He tricked the female lead into becoming his boyfriend, but then went on to criticize the male lead.

The shelves were densely packed with plaster ornaments, including cartoon characters and small animals, as well as blank piggy banks waiting to be painted. The variety of styles was dazzling.

Sang Jiuning's eyes lit up. In her past life, she would occasionally come to places like this to do handicrafts. She didn't expect Wen Zhaoci to know about this place.

Wen Zhaoci's gaze swept across the shelves full of plaster casts, quickly settling on the Totoro figure in the corner. She turned to Sang Jiuning and said, "Let's choose a Totoro to paint."

Sang Jiuning immediately nodded with a smile, "Okay."

With her permission, Wen Zhaoci walked straight to the shelf, bent down and picked up a huge blank Totoro plaster figure that was half a meter tall. He held it heavily in his arms and turned to look at Sang Jiuning, who looked on in astonishment.

Sang Jiuning looked at the giant Totoro, her lips twitching slightly, and couldn't help but ask, "This...it'll take us a whole day to color it, won't it? It's so big, how long will it take to finish?"

Just imagining it makes her arms ache; with such a large volume and so many details, she'd probably spend the whole day here.

Wen Zhaoci placed the Totoro on the table, raised her hand and ruffled the top of her head, her tone relaxed: "Don't be afraid, let's work together, if we're quick, we should be able to finish in about half a day. I'll keep you company, you won't be bored."

He just wanted to find a reason to spend most of the day quietly with her, just the two of them.

Soon, the shop assistant brought over paints, brushes, a palette, and two light gray aprons.

Wen Zhaoci carefully helped Sang Jiuning tie her apron, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against her waist, causing Sang Jiuning to tremble slightly and her cheeks to instantly flush with a faint blush.

The two sat facing each other on either side of the long table. Sang Jiuning picked up a fine paintbrush, dipped it in paint, and immediately immersed herself in coloring.

She always takes everything seriously. Her eyebrows were slightly lowered, her long eyelashes fluttered gently like butterfly wings, and the tip of her nose was slightly furrowed. She focused on outlining Totoro's features and immediately chose a gentle pink paint, intending to paint Totoro a pink color full of girlish charm.

Wen Zhaoci, on the other hand, didn't touch a paintbrush at all. He rested his elbows on the table, his fingertips against his chin, and stared intently at Sang Jiuning.

Sunlight fell on her profile, outlining soft lines. Her fair skin had a faint pink tint, and her lips were slightly pursed, making her look both obedient and delicate.

How could his little girl be so beautiful? Her quiet demeanor was like shattered starlight, captivating him and filling his heart with intense joy. He longed to hold her tightly in his arms and never let her go again.

It wasn't until Sang Jiuning looked up and gave him a questioning look that Wen Zhaoci came back to his senses. He slowly picked up his paintbrush and deliberately chose the pink paint she was using.

The two remained silent throughout, the only sound being the soft rustling of paintbrushes against plaster, yet the atmosphere was quiet and sweet.

Sang Jiuning took the lead in all the color matching, and Wen Zhaoci cooperated throughout. Whatever color she chose, he would use the same color. His eyes were always on her, and coloring became a secondary matter.

After an unknown amount of time, Sang Jiuning finally put down her paintbrush, stretched out a big yawn, her bones making slight cracking sounds, and couldn't help but mutter, "Finally finished painting! My back and butt are so stiff from sitting, they hurt so much."

She glanced at her phone and was shocked: "Three and a half hours have passed! I thought only a little over an hour had gone by!"

Sitting still for so long, my butt is almost numb, no wonder I feel uncomfortable all over.

Wen Zhaoci quickly put down her paintbrush, looking at her with concern in her eyes: "Are you exhausted? Don't move, I'll take care of it."

He got up and got a hairdryer from the shopkeeper, adjusted it to a gentle speed, and carefully dried the pink Totoro, moving gently as if afraid of smudging even a little bit of the paint.

After drying, he carefully instructed the shopkeeper to pack it properly and had it delivered directly to his car, without letting Sang Jiuning interfere at all.

"Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious to make it up to my baby." Wen Zhaoci took her hand again, her fingertips gently stroking the back of her hand, her tone extremely gentle.

Sang Jiuning was also hungry, so she went with him to the nearby Haidilao. The steaming hot pot dispelled her fatigue. Wen Zhaoci cooked vegetables and peeled shrimp for her the whole time, piling her bowl full, but he didn't eat much himself, his eyes were full of her eating.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Wen Zhaoci took her hand and headed to the movie theater.

The movie theater was bustling with people on the weekend, and the posters prominently featured the currently showing "Zootopia 1". Among the moviegoers were many primary and secondary school students in their teens.

Sang Jiuning stared at the movie ticket in his hand, instantly stunned: "The English 3D version?"

"Mm." Wen Zhaoci nodded frankly, ruffled her hair, and said seriously, "This is a good opportunity to improve your English listening skills."

Sang Jiuning was speechless for a moment, then rolled her eyes slightly: ...If I don't want to train, I can watch the Chinese subtitles.

Wen Zhaoci led her to a seat, deliberately choosing a corner spot in the last row, which was secluded and quiet.

Wearing 3D glasses, the movie started quickly, and the lighthearted and funny plot instantly attracted Sang Jiuning. She watched intently, leaning forward slightly, completely immersed in the story, and had long forgotten about the people around her.

But just ten minutes into the movie, a force suddenly came from her waist. Wen Zhaoci reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace.

Caught off guard, Sang Jiuning bumped into his warm embrace. The crisp scent of cedar lingered around her nose. She snapped back to reality, muttered softly, and gently pushed him away, saying, "What are you doing? It's hot."

Everyone around her was engrossed in watching the movie, and she was incredibly embarrassed, afraid of being seen by others.

Wen Zhaoci hugged her even tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice low and deliberately soft: "I'm scared."

Sang Jiuning: "..."

She took off one of her 3D glasses and stared at him speechlessly. If they weren't in a movie theater, she would have loved to yell back.

He was internally screaming: "Is Wen Zhaoci stupid? We're watching an animated film, not a horror movie! What's there to be afraid of!"

She lowered her voice and said angrily, "Wen Zhaoci, don't you want to look around? Lots of teenagers are watching, and they're not scared. What are you afraid of?"

Wen Zhaoci put his index finger to his lips and gently shushed her, glancing around to remind her, "Don't talk, don't disturb others watching the movie."

After saying that, he didn't let go; instead, he hugged her even tighter, his chest pressed against her back, his warm breath falling on her neck, making her feel numb all over.

Sang Jiuning was on the verge of tears. Fortunately, they were in the last row, so the people in front couldn't see them. But she was still extremely nervous, afraid of offending the eyes of the child next to her. She kept struggling with her little hands, trying to break free from his arms.

But her strength was nothing compared to Wen Zhaoci's.

Just as she was racking her brains for a solution, the person beside her suddenly moved.