The theater was dimly lit, with the only light coming from the large screen in front. Unfortunately, it was a rainy night scene, and the light was minimal. Fu Jichen looked to his left with the faint light and saw her holding a cup with both hands, squinting, looking both scared and curious.
Shen Jianian was tense; a hand reached over and took the cup from her, making her flinch in surprise.
The next moment, a warm sensation enveloped her as Fu Jichen held her hand.
He leaned toward her slightly and murmured, "If you’re scared, don’t watch it. Let’s go out and pick another movie."
Shen Jianian insisted, "It’s pretty good."
Fu Jichen didn’t persuade her further, sat upright, and held onto her hand without letting go.
Shen Jianian tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. She frowned slightly and turned to look at him.
Fu Jichen whispered softly, "I’ll lend you my hand, so if you’re scared, just hold onto it."
Talking in the theater would disturb others, so Shen Jianian didn’t argue and focused on watching the movie. Within seconds, the screen lit up, and the timeline reversed to a week earlier, showing a couple at home making breakfast and arguing about the husband’s investment using their joint assets.
Shen Jianian forced herself to get into the plot, but the constant warmth from her hand was hard to ignore, causing her to occasionally lose focus, making the storyline feel disjointed and confusing.
Fu Jichen glanced at the popcorn bucket on the armrest, which remained untouched. He picked a piece and brought it to her mouth.
At the exact moment Shen Jianian turned her head, the film transitioned to a nighttime scene, and the light dimmed again. She couldn’t clearly see Fu Jichen’s face, only a blurred outline with bright eyes.
His face seemed to get closer, yet far away, until she felt his breath on her face. She wanted to back away but had no time, as something soft briefly touched her lips before he fed her a piece of popcorn.
The moment the light brightened again, Fu Jichen withdrew nonchalantly, looking ahead as if he had been focused on the movie the whole time without any distraction.
Shen Jianian held a piece of popcorn in her mouth, pursed her lips. Did he just kiss her?
Such a real sensation couldn’t possibly be her imagination, along with the warm breath on her face when he got close; it couldn’t be a hallucination.
From then on, her mind went blank, and she couldn’t take in any of the plot.
The two-hour-long movie ended, and the lights in the theater came on. The audience left one after another, discussing the plot as they exited.
"Skipping a class wasn’t in vain; it was totally worth it! So many twists and turns; you couldn’t guess the killer until the very end."
"Me too! At first, I thought it was his wife, then his lover, then his teacher, but in the end, it was the student he sponsored!"
"Haha, you all don’t watch enough mystery films. I sensed something off about that student as soon as he appeared. But I got the motive wrong; I thought he was unhappy because Mr. Luo was giving him less money, who knew he was interested in his wife. The relationships were really tangled."
"Don’t even start, the couple in front of me made out during the scariest part, I was dumbfounded, thinking I picked the wrong film. Wasn’t I here for a crime thriller? How did it turn into a romance film? Didn’t care about my survival, I almost wanted to confront them."
Shen Jianian happened to be walking behind the girl who said that, her cheeks flushed. She lowered her head and hoped the girl wouldn’t turn around, or it would be awkward for everyone.
After leaving the theater, Shen Jianian didn’t say a word, speeding up her pace.
"Wait, we missed something." Fu Jichen knew why she was upset; he broke their agreement.
But at that moment, in the dimming light, he couldn’t think of anything else but to kiss her, completely forgetting their "three agreements."
Shen Jianian didn’t stop and headed straight for the elevator.
Fu Jichen retrieved the shopping bag from the locker and went after Shen Jianian.
During lunch hour, with restaurants downstairs, the elevator was slow to arrive. Shen Jianian, like the others, stood waiting in front of the elevator. Fu Jichen breathed a sigh of relief, stood beside her, and said in a low voice only she could hear, "Are you mad?"
Shen Jianian didn’t respond, and when the elevator arrived, she followed the people inside.
Most of the people in the elevator had just finished watching the movie, making it very crowded. Shen Jianian was sandwiched from all sides, almost squeezed flat.
Suddenly, someone separated the people in front of her and used his arms to shield her from both sides, creating a half-circle to protect her.
The man standing behind Shen Jianian saw this and instinctively moved aside. Shen Jianian backed up, pressing her back against the elevator wall, and in front of her was a solid "wall," clad in a finely-tailored black suit, a chic Windsor knot, and a luxury handmade shirt. Looking slightly up, she met the face she least wanted to see.
Shen Jianian didn’t want to face him, yet here they were, face to face.
