Chapter 215: Chapter 215-Doll Catching Competition?

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“I never expected that a case could have such a bizarre turn of events,” Zhao Ruoxi said with a smile as she glanced at Su Xuan.

She held a cup of milk tea that was dangerously close to spilling. Su Xuan had invited her out for dinner last night, and Zhao Ruoxi had even switched her shift to make it happen. It was, in essence, a “date” with Su Xuan.

She remembered Su Xuan mentioning that he wanted to talk to her about something when he returned from his business trip. Unfortunately, when Su Xuan had returned, she was not around. By the time she came back, Su Xuan had been caught up in a case, delaying their meeting until now.

As soon as she arrived to pick her up, Su Xuan had bought her a cup of milk tea. When she saw the milk tea, Zhao Ruoxi was taken aback. She started to wonder if Su Xuan had never been in a romantic relationship before. Who brings milk tea to a girl early in the morning?

Fortunately, despite the long time they hadn’t seen each other, there was no sense of distance between them. Instead, Su Xuan shared some interesting stories related to the cases he had been working on. When it didn’t involve sensitive details, it was acceptable to share amusing stories to bridge the gap between them.

Zhao Ruoxi was genuinely surprised, and the two of them began to chat. It wasn’t just Su Xuan doing the talking, Zhao Ruoxi also shared her experiences from work. Both of them were equally fascinated by each other’s lives.

“However, our jobs are indeed quite busy,” Zhao Ruoxi couldn’t help but speak, recalling what the other person had said the last time they parted.

She felt a bit nostalgic.

“Yes,” Su Xuan agreed, “But being busy has its own ways.”

“I get my fair share of days off, working nine to five,” Su Xuan added with a smile. He already knew what Zhao Ruoxi meant.

Today, he had invited her out because he had something on his mind. He had been contemplating confessing his feelings to Zhao Ruoxi for a while now. However, his work commitments, including business trips, had always interfered. Now that some time had passed since they last met, his feelings remained unchanged. This indicated that his desire to express his feelings was not just a whim.

Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder what Zhao Ruoxi’s recent words meant. Did she not want to be with him? He hoped she wouldn’t refuse him.

Forgive Su Xuan, he was just a single guy. He had never been in a relationship in his past life or this one. As for Qin Shuyi, she was the previous host’s ex-girlfriend, so what did she have to do with him? After so many years of being single, Su Xuan found it challenging, even daunting, to confess his feelings.

“You’re doing better than me. My job is troublesome, I never know when I’ll finish,” Zhao Ruoxi said.

“Where should we go today?” she asked, changing the subject. Even if they were considering each other as potential partners, they both had many concerns, given their busy work lives. Su Xuan had his worries, and so did Zhao Ruoxi.

Seeing Zhao Ruoxi’s expression, Su Xuan guessed what was on her mind and quickly followed her lead in changing the topic. “It’s still early. How about we go to the mall?”

“I saw some colleagues go to the mall to try their luck at claw machines. They won quite a few stuffed animals. Do you want to give it a try?” Su Xuan’s eyes lit up as he spoke about this.

In the passenger seat, Zhao Ruoxi was a bit surprised by his excitement. In fact, since she had met Su Xuan for this blind date, it was the first time she had seen him with a somewhat childlike demeanor.

At this moment, Zhao Ruoxi remembered that despite Su Xuan’s mature and composed appearance, he was actually quite young. They were the same age!

Of course, Zhao Ruoxi didn’t consider herself to be particularly youthful in her mindset. After entering the workforce, it seemed like all the youthful activities had drifted away from her.

However, watching Su Xuan now, Zhao Ruoxi suddenly felt like she had traveled back to the time when she had just graduated from school, when her interests were easily piqued.

And, well, she hadn’t played claw machines in a long time.

“Sure!” she replied with enthusiasm.

As Zhao Ruoxi spoke, she seemed to have an idea and grinned mischievously, “How about…”

“We have a competition?”

At her words, Su Xuan immediately looked over, curious about what Zhao Ruoxi meant by this.

“A competition?”

“Yeah!”

Despite not having played claw machines for a long time, Zhao Ruoxi showed genuine excitement about the idea. “We can compete to see who can catch more stuffed animals.”

“Oh, I really want to compete with you now! I used to be the number one claw machine player in my college dorm!”

“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have thought about it, but now my hands are itching…”

“So, what do you say? Shall we have a little competition?”

The woman’s voice filled the car as Su Xuan drove towards the mall. Hearing Zhao Ruoxi’s suggestion, he too was ignited with enthusiasm.

“Sure.”

“Then let me see your skills as the former number one claw machine player in your dorm.”

“How about this? The loser treats the winner to lunch.”

Su Xuan’s words had just landed when Zhao Ruoxi blinked her eyes, and her competitive spirit was truly ignited. “Deal!”

Su Xuan immediately accelerated the car, and in no time, they arrived at the mall. They headed straight to the claw machine arcade.

In today’s market, there were plenty of shops dedicated to claw machines. Su Xuan promptly purchased a package deal for 300 coins on his phone.

“Isn’t this a bit too much?” Zhao Ruoxi asked. A single package cost 180 coins, so with two of them, it would add up to nearly 400 coins.

She bit her lip and continued, “I can give you my money…”

“No need,” Su Xuan replied. He started walking away when she spoke. “Let’s go, let’s go! Instead of worrying about that, shouldn’t we start?”

“We should spend these 300 coins and see who can catch more stuffed animals!”

“After all, my lunch is at stake here, so let’s focus on the task at hand…”

As Su Xuan walked away while speaking, Zhao Ruoxi held two boxes of game coins and found herself thinking something.

“This guy…”

Claw machines weren’t something you could just easily master, especially for two people who hadn’t played them in years. It was almost like directly giving your money away to the machine.

Su Xuan tried four or five times without success, watching the swaying claw of the machine with a contemplative expression. The next time he used it, he started shaking the claw vigorously from the beginning. Whether it was the moment when the machine’s claw needed an adjustment or if his method had genuinely worked, Su Xuan scored the first point in their competition!

Of course, Zhao Ruoxi wasn’t about to back down and quickly scored a point of her own. As they continued their competition, people passing by the shop started to envy their skill.

Before long, more people joined the crowd trying their hand at the claw machine. With more people around, it meant more competition for the machines.

Su Xuan and Zhao Ruoxi seized opportunities to play when others hadn’t succeeded, and they managed to score quite a few stuffed animals.

With their keen sense of picking the right moments, they quietly collected their winnings, occasionally indulging in games they wanted to play.

This claw machine session went on for a full two hours, and they could almost be considered to be leaving with a full haul.

“This gentleman has 41, and the lady has 39,” the store clerk announced. “Would you like us to hold them for you?”

Su Xuan glanced around and pointed to a large stuffed dog not far away. “Swap that big dog for the rest, and we’ll keep the rest of them.”

“Here, this is today’s lunch money!” He placed the large stuffed dog into Zhao Ruoxi’s arms, grinning.

“I want to have some barbecue!”