Kissing Her Archenemy for Five Minutes in a Movie Theater Corner

The next afternoon, sunlight streamed through the glass curtain wall at the entrance to the movie theater, scattering golden patches across the marble floor.

Lu Xiaoxiao stood at the entrance. She wore a fitted black short-sleeved top with a white skirt covered in black polka dots. Her half-up hair fell over her shoulders, giving her an understated, gentle look, while her cool, aloof features were breathtakingly beautiful.

Passing boys kept turning to look at her, but she was oblivious, her mind occupied with the confrontation awaiting her.

"Xiaoxiao!" A sweet, lilting voice called from nearby.

Lu Xiaoxiao looked up and saw Meng Yuan hop out of a white Porsche, waving as she jogged toward her.

Meng Yuan had gone for an innocent yet alluring heiress look today, pairing a sleeveless top with a polka-dot collar with a matching short skirt. Her light golden curls glowed softly in the sunlight. She rushed over and linked arms with Lu Xiaoxiao, her doe eyes clear and her smile sweet. "We haven't seen each other for a week. How come I feel like you've gotten taller again?"

As she spoke, she carefully compared their heights. The top of her head only reached Lu Xiaoxiao's nose.

Lu Xiaoxiao glanced down at her flats and joked, "For your sake, I didn't even dare wear heels."

Meng Yuan was both annoyed and amused by her bluntness. She folded her arms and gave a haughty huff. "It's fine. My future boyfriend will definitely be taller than whoever you end up with."

Lu Xiaoxiao muttered softly, "That's not necessarily true."

Shao Enci was 191 centimeters tall, while He Xi seemed to be only around 188.

Meng Yuan had sharp ears. She immediately narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. "You aren't actually dating Shao Enci, are you?"

Back in high school, there probably hadn't been a boy in the entire school taller than Shao Enci. At 1.9 meters tall, his legs reached other people's waists. He was a walking clothes hanger.

A flicker of panic crossed Lu Xiaoxiao's eyes. She casually changed the subject, raising a hand to fan herself. "It's too hot out here. Let's go inside the theater first."

Meng Yuan clicked her tongue. She saw through her but said nothing, following her inside.

They entered the elevator, and Lu Xiaoxiao pressed the button for the ninth floor. As if asking casually, she said, "Have you met Qiu Boye before?"

"No." Meng Yuan had been looking down, replying to He Xi's message. Hearing the question, she looked up and said, "My dad says he's been abroad the whole time."

Lu Xiaoxiao looked thoughtful and ventured, "Then if he's handsome and a good person, would you consider giving him a chance?"

The elevator doors opened.

Meng Yuan stepped out without hesitation. "Not right now. He Xi is the only one I like."

Lu Xiaoxiao watched her walk away and silently sighed.

A staff member in the waiting area recognized Meng Yuan at a glance and came over to greet her warmly. "Miss Meng, Young Master He has already reserved a screening in advance. He's waiting for you in Theater Nine."

"Okay, thank you."

Meng Yuan tightened her grip on Lu Xiaoxiao's hand and lowered her voice. "Good thing you came with me today. If I were alone, I'd definitely be nervous to death."

"It's fine. We're just watching a movie."

Following the signs along the corridor, the two pushed open the door to private Theater Nine.

It was pitch-black inside, so dark they couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces.

The enormous theater was empty and silent, with only their faint footsteps echoing through it.

Meng Yuan felt a chill of fear and called out tentatively, "He Xi? Are you there?"

No one answered. Only an empty echo came back.

Lu Xiaoxiao frowned.

Something was wrong. It hadn't been like this in her previous life. He Xi had reserved the entire theater and decorated it with flowers and balloons, making it as romantic as a wedding venue.

"Xiaoxiao... let's go back out and find someone. It's so scary in here." Meng Yuan was timid. Clinging tightly to Lu Xiaoxiao's arm, she shrank back and walked backward.

It was too dark for Lu Xiaoxiao to see the way, either. Just as she was about to turn on her phone, she suddenly bumped into someone.

Meng Yuan bumped into someone too.

Both froze at once. The next second, a phone light shone upward, illuminating a face making a ghostly grimace.

Meng Yuan's legs gave out on the spot, and she fell to the floor with a scream. "A ghost!!!"

