24 Date

After having a chat with Kong Bo, the boys went home. When Ye Qin was sitting in the back of his family's car, he heard his smart watch ringing and picked it up after seeing the caller ID. "What's wrong?" Ye Qin asked

"Well how should I say this… Last night… I had a strange dream, as if I had become another person. When I woke up, I looked outside the window and guess what? The stars and moon were gone! I thought I was crazy, I asked my family and everyone said it was there." Sun Zan said on the other side of the call

"..."

"I see, I'll tell you the details later." Ye Qin replied as he ended the call and sent Sun Zan a line or two of text before looking outside the window and watched the scenery go by as he sat in the back of the car. When he got home, Ye Qin returned the call to Sun Zan and explained that both he and Wang Tao had been through what the former had as well

…

Then, it was December. On the eve of the 23rd day, Ye Qin received a message from his class rep Li Yutong. She had invited him to see a movie with her the next morning and had already booked the tickets. Seeing this, Ye Qin sighed "That's right… I guess I should go and tell her..". He then sent her a reply that said 'Alright, see you tomorrow.' in which she sent a happy emoji then sent him the time and location to meet up

Naturally Ye Qin didn't tell his family or Wang Tao as he dressed himself up in a nice pair of jeans that were reproduced to be more durable and comfortable than the ones of the past along with a regular t shirt underneath a paige colored woolen jumper that made him look charming and keeping him warm at the same time. Seeing their son all dressed up, his parents had a few questions in their minds but didn't say as Ye Qin left the house and took a cab to the meeting place an hour ahead of time

…

All around him, pure white snow covered the ground and ceilings of buildings whilst trees and streetlights were decorated to celebrate the merry occasion that happened only once a year on the 25th of the last month. When he arrived nearby and got off the cab, Ye Qin looked around to see some couples already walking about hand in hand with some even sharing scarfs!

When he got to the meeting place right beneath a clock tower, Ye Qin sat down on the bench lying just beneath it as he watched some kids run around the fountain in front of him. As he watched the kids playing, he was reminded of himself ten years ago when he had a playmate who was the same age as him. Ye Qin and that girl played together all day and almost everyday until the time she had to leave making them both cry even as he waved her goodbye whilst she was leaving far away in her family's car

As he recalled this happy but bitter memory, a ball landed in front of his feet. He looked at it then picked it up as the two kids one being a male and the other being a female both looked at him with eyes of anticipation. The boy asked him "Can I get the ball?"

"Of course, here you go." Ye Qin laughed as he returned the ball to them. He then looked at the time and realised there was still over an hour before the meeting time as he got up and walked around to look around at the nearby shops

Walking around, he noticed many shops which sold food of all sorts which he indulged himself in after waiting in line. After wondering for a while, he ran into someone unexpectedly

The two people saw each other at the same time with both thinking at the same time 'Ah?'. In front of him, Ye Qin saw his homeroom teacher Mo Qiu holding an ice cream cone in one hand and a crepe that was bitten into in the other hand. He noticed that Mo Qiu was dressed up quite differently to what he was used to. Even though she was wearing a beanie along with a long white coat that covered most of her body, he could tell recognize the teacher he had for three years straight and asked "Teacher, you on a date?"

"Ah? Well yes and no. Also, you don't need to call me teacher anymore, after all you've already graduated." Mo Qiu replied after looking around for any familiar faces. "Yes and no? A date with herself I guess?" Ye Qin thought

"Once a teacher, always a teacher." he replied

"If you ask me, I'd say that the one on a date is you rather than me." Mo Qiu said with a smile as she took a bite out of her crepe. Ye Qin's eye twitched slightly and replied "Uh yeah I guess. You know any good places around?"

"Of course she doesn't I mean it's Ms Mo we are talking about here.." he thought, however, his thoughts were wrong as Mo Qiu smirked and replied "Asking your teacher for dating spots huh? You've really changed." she laughed

"Well follow me and I'll tell you on the way." Mo Qiu said which Ye Qin abided by. During the trip with his ex teacher, Ye Qin went around with her to all sorts of food stands as she gave him some highlight locations to go on

Once there were only 30 minutes until the meeting time, Ye Qin excused himself from his ex teacher's presence as she wished him good luck

…

When he arrived back at the clock tower across from the fountain where they were supposed to meet up, Ye Qin noticed Li Yutong sitting on the seat he had been on previously and swung her legs as she awaited his arrival

Today, Li Yutong wore a white woolen turtleneck with a brown coat on top, she also wore skin tight jeans that showed off her exquisite legs with long brown boots that reached just below her knees. A black and brown handbag could be seen held inside her bosom as she waited. Normally, Li Yutong wore studded earrings, however, today she had worn long silver earrings that shone brightly

Ye Qin approached her without her noticing then sat down beside her and said "Classmate Li, you going on a date? You're dressed quite nicely." in a different tone from his own

"Ah? A date? No!" she exclaimed with a flushed face as jumped from her seat and turned around to see Ye Qin sitting next to her. Ye Qin smiled seeing her reaction and said "You're here early."

