Chapter 63 – The First Plush in My Life
1074 Words
“…this doesn’t add up.”
Su Baizhou’s brow furrowed with clear doubt.
Every time Luo Ye casually tossed a coin into the claw machine, he seemed to snag a plush every single try. Yet when she meticulously calculated angles and positioned the arm with care, she never managed a single capture.
She’d always thought claw machines were a gimmick—a “IQ tax.” Luo Ye’s flawless performance shattered that belief.
“Did you ever actually play before?” Su Baizhou asked.
“No, I’d only ever watched, never tried.”
Luo Ye now cradled seven plush toys—each with a different expression—barely able to hold them all at once.
It was after‑school rush hour; the mall swarmed with kids, all eyes glued to Luo Ye.
They weren’t shocked by his technique; they simply envied the sheer number of plushies in his hands. Kids wanted toys too, but their parents forbade them from playing.
Seeing their longing looks, Luo Ye gently set a plush on the floor and said, “Let’s see if there’s enough to share.”
The children’s faces lit up. One by one, each child queued up, took a plush from Luo Ye, bowed politely, and chanted, “Thank you, big brother!”—the phrase sounded sweet as honey.
The sound of “big brother” echoed, and Luo Ye found himself happily chatting with each new kid, sinking deeper into the moment.
Twenty coins cost twenty yuan—a trivial sum for Luo Ye, but a hefty expense for first‑ and second‑year elementary students whose parents wouldn’t hand them the money. Without parental approval, they’d never get a chance.
Adults often think, “If you can’t catch a plush, the money’s wasted—just buy the toy.”
Watching all this, Su Baizhou remembered Luo Ye back when they both lived in the same village. He quickly became the kid king, adored by the younger children.
Soon, Luo Ye’s stash of plushes dwindled as the children claimed them, except for one little girl who remained without a toy. She stared at Luo Ye, cheeks flushed with a hint of disappointment, then politely said, “It’s okay, I’ll go find my mom.”
“Wait.”
Luo Ye patted her head, smiling, “Let’s ask your older sister to get one for you.”
He glanced toward Su Baizhou. The little girl followed his gaze.
Su Baizhou froze for a heartbeat, nerves flickering through her.
“Okay!”
The girl’s joy was palpable.
Luo Ye bought another twenty coins—he wasn’t trying to save, it’s just that the machine only sold sets of twenty. He handed the coins to Su Baizhou.
“Senior, you have them now.”
Su Baizhou hesitated, then nodded, eyes softening as she looked at the child’s bright face.
“What do you want?” she asked.
The girl examined the towering, bewitchingly cute senior. Su Baizhou’s beauty, even a child could notice, left the little girl momentarily speechless. Then she turned to Luo Ye and asked, “Are you and senior together?”
Luo Ye’s heart thumped; he stammered, “No… not… yet.”
He leaned toward the girl and whispered, “But brother likes sister.”
“Oh~”
The girl squealed, then pointed at a neighboring claw machine, eyes sparkling. “That rabbit hat!”
It was a white bunny hat—soft, cute, with a smiling rabbit face and small ear flaps that twitched when you pulled tiny levers.
Su Baizhou approached the machine, inhaled a calming breath, and prepared.
First try—nope. Second—nope. Third–ninth attempts—all failures. Even for Su Baizhou, a seasoned senior, the defeats piled up, and frustration started to seep in.
Did the machine have it out for her? Only one attempt remained.
The little girl didn’t look disappointed; she tugged at Luo Ye’s sleeve, urging him down.
He squatted, and she whispered, “Brother, can you help sister?”
Luo Ye glanced at Su Baizhou. She seemed a bit down. He moved behind her, positioning himself as if ready to support.
She already slipped her last two coins into the slot, one hand gripping the joystick, the other hovering over the button. She stared intently at the mechanical arm, her muscles tensed.
Suddenly, two hands slipped around her waist, covering her backs.
Su Baizhou’s cheeks flushed; she turned her head automatically. As she did, her nose brushed Luo Ye’s cheek.
He stood directly behind her, his head hovering near her shoulder—an almost‑cuddly angle that could easily be read as a couple’s embrace.
“Senior, look ahead,” Luo Ye whispered.
On instinct, Su Baizhou obeyed, turning back to the machine.
“Grabbing a plush isn’t just about angles; there’s a feeling to it, something you can’t explain. I’ll teach you slowly,” Luo Ye said, taking her hand and moving the joystick together.
“Sometimes the feeling matters more than the geometry—like now…”
His words pierced through her heartbeat, which was already racing from the thrill.
She felt his closeness, his hand on hers, his warm breath.
At that moment, the machine’s jingle rang, and a white bunny hat popped out of the dispenser.
“This one!” Su Baizhou’s face lit up with genuine joy. It was her first plush ever.
Luo Ye stepped back, clapped, and exclaimed, “Senior, you’re amazing!”
She retrieved the hat, turned to the little girl—only to see that she had already walked away, escorted by her mother, leaving the scene.
The child’s face still glowed with a sense of accomplishment, not because she got a plush, but because she helped someone else. For a child, the psychological reward outweighs the material one.
Luo Ye waved at the little girl’s retreating silhouette; she waved back.
He then looked at the white bunny hat in Su Baizhou’s hands, then back at her serene face.
He thought of the little girl’s choice of machine. “Senior, don’t you think this hat suits you?”
Even the ice‑queen looked momentarily softened—an icy goddess matched with a cute, smiling bunny hat.
It seemed the girl hadn’t originally set out for that particular plush; perhaps she hoped the senior would wear the hat, spreading that cheerful grin onto her face.
Luo Ye hoped the same.
- Writer