Lu Xiaoxiao was so startled her heart skipped a beat too, but someone caught her firmly around the waist from behind. She leaned back and fell into a warm embrace.

The familiar scent of mint and locust blossoms filled the air she breathed.

She froze for a moment, then realized what had happened. Furious, she turned and punched him. "Shao Enci, how childish can you be?!"

In the darkness, the boy's low laughter sounded above her, tinged with the pleasure of having gotten his way. He didn't dodge her punch. Instead, he bent down slightly, bringing his lips close to her ear, and lowered his voice. "He made me do it."

Lu Xiaoxiao: "..."

On the other side, Meng Yuan still hadn't recovered when a slender hand reached out in front of her.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you scared so easily." Qiu Boye's voice carried a hint of apology, and he sounded quite sincere.

Meng Yuan looked up and glared at him, then slapped his hand away. Bracing herself against the wall, she stood up and spat through gritted teeth, "How childish."

Qiu Boye withdrew his hand. Watching her indignant figure walk away, he curved his lips slightly and said nothing more.

The four of them walked out of the theater, and the light fell on them again.

Only then did Lu Xiaoxiao get a clear look at what Shao Enci was wearing.

He wore a bright red zip-up jacket over a white T-shirt. His usual cool, subdued air was gone, replaced by a touch of carefree, flamboyant youthful vigor. It was as if he had clothed himself in all the passion of spring, looking brazenly handsome.

Qiu Boye beside him was no less striking. His sleeveless top, layered in black and gray, revealed the smooth lines of his muscles. His short, slightly curly hair gave him a lazy, roguish air, and his face, a blend of Chinese and Russian features, was handsome enough to make one's breath catch.

As someone who loved a pretty face, Meng Yuan did indeed freeze for a moment, her gaze fixed on Qiu Boye's face for three seconds.

Then her phone rang. The caller was He Xi.

When she answered, his gentle voice came through the receiver. "Yuanyuan, are you here? I've been waiting for you outside Theater Nine."

Meng Yuan looked at the sign beside the door marking it as Theater Nine and replied in confusion, "I'm already outside Theater Nine, but there's no one inside."

"Theater Nine is over here."

A handsome figure dressed in white appeared at the end of the corridor. He Xi held his phone in one hand and raised the other in greeting.

All four froze and instinctively turned to look at the sign behind them.

Shao Enci's gaze darkened. He lightly touched the sign on the wall, his voice slightly cool. "The adhesive is still wet. It was probably just stuck on here."

Lu Xiaoxiao was stunned. This hadn't happened in her previous life.

Why had it changed? Could it be that her rebirth had caused a butterfly effect, throwing some things off course too?

Qiu Boye tilted his head and leaned toward Shao Enci, lowering his voice. "Weren't you two here to watch a romance movie? The front desk told me someone had reserved this theater for a love confession..." His gaze swept over Meng Yuan not far away, and he understood at once. "So you're not the star of the show today, buddy."

Shao Enci pushed his face away without expression. "Shut up."

Then he strode after Lu Xiaoxiao, who was ahead of them, and fell into step naturally at her side. He turned his head to look at her. "Are you angry?"

Lu Xiaoxiao was indeed a little annoyed. She had put so much thought into today, only for two boys to scare them with ghost faces and nearly frighten Meng Yuan to tears.

But when she saw Shao Enci catch up, walking a little faster than usual as if he were eager to placate her, most of her anger faded without her noticing.

"You didn't even tell me you'd arrived at the theater." She turned her face away, her tone still stiff.

Shao Enci reached out and gently caught her wrist, tightening his grip slightly. His voice dropped a little. "Let Meng Yuan and the others go in first. I have something to say to you."

Pulled to a stop by him at the corner of the corridor, Lu Xiaoxiao glanced back at Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan was hesitating over whether to wait for her. Lu Xiaoxiao waved her on. "Go ahead. I'll be there in a little while."

Meng Yuan glanced at her, then at Shao Enci. She gave a meaningful "Oh," then turned and walked away.

With his hands in his pockets, Qiu Boye followed her lazily, a few paces behind.

At the corner of the corridor, only the two of them remained.

Just then, 037's voice sounded in her mind without warning:

[Mission 13: Forcibly kiss your archenemy in a corner of the movie theater for five minutes. Time remaining: 9 minutes 59 seconds.]