Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 53

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Cheng Sisi didn’t think much of it at all. After all, too many people confessed to idols every day—if she had to be suspicious every time she saw one, she wouldn’t have time to do anything else all day.

It was nearly noon, time to face the eternal dilemma of “what to eat.” She lay listlessly on her desk, tilting her head to look at Tan Yunshu. “Yunshu, I need you to guide me in life.”

“The restaurant deep in that alley diagonally across from the south gate has a pretty good cook. You’re welcome.” After being dorm mates for three years, Tan Yunshu had basically memorized Cheng Sisi’s preferences, and she had long since gotten used to her daily bout of decision paralysis at mealtimes. Each time she brought it up, Tan Yunshu would casually suggest something Cheng Sisi hadn’t eaten that week, solving the problem perfectly.

“Love you!” Cheng Sisi suddenly sprang up and pounced on Yunshu, took the liberty of some playful flirting, and then pulled her up from her seat. “Let’s go!”

“Alright.” Tan Yunshu casually closed the browser tab, shut her laptop, and headed out with Cheng Sisi.

On the way to the restaurant, Cheng Sisi said, “Yunshu, let’s go see a movie together this May Day too.”

Tan Yunshu was momentarily stunned, then shook her head slightly. “Sorry, I can’t this year. A friend is coming to visit.”

“Hahaha, every year you’re mine, and this year’s no different! Some people can only grind their teeth in frustration…” Cheng Sisi laughed smugly, but her smile froze almost instantly. Her eyes widened, and her face was full of disbelief. “Wait, Yunshu, what did you just say? You have a friend coming over, so you can’t go to the movies with me?”

Tan Yunshu nodded.

Cheng Sisi wailed like she had been abandoned by the entire world. “You ditched me out of nowhere to run off with some other little vixen, sob sob sob!”

Tan Yunshu pressed a hand to her forehead. “Even if this area is pretty remote, that doesn’t mean no one’s around…”

Cheng Sisi froze for a second, then quickly regained her composure and said nonchalantly, “I don’t care. You have to make it up to my wounded heart. You’re treating this meal!”

“Okay.”

May Day arrived quickly.

Though it was only the first day of the Golden Week holiday, there was already a noticeable increase in the number of people on the streets. Jing Ling took the earliest flight that day and arrived in the capital around 9:30. Tan Yunshu had originally planned to pick him up at the airport, but Jing Ling turned her down.

“The traffic here is unbelievably bad. Picking someone up is too much of a hassle. Just wait for me at school. I’ll call you when I get there.”

She was easily persuaded.

Around eleven, she received a call from Jing Ling—he was already downstairs by the dorm. Under Cheng Sisi’s resentful gaze, she slung on a small bag and left the dorm. The walk from the fifth floor to the first was less than 80 steps, something she normally completed without a second thought, but today it felt unusually long.

Once she exited the dorm building, she looked around but didn’t see anyone familiar. She took out her phone to make a call, but just then a familiar voice came from behind.

“Yunshu.”

Tan Yunshu turned around at the sound. When she saw who it was, she froze. 

“Jing Ling?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yeah.” Jing Ling nodded and pointed at his hair and face. “Wig and a bit of light disguise, just in case. If someone recognizes me, we won’t be able to watch the movie.”

Tan Yunshu understood. Still, his disguise was done remarkably well—she stared at him closely for quite a while but couldn’t spot anything amiss.

“I know you’re curious,” Jing Ling said with a smile, “but we should get going. I’m worried that if we stay any longer, your admirers will show up in a group to challenge me.”

At his words, she looked around. Sure enough, several people were already sneaking curious glances their way, including one girl who lived on the fifth floor like her. She quickly grabbed Jing Ling’s hand and left with him.

“Probably won’t take long before the news that the campus goddess is taken spreads all over. Who knows how many people are going to curse me behind my back.”

“Stop talking!”

“Okay.”

The cinema was packed. Couples and families of three were the most common groups.

Jing Ling had Tan Yunshu sit and wait while he lined up to get the tickets and snacks, doing his best to be the picture of thoughtfulness. The crowd was massive, and a long line had formed at the self-service ticket machines, moving forward at a sluggish pace.

Next to Tan Yunshu sat a girl about her age, with a naturally friendly personality. After waiting for a few minutes, she struck up a conversation. “Hey, are you here to see a movie with your boyfriend?”

Tan Yunshu instinctively glanced at Jing Ling, who was still in line. As if sensing her gaze, he looked back and met her eyes, smiling. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah.”

“Me too!” The chatty girl looked toward the line, pointing at a guy in a gray jacket. “My boyfriend is seven people ahead of yours in line. We’re watching  Island. What about you guys?”

“Same,” Tan Yunshu replied simply.

“Want me to ask Ah Hui to pick up your tickets too? The line is a nightmare.” The girl wasn’t just chatty—she was enthusiastic too.

“Thanks, but no need,” Tan Yunshu declined.

The other girl didn’t seem bothered and kept chatting with her from time to time. When her boyfriend finally got their tickets and called her over to buy snacks, Tan Yunshu was finally left in peace. She looked up and her gaze unintentionally met Jing Ling’s—he had a teasing smile on his face.

Tan Yunshu glared at him.

Between ticket pickup and snack buying, over half an hour passed. With just twenty minutes left until the movie started, Tan Yunshu and Jing Ling found their screening room, had their tickets checked, and headed to their seats in the far corner. Two people were already seated next to them—none other than the chatty girl and her boyfriend from earlier.

Tan Yunshu: “…”

The girl was talking to her boyfriend but turned and noticed her. Looking at the two empty seats next to her, she asked, “Are these your seats?”

“Yeah.” Though she didn’t want to admit it, Tan Yunshu nodded. She had a feeling this movie wouldn’t go as smoothly as planned—and soon, her premonition came true.

The theater lights went dark, and the film began.

A luxurious cruise ship, a sudden shipwreck, the protagonist waking up on a beach… The story progressed bit by bit, quickly reaching its first climax. Jing Ling’s character, the Ninth Person, appeared on the beach. The glint of a blade flashed as he slashed the enraged celebrity’s throat.

The dim lighting, dark visuals, eerie music, and the sudden spurt of blood—even though it wasn’t a horror film—scared quite a few timid viewers, including the girl next to Tan Yunshu. With a scream, she threw herself into her boyfriend’s arms.

At first, Tan Yunshu didn’t pay it much mind. But after a while, the screams were replaced by… strange sounds. She didn’t think much of it and casually turned to look—then her face turned scarlet in an instant.

Just as she was frozen in embarrassment, not knowing what to do, Jing Ling pulled her into his arms and said lightly, “You know cinemas have infrared night-vision cameras, right? Even if the lights are off, everything’s crystal clear in the surveillance room.”