"Ah! Ye Qin so it was just you! I just got here, how about you?" she replied. Thinking about the time he spent around here for the past hour or so, Ye Qin replied "Oh I just got here myself, since we're both here early then I guess there's more time to spend?"

"More time to spend? Together?" Li Yutong thought with a red face as the two began walking towards the cinemas

…

The movie Li Yutong had tickets for is a brand new Romance movie titled 'A Lovers Door' directed by a famous director called Guo Zhen Kang. Many of his movies became huge hits around the world and only hit the cinemas for a week each time before they are no longer screening and can then only be bought or found on the net

Ye Qin went to buy snacks and drinks for the two of them whilst Li Yutong had gone to the bathroom. After a few minutes, when she came out from there, she presented their tickets before gaining access to the room that screened their movie

Inside the theatre, almost every seat was filled up already. With couples whispering words of love to each other and even some single people who cursed all the couples filled the room. The two spent a bit of time finding their seats which were placed near the middle which isn't too far or too close

The seats are made from metals found from the Monster Realm which is then filled with premium grade silk and linen to make them extremely comfortable as if one were lying on their bed. Sitting in their seats, Ye Qin placed the snacks and drinks down as they waited for the movie to start. After 20 minutes or so, the lights turned dim as trailers of new upcoming movies were presented to the audience

The movie then started playing for 2 and a half hours. During that time frame, the sounds of sniffling and sobbing could be heard from all around. The movie is a sad but romantic movie about two childhood friends who slowly develop feelings for one another. As they hung around each other, neither of the two ever confessed to the other

Eventually they started becoming further and further apart until they hardly saw each other. It wasn't until the end where many thought it would end on a sad note when the two finally meet up again but with their backs leaned against a single door. The two leaning against the door they were so familiar with could hear the heartbeat of the other until one of them finally mustered the courage to confess

The movie ended with both parties confessing at the same time whilst still behind that door, when they both moved back and the door slowly opened, tears could be seen forming on the girl's face as she dashed into his the male's arms where they shared a passionate kiss thus ending the movie

Watching the credits of the movie, Ye Qin thought "I can see why this director is famous. Though the story didn't seem that interesting, the way he portrayed the feelings of the characters using various angles and techniques, it brought out the best in the movie like no other could."

He turned around to see teardrops around Li Yutong's eyes in which he grabbed her chin and slowly wiped the tears away from both her eyes causing her face to become flustered though Ye Qin couldn't see this since it was still somewhat dark. When the lights turned back on, Ye Qin said "Let's go, the credits are over."

Li Yutong nodded as she followed behind Ye Qin who held onto the empty bucket of popcorn whilst having the empty drink containers inside the bucket to save space. After throwing away the food in the trash, the two went to wash their hands. Naturally Ye Qin finished first since he's a male, in fact he even had time to take a quick p*ss. As he waited for Li Yutong, he checked his smartwatch for any notifications

Click* Click*

Checking his messages, Ye Qin noticed a few messages from Wang Tao which he replied to as Li Yutong left the female toilet. Ye Qin then brought her along to various places whether it was for food or to buy accessories or arcades, he brought her to them all. Li Yutong herself had a plan to do the same things which surprised her as she smiled sweetly since Ye Qin had put some thought into their date. Though throughout the day, the two only walked closely together but didn't hold hands since they weren't actually dating

…

Ye Qin bought various types of confectionery including chocolates, candy canes, hard candy and others to bring home. As for himself he only bought a giant lollipop which barely fit in one side of his mouth causing his face to look as if it were swelling making Li Yutong giggle a few times

Eventually it became time for dinner, during his time with Mo Qiu, he had reserved a place in a restaurant just 20 minutes away by car. When they arrived, Ye Qin showed them his reservation and entered along with Li Yutong who followed closely behind him

The waiter who had brought the two along and showed them their seats bowed as he left and did other things. Taking a look at the menu, Ye Qin ordered unreservedly as Li Yutong too made her choice

