CH 33

The hall of the theater was filled to the brim with people. Yan Xiao and Ye Fei were eye-catching; even if they were to sit in a distant corner, the two stood out amidst the crowd.

Ye Fei ignored the glances everyone was shooting towards him, and raised his eyes at Yan Xiao playfully. “President Yan, are you deliberately teasing me?” 

Yan Xiao was stunned for a moment, as if he could not understand the meaning of the word “teasing”, and asked in an earnest manner, “Could you explain to me in further detail?”

“What you said just now,” Ye Fei thought about it and asked Yan Xiao, “Who did you learn that from? Cheng Minghao?”

“No, I didn’t learn from anyone.” Yan Xiao forlornly looked into Ye Fei’s eyes. “I’m just stating the facts.”

Before Ye Fei could say anything else, the theater staff had already stood at the ticket gate, signaling that the audience could enter. 

“Forget it.” Ye Fei gave up his questioning and dragged Yan Xiao towards the theater. As he continued walking, he started to feel that something was wrong, so he stopped and looked back. “Why are there so few people in this theater?”

While they were eating, Ye Fei had already learned the significance of today from Yan Xiao’s mouth. It stood to reason that the cinema should be full, but there were only a few stragglers in the same screening.

Yan Xiao could not answer his question. In fact, he did not care how many people there were. As long as Ye Fei was by his side, it was enough.

“Let’s go first.” He pointed to the entrance of the theater. So, Ye Fei put his concern aside, and walked into the theater side by side with Yan Xiao.

Their seats were in the fourth row, right in the center, with good visibility and good distance.

Ye Fei unscrewed the mineral water bottle and looked around while drinking. It was not an illusion. There were indeed very few people watching this movie, and most of them were clusters of girls. Strangely, there were no couples around.

“Did you choose this film yourself?” Ye Fei put the water bottle in the cup holder and asked Yan Xiao in a whisper.

Yan Xiao made a “hmm”, lightly touched Ye Fei’s fingertips, wiped off the water droplets on it, and gave his reasoning. “The rating is very high, and it’s very touching.” 

Ye Fei thought it funny to hear the word “touching” from Yan Xiao’s mouth, because he could not imagine how Yan Xiao could be touched. “How do you know, have you watched it before?”

“No.” Yan Xiao never wasted time on pastimes such as watching movies and playing games. Of course, going out with Ye Fei did not count. In Yan Xiao’s dull and bleak life, anything related to Ye Fei was like a flickering light meant to be treasured forever.

“Cheng Minghao was the one.” Ye Fei understood immediately. Why would Yan Xiao be concerned about something as obscure as Chinese Valentine’s Day? Of course it had to be Cheng Minghao who reminded him.

A familiar sound trilled its greetings; the movie was about to start. Ye Fei stopped speaking, turning his attention on the silver screen. 

… The movie was well made.

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The two cared for each other, warmed each other’s hearts, and gradually things became better and better. The romance plot was sweet, and the career side plot was inspirational. The actors had good chemistry and looks with matching acting skills. In Ye Fei’s opinion, <<After I met you>> was a very well-written romance flick. 

At the same time, his confusion grew. Shouldn’t this kind of film be the first choice for Valentine’s Day? Was his vision outdated, or had the tastes of young people changed?

Ye Fei took another sip of water and continued to watch.

The plot had developed to the point where the drama written by the female lead was well-received, and the male lead had booked her favorite restaurant to commemorate the occasion. The two had plans for the future, with the female lead smiling as she went to sleep.

However, the good times stopped rolling. The male lead’s condition suddenly rebounded after a period of recovery. This time, no amount of treatment would help. 

Right before the suicide, it appeared as if the male lead had split himself into two. One of him coldly watched the knife land on his skin, while the other desperately tried to recall the happy times spent with the female lead, trying to stop himself. But determination could not stop the onset of that demon.

At the end of the movie, the celebration banquet of the female lead’s TV series was ongoing. Everyone was cheering, but the female lead did not attend. She was sitting at the man’s house, holding a knife that was exactly the same as when the man committed suicide.

The director left an open ending and did not clearly say what happened to the heroine, leaving it to the audience’s own interpretation.

Ye Fei finally understood why no one watched this movie. It was really unlucky to watch this kind of movie with a significant other on Valentine’s Day. The audience began to leave the theater one after another, their footsteps mixed with unstoppable sobbing. The ending credits were accompanied with a heart-tearing song, creating an indescribable desolation in the audience’s hearts. 

Ye Fei lowered his eyes and did not move. Yan Xiao did not urge him to leave, and continued to accompany him.

Five minutes later, there were only the two of them left in the entire theater. The staff had already arrived at the door, and Ye Fei rubbed his face and stood up. “Let’s go.”

The two walked out of the theater in silence and headed downstairs.

“How do you feel after watching the movie?” Ye Fei interrogated Yan Xiao unexpectedly. 

Yan Xiao could not fully understand what this “feel” meant, but he wanted to try his best to be in sync with Ye Fei, so he replied haltingly, “It’s beautiful.”

