Shen Xi stared intently at her phone, not glancing at the movie screen for a long time.
Song Kaicheng, noticing her distracted state, leaned in slightly and asked, "Xi Xi, what's wrong?"
Startled, Shen Xi quickly turned off her phone screen and looked ahead. "It's nothing, just a friend asking me something. This movie is quite good, let's keep watching."
Song Kaicheng didn't respond, turning his attention back to the screen.
A dozen seconds later, Shen Xi's phone lit up. She immediately picked it up, discreetly opening it away from Song Kaicheng's view. She saw a message from Qin Siye: "Come out quickly, I'm in the cinema lobby."
Huh? How did he get here so fast? Shen Xi glanced at Song Kaicheng again and replied, "It wouldn't be good for me to go out now. It might make Brother Kaicheng suspicious."
"Then how about I buy a ticket and come in," Qin Siye quickly sent back a firm reply.
Seeing this, Shen Xi immediately said, "Don't. I'll come out."
Putting down her phone, Shen Xi leaned closer to Song Kaicheng and whispered, "Brother Kaicheng, I have a friend in the lobby looking for me about something. I'm just going out for a moment, I'll be right back."
Song Kaicheng looked at her sideways for a moment. He thought about going with her but worried she might be displeased. "Okay. Be careful and come back soon."
She hurried to the lobby and scanned the area, but Qin Siye was nowhere to be seen.
The next moment, someone from behind wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into a deserted corner. Shen Xi, startled, almost cried out. Looking up, she met Qin Siye's stern face.
After regaining her footing, she gently pushed him. "What are you doing? You scared me."
"You scared me more. It's not even a holiday, and you suddenly come to watch a movie alone with another man. What's the meaning of this?" Qin Siye's cold tone was filled with jealousy.
Shen Xi chuckled and quickly explained, "I wasn't planning to come at first, but then I realized someone was following me, so I changed my mind at the last minute."
Hearing this, Qin Siye anxiously took her hand. "Following you? Who?"
Shen Xi remained calm, her tone even. "A female doctor I used to work with. She always thought I stole a lot of her patients. Don't worry about her, I've already lost her."
Hearing her dismiss it so lightly, Qin Siye didn't think much more and shifted the topic back to the movie. "But you still shouldn't be watching a movie alone with Song Kaicheng."
"Don't you think a movie theater is the safest place?" Shen Xi retorted with a raised eyebrow.
"Hmm, you have a point." Qin Siye's ink-black eyes flickered a few times. Suddenly, he took her hand and started walking towards the ticket counter.
Shen Xi struggled, asking in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"Watching a movie." Qin Siye looked back at her meaningfully. "Didn't you just say a movie theater is the safest place? We can watch one too, and no one will find out."
"No, no, no, I can't go with you." Shen Xi stopped, forcefully breaking free from his hand and stepping back. If she were caught by Brother Kaicheng sneaking off to watch a movie with Qin Siye right under his nose, they would likely end up fighting again.
Qin Siye, however, was insistent. He grabbed her hand again. "This is too unfair. You can watch a movie with him, so you have to watch one with me too. Otherwise, I'll buy a ticket and watch it with you all."
Shen Xi was flustered. This man always did as he said. If he really bought a ticket and went in, he would inevitably encounter Brother Kaicheng, and no one could predict what would happen then. Lost in thought, she was already being pulled by Qin Siye to the ticket booth.
Learning that they were watching a newly released sci-fi blockbuster, Qin Siye calculated the time and quickly bought two tickets for a romance film. "The sci-fi movie is longer, it ends in two hours. This romance film is only an hour and a half. After it finishes, it won't be too late for you to go back to him."
Saying this, he pulled Shen Xi's hand towards the ticket check. Shen Xi, finding his reasoning logical and at least ensuring they wouldn't run into each other, no longer resisted.
As they had their tickets checked and walked towards the cinema hall, Shen Xi asked, "How did you find this place so quickly?"
"I was dining on the third floor," Qin Siye replied with a smile, his hand still firmly holding hers, as if afraid she would run away.