Chapter 38: The Horror Movie Date

Under a large tree, an old man sat on a small wooden stool, his long, drawn-out cry carrying the warmth of bygone days: “Tanghulu for sale—”

Inside the glass case, skewers of tanghulu glistened in neat rows, the sugar coating shimmering with an amber luster under the light.

Luo Xiaoyun’s footsteps came to an unconscious halt, her gaze fixed on the brilliant red. She turned her head, a sparkle in her eyes. “Senior, want to try some?”

Su Muxue noticed the barely concealed longing in her expression and a smile curved at the corners of her lips. “Sure.” She didn’t call out the little glutton in front of her; besides, sweets were hard to resist.

Luo Xiaoyun was about to grab two skewers of hawthorn tanghulu when Su Muxue gently stopped her. “Having all hawthorn tanghulu is no fun.”

Her eyes landed on the bright red strawberries nearby. “I want the sugar-coated strawberries.”

Luo Xiaoyun thought that made sense, so she took one of each—holding the hawthorn tanghulu for herself while Su Muxue accepted the skewer of strawberries wrapped in glistening sugar.

Su Muxue lowered her head and bit into a strawberry gently, the sweet juice spreading in her mouth. “So sweet.” She looked up, her gaze falling on the tanghulu in Luo Xiaoyun’s hand. “I want to try yours too.”

Luo Xiaoyun looked at her untouched tanghulu and obediently handed it over. Su Muxue leaned in slightly, parting her lips to lightly bite the topmost hawthorn.

With a crisp crack, the sugar shell shattered. She squinted in satisfaction, then returned the skewer to Luo Xiaoyun’s lips.

“The tanghulu is sweet too. You should taste it.”

Luo Xiaoyun froze. On the skewer of tanghulu was a shallow tooth mark—left by Su Muxue. After a moment’s hesitation, she carefully bit off one piece.

The sugar dissolved on her tongue, sweetness spreading. Was this… an indirect kiss?

Su Muxue also brought her sugar-coated strawberry to Luo Xiaoyun’s mouth.

Luo Xiaoyun gently bit into one. The freshness of the strawberry and the crisp sweetness of the sugar intertwined, but she clearly felt that the one her senior had tasted was especially sweet.

“Which tastes better, strawberry or tanghulu?” Su Muxue asked with a smile.

“Both are good.” Luo Xiaoyun’s ears burned. She lowered her head, her voice as soft as a whisper. “But the ones you gave me… seem sweeter.”

…

“Let’s go.” Su Muxue tossed the two bamboo sticks lightly into the trash bin and naturally took her hand. “To the movies.”

As the elevator ascended slowly, Luo Xiaoyun couldn’t help but ask softly, “What movie is it?”

“You’ll know when we get there.” Su Muxue smiled slightly, her fingertip gently tracing a line across Luo Xiaoyun’s palm.

The poster at the entrance of the theater had just been taken down; Luo Xiaoyun only caught a glimpse of a dim color scheme.

Su Muxue took out two tickets, and Luo Xiaoyun noticed the words “Couple Seat” printed on them. Her heart skipped a beat.

The lights inside the theater were already dim, with only the aisle lights emitting a faint blue glow. Their seats were in the middle of the last row—a spacious double sofa with crimson velvet that glowed softly in the darkness.

As they sat down, the sofa sank slightly, and their bodies inevitably drew closer. Luo Xiaoyun could clearly smell the faint gardenia fragrance on Su Muxue, mixed with the lingering sweetness of sugar from the candied fruit, distinct in the dark.

The movie started.

Instead of the anticipated romantic music or heartwarming scenes, a sharp, piercing sound effect began, followed by a bloodstained title slowly emerging on the dark screen. Luo Xiaoyun froze—this was clearly a horror film.

She instinctively looked at Su Muxue. In the last traces of dim light, Su Muxue was staring intently at the screen, a faint, elusive smile on her lips. That smile held a certain meaningful tenderness.

The first horror scene came twenty minutes in. On the screen, a pale figure crawled slowly out of a wardrobe, joints emitting strange cracking sounds.

The audio spiked abruptly, and Luo Xiaoyun shuddered, her fingers unconsciously tightening into the armrest.

Just then, a warm hand gently covered hers.

“Scared?” Su Muxue whispered, her voice low, her breath brushing against Luo Xiaoyun’s ear.

