Chapter 166: Tragedy

Cheng Siguang had been so focused on avoiding Qin Yu and Lin Xi that he forgot about the risk of entering the venue right behind them.

There was no other choice. In the end, the two of them waited until the introductory lights dimmed before hastily sneaking in.

The moment they stepped inside, Lin Xi spotted them.

Lin Xi had been feeling a bit nervous at the time, her gaze darting randomly around the surroundings.

Suddenly, her vision locked onto two figures hunching over as they hurried up from the entrance, one of them almost tripping over the steps halfway through.

The two of them quickly made their way to the very last row and sat down. Because of the dim lighting, Lin Xi glanced back but could not make out their features.

Yet, just from their actions and posture, she felt a profound sense of strangeness.

The person in the back was doing fine, walking at a relatively moderate pace. But the one in front looked completely clumsy and flustered. Tripping and almost dropping to his knees, he practically scrambled all the way up.

It was just a movie, was there any need to be this excited?

Very soon, however, it dawned on Lin Xi—what on earth were these two grown men doing coming to see a romantic drama?

Before entering, she had caught a glimpse of the trailer playing on the screen. The film did not feature any A-list stars, showcasing only fresh faces instead. It seemed to be nothing more than a low-budget production.

Coupled with their furtive and secretive behavior, a sudden thought popped into Lin Xi's mind.

"What are you looking at?" Qin Yu handed her a bucket of popcorn. "It's starting."

"Oh, right."

Lin Xi lowered her gaze to look at the bucket of popcorn in her arms, which was bigger than her own head, and fell into deep thought.

After returning from the "restroom," she had not found Qin Yu in his original seat.

Casting her gaze around, she eventually spotted him making a purchase at the counter.

She sat down to wait for a moment, and soon saw him returning with drinks and popcorn in his arms.

Presumably, seeing that everyone else had bought a set, he had followed suit and prepared one for her as well.

In truth, whenever she watched a movie, she never ate or drank anything at all.

Yet clearly, Qin Yu was unaware of this. Viewed in this light, he did not understand her as completely as she thought.

Still, upon closer reflection, over all these past years, the two of them genuinely had never watched a movie alone together.

Years ago, a whole group of them had come once, but that was so long ago that she had forgotten most of the details.

Because the boys in their circle were never particularly fond of movies, considering them boring, and didn't follow celebrities or have any favorite actors, they simply never came back afterward.

She and Qin Yu had never gotten the chance to go to the cinema just the two of them.

Back when they were in the neighboring city, her academic workload had been intense.

Qin Yu would never take her out to fool around or waste time. Their sole recreation was passing by an arcade while strolling and playing for ten minutes.

It was only now that Lin Xi realized this actually counted as their very first time.

***

In the back row of the theater, Cheng Siguang leaned over to massage his bruised shin, wincing in pain.

Bai Xu sat to one side with his legs crossed, completely calm and composed, forming a sharp contrast to him. Sensing that someone's gaze kept lingering on the two of them, Bai Xu stood up and moved to a seat further away from Cheng Siguang.

Once Cheng Siguang straightened up, the seat beside him was already empty. Scanning the surroundings, he saw that Bai Xu had somehow slipped down to an empty row right in front of him, landing directly in his line of sight.

"..."

There weren't many people in the theater. Aside from the two of them, Qin Yu, and Lin Xi, everyone else was a couple.

There were only about five or six pairs in total.

Knowing how suspicious it looked, Cheng Siguang didn't call Bai Xu back. He shifted forward in his seat, leaning over to speak to him. "Did Lin Xi spot us just now?"

"No."

"I thought she kept looking back."

"Do you even have to ask? She definitely thinks you're gay."

"…Fine, if she misunderstood, so be it. That's still better than getting beaten up if she found out."

***

As the movie began, Lin Xi quickly focused her attention on the screen.

She didn't particularly enjoy watching films, and while studying abroad, she had always been dragged along by clubmates. She rarely initiated movie outings on her own.

Especially not with this genre.

Plucking a piece of popcorn and popping it into her mouth, Lin Xi chewed thoughtfully for a long while before swallowing.

"You don't like it?" Qin Yu's peripheral vision seemed to have been fixed on her all along, allowing him to notice this reaction instantly.

"Um." Lin Xi didn't want to ruin the mood.

Before coming, Cheng Siguang had repeatedly drilled this into her.

"No, I just finished dinner, so I'm not very hungry right now."

Qin Yu reached out. "Give it to me."

"Holding it is just uncomfortable for you."

The man was exceptionally considerate.

Lin Xi hesitated for a moment and didn't move. "It's fine, I'll eat some later."

Her gaze accidentally swept down to her shins. Qin Yu lowered his eyes, then silently slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over her legs without drawing attention to it.

Autumn had already set in, and Lin Xi was still wearing a skirt that left her legs bare.

It was indeed somewhat chilly.

His body heat still lingered on the jacket, transferring clearly and pressing closely against her skin.

Lin Xi instinctively explained, "I didn't pay attention to the weather when I went out."

She hadn't intentionally worn this outfit...

Had it been anyone else, such an explanation would have sounded like protesting too much. But coming from Lin Xi, Qin Yu truly didn't read anything else into it.

"The seasons are changing and temperatures keep dropping. Make sure you don't catch a cold."

"Mm." Lin Xi let out a quiet sigh of relief, silently pulling the jacket tighter around herself.

Sitting too far away, Cheng Siguang had no idea what they were discussing, but seeing the two of them whispering and interacting, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look at that, he's giving her his jacket." Cheng Siguang was far more excited than the people actually involved.

Bai Xu glanced at him coldly from the side. "Do I need your commentary? Can't I see for myself?"

"Tsk." Cheng Siguang hated that tone of voice the most, though by now he could somewhat understand Bai Xu. He chuckled and patted his shoulder. "It's fine, your big brother is letting you have this one today."

"After all, I'm watching this scene with a smile, while you are watching it... practically looking like you're about to cry, aren't you?"

"Must feel pretty terrible inside, right?"

Bai Xu narrowed his eyes in a forced smile. "Do you take me for yourself?"

"Whose heart hurts, they know best." Of course Cheng Siguang knew why Bai Xu had tagged along.

It was true that Bai Xu had come to watch the spectacle, but he certainly wasn't harboring any blessing-filled intentions.

Judging by that fierce and cold expression of his, he looked ready to march right up and tear the two people in front of him apart.

While he claimed to hope Lin Xi would do well, deep down, he ultimately couldn't let go.

It was destined to be a tragedy, especially since he couldn't compete for her anyway.

Aside from watching silently, what else could he do?

At this thought, Cheng Siguang even felt Bai Xu was out of his mind—wasn't this pure self-inflicted torture?

***

The movie reached a small climax as the male and female leads embraced and kissed.

Lin Xi glanced at the screen, then hastily looked away. Her gaze accidentally collided with Qin Yu's eyes.

As their eyes met, his gaze held a certain warmth.

For a moment, Lin Xi didn't know where to look and casually grabbed onto a new topic. "I'm going on a business trip next week, visiting my uncle's place."

"Will you be alright taking a flight?" Qin Yu worried about her. "If worst comes to worst, I'll have Cheng Siguang send someone else."

"I'll be fine," Lin Xi shook her head. "I'll just sleep through the flight anyway."

"How long?"

"Barring any accidents, about a week."