Chapter 13 VIP Cinema Tickets Are Expensive

Chapter 13: VIP Theater Tickets Are Expensive

Oh no… Did Lu Guifan just overhear his conversation with Lin Lu?

Lu Guifan was so perceptive—he must have picked up on the sarcasm in Jiang Ruotang’s words.

Would he think Jiang Ruotang was being fake?

"Ruo Tang?"

Lin Lu’s voice snapped Jiang Ruotang out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh, I’m going to grab my takeout."

"I’ll come with you. Mine’s here too."

"Okay."

As they walked, Lin Lu kept starting to say something, but by the time Jiang Ruotang picked up his eel rice, he finally blurted out, "What about Zhao Yunshu? You’re not just dropping your guard completely, are you?"

"Of course not. I had a serious talk with my dad yesterday. After some emotional appeal and logical arguments, he agreed not to let Zhao Yunshu stay in the finance department anymore."

Lin Lu’s eyes lit up, his voice rising with barely contained excitement. "Really?"

"Absolutely."

"How did you convince Uncle Jiang? He seems a bit… like a hopeless romantic. Would he really listen to you?"

At this point, Lin Lu was still young—his emotions were written all over his face. Jiang Ruotang could instantly tell that Lin Lu didn’t actually care whether Zhao Yunshu would become his stepmother. What he really cared about was whether Zhao Yunshu, as Jiang Huaiyuan’s most trusted person, would retain control over the finance department.

The only one who could coach Lin Lu to manipulate Jiang Ruotang like this was his father, Lin Chengdong.

"I told my dad that if he really wants to be with Auntie Zhao, she can’t stay in the finance department, let alone get promoted to VP. It’d create a bad impression—people would think they’re running the place like a mom-and-pop shop, with company funds flowing between them. Better to transfer her to a different department, something less sensitive, to avoid conflicts of interest."

Hearing the term "mom-and-pop shop," Lin Lu burst out laughing and gave Jiang Ruotang a playful shove. "Where’d you learn to talk like that?"

"Found it online."

Jiang Ruotang carried his eel rice back into the classroom.

Lin Lu was clearly in a great mood, chatting and laughing with Jiang Ruotang. Even Zhao Zhangfeng, still sitting at his desk, didn’t seem quite as annoying now.

The Peppa Pig lunchbox made Zhao Zhangfeng cringe, but when he opened it, he was surprised.

Pan-seared steak and flounder, paired with garlic broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and steamed sweet potatoes.

Low oil, high protein—this was exactly the kind of athlete’s diet he’d seen in magazines.

Did Sister Juan actually know about this stuff?

Before, Jiang Ruotang had seemed like a spoiled rich brat in Zhao Zhangfeng’s eyes. But now, thanks to this nutritious meal, he seemed almost… actually decent-looking.

For high school seniors, lunch break was a rare moment of relaxation.

Most of the chatter revolved around who was secretly dating whom, celebrity gossip, concert announcements, or the latest plot twists in some Hong Kong drama.

One topic was Bai Yue’s art film *Long Clouds at Sunset*. The director was famous, but his films were notoriously slow-paced. While they didn’t do well commercially, they were award darlings.

Lin Lu leaned toward Bai Yingchuan with a smile. "Ying Chuan, wanna go see *Long Clouds at Sunset* tonight?"

His voice was quiet—maybe the front and back rows couldn’t hear—but Jiang Ruotang definitely could.

And this conversation was exactly the same as in his past life. If Jiang Ruotang remembered correctly, Bai Yingchuan’s response should be: *No, if I get recognized in the theater, I won’t be able to enjoy the movie.*

"Nah, too much trouble if people recognized me," Bai Yingchuan replied.

"Aww, what a shame. You can’t even watch your own mom’s movie," Lin Lu said, laying it on thick.

Hearing this, Jiang Ruotang turned away with a quiet sigh.

Please—Bai Yingchuan didn’t feel bad at all. By the time he was twenty-eight, his whole career was still being controlled and overshadowed by Bai Yue. Truth was, he was rebellious.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be recognized in the theater—he just didn’t want to hear people constantly talking about his mother in front of him.

But Jiang Ruotang knew that no matter how much Bai Yingchuan didn’t want to see this movie, Lin Lu would find a way to rope him into the theater anyway.

Poor Bai Yingchuan. Too bad your mom chose to collaborate with Lin Chengdong—now even watching a movie means being manipulated by Lin Lu.

When classes ended, Jiang Ruotang got into the car, and Xiao Gao drove him to the art class.

But as soon as they arrived, his phone rang—Lin Lu was calling.

"Ruo Tang! You’ll never guess what? I got Bai Yingchuan to agree to watch the movie with me! We’re seeing *Long Clouds at Sunset* at Huacheng Cinema, 8:30 PM! VIP theater, with plush reclining seats!"

Lin Lu’s voice was bubbling with excitement. He paused, clearly waiting for Jiang Ruotang’s reaction.

If this were the Jiang Ruotang from his past life, he’d probably have bolted upright from the backseat, urgently telling Xiao Gao to drive to Huacheng Cinema. He’d ask Lin Lu for their seat numbers so he could book the adjacent ones immediately.

