It’s said that chance encounters are often fated.
Lin Qiutong chose the same movie as Song Qinian, and it was in the same auditorium.
Lin Qiutong’s plan was that if Song Qinian didn’t come to watch the movie, she wouldn’t disturb her and Shen Chiyan’s private time.
If Song Qinian did come to watch, she would definitely find a way to make Song Qinian see her and Shen Chiyan, and at that moment, Song Qinian would undoubtedly be heartbroken and disillusioned with Shen Chiyan.
Whether Song Qinian came or not, she would win.
Lin Qiutong was in a cheerful mood, with a happy smile on her lips.
Seeing Shen Chiyan staring at the movie screen, Lin Qiutong ate a piece of popcorn and asked, "A Yan, what do you think of the female lead?"
"What do you mean, what do I think?"
"Her acting, her appearance, you can comment on anything."
"She's alright."
This romance film was about a story of "unrequited love." The male and female leads grew up together, secretly harboring feelings for each other. However, they both believed the other only saw them as a friend, and feared that confessing their feelings would jeopardize their relationship, so they never did.
Later, they went through countless experiences, only to finally discover each other's true feelings, but it was too late, and circumstances had changed.
Lin Qiutong wanted to use this movie to express her affection for Shen Chiyan, but Shen Chiyan’s mind was clearly not on the movie’s plot.
The moment he saw the female lead, even though she bore no resemblance to Song Qinian, his mind was filled with Song Qinian’s pale, delicate face.
Especially during the scene where the male and female leads caused a commotion by the lake during their university days, his head ached inexplicably again.
It was as if, at some point in time, he had also been by a lake, staring at a girl with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
Seeing Shen Chiyan rubbing his temples with his fingertips, Lin Qiutong leaned closer and asked softly, "A Yan, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
As she leaned in, the two of them became very close, almost touching.
Shen Chiyan shook his head and subtly moved away a little. "No, let's keep watching."
It was rare enough for him to accompany Lin Qiutong to a movie, he couldn't possibly ruin her mood.
Lin Qiutong's expression changed slightly when she noticed Shen Chiyan's movement, but then she smiled again. "Here, have some popcorn."
Lin Qiutong brought a piece of popcorn to Shen Chiyan's lips. He disliked the overly sweet taste and was about to refuse, when Lin Qiutong had already placed the popcorn on his lips.
Shen Chiyan endured the discomfort and ate it. Lin Qiutong then offered him a cola.
"Popcorn and cola are the standard for watching movies. You have to try them even if you don't like them."
Shen Chiyan didn't like these carbonated drinks, but Song Qinian seemed to enjoy them quite a bit.
That woman, she seemed to like this kind of junk food, he couldn’t figure out what was so great about it.
Shen Chiyan took a sip of the cola and, as expected, he didn’t like it.
Seeing Shen Chiyan’s furrowed brow, Lin Qiutong covered her mouth and chuckled. "You look so funny right now. I should take a picture of your expression and send it to Yu Qi and Si Nian for them to see."
Shen Chiyan felt inexplicably restless, though he didn’t know why. He took out his phone to check it.
There were quite a few messages from people, but none from Song Qinian.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, let's watch the movie."
Song Qinian, that woman, she claimed to like him, but whenever he came home late or didn’t return for several days, she never asked.
The movie was 120 minutes long, and Shen Chiyan remained distracted throughout, not even knowing what it was about.
When they left the cinema, he was quite dejected. He vowed never to set foot in a cinema again.
Meanwhile, on Song Qinian's end, the movie had ended, but she still hadn't seen Shen Chiyan.
She hadn't seen him, nor had she received any message from him.
Song Qinian sighed heavily. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t sad or disappointed.
She had finally gathered the courage to ask Shen Chiyan to watch a movie, but it still hadn’t worked out.
Perhaps he was genuinely too busy. Maybe she could try asking him again some other time.
Compared to the couples around her, Song Qinian, holding a cup of coffee and a piece of bread, looked rather lonely.
As she left the mall, it had started to drizzle, and the wind made her shiver.
Song Qinian hugged her arms, her mood darkening further. It felt as if even the heavens were picking on her.
Just as she was about to hail a taxi home, she suddenly spotted two familiar figures.
In that instant, she felt rooted to the spot, her face draining of color.
Not far away, the two people were Shen Chiyan and Lin Qiutong.
Lin Qiutong was holding a bucket of popcorn and a cup of cola, clearly having just come out of the cinema.
Perhaps feeling a bit cold, Lin Qiutong shivered.
Without a second thought, Shen Chiyan took off his jacket and draped it over Lin Qiutong's shoulders.
Lin Qiutong smiled sweetly at Shen Chiyan. From Song Qinian's angle, she couldn't see Shen Chiyan's expression, but she could guess he was likely very happy.
Shortly after, Gao Kunlun's car arrived. Shen Chiyan personally opened the rear door for Lin Qiutong, and after she got in, he also got into the car.
The car quickly disappeared down the street. Song Qinian clenched the cup of coffee in her hand, feeling like a complete fool.
Just moments ago, she had been making excuses for Shen Chiyan, perhaps he hadn't returned to his office and hadn't seen the movie tickets and note she left.
Or maybe he was too busy to see the WeChat message she sent.
Until that moment, it felt like a slap in the face, followed by four harsh words.
Self-delusion.
He had time to watch a movie with Lin Qiutong, so how could he not have had time to reply to her message?
It could only mean that he had no intention of acknowledging her at all!
Heh…
After all, in his heart, Lin Qiutong, his "white moonlight," was still more important.
Her chest ached as if it had been gouged by a knife. She looked at the coffee and bread she had bought for Shen Chiyan in her hand, finding it increasingly ironic. She then unceremoniously threw them into the trash can.
When Song Qinian returned home, she saw Shen Chiyan, who had just finished showering, sitting on the sofa, drinking water and reviewing documents. He seemed to be in a good mood.
Of course, after accompanying his "white moonlight" to a movie, how could he not be in a good mood?
Song Qinian ignored Shen Chiyan and went straight to her room.
She sat on the bed, lost in thought for a while. Just as she was about to take a bath, Shen Chiyan walked in.
"You didn't see me just now?"
Song Qinian felt an indescribable pain in her heart. This man, who had been with Lin Qiutong an hour ago, why was he coming to confront her now?
Could it be that he was going to avenge Lin Qiutong's three years in a vegetative state again?
It was late, and Song Qinian was tired. She gestured gently, "I saw you."
"Then why didn't you acknowledge me? And where did you go? Why did you come home so late?"
Song Qinian looked deeply at Shen Chiyan, unsure if his question was one of concern or an accusation.
She curved her lips into a faint smile. "Don't you always not care where I go?"