Watching a Movie

Being hit on by APLUS, the girl who had no mental preparation was so happy she nearly fainted. There was no need to talk about feelings; the vanity brought to these girls by dating a school celebrity outweighed everything else. After introducing herself, this girl named Allie swept a triumphant glance at the jealous gazes around her, reached out to hook her arm through Song Ya's, and began to assert her sovereignty as his girlfriend.

The cheerleader goddess stomped her feet in anger, and the giant hunk from the football team who protected her quickly crowded over to serve as a backup.

Song Ya, having escaped a "disaster," didn't intend to burn bridges. He had picked Allie out from the crowd of girls precisely because she fit his aesthetic. Still in the eighth grade, she didn't have the "explosive" figure that Black men particularly loved in cheerleader goddesses; instead, she leaned toward the slender and petite build of an Asian. Due to being biracial, her skin tone and features were also more European, which Song Ya found quite pretty anyway.

It was perfect; having a legitimate girlfriend could save him a lot of trouble at school, at least by reducing the resentment from jealous boys.

On Friday after school, his sister Connie drove Song Ya to the entrance of the movie theater.

"Do you want me to leave the car with you?"

The corners of Connie's mouth were curled up as she spoke. "I know a few places; you can take a girl there after dark."

"Wow, you sure know a lot." Song Ya retorted, mocking Connie. He fished something out of his pocket; one look and he knew it was the kind handed out for free at school, which he had always been too embarrassed to take before. "I don't even have a driver's license, how am I supposed to drive?" This body knew how to drive, but he couldn't get a license until he was sixteen.

Connie said nonchalantly, "It's fine. Driving in the South Side, as long as you don't speed, nobody usually stops you. Are you sure you don't need it? I can take the bus home."

"Forget it, I don't want to take even the slightest risk." Song Ya opened the car door.

"Yeah, my Ya Li is going to be a big shot in the future." Connie patted Song Ya's face. "Don't be too trusting of those girls, keep your guard up." She pointed to the pocket where Song Ya had stashed the condoms.

"I know."

Song Ya agreed, said goodbye to Connie, and walked to the meeting spot. He saw Allie waiting there at a glance. She had dressed up carefully today, and upon seeing Song Ya, she pounced on him and hung onto his body. "Honey..."

"Uh... why did you come so early? Should we go buy tickets first?"

The two chatted as they walked into the movie theater. It wasn't yet time for office workers to get off, so the ticket window was deserted, which was perfect for making a leisurely choice.

"Huh?" Song Ya spotted two Chinese characters on the corner of a poster on the wall: "Golden Harvest".

"There's actually a movie from China to watch?" He became interested in this film called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. On the poster, four humanoid green turtles were wielding weapons and looked quite formidable.

"Are you still a kid? We should watch a movie for adults." Allie, standing beside him, noticed his selection preference.

"A movie for adults..." Song Ya misunderstood. "The ticket seller wouldn't sell us that kind of ticket, would they?" he asked.

"What are you thinking about!"

Allie pouted coquettishly and pointed to another poster. "I meant this one."

"Hmm?" Song Ya shifted his gaze to a movie poster titled Pretty Woman, featuring the infectious smile of a big-mouthed white actress. "Julia Roberts, a romance movie..."

"Let's watch this one." Allie pulled a handful of coins from her jeans pocket.

"Alright." Song Ya pressed her hand back, refusing to go Dutch, and paid for two tickets himself.

"This movie is very popular, the box office seems to have already passed a hundred million," the ticket seller introduced while printing the tickets.

"A hundred million?!" Song Ya was a bit surprised. "Is making movies this profitable?" he wondered.

With plenty of time before the movie started, the two wandered around the neighborhood. Song Ya treated her to ice cream and fried chicken. At a clothing store, he sensed that Allie really liked a small bag. He checked the price tag—about ten dollars, very cheap—and paid for it directly to give to her.

"You're so good to me."

Allie, having received the bag, was moved to tears. "From the time I was little until now, no one has ever been this good to me..."

"Sigh, we're all just kids from poor families."

Song Ya sighed inwardly. This feeling was strange. Although his memories from his past life were very blurry, he was very familiar with this standard Chinese "simp" dating routine. It seemed he hadn't done it rarely in the past, and the endings never seemed to be very good.

When it was time to enter the theater, it turned out to be a very high-quality romance film. Julia Roberts was perfectly suited for the role of a "laughing lady" and beautiful woman. The soundtrack for the entire movie was masterful, though the plot was a bit too dreamy.

"Would a Wall Street elite like the male lead really marry a prostitute?"

Walking out after the show, Song Ya sighed.

"Love conquers all! You're such a blockhead." Allie wasn't very happy. Just now, when the plot reached a sentimental point, she had pouted and hinted several times, only to be ignored by Song Ya.

After the movie, Song Ya felt a bit listless. The girl in front of him was constantly trying to cover up her childishness, doing her best to imitate the speech and mannerisms of older girls. This habit of loudly gossiping about boys and girls at school, calling female classmates she didn't like "bitches," and deliberately peppering her speech with F-bombs was exactly what Song Ya disliked.

To Allie, this was a sign of maturity; to Song Ya, it was proof that she had already been poisoned by the cultural dregs of a trashy public middle school.

"It's getting late, let me take you home," Song Ya said.

"Don't you love me anymore?" Allie could feel it; she pouted and cried again. "I'm sorry, I've never dated before. I don't know how to be with a school celebrity like you..."

Hmm? Never dated before?

Song Ya's eyes lit up. "Uh... how about this? I'll take you to the music company where I work for a tour? Maybe I can record a song for you or something."

The plan was back in motion!

"Really!?" Allie's tears turned into a smile.

"Of course." Song Ya put his arm around Allie, walked through a few streets, and arrived downstairs at Joe Music.

"Carl!" He pounded on the iron door.

Carl looked at the girl behind him, his fierce face revealing a lecherous smile as he stepped aside to let them in.

"Thanks, Carl."

Song Ya led Allie upstairs. Except for Carl at the door, Joe Music was pitch black, not a soul in sight. He walked straight into the recording studio and turned on the lights.

"Wow." Allie was very excited to see the professional equipment, curiously touching things here and there. "Are the songs you write all recorded here?"

Song Ya looked at Allie's back as she stood in front of the mixing console. He recalled Eric's teachings. "Yeah, they're all recorded here. Want to learn? Come here, I'll teach you."

"Allie."

"Bang!"

Song Ya, deep in his sleep, was startled into a sudden jump by the loud noise, and Allie woke up too; half a second later, she began to scream.

At the doorway, Eric was laughing so hard he nearly collapsed to the floor, backed by a group of musicians in bizarre costumes carrying various instruments, all of them smirking as they looked at him... and Allie.

"XXX! Eric!"

He cursed at the top of his lungs.