Outside the movie theater, Yan Nianyi stepped out of the car first. She turned back to watch the low-profile, dark vehicle that blended seamlessly into the night come to a smooth halt. The car door was pushed open, and a slender leg encased in suit trousers came into view.
Yan Nianyi shifted her gaze upward, landing on the face of the car owner. The woman’s exquisite face carried a soft, shallow smile, curving into a familiar arc.
Her obedient, pitch-black hair was pinned up at the back of her head, giving her a slightly more capable and professional air.
Yan Nianyi lifted her chin and called out crisply toward the person not far away, “Older Sister, over here.”
Hearing her name, Yueyi looked over, walking forward while raising a hand to unpin her hair. She shook her head slightly, letting her ink-black tresses cascade down behind her shoulders.
“I should have changed my clothes before coming,” Yueyi said with a helpless chuckle, spreading her hands. She was still wearing the same outfit she wore at the office, which looked a bit overly formal for the occasion.
Going to the movies was supposed to be a relaxed and enjoyable activity. Her attire was perfectly fine for dining at a high-end hotel, but here, it looked somewhat out of place.
“It is fine,” Yan Nianyi stepped forward to meet her. “Not many people will pay attention.”
Yueyi smiled noncommittally. Remembering something, she slipped off her suit jacket to reveal the white button-down shirt she wore underneath, opened the back door of the car, and placed the jacket inside.
“This should be a bit better,” Yueyi smiled. “Let us go.”
“Older Sister, the theater is on the third floor. The elevators should be over that way,” Yan Nianyi pointed in a general direction based on her memory.
Dividing her attention, she cast sideways glances at the person beside her, her fingers itching with the urge to slip around the other woman’s arm.
The stylish white shirt made the woman’s temperament appear even softer and gentler.
“Okay.” Yueyi nodded, walking side by side with Yan Nianyi.
“Does Older Sister have any plans for tomorrow?” Yan Nianyi asked as she pressed the elevator button and waited for the car to arrive.
“Tomorrow? I do not seem to have anything going on. I will probably just stay home,” Yueyi chuckled softly. “It seems I am a bit boring on ordinary days.”
Yan Nianyi’s eyes brightened, though she simply said, “Older Sister is busy with company matters every day, so you need to rest properly. How can you call that boring?”
It seems I can find a way to sponge off Older Sister’s place again tonight.
With a soft ding, the elevator doors slid open. Yan Nianyi proactively stepped aside to let Yueyi enter first, then walked over to the control panel and pressed the number three.
The red numbers on the display panel ticked upward steadily before finally locking in place. A few seconds later, the doors opened again.
Passing through a short corridor into the spacious lobby, Yan Nianyi walked up to the automated ticketing kiosk, tapped the QR code on her app, and scanned it against the red light reader.
Two adjacent movie tickets slid out from the machine slot.
Yan Nianyi reached out to take them, glancing down at the time printed on top. There was still half an hour before the screening started.
Along both sides of the theater lobby interior, a dozen massage chairs were neatly arranged alongside a few ordinary tables and chairs.
Looking back to see the woman standing a meter behind her, Yan Nianyi brandished the tickets. “Older Sister, let us go sit down for a bit. The movie does not start for another half hour.”
“Mm, do you want anything to eat?” Yueyi turned her head, her gaze landing on a transparent glass display case near the front counter, which held a half-full box of fresh popcorn.
The sweet aroma permeated the entire lobby, and now that it was mentioned, the scent seemed even richer.
Yan Nianyi’s tongue brushed against her upper teeth. She remembered that Older Sister liked sweets.
“I want popcorn.” Yan Nianyi acted cute with a well-behaved expression, naturally looping her arm through Yueyi’s, though her arm muscles involuntarily tensed up.
“Do you want cola too?” Yueyi asked again. “To go with the popcorn?”
“Okay.” Yan Nianyi agreed.
Her mind was entirely focused on her arm. Through the thin layer of fabric, Yueyi’s body heat was clearly radiating across.
“Nianyi, hold this for a moment.” Yueyi handed something over.
“Huh? Oh, okay.” Yan Nianyi was caught off guard for a second.
The cool sensation of a cup shifting into her hand made her realize it was the cola she had just agreed to, while Yueyi held the other cup herself.
At the same time, the front desk attendant picked up a large popcorn bucket, grabbed the scoop from atop the transparent case, and dug out several large heaps. Shaking it twice, the popcorn settled down inside.
“Sorry to trouble you.” Yueyi took it and thanked the staff warmly.
“You are welcome,” the attendant replied.
“Did Older Sister buy a large size? The two of us probably cannot finish this,” Yan Nianyi smiled.
“We should be able to.” Yueyi lowered her gaze to look at the popcorn that was practically spilling over the brim.
Then she glanced at the large popcorn buckets other people were holding, which were noticeably smaller than theirs.
“Let us sit over there,” Yan Nianyi pointed toward the regular tables and chairs.
There were no tables in front of the massage chairs, making it inconvenient to place the popcorn and cola.
“Okay.” Yueyi agreed.
Yan Nianyi linked her arm through Yueyi’s and walked over. Setting the cola cups down on the table first, she reached out to take the popcorn from Yueyi’s hands.
“Does Older Sister play games?” Figuring there was still plenty of time and worrying Yueyi might get bored just waiting, Yan Nianyi suggested, “We could play something.”
“I do not really know how to play video games,” Yueyi smiled softly.
