Chapter 30: The Cinema
Ning Chu sat at a round table in the cinema lobby, absentmindedly holding a bucket of popcorn.
She wasn’t sure when it started, but she had grown increasingly accustomed to Wen Yang’s presence. In fact, whenever he wasn’t within her line of sight, she felt an inexplicable panic.
Was it when she realized that Wen Yang’s protagonist aura could protect her?
She was fully aware of the danger Wen Yang posed to her, yet whenever he was by her side, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of security that made her mind and body relax.
If this were before, when Wen Yang’s advances had become more obvious, she might have considered running away—leaving Wen Yang, the school, or even the city.
But now, she couldn’t even muster the thought.
She touched the pocket of her jacket, where she kept the canister of sleeping spray, and felt reassured that she was still in control.
"You’ve already eaten half the popcorn, and the movie hasn’t even started yet."
"Then I’ll go buy another bucket," Ning Chu said, shoving the half-empty bucket into Wen Yang’s hands. "You finish this one."
After buying another bucket of popcorn, she returned just as the theater doors opened for seating.
Following Wen Yang into the theater after getting their tickets checked, they found their assigned seats.
"There’s hardly anyone here," Ning Chu muttered as she looked around. Apart from a few staff members, she didn’t see any other customers. "Is this movie not good?"
"I saw pretty good reviews online, but there’s a sci-fi movie playing at the same time, so maybe everyone went to see that instead?"
Ning Chu glanced at Wen Yang, suspicious. "Really?"
"Huh? What else could it be?"
Could he have other intentions?
She frowned slightly as a scene from the book flashed through her mind—a scene involving the cinema: The protagonist took Lily to see a movie, and the theater was almost empty. He then used some tricks to make Lily cry silently during the movie, and they ended up sneaking off to the restroom together.
This feels awfully familiar!
But she wasn’t the female supporting character in that scene! When Wen Yang lost interest in Lily, that storyline should have been broken, and this part of the plot shouldn’t have existed.
Ning Chu looked around, still seeing no other customers entering the theater, and started to feel a bit panicked.
Crap! Am I Lily’s substitute?
The lights in the theater dimmed, and ads began playing on the screen.
The staff left, leaving the enormous, dark space occupied by just Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
"..."
Ning Chu was genuinely nervous now, her breathing shallow. She glanced at Wen Yang, then at his flat stomach.
Okay, it seems like Wen Yang isn’t up to anything bad.
Just then, a few more customers entered the theater, which eased her nerves significantly.
I was just scaring myself...
The movie was a horror film, something like a supernatural tale.
Ning Chu crossed her legs and watched as the movie opened with a beautiful ghostly woman. The scene reminded her of the ghost haunting their school building.
That ghost had been quite well-behaved, never causing any trouble.
Although Ning Chu usually stayed away from horror movies, she had to admit this one caught her attention right from the start with its eerie yet beautiful visuals.
As the plot progressed and a group of burly men ventured into the mountains for an adventure, the suspenseful and terrifying atmosphere grew more intense. Ning Chu couldn’t help but curl her toes and lean back into her seat, trying to distance herself from the screen.
Wen Yang sneaked a glance at Ning Chu. Her face was tense, her eyes darting about nervously, yet she couldn’t stop herself from looking at the screen.
She was definitely getting scared.
To avoid embarrassing himself, Wen Yang had watched a pirated version of the movie online while Ning Chu napped earlier, just to make sure she would be the one who got scared, not him.
Swallowing nervously, Wen Yang felt his resolve wavering.
He discreetly raised the armrest between their seats, leaning closer to Ning Chu, and reached out, trying to put his arm around her waist.
Then Ning Chu looked down and noticed his movement.
His hand froze in mid-air, but Wen Yang, determined to see this through, pressed on... only to have his arm grabbed and pulled into Ning Chu’s lap.
Not bad?
Although he couldn’t wrap his arm around her waist, having it cradled in her lap still let him feel the softness of her body.
He couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander, but a sudden, sharp pain snapped him back to reality, causing him to sit up straight.
"Ow! Why’d you pinch me?"
Ning Chu responded with a blank expression, "I was scared."
"..."
She glanced at Wen Yang, but the dim light from the screen made it hard to read his expression.
So she pinched the skin on his forearm again, twisting it slightly.
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His arm tensed up, muscles flexing, making the outline of his biceps more pronounced.
That’s what you get for trying to make a move on me!
"I’m so scared," Ning Chu continued in a calm tone.
If she did this a few more times, even if she had somehow ended up replacing Lily in the movie plot, Wen Yang would be in too much pain to have any romantic ideas.
"I’m so afraid."
"Ow!"
Wen Yang hastily pulled his arm out of Ning Chu’s grasp.
As soft as her embrace was, the pain wasn’t worth it.
"Tsk!"
He heard Ning Chu’s disdainful snort.
This wasn’t how he’d imagined it...
Wasn’t she supposed to be so frightened by the movie that she’d helplessly cling to him, and then he’d comfort her by holding her close?
Rubbing his now purple forearm, Wen Yang resigned himself to sitting up straight and continuing to watch the movie.
On-screen, the men who had ventured into the mountains at night found an old, decrepit temple where they decided to rest. Late at night, with the cold wind howling, the rickety wooden windows and doors creaked ominously, and a ghostly figure silently appeared inside the temple.
The men, unaware of any danger, mistook the ghostly woman for another traveler. They surrounded her, chatting and laughing, the atmosphere growing increasingly suggestive.
Ning Chu began to sense something was off.
The movie’s content was pushing some boundaries...
It started off as a proper horror film, with the first half-hour creating an effective spooky atmosphere, but now it seemed to be shifting towards something more... suggestive.
Sure enough, the movie soon transitioned into a scene where the ghostly woman seduces the men, complete with sultry sounds that left little to the imagination.
Ning Chu frowned. Ever since the patterns had appeared on her lower abdomen, scenes like this tended to trigger some unwanted thoughts.
She tried to look away, but the seductive noises still echoed in her ears.
In spite of herself, her mind started to fill with inappropriate thoughts, and she felt her body heat up as that familiar, tantalizing scent tickled her nose.
A hand landed on her thigh, its warm, rough texture making her body go even softer.
"Don’t touch me~"
Her voice unintentionally took on a softer, more alluring tone as she pried Wen Yang’s hand off her thigh and glared at him.
With her half-hearted refusal and the seductive look in her eyes, Wen Yang couldn’t help but feel like she was teasing him on purpose.
Little Wen Yang, already primed and ready, sprang to attention.
Watching the rapid transformation from calm to intense, Ning Chu suddenly snapped back to reality.
What the hell! Didn’t you just take care of things this morning?!
And now you’re pointing that thing at me, you jerk!