Chapter 308: Three Males Make a Drama
Jiang Qingli turned her head and met two identical pairs of jade-green eyes.
"What a coincidence." Jiang Qingli hadn’t expected to run into Yuan Shiyao and Yuan Shimo here. She smiled and walked over. "Are you two here to see Baili’s movie too?"
"It’s the same movie, but not because of Baili Jing." Yuan Shiyao’s lips curled into a smile. "My brother’s mentor’s son has a supporting role in it, so we came to watch."
As he spoke, he lifted his chin, gesturing to a spot not far away.
In front of a vending machine, Yuan Shimo’s mentor and his son were buying popcorn.
Jiang Qingli nodded, showing she understood. Then she heard Yuan Shiyao ask, "Sister-in-law, are you here with brother-in-law to see the movie?"
As he spoke, he looked at Xie Youchen.
Xie Youchen returned his gaze calmly, his voice cold and deep. "None of your business."
At first, Jiang Qingli didn’t realize why he had gotten angry. It took a few seconds for her to realize it was because of those words.
’He was probably calling him that on Yuan Shimo’s account.’
’He’d stepped right on one of Xie Youchen’s landmines.’
Suppressing a laugh, Jiang Qingli cleared her throat and corrected Yuan Shiyao. "Marshal Xie and I have no relation right now, so please don’t call him that."
Yuan Shiyao looked at Xie Youchen, his expression serious. "My apologies, Marshal Xie. That was careless of me."
Xie Youchen, his face cold, looked right through him.
’This guy...’
Jiang Qingli sidled up next to Xie Youchen and gently nudged his arm with her elbow, whispering, "He’s my friend."
Xie Youchen’s expression softened slightly. "Hn."
Yuan Shiyao’s gaze flickered between the two of them. Seeing their obvious intimacy, the smile on his face couldn’t help but fade.
The last time they met, Xie Youchen had been surrounded by an incredibly oppressive aura, and his gaze toward Jiang Qingli had always been restrained.
But not this time... Even from across the crowd earlier, Yuan Shiyao could clearly feel that the atmosphere between them was different now.
It was an intimacy that no one else could penetrate.
Yuan Shiyao turned his head to look at his twin brother standing beside him, hoping he would say something.
But it was as if Yuan Shimo hadn’t seen a thing. He just glanced toward his mentor before smiling at Jiang Qingli. "Female master, they’re about to check tickets for the movie. We’ll head over first."
Jiang Qingli paused, wanting to say something, but simply nodded. "Okay, see you later."
After walking a few steps, Yuan Shiyao couldn’t help but ask, "Bro, didn’t you see?"
Yuan Shimo shot him a glance. "See what?"
"Xie Youchen and sister-in-law—" Yuan Shiyao didn’t finish, his tone tinged with frustration. "They—"
"Didn’t Xie Youchen already say it? It’s none of your business," Yuan Shimo interrupted his brother, his voice faint. "This is our family’s affair."
Yuan Shiyao took a deep breath. "Bro, I’m worried about you."
"Besides, Xie Youchen has absolutely no connection to the Jiang Family now," he added emphatically. "We’re the ones who are family."
An announcement to begin ticket checking came over the broadcast. The mentor found the Yuan Clan twins and handed them each a carton of popcorn.
Yuan Shimo took his, his gaze falling on the slender figure across the crowd.
Probably not wanting to be recognized, Jiang Qingli and Xie Youchen had each put on a baseball cap after taking pictures—matching ones.
She ate a couple of pieces of popcorn, then turned and opened her mouth toward Xie Youchen. He skillfully twisted open the bottled cola in his hand and gave it to her, taking the popcorn from her in turn.
They weren’t hugging or clinging to each other, but their every move signaled a familiar intimacy, as if they were separated from everyone else by a thin film.
Yuan Shimo lowered his eyes, his long lashes hiding the dim emotion within them. He pressed his lips together, a futile attempt to conceal his feelings.
A moment later, his terminal received a message.
It was from Jiang Qingli.
Qingli: [Cat Teacher? You don’t seem to be in a very good mood. Is something wrong? [Cat Peeking]]
’She’s always so perceptive.’
’Even when she’s with another man, she can sense that something’s wrong with me.’
’I should be satisfied with that.’
’But the ache in my chest only grows heavier.’
Yuan Shimo slowly typed a reply: [I’m not upset [Cat Smiling]]
-
Baili Jing’s movie had just been released today. Even though this theater was a bit out of the way, there were still a lot of fans, and the line for ticket checking was incredibly long.
Jiang Qingli happened to be in front of Yuan Shiyao and the others, so she chatted with them for a bit.
Partway through, Jiang Qingli’s terminal vibrated. She glanced at it, then stepped aside to take the call.
Yuan Shiyao couldn’t see the caller ID clearly, but his eyes followed her figure.
The keen hearing of an S Level Beastman allowed him to pinpoint her voice amidst the noisy crowd.
The girl was chatting with the person on the other end, a smile in her voice. "Yes... What are you shy about? It’s not my first time seeing one of your movies... Alright, alright, I know. I’ll be careful..."
The line started to move, and Jiang Qingli said hurriedly, "I have to get my ticket checked! I’ll talk to you after it’s over!"
The person on the other end seemed to say something. The girl stopped in her tracks, a blush rising to her cheeks. She grumbled in a low voice, "What kind of... request is that? I’m not going to say it!"
After a pause, as if she had given in, she said in a breathy whisper, "Keep up the good work, hubby."
After saying that, Jiang Qingli quickly hung up and trotted back to get her ticket checked.
She made it just in time. The girl let out a sigh of relief and secretly glanced up at Xie Youchen.
’There are so many people here, he probably didn’t hear my phone call with Baili Jing... right...?’
The next second, a large palm reached out and patted her head through her baseball cap.
"I heard," Xie Youchen said, cruelly and mercilessly revealing the truth.
Beneath her mask, Jiang Qingli’s face instantly turned beet red. Her slender fingers clutched his sleeve, and her voice was faint. "Th-then can you just pretend you didn’t hear?"
When he didn’t answer, she shook his arm forcefully until he nodded. Only then did she giggle. "I knew you were the best to me."
Xie Youchen pinched the tip of her nose, his gaze sweeping behind them.
Xie Youchen wasn’t the only one who had heard; the two brothers from the Yuan Family had heard every word clearly as well.
Yuan Shimo’s already dark expression grew even gloomier.
Beside him, Yuan Shiyao was slightly stunned, the tips of his ears flushing red. His mind kept replaying the girl’s "hubby" from a moment ago.
’Sister-in-law’s voice when she said ’hubby’ was even better than in his dreams.’
-
Even more of a coincidence than running into them was the fact that the Yuan Family brothers’ seats were very close to Jiang Qingli’s.
Yuan Shimo was sitting right to Jiang Qingli’s right.
If Jiang Qingli hadn’t decided to come see the movie on a whim just now, she would have suspected they had chosen these seats in advance.
It was a crime thriller, with Baili Jing playing a detective who helps the police solve cases.
The movie’s pacing was very fast, with all sorts of car chases. Jiang Qingli was so focused and engrossed that she didn’t even have a single bite of popcorn.
It wasn’t until midway through the movie, when a few comic relief characters appeared, that she finally relaxed a bit and reached for the popcorn bucket next to her.
Just as her fingers touched the popcorn, a warm weight suddenly covered the back of her hand.
Xie Youchen had taken her hand.
Jiang Qingli froze.
But it wasn’t because she was holding hands with Xie Youchen.
It was because, on her other side, Yuan Shimo was hooking her fingertips and pulling them under the hem of his shirt...