18: Chess

When Shen Qian appeared at the cinema with Xia Mengling, he could clearly feel that some people were paying attention. After all, Xia Mengling was indeed beautiful; she was wearing a short skirt, and her two long, slender legs were so white they seemed to glow.

Plus, this girl had a thin waist, giving off a "slender branch heavy with fruit" feeling. No wonder the guys at the cinema would risk being caught by their Girlfriends to steal a glance.

"What type of movies do you like?"

The girl asked with a smile, the two of them looking very much like a boyfriend and Girlfriend.

"How about this one? A horror movie. I like horror movies."

"Ehh~ Taking a girl to a horror movie, your intentions aren't pure~"

Even though she said that, the girl still happily bought the tickets.

"You post on your moments whenever you meet new friends. Aren't you going to post one about watching a movie with me?"

"Will you post one then?"

Shen Qian asked back directly.

"Me? Of course I will, because today is a day worth commemorating. I met you."

If it were an ordinary person, or the Shen Qian from over a month ago, his heart would probably be jumping out of his chest from the girl's flirting right now.

But the current Shen Qian was different. Ever since he started being a scumbag, he had been learning, observing, and understanding from the people around him.

The most important thing for a scumbag is to not lose one's heart. In words and actions, one can appear to be smitten, but the heart must remain rational.

For example, right now, what kind of girl was Xia Mengling?

Beautiful, very beautiful.

And what kind of boy was he?

Although handsome, he wasn't so handsome that people would lose their minds. He showed some capability, but Xia Mengling was also wealthy.

Therefore, love at first sight and being in it for profit were both ruled out.

So why was this girl acting like this?

This girl loved to laugh. Shen Qian divided girls who love to laugh into several types: one is the simple-minded type who laughs at every little thing; one is the optimistic and cheerful type who truly feels the beauty of life; and another is like Xia Mengling, who loves to laugh because she looks better when she does.

They hadn't interacted much, but there was a teasing vibe in everything they said.

If it were just out of politeness, she wouldn't be like this.

So, all things considered, there was only one scenario that fit the present: she thought he was interesting and wanted him to become one of her subjects.

And for this behavior, Shen Qian had a shorthand: Dog training.

The opponent's level was not low. She saw through the Law of Attraction in his moments, but she didn't mind; on the contrary, it made her excited.

That's why they were at the cinema now, including the moments post the girl just suggested.

She wanted to mold him into her shape before this scumbag could grow up.

Of course, this might just be a guess. Maybe the girl really did find him interesting and wanted to develop things further, truly falling in love at first sight.

But for Shen Qian, whether it was genuine or fake didn't matter. His core goal now was to use the scumbag system to make money. If she was faking, all the better; if it was genuine, since she came to his door, he might as well take advantage of it.

Shen Qian always knew what he wanted and never tried to have it both ways.

"Then, then I'll post it too."

After saying that, he went to buy popcorn.

After the movie started, the girl pushed the armrest separating them back.

"What are you doing? If you do that, where will I put the popcorn?"

"You hold it. Wouldn't it be better if I'm closer to you?"

She moved her body toward him, her shoulder leaning against his.

"Hey, you..."

"What's wrong with leaning a bit? I wouldn't let others lean on me even if they wanted to, you stingy guy."

"Do many people chase you?"

"Naturally. I'm born beautiful, so isn't it normal for so many people to chase me?

But I don't think much of them."

"Why?"

"Because I'm waiting. Waiting for someone who truly loves me."

As soon as those words came out, Shen Qian was 100% certain this girl was Dog training.

He sneered inwardly but remained calm on the surface because the movie had started.

"Next, she'll probably try to create some ambiguity to leave me with a memory, preferably the kind that makes me unable to sleep after going home."

Shen Qian waited, so he sat up straight like a stone.

"You seem a bit nervous. This couldn't be your first time watching a movie with a girl, could it?"

Since the movie had already started, the girl could only lower her voice and whisper in Shen Qian's ear.

"No, I... when I was at school, I was often with girls."

"Really? Then why are you stuttering?"

Silence, and the sound of swallowing saliva.

They were watching a foreign horror movie that relied on jump scares. Shen Qian was paying attention to the girl's movements, so he wasn't watching closely. As for the girl, after a scene transition, she suddenly grabbed Shen Qian's arm, but only for a moment before letting go.

Over the next while, the girl would occasionally shrink toward Shen Qian, almost burrowing into his arms, but she controlled the boundaries perfectly—giving plenty of room for imagination without being overtly intimate.

"I didn't think you'd be so brave, big scumbag. Such a scary movie, and you weren't afraid at all."

"I've always been very brave."

Shen Qian said, feigning composure.

"Oh? What a pity. I thought you were only looking at me and didn't have the heart to watch the movie."

"What's so good about looking at you? I've seen plenty of beauties, all with fair skin, beautiful faces, and long legs."

"As long as mine?"

The girl swayed her legs. Shen Qian looked away. Could they be as long as my life?

The girl was clearly satisfied with this answer.

"Let's go."

"For what?"

"Even if I don't need to buy things for the start of school, I still need new clothes for dating."

"Dating? New clothes? Aren't you single?"

"I am single," the girl laughed. "But I also want a sweet romance. What if I have one by the time I get to university?"

"Then you go buy clothes, what am I supposed to do?"

"Since they're to be worn for boys, of course I need a boy's perspective. Aren't you a big scumbag who's seen countless women? You can help me out and see what kind of clothes are the best Man-killers."

Shen Qian was startled upon hearing this.

"This woman isn't going to make me pay for the clothes, is she? I'm just cooperating with the fishing; don't show your cards so soon. Please, have a bit more class, don't be in such a hurry to harvest."

That evening, Shen Qian drove his parents back to the hotel. Looking at Xia Mengling in his phone contacts, Shen Qian expressed great satisfaction.

"Not bad, a 7-out-of-10 beauty and a master at Dog training. Since you want me to fall in love with you, I'll do as you wish. Just don't freak out if this 'good dog' of mine veers off course a bit while running toward you."

He composed a message on his phone and sent it.

On the other side, Xia Mengling looked at her phone.

"I had a great time today. Let's watch a movie together again next time, okay?"

A disdainful smile appeared on her beautiful face.

"Is that it? And I thought it would be more fun."

Then she tossed her phone aside and happily applied a facial mask.