Belle walked ahead with a spring in her step, a figure following beside her.
Lu Yingheng wore a black mask that concealed his finely sculpted features, leaving only his sharply defined jaw visible.
The young woman behind the cinema ticket counter glanced up several times, curiosity and puzzlement hidden in her eyes.
Pretending not to notice the gazes around them, Belle quietly turned her head and glanced at the man beside her out of the corner of her eye. A little cautiously, she asked:
"What kind of movie do you want to see? Anything's fine with me. You pick today."
Through the openings in his mask, Lu Yingheng looked at the girl beside him, whose eyes were full of anticipation. "You don't need to accommodate me. Just pick whatever you want."
Given permission, Belle's heart skipped half a beat. She immediately lowered her head and thought it over.
Before coming, she had made a point of asking her brother. People online said watching a horror movie was the best date activity for warming up a relationship with someone you had a secret crush on.
(Wise: A useless older brother)
Wise had said it with a constipated look on his face:
A dim setting made it easiest for people to grow closer, and fear made people instinctively rely on whoever was beside them.
All you had to do was pretend to be a little scared and take the opportunity to hide in his arms. That way, you could naturally draw closer and quietly raise his affection for you.
Just thinking about being able to get close to Lu Yingheng without making excuses and feel his warmth brought a faint blush to Belle's cheeks.
She pursed her lips and pointed at the horror mystery movie at the top of the ticket screen. "Then let's watch this horror movie. I heard it got great reviews."
The moment she finished speaking, Lu Yingheng's shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly.
This little girl isn't very old, but she sure has a lot on her mind.
He didn't expose her little scheme and simply went along with her wishes. "Sure, whatever you say."
After paying for the tickets, Belle took the two still-warm movie tickets and quickly led Lu Yingheng into the dark screening room.
The lights in the room had dimmed, leaving only the faint glow of the giant screen ahead. Darkness closed in around them.
The moment no one around them was looking, Belle stopped and rose onto her tiptoes. Her fingertips touched the mask, and she gently removed it.
"It's so dark in the cinema that nobody will recognize you. You don't have to keep wearing it.
"Let me have a look. I've wanted to get a good look at you for ages."
Lu Yingheng looked into the girl's sparkling eyes and followed her to a seat in the middle of the auditorium.
The lights went out completely, and the giant screen lit up. Eerie, sinister background music instantly filled the screening room.
Belle's heart skipped a beat, and a faint chill crept up her back.
She didn't really dare watch horror movies. Even the mild horror clips edited at the video store were more than she dared watch alone.
A full-length horror movie in an immersive theater, with lifelike images and sound effects, was another matter entirely.
A dark figure moved across the screen. The eerie shot shifted, and a terrifying image appeared in an instant.
Belle's body immediately began to tremble. Her fingertips gripped the seat tightly, her long eyelashes fluttering, her cheeks flushed crimson.
Beside her, Lu Yingheng took in her reaction and spoke softly, lowering his voice.
"If you knew you'd be scared, why insist on picking a horror movie? If you'd picked a lighthearted comedy, you might have been more comfortable watching it."
His gentle voice came from right beside her ear, his warm breath brushing against it.
Already flustered, Belle could no longer hold herself together. As though she had found her only safe haven, she lunged forward slightly and buried herself in Lu Yingheng's warm embrace.
"Wah... I'm so scared..."
Her soft, aggrieved, cajoling voice came from his chest. None of the courage she'd shown when picking the movie remained.
Lu Yingheng's embrace was broad, secure, and warm, and he carried the faint, fresh scent of sunshine-scented laundry detergent.
Belle: Smells good (*σ´∀`)σ
Belle pressed tightly against his shirt, listening to the steady, strong beat of his heart. All her fear vanished, leaving her heart full of sweetness.
She secretly marveled at how comfortable it felt to be held securely like this, and how hard it was not to crave it.
Feeling the girl's soft body in his arms, Lu Yingheng shook his head helplessly.
He became a plot filter, gently covering the top of Belle's head so that her whole face stayed buried in his chest, keeping her from seeing the frightening scenes.
Whenever a sinister, terrifying scene ended, he would gently raise a hand, pat her shoulder, and murmur a couple of reassuring words.
Come on, he was a super gentleman!
Belle nestled in his arms without the slightest guilt, letting her mind go completely blank.
She was so immersed in the intimate atmosphere that she lost track of time and forgot all about the story playing on the screen.
After an unknown amount of time, the eerie background music finally stopped, and the movie quietly came to an end.
The lights in the screening room slowly came on, bathing the entire room in warm light once more.
Belle remained lazily nestled in his arms, making no move to get up.
Lu Yingheng lowered his eyes to the fluffy top of her head and asked softly, "Was the movie good?"
Only then did Belle slowly raise her head. Her cheeks were still flushed, and her eyes were a little dazed, but she obediently nodded. "It was pretty good."
Seeing her bewildered expression, Lu Yingheng could no longer hide his amusement. A sly, wicked smile curled across his lips.
"Then do you think the butcher in the movie was a bad guy?"
Belle's head was still spinning. Without realizing what was happening, she went along with him and nodded seriously, answering in a sincere tone:
"He was. He killed so many people. He was really bad."
Lu Yingheng finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"But the movie we watched tonight was a ghost movie from beginning to end. What butcher?"
His words struck Belle like a thunderclap, jolting her out of her daze.
Her eyes widened, and her cheeks instantly turned bright red. Both embarrassed and annoyed, she clenched her little fist and lightly thumped his shoulder, her voice full of indignation.
"You tricked me! Lu Yingheng, you were teasing me on purpose!"
Lu Yingheng got up with a laugh, turned, and headed out with a spring in his step.
Sunlight streamed through the cinema doors, bathing them both in a golden glow.
Blushing, Belle followed behind him, then hurried to catch up, puffing her cheeks in annoyance.