"Ye Qin, you ordered quite a bit can you really eat it all? You even reserved a place at this famous restaurant that normally requires a week of reservation in advance!" Li Yutong said

"Huh well… I have my ways.. If we don't finish it all, I can always ask for takeaway. It's not my thing to waste food." he replied

…

As the two enjoyed their dinner, a band played soothing music in the background as everyone enjoyed their time. As the two were eating, a butler brought along a bottle of red wine and poured the two a cup then bowed and walked away after saying "Enjoy"

Taking one of the cups in his hands, Ye Qin looked forward and brought his cup forward "Class rep, actually it should be Li Yutong, let us celebrate by having a drink." Li Yutong nodded as she picked up her cup with two fingers at the back and her thumb in front then brought her glass forward as the two glasses made contact. The two then slowly drunk from the glass and enjoyed the soothing taste of the exquisite wine

Ye Qin and Li Yutong enjoyed their meal in the relaxing environment of the restaurant. They had stayed there for over an hour to enjoy the music and watched some couples dance to it. Seeing this, Ye Qin got up from his seat and got down on one knee as he faced Li Yutong and said with a charming smile "Would this beauty care for a dance?"

Li Yutong was shocked by this, she blanked out for a few seconds before replying with a red face "Glady, but these clothes kind of ruin the image." and placed her hand in his

"It's fine, no matter the occasion, a beauty can make any clothes fit any occasion." Ye Qin replied as he grabbed her hand not so tightly and stood up and brought her along where the others are already dancing

When he arrived, Ye Qin turned around and pulled her body closer as if they were embracing and placed a hand on her waist towards the back with his other hand out in the air. The two took some steps in accordance with the music playing as they danced about. The two who came from wealthy families naturally knew how to dance due to their upbringing and danced along with how the other did

When the music changed, so did their dance style. During the dance, Li Yutong spun and entered his embrace for a few moments before being turned back around as they continued taking steps in a perfectly synchronized motion

As the two danced, some of the others sitting down watched the two and said "Oh look at those two dancing in sync!". Even when the other couples had stopped dancing, the music continued as everyone kept their eyes on Ye Qin and Li Yutong

The lights throughout dimmed as a spotlight shone upon the two. Their dance lasted for over 15 minutes and kept in sync even as the music changed multiple times without making it seem out of place. When the music stopped, the two left each other's embrace as the crowd clapped wildly and the lights came back on

The cheers of the crowd resounded in their ears as Ye Qin still holding Li Yutong's hand bowed in which she too followed along. The two then walked back to their seats as the crowd continued keeping their eyes on the two students

Once they made it back to their seat, a middle aged man wearing a shiny badge that read "Manager" approached their table for two and said "Dear customers, during your dance, we had taken a picture of your beautiful dance without your permission. I ask that you do forgive me."

"A picture? It's fine." Ye Qin replied

"Thank you, dear customer, I have already printed the picture for both of you to keep. Alas I would like to ask whether we can leave a large copy here in the restaurant to display?" the manager asked politely

Hearing this Ye Qin turned around and said "What do you think?". Li Yutong thought about it for a few moments before nodding which Ye Qin agreed to since the former had

The manager then passed on the photos to the two as he bowed and made his way back to his station at the back. After finishing their meal, Ye Qin asked to take home the one or two dishes they had not finished as the two made their way upstairs on the rooftop of the restaurant to enjoy the scenery

…

As the two approached the doorway, the butlers on each side bowed and opened the door in sync. Ye Qin and Li Yutong walked through as the former thanked them then made their way outside. Stepping outside, Ye Qin could see the stars once again. Making their way to the balcony, the two looked at the many buildings that seemed to appear like the bright stars in the starry skies

The sight appeared as if they were watching a small galaxy as the sounds of beeping vehicles and traffic resounded around them. Feeling the breeze of the wind, Ye Qin closed his eyes and enjoyed it as the two kept silent the entire time

Finally, Ye Qin made his decision and broke the silence and said "Class rep I." only to be stopped by her. She replied "For today, just call me Yutong."

"Yutong, I.. I already have someone in my heart." he said slowly as he tried to read her expression. Surprisingly, Li Yutong replied "I know, I can tell. That's why just for today, I want you to call me by my name."

"You knew? But how?" he asked

"Let's just call it a women's intuition," she replied with a bright smile, though Ye Qin could still see a hint of sadness in her that she couldn't hide from him. The two then continued watching the stars for a while before heading back down