Chapter Ninety-Eight: I Love Watching Movies

Yuan Xiaoying was a very spontaneous person. As they walked and chatted, their constant bickering actually put her in a great mood, making the feeling of being in the throes of new love feel increasingly real.

Because of this, she happily accepted the idea of eating at a street stall.

"Are you mental? Why on earth are you hounding the owner for a receipt after eating at a street stall?" Yuan Xiaoying asked Liu Jingye, sounding rather annoyed after dinner.

Liu Jingye chuckled sheepishly. "Can't you get reimbursed at the Gongwu Yuan? You could list it as official entertainment expenses, or maybe informant fees?"

"Haha..." Yuan Xiaoying replied with a forced, joyless smile. "I'm truly glad to have found a boyfriend who is both mature and so well-versed in the operational quirks of the system."

Liu Jingye started to speak, but Yuan Xiaoying cut him off. "Shut up. It’s still early, let’s go see a movie, then hit a nightclub to see if we can pick up any leads."

"Sounds good, let's go to the movies," Liu Jingye said, sounding slightly excited. "I love the atmosphere in a movie theater—it’s pitch black, the two of you sitting huddled together. We should pick a steamy romance film. Oh, right, I know a movie that’s been getting great reviews, it’s called 'Three’s Company, One’s My Wife'."

Hearing the title, Yuan Xiaoying snorted immediately, glancing at him sideways. "What’s the plot?"

Liu Jingye scratched his head. "Well, it’s about a man caught in a messy entanglement with two women: one he loves, and one who loves him. Whenever he’s getting intimate with the woman who loves him, he’s constantly fantasizing about the one he loves instead..."

"Ugh..." Yuan Xiaoying spat in disgust. "You men love that kind of trash because you’re all insatiable, low-life scum—always keeping your eyes on the pot while eating from the bowl. I’m not watching that rubbish."

"Then let’s watch the other one, called 'A Master Marksman'," Liu Jingye suggested.

Yuan Xiaoying’s eyes lit up. "Oh, that sounds interesting. Is it an action movie?"

"No, it’s a romance film that explores human nature and the complexities of marriage," Liu Jingye said.

"Then why is it called 'A Master Marksman'?" Yuan Xiaoying asked, puzzled.

"The story is about a man who has a passionate one-night stand with his ex-girlfriend on the eve of his wedding to tie up loose ends, but he ends up getting her pregnant. At the same time, on his wedding night, he hits the mark again and gets his new wife pregnant. The story follows him over the next year as he juggles two pregnant women, caught between morality, conscience, and human nature, not knowing which way to turn."

"Go to hell!" Yuan Xiaoying lashed out with a kick. "What kind of garbage is this? Either you're encouraging men to be promiscuous or telling stories about cheating. Are you looking to pick up some pointers?"

Liu Jingye obediently shook his head.

Yuan Xiaoying snorted coldly. "If you ever dare to keep strings attached to an ex or find a mistress behind my back, just see what happens to you!"

Her tone was fierce, and Liu Jingye had no doubt she would follow through. Even though he didn't know exactly what she would do, the prospect seemed terrifying.

He couldn't help but think of Chen Yuxin. His parents were currently on their way to propose on his behalf, and Chen Yuxin’s attitude had been ambiguous. If she took it seriously and Yuan Xiaoying found out, the place would be turned upside down.

Liu Jingye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and, pretending to be casual, joked, "Hey, relax. Let me ask you this—if I really did find a mistress or have an affair, what would you do?"

Yuan Xiaoying squinted, her expression serious. "I would walk away without a second thought."

"That generous?" Liu Jingye almost yelped. He asked weakly, "And then?"

"And then?" Yuan Xiaoying sneered. "I'd feed your head to the dogs!"

A chill ran down Liu Jingye's spine. He couldn't help but shrink his neck, muttering, "So, you’d actually rip my head off?"

"So you’d better behave yourself," she retorted with a cold laugh.

"Yes, yes, of course," Liu Jingye replied while wiping cold sweat, quickly silencing his phone in his pocket.

"Let's go, let's see the movie." Suddenly, a smile returned to Yuan Xiaoying’s face—a mix of shyness and happiness, making her a completely different person from the one who had just been throwing a tantrum.

"You switch modes way too fast," Liu Jingye said with a wry smile, letting her take his arm as they strolled toward the nearby cinema.

As soon as they entered, Yuan Xiaoying saw the various movie posters in the lobby and exclaimed, "The latest Detective Conan movie is out! Let's go watch Conan."

"A cartoon?" Liu Jingye asked, surprised.

"This isn't just any cartoon; people with an IQ under 85 can't even understand it," Yuan Xiaoying said seriously. "Plus, the cases involved might actually happen in real life, which helps me build experience. I also need to learn from a master detective's powers of observation and analysis."

Liu Jingye scoffed, "It’s a good thing you don’t watch 'Havoc in Heaven', or you’d be trying to learn the seventy-two transformations."