Ye Fei knew that Yan Xiao did not realize what he was hinting at, so he thought about it, and then said, “The rest of the audience cried when the movie ended.”

“Why did you cry?” Yan Xiao glanced at Ye Fei sideways with confusion.

“Because the male and female protagonists were separated in life and death, they cannot be together.” 

“It’s just a show,” Yan Xiao stretched out his hand to halt a wilful toddler about to crash into Ye Fei, and continued to walk forward, his tone was so smooth that it was almost cold-blooded, “It’s not real.”

Ye Fei did not know how to explain to Yan Xiao, nor was he in the mood to explain. Thus, he decided not to continue talking about the topic. After a while of walking in silence, the two had made their way out of the cinema.

“What would happen to you if I died?” While waiting for the driver to arrive, Ye Fei asked Yan Xiao.

Yan Xiao’s face drained of color, a far cry from the man who had an expressionless face throughout the entire show. This was the first time Ye Fei saw Yan Xiao go through a mood swing. 

“Don’t ask this kind of question,” Yan Xiao clasped Ye Fei’s hand tightly, as if he could not control himself. “There can be no such thing.”

“But you have to face it one day,” Ye Fei laughed at himself. He took the matter of his death as though it was something as commonplace as eating or drinking. “Maybe I’ll die one day of an accident or something…”

Before he finished speaking, he felt himself dragged bonelessly into Yan Xiao’s arms.

“Don’t ask this kind of question.” Yan Xiao repeated his words again. As if afraid of Ye Fei running away, he pressed Ye Fei firmly against his chest, his voice slightly louder than usual. “I don’t like it, don’t say it again, is that okay, Ye Fei?” 

The two of them were pressed together. Ye Fei could feel Yan Xiao’s muscles tense up, as if he was held in a nerve-straining panic, something that he could not endure.

The driver steered the car to a quiet stop on the side of the road. Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, he did not dare to call them. Ye Fei found their car, took a deep breath, and patted Yan Xiao’s back.

“Okay, let me go, it’s time to go back.” Yan Xiao did not move. He took a while to release Ye Fei, but continued to hold Ye Fei’s hand.

The dark blue commercial car slowly drove towards the city center. In the car, Yan Xiao could not remain reticent, and became loquacious. 

“At 8:35 pm on December 8 last year, I read your medical report,” Yan Xiao said, “You are very healthy.”

He paused for a while. “There is no problem.” Ye Fei was unsure if this statement was for Ye Fei or for himself. Ye Fei let out a “hmm”. As part of their contractual marriage, they had both done medical check-ups and exchanged reports.

Yan Xiao moved to Ye Fei’s side and said, “Can we do this year’s medical examination together? I’ll ask someone to make an appointment with the most professional institution.”

Even as Ye Fei continued to remain taciturn, Yan Xiao continued down his train of thought. Like a neurotic fool, he kept reporting Ye Fei’s height, weight and other physical data, repeatedly emphasizing Ye Fei’s health. As though it would relieve the anxiety and uneasiness that Ye Fei’s words just brought him, he did not stop until he had reached his conclusion. 

It was just a possible solution, a hypothesis, yet Yan Xiao had been provoked into such a dramatic reaction. If they were to remain together, what would happen to Yan Xiao with his death?

In the end, he had been too greedy. He had indulged, thinking that each new day was a gift of his second life. But this movie woke him up from his delusions.

It was past eleven o’clock, and there was no one else in the elevator. Ye Fei’s eyes stared into space. It was only when Yan Xiao reminded him that they had arrived on the 23rd floor did he snap out of his thoughts.

Ye Fei took out his key to open the door. Yan Xiao stood beside him, as if he wanted to wait for Ye Fei to go in before going home. 

The sound of the key turning in the lock reverberated throughout the corridor harshly.

“Yan Xiao,” Ye Fei announced, pulling the key out of the keyhole, “I’ve thought about it.”

The voice-activated light went out unexpectedly, and darkness enveloped the entire corridor. Yan Xiao could not see Ye Fei’s face, nor could he judge his expression as he said those words.

“Yes.” He quietly waited for Ye Fei’s next words. 

“Let’s not be together anymore.” The light came on again, and the bright light blinded Yan Xiao’s eyes.

The hallway was quiet.

After a long time, Yan Xiao finally spoke. “That’s too little time, you must not have thought about it. I’m not in a hurry, Ye Fei…”

“Yan Xiao,” Ye Fei interrupted him, “I’m thinking clearly.” 

“Is it because tonight’s movie is not good?” Regardless of logic or cause and effect, Yan Xiao stubbornly tried to find a reason for Ye Fei’s rejection, “We won’t go in the future.”

“It’s not that.” Ye Fei opened the door. The moment he walked into the house and close the door, Yan Xiao suddenly called his name from behind.

“Ye Fei.” He said, “Will you think about it again?” His voice was low and sounded a little pitiful.

“No.” Ye Fei ruthlessly closed his door. 

The author has something to say: I made up the movie, don’t bring it into reality~

It’s a sweet text, don’t panic!

T/N: Between Gu Ruijia and Cheng Minghao, how have both scored in the wingman rating? XD

Isn’t this a bit too dog-blood?