't control his hand. He grabbed a popcorn kernel from the box...
One...
Another one...
He picked up the cola with his right hand and took a sip...
It was really as Zixi said. Popcorn and cola were quite interesting snacks for "watching" movies.
When he couldn't control himself and reached for the popcorn again, his hand accidentally touched another one. Although that hand withdrew the next second, it was almost like holding hands.
Yan Yincheng was secretly happy. He didn't expect eating popcorn could have such a bonus?
Two hours later, "Battlefield Doctor" ended, and the movie was over. When Xu Zixi led Yan Yincheng and the two kids out, she secretly weighed the cola cup and found that Yan Yincheng's cola was already empty.
She secretly curled her lips. Humph, picky eater? Fastidious? It's not that hard to cure, is it? Was it really necessary to let him faint in the hot spring pool from hunger? It seemed that Wei Shu, his assistant, had been too comfortable.
Master Yan seemed to have discovered the charm of popcorn and cola. When it was time to watch "Mighty Warrior", he said to Xu Zixi on his own initiative, "Cola and popcorn. Get some more, okay?"
Looking at the child - like expression on the man's face, she couldn't bear to refuse. She turned around and bought another portion.
Watching two movies in a row was actually very tiring. The two kids fell asleep on their chairs not long after "Mighty Warrior" started. Only Xu Zixi and Yan Yincheng managed to watch the whole movie.
After the movie ended and they walked out of the theater, breathing in the fresh air, Xu Zixi couldn't help but say, "It's a lousy movie."
Yan Yincheng didn't even notice what the movie was about. He had been eating popcorn the whole time, planning to take the opportunity to hold her hand, but he never got the chance until the movie ended.
He rubbed his fingers regretfully and nodded. "There are indeed many unreasonable parts."
Holding one kid in each hand, they walked towards the exit. They discussed the plot of the movie as they walked, getting a bit closer than when they came. By now, the lights were just coming on. Yuan Xiaoxu hugged Xu Zixi's neck and said softly,
"Mommy, I'm hungry."
Taking the opportunity, Yan Yincheng said, "It's already so late, Zixi. How about we find a place outside to have dinner before going home?"
Xu Zixi held back her smile and asked, "After drinking two cups of cola and eating so much popcorn, can you still eat?"
Yan Yincheng was speechless. Although his stomach did feel a bit bloated, he didn't want to go home so soon. He said, "I can."
"Then let me make it clear first. Since you proposed having dinner outside, no matter how bad the food you order tastes, you have to finish it."
She added, "Of course, if you're really too full, just stop when it's appropriate."
Yan Yincheng smiled. "Okay."