"Cut the crap," Yuan Xiaoying retorted. "You’ve watched so many Japanese 'love action' films, and I don't see you being any more impressive!"

"That’s because you haven't experienced it in depth yet," Liu Jingye said. "Once you do, you'll realize that Japanese men are trash!"

"Stop flattering yourself. Let's hurry, or we'll lose our seats." She bustled through the lobby and even took a photo with a giant poster of the Conan movie. Unfortunately, they had missed the current showing as the tickets were sold out. In small theaters like this, once the seats were gone, they stopped selling tickets, so they had to wait half an hour for the next one.

Yuan Xiaoying was frustrated and took her anger out on Liu Jingye: "It’s all your fault! If you weren't dragging your feet, we would have gotten tickets. They said the last two were just bought."

"How about we go home and watch it on the computer under the covers?" Liu Jingye suggested, his eyes twinkling.

"Dream on! Watch it under the covers? Why don't we hang from the rafters while we're at it?" Yuan Xiaoying huffed. "Besides, I never watch pirated content; I only support the official releases."

"Then what do we do?" Liu Jingye shrugged helplessly.

Just as they were feeling lost, a fair-skinned boy of seventeen or eighteen walked over. He was carrying a backpack and looked like a high school student.

He said in a dejected tone, "Are you two looking for Conan tickets? I happen to have two, and if you want them, I can let them go at face value."

"Really?" Yuan Xiaoying was overjoyed and reached for her money immediately. But then she paused and poked Liu Jingye: "You promised you were treating me!"

Liu Jingye asked the young man with a bitter smile, "Why aren't you going?"

The young man slumped. "I'm about to graduate from high school. I was planning to ask out a girl I've had a crush on for three years to see this movie and confess my feelings, but I just got a call—she said she’s going to a birthday party for some rich kid instead."

"Another tragic loser’s inspirational story," Liu Jingye sighed helplessly. Yuan Xiaoying’s sympathy was overflowing; she kept nudging him and whispered, "Hurry up and buy his tickets. Don't let the poor kid lose out twice over."

"Hurry up and pay, or I'm going to that rich kid's party too!" Yuan Xiaoying threatened.

Liu Jingye smiled bitterly and paid the money. The boy finally managed a smile, thanked them, and walked away. Liu Jingye looked at the backpack the boy was carrying; it looked heavy. He wondered what was inside—did he need to carry extra weight for a confession date?

Yuan Xiaoying assumed he was pitying the boy and said, "You should be secretly grateful you have a top-tier beauty like me as your girlfriend, otherwise you’d end up like him—a loser for the rest of your life. Learn a lesson from this story: if you miss a chance to confess, the girl you like might already be in someone else's bed. Seize the day and cherish the one in front of you, young man!"

"Yes, yes, I am very grateful. My only regret is that my hearing is too good," Liu Jingye said.

"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm nagging? You think I'm annoying?" Yuan Xiaoying lashed out.

"Let's just go watch the movie," Liu Jingye said. "But I have a feeling that kid back there was a bit off."

"How was he off? He’s just a heartbroken loser," Yuan Xiaoying said, puzzled.

"I can't put my finger on it, but I don't think he was a student..." Liu Jingye said. "Forget it, never mind him. Let’s focus on serving you, my lady."

"Good boy..."

They walked side-by-side into the screening room and found their seats according to the numbers. It turned out to be in the very last row in the furthest corner. Yuan Xiaoying laughed bitterly, "Looks like that kid was prepared. Picking such a secluded corner—if the confession had gone well, he would've had the chance to make a move!"

"Now it’s my turn to take advantage," Liu Jingye said. "Mind if I make a move?"

"Sure," Yuan Xiaoying replied readily. "If you can identify the culprit in the movie before the ending and provide the evidence, I'll give you a chance."

"It’s a deal." Liu Jingye snapped his fingers, full of confidence. "But I have to say, I don't actually like this cartoon much. Even though it's a classic detective series, I’ve always felt it was unrealistic."

"How is it unrealistic? The cases are very realistic and can even be applied to real life," Yuan Xiaoying argued.

"That’s true," Liu Jingye agreed. "The locked-room murders, the clever alibis, the mechanical traps—even the Detective Boys' stories are brilliant. But don't you feel like something is missing?"

"What's missing?"

"It’s been running for seventeen or eighteen years—why are there no rape cases? That’s just too fake!" Liu Jingye said.

"Get lost!"

Yuan Xiaoying shoved him aside and, asking the people in the next row to move, headed toward the corner seats.

Liu Jingye grumbled as he followed. As soon as Yuan Xiaoying sat down, his ears twitched, and he heard a strange sound coming from beneath the chair.

Liu Jingye’s nerves instantly sharpened, and he suddenly lunged forward, flopping onto the floor.

Yuan Xiaoying had just settled into her seat when his sudden movement startled her. The next thing she knew, Liu Jingye had crawled right between her feet and was making a move to dive under the hem of her skirt...