Of course, after spending ten Villainess Points specifically, Liu Zhaomin would never allow the System to just casually recommend some random dessert shop to muddle through.
At Su Wanli’s insistent request, a detailed map of the entire area appeared directly in her mind, including the locations of all the nearby shops.
Just across the street from the camel-themed dessert shop, there was a huge shopping mall.
On the top floor, there was a large cinema equipped with an IMAX screen.
It would take less than ten minutes to walk there.
However—
“‘Sick Spring Weasel Operation’, ‘Waiting for You to Return This Summer’, ‘Lantern Night’s Gentle Devotion’… Tch, at this hour, only these three movies are available?”
Gazing at the showtime display in the theater, Su Wanli silently bit her finger.
Not only were there very few movies scheduled, but none of them had the kind of scheming villain or twisted plot she’d hoped for.
She’d wanted to take the opportunity to use some plot device to cleverly reveal to Bai He that Meng Huange was actually the mastermind behind the cheating incident.
…Forget it, it’s just a minor message anyway; it doesn’t need to be absolutely reasonable or logical.
Since they’re out to watch a movie, the most important thing is the movie itself, right?
With this thought, Su Wanli turned her gaze back to the posters hanging on the wall—
‘Sick Spring Weasel Operation’, a seemingly childish parent-child animation film; ‘Waiting for You to Return This Summer’, from the title alone, obviously one of those melodramatic, bittersweet youth dramas; and finally, the poster for ‘Cursed Night, Resentful Spirit’—a bloodshot eye peering out from a faint crack, an inscrutable evil smile lurking in the shadows, radiating a chilling terror.
Staring at the posters in indecision for half a day, Su Xiaoli finally turned to Meng Huange.
“Hey, Meng Huange, since this is my first time in a place like this, why don’t you pick the movie this time? See if there’s anything here that catches your interest.”
“…I haven’t watched many films before, so every genre would be a new experience for me.”
Hearing Su Xiaoli’s words, Meng Huange gently stepped forward, her finger gliding across the posters one by one, but in the end, she passed the decision back to Su Xiaoli.
“Su Xiaoli, what kinds of movies do you usually like to watch?”
“Me? I…”
Su Wanli silently raised her eyebrow, pondering how to answer.
As a legendary villainess, she certainly couldn’t admit to liking cartoons—that’d be too childish, and she had her pride.
Romance movies? That’d just make her seem like another hopeless romantic…
By process of elimination, it seemed only the classic suspense-horror genre matched her villainess temperament.
—She “enjoyed” watching humans encounter monsters, their bodies torn and blood splattering everywhere; it perfectly fit the stereotype of a villainess’s “twisted” hobbies.
Of course…
Su Wanli smirked quietly at herself, then glanced at Meng Huange’s calmly smiling face.
If anything could make someone’s face pale, it would definitely be a horror flick like ‘Cursed Night, Resentful Spirit’—both terrifying and bloody.
Imitating Meng Huange’s gentle smile, she pointed decisively at the last poster.
“Of course, my favorite is definitely something like ‘Cursed Night, Resentful Spirit.’ The shrieks of people when they’re torn apart is music to my ears.”
While reinforcing her image as a villainess in Meng Huange’s mind, Su Wanli also tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“But, if you’d be too scared to finish, then never mind. After all, I’m not unreasonable. There are always some pitiful souls in this world who just can’t appreciate such refined art…”
“I won’t, Miss Su.”
Meng Huange looked at the ‘Cursed Night, Resentful Spirit’ poster and smiled faintly.
“It’s just that, for me, this type of movie is indeed quite unfamiliar.”
…So, just new, not scary?
They hadn’t even entered the theater yet, hadn’t bought tickets, and Meng Huange was already showing concern for her, as if horror was nothing to her.
Of course, forcing people isn’t her style, but since Meng Huange hadn’t objected, Su Wanli wouldn’t hold back.
Su Wanli grinned and chatted with Meng Huange as they walked.
“Since you say you’re not afraid, then let’s not waste time. Come on, buy two tickets, and get some popcorn while you’re at it.”
Carrying the resolve that she absolutely had to see the heroine’s terrified expression tonight, Su Xiaoli strode into the cinema ahead.
A miscalculation.
She’d assumed the theater would be packed, everyone huddled together to watch a horror movie.
With so many people, no matter how scary the plot, the crowd’s presence would dilute the terror, and she herself wouldn’t end up losing composure.
Yet, though it wasn’t even late at night and the mall was bustling, for some reason, the entire theater only had Su Wanli and Meng Huange, plus a handful of staff—who were scattered in the back corners of the auditorium.
So, Su Xiaoli and Meng Huange were the only two who earnestly chose seats right in the center.
Glancing at the two couples cuddling in the farthest corners, Su Wanli couldn’t help but grit her teeth.
…I knew it, how come, as the last two to pick seats, we could still get the very center? Turns out no one else is actually here for the movie—they’re just looking for a place to snuggle!
Really, can’t you people show a little more respect for the film itself!?
Meng Huange clearly didn’t care about such trivialities, calmly placing the snacks she’d bought in the seat between them.
“Miss Su, here’s your popcorn and the complimentary soda from the combo. Should I put them between us?”
“If you get scared halfway through and end up cowering under your seat, I don’t mind if you spill them on the floor.”
Meng Huange gave Su Xiaoli a gentle smile and said nothing more, quietly settling in beside her.
…There may not be a crowd to bolster her courage, but after all, it’s just a horror movie.
She hadn’t watched many before, but the typical scary moments were familiar from game streams—at least she’d seen more than Meng Huange.
—Besides, she didn’t need to focus on the horror movie itself; all she needed was to quietly sit by Meng Huange’s side and observe her reactions.
Come to think of it, in a twenty-four hour day, Meng Huange wore her gentle smile for at least sixteen of them, spent seven or eight hours resting, and only under extremely rare circumstances would Su Wanli catch a different expression on her face.
Although Meng Huange’s control over her own expressions had already reached a level ordinary people could never hope to attain, who knew how she’d react when faced with true human terror especially since she’d never watched a horror film before?
Could she really maintain that gentle smile the whole time?
Su Wanli rested her head on her hand, leaned in slightly, appearing to be watching the movie screen, while in reality, she focused all her attention on Meng Huange beside her.
Come on, heroine, let me see—when you’re afraid, what kind of expression will you show?