Chapter 61: The First Date

The young couple cautiously slipped into the crowd, and Chen Jiang immediately pulled Yi Yunxue's small hand, drawing her close to his side.

Yi Yunxue's hand was small, soft, smooth, and had a pleasing, gentle plumpness to it.

Feeling the firm wrap of Chen Jiang's large hand around hers, Yi Yunxue experienced an unprecedented sense of novelty.

A faint blush crept across her cheeks.

After entering the restaurant, a waiter guided them to a private booth.

The lighting inside was warm and atmospheric. They sat facing each other, a solitary candle flickering in the center of the table.

Once they had ordered and were waiting for the food to be served, Yi Yunxue couldn't help but remark, "The ambiance here is really nice."

"I just hope the food tastes good too."

"You little foodie," Chen Jiang said with a smile.

After a while, a waiter approached carrying a tray.

Steak, French foie gras, caviar, and two other Western dishes whose names Chen Jiang couldn't even pronounce.

They all shared one common feature: the portions were pitifully small.

This was the restaurant's Grade A couple's set meal.

Fearing they wouldn't be full, Chen Jiang had specifically ordered two additional servings of pasta.

After finishing their meal, the two stepped out of the restaurant.

Yi Yunxue complained to Chen Jiang, "The atmosphere was nice and the taste was okay, but the portions were so tiny! Next time, let's just go for Chinese food—we can go to my family's restaurant, and it won't cost anything."

"Alright," Chen Jiang agreed with a smile, nodding.

Today, he had simply felt that since it was their first official date, he needed to treat it with utmost sincerity, which was why he had looked up couple's restaurant recommendations online.

He definitely wouldn't be coming back to one of these internet-famous couple's restaurants again.

"The movie doesn't start until eight, let's head over in half an hour," Chen Jiang said, checking the time.

"Okay," Yi Yunxue nodded.

The two strolled along the park paths, the distant sound of ocean waves drifting over to them.

The streetlights cast their slightly blurred shadows on the ground.

"Did you publicize our relationship on Weibo?" Chen Jiang suddenly asked.

"You knew?" Yi Yunxue tilted her head, murmuring inwardly to herself, *If I hadn't been afraid of it affecting you, I would have announced to the whole world straight away that you're my man!*

"Let me show you what my little niece posted on her Moments." Chen Jiang took out his phone and showed Yi Yunxue the post Xiaoyu had shared.

"Giggle! Your niece is just too adorable!" Yi Yunxue covered her small mouth and laughed out loud.

"I'd love to meet your niece!"

"When we get the chance, I'll introduce you to her. She'll definitely be thrilled!" Chen Jiang said.

***

"It's almost eight, let's head over," Yi Yunxue reminded him.

"Alright," Chen Jiang replied.

The cinema was nearby, and it took them less than ten minutes to walk there.

After going through ticket inspection, Yi Yunxue bought another large bucket of popcorn.

Chen Jiang had booked the couple's seats in the very last row.

Sitting close together once the movie began, Chen Jiang tightly held Yi Yunxue's small hand.

The plot of the movie was quite engaging, easily ranking as number one so far this year.

It was a cerebral suspense film centered entirely around a single footprint found at a crime scene.

At the very end of the story, the film's ultimate villain was naturally the character played by Tang Xiaxia, a persona designed to be thoroughly repulsive.

After the movie ended, Chen Jiang couldn't help asking Yi Yunxue, "Why would Tang Xiaxia even take on a role like that?"

"She said she found it interesting and wanted to challenge herself. I think her acting was quite realistic—after all, even you found her character so unlikable."

"Tang Xiaxia generally takes on any role as long as she finds it interesting. She's not some delicate flower raised in a greenhouse; she's been acting since she was a child."

"Even though she comes from a great family background and is usually carefree, she trains extremely hard, and her acting skills surpass the vast majority of actors her age."

Yi Yunxue defended Tang Xiaxia.

Chen Jiang was well aware that Tang Xiaxia had started as a child star.

Back when he had first transmigrated to this parallel world, many households were still watching traditional television channels.

Chen Jiang's family was no exception, tuning into the movie channel almost every night.

Even back then, Chen Jiang would frequently catch glimpses of Tang Xiaxia in various films or television dramas.

She had played children's roles—sometimes the younger version of the protagonist, sometimes the younger version of a supporting character.

Later on, as short-video platforms developed with her growing up, although Chen Jiang didn't pay much attention to the entertainment industry of this world, he would still occasionally stumble upon film commentaries about Tang Xiaxia on his feed.

"Leaving her singing aside, Tang Xiaxia's acting strength can genuinely crush most artists," Chen Jiang joked.

"She must be a first-tier star by now, right? In a few years, she might even win the Best Actress award."

"The chances are pretty high. Her talent is there, and her background is solid; she just lacks a bit of seniority because she's still too young. The film and television circle isn't like the music industry—they place much more value on seniority over there," Yi Yunxue observed.

"Our Dream Begins is about to make a move into the film and television sector soon, right?" Chen Jiang suddenly asked.

"Yes, our company is already starting to prepare for it, but we still need to wait a bit longer to stabilize our foundation. After all, our company hasn't been established for very long," Yi Yunxue said.

If Dream Begins wanted to secure a firm footing in the entertainment industry, relying solely on its music business was definitely not enough.

By then it was already close to ten o'clock, so without any delay, the two got into the car and drove straight home.

Arriving at the residential complex's underground parking garage, they walked hand in hand and took the elevator up.

The elevator ascended slowly, stopping briefly when it reached the first floor from the basement.

***

As the elevator doors opened, a familiar figure stepped inside.

"Aunt Liu?" Recognizing the newcomer, Chen Jiang greeted her.

"Xiao Chen? And... Xiao Yi, right?" Aunt Liu looked somewhat surprised.

Her gaze swept over the two of them, and with a gossipy smile, she asked, "Are you two dating?"

"Yes, Aunt Liu," Chen Jiang admitted.

Aunt Liu gave Chen Jiang a thumbs-up. "Not bad, Xiao Chen! Anyone can tell just by looking at you two standing together that you're a perfect match!"

She hadn't expected that just a few months after casually mentioning to Chen Jiang that her neighbor was a big star, not much time had passed before he had successfully won the young lady over...

Yi Yunxue lowered her head, feeling a bit shy.

When they reached the twentieth floor, Chen Jiang said to Yi Yunxue, "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!"

Yi Yunxue replied in a soft voice.

The elevator doors closed once more.

Aunt Liu smiled at her and said, "Xiao Yi, Xiao Chen really is a good young man, the two of you are truly a talented man and a beautiful woman!"

"Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together!"

"Thank you, Aunt Liu," Yi Yunxue quickly expressed her gratitude.

Upon reaching their floor, the two stepped out together.

Each walked toward their respective front door.

As soon as Aunt Liu stepped inside her home, she caught sight of her younger son, who had returned home just yesterday, lounging on the sofa watching television.

With a disgruntled tone, she scolded, "Don't wake my granddaughter up, keep the volume down."

"You're already twenty-five years old and still giving your mother things to worry about. Hurry up and find a wife to keep you in line..."

Hearing his mother's words, Aunt Liu's younger son looked rather awkward. He turned down the TV volume, feeling utterly baffled. *Everything was fine just a moment ago. How did going downstairs to throw out the trash turn her into this?*

*The volume wasn't even that loud...*

***

That night, Yi Yunxue slept soundly. Even the health tracker on her wrist showed that her sleep quality was 5% higher than usual.

(The Double Moon Tickets event has begun, handsome guys and beautiful maidens, if you have moon tickets in hand, please cast them!)