TFS | Chapter 8

Xu Linruan raised a brow, her tone gentle. “All right, then. Let’s go. The movie is about to start.”

The moment the two of them stepped inside, the young master was scared stiff by the pitch-black theater. The blue light flashing on the screen, together with the eerie, creepy opening effects, made everything look downright bizarre.

Qi Yue instinctively grabbed Xu Linruan’s wrist, which hung at her side. Xu Linruan looked up at him. The young master kept a forced look of calm on his face, though he was actually panicking inside. “Um, the lights are too dim. I’m afraid you’ll trip.”

Even at a time like this, Qi Yue still did not forget to maintain the cold, aloof image of the school tyrant he was supposed to be. Xu Linruan saw how pale he looked and could not be bothered to expose him.

The film began with a very classic American style. A happy married couple bought a beautifully renovated villa at a bargain price. They also had two children, and after the family of four moved in, life was peaceful and happy.

But gradually, the wife began to notice that something was wrong with the house. The eerie white figure that appeared in the attic at night, the sound of a child crying from the bathroom, and the rotten carcasses of dead animals near the villa, everything about it pointed to how unusual this house really was…

During a scene transition, a terrifying ghostly shadow suddenly appeared on the screen and startled everyone. Qi Yue forced himself to stay calm, but right then, something cold and hard yanked hard at his ankle.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! The young master was so frightened he almost tumbled out of his seat. What kind of damn theater was this? Was it even letting people watch the movie?

In the middle of his shock, Qi Yue clutched Xu Linruan’s arm even tighter, pressing himself firmly against her, his head nearly resting on her shoulder. Without even looking, one could feel the terror pouring off him from the inside out.

Xu Linruan tilted her head to look at him, confusion in her eyes. She pressed a pale finger against his forehead. “What’s wrong? You’re scared?”

Wh-what a joke.

The young master felt a little wounded by that line.

Though… he really was…

Still, a gentleman’s revenge could wait ten years. His hands remained obediently on the girl’s arm. Don’t even think about provoking me into letting go. I’m scared, so what?

Qi Yue spent the rest of the movie in utter misery, practically getting through it with his eyes shut. Yet the terrifying sound effects kept drilling into his ears like they had legs of their own.

By the time the movie ended, the young master was a wreck. He had broken out in a cold sweat. Image and pride could wait. His legs felt weak as hell right now.

He swore he would never come to a theater to watch a horror movie again. Seriously, his heart just could not take it.

When they left the theater, it was already dark. The boy’s figure was stretched long beneath the orange streetlights. Probably having finally come to his senses and remembering how embarrassing he had looked in the theater, Qi Yue suddenly pulled his hand away, a rare flash of awkwardness crossing his face.

This time, he had really lost face completely.

Xu Linruan rubbed the wrist that had gone numb from being gripped by someone, then deliberately smiled and said, “No wonder this movie has such a high rating. The plot really is pretty good. Don’t you think so, Qi Yue?”

“Huh? I guess.” He had not really watched much of it anyway. Qi Yue let out a breath, clearly not very familiar with the plot.

He was still gathering his emotions, thinking about how he could recover the image he had just ruined.

“Um…”

Just as he was about to say something, a black cat shot past his feet with a whoosh.

Damn it!

The soft, fleeting brush of it startled the young master so badly he jolted. He instinctively threw an arm around Xu Linruan’s shoulder and lunged at her, even hooking both legs around hers as he hung off her like a sloth.

Completely shocked out of his mind, the young master buried his face in the crook of her neck while hugging her tightly, his voice so aggrieved it was almost excessive. “I’m never watching horror movies again. It’s all your fault. The heroic image I spent so much effort building before has been completely ruined. Tell me how you’re going to make up for it?”

Xu Linruan was almost strangled into coughing: “…”

“Let go.”

Qi Yue was strangely tense right now. Since he had already lost all face, he might as well throw caution to the wind and fully let himself go. The young master shook his head hard. “Nope. I won’t let go unless you take me home?”

Xu Linruan shot him a sideways look: “…”

Where on earth had this idiot come from?

Was there even the slightest trace of the arrogant attitude a school tyrant male lead was supposed to have?

Xu Linruan really could not hold it in anymore. She wrapped her hands around his back and pinched him hard.

Qi Yue’s ass hurt. In his mind, Xu Linruan was being far too bold. Not only had she pinched his ass, she had also scared him. It was time to teach her a lesson.

The boy let out an “ow” and bit down on her neck, then hugged her and nibbled at her all over in a messy frenzy.

It was not really biting, more like licking. He licked her a few times lightly. The girl’s skin was soft and fair, with a faint natural scent. One bite felt like biting into tender tofu, all soft and delicate, and then his force gradually increased. When he looked down, he saw that the side of her neck had already turned a small patch of red, white skin tinged with pink.

The young master blushed suspiciously at the ears and his movements paused for a moment.

Taking advantage of that opening, Xu Linruan slapped him across the face.

The boy had not even reacted yet. The hit left him a little dazed, and he only stared at her with his jet-black eyes widened in confusion.

You hit me?

Qi Yue had fought countless times in his life, yet this was the first time he had ever been slapped in the face by a girl?

The other person was dressed in a white lace dress, her figure slender and pretty. After hitting him, she even looked at him with a very disgusted expression.

The fire in Qi Yue’s chest instantly died down quite a bit.

The boy rubbed the palm print on his face, not even bothering to care about the pain, and slid off her body in grievance and shock. “You don’t hit someone in the face, you know that?”