But the current Jiang Ruotang just smiled faintly, enjoying Lin Lu’s little act.

From the start of the semester until now, Jiang Ruotang had repeatedly said he wasn’t interested in Bai Yingchuan anymore. Clearly, Lin Lu didn’t believe him.

Not that Jiang Ruotang could blame him—he *was* the type who, once fixated on something, wouldn’t budge even if eight hundred oxen pulled him. Last semester, he’d been crazy about Bai Yingchuan. Now, after one summer break, he was over it? Even Jiang Ruotang wouldn’t believe himself.

He massaged his forehead. How could he make Lin Lu understand?

"Oh, so you’re skipping night prep? Watch out—Wang Fuzi might put you on his naughty list," Jiang Ruotang replied nonchalantly.

"Since when do I care about night prep when I get to watch a movie with Ying Chuan?" Lin Lu launched into his sales pitch. "Think about it—all those people online who crush on Bai Yingchuan would be *so* jealous! They even mocked you before! Those forum users who swoon over him can’t even meet him in person, let alone share a bucket of popcorn or sit on the same love seat with him! And Ying Chuan doesn’t just accept *anyone’s* invitation!"

"Alright, you do you. I’m heading into the studio now—have fun. Bye."

Jiang Ruotang didn’t bite. Just as he was about to hang up, Lin Lu finally panicked.

"Ruo Tang! Wait, wait!"

"Hmm? What now?" Jiang Ruotang hadn’t even opened the car door yet—he was waiting for Lin Lu’s next move.

"Something came up at home… I might not be able to make it to the movie. So… how about you go in my place?"

*Wow, that excuse was transparent.*

Jiang Ruotang played along. "What happened? Need help?"

"No, no… it’s nothing serious. Just… we have guests over, and I need to stay home to help my dad host them. But it’d be rude to leave Ying Chuan alone at the movies—what if fans recognize him and mob him for photos or autographs? He’d have no one to protect him…"

If fairy tales had *The Emperor’s New Clothes*, Lin Lu’s house had *The Imaginary Guests*.

"Then just tell him something came up and see it another time."

"But VIP cinema tickets are so expensive! What a waste if we don’t use them!"

Jiang Ruotang really had to try hard not to laugh.

With Lin Lu’s family money and his allowance, two VIP cinema tickets were nothing—he could’ve rented out the whole theater if he wanted.

Ugh, Lin Lu's lies were always full of holes. His past self must have been hopelessly lovesick to fall for them.

Jiang Ruotang checked the time. If he kept arguing with Lin Lu, he’d be late for his art class.

"Fine, send me the ticket codes, and I’ll figure it out."

Hearing this, Lin Lu’s tone noticeably lightened. He went on about "don’t be late" and "take care of Ying Chuan" before finally hanging up.

Once the call ended, Lin Lu smirked. *Jiang Ruotang, do you really think I don’t know what you’re like?*

All that talk about not liking Bai Yingchuan anymore was just an act—he was just playing hard to get.

Lin Chengdong had drilled into him: Lin Lu had to help Bai Yingchuan adjust to life at Beicheng Guangyao Middle School and maintain a good relationship with him because Bai Yingchuan was going to be their golden goose.

But since Bai Yingchuan’s big break came from Jiang Huaiyuan’s films, they couldn't let him get too close to the Jiang family or choose to collaborate with them.

The best approach was to make Bai Yingchuan feel that Jiang Ruotang’s fan behavior was "crossing the line," even to the point of disgust.

That way, when the day came for Lin Chengdong and Jiang Huaiyuan to face off at Universe Pictures, Bai Yingchuan would remain firmly on Lin Chengdong’s side.

Lin Lu then dialed Bai Yingchuan’s number, putting on a fake-hurt tone. "Ying Chuan, I’m sorry, but I might not be able to watch the movie with you tonight."

Bai Yingchuan frowned. He had skipped evening self-study to prepare—digging out a mask, black-framed glasses, and a hat—all because of this movie plan. He hadn’t even wanted to go in the first place, but Bai Yue and Lin Chengdong’s partnership, combined with Lin Lu’s persistent invitations, had finally worn him down.

"Oh? Then let’s just skip it," Bai Yingchuan replied, his reply almost made Lin Lu choke.

"No, no! Actually, I accidentally let Ruo Tang know about our movie plans, and… well, you know how much he likes you. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with you in a theater is like a boyfriend’s— I mean, a friend’s dream come true for him. So he kept begging me to give him the tickets… We grew up together, and I’ve never been able to refuse him anything he really wants."

Lin Lu deliberately corrected "boyfriend" to "friend," knowing this kind of implication would surely annoy Bai Yingchuan.

Sure enough, Bai Yingchuan let out a scoff. *So much for pretending not to care earlier—now he wants to watch a movie together?*

But the thought lasted only a second. His experience with industry relationships made him skeptical of Lin Lu’s words.

"You can’t refuse him, but does that mean I can’t?"

As he spoke, Bai Yingchuan took off his dark gray coat and opened his wardrobe, flipping through his clothes.

"After all, he’s Director Jiang’s son. Think about it—if it got around that you refused to accompany the director’s son to a movie, investors might see you as a diva and unreasonable… don’t you think?"