Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 12：Arcade

The midday sun of summer blazed like a raging flame, scorching the earth below.
The entire Lingzhou city seemed to be trapped inside a giant steam pot, with not a soul in sight on the streets.
Occasionally, a stray cat might appear, swiftly darting by in search of a shaded spot to hide.
Outside the mall, a young girl dressed in a white dress looked out at the harsh sun, her delicate brows knitting in discomfort.
"Such a fierce sun, if I go back now, I'll probably end up peeling my skin off!"
The boy beside her, with bright white teeth and sharp features, also felt the suffocating heat. He turned to her and spoke.
"Chu Ruoxi, let's wait until it cools down before heading back."
Chu Ruoxi nodded and replied, "I guess we have no choice."
They both retreated back into the coolness of the mall.
"Jiang Fan, you can call me either Chu Ruoxi or Ruoxi. You don't have to keep calling me 'classmate', it's a bit formal. After all, we were once desk mates!"
Jiang Fan thought for a moment—indeed, she was right. But calling her 'Ruoxi' felt a little too intimate, and he couldn't bring himself to do it. After some hesitation, he finally said,
"I'll stick to calling you 'Chu Ruoxi, classmate'. I just can't say anything else."
Chu Ruoxi rolled her eyes. "Fine, suit yourself!"
The mall they were in was a large complex. The first floor sold jewelry and cosmetics; the second floor was for clothing; the third floor was a haven of entertainment—arcades, KTV, cinemas, and a variety of fun activities.
This mall was quite close to Jiang Fan's home. They had planned to grab a quick bite and return, but they had underestimated the intensity of the summer sun.
Chu Ruoxi thought for a moment. Since they had nothing else to do, she decided to spend the entire afternoon here.
"Jiang Fan, let's go to the third floor and play!"
"Sure!"
Jiang Fan agreed readily. His mother, Li Guiqin, had given him 1000 yuan for the day, and after spending 68 yuan on lunch, he still had 932 yuan left.
His father had also sent him a message on WeChat, urging him to spend the entire 1000 yuan on "dating expenses" or he wouldn't be allowed to come home.
If he didn't return home by night, his father insisted he find a good hotel to stay at.
Jiang Fan couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the message from his father.
He and Chu Ruoxi were just friends, nothing more, but for some reason, Jiang Fan couldn't shake the feeling of anticipation for something beyond their friendship.
However, knowing his personality, even if something like that did happen, he probably wouldn't dare to do anything out of line.
Chu Ruoxi and Jiang Fan took the elevator to the third floor of the mall.
The elevator doors opened directly into the arcade, and as soon as they stepped out, the sound of thumping music assaulted their ears.
Chu Ruoxi eagerly ran inside, excited to relive the memories of playing there. The last time she had visited the arcade was when she was nine, and hearing the familiar music made her feel like a child again.
She turned to Jiang Fan and called out,
"Jiang Fan, come on, let's play together!"
"Okay, I'll go get some game tokens!"
"It's your treat today, hehe..."
Chu Ruoxi didn't bother to be polite. Her family was reasonably well-off, so there was no need to be too formal.
"It's fine, my mom gave me the budget!" Jiang Fan said seriously.
"Budget? What budget?" Chu Ruoxi asked curiously.
"Uh... I'll go get the tokens!"
Jiang Fan quickly walked off. He couldn't exactly tell her it was "dating expenses." That would probably scare her off!
Although he was a beginner in romance, he wasn't foolish.
He exchanged 200 yuan for game tokens and returned with two boxes in hand.
"Chu Ruoxi, I got the tokens. What do you want to play?"
"Wow, so many? Awesome!"
Chu Ruoxi beamed like an excited little rabbit.
"Jiang Fan, let's play this shooting game! I used to love it when I was younger!"
Jiang Fan inserted the tokens into the machine.
The screen flickered, and the game began...
It was a two-player shooting game. Chu Ruoxi handed Jiang Fan a toy gun and explained how to use it, then instructed him,
"Just follow me. Shoot wherever I shoot!"
"Got it, Chu Ruoxi!"
The game started.
Chu Ruoxi shot wildly at the approaching monsters, not caring whether she hit them or not.
Jiang Fan, following her instructions, aimed at the monsters' heads—their weak spots—delivering a perfect shot each time.
"Wow! Jiang Fan, look! I hit so many monsters!"
Chu Ruoxi cheered, unaware that Jiang Fan had actually done all the work.
Jiang Fan didn't correct her. He liked seeing her so happy.
After a few rounds, Chu Ruoxi grew tired of the game and headed over to the basketball machine.
"Jiang Fan, let's play this one. I'm an expert!"
Jiang Fan inserted more tokens, and the basketball game began. Chu Ruoxi took a ball and effortlessly sank it through the hoop.
She proudly turned to Jiang Fan.
"Hehe, aren't I amazing?"
"Mm, very impressive!"
Chu Ruoxi continued making basket after basket, her accuracy surprising even Jiang Fan. But when the hoop began moving during the second round, she struggled to keep up, pouting in frustration.
"Chu Ruoxi, let me help you!"
Chu Ruoxi handed him the ball, and Jiang Fan casually tossed it. The ball sailed through the air, landing perfectly in the hoop.
"Wow! Jiang Fan, you're amazing! You can still make a basket even with the moving hoop!"
Jiang Fan was momentarily at a loss for words, then explained,
"The hoop moves at 0.3 meters per second, swinging within a range of 1 meter. The ball takes 0.5 seconds to reach the hoop, so you need to release the ball just as it reaches its farthest point."
Chu Ruoxi stared at him in awe. Given his impressive theory, no one would guess that he had scored only 300 in the college entrance exam.
"Give it a try!" Jiang Fan said.
Chu Ruoxi took the ball, followed his advice, and when the hoop changed direction, she released the ball. It sailed beautifully through the air and landed neatly in the basket.
"Yay! I made it!"
She cheered like a child.
"I'll do it again!"
Chu Ruoxi picked up another ball and, with perfect timing, made another shot. One after another, she sunk basket after basket. She had never been able to get past the moving hoop when she was younger, but today, with Jiang Fan's help, she had reached the third level.
She was so overjoyed that she impulsively hugged Jiang Fan to celebrate.
Jiang Fan froze, startled by her sudden action. His body stiffened, and he didn't know how to react.

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