"Since I'm intruding on you guys, let me treat you to some snacks and drinks!" Li Chunhua winked at Li Caiyi and her friends before tugging at Li Caiyi's sleeve. "Xiaoyi, let's go!"
Before Li Caiyi could refuse, Li Chunhua had dragged her to the snack and beverage counter queue, leaving the others to buy some tickets for them. She thought of snatching her hand back, but then Li Caiyi thought this might be a good opportunity to talk to her sister without being heard by her friends, so she obediently let Li Chunhua lead her.
Li Caiyi glanced at her friends and glimpsed them discussing something seriously. She felt terrible because Li Chunhua just ruined the mood for them. It would be great if she could just bring Li Chunhua home with her right then and there, but doing that might make everything more awkward instead, so the least she could do now was to restrain her sister from inflicting more damage.
"Xiaohua, why are you doing this?"
"Hm, what do you mean?"
"I thought I had made myself clear before, so why do you suddenly want to tag along?"
Li Chunhua's smile faded. Her lips quivered as she spoke, "Xiaoyi, do you not like me anymore after you have new friends?"
"No, that's not it. I would never hate you. However, what you did back there put everyone in a tough spot." Li Caiyi was so upset she accidentally raised her voice.
"I-I'm sorry," Li Chunhua's voice was slightly trembling, and her shoulder was visibly shaking.
Li Caiyi, who was about to lecture her, suddenly felt bad for speaking too harshly. She put her hand on Li Chunhua's back and tapped it gently to calm her down. "Xiaohua, don't be afraid. I know you feel anxious, but you know I can't be with you forever. You have to learn to do things without me, or we both can never move forward."
"B-but you look like you are having so much fun with your friends. I just want to be part of that, too. Is that wrong of me?"
Li Caiyi was at a loss for words. She was upset because Li Chunhua ruined the mood of her friends, but when she heard that, she felt guilty inside. From Li Chunhua's perspective, it might seem like she was ditching her to play with other kids. Li Chunhua only asked to tag along with them, and it wasn't like she acted rude to anyone. As pushy as she was, Li Caiyi didn't have any right to prevent her sister from joining them.
In the end, Li Caiyi decided she should apologize on Li Chunhua's behalf later. Zhou Ya's expression wasn't good when they left them. She didn't want them to think badly of Li Chunhua.
"Xiaohua, I'm sorry for being too harsh. You're not wrong for wanting to have fun, but you can't just intrude into other people's plans like that. I'm okay with it, but the others might not think like that. You have to apologize to them later."
Li Chunhua pursed her lips. "Why should I apologize? In my opinion, your friends are being too cautious of us. Don't you see they have been keeping some distance from us since earlier?"
"That's because you suddenly come and make everything awkward." Li Caiyi sighed helplessly.
Li Chunhua shook her head stubbornly. "No, it's not. They were clearly putting some distance between themselves and us. I don't think they like us very much!"
"They are very kind and fun people. They just don't know you that well for them to open up to you."
Li Chunhua looked at Li Caiyi in disbelief before she harrumphed. "Xiaoyi, you can say that because you have never interacted much with people. You are too nice and gullible. If it's not for me and Brother Renshu, who protected you all the time, you must have met countless bad people already. Believe me, Xiaoyi. I would never lie to you!"
It was difficult to talk with Li Chunhua because she was too stubborn. Li Caiyi didn't take Li Chunhua's words seriously and only urged her to apologize later. Li Chunhua complained, but thankfully she didn't refute anymore.
After buying their share of food and beverage, they returned to others. Li Chunhua walked ahead cheerfully. There was no trace of her dissatisfaction earlier.
"Everyone, the food is here!"
Li Caiyi watched them from behind and saw Chen Ruolan and Zhou Ya thanked her, while Feng Nian only gave her a brief nod. Feng Nian didn't look very happy for some reason. She hadn't spoken even once throughout the trip, which was contrary to her usual behavior.
'They were clearly putting some distance between themselves and us. I don't think they like us very much!' Li Caiyi suddenly recalled Li Chunhua's words, but she quickly chased away that thought.
Zhou Ya and others were the first groups who accepted her. She didn't want to think negatively about them.
"Your name is Li Chunhua, right? Man, you're so pretty and kind!" Chen Ruolan said in awe. "When you are watching a movie, savory popcorn is a must! Glad to meet my people here!"
Li Chunhua giggled. "I know, right? Of course, caramel popcorn is good too, but savory is still the best answer!"
"Haha, do you like movies too? What kind of genre do you like?"
"I like romance movies the most! When I finally saw the female and male lead together, I felt a sense of achievement even though it was not me who experienced it. Don't you think so too?"
"I do! I understand that feeling very much!"
"What about Zhou Ya and Feng Nian? What kind of movies do you like?"
Zhou Ya, who watched cautiously at first, pondered for a bit before she answered, "I don't watch movies that often, but I think I like mystery movies the most. Watching it and putting the clue together makes me feel like I'm the protagonist themselves."
"That's awesome! Then do you like reading mystery novels too?"
"Yes, I do. I have lots of them at home." Zhou Ya sounded proud when she mentioned that. "Li Chunhua, are you interested in it too?"
"Hmm, I don't read that much, but it sounds interesting! Can you tell me more about it?"
The previously gloomy and heavy atmosphere suddenly turned livelier. Li Caiyi heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Zhou Ya and Chen Ruolan having a good time. Li Chunhua could easily lift the mood with her easy-going and bubbly nature. Unlike her, who could barely make any conversation without stuttering.
Li Caiyi watched them chat, but she couldn't find any chance to join the conversation. They talked about some trends she didn't know about, so she couldn't say anything.
She should be grateful that Li Chunhua dispelled the previous awkwardness, but looking at this scene made her realize the wide gap between her and Li Chunhua once again.
Li Caiyi smiled bitterly, but she only had herself to blame for this. If only she could be a fun person too, like Li Chunhua.
While she was listening to them talking, she noticed that Feng Nian was the only one who seemed indifferent about all this. She would intermittently respond with a hum or a nod here and there, but she never spoke unless someone talked to her first.
Li Caiyi approached her and whispered. "Feng Nian, are you feeling okay?"
Feng Nian looked up from her phone, and Li Caiyi didn't miss a trace of irritation in her eyes when their eyes met. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"No, you seem to be not your usual self. I thought you might feel unwell."
"Something DID make me feel bad." Feng Nian's tone grew harsher, and Li Caiyi finally realized that Feng Nian was angry at her.
"Feng Nian, are you mad at me?"
Feng Nian rolled her eyes in annoyance before she said spitefully, "You'd better put your sister in her place. She is annoying."
"What? Did Xiaohua do something bad to you?"
"Can't you see? Or you just pretend not to see it?"
Li Caiyi became even more confused. "If Xiaohua offended you in any way, I'll apologize on her behalf. She isn't a bad girl. She just feels lonely sometimes."
Feng Nian was about to say something again, but she changed her mind in the middle and turned her head away with a click of the tongue. "Forget it. This is stupid."
"Hey, what are you two doing? The movie is about to start!" Chen Ruolan waved to them from a distance, with Zhou Ya and Li Chunhua standing beside her.
Li Caiyi watched Feng Nian's back with conflicted emotion. What was she trying to say earlier?