How could Xu Linruan not know? She had just done it on purpose, anyway. “How is that my fault? If you weren’t clinging to me and gnawing all over me like that, would I have hit you?”

She touched the red mark on her neck with her finger. This was evidence. It did not hurt, but it looked terrifying enough.

The young master rarely showed a trace of guilt on his face.

Though… it really was his fault…

But was he the kind of person who would back down just because he felt guilty? Of course not.

Qi Yue scratched his hair and answered with a wounded, irritated look, “Wasn’t it because I got scared? If you’re not going to comfort me, fine, but you actually hit me. Xu-surnamed one, are you even still my girlfriend?”

Xu Linruan glanced at him. Her tone was casual. “Didn’t I already break up with you?”

“That doesn’t count!” The boy glared. “I never agreed to it.”

Afraid she would keep dwelling on the issue, Qi Yue paused before continuing, “Anyway, I don’t care. It’s all because you made me look stupid. You have to take me home.”

Xu Linruan turned and walked away, not even bothering to spare him a glance.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Qi Yue caught up to her in two steps, chattering beside her. “You’re just leaving like that? It’s this dark out, and you’re not going to take care of me? I waited for you all day, and then I got scared out of my mind at night. If you don’t send me home and I run into danger by myself, what then…”

Before he could finish, the person in front of him suddenly stopped and looked at him. A few strands of hair brushed across his face, soft and ticklish, carrying a hint of fragrance. The girl’s eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, and her dark, bright gaze was beautiful, strangely alluring.

The rest of Qi Yue’s words got stuck in his throat.

He licked his dry lips and muttered softly, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Xu Linruan tucked the loose hair by her ear and smiled at him. “Didn’t you say you wanted me to take you home? You’ve still got that much to say?”

The boy’s eyes lit up.

See? See?

He knew it. This woman really did like him!

He had only used a little trick, and she was completely unable to resist.

The young master tried hard to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting, completely unaware that his expression had changed so obviously. His eyes were shining brilliantly.

Xu Linruan felt as if she could see a dog tail wagging behind him in triumph. She had originally thought this guy was a fierce gray wolf, but it turned out he also had the traits of a husky hidden inside.

She almost did not have the heart to go hard on him anymore.

Though… bullying a dog did feel pretty good.

Xu Linruan smiled with pursed lips.

The two of them crossed a road when it suddenly began to drizzle. The rain quickly grew heavier, and it was not easy to hail a taxi by the roadside, so Qi Yue pulled her into the entrance of a shop to take shelter. By then, the store had already closed for the night, and a few potted green plants were left at the doorway, swaying back and forth in the wind and rain.

The sky was dark and heavy, and the orange streetlights cast a faint glow through the hazy rain. The rain kept coming down harder.

The two of them stood in the doorway, very close together. Qi Yue leaned against the glass door, his shoulder pressed tightly to hers, faintly catching the subtle fragrance on her body.

His mind went blank for a second. When he came to, he immediately nudged Xu Linruan beside him with his shoulder. “Hey, move over a little. The rain’s too heavy. My shoulder’s soaked halfway already.”

Xu Linruan only wanted to roll her eyes at that.

If this guy weren’t the male lead, he absolutely would not be able to get a wife.

Qi Yue touched the sleeve that was now soaked halfway and tried to squeeze a little closer to Xu Linruan. The girl’s soft body was pressed against his chest. Qi Yue suddenly felt a little hot and restless, unsure where to put his eyes. She was wearing a thin white dress, and now that it had gotten wet from the rain, the lightweight fabric clung to her waist and revealed her figure.

When someone passed by, their gaze could not help lingering on the girl. Qi Yue immediately shot them a fierce look in warning. Then he took off his coat and wrapped her up tightly from behind to the front.

Xu Linruan looked up in surprise, but the other person only gave an awkward huff and said in a sour tone, “It’s too hot. Wear it for me.”

That excuse really worked.

Xu Linruan could not help laughing. Her fair face looked even more delicate and beautiful in the hazy rain mist, especially those eyes, as if a layer of starlight had fallen into them, bright and moving.

Qi Yue paused, then turned his head away expressionlessly.

Fuck.

He felt like he might actually be a little moved. What was he supposed to do?

At such close range, he could almost smell the scent of his own coat on her. It flooded his senses, and an atmosphere called ambiguity slowly began to build in the air.

The boy’s heart was pounding hard, and he unconsciously leaned closer to her.

A wind blew through the rainy night, and the green plants by the windowsill rustled faintly. The young master suddenly felt a little cold. He touched the wet thin T-shirt with both hands and could not help sneezing.

Xu Linruan looked up at him, her eyes smiling but not smiling.

Qi Yue: “…”

The young master forced himself to stay calm and looked at her with great seriousness. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is it weird?” Qi Yue huffed, then turned back and continued, “My rhinitis is acting up. It’s just a sneeze. I might even start running a nose next, believe it or not.”

The boy rubbed his nose, speaking with a nasal tone.

Xu Linruan smiled lazily and pulled the thin coat tighter around herself. “So that’s how it is. I was just about to say, if you’re cold, we could squeeze together.”

Qi Yue looked away uneasily.

Who… who was desperate to squeeze together with you? Shameless!

Qi Yue looked at the girl’s smiling face and felt inexplicably a little wronged. But in a situation like this, how could he possibly give in? He gritted his teeth and straightened his body, determined to let her see the bearing of a school tyrant, hmph.