Luo Xiaoyun wanted to shake her head, but another ghost face suddenly enlarged on the screen, making her flinch again. She never watched horror movies at home, and now she was genuinely frightened.

The horrific images kept switching, spine-chilling sound effects echoing through the theater, but Luo Xiaoyun’s attention gradually shifted to their intertwined hands.

Su Muxue’s fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles, now clasping her hand in a gentle yet firm grip, impossible to break free, yet full of reassurance.

Another jump scare struck. Luo Xiaoyun jerked to the side, almost instinctively leaning toward Su Muxue. The moment their shoulders touched, she felt Su Muxue’s arm naturally encircle her, gently hugging her shoulder.

“If you’re scared, you can lean on me.” Su Muxue’s voice sounded beside her ear, warm breath entwining.

Luo Xiaoyun stiffened, not daring to move. The bloody scenes on screen were terrifying, but the warmth of the embrace behind her oddly brought her comfort.

Midway through the movie, the most terrifying scene appeared. A confined space, a shaky camera, footsteps approaching step by step.

Luo Xiaoyun held her breath, her fingers unconsciously tightening. She could feel sweat forming in her palms, but Su Muxue’s hand remained steady, her thumb gently stroking.

When the ghost suddenly lunged out from the camera, screams erupted throughout the theater. Luo Xiaoyun shut her eyes in fright and curled into Su Muxue’s arms.

“Don’t be afraid,” Su Muxue said softly, her arms pulling tighter.

Luo Xiaoyun opened her eyes and found herself almost entirely nestled in Su Muxue’s embrace. Her cheek pressed against her senior’s shoulder; she could smell the faint scent of laundry detergent on her collar mixed with gardenia.

This posture was overly intimate, but the trembling from fear momentarily made her forget her shyness.

Su Muxue’s chin gently rested on the top of her head. “Do you want to keep watching?” she asked, a gentle smile in her voice.

Luo Xiaoyun hesitated. She was actually very scared, yet somehow looked forward to the rest of the plot—or rather, looked forward to this sense of security of being held tightly. Finally, she nodded lightly.

In the time that followed, every time a horror scene flashed, Luo Xiaoyun instinctively shrank into Su Muxue’s arms. And Su Muxue always hugged her tighter at the right moment, patted her back, or whispered in her ear, “Don’t be afraid.”

Suddenly, a thought crossed Luo Xiaoyun’s mind: Did Su Muxue… deliberately choose a horror movie?

As the movie neared its end, a relatively calm segment appeared. Luo Xiaoyun relaxed a little and realized she was still leaning in Su Muxue’s arms.

She tried to sit up, but Su Muxue’s arm still gently encircled her, showing no sign of letting go.

“Senior…” she whispered.

“Hmm?” Su Muxue responded, her fingers absently playing with Luo Xiaoyun’s short white hair.

“Did you… deliberately choose a horror movie?” When she asked, her voice was almost inaudible.

In the darkness, she felt Su Muxue’s body stiffen slightly. After a few seconds of silence, a soft laugh rippled by her ear.

“Caught me?” Su Muxue’s voice held a playful tenderness.

So it was true. Luo Xiaoyun’s face instantly burned. She didn’t know what to say, so she buried her face deeper into Su Muxue’s shoulder.

“Are you angry?” Su Muxue asked, her voice softening.

Luo Xiaoyun shook her head. How could she be angry? Though she had been quite scared, still… this kind of intimate moment was pretty nice.

The movie ended with a final horror climax. When the lights came on, Su Muxue let go. Luo Xiaoyun sat up and realized that she had been practically leaning entirely on Su Muxue.

“Let’s go.” Su Muxue stood up and naturally took her hand.

As they walked out of the theater, Luo Xiaoyun’s legs were still a bit weak—partly from the lingering fear of the horror movie, partly from the daze left by the intimate contact.

Su Muxue tightened her grip and chuckled softly, “Our little man, scared?”

“No, I’m not.” Luo Xiaoyun yanked her hand away, stubbornly retorting, “How could something like that scare me?” Anyway, the movie was over, and the darkness and fright were behind them.

“Alright, alright, little man, afraid of nothing under the sky.” Su Muxue laughed, her eyes curving into crescents. “What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll take you.”

“I don’t know what to eat…”

“I’ll cook for you at home,” Su Muxue said gently. “To help you calm down.”

“Okay…” Luo Xiaoyun replied, then after a pause, added softly, “But I really wasn’t scared.”

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