At the cinema, Ning Chu sat at a round table, holding a bucket of popcorn, lost in thought.
She wasn't sure when it had started, but she was growing more and more accustomed to Wen Yang's presence. In fact, whenever he disappeared from her sight, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Was it when she realized Wen Yang's protagonist halo could protect her?
She was acutely aware of the danger Wen Yang posed to her. Yet, as long as he was nearby, an uncontrollable sense of safety would well up from deep within her, causing both her body and mind to relax.
Previously, when Wen Yang's advances had become increasingly blatant, she might have considered escaping—from Wen Yang, the school, even the city.
But now, that thought didn't even cross her mind.
Patting the hypnosis spray in her coat pocket, Ning Chu felt reassured that she was still playing it safe.
"You've already eaten half the popcorn, and the movie hasn't even started."
"Then I'll buy another bucket." Ning Chu handed the popcorn to Wen Yang. "You can have the rest."
After buying another bucket, they entered the screening hall. Following the ticket check, they found their seats.
"There doesn't seem to be many people here," Ning Chu muttered as she glanced around. Aside from a few staff members, she didn't see any other patrons.
"Is this movie bad?"
"I saw good reviews online, but there's also a sci-fi blockbuster showing at the same time. Maybe everyone's watching that instead."
Ning Chu squinted at Wen Yang, suspicious. "Really?"
"Huh? What else could it be?"
Was this guy harboring ulterior motives?
She frowned slightly, a scene from the book flashing in her mind: the protagonist took Lily to the cinema, where the hall was nearly empty. Using his skills, he made Lily orgasm continuously through the whole movie, by the end of it, Lily dragged him to the restroom for... dual scenes.
This scenario felt eerily familiar!
But wasn't the supporting female character supposed to be Lily? When Wen Yang lost interest in Lily, that storyline had already been disrupted. Logically, this part of the plot shouldn't exist anymore.
Ning Chu continued scanning the room, still not seeing any other patrons. Her nerves tightened.
Oh no! Could she have become Lily's stand-in?!
As the lights dimmed and advertisements began playing on the screen, the staff left, leaving the large, dark hall eerily empty except for Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
"..."
Ning Chu was genuinely nervous, her breathing cautious. She glanced at Wen Yang's expression, then down at his crotch.
Okay, Wen Yang didn't seem to have any bad intentions.
A few more patrons entered the theater, which calmed her nerves considerably.
Stop scaring yourself~
The movie was a ghost story, similar to Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
Ning Chu, with one leg crossed over the other, watched the opening scene featuring a beautiful ghost. The sight reminded her of the ghost in her school's teaching building—quite well-behaved and not causing any trouble.
While she generally avoided horror films, she had to admit this one was both visually stunning and engaging, capturing her attention within minutes.
But as the plot thickened and a group of burly men ventured into the forest, the eerie atmosphere intensified. Ning Chu's toes curled involuntarily, and she leaned back in her seat, as if trying to distance herself from the screen.
Wen Yang sneaked a glance at Ning Chu. Her small face was already tense, her eyes darting nervously away from the screen, only to be drawn back again. She was clearly scared.
To avoid embarrassing himself, Wen Yang had already watched the movie's pirated version online during his lunch break. That way, he wouldn't end up being more frightened than Ning Chu.
Swallowing nervously, Wen Yang's mischievous thoughts were getting harder to suppress.
He carefully raised the armrest between them, leaned slightly closer to Ning Chu, and tentatively reached out, aiming to wrap his arm around her waist.
But Ning Chu noticed his sneaky movement immediately.
His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and before he could decide whether to retreat or commit, Ning Chu grabbed his arm and hugged it tightly.
Huh? Not bad?
Though he didn't get to put his arm around her waist, having his arm held in her embrace still allowed him to feel the warmth and softness of her body.
As Wen Yang's mind wandered into daydreams, a sharp pain snapped him back to reality, making him sit bolt upright.
"Ah! Why'd you pinch me?"
"I'm scared," Ning Chu replied flatly.
"..."
She glanced at Wen Yang. In the dim light of the screen, she couldn't make out his expression.
So she cruelly pinched the skin on his arm again, giving it a light twist.
The pain made Wen Yang's arm tense, his muscles tightening, the outline of his biceps faintly visible.
Serves you right for trying to make a move on me!
"I was so scared," Ning Chu continued in an eerily calm tone.
A few more pinches, and if she really had replaced Lily in this cinema scenario, Wen Yang's pain would surely leave no room for improper thoughts.
"I'm terrified."
"Ah!" Wen Yang hastily pulled his arm out of her grasp.
Though he had to admit Ning Chu's embrace was soft and warm, the pain wasn't worth it.
"Tsk!"
He clearly heard Ning Chu's disdainful snort.
This didn't go as planned...
Wasn't she supposed to be scared out of her wits, throwing herself into his arms at the slightest comfort?
He rubbed his bruised arm and sat upright obediently, continuing to watch the movie.
On screen, a group of men hiking into the mountains late at night found an abandoned temple and decided to rest there. The wind howled outside, making the wooden doors and shattered windows rattle eerily. A ghostly figure silently appeared in the temple.
The men didn't seem to notice anything unusual. When they saw the ghost, they mistook her for another traveler. They gathered around her, laughing and joking, and the atmosphere grew strangely flirtatious.
Ning Chu sensed something was off.
The movie's tone seemed a bit too... risqué.
It was supposed to be a horror film, and the first half hour had indeed been appropriately eerie. But now, it was veering toward something resembling an adult film.
Sure enough, the plot transitioned into a scenario that could only be described as "if you're brave enough, even ghosts would go on maternity leave."
Although the scenes weren't as explicit as in a real adult film—no nudity or outright graphic acts—the ghost's soft, suggestive moans left much to the imagination.
Ning Chu frowned deeply. Ever since the mysterious patterns had appeared on her abdomen, she'd found it embarrassingly easy to be affected by scenes like this.
She chose to lower her head and avoid looking at the screen, but the ghost's suggestive moans continued to echo in her ears.
Despite her efforts, indecent thoughts filled her mind, unbidden. Her body grew slightly warm, and her nose picked up that familiar, tantalizing scent once again.
Then, a rough, warm hand landed on her thigh. The heat from its calloused texture made her body soften involuntarily.
"Don't touch me~"
Her voice came out with an unintentional softness, a trace of coyness creeping in. Ning Chu pried the large hand off her leg and turned to glare at Wen Yang.
But the combination of her slightly breathy tone and her smoldering glare made Wen Yang feel like she was teasing him on purpose.
His body, already primed with anticipation, reacted immediately.
Watching the shocking transformation from normalcy to undeniable evidence of his excitement, Ning Chu snapped out of her haze in an instant, like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her.
What the hell?! Didn't you just "relieve yourself" this morning?!
And now you're targeting the innocent again, huh?!