Who Goes to the Movies Just to Watch a Movie?

A few minutes later, Desert North Swordsman replied.

"He agreed."

"Boss, I think your hacking skills scared him. He's worried you'll team up with the owner of Domain Name Network."

Chen Fan did not respond to that. He simply sent over a bank account number.

To keep the other party from tracing his identity, Chen Fan had opened this foreign bank account online.

The identity information he used was not his own, either.

Desert North Swordsman: "Okay! I'll tell him right away."

Without another word, Chen Fan promptly logged off.

The other party reacted even faster than Chen Fan had expected.

Less than half an hour after his chat with Desert North Swordsman, the fifty thousand yuan actually arrived.

Clearly, his rival was desperate.

After confirming that the fifty thousand yuan had reached his account, Chen Fan took action.

He immediately withdrew his attack and erased every trace.

By noon, Easy Domain Network was back to normal.

But after the paid trolls and the hacking incident had stirred things up, the damage was done.

All the benefits of the expensive promotional campaign Easy Domain Network had run were gone.

Domain Name Network, on the other hand, had seized the opportunity to make a big name for itself.

Its traffic had already pulled far ahead of its rival, and its registered membership alone had passed two thousand.

Then news spread of several more successful high-priced domain transactions.

At that point, Domain Name Network had achieved its goal and left its rival far behind.

Even if both sides stopped playing dirty and competed fairly, Chen Fan no longer feared that Easy Domain Network would pose a threat.

Only a few days remained before university started.

Domain Name Network's registered membership finally passed five thousand, with more than ten thousand users online each day on average and over a hundred and fifty thousand posts.

Those figures were several times higher than those of its competitor, Easy Domain Network.

The two sites were no longer remotely in the same league in terms of traffic.

Easy Domain Network had poured more money into promotions over the past few days, but with little effect. It was practically just lending credibility to Domain Name Network.

That was because Domain Name Network had genuinely made a name for itself.

Only then did Chen Fan finally breathe a full sigh of relief.

He knew his rival could no longer turn things around.

Next, he would have to see when investors came knocking.

From his previous life, he only remembered that HiChina had acquired Easy Domain Network sometime around September.

But back then, Easy Domain Network had dominated the market without a rival.

In this life, although his Domain Name Network had substantial traffic, Easy Domain Network still existed.

The end of August was only a few days away.

If the people at HiChina were seriously considering an acquisition, they had to be watching both sites and weighing their options by now.

I can't let my guard down yet!

I have to keep this up through the end of September, and even be prepared to hold out until the end of the year.

Chen Fan quietly set that goal for himself.

Domain Name Network was his chance to make his first pot of gold in this life.

It would provide the foundation and funding for his future business ventures.

He had to seize this opportunity. He could not allow anything to go wrong.

Although he was busy every day, he still made time.

During the last two days of vacation before university began, Chen Fan asked Su Ruochu out alone.

Like a couple deeply in love, they went shopping, ate together, and enjoyed themselves.

After lunch, Chen Fan accompanied Su Ruochu to the movie theater.

The theater was almost empty that day, with hardly any moviegoers.

Su Ruochu had chosen the film. It was called A Sigh.

It was directed by Feng Kuzi and starred Zhang Guoli, Liu Bei, and Xu Fan.

The film remained well known in later years and was considered one of Feng Kuzi's signature works.

But in 2000, no one could have known that Feng Kuzi would become one of the defining directors of Chinese-language New Year comedy films.

Chen Fan had seen the film before and knew its plot well.

It mainly followed Liang Yazhou, a screenwriter played by Zhang Guoli, who failed to restrain himself and began an affair with his female assistant, Li Xiaodan. Yet once he went home, he still had to play the good husband and father in front of his wife.

The tangled love and resentment between the three characters in the second half of the film left a lasting impression.

In particular, Zhang Guoli's portrayal of Liang Yazhou perfectly captured a middle-aged man's desire to have it both ways.

The film was a classic, but Chen Fan felt a little glum.

Watching a film like this on their first date felt rather unlucky.

Including Chen Fan and Su Ruochu, there were only six people in the entire theater.

Sitting in the back row, Chen Fan was in no mood to watch the film.

Instead, he kept stealing glances at Su Ruochu beside him.

He did not know whether he was imagining it, but she seemed to have put on makeup especially for today. She looked noticeably prettier than usual.

Su Ruochu was engrossed in the film.

Suddenly, she felt something against her hand. Looking down, she discovered that someone was misbehaving and had quietly taken her hand.

Su Ruochu felt shy, but she did not pull away. She let him hold it.

There's hope.

Secretly delighted, Chen Fan wanted to push his luck a little further.

He quietly moved his hand down and rested it on Su Ruochu's thigh.

She immediately reacted as though she had been shocked and slapped the back of his hand.

Chen Fan's face fell.

"Just watch the movie." Su Ruochu glanced at him.

Chen Fan put on an innocent expression.

Who goes to the movies just to watch a movie?

She's still too innocent.

Looks like I'll have to find a chance to teach her a thing or two.

Unwilling to give up, Chen Fan wanted to try again.

But Su Ruochu gave him a fierce glare.

"If you keep misbehaving, I'm leaving."

Chen Fan hurriedly sat up and behaved himself, looking thoroughly dejected.

Perhaps she realized that what she had just said might have hurt him.

Su Ruochu hesitated, then spoke softly, her face flushed.

"I... I'm not that kind of girl."

"D-don't be angry. What's yours will be yours, sooner or later."

What's yours will be yours, sooner or later.

At those words, Chen Fan gave a sudden shudder.

He wanted to give himself a hard slap.

Damn it!

What's wrong with me?

When did I become such a bastard?

I know perfectly well that Ruochu is different from other women.

Why am I still being so impatient?

The excitement of being reborn must have gone to my head.

Chen Fan swiftly examined his own behavior.

He silently vowed never to act so rashly again.

In Chen Fan's eyes, Su Ruochu was utterly different. She was one in ten thousand.

He would not allow himself to make even the slightest mistake where she was concerned.

When the film ended, they left the theater together.

Seeing Chen Fan walking with his head lowered, Su Ruochu took the initiative and slipped her arm through his.

"You... aren't angry, are you?"

Chen Fan blinked, then smiled.

"Why would I be angry?"

Su Ruochu's pretty face flushed.

"Back in the theater, I didn't let you... anyway, you're not allowed to be angry."

Chen Fan smiled and took her small hand in his.

"You did the right thing. I was being too forward."

"I shouldn't have ignored your feelings."

"Don't worry. From now on, I won't dare do anything without your permission."

But Su Ruochu stared at him with a strange expression.

"Actually... if you'd insisted a little longer back there, there wouldn't have been much I could do."

"After all, I'm just a weak girl. I'm not as strong as you."

With that, Su Ruochu let go of Chen Fan and hurried ahead, her face red.

Chen Fan: "..."