“Mm. Then, Older Sister, can you hold this movie ticket for a moment? I want to take a picture and post a photo collage on my Moments.” Yan Nianyi’s gaze deepened.
“Sure.” Yueyi took it casually, her thumb pressing against the blank space on the ticket.
Yan Nianyi held her other ticket, overlapping the two together. Turning on the rear camera, her phone screen displayed both of their hands alongside the movie tickets.
Tapping the screen, Yan Nianyi let the camera auto-focus on the tickets and hands.
Placed side by side, a subtle difference was visible; her fingers were noticeably slender and longer compared to Yueyi’s.
Yan Nianyi threw a secret glance at the person beside her, adjusted the framing, and pressed the circular button at the bottom of the screen. With a crisp click, the photo was taken.
“How many more do you need?” Seeing her finish taking the picture, Yueyi lowered her hand and asked.
“Still need. Let me check.” Yan Nianyi opened her photo album. Neatly arranged pictures filled the screen, featuring nothing related to the other woman except for the ones they had taken together tonight.
Everything else had been tucked away into a hidden album.
“Still need three more,” Yan Nianyi furrowed her brows slightly. “A bit troublesome.”
“Perhaps you can take pictures of these things,” Yueyi pointed to the items on the table.
“But most of the ones I take are photos of two people together,” Yan Nianyi acted troubled. “Would Older Sister mind holding it for me again?”
“Okay.” Yueyi indulged her.
Another photo was snapped.
Yan Nianyi was satisfied now. “Only two left. I will take the rest when the movie is over.”
“By the way, Older Sister, you…” Yan Nianyi’s voice cut off abruptly. She watched a man with a beaming smile walk over from a nearby table, her eyes turning cold in a way that was nearly imperceptible.
“Hello.” The man sat down uninvited, taking a piece of popcorn from their bucket with total familiarity and popping it into his mouth. “Are the two of you here to see a movie too? Would you like to exchange WeChat IDs so we can watch together next time?”
The young man had refined features, and the neatly styled bangs across his forehead gave him a gentle, cultured appearance.
“Sorry, no thank you.” Yueyi politely declined, hinting meaningfully, “The young woman who came with you just went to the restroom and should be coming back soon. She must be your girlfriend.”
The young man’s eyes darted around nervously. “How could that be? She is just my younger sister.”
“Is that so?” Yueyi tapped her fingers against the tabletop. “Then you must be a good older brother.”
“Haha, I am very good at taking care of people. Aren’t you also here watching a movie with your younger sister?” The man smiled even wider, his gaze sweeping over the person beside Yueyi, a heavy look of amazement flashing in his eyes.
How can both of these women be so gorgeous? Are their family genes really that strong?
The young man let out a breath, though it was a pity, he preferred older women, so the majority of his attention remained fixed on Yueyi.
“Mm.” Yueyi had no intention of entertaining him further.
“Your younger sister is back.” Yan Nianyi adjusted her glasses, the smile on her face growing even more brilliant.
Hearing this, the man instinctively looked toward the restrooms, hastily stood up, and hurried back to his original seat, blinking a parting wink at Yueyi from a short distance away.
“Where did you go just now?” The accompanying young woman asked as she sat back down beside him.
“I dropped something and went to pick it up,” the man lied smoothly.
“Oh.” The woman nodded, not thinking much of it.
However, the next second, a large bucket of popcorn was slammed heavily onto their table.
The woman stared in surprise at the person who had walked over looking remarkably cheerful.
“You must be his younger sister, right? He just came over to ask my older sister for her WeChat ID, saying he is very good at taking care of people and inviting us to watch a movie together next time. Consider this large bucket of popcorn as our welcoming gift, and please accept it, miss.” Yan Nianyi grasped the rim of the popcorn bucket with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes, her finger bones turning pale white from excessive force.
Things that are soiled are better off thrown away.
The man’s face instantly turned pale.
“Younger sister? WeChat? Welcoming gift?” The young woman froze, and then, realizing something, she glared fiercely at the man. “Younger sister? Am I your younger sister?”
Reaching out, the woman grabbed the cola off the table and hurled it directly at him. “How many times is this now? Scumbag, we are done.”
With that, the woman snatched her bag off the chair and stormed away in large strides.
“Azi!” the man called out, but she did not turn back.
Furious, he whipped around and glared viciously at the two women standing nearby.
“Nianyi.” Yueyi walked over at some point, pulling Yan Nianyi behind her to shield her as she locked eyes with the man. “Your younger sister is angry. Aren’t you going to chase after her?”
“You…” The man pointed at the woman standing behind Yueyi.
Behind her gold-rimmed glasses, Yan Nianyi’s pupils were narrowed into a ruthless, vicious gaze completely out of character with her usual polite image, staring coldly right through him.
Startled by that terrifying look, the man choked back his words. Stunned for a few seconds, he panicked and ran off to chase the woman.
“Are you alright?” After the man left, Yueyi pulled the person behind her closer, looking her up and down with genuine concern. “Did any of that get on you?”
“No, Older Sister.” Yan Nianyi softened her expression, her tone turning gentle.
With Older Sister right here, I cannot cause a scene. Yan Nianyi suppressed her blazing anger.
She did not know whether to praise the man for having immense guts or incredible luck.
She curled her fingers, pressing against the bridge of her nose to steady her sliding glasses. Reflected under the lights, the metal frames made her look colder than ever.
Daring to target Older Sister, you truly deserve to die.