Lin Shuang had reached out to Lin Yingnan via WeChat last night, mentioning she was craving her homemade dumplings for lunch today. That was exactly why Lin Yingnan was out grocery shopping at the crack of dawn.
She had a set of fraternal twins, both currently in high school—children born late in life whom she doted on heavily. With summer break in full swing, the two kids, restless and unwilling to stay home to listen to her nagging, had signed up for a tour group, leaving her and her husband to the quiet of the house.
In her memories, the original owner would only show up when it was time to eat, never once thinking to lend a hand with household chores. But Lin Shuang, as an outsider, didn't feel right just reaping the benefits without contributing, so she arrived an hour early and rang her aunt's doorbell.
Lin Yingnan was in the middle of wrapping dumplings, while her husband sat on the sofa watching television.
"Here so early today? I haven't even finished wrapping these yet," Lin Yingnan said, chuckling with that warm, familiar air. "Could it be that you're quite satisfied with that boy, Xiao Jiang, and were eager to get here, hmm?"
"Aunt, please, stop teasing me," Lin Shuang said, washing her hands with a hint of embarrassment. "Let me help you wrap them."
"No, no, you don't even know how to wrap dumplings, child. Go watch TV, or run next door and chat with them," Lin Yingnan said, feigning a look of disdain. "Go on, go on! I actually ran into Xiao Jiang while I was out buying groceries this morning."
"Huh?"
Lin Shuang found herself standing at the doorway of Jiang Mo's apartment. Behind her, Lin Yingnan, who had hustled her out, frowned and urged her forward. "Hurry up and knock, why are you just standing there like a statue?"
Well, behind every successful marriage, there's a relative doing the heavy lifting.
Lin Shuang knocked. Moments later, Jiang Mo opened the door. Upon seeing Lin Shuang and the sight of Lin Yingnan quickly retreating and closing her door behind her, he understood the situation immediately. "Please, come in."
He opened the door wider. "No need to take off your shoes, just step right in."
"Thank you." Lin Shuang stepped into the two-bedroom apartment. The layout was a mirror image of her aunt's across the hall, yet it lacked that lived-in warmth1. The apartment, sparse and overly tidy, felt strangely cold.
"Take a seat. What would you like to drink?" Jiang Mo opened the fridge, revealing rows of neatly arranged green-labeled beers and cartons of milk. "Do you want milk? If not, I only have plain water."
"Water is fine." Lin Shuang looked at the glasses arranged precisely on the coffee table. "That photo you sent last night... I actually thought you weren't the type to clean."
"Those were the clothes I changed out of after a night run; I hadn't gotten around to washing them yet," Jiang Mo said, setting the water down in front of her. "I don't have a job anyway, so I have plenty of time to clean."
He paused, then added with a smile, "Were you disappointed last night? That I'm not... fastidious?"
"Huh?" Lin Shuang blinked, pondering for a moment before shaking her head. "Not really..." Because she had known exactly what kind of person Jiang Mo was from the start, she wasn't disappointed.
She said earnestly, "I don't usually pay attention to cleanliness myself; I always hire a cleaning service. It's unreasonable to hold others to a high standard for things I can't do myself."
"That's true." Jiang Mo nodded, then asked casually, "What made you want to come here for dumplings today?"
"Obviously because I wanted to eat them. It definitely wasn't to see you, for the record."
"Let's go see a movie this afternoon."
"Oh, sure!" Lin Shuang agreed instantly, only to immediately clap a hand over her mouth, realizing she should have played a little hard-to-get. Even a second of hesitation would have been more dignified than an immediate "yes."
Jiang Mo chuckled, his voice softening. "I actually had a movie I wanted to see, and I was wondering who to invite."
"Because I was already planning on going to the movies this afternoon," Lin Shuang added, trying to save face. "I was just considering if I should ask someone along."
"Heh, I guess we're on the same wavelength. Is it the same movie? What were you thinking of watching?"
"Uh..." How was she supposed to know what movies were playing in this world? Lin Shuang gestured for him to speak first. "You go first, gentlemen first, gentlemen first."
"Saw: The Night of Horror."
"Cough..."
Saw? What saw? What about the saw? Was he trying to scare the soul out of her before the movie even started?
Jiang Mo looked slightly regretful. "Not that one? I guess we..."
"That's exactly it! That's the one I wanted to see. The... the Saw movie. Let's just go watch it."
She had thought she was standing on a higher dimension than the male lead, but she never expected him to anticipate her death method in advance!
