Malice

This Sunday was Gu Yuechen's day off. He did not want to lose to Yu Yaochen, so he carefully dressed himself up.

Yu Yaochen had said he would come pick him up, but Gu Yuechen refused outright and arranged to meet at the entrance of the cinema instead.

The weather was unbearably hot, and weekend traffic was terrible. Gu Yuechen spent over an hour on the bus.

The air conditioning on the bus seemed to be broken. It was stuffy, with all kinds of smells mingling together.

Although Gu Yuechen opened the window for ventilation, he still could not avoid breaking into a slight sweat.

After arriving at the mall where the cinema was located, he immediately went to the restroom to check his clothes.

After dawdling for quite a while, he finally reached the cinema entrance.

Yu Yaochen had arrived early. He stood in a corner with his head lowered, playing on his phone.

He was nearly six foot three, with a handsome, refined face. Even standing in an inconspicuous corner, he made passersby turn back for another look.

If not for the ring on his ring finger, quite a few people would probably have worked up the nerve to approach him.

Mockery flashed through Gu Yuechen's eyes before he walked up to Yu Yaochen.

Sensing someone approach, Yu Yaochen looked up and smiled.

"I was just about to message you." Yu Yaochen slipped his phone back into his pocket. "It was almost time, and I was worried something might have come up at the last minute."

Gu Yuechen suppressed his displeasure toward Yu Yaochen, his smile perfectly measured. "Of course not. I already made plans with you. I definitely wouldn't stand you up at the last minute."

Yu Yaochen looked around. It seemed to be his first time at a cinema, and he asked, "Where do we buy the tickets?"

"I already bought them online," Gu Yuechen said. "Wait here. I'll go pick them up."

Yu Yaochen nodded. "All right."

His face was cool and indifferent, yet his manner was remarkably obedient, creating a striking contrast.

Gu Yuechen jogged over to the ticket machine and followed the instructions on the screen.

This was also his first time seeing a movie. To Gu Yuechen, going to the cinema was a meaningless expense. If not for something especially important, he would never have come here to spend money.

Fortunately, he had worked at a cinema before and knew how to buy tickets more cheaply.

After collecting the tickets, Gu Yuechen went back to find Yu Yaochen, only to discover that he was no longer standing where he had been.

Gu Yuechen frowned and looked around, finally spotting Yu Yaochen at the popcorn stand.

Yu Yaochen held popcorn in one arm and two cups of cola in the other hand as he strode toward Gu Yuechen.

"Why did you buy all this too?" Gu Yuechen took one of the colas.

"I saw everyone else had some, so I bought them too."

Gu Yuechen had deliberately not bought any because he thought they were too expensive. Besides, he had assumed Yu Yaochen would not care for this kind of food.

Now that Yu Yaochen had bought them, Gu Yuechen seemed stingy instead.

"I said I was treating you to the movie. I should have bought these too."

"Next time." Yu Yaochen lifted his chin, his gaze falling on the line in the distance. "Can we go in soon?"

"Mm, it's almost time."

Gu Yuechen walked ahead, deliberately keeping his distance from Yu Yaochen.

Once inside the theater, they found their seats. A fat man sat beside them with his legs spread wide, nearly sticking them into someone else's seat.

Gu Yuechen's expression changed slightly. He stopped and said to Yu Yaochen, "You sit here."

Yu Yaochen gave a quiet acknowledgment and turned sideways to pass through.

The aisle was narrow, and their bodies inevitably brushed against each other.

Gu Yuechen's brows drew tightly together. He sat down at once and patted the spot on his clothes that had just touched Yu Yaochen.

Yu Yaochen did not notice Gu Yuechen's subtle gesture. He set down the popcorn and cola.

The man beside them glanced at Yu Yaochen. Whether he was won over by his looks or intimidated by his expensive clothes, he obediently pulled his legs back into place.

Gu Yuechen had wanted to see Yu Yaochen make a fool of himself, but upon seeing this, he could not help sneering inwardly.

He would bet Yu Yaochen had never suffered a setback in his entire life.

God had opened every window for Yu Yaochen, allowing him to enjoy every privilege and live his whole life cherished by others.

That was why he did not cherish Pei Huanyi.

Gu Yuechen also did not understand why Yu Yaochen had agreed to this date. He was about to get married; did he not know to keep his distance from strange men?

"What movie is this?" Yu Yaochen suddenly asked.

Gu Yuechen had held the tickets the entire time. Yu Yaochen had simply followed him and did not know what they were watching.

"Just a romantic comedy."

The night before, Gu Yuechen had compared prices across various apps and picked the cheapest movie.

"Do you want some popcorn?" Yu Yaochen asked again.

Gu Yuechen found him unbearably annoying. He had no idea why everyone liked Yu Yaochen so much.

When Gu Yuechen did not answer, Yu Yaochen did not ask again and turned his attention to the screen.

It was clearly a clichéd romance, but Yu Yaochen watched it intently, as though he were already absorbed in the story.

Gu Yuechen yawned repeatedly. When he turned and saw Yu Yaochen's expression, he rolled his eyes in disdain.

They were in the dark now. Gu Yuechen could freely unleash his malice without worrying that Yu Yaochen would notice.

Perhaps Gu Yuechen's stare was too intense, because Yu Yaochen seemed to sense it and looked over.

Gu Yuechen jumped in fright and hurriedly lowered his head, pretending to take some popcorn.

In his panic, he failed to hold the popcorn properly, spilling quite a bit from his hand onto Yu Yaochen's pants.

Yu Yaochen did not get angry. He held the popcorn out to Gu Yuechen.

"Sorry, I should have let you hold it. It's inconvenient for you to eat like this, isn't it?"

Gu Yuechen pressed his lips together, reached out, and took it into his arms.

Was he so well protected that he always treated people with kindness?

Every time Gu Yuechen wanted to see Yu Yaochen lose his composure, all he saw in the end was his own ugliness.

Gu Yuechen ate popcorn gloomily. By the time the movie ended, he had nearly finished it.

Yu Yaochen stood up first. "Are you still drinking the cola? I'll take it for you."

Gu Yuechen shook his head. "Just leave it here. Someone will come clean up."

After leaving the cinema, Yu Yaochen glanced at the expensive watch on his wrist. "It's almost five. Are you hungry?"

"I'm not hungry. I just ate popcor—"

An abrupt ringtone cut Gu Yuechen off. Yu Yaochen gave him an apologetic look before answering the call.

Who knew what was said on the other end? The smile in Yu Yaochen's eyes deepened.

Gu Yuechen stared darkly at Yu Yaochen's face, wondering if it was Pei Huanyi calling.

When Yu Yaochen finished the call and looked over, Gu Yuechen had already resumed his gentle, obedient expression.

"Sorry, something came up and I need to go back to the studio. I can't see you home."

Just as Yu Yaochen turned to leave, Gu Yuechen suddenly caught the hem of his clothes.

"I..." Gu Yuechen paused, then said, "Can I visit your studio?"