In comparison to Xia Zhen, Pei Cheng An has been watching seriously and refusing to miss any of the plot. But there is one portion of the movie that he misses.

The opening scene is the female and male main characters fighting because of an insignificant matter, resulting in many more arguments. The current scene is the characters bickering. The female character looks p.i.s.sed.

Just as he is watching how the characters try and make up to each other, he feels a sudden pressure. Turning his head, he sees that Xia Zhen has fallen asleep, her head t.i.tled on his shoulder.

The dim light in the theater and the shadow s.h.i.+fts from the screen are all printed on Xia Zhen's sleeping face. Pei Cheng An watches her sleep, noticing her long eyelashes, her tall nose, and that slightly raised lips…

Xia Zhen's brows knit together as she turns in her sleep, as if she is looking for a more comfortable sleeping position. Pei Cheng An is too tall and Xia Zhen's body is lower than usual because she has fallen asleep, thus it is uncomfortable for her to lean on her shoulder.

Seeing this, Pei Cheng An bends lightly to lower his body He carefully lifts Xia Zhen's head and places it securely on his shoulder. After adjusting for a moment, he sits in silence before he is able to concentrate on the movie again.

Earlier he has heard that many people discussing this movie. Most of them evaluate the movie badly. Halfway through the movie, he doesn't think that is it that bad. This movie truthfully has many illogical moments, the characters are too exaggerated, and the plot is unexciting. But he finds the relations.h.i.+p between the main characters worth considering. He has learned something from it and has also developed a new perspective and thoughts about love.

Xia Zhen wakes up after sleeping for half an hour. Since she is sleeping on a chair, she isn't able to sleep well. It's enough that she regains a little of her energy.

The movie is finally, mercilessly, over. Xia Zhen and Pei Cheng An leaves the cinema. Breathing in the outside air, Xia Zhen takes a deep breath.

“It's a really rotten movie, it's completely unwatchable,” Xia Zhen says.

Pei Cheng An chuckles. “You didn't even watch it.”

“Who said I didn't watch it?”

“You didn't watch it seriously.”

“I was watching it seriously. Because because the movie was so unwatchable, I ended up watching it so unseriously,” Xia Zhen argues.

“I think there are some good points about this movie.”

“Where?”

Pei Cheng An smiles but doesn't answer. What benefits him the most is watching the relations.h.i.+p development of the main characters. He also realises what his senior's advice is applicable to most relations.h.i.+ps.

In the second half of the movie, the male and female gradually develops a different kind of feeling for each other but due to their enmity, they refuse to admit it and even says many disagreeable things. That results in them both thinking they are the only one who has a change in heart. Only after many obstacles, under dire circ.u.mstances, that they finally confess their true feelings…

There are no lack of intimate scenes in the movie. He looks away from the screen when this happens and naturally he also doesn't look at Xia Zhen's response.

“You can't say, can't you? It's totally rotten,” Xia Zhen says.

“When you watched, you laughed five times. A movie that can bring someone happiness is still a good thing,” he replies.

“If I watch a tragedy, I will also laugh five times.” Xia Zhen just wants to argue with Pei Cheng An, and not simply because of wanting to annoy him. She just innocently wants to provoke him.

Xia Zhen takes out her phone and looks at the time. It is almost 4 pm. She notices there are 3 missed calls and when she clicks in to check, they all come from Xue Chen.

“Excuse me, I'll go make a call,” she informs Pei Cheng An.

The phone call is answered immediately.

“Xue Chen, why are you looking for me?” Xia Zhen's tone is light and she is smiling. When Pei Cheng An hears this name, he couldn't help but frown.

“Where are you?” Xue Chen's voice is flat.

Xia Zhen answers honestly, “The cinema.”

“You went to watch a movie? With who?” Xue Chen is now adopting an interrogating tone. Hearing his tone, Xia Zhen knows his mood is still bad. When a friend is in a bad mood, it is normal to be anxious for another friend's concern. And as a trusted friend, Xia Zhen not only went for movies but didn't even answer his calls. If she lets Xue Chen knows, his mood will definitely worsen.

Best friends will also be jealous about each other. When one has a significant other, the friends.h.i.+p will always end up suffering.

If Xue Chen has a girlfriend someday, she will probably be sad too.

Yesterday, Xue Chen must be upset over his sister leaving and now coupled with the melancholy over saying farewell to his single best friend, it must feel even worse.

“With a friend.” Xia Zhen doesn't want to provoke him.

“What friend? Boyfriend?”

Xia Zhen feels complicated. She doesn't want to lie nor anger Xue Chen.

“A female friend.” As Xia Zhen says this, she points at a poster of a hot girl from a distance. En, she means that girl so she is not lying.

Xue Chen's att.i.tude becomes a little better. “Then where is that boyfriend of yours? What do you actually think about him?”

Pei Cheng An is standing a few metres away from Xia Zhen, neither close nor far. He can see her but not hear her conversation, even though he really wants to know what they are talking about.

“Xue Chen, are you reluctant to see me get married off so soon? Haha.” Xia Zhen pretends to be easygoing as she asks this. Actually, what she wants to ask the most is, “Do you like me?” This question she has once asked before. After all, she is Xue Chen's only female friend. But Xue Chen only looked at her with a ghastly expression and asked if she hit her head too hard. Since then, Xia Zhen was entirely relieved. Or perhaps she could say, she could let her heart “die”.