The elevator door hadn’t closed yet, and more people squeezed in, forcing Fu Jichen to step forward almost against Shen Jianian. He lowered his eyes, his expression full of helplessness and annoyance.
Seeing him , Shen Jianian’s anger seemed to dissipate a little. As the president of Junshan Group, he had his own exclusive elevator and probably never experienced being squeezed like a sandwich on a hot summer day.
The time spent together wasn’t long, but she discovered that he had a cleanliness obsession, most likely enduring it right now.
Someone finally couldn’t bear it any longer and burst out, "Can’t we wait for the next one? Stop squeezing in!"
The elevator doors closed, carrying a full load of people downwards.
It stopped at the fourth floor, the door opened with a "ding", and a third of the people got off. Fu Jichen pulled Shen Jianian’s hand and got off too without saying a word.
Shen Jianian: "Why are we on the fourth floor?"
"This floor has restaurants. We’ll have lunch first and then I’ll take you back." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelFirｅ.net
Fu Jichen exhaled slightly as he spoke. During the short one-floor elevator ride, he was almost suffocated, unable to endure the shoulder-to-shoulder and foot-to-foot contact with others.
He took off and folded his suit, putting it into a shopping bag, wearing a black shirt.
Smelling the aroma coming from some restaurant, Shen Jianian realized she was hungry. She restrained herself and didn’t oppose Fu Jichen’s suggestion.
"Do you want Chinese or Western food?" Fu Jichen asked her.
Fu Jichen walked around half of the fourth floor and chose a somewhat upscale-looking Chinese restaurant to enter.
It was lunchtime, and there was a large crowd. The waiter told them they had to wait for a table.
"Are there any private rooms?"
Fu Jichen usually made reservations by phone in advance when dining out, or went to upscale, member-only restaurants, which were never crowded. Today, with Shen Jianian, he experienced everything he hadn’t before.
The waiter nodded and said, "There is one luxury private room available. May I know how many of you there are?"
Fu Jichen: "Two people."
With the customer in mind, the waiter suggested, "Our luxury private room can accommodate banquets for over thirty people. For two, it might be a bit wasteful. You might have to wait for thirty minutes for a regular table. What do you think..."
"We’ll take the luxury private room, please hurry," Fu Jichen said, hearing Shen Jianian’s stomach growl.
Shen Jianian thought he hadn’t heard it, and she crossed her arms over her stomach, pretending to be indifferent, and looked at other people in the restaurant.
The waiter immediately went to open the luxury private room and led them inside, handing them a menu. "Would you like me to recommend something? Our restaurant’s specialties have a good reputation."
"No need, thank you." Fu Jichen took the menu and ordered three meat dishes, two vegetables, a soup, and a dessert, then handed the menu to Shen Jianian, "See if there’s anything you’d like to add."
When he ordered, she heard him; without exception, these were all dishes she liked, including some she needed to avoid. He casually mentioned this to the waiter while ordering.
"No," Shen Jianian said, "this is enough."
Fu Jichen added two more signature dishes, closed the menu, and handed it to the waiter, also requesting that they speed up the serving time a bit.
Not long after, the waiter brought over a pot of tea and a plate of complimentary mung bean cakes. The small plate contained three pieces of cake.
Shen Jianian picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea. Fu Jichen pushed a small teacup towards her, signaling her to pour him one as well. Shen Jianian looked at him without speaking, put the teapot back on the insulated wooden mat, and let him pour it himself.
"Still mad?" Fu Jichen asked, resting his hand on his chin, with a slight smile on his face.
Shen Jianian took a sip of tea, glancing at him; his jawline looked smooth and sharp. She averted her gaze, focused on the cakes on the plate, picked one up, and said while eating, "Shouldn’t I be angry? You’ve repeatedly violated the agreement, greatly diminishing my trust in you. I have no choice but to doubt whether you’ll really let me leave when the month is up."
She spoke candidly with him: "I am indeed trying to adapt to your presence and trying to get along with you, but some things can’t be done overnight and can’t be forced."
Similar words, Fu Jichen had heard Aunt Cheng say before: some things can’t be forced.
Fu Jichen blew away the floating tea leaves, took a sip—it’s not the kind of tea he likes, so he put the teacup down, his voice low: "What to do, I’m quite greedy and want a lot."
Before Shen Jianian could finish saying "you," someone knocked on the private room’s door, then pushed it open. The waiter stood at the door and said, "Sir, there’s someone outside who knows you and wants to join your table. What do you think?"
Fu Jichen frowned, about to refuse when a person swept past the waiter into the private room: "Brother, my friends and I were shopping nearby and came for lunch. Let’s eat together."