"Quick, quick, quick—Xiao Jiang, do you want some apple vinegar?" Aunt Lin Yingnan asked. "Our Shuangshuang loves dipping dumplings in apple vinegar. This girl's probably jealous again—she's stubborn too. You'll have to be more accommodating with her in the future."
Lin Shuang tugged lightly at Lin Yingnan's sleeve. "Auntie, hurry up and eat."
This relationship hadn't even properly begun yet, but the way her aunt talked made it sound like they were already married.
After dinner, they chatted for a while longer until it was almost time for the movie to start.
The two of them headed downstairs under Lin Yingnan's warm, teasing gaze. Lin Shuang smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that. My aunt has always doted on me, so don't take what she said to heart."
"It's fine." Jiang Mo unlocked the car. After they both got in, his long fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel. "Seatbelt."
"Oh—oh right. I… I forgot again."
Lin Shuang hurriedly fastened it, fumbling in a panic, then lightly smacked her forehead.
The movie theater was fairly crowded, but most people were there for the romance film. After collecting their tickets and entering the screening room, they realized that, so far, they were the only two people there.
Lin Shuang found her seat and said, "Don't tell me it's really just the two of us watching this?"
"Isn't that great?" Jiang Mo laughed. "We bought two tickets and ended up renting out the whole theater."
"Aren't you scared?"
"I am." Jiang Mo smiled. "But movies like this are usually more disgusting than actually scary. The horror mostly comes from jump scares, dramatic music, and chase scenes."
"Chase scenes…" Lin Shuang pressed a hand to her forehead. "Okay… honestly, I'm a little scared too."
As the theater fell completely dark, the harsh screech of a chainsaw cutting through something rang out, followed by a woman's piercing scream.
Lin Shuang lowered her head, refusing to look at the screen.
Soon enough, she would become the woman in the movie.
In the novel, this rich young lady seemed to sprain her ankle while running away. Then she watched helplessly as the chainsaw maniac approached her, brutally severing her limbs before finishing her off.
She couldn't let that happen…
Just as Jiang Mo was getting absorbed in the movie, he suddenly noticed that the hand resting on the armrest had been clasped by two ice-cold hands.
He turned his gaze toward her.
Under the flickering light of the screen, he saw Lin Shuang's softly illuminated hair and slightly lowered face. Her beautiful, delicate features looked almost dreamlike in the shifting glow.
He couldn't see her eyes clearly, but the tears gathering in them caught the light in tiny shimmering reflections.
Summary:
Lin Shuang visits her aunt to eat dumplings and is pushed by her aunt to spend time with her neighbor, Jiang Mo. Jiang Mo and Lin Shuang decide to go see a horror movie together. During the movie, Lin Shuang realizes Jiang Mo chose a movie that mirrors her own predicted death, causing her distress as she physically reaches out to him in the dark theater.
Trivia:
Lin Shuang is actively trying to avoid the behavior of the "original owner."
Jiang Mo and Lin Shuang's aunt live in symmetrical apartments.
Jiang Mo is currently unemployed, giving him plenty of time to maintain his home.
Lin Shuang is terrified of the movie because she knows it depicts her canonical death.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ Literally "smoke and fire." It is a common cultural expression referring to the lively, warm, and domestic atmosphere of a home where meals are cooked daily.
Notes:
• Lin Yingnan - A friendly, middle-aged neighbor in the apartment complex who is known for her kindness and hospitality. Lin Shuang's aunt, a mother of twins who is eager to play matchmaker for her niece.
• Lin Shuang - A college student who wants to live a life of comfort as a "parasite" to the male lead. A young woman and minor character in an infinite stream game, struggling with anxiety and a desperate need to survive. A young woman who has transmigrated into a character within a survival game novel, struggling to adapt and survive. An outsider who has transmigrated into a cannon fodder supporting role within an infinite stream world. She is trying to navigate her new reality while dealing with the original owner's social ties.
• Lin - A third-year university student who has transmigrated into a cannon fodder role within a survival game novel. She is panicked but uses a facade of bravado and wealth to survive.
• Jiang - A cynical, survival-hardened former student and game player who has become detached from life. He is suspicious of social interactions and blind dates.
• Jiang Mo - A cold, calculating man who hides a predatory nature beneath a mask of playful indifference. A player in the Infinite Stream, detached and highly trained. The male lead of the survival game novel, who masks his cold, aloof nature with a polite and gentle persona in the real world. The male protagonist of the infinite stream story. He is calm, methodical, and surprisingly tidy, currently living alone.