When she was younger, she would still have some kind of fantasy about romance, even if just a little. Xue Chen was both good-looking and talented, attracting girls by droves. In the first place Xia Zhen didn't harbour any desires for him. But after she was regarded as a love rival by many girls, she asked him that question.

In the past few years, her relations.h.i.+p with Xue Chen became more “iron” [strong] than ever, the “iron” man kind of brotherhood.

But now, Xia Zhen doesn't quite understand. Of course, she wouldn't ask him that directly. She doesn't want to be ordered to go see a neurologist.

After a moment, Xue Hen finally answers, “Yes. I don't want you to harm another person.” Just harming me alone is enough. But he couldn't bring himself to say this.

“Don't worry. I won't harm him. Where are you now?”

“The bar.”

“I'll go look for you.” Xia Zhen thinks she couldn't forsake her friend just because of her plan. She needs to be there when her friend needs her.

“En.”

After hanging up, Xia Zhen returns to Pei Cheng An. Apologetically she says, “Please excuse me. My friend has some problems, I need to go over and check on him.”

“Okay. Let me send you over.”

Xia Zhen immediately waves her hand. “I can go myself. You probably has a lot of things you need to do. You can go ahead.” She has misled Xue Chen earlier. If he finds out the truth, something may really happen.

“I'm not busy.” After knowing it is a phone call to Xue Chen, he doesn't want Xia Zhen to leave. But how can he not let her? He can only wish to stay a little longer, even though he needs to go to the hospital later. Xia Zhen doesn't insist, thinking that it will be fine if he doesn't let her off directly in front of the bar. Xue Chen will not see then.

Xia Zhen thinks that Pei Cheng An appears to be quite respectful of others' decisions on the outside, but when he becomes stubborn, he can be rather overbearing. Yesterday her mom even pulled her aside to tell her Pei Cheng An is introverted, doesn't know how to express himself well, and is very wooden. Xia Zhen thinks that evaluation of his character is completely inaccurate.

“If anything happens, give me a call,” Pei Cheng An reminds Xia Zhen who is already about to jump out of the car.

Xia Zhen chuckles. “Okay. Be careful when you drive. I'm leaving. Bye.”

The bar Xue Chen is at is the place where they always meet at. The owner is Xue Chen's cousin so they feel quite safe there. The bar is a clean one and doesn't entertain any improper business, so the safety is decent.

The Cabbage band frequently performs here. Sometimes Xia Zhen would help out. Yes, it is to help. Xue Chen has many things going on and couldn't make it sometimes, so Xia Zhen would replace him. Thus she is quite used to this place.

It is still early, so there are few people at the bar. A soothing music is being played.

Xue Chen is sitting at the bar, drinking. When the bartender sees Xia Zhen, he glances at Xue Chen and then shrugs, communicating silently with her.

From that glance, she concludes that Xue Chen is trying to drink his sorrows away and she wouldn't be able to stop him.

She walks over to him, patting him on the back. The alcohol in his gla.s.s splashes a little.

He doesn't look surprised. Neither does he turn to look at Xia Zhen. He drinks the alcohol in one go and says, “Will you drink?”

“Of course! How can I not drink.” When a friend wants to drink, of course she has to accompany him until the end.

The bartender quietly tells her to drink less. Xia Zhen nods and motions for him not to worry. The bartender prepares a drink with very little alcohol content for her.

Xue Chen is quite good with alcohol. Even when he gets drunk, he is a quiet one and would not do anything outrageous. But today he has a lot to say. Xia Zhen takes him to a corner seat and lets him say all that he wants.

“Xia Zhen, why do you suddenly have a boyfriend?”

Look, she is right. He is really concerned about this matter. “Why are you acting the same as my dad? You two look so sad because I have a boyfriend, as if I've become an entirely different person.”

“Yes, you're going to be someone else's.”

“Hey, hey. Even if I'm getting married, I also won't be someone else's. I'm my own person, the master of my own fate. Don't act like I'm going to sell myself off to someone, okay?” Ai, it is troubling to have too many people love her. Parental love, brotherly love. She's only short of romantic love.

“Give me your owners.h.i.+p contract [slave contract in olden times].” A drunk Xue Chen loses his usual coldness and even carries a hint of coyness.

Aiyo. She really wants those girls who wors.h.i.+p Xue Chen to see him now, and ask them to carry him home as well.

“I don't have any! Even if I have any, it's useless. It's now the 21st century, not feudal times.” Xia Zhen really doesn't understand why she has to reason with a drunk person.

“Then I'll give you mine.” Xue Chen's entire body is so bent that he is leaning against his seat. His eyes are half-lidded like he is about to fall asleep.

“Okay. Give it to me. I'll sell it off. I'll definitely make a lot of money.”

“Xia Zhen, that man is not suitable for you.”

“...”

“Xia Zhen…”

“Then who is suitable for me? You?”

“How could it be me.”

“I know already.”

“How could it not be me.”

“...”

She really thinks that being this serious talking to a drunk person is too silly of her. She should just play with her phone. Once Da Qu and the rest arrives, they can take him home.

Opening WeChat, there are quite a few messages waiting for her. There's also someone who requested to add her as a friend. She opens the notification and sees that it is Pei Cheng An's name. Yes, his name. He used his real name as his username.

Xia Zhen accepts the request and clicks into his profile. It's completely empty, as expected of a newly created account. When she sees that he lacks a profile picture, her OCD flares.