Chapter 36: What Are You Doing in the Cinema?!
In the bathtub, Gu Anran was enjoying a warm bath while casually scrolling through short videos on her phone.
Suddenly, her senior, Bai Zhi, sent her a message.
Editor Egg Pie: “Anran, your brother is at the cinema right now!”
Gu Anran: ?
Editor Egg Pie: “He’s on a date with a girl. She looks like she’s only about sixteen.”
Gu Anran: ??
Editor Egg Pie: “They’re even feeding each other popcorn!”
Seeing this, Gu Anran instantly couldn’t stay calm. This didn’t sound like the brother she knew.
After confirming again and again with her senior that it really was her brother, she lost all mood to continue her bath. She quickly grabbed a towel, only wanting to rush over and see the situation herself.
……………………………
At that moment, inside the cinema.
Gu Zhiren moved his lips slightly. Saying those three words Mu Yi asked for felt extremely difficult. Deep down, he resisted the idea of saying them.
Telling someone he didn’t like “I like you” was, without a doubt, a lie.
Even if it was just acting.
Mu Yi might be able to say it easily, but Gu Zhiren couldn’t. He always believed honesty was a virtue, and that people who lie would eventually face consequences.
It was just that hard for him to give in to something he didn’t agree with.
But since he had already promised, he had no choice but to overcome it.
As he struggled, he frowned deeply. After a short moment, he finally spoke.
“I…”
Not wanting to give up halfway, he kept going. He tilted his head slightly toward Mu Yi but avoided looking directly at her face, his eyes lowered.
“I like you.”
His fingers were interlocked, his voice careful and slightly tense. He lowered his head a bit, gripping his hands tighter.
Before he could relax, the white-haired girl’s eyes curved into a crescent. A soft, happy smile appeared on her pale, rose-like face.
“Mm, I also like you very, very much~~~”
Her soft, fair hand picked up another piece of popcorn and held it out to his mouth. But since his lips were closed, she couldn’t push it in.
“Open your mouth, ah—”
“……”
Looking at her bright, flower-like smile, Gu Zhiren clearly realized he was being teased. He didn’t get angry, just felt a bit helpless.
There could be many reasons why she was acting this way toward him, and he didn’t feel like figuring out which one it was right now.
After thinking for a moment, he picked up a piece of popcorn from his own bucket. While opening his mouth to eat the one near his lips, he gently placed his own piece into Mu Yi’s slightly open mouth.
Her soft lips were lightly pressed, and his fingertips seemed to brush against them.
Mu Yi’s eyes widened slightly. In Gu Zhiren’s view, her fair cheeks quickly turned a deep blush.
Was she nervous? Or truly shy?
He didn’t know which it was, but he knew he had turned the situation around.
He calmly lowered his gaze, gently pushing the popcorn further into her mouth. As her lips slowly parted, the popcorn touched her tongue.
A warm, slightly moist feeling lingered on his fingertips. As if shocked, Gu Zhiren quickly pulled his hand back.
Resting his hand back on the armrest, his fingers tightened slightly. The strange feeling left on his fingertips made them tremble faintly. His heartbeat was faster than usual, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.
Yet, there was also a hint of pleasure in his heart, but it wasn’t just from getting the upper hand.
He glanced at his fingers thoughtfully, then slowly turned his attention back to the screen, watching the movie absentmindedly.
From the corner of her eye, Mu Yi curled up slightly, still a bit shaken, and continued watching the movie.
Then, as if thinking of something, she tilted her head and turned her body to glance at him. Her eyes blinked twice. When she saw him look back, she quickly turned her gaze away.
“By the way… I think I’m starting to feel it. Do you feel it too? This must be the feeling of being in love, right?”
Hearing this, Gu Zhiren’s expression shifted slightly. He raised his brows and looked back at the movie screen. He didn’t deny her words, but he didn’t agree either.
“I update my novels every day. It’s tiring, but you manage a company every day and also have to deal with me. You must be really busy and tired. You probably don’t get many chances like this to come watch a movie, right?”
Mu Yi hugged the popcorn bucket in her arms. Her clear voice was soft and gentle, full of concern.
It wasn’t because she was afraid of disturbing others that she spoke quietly.
She was just matching the mood, the lines, and the atmosphere.
After she finished speaking, she vaguely thought she heard Gu Zhiren reply with a soft “mm.”
She was about to confirm it…
When Gu Zhiren suddenly held out a piece of popcorn. Without thinking, she leaned forward, opened her mouth, and ate it. Two seconds later, her face suddenly turned red.
What just happened? Why did she eat it so naturally?!
Mu Yi unconsciously raised her left hand to her mouth and sneaked a glance at Gu Zhiren. Seeing his calm expression, she puffed her cheeks slightly and picked up the Pepsi cup beside her.
Just as she was about to take a sip, the person sitting on the other side suddenly stretched in their sleep.
The arm bumped into her, and Mu Yi lost her balance, falling face-first onto Gu Zhiren’s lap. At that moment, Gu Zhiren’s eyes widened slightly, and he quickly reached out to support her.
But she had already fallen onto his lap. His left hand happened to be in a position that could protect the back of her head.
Gu Zhiren felt a bit at a loss. It was the first time he had encountered such a situation. He coldly glanced at the person who caused it and then ignored them. He quickly calmed down, pressed his lips together, tilted his head, and let out a small sigh.
He was about to help her up, but the girl on his lap pushed herself up with her arms, trying to stand using all her strength.
Seeing this, Gu Zhiren decided to let her get up on her own and didn’t act immediately.
But in the next moment, her arm suddenly slipped. She fell back down again with a small “ah,” making him frown. This time, he didn’t hesitate and immediately held her shoulders to help her sit up.
For the two of them, it was just an accident.
But in Bai Zhi’s eyes, it looked completely different.
She saw the girl suddenly lean forward.
Twisting her slender waist, the girl pushed herself up with effort, then leaned down again on purpose.
Her soft silver hair fell around her, and her long, slender legs moved slightly together.
Because of the angle, Bai Zhi couldn’t clearly see her face, but she believed the front view wouldn’t disappoint. The real problem was… below her was basically a “danger zone.”
The man didn’t help her up. Instead, it looked like he was holding her head down!
Bai Zhi had read many novels where the main characters did bold things in a cinema.
They say art comes from life. She had even seen videos in group chats where people ignored others and behaved wildly in public places.
But she never expected that coming to watch a movie would also come with a “live version” of something like that.
This was a cinema, what were they doing?!
In front of so many people, enjoying something like that. It was as absurd as going to a prehistoric world and deciding to form a basketball team.
Bai Zhi had always avoided anything suggestive. She saw herself as a proper, upright person of the new generation. Just like Gu Anran, she strictly forbade her writers from writing such content.
Right now, she quickly covered her face with her hands, not wanting to see.
But less than three seconds later, her fingers slightly opened.
She peeked through the gaps, secretly watching them, feeling strongly disgusted by what she thought was happening. When she saw the two of them suddenly stand up and leave, she held her breath.
Were they finding a bigger place… to continue?
Bai Zhi couldn’t sit still anymore.