Chapter 56.2

It turns out that there really are people in this world who forget the pain once the scars have healed.

Meng Zhengrong was a prime example of this.

Within just two or three days, he seemed to have amnesia, completely forgetting about the incident, perhaps because the cold wind hadn’t been enough.

In private, Meng Zhengrong was quite the flirt. When it was just the two of them, he never held back his words. Xu Yuan initially thought he would tone it down for a while, but to her surprise, she was proven wrong.

During lunch, as usual, they ate in Xu Yuan’s office.

After finishing, Xu Yuan planned to take a walk to digest her food in the crisp autumn air, but unexpectedly, Meng Zhengrong suddenly blurted out, “You don’t necessarily have to take a walk to digest. There’s a better way.”

With that cheeky grin of his, Xu Yuan felt her fists itching with the desire to give him a good lesson.

How could her husband be like this?

After some thought, Xu Yuan decided it was time to teach him a lesson again.

Just then, her female colleagues mentioned that a horror movie had been released. Xu Yuan made a mental note and booked two tickets on her phone.

Today, Xu Yuan got off work early and went to Meng Zhengrong’s office. He was also tidying up his desk to leave for the day. When he saw her, he curiously asked, “Why are you off early today?”

That was a rare occurrence. Usually, it was Meng Zhengrong who would come to her office after work, and they would head home together.

Today, Xu Yuan took the initiative to find him…

Xu Yuan walked up to Meng Zhengrong and linked her arm with his. “Let’s eat out today. I heard from my colleagues that there’s a really nice restaurant at the convention center. Let’s go try it out?”

“Are you asking me out?” Meng Zhengrong said with a smile.

“Yes, I’m asking you out. How about we go on a date?”

“Three key points.”

Xu Yuan replied, “Go ahead.”

“What are we eating? What activity do we have afterward? Who’s paying?”

What was the true sign of familiarity in a couple? Xu Yuan thought it should be that it didn’t matter whose money was being spent; they wouldn’t bother counting it anymore.

Xu Yuan responded, “We’re going to that new restaurant, and afterward, we’ll go see a movie. I’ll pay for everything; you just need to drive.”

Meng Zhengrong pondered for a moment, then nodded seriously. “Since you’ve arranged everything so sincerely, I’ll reluctantly agree to go on a date with you.”

… Surely no one would disagree that this guy needed a good smack, right?

The boss and the boss’s wife left work early, and the restaurant at the convention center was indeed popular, bustling with business. Normally, diners had to take a number to wait, but since they arrived early, they were seated without much delay.

There was a reason for the restaurant’s popularity. They ordered three dishes and a soup, and fortunately, they all turned out great. The meal was very enjoyable.

“Let’s come back here again next time.” While paying the bill, Meng Zhengrong watched Xu Yuan take out her card with an expression of ease.

It was a strange feeling. In the past, he would have never believed he would accept having his female companion pay on a date one day.

“Sure, you can come here anytime you want.”

After Xu Yuan said this, Meng Zhengrong realized that in the eyes of outsiders, their roles might have switched.

Xu Yuan was like the domineering CEO, and he was like the little fox being pampered by her.

The date was going perfectly until they arrived at the cinema. Xu Yuan went to the self-service ticket machine to collect their tickets, while Meng Zhengrong looked at the movie name on the ticket and felt his world crumbling.

“Why are we watching this?”

Meng Zhengrong had an instinctive aversion to horror movies.

Xu Yuan already knew he would react this way. She linked her arm with his, resting her head on his shoulder, and said in a spoiled tone, “I just want to watch it; everyone says it’s thrilling.”

If it weren’t scary, she wouldn’t want to watch it.

Meng Zhengrong raised his wrist to check the time. “Aren’t you going to watch the drama starring Song Chaowen? It’s about to start.”

“It’s too late to rush back now. We’ve already bought the tickets, so let’s not waste them.”

Meng Zhengrong took the movie ticket from her hand and looked at it. “Not wasting it? I’ll pay you double to just go back and watch the drama instead. This movie looks boring just from the title.”

Xu Yuan retorted, “What do you mean by ‘not wasting’? Is your money not money? Did the wind blow it in?”

“……” Meng Zhengrong continued to struggle, “Horror movies are usually boring. They’re just scary for the sake of being scary; they’re pointless.”

“Watching a horror movie is all about the thrill! Who watches for the plot or family drama?” Xu Yuan rolled her eyes at him. “We’re already here, and the tickets are bought, so let’s just watch it.”

Meng Zhengrong: “……”

Seeing that he was still trying to find a way to avoid watching the movie, Xu Yuan didn’t want to continue arguing. She let go of him, wiped the smile off her face, and became serious. “You don’t like me anymore, do you?”

Meng Zhengrong was completely taken aback. Weren’t they just discussing the movie? How did the conversation shift to this topic?

“No, I like you a lot, okay?”

Xu Yuan continued, “You don’t like me anymore. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be willing to accompany me to watch a movie. What kind of liking is that?”

In the end, she pulled out the ultimate weapon. “Fine, if you don’t want to watch, then don’t. I won’t force you. I’ll watch it alone. You can go back first.”

Meng Zhengrong had no idea how vengeful a woman could be when she was serious or how adept she was at twisting right and wrong.

In any case, he was dragged inside and had no choice but to awkwardly hold popcorn and a soda, bracing himself as he followed Xu Yuan into the theater.

There weren’t many people in the cinema, but it wasn’t empty either.

They sat in the fifth row, where no one was seated in their row, while there were two or three people in the row behind them.

Meng Zhengrong had always considered himself a tough man, someone who stood tall and strong. It was just a horror movie; what was the big deal? Besides, he was a materialist and didn’t believe in ghosts. Those were just products of feudal superstition, completely untrustworthy.

He would calmly watch the movie, return home as if nothing had happened, just like he had after watching romantic dramas with Xu Yuan, leaving no lasting impression in his mind.

Of course, this was just what Meng Zhengrong thought.

He used all his strength to suppress the impulse to scream, knowing that it would be too embarrassing for a grown man to admit he got scared watching a horror movie.

When the movie ended and they walked out, Meng Zhengrong felt a chill on his body. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but it felt like a gust of cold wind kept hitting him.

This was something he would never tell Xu Yuan; it would be too humiliating.

Looking at Xu Yuan’s calm demeanor, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you women usually scared of these kinds of movies? Don’t you find it scary?”

Xu Yuan glanced at Meng Zhengrong and shook her head. “Not scary at all. It’s just people acting, not ghosts.”

Meng Zhengrong: “……”

His wife was quite the heroine.

“What, do you find it scary?” Xu Yuan patted Meng Zhengrong’s shoulder. “If you thought it was scary, you could have said something. We could have left early.”

Meng Zhengrong could never admit to that; he hurriedly shook his head and pretended to be calm. “Not scary at all. The movie deserves a bad review.”

“Then next time, let’s find a scarier movie to watch at home. I think it’d be quite interesting.”

Meng Zhengrong: “……”

It was all his own fault for being too talkative.

Xu Yuan knew that Meng Zhengrong was a little scared. Why?

If it were any other day, after a shower, watching TV, and getting ready for bed, he would be like an octopus, clinging to her and demanding to drive. But today, he was quiet.

After watching TV quietly, he went to sleep quietly as well.

Xu Yuan stayed silent for a moment and said, “Turn off the bedside lamp.”

Meng Zhengrong’s voice was soft. “Wait, I’m not ready to sleep yet.”

“Then I’ll sleep first. Remember to turn off the light,” Xu Yuan said before closing her eyes to drift into sleep.

Today was truly relaxing. Without Meng Zhengrong, the clingy octopus, she was sure she could sleep soundly.

But Meng Zhengrong couldn’t fall asleep at all; the scenes from the movie kept replaying in his mind.

Was it embarrassing for a thirty-something man to react this way after watching a horror movie? He was anxious, waiting for an answer.

He lay there wide awake until it was nearly dawn. Finally, as he was just starting to drift off, a classic scene from the movie suddenly popped into his head.

His eyes snapped open, and he sat up, looking at the large screen TV on the wall. His emotions were quite complicated at that moment.

Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Meng Zhengrong got out of bed, found a thin blanket in the closet, and covered the TV screen with it. Only then did he feel a sense of relief.