Shen Zhirou froze.

Zhou Jiayu stiffened.

From their gazes, they could both see the words “didn’t expect this.”

“I thought you were looking for something…” Zhou Jiayu explained, quickly covering the flashlight on his phone and sitting back upright.

Shen Zhirou: “…”

She didn’t know if she should say it, but he seemed quite nice and considerate…

She hurriedly pulled her collar back up, only to see Zhou Jiayu’s hand reaching over again.

He pressed down on her arm, signaling her to hide behind him.

“The people in front might turn around and see. I’ll cover for you.” He held up his phone, displaying the words he had typed.

He restrained himself from turning to look at her again, gripping his knee tightly.

He didn’t want to appear lecherous, but the recent view and the flutter in his heart made him feel a raw, primal desire.

He hadn’t just seen her breasts, but also her nipples.

They were soft and pink, likely because they had been confined in her bra, relaxed without being erect, and protruding slightly with a soft sweetness.

Shen Zhirou saw him leaning over, his back rigid and tense.

Hesitating for a moment, she turned and reached into her chest, pulling out the two unpopped popcorn kernels.

The uncomfortable feeling between her breasts finally vanished.

But the awkwardness in her heart lingered.

After thinking it over, she decided to explain.

“It was just popcorn that fell in…”

Shen Zhirou held out the unpopped popcorn kernels in front of Zhou Jiayu, showing him her reason.

With the loud sound of the movie playing, Shen Zhirou spoke softly, and Zhou Jiayu, distracted by the recent visual, didn’t catch all her words.

He thought Shen Zhirou was offering him the popcorn to eat.

He looked at the popcorn in her hand, hesitating whether to take it with his mouth.

Uncertain of the boundaries in their interaction and not yet understanding her attitude, especially since she had been cold to him today, he chose to use his hand.

Shen Zhirou watched him look down at her hand, thinking he understood she wasn’t trying to undress or anything.

Just as she was about to throw the popcorn away, Zhou Jiayu snatched it and popped it into his mouth.

“You!” she exclaimed, then remembered they were in a movie theater and swallowed her words.

Zhou Jiayu found the popcorn hard, suspecting she had intentionally given him an unpopped kernel.

His arm felt a warm touch as she clung to him.

“You can’t eat that!” Shen Zhirou whispered urgently in his ear.

Zhou Jiayu looked bewildered.

“That’s to be thrown away. It fell into my clothes…” Shen Zhirou’s face burned as she explained.

She hadn’t expected Zhou Jiayu to eat it.

She had thought he was considerate earlier, but now she felt he was indeed a player.

Maybe he intentionally ate the popcorn that had fallen into her chest to test her reactions?

If he weren’t already involved with someone else, she might not have found his actions so deliberate.

Shen Zhirou realized she couldn’t continue watching the movie.

“I’m going to the restroom.” She grabbed her bag and stood up.

Zhou Jiayu quickly followed her out.

He had never been in such an awkward situation. He couldn’t have guessed she would show him the popcorn that fell into her chest.

Now, he even felt a lingering taste of milk in his mouth.

They left the screening room, and just then, a crowd emerged from the adjacent theater.

Zhou Jiayu felt someone pull him.

He turned and saw a stranger holding his arm, asking, “Are you Zhou Jiayu?”

“Who are you?” Zhou Jiayu asked, looking for Shen Zhirou.

He feared she might hear his name and realize he wasn’t the person she was looking for.

“I’m Wenting’s friend. She showed me your photo. What a coincidence to meet you here. We were planning to arrange a meeting through Wenting,” Wan Xue said, taking her friend’s bag. “You go to the restroom; I’ll chat with him here.”

“Are you here alone?” Wan Xue asked warmly, walking slowly towards the restrooms with Zhou Jiayu.

After a few steps, Zhou Jiayu spotted Shen Zhirou coming out.

Women’s intuition is sharp, and Wan Xue noticed Shen Zhirou too when Zhou Jiayu turned his head.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“I’m pursuing someone,” Zhou Jiayu said, watching Shen Zhirou turn and rush back into the restroom as if she had seen a ghost. “Excuse me, I need to check on her.”

He hurried after her, worried she might be feeling unwell and might need his help.

Chasing after her proved to be the right decision.

He didn’t understand why she was in such a panic, and when he approached, her phone fell to the ground.

Shen Zhirou thought she had seen Xu Jia’s brother’s girlfriend and feared being caught trying to steal her man. Her first reaction was to run.

The more panicked she was, the more mistakes she made.

Not only did her phone fall, but she accidentally kicked it into the restroom.

As she rushed to retrieve it, she didn’t realize she had entered the men’s restroom.

The restrooms in the cinema were small, with only a partition between the men’s and women’s restrooms.

So, she ran into the men’s restroom, head down, and looked up to see several men at the urinals…

“Ah!” she screamed, only to be pulled into an embrace.

It was “Lu Fanghuai.”

Even after just a few hours together, she recognized his scent.

Suddenly, she felt at ease…

“So clumsy? It’s okay, come with me,” Zhou Jiayu said, holding her, his palm gently cradling the back of her head.

Finally having her soft body in his arms, he couldn’t help but smile.

He carried her out of the men’s restroom and walked a distance before she struggled free.

Shen Zhirou’s face was still red, her ears pink.

She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

Today was the most embarrassing day of her life, even more so than when her bikini top came undone during a swimwear photoshoot!

She would rather have her bikini top come undone again than face “Lu Fanghuai.”

She didn’t understand why she suddenly cared so much about him.

“I’m leaving! I need to go home,” she said, stepping back before turning to run away.

—

Two days later.

Shen Zhirou still couldn’t shake the memories of their date from her mind.

She was too afraid to open WeChat, fearing a message from “Lu Fanghuai” asking if she got home safely. She hadn’t replied for two days.

Shen Zhirou felt she couldn’t face him again, couldn’t continue flirting with him.

As she pondered this, she heard a noise outside.

She immediately jumped out of bed and rushed out.

“Xu Jia!”

Xu Jia, looking sleep-deprived with dark circles under her eyes, was startled by Shen Zhirou’s shout, “You’re home?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry!”

Xu Jia: “???”

“I added Lu Fanghuai on WeChat. A couple of days ago, I even ran into your brother’s girlfriend. I don’t know if she realized I was trying to steal her man, but I can’t see Lu Fanghuai again. It’s too embarrassing! I can’t help you with this.”

Xu Jia’s intelligent mind appeared momentarily dumbfounded, “What are you talking about? Who? When did I ask you for help?”