Chapter 133

Chapter 133

While the others were still enthusiastically discussing when to meet up again, Ning Chan and Kane had already quietly left.

Since there was still some time before dinner, the two went to the theater to watch a performance. The ongoing performance had just reached the climax—the male lead was brutally beaten protecting his lover, while the female lead was about to be abducted by the villain.

The theater tickets had sold out in minutes, with not even scalpers having tickets to spare.

Fortunately, Ning Chan and Kane had their own VIP box in the theater, so they didn’t have to fight for seats with the crowd.

A large glass jar of lemon-cucumber soda, fizzing with tiny bubbles, clinked with ice as it was poured. In addition, there were buttery popcorn, salted roasted sunflower seeds, crispy salted potato chips, and various other snacks covering the small table.

After drinking half the soda, chilling them from within, the show began as the curtains rose.

The male lead lay on the ground, bruised and bloodied, his eyes fixed on the alley entrance as he struggled to crawl forward. The villain’s lackeys, as if determined to kill him, laughed and kicked his body.

"Stop! I—I’ll go with you." Seeing her lover in such a wretched state, the female lead, who had initially held a dagger to her own throat, finally gave in, tears streaming down her face.

"Should’ve agreed sooner, shouldn’t you?" The villain raised a hand, and his servants immediately stopped. "Come, Miss Laura. I promise you’ll enjoy tonight."

"I want to see him leave safely!" Laura’s icy, hopeless stare softened slightly when it landed on the man on the ground.

Hearing the female lead’s line, Ning Chan froze with a sunflower seed halfway to his mouth. Seriously? The male lead was beaten so badly he couldn’t even crawl—how was he supposed to leave? Be carried out? Didn’t the audience think this line was absurd?

Clearly, the rest of the audience had no objections. They were so engrossed they were booing the villain and demanding he let the man go.

The villain, of course, wouldn’t refuse a beauty’s request—but since they were the ones who beat the man half to death, getting him medical help was never gonna happen.

Just as Laura’s resolve wavered in her despair, the villain’s lackey slapped the dagger out of her hand and seized her.

With her threat gone, Laura’s expression grew numb, her tears drying up.

Just as she was about to be dragged away, a figure leaped down from the wall, kicking the man holding Laura.

"Sister, are you alright?" A short-haired woman in a police uniform and leather boots cut a striking, no-nonsense figure.

Seeing the policewoman appear, the villain’s fierce expression faltered slightly. "Which precinct are you from? This is a private family matter—you’d best stay out of it."

"Protecting citizens is our duty and obligation. There’s no such thing as a ‘private matter’ in the face of justice." The policewoman drew the baton from her belt, glaring coldly at the man before her.

"Tch. Know your place. You’re alone here. Since you’re so talkative, why don’t you come to my place for a chat? After all, I’ve never had someone like you." The villain licked his lips and signaled his men to seize both the policewoman and Laura.

The policewoman kicked the nearest thug away, then raised a finger to her lips and blew a sharp whistle. Immediately, more people than the villain’s goons flipped over the wall. "Arrest them all. Interrogate them thoroughly—I want to know what gives them the audacity to disregard public officials."

Recognizing the uniforms of these newcomers, the villain’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto his butler. Why were the Inspectorate here? Could his protectors still shield him now?

"Sorry we’re late." The policewoman comforted Laura and arranged for her and the male lead to be taken to the hospital.

Gazing at the heroic policewoman, Laura’s eyes shone with admiration, and she silently vowed to become just as strong—someone who could protect herself.

If the villain thought he could do whatever he wanted just because he had money and men, then she would earn even more money, hire even more people, and help others who had suffered like her.

Watching the passionate, determined female lead, Ning Chan chewed on his popcorn. So this was a mainstream drama? The plot was even more righteous than he’d expected.

And the frail male lead lying in bed—was he playing the role of a delicate flower protected by a domineering businesswoman?

Perhaps because the current trend didn’t favor weak male leads, the story didn’t unfold as Ning Chan had imagined.

Laura did embark on her journey through the cutthroat business world, but the male lead had the same idea—he, too, realized the importance of money and power.

It turned out he was a wealthy young man who had abandoned his family fortune for love, but now he made a decisive return to fight for his inheritance in a family power struggle.

Unaware of each other's resolve, the two fell into a misunderstanding and broke up, thinking to themselves: *Today you play hard to get, tomorrow you'll be out of my league.*

Watching the sudden twist in the plot, Ning Chan ate more slowly. Damn, so this was about two rich heirs pretending to be poor for love—and to top it off, they’d even used fake names. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were playing some kind of scam rather than dating.

Seriously, communication and honesty are everything in relationships. Had they just talked a little more, so many misunderstandings could have been avoided.

Just as the audience wondered when these two would finally clear things up, two identical invitations—differing only in the names of the recipients—showed up on their tables.

It was for the National Young Entrepreneurs’ Conference, inviting top performers under thirty who had excelled in various industries.

In the grand banquet hall, the female lead, arm in arm with her brother, and the male lead, accompanying his aunt, ran into each