Xi Ran saw the response and pondered. A place that was meaningful to both of them? Where would that be?
After contemplating for a long time, Xi Ran realized that most of their memories basically took place at home. This made him feel some self-blame. Huan Xiu came from another world, and although he had memories, he hadnât been to many places. But he himself hadnât accompanied Huan Xiu to visit anywhere else, which made him feel unqualified.
âHuan Xiu, why are you smiling?â
âIt looks very unpleasant.â
âThatâs not true.â Huan Xiu saved his smile to avoid being spat at by his colleagues. It felt so good to give advice as a netizen. He hoped Xi Ran wouldnât get angry when he learned the truth.
When he went home for dinner, he helped Xi Ran wash the dishes together and waited for the invitation for their date.
âI can do it myself.â
âLetâs move around a bit after dinner, just to take the edge off.â
Taking a quick glance at Huan Xiu, Xi Ran cleared his throat, ââŚMaster.â
âWhatâs wrong?â Huan Xiu asked knowingly.
âYouâve come to this world, but you havenât had a chance to explore yet, have you? How about we take a walk when we have time?â
Huan Xiu smiled, âIs it an invitation for a date?â
âYes.â Xi Ran nodded with a straight face.
âMn, Iâll leave it all to you. Youâre a âlocalâ after all.â
Xi Ran immediately replied slightly tensely, âLeave it to me.â After cleaning his bowl in silence for a moment, he added, âSorry, not only did I never ask you out before, but I always made you pick Xiao Ye upâŚâ Xi Ran regretted this.
âThis kind of life is pretty good.â Huan Xiu touched the back of Xi Ranâs hand and said, âOf course, Iâm also happy that you asked me out. How about next Monday? It happens to be a holiday and a break. Are you guys off too?â
Xi Ran answered with, âMn.â
The army hardly ever has any holidays, however, there were still some official holidays for training camps. Huan Xiu considered that it was better not to schedule an activity on Friday night, considering that he might have to spend two days in the laboratory making their rings over the weekend.
âIâll make arrangements then,â Xi Ran raised his volume, vowing assurance.
âDonât be so nervous.â Huan Xiu was torn. He had a feeling that Xi Ran was going to take this very seriously, and although he was happy about it, he didnât want to put too much pressure on him.
Huan Xiu told him in passing that he had something to do over the weekend. Xi Ran didnât ask him what he was going to do, he just said, âI know,â and asked him if he would be home for dinner.
Huan Xiu could only say, âIâm not sure yet,â because he didnât know what time he would be working until. However, Xi Ran did not show any curiosity or anxiety at all, probably because Huan Xiu said he had no relations with his boss and was preparing a surprise for him, so Xi Ran had no doubts about it.
In a way, Xi Ran was really âeasy to coaxâ.
Later on, the two of them talked about how Xi Ran was going to follow the new recruits to the field and how Xiao Ye needed to prepare for the new school year. The time passed quickly.
The next morning when Huan Xiu woke up, he received a cup of coffee and a piece of paper from Xi Ran as soon as he walked downstairs. On the paper was Xi Ranâs list of Mondayâs date ideas.
Huan Xiu wondered how long Xi Ran had stayed awake last night to make such a thing.
On the paper, there was a simple list of departure times, the time it took to reach the aquarium, the time it would take to move from the aquarium to the central park, and information about the flower show from morning to night, including the restaurantâs opening hours.
Seeing Huan Xiuâs complex expression, Xi Ran was a little unsure, âAre⌠these not the right places? I donât know how itâs usually arranged, but these places online seem to be more popular⌠and Iâve never been there myself, so I wrote it down. I can take it back and change itâŚâ
âI think itâs great, Iâve never been to these places either.â
It looked like a report, but it was definitely Xi Ranâs style. Huan Xiu carefully read the items one-by-one, and Xi Ran turned to the toaster with a bit of apprehension, but his eyes kept glancing at Huan Xiu.
The so-called hot dating spots were actually not much different from the ones on Earth. Huan Xiu keenly noticed that Xi Ran had written about a riverboat ride to the West Side in the evening, and he remembered that it was the place where he had âjumped into the riverâ and where they had met.
Huan Xiu couldnât help but smile. Although he seemed indifferent on the surface, Xi Ran had a very emotional side.
When Xi Ran glanced at Huan Xiuâs smile, he felt that he was satisfied and let go of his anxiety. Online recommendations all said that when dating, one should say something sweet that they would not normally say. Xi Ran doesnât know what was considered âsweetâ, but he thought carefully about how to express his gratitude and love for Huan Xiu, and kept making plans in his mind.
Xi Ran tried to challenge his own weakness, words. Huan Xiu, on the other hand, was taking action by pouring his love into the ring. He remembered making metal objects, such as shelves and boxes, as a hobby when he was in university. But this was the first time he had ever made jewellery. So he contacted the shop and asked them to rent him some space and tools.
On Saturday morning, Huan Xiu went to the military reserve, and Xi Ranâs superiors contacted the people they knew and found the people Xi Ran used to work with in the military. He explained that he wanted a piece of mecha, and from a scrapped one that Xi Ran used to operate at that. It was an unbelievable request, but after hearing Huan Xiuâs reason, these enthusiastic female Zerg were impressed and helped him with the approval procedures, then went to look for the mecha, which took a long time.
The backup personnel in charge helped to take some metal materials and gave them to Huan Xiu. Huan Xiu bowed and thanked them, because he knew it was not their job to do so, âThis is too much trouble.â
âNo, no, no, itâs decommissioned and has been in the back for a long time. Weâre glad we could put it to good use.â The chief waved, and the other female soldiers did the same. They rarely saw any male Zerg treat them so politely.
When leaving, the Zerg in charge also inquired curiously about the wedding date and expressed the wish to witness it with his own eyes. Huan Xiu said yes, of course, after all the help he had received. He just didnât expect that someone would come to âbookâ a wedding invitation even before the ring was delivered.
The material used to make the ring would not affect the integrity of the mecha metal. Before leaving, Huan Xiu got a closer look at Xi Ranâs formerly beloved machine. Apparently it was once a great machine, but it was damaged by the explosion and now it has lost its former glory. Because the wear and tear was too severe, the cost of repairing was cheaper than just replacing it with a newer, superior model, so it was retired forever, just like its owner.
But the good news was that both it and Xi Ran now had a good home.