Chapter 47: Past, Present, Future

"Why are you dragging your feet?"

Sitting in the driver's seat, Shin Yuna glanced at Xia Xing, offering a gentle reproach without a trace of real annoyance.

For today's first date, she had tried on half a dozen different makeup looks alone.

Even her usually gentle unnie Lia, who had been giving her advice over a video call, had started to lose patience.

"A few clients popped up unexpectedly this afternoon, and the meeting dragged on until just now."

In the passenger seat sat a well-suited young man with an air of refined detachment, causing the corners of Shin Yuna's lips to curve upward uncontrollably.

As she steered the car out of the business park, she reached into the center console and pulled out a bouquet of white roses wrapped in pale blue Parisian paper.

"Here. Just grabbed them on the side of the road, don't you dare complain."

"How could I possibly complain?"

He took the white roses from the girl's hands and examined them closely. Fresh water droplets still clung to the petals, which flushed with a hint of pink beneath their pristine white.

Unable to resist, he leaned in and took a soft breath, catching a very faint fragrance.

It wasn't the natural scent of the roses themselves, but rather the subtle, refreshing perfume left behind on the bouquet by the person who gave it—refreshing and deeply soothing.

Noticing his quiet gesture, Shin Yuna—the one who had actually bought the flowers—felt her heart skip a beat.

The famous verse by British poet Siegfried Sassoon, *"In me the tiger sniffs the rose,"* seemed to materialize right before her eyes.

Ambition and fierce drive, intertwined with tenderness and delicate care, were etched into his handsome, smiling brows and eyes.

"This is actually the first time I've ever received flowers."

He thoughtfully lifted the white roses, his slender, well-defined fingers gently turning the blooms. In his focused and affectionate gaze, an ocean seemed to be hidden.

*Beep, beep, beep.*

The electric vehicle's collision warning system suddenly blared, snapping Shin Yuna's attention back to the road ahead. She had been a little too mesmerized for a moment and had almost clipped a pillar beside them.

"Ahem, that system sometimes gives false alarms. Way too sensitive," she pouted, her eyes darting everywhere as if intently monitoring traffic conditions.

"No need to rush and look at them now. We'll have plenty of time in the future."

His voice was unhurried, offering a gentle reminder.

"Mm, I know."

Her tone dropped as if she were admitting a mistake, but Shin Yuna didn't feel bad at all.

Just as he said, anyway...

***

We'll have plenty of time to look at them later.

She couldn't help wondering what it would be like to grow old with him slowly. He was probably the type to just keep getting more and more handsome with age, right?

Still, something he had said earlier lingered in her mind.

"So many people liked you back in high school and college—did seriously nobody ever give you flowers?"

Under Xia Xing's startled gaze, Shin Yuna gave a small cough. "I mean, judging by your looks, you must have been pretty popular."

He shook his head slightly, recalling memories from his student days:

"People did, but I didn't accept them. Rejecting them one by one was just too exhausting."

*Then why didn't you reject me?*

The thought slipped unthinkistically toward her lips, but feeling a secret thrill of delight inside, Shin Yuna managed to swallow the words back just in time.

"The unattainable white moonlight that all those underclassmen chased in vain is now sitting obediently in my passenger seat."

Shin Yuna's mood brightened even further, a sense of having won at life washing over her. "I wonder what they'd think if they could see this now."

"Not entirely sure, but I'm certain they wouldn't feel jealous."

With one hand holding the roses, Xia Xing rested the blossoms lightly against his shoulder and turned his profile toward the sunset outside the window. The warm, golden twilight outlined the sharp contours of his jawline.

"With someone as radiant and captivating as you around, how could anyone possibly feel jealous?"

How should she even describe this feeling?

She suddenly had an overwhelming urge to parade Xia Xing around just to show him off. Subtly, she pressed down a little harder on the accelerator, speeding toward the cinema.

Considering the special nature of Shin Yuna's identity, Xia Xing had originally planned to rent out a private screening room.

However, Shin Yuna stopped him just in time. Going to the movies, she insisted, was all about that thrilling feeling of hiding in plain sight among a crowd and sharing quiet moments of affection.

As long as they picked a theater with nice facilities and slightly higher ticket prices, it would be fine. Even the movie choice didn't matter—any showtime would do, as long as the theater wasn't completely empty.

After all... she wasn't here to watch a movie in the first place.

The red Tesla Model Y pulled into the underground parking lot. Having done her homework beforehand, the two quickly found the direct elevator leading up to the cinema.

Now wearing a mask and a cap, Shin Yuna took advantage of the moment Xia Xing was picking up their tickets at the kiosk to buy a large bucket of popcorn and a milk tea at the counter.

As for why she only bought one cup...

She wasn't buying these snacks to actually eat or drink them. Instead, she intended to use these little props to manufacture opportunities for close physical contact.

"The tickets are ready."

Xia Xing walked over, noticing the milk tea and popcorn in Shin Yuna's hands, and instinctively reached out to take them.

Shin Yuna handed the brimming bucket of popcorn straight to him, then smoothly poked a straw into the milk tea and held it out right in front of Xia Xing.

"The first sip is for you."

For a fleeting second, Xia Xing felt as though their roles in the relationship were somewhat reversed.

"There are so many people around..."

"If you don't take the first sip right now, I'm going to drink the whole thing."

Under Shin Yuna's sweetly gentle threat, Xia Xing's cheeks flushed slightly as he lowered his head and took a tentative sip.

"It's sweet."

"Mm. Let's go, time to head inside."

With her arms naturally looping around Xia Xing's arm, Shin Yuna led him straight toward the screening hall.

Because they wanted that feeling of anonymity lost in a crowd, yet couldn't afford to stand out too much, the pair chose the very last row in the furthest corner.

Once the lights went down and everyone else's attention was fixed firmly on the screen, it was unlikely anyone would notice their small, private gestures.

The film they were going to watch was titled *Excursion*. The synopsis described it as a story about two elderly best friends going on a trip together. The trailer featured a plot so seemingly dull and uninspired that calling it a documentary would almost be too generous.

Furthermore, the opening scene featured the protagonist Eun-shim's good-for-nothing son coming over with his wife and daughter to sponge off her. The tedious domestic trivialities and oppressive atmosphere quickly caused Shin Yuna's attention to drift away from the screen and toward the man beside her.

Pillowing her head softly on his shoulder, Shin Yuna lifted his hand to guide the straw toward her own lips.

*Sip...*

A full mouthful later, she looked thoroughly satisfied.

Her stray locks of hair brushed against Xia Xing's shoulder as she rubbed her cheek affectionately against him like a small kitten.

The tickle of her hair, combined with the subtle, lingering scent of the girl, became infinitely amplified in the darkness.

It was almost impossible not to pay attention.

Shin Yuna raised her gaze slightly to study Xia Xing, noticing that his eyes were also lowered, her heartbeat accelerating in perfect sync with his.

She realized she needed to pop a sweet piece of popcorn into her mouth just to replenish the sugar rapidly being burned through by her racing, heated blood.

Xia Xing pressed down gently on her hand, then picked up a single piece of popcorn from the bucket and held it right at the girl's lips.

"Here... stop looking around everywhere. If you want popcorn, I'll feed it to you."