Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 34 - 33 Special Screening Room 2

"Nope, I thought you were going to ask, ’Why would you take me to Moda Noodle House for a not-so-great breakfast when there are clearly better places?’" Yan Yan had the look of someone who had just been caught doing something mischievous.

"There’s no need to ask that. It was me who wanted to experience your everyday life, and clearly, you don’t have the habit of coming here for breakfast. So naturally, you wouldn’t bring me here to eat the ’most popular and best tasting’ Colazione," Qi Yi answered earnestly.

Yan Yan might be the only one to feel disappointed for not being taken to a tastier breakfast spot.

If one isn’t particularly focused on food, it’s just a breakfast after all.

That bowl of noodles just now, neither tasty nor unique, meant much more to Qi Yi compared to Brunetti’s Colazione.

Besides, he had the "feeling of devouring a Yan Yan in his stomach" waiting ahead for him.

Today, Qi Yi was only worried about his stomach capacity, with a hamburger still to come, and nothing else to feel sad about.

"Qi Yi, since we couldn’t dine at the tram restaurant, let me take you on the free tram after we finish the hamburgers," Yan Yan said, resuming her playful demeanor.

"Do you really like trams that much?" Qi Yi’s mood was always easily influenced by Yan Yan.

"No, I just really like free stuff," Yan Yan replied with a laugh.

"So, that’s the reason. So, what about me, a free man delivered to your doorstep—do you want me?" Qi Yi switched to a roguish tone.

"Of course, how could I not? Someone like you, I must have a dozen," Yan Yan responded expertly with her block-and-cover strategy.

"So, a free me is just not enough for you, huh?" Qi Yi said somewhat dejectedly.

"How could that be? Free is always the best.

You know, Melbourne’s City Circle Tram not only is free, but it also stops at every important sightseeing spot in the center of the city, you can go anywhere you wish.

Riding around the city area on this free tram basically covers my entire daily life area.

I’ve been in Melbourne for several years, and apart from one trip to the Great Ocean Road, I’ve hardly played the tourist.

You should know, scenery doesn’t compel me to travel, only good food does.

Even that one time I went sightseeing was primarily to try a hamburger, and it turned out not as good as the one we’re about to eat, I wound up driving for three hours to the Great Ocean Road.

Yan Yan is a foodie of high caliber; for her, driving a few hours for a hamburger isn’t considered too extreme."

"Are you absolutely, positively sure, we’re going to eat hamburgers now?"

"Of course, we can’t leave without having something savory to balance the sweets. Besides, you’re leaving soon, when else will we have the chance?"

"We could come here for dinner."

"Aren’t you catching a flight tonight?"

"My flight is at 11:40 PM; we definitely have time for dinner."

"11:40 PM—that’s still 14 hours and three minutes away. If we need to be at the airport three hours early, that leaves us with 11 hours... and two minutes, oh, another minute just went by," Yan Yan said, looking at her watch.

"Do we need a timer set with such precision?"

"No need, I’m just thinking about what we can eat in those 11 hours."

"Is eating all you do in Melbourne?"

"Of course not, there’s also class, tea, exams, shopping, report writing, and movies."

"You really do blend work and leisure well, prefixing every leisure activity with some ’serious business.’"

"No way, you got it backwards. Classes, exams, and report writing are the leisure activities; tea, shopping, and movies are the serious business."

"Then let’s skip the hamburgers and do some other serious business."

"Like what?"

"Watch a movie."

"Ah? I just watched a movie at the casino yesterday."

"But you’ve never done something like this with me."

"Can you blame me? Aren’t you the one who drags me to the library all the time?!" Yan Yan felt like Qi Yi was playing the villain who complained first.

"I was a minor back then, you can’t use the mindset of someone in their twenties to question the me who wasn’t even of age yet." Qi Yi mimicked Yan Yan again.

"Can’t you just forget things once in a while?" Yan Yan was still not quite used to this Qi Yi who imitated her at every turn.

"Sure, just take me to a movie."

"There aren’t any great movies recently. ’The Green Hornet’ isn’t showing until next month. Which one do you want to watch?" Yan Yan asked Qi Yi.

"Any one will do. Does Melbourne have a cinema with special seating?" Qi Yi actually wanted to inquire about couple seats.

"Special seating huh. I really haven’t noticed. The casino just has regular and Gold Class theaters. At Gold Class, apart from the seats being larger and recline, and there being champagne, there really isn’t anything special about the seats." Yan Yan answered Qi Yi’s question without thinking much about it (note 1).

Qi Yi was a bit disappointed.

"Oh, right, the cinema above Melbourne Central Station has a really weird Half Pipe screening room.

There are no chairs in there, just a bunch of really large bean bags scattered around.

And everyone just lies on these bean bags like Couch Potatoes while watching the movie (note 2).

The key is, the bean bags aren’t for individuals—they’re for two people each.

It’s really funny if two people have a big difference in weight when lying on them.

Also, getting up afterward is really a struggle.

Before I moved to Eureka, I lived in QV.

QV is right across from Melbourne Central Station, and I used to always go to the cinema there.

Once, I only checked the time and not the hall, and accidentally bought a ticket for the weird Half Pipe."

Qi Yi didn’t ask, and Yan Yan almost forgot about that remarkably funny Half Pipe she had been to just once herself.

"I think I would like it," Qi Yi stated seriously.

The seating Yan Yan described in that screening room was even more "special" than what Qi Yi had hoped for.

Qi Yi was quite pleased.

.........

note 1:

Gold Class is similar to the VIP lounges in China.

Starting a relationship, VIP lounges are actually not a good choice, though having large seats that recline is nice.

The problem is the large gaps between seats make it difficult even to hold hands.

note 2:

A Couch is a type of recliner, similar to a lounge chair, and Potato refers to a potato. Combined, Couch Potato refers to someone who spends a lot of time lying on a couch watching television.

This term’s origin is quite vivid.

When televisions first came with remote controls, many people who enjoyed lying on loungers all day emerged.

With remote controls, even the effort to get up to change the channel was avoided and they’d just lie there, snacking on chips.

Eventually, they ended up looking like potatoes, which is why people who constantly lie down while watching TV got the nickname "Couch Potato."