It was a fairly classic, quite excellent horror movie.
In this autumn where the sun set early, the world outside was already pitch black.
As luck would have it, the shop’s main entrance was a glass door, allowing Zhu Niao to see the darkness outside clearly.
Here and there, a few streetlights flickered in the dark like lighthouses in the vast ocean, but they could only illuminate a tiny sliver of space.
Most crucially, within those blurred patches of light, the long night was not quite visible, yet it was not entirely swallowed by the darkness either. Between the vague light and the dark, shadows mottled the ground.
Zhu Niao hurried to look away. It felt as if two eyes might grow out of that darkness to meet her gaze.
“Do we really have to watch this?” Zhu Niao asked, glancing around again.
It wasn’t that she had never stumbled upon video recaps of this film series in the middle of the night. However, those recaps always liked to start with terrifying, heavily pixelated content to attract and retain viewers.
Unfortunately, that tactic never worked on Zhu Niao when she was scrolling through videos tucked under her covers at night.
Whenever she saw something overly horrifying, she would simply exit the application and fall asleep while hugging Bruce, the big dog plushie she had brought back from the amusement park.
At times like those, she didn’t even care that Gou Yu had once wiped his nose on it—even though she had made him clean it afterward.
“What, are you scared?”
Gou Yu looked at Zhu Niao’s shrinking expression and seemed quite satisfied, his lips curling into a smile.
“Are you kidding? You think I’d be scared?”
Hearing Gou Yu’s doubt, Zhu Niao suddenly sat up straight. “I’m just worried that a certain someone won’t be able to sleep because of this stuff. From the way you’re talking, could it be that you’re the one who’s scared?”
“Heh, your mouth is as hard as rebar,” Gou Yu chuckled.
“I think you’re the one with the stubborn mouth. Your mouth is the only thing about you that’s hard,” Zhu Niao retorted, refusing to back down.
“Bullshit!” Gou Yu actually got anxious now. Zhu Niao was challenging his dignity as a man. “You want to test me? Huh?”
“Bring it on. When you start crying from fear later, remember to crawl into your father’s arms. Your father will comfort you properly,” Zhu Niao said.
Gou Yu let out a sneer. “Then let’s watch this one. They say it’s the best in the series.”
Zhu Niao glanced at it. It was the third installment.
This was even worse. She hadn’t even seen a short recap video for this one; she only knew that the movie existed. Without any mental preparation, was she really going to face such a dangerous situation directly?
But it seemed the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired.
If she went soft on Gou Yu now, it wouldn’t be as simple as being laughed at; it would mean she didn’t even have the courage to face a challenge.
That didn’t fit her usual style.
So, she nodded. “Just play it. I won’t be scared anyway.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Gou Yu arched an eyebrow. “Then I’m going to start it.”
Zhu Niao didn’t speak, only nodding silently.
Then, she swallowed hard.
The movie began. A group of young men and women were having fun at an amusement park, performing various actions that looked quite eerie.
Of course, the only thing Zhu Niao actually found eerie was the female lead taking photos of her playing companions. Zhu Niao herself never had the habit of taking photos.
In the midst of such a harmonious scene and atmosphere, Zhu Niao sat before the computer screen feeling a bit restless.
Because she knew it was a horror movie, she felt as though something meant to jump-scare her was hidden beneath that harmony at all times. Similarly, because it was a horror movie and Gou Yu was right beside her, she couldn’t allow herself to be startled.
So, where would the scary thing appear next?
Zhu Niao was speculating about everything with the greatest malice.
When she saw the group of protagonists get on the roller coaster, she suddenly smiled with relief.
At least it was something she could predict.
Unsurprisingly, something went wrong with the coaster, and the characters began to be taken out one by one.
The earlier parts were still within her limit of tolerance.
Then, she saw one of them die by being pulverized by a protruding steel rod.
Her body jolted violently, causing the chair beneath her to let out a sharp, ear-piercing screech against the floor.
Gou Yu paused the movie and turned to Zhu Niao, asking with concern, “What’s wrong?”
“N… nothing. I think I just saw a mosquito. Yeah, that’s right, I saw a mosquito.”
“Is that so?” The corners of Gou Yu’s mouth merely curled into a smirk. “Then I’ll keep playing it.”
“Go ahead.” Zhu Niao pulled the chair—which she had pushed back slightly—closer again and straightened her back.
The movie continued. All the deaths from before were merely a premonition. Afterward, the legendary Death would rely on various coincidences to harvest the lives of those who had luckily escaped.
Zhu Niao had heard a bit about this mechanic.
At least it was something she could predict.
Unsurprisingly, something went wrong with the coaster, and the characters began to be taken out one by one.
The earlier parts were still within her limit of tolerance.
Then, she saw one of them die by being pulverized by a protruding steel rod.
Her body jolted violently, causing the chair beneath her to let out a sharp, ear-piercing screech against the floor.
Gou Yu paused the movie and turned to Zhu Niao, asking with concern, “What’s wrong?”
“N… nothing. I think I just saw a mosquito. Yeah, that’s right, I saw a mosquito.”
“Is that so?” The corners of Gou Yu’s mouth merely curled into a smirk. “Then I’ll keep playing it.”
“Go ahead.” Zhu Niao pulled the chair—which she had pushed back slightly—closer again and straightened her back.
The movie continued. All the deaths from before were merely a premonition. Afterward, the legendary Death would rely on various coincidences to harvest the lives of those who had luckily escaped.
Zhu Niao had heard a bit about this mechanic.
Having watched all this, it felt like she wouldn’t be able to do anything in the future.
Consequently, her face grew paler and paler as she continued to watch.
Following a billboard crushing someone into a bloody pulp, the movie screen transitioned to a scene five months later.
Zhu Niao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she saw the female lead get on a train and saw that the other two survivors were also on board.
Then she saw the female lead’s premonition strike again, followed by the ending where the entire group was wiped out.
A long silence followed.
Gou Yu turned off the movie. “There seems to be some time left. Do you want to watch another one?”
Zhu Niao suddenly grabbed Gou Yu’s hand. “Let’s talk for a bit. I suddenly feel like chatting.”
Little Bird looked up at the glass wine bottles and the tall cabinets in the shop.
‘If a fire broke out right now just like in the movie…’
She shook her head, not daring to think further.
“Sure, then let’s talk about the plot of the movie we just watched,” Gou Yu said with a grin.
However, Zhu Niao felt that Gou Yu’s expression was devilishly mischievous.