The time shifts back to an earlier scene at the mall’s cinema.
Lin Yu had to admit, he was still too young—Xia Yanran really lived up to being Qin Wuyue’s daughter.
One tormented him physically, the other… tormented him mentally.
“Elder Sister Xia, still watching? This is the third one.” Lin Yu stretched lazily, feeling a bit sore in his back after sitting all afternoon.
“The last one, here you go.”
Lin Yu rather reluctantly accepted the Coke and popcorn Xia Yanran handed over, burping as he examined the poster for the movie they were about to watch.
“So… this is the last movie you want to see?”
To be fair, if Xia Yanran weren’t a girl, Lin Yu would’ve genuinely liked being buddies with her.
This girl’s tastes had never been remotely close to “cute” or “artistic” or anything like that.
She didn’t like watching mushy romance, and kept even further away from those artsy films that required a refined palate.
What she loved were real hardcore action flicks—the roar of metal as mechas collided, intense brawls where every punch landed solidly, and epic interstellar wars in sci-fi backdrops.
In her own words, “What’s the point of watching all that wishy-washy nonsense? What I want is a rush! Explosions are art!”
Even when playing games, she was always charging to the front, with an aggressive playstyle, and surprisingly, she and Lin Yu made a great team.
Sometimes, Lin Yu even thought that when she got fired up and yelled, “Charge!”, she seemed even more like a guy than he did.
The last two movies had definitely fit that style, but now…
Xia Yanran turned away, biting her lip. “What? I can’t try something different, huh? Hmph… Can’t I watch these kinds of movies?”
Lin Yu glanced at the poster, with the male and female leads embracing, then at Xia Yanran beside him, obviously lacking confidence, and couldn’t help but find it amusing.
He deliberately drawled, “It’s fine, just unexpected. I remember someone once said, ‘Watching romance movies is a waste of time. That time’s better spent playing a few more games.’ Didn’t you?”
Xia Yanran whipped her head around, cheeks reddening, sticking her neck out. “Th-that was before! P-people change, okay? Can’t I just, you know, occasionally… appreciate this… um…”
She seemed to be at a loss for words to describe this genre, stumbling for a while before finally giving up and stomping her foot. “Ugh! Anyway, the tickets are bought. You coming or not? If not, I’ll watch alone!”
Though her tone was forceful, her eyes darted around, not daring to meet Lin Yu’s gaze, and her fingers fidgeted at the edge of the movie ticket.
Watching her stubbornly pretending to be tough while obviously flustered, Lin Yu couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She was like a little kitten baring its teeth and claws, but with no threat at all.
He could more or less guess her thoughts—maybe she just wanted to change the impression she gave him, to seem a bit more like a girl?
“Sure, of course I’ll watch. Whatever Elder Sister Xia wants to appreciate, I’ll be right there appreciating it too. Come on, if we keep dawdling, it’ll start without us.”
Pushed forward by him, Xia Yanran sneaked a glance at his face.
Seeing his usual helpless yet indulgent smile, with no further questions or teasing, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief—but still refused to give in with her words.
“That’s more like it… Hmph, at least you know your place.”
It was a Student holiday and just another workday, so the cinema wasn’t very crowded.
They found seats somewhere in the middle and sat down.
As soon as they sat, Xia Yanran nudged Lin Yu’s shoulder. “Hey, look—who’s that?”
“Hm?” Lin Yu followed her gaze.
Mu Liuli was sitting in a corner of the front row, still scrolling through her phone since the movie hadn’t started yet.
So that explained their earlier encounter at the restaurant—she was here to see this movie too.
She did like these films, but she’d arrived at noon. Where had she spent the whole afternoon?
“How long are you planning to stare?”
“……”
He was only lost in thought for a moment, but the little ball of jealousy beside him started up again.
“All right, all right, I’m not looking, I’m not looking. Let’s watch the movie, okay?”
“Hmph, ignore her. And you’re not allowed to look at her either!”
“Got it, got it.”
The theater lights dimmed, and the film started rolling on the screen.
This romance movie moved at a gentle pace, with beautiful visuals, telling the story of two very different young people—how they met, got to know each other, and eventually fell in love.
Xia Yanran was indeed focused, but when the story reached the part where the leads embraced and kissed on Sunset Beach at sunset, she clearly felt uncomfortable.
The shimmering light on the screen reflected off her blushing cheeks, and she could clearly hear her own heart racing.
She sneaked a look at Lin Yu beside her, wanting to see his reaction.
That one glance almost made her explode with frustration—Lin Yu just happened to be yawning, a bored look in his eyes, obviously unmoved by the romantic scenes.
This blockhead!
Xia Yanran fumed inwardly, a mix of shame, annoyance, and frustration welling up in her chest.
Then she noticed the untouched Coke by Lin Yu’s side, and an idea sprang to mind.
Pretending to reach for the popcorn on Lin Yu’s lap, she suddenly jerked her arm—
“Oops!”
Half a cup of icy Coke spilled out, soaking Lin Yu’s pants over his thigh. The sudden cold made him jolt awake, completely losing any trace of drowsiness.
“Ah—Xia Yanran! What are you doing?” Lin Yu sucked in a breath, looking down at his soaking pants, utterly speechless.
“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
Xia Yanran hurriedly apologized, while her hands busily pretended to help him wipe it dry.
Her fingers “accidentally” rubbed over his thigh, feeling the skin under the fabric and somewhere else, secretly delighted.
That’ll teach you to get bored and yawn while watching a movie with me!
“It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll do it myself, I’ll do it myself…” Lin Yu was embarrassed by her direct contact, instinctively trying to block her hand.
But just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, wiped off the water, and saw the caller ID: “Elder Sister.”
Xia Yanran noticed the caller ID too, her wiping action freezing.
Lin Yu thought about stepping out to answer, but then remembered how soaked his pants were—going out like that would be too awkward.
He braced himself and motioned for Xia Yanran to stay still, then hunched over and pressed answer.
“Hello, Elder Sister?”
But perhaps because of water damage, he could only hear her talking—nothing he said got through. She just kept asking where he was.
Seeing this, Lin Yu helplessly hung up and chose to send Elder Sister a message instead.
She quickly replied: [Come home soon]
[Okay, I’ll come home after watching the movie with Yanran]
This time, there was quite a delay before her response: [Okay]
It was just a normal exchange, but whether it was the soaked pants or something else, Lin Yu couldn’t help but shiver. A sudden sense of foreboding crept over him.
At home.
Lin Mowei stared at her chat with her little brother.
Her gaze turned icy, and her fingers clenched tight—her overburdened phone finally freed itself from its misery.
“Watching a movie, my foot! Does he really think I don’t know anything?!”
She shouted angrily, then as if all her strength had drained away, curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees.
In the dim living room, a weak, desperate murmur echoed, “Little Yu… you belong to me, only to me… come back soon, Elder Sister misses you…”