Liu Xiangyi looked down. Zhong Qinhuai had somehow slipped into the gemstone.
A voice emanated from the brooch: “President Liu, you are currently both dating and married. Bear in mind your status as a married man.”
Liu Xiangyi: “…”
Zhong Qinhuai had purchased “lover seats” in the very back row of the cinema. Liu Xiangyi walked in cradling a bucket of popcorn, completely unaware that a young man was watching him.
Seeing that the movie was about to start and the seat next to Liu Xiangyi was still empty, the young man took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and approached.
He stopped beside Liu Xiangyi and pointed to the empty half of the double seat. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
Liu Xiangyi had been looking down, munching on popcorn. Hearing the voice, he looked up at the young man, then followed the man’s finger to the seat beside him.
Zhong Qinhuai was sitting there with his legs crossed.
Wearing a white shirt and a black coat, the contrast made his hair look dark as ink and his skin a cold, pale white. When he wasn’t spouting nonsense, he actually had the aloof, refined air of a “flower on a high peak.”
Liu Xiangyi stared for a moment, dazed.
It wasn’t until the young man asked again that Liu Xiangyi snapped out of it. He gave the man a polite smile. “I’m sorry, this seat is occupied.”
The young man left, looking disappointed.
Zhong Qinhuai rested his chin on his hand, turned his head, and plucked a kernel of popcorn from the bucket Liu Xiangyi was holding. He held it up to Liu Xiangyi’s lips.
Liu Xiangyi: “?”
Zhong Qinhuai nudged it closer, saying matter-of-factly, “Normal human couples feed each other popcorn in the cinema, don’t they?”
Liu Xiangyi: “How is that possible?”
Don’t people have their own hands? Why would they need someone else to feed them?
But Zhong Qinhuai said languidly, “I saw it on a ‘Couple’s Strategy’ post. It’s on the must-do task list for lovers.”
Liu Xiangyi: “…”
Given that Zhong Qinhuai was staring at him intensely, and noting that everyone else was glued to the screen in the pitch-black theater, Liu Xiangyi opened his mouth and ate it.
After he finished, he heard Zhong Qinhuai’s ghostly voice whisper, “Aren’t you going to feed me?”
Liu Xiangyi thought for a moment, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He picked up a piece of popcorn and held it out.
Just as Zhong Qinhuai went to take a bite, Liu Xiangyi snatched his hand back and popped the kernel into his own mouth.
Zhong Qinhuai: “…”
Liu Xiangyi let out a silent chuckle.
He fished another kernel of popcorn from the bucket and held it out. Zhong Qinhuai cast a downward glance at him, but couldn’t resist leaning in again. Just as he was about to brush against Liu Xiangyi’s fingertips.
Liu Xiangyi snatched his hand back once more.
He tossed the kernel into his own mouth for a second time.
Zhong Qinhuai’s eyes narrowed into slits.
Seeing Zhong Qinhuai thwarted, Liu Xiangyi beamed. If they weren’t in a cinema, he would have laughed out loud.
However, Zhong Qinhuai’s gaze turned ghostly, fixed on him with such intensity that Liu Xiangyi’s scalp began to prickle. Fearing the brat was about to stir up some real trouble, he quickly fumbled for another kernel and held it out.
“For real this time.”
This time, Liu Xiangyi obediently held it to Zhong Qinhuai’s lips. The next second, his fingertips were caught between the ghost’s teeth.
Liu Xiangyi: “!”
He shot a frantic look around, but everyone was engrossed in the film.
Liu Xiangyi let out a breath of relief before turning his attention back to Zhong Qinhuai.
The ghost hadn’t just nipped his fingertips; he was applying a slight, deliberate pressure with his teeth, as if punishing him for his earlier antics.
Liu Xiangyi: “…”
Knowing he had been teasing him on purpose, Liu Xiangyi allowed Zhong Qinhuai the bite.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Qinhuai pushed it further. After the nip, he began to suck gently on the fingertips. Then, that soft, wet, and agile tongue began to swirl and tease against his skin.
Liu Xiangyi: “!”
Where on earth does this kid get these tricks? Don’t tell me he learned this from that ‘Couple’s Strategy’ too?
He tried to pull his hand away, but he was trapped.
Since they were in a public theater, Liu Xiangyi didn’t dare make a sound or create a scene. He could only endure as Zhong Qinhuai drew his fingers deeper into his mouth.
The tongue played with his fingertips with practiced ease. In the darkness of the back row, the faint sounds of sucking and licking were drowned out by the movie’s soundtrack.
Instantly, memories of the previous night in the bathroom flooded back—the thrill of that same tongue on his Adam’s apple, a subtle, electric pleasure.
Liu Xiangyi enjoyed it at first, but soon realized he couldn’t just let himself be toyed with. That familiar competitive streak rose within him.
At every turn, he had to match Zhong Qinhuai.
And so, his fingertips began to move. He retaliated by stroking and teasing the soft, wet tongue within the ghost’s mouth.
Suddenly, a voice broke the spell:
“Can I sit here?”
Liu Xiangyi’s heart skipped a beat. He jerked his fingers free and snapped his head up to see who it was.
It was the same young man from before, who had ventured back into the darkness halfway through the movie. Seeing the man’s normal expression, Liu Xiangyi surmised that the theater was too dark for him to have witnessed the finger-play. He let out a sigh of relief.
When Liu Xiangyi didn’t answer immediately, the young man took it as tacit consent and prepared to sit.
But he couldn’t see that Zhong Qinhuai was already occupying the “empty” seat with his legs crossed.
Irritated that the intimate atmosphere had been shattered, Zhong Qinhuai frowned. With a flick of his wrist, a blue butterfly fluttered from his fingertips.
The blue butterfly circled the young man’s eyes once before flying toward the theater exit. As if entranced, the young man turned and followed the butterfly out of the hall.
Liu Xiangyi: “?”
He hadn’t expected Zhong Qinhuai to be so restrained. Instead of making a scene, he had used such a gentle method to send the man away.
Satisfied, Liu Xiangyi turned back to the movie.
When the movie ended and they walked out, Liu Xiangyi saw the young man near the entrance, frantically lunging at the air as if he were losing his mind.
Passersby were whispering to one another:
“Is he crazy?”
“What is he trying to catch?”
“Didn’t you hear him? He says he’s catching butterflies! But there aren’t any butterflies in a cinema lobby.”
The young man continued to lunge, looking bizarre to everyone else as he snatched at empty air.
Feeling a pang of pity, Liu Xiangyi turned to ask Zhong Qinhuai when the man would return to normal. Zhong Qinhuai strolled ahead, eyes glued to his phone screen.
“Depends on my mood.”
Liu Xiangyi caught a glimpse of the tiny, dense text on the screen. The title was glaringly obvious:
“The Ultimate Couple’s Dating Guide.”
Liu Xiangyi: “!”
Just what kind of ridiculous guides is this kid reading?
Zhong Qinhuai finished the section, stuffed the phone back into his pocket, and took Liu Xiangyi’s hand.
“Movie finished, popcorn fed. Time for the next date item.”
Liu Xiangyi: “…”
Based on the movie and the popcorn, the difficulty level seemed fairly low. It appeared this “Couple’s Strategy” was rather elementary. To get his jade back, Liu Xiangyi offered a cooperative smile.
“And what, pray tell, is the next item, President Zhong?”
Zhong Qinhuai pulled out his phone to check the guide one last time.
“It says: Go to a hotel and get a room.”