Why are you always thinking about dating me?

But this involves the psychology of "simp" (a term used to describe someone who is overly subservient to another person), which I won't go into detail here.

Actually, not all simps are bad. If you master the behavior pattern, a simp can eventually have a chance. Just like Xiao Chacha's advice to Su Yuejin, to suddenly stop contacting Lin An... If the situation is right, this trick can be quite useful. As long as you simp in the right way and make her feel comfortable, but if you suddenly stop simping, then she who has been keeping you hanging on will start to get anxious.

Then they turned the tables and took control!

Lin An carefully put away the two small hair ties she bought, intending to give them to Su Yuejin when she got to school. Then, Xiao Chacha dragged Lin An to the arcade in the mall. Miss Xiao Chacha generously bought two hundred game tokens because she really wanted the Doraemon doll inside.

Lin An spent eighteen coins to catch her, then asked her for a few more game tokens and told her to play by herself while he went to find an old-fashioned arcade machine to play King of Fighters.

Xiao Chacha immediately abandoned the claw machine and put in two coins, insisting on playing against him.

"You can play this?"

"Of course! This was the first game I ever played. Come on, let me teach you a lesson."

Then she was defeated by Lin An, who single-handedly defeated three of her opponents.

"Heh." Lin An responded with a mocking sneer. Xiao Chacha rarely admitted defeat, so she continued to insert coins and play with him. Unfortunately, she kept losing and dying, so she stopped playing and angrily puffed out her cheeks, making Lin An play the claw machine for her.

She wanted a big doll; she wanted to play with the doll-cutting machine.

"Are you crazy?" Lin An looked at her and complained helplessly.

"You're really good at claw machines, I want this one."

"This thing doesn't require any skill; it's a new kind of 'easy money' to avoid those who know tricks for playing claw machines. It's all about luck. Once you've put in a certain amount of money, it's about time to hit the jackpot. It's that simple."

"I don't care, I want it."

"Is all you ever say is 'I want you'? Please, it's much more cost-effective to just buy one."

"But maybe a lot of people have already put coins in and haven't gotten anything yet. What if I get something on my first try?"

"A gambler's mentality, a gambling addict is doomed." Lin An responded calmly, and then she gave up on that game. Instead, she went to play piano tiles, basketball shooting, and racing with Lin An. She had a lot of fun, but unfortunately, she couldn't beat Lin An in any of them.

Unbeknownst to them, a person wearing a black mask stood not far away on the opposite side, watching the two running around in the arcade, flirting and joking, speechless.

Lin An and she played there for nearly forty or fifty minutes before leaving hand in hand. Su Yuejin tried her best not to think about it, but her nose kept getting more and more sore, and she couldn't help but want to cry.

After the two left, she went to play the claw machine. After inserting three coins, the claw moved forward little by little and then landed in the right position.

The doll fell down.

She blankly took out the large rabbit doll and hugged it to her chest. Her nose, which had been sore just moments before, seemed to feel much better now. After holding the doll for a few seconds, Su Yuejin's tears suddenly fell.

But she really didn't have the courage to chase after him, nor the courage to ask Lin An for an explanation. There was nothing to explain.

Many relationships begin and end in ambiguity, with prolonged ambiguity describing the illusion of joy, ultimately leaving no right to even question whether you ever loved me.

Su Yuejin carried the large doll as she walked through the arcade, where she exchanged a thousand coins.

She tossed coins in one by one, and grabbed one doll after another.

In the small basket in front of her, there was already a pile of plush toys she wanted to win. It was a great harvest. She was very lucky today. Su Yuejin's movements were like a machine. It was as if time would fly by in this way. It was as if she didn't have to think about it and could just wait for the result.

She had taken off her mask, let down her long, black hair, and stared at the mechanical claw of the claw machine in front of her. No one could see her red-rimmed eyes.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Perhaps because she had grabbed all one thousand coins, she looked down at the empty basket of game coins and the pile of small toys around her, and suddenly smiled, as if she still had many dolls with her.

Suddenly, someone's voice came from behind.

"Miss, I already told you I couldn't get it cut, why are you so stubborn?"

"I just like it, I don't care, I just want it, you can't leave, we'll go after I get it... Hey, where's that doll?"

Su Yuejin hugged the large doll and slowly turned around.

Xiao Chacha's gaze also fell on the big doll for a moment, and then she looked up and saw Su Yuejin's face.

For a moment, her eyes showed panic.

Lin An's smile froze.

Su Yuejin just stared into his eyes without saying a word, but it seemed to speak louder than a thousand words.

Chapter Five Explanation

In the arcade, all sorts of people brushed past each other.

Time seemed to slow down in that instant. Lin An was still holding Xiao Chacha's small hand because she said she was cold and wanted him to hold it.

Su Yuejin held the doll, seemingly wanting to say something, but unsure what to say. After a few seconds, she fell silent. Lin An first released Xiao Chacha's hand, then said to Su Yuejin, "What a coincidence."

His explanation was simply—what a coincidence.

"Um, you're here to buy clothes too?" Lin An then asked gently.

"Hmm... It's getting cold, so I came to buy some autumn clothes." Su Yuejin tried to make her tone sound less weak, or rather, less sad, but she just couldn't. No matter what she said, it still carried a hint of sadness.

"Well, you guys take your time browsing... I'll be going now."

She found herself too exhausted to argue with Xiao Chacha. Yes, yes, I'm not as smart as you, I can't win against you... But why are you competing with me? Is it for fun? But I only have him left.

She slowly turned around, but Xiao Chacha spoke first, "It's not what you think... Su Yuejin."

Su Yuejin stopped turning around.

Her eyes hardened in that instant, her dark, bright pupils staring into Xiao Chacha's eyes. "Then tell me... you two just simply held hands while shopping?"

"Did you see anything else besides this? It was just a stroll in the street... Don't overthink it."

"So it was just a casual hand-holding? I shouldn't overthink it...? Even if Lin An had told me this, I wouldn't have thought this way, so why are you telling me, Xiao Chacha? I shouldn't overthink it... How can you expect me not to overthink it?!"

Su Yuejin's grievances, fueled by Xiao Chacha, turned into anger, which surged rapidly. Xiao Chacha glanced at Lin An, her eyes filled with worry, because she was now at a loss. She had caught him red-handed, and it was up to Lin An to decide what to do next.

Anyway, they're all probably going to die... Su Yuejin has already exploded, she shouldn't have exploded at this time. If she explodes now, what will happen next? What will happen to him and Lin An? What will happen to him and himself? Xiao Chacha's mind was in a mess, but Lin An didn't seem to be at a loss.

He handed Su Yuejin a small hair tie.

"A gift," he said, his hand hovering in mid-air, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"Because I was planning to buy autumn clothes, and I also wanted to ask Xiao Chacha about you, so I asked her out. As for holding hands, there doesn't seem to be any explanation, because we don't have the relationship you're thinking of... Besides, she doesn't necessarily like me. Anyway, aren't you used to it? Miss Xiao Chacha is always so bitchy."

Xiao Chacha kicked Lin An from behind.

Su Yuejin blankly reached out and took the hair tie from his hand, then put it on her wrist, looking into Lin An's eyes, "Buying clothes? Why didn't you ask me?"

"Because we just went out together yesterday... it wouldn't be good to go out again today." Lin An scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Su Yuejin continued to press, though she knew there was no answer to the question. But suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she seemed to have found the answer.

Is he afraid to have too much close contact with me in a short period of time...? Is he afraid of something?

Lin An's current awkwardness and inability to speak perfectly matched Su Yuejin's guess. She kept this guess to herself and didn't say it aloud.

Are you afraid that you might like me, Lin An?

This answer was like a small firework, exploding brightly and dazzlingly in Su Yuejin's heart, which had just been shrouded in darkness. Suddenly, Su Yuejin was no longer sad at all.

"Then do you have anything else to explain?" she asked again, taking a step forward, seemingly becoming stern again.

Actually, she just fell into a trap that made her guess. People are often like this; they are more likely to accept happy things and forget sad things. It's like if you lose your phone today, but find out you've won five million in the lottery this afternoon, then the pain of losing your phone is gone.

People will selectively ignore things they don't want to see, but only if there are more wonderful things that give them the power to choose.

"I don't think there's anything to explain... You seem to have misunderstood, as if you need an explanation, so let's leave it at that."

Lin An showed absolutely no remorse. Since he was now acting as if he felt guilty or apologetic, Su Yuejin's previous speculation about his relationship with Xiao Chacha was now confirmed.

Then he'd have to die.

So Lin An's disguise was pretty perfect, because he didn't seem to feel any guilt at all and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But Su Yuejin was now thinking that maybe he was scared today because they went out together yesterday, so he didn't dare to ask her out.

So he arranged to meet Xiao Chacha, wanting to ask about his past experiences. Did he finally want to understand him properly? And then… all the blame fell on that shameless little bitch, Xiao Chacha, who seduced this guy and that guy!

Looking at Su Yuejin's expression and listening to Lin An's words, Xiao Chacha's face turned green. How could she not guess that Lin An was trying to shift the blame? This pot was big and round, but she couldn't refuse to take it. If she didn't, Su Yuejin would be the one to get burned, and after Su Yuejin got burned, she would be burned along with her, and Lin An would run far away.

This is not the outcome she wanted to see.

"How about we have a meal together?" Xiao Chacha asked tentatively.

"I don't want to eat with you." Su Yuejin was still angry with Xiao Chacha. Lin An said in a particularly cheeky way, "I'm going to the bathroom first. You two can talk slowly." So, in the arcade, only Su Yuejin and Xiao Chacha were left facing each other.

"...What a jerk," Xiao Chacha thought to herself with resentment.

The two girls stood there, Su Yuejin with her arms crossed and a cold smile on her lips. "Come on, act, act for me. Let's see how you, Xiao Chacha, can act and fool me today. Come on, cover up the fact that you seduced my man."

"..." Xiao Chacha really wanted to curse. Lin An, this guy, could he really trust her so much that he could cover things up?

"What's there to cover up? Besides, he's not even your man, you idiot." Xiao Chacha had a helpless expression on her face. After a second or two, she said, "You don't really think I'd be interested in him, do you?"

"So you're horny?"

"I, your sister Chacha, was just trying to help you choose someone, how come you're calling him a slut? Please, can't you see that guy is fickle and distracted? His gentleness is all an act, he's just pretending to coax a love-starved girl like you. But because he didn't love you before, I'm not worried. At worst, you'll realize it and become sensible."

"But... this morning this guy suddenly asked me about your past. Su Yuejin, you need to know, this is a dangerous sign. Someone like him, once he completely understands your past and your network of connections, he can easily deduce the reasons for your current personality and take advantage of you."

"He didn't love you before, so he didn't bother to get to know you. Today, he suddenly came to ask me about you... I felt something was off, so I wanted to test him. I just asked him out shopping. Haha, but look at this guy, when I held his hand, did he refuse?"

"It's just holding hands, isn't it?" Su Yuejin was unhappy when she heard Xiao Chacha speak ill of Lin An, but she was also happy because what Xiao Chacha had just said perfectly proved her earlier guess.

Is he...?

"So you were angry just now? Huh? And you even cursed at me? Huh? I've cursed so many men in front of you before, do you think I'd even look at a guy like that? You're a little clever and think you're so great, promiscuous and irresponsible, tsk, you don't even care about physical contact, what kind of good person are you?"

"I don't care, you're no good either."

"My little princess Su Yuejin, how can you possibly wake up to this?"

"I'm not out of my mind, I'm perfectly normal right now," Su Yuejin argued with Xiao Chacha.

Xiao Chacha looked helpless, but she was secretly overjoyed.

You were so aggressive just now, but a few words of coaxing would have been enough. You lose your temper whenever it comes to him. So, Su Yuejin, how are you going to beat me?

"Alright, alright... whatever you want. Anyway, I've already warned you that guy is no good. I only casually offered him a little something, and he immediately took the bait, acting all half-hearted."

"I don't care, you're not allowed to flirt with him again." Su Yuejin said very seriously.

"Pshaw, who cares?"

Xiao Chacha looked at her with disdain, "You'd better watch yourself, or you might actually get sold out and end up paying for it."

She lectured Su Yuejin in a motherly tone, but Su Yuejin wouldn't listen at all. However, she finally made a conclusion about the incident of seeing the two of them shopping together.

She looked at Xiao Chacha's pale face, lowered her arms from her chest, and after a second or two, she whispered to Xiao Chacha, "Maybe you really are doing this for my sake... Chacha."