“Gu Fan… where are you taking me?”
We were walking through the crowded shopping street.
Gu Fan was ahead, parting the crowd to clear a path, while I clung tightly to his arm, trying not to get lost.
I had wanted to ask Gu Fan what our afternoon plans were as soon as we left the house, but seeing his excited expression made me think it was better to just leave it up to him.
Still… why are there so many hotels around here… could it be…
I nervously stared at Gu Fan’s back, hesitating before asking.
“Zhi Nian, is there anything you haven’t done yet?”
“Uh, um… go to a hotel?”
“Huh? Well… it wouldn’t be bad to try it once.”
So Gu Fan didn’t mean what I thought?
I looked at him in surprise, then realized I was overthinking things—Gu Fan probably hadn’t considered anything weird.
“N-no, that’s not it. I wasn’t really thinking of going to a hotel, it was just something I said casually.”
That excuse was like a balloon ready to pop.
A normal person’s first thought wouldn’t be about hotels.
Unfortunately, my slow mind couldn’t come up with a better explanation, so I just hoped Gu Fan wouldn’t dig deeper into my dirty little thought.
“Alright then, how about I arrange your afternoon?”
Gu Fan squinted, maybe sensing the flaw in my words.
“No problem, I’ll follow whatever you decide.”
Since I’d just lost that round, I dared not argue.
Besides, I really had no clue what to do.
Going with Gu Fan’s plan and making him happy was enough for me.
But… if Gu Fan really did take me to a hotel, I might half-jokingly go along with it?
I felt like I was easily swayed by him.
We walked on, leaving the busy shopping street behind, and the crowd thinned noticeably.
Facing the sun, I carefully stepped on Gu Fan’s shadow, trying to control my wandering thoughts and letting my childhood friend lead the way.
“We’re here.”
Gu Fan held my wrist to stop me from bumping into a street lamp.
Hm, I almost ran into one twice today—seems I have a strange connection with street lamps.
After a silent complaint, I looked up at the grand building before us.
“A c-cinema?!”
“Hmm, how about it? You’re not opposed to watching movies, right?”
“I’m not against it, just… I’ve never been to a cinema before, so I’m a little nervous.”
The cinema was huge. Just by looking at the exterior, I already knew that places like this weren’t really for me.
Or rather, I didn’t want to try places associated with family, friends, or dates, nor did I have the opportunity to.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of interacting with people — it was more that I didn’t feel the need.
“Looks like I was right. So, Miss Shen, may I trouble you to enjoy the movie with me?”
Gu Fan deliberately struck a graceful pose, bowing slightly as he extended his hand toward me.
This refined gesture actually helped ease the tension in my chest.
I took a deep breath, composed myself, and grasped Gu Fan’s index finger.
Please forgive my cowardice — I wasn’t yet ready to truly hold Gu Fan’s hand in the full sense.
“Of c-course! I would be delighted!”
“Then let’s get going.”
Though Gu Fan gave the order to depart, this time I was the one pulling him forward — afraid he might look back and see my uncontrollable facial expression.
Inside, the cinema was indeed crowded, and the hallways twisted and turned like a maze.
If I had come alone, I’d probably still be wandering around by dusk.
Being in such a vast space made me inexplicably anxious and uneasy.
Once inside, Gu Fan released my hand and confidently talked to the staff.
I silently slipped into a corner, hiding in the shadows where no light shone, zoning out while waiting for him to get the tickets.
Unexpectedly, Gu Fan turned around and started looking for me.
Just as I was about to speak up, Gu Fan somehow sensed where I was and shook his phone at me.
Huh? What does that mean?
I didn’t quite understand, so I shook my phone back.
Then Gu Fan gave a wry smile, lit up his screen, and tapped a few times — and I received a call from him.
“Ah, hi, h-hello.”
“Hmm, hello, hello.”
“Any orders?”
“Just wanted to ask what kind of movies you like.”
Gu Fan held back a laugh but tried to sound serious as he asked me.
“Well… what kind of movies do you like, Gu Fan?”
Since I had very little experience watching movies, I decided to throw the question back at him.
“Me? I don’t really have a favorite type. I’m a bit of an omnivore — I watch whatever I can.”
“No way, no way. You said you’d take care of everything, so of course picking the movie is your job.”
Without thinking twice, I decided to dump all the decisions on Gu Fan and be a totally lazy little potato.
Honestly, it’s pretty great to have someone willing to be relied on. Even if I feel a little guilty about it.
“Well, since you said that, I’ll pick a horror movie.”
What?! If I end up screaming out loud, my face will definitely be lost forever, won’t it?
Just imagining myself watching a horror movie sent shivers down my spine — even though I’ve never actually watched one, so I don’t know how I’d react.
But what I can imagine is that if I really lose it, the humiliation would be unbearable.
Honestly, going to a hotel sounds better…
“Zhi Nian? You really hate horror movies, don’t you?”
Maybe it was my long silence that tipped Gu Fan off.
He said knowingly, then hung up and waved at me.
Just as I reached him, the service staff notified us that our two tickets for a currently popular romance movie were ready.
Hmm… this feels even stranger.
At this point, it’s too late to complain, and I don’t mind watching a romance movie with Gu Fan, even if it tends to stir the imagination.
I’m curious why Gu Fan decided on this genre.
After waiting in line a bit, we finally entered the huge theater bathed in warm orange light.
I wasn’t distracted by the curiosity of exploring a new place; instead, my eyes kept observing the other moviegoers.
Hmm… it seems most are couples or close friends.
Gu Fan and I don’t really fit either category — so how should we define our relationship?
Just ordinary childhood friends?
Or maybe good friends who recently reconciled?
I glanced at Gu Fan leading the way.
He was looking at our tickets, searching for our seats.
When he noticed my gaze fixed on the tickets, he smiled and answered.
“Ah, the staff recommended it.”
Gu Fan said.
“Since I didn’t know what we’d both like, I figured we’d just give it a try.”
“Hmm, I see.”
…A little disappointing.
But that’s exactly the kind of person Gu Fan is.
The seats in the theater were the foldable kind.
At first, I was worried they might collapse under me, so I gingerly lowered myself onto one — only to have Gu Fan chuckle at me.
“It’s fine, they’re really sturdy.”
“Mmh… it’s my first time, okay…”
“Haha, then I’ll make sure to teach you all the things you need to know.”
Something about that conversation felt a bit… off.
I rubbed my silly little head, but couldn’t quite figure out what was strange.
After Gu Fan sat down, he rested his arm on the armrest — the one with a little groove in it — and spaced out for a moment.
Then, suddenly, he sprang to his feet.
“Wait for me a sec, I’m going to buy something.”
“Huh? Oh… okay.”
Weird… do people buy stuff during a movie?
Could it be… is Gu Fan trying to ditch me under the pretense of buying something?
I imagined myself sitting alone in the dim theater while the couples around me whispered sweet nothings and cuddled, and I just sat there, staring blankly.
Then I’d call Gu Fan, and he’d say, ‘Something came up. You go ahead and watch it yourself’.
Ugh. No. Stop it.
I mustn’t spiral like that. I have to trust Gu Fan.
I clenched my fists in front of my chest, and even wrapped my tail tightly around my waist, giving myself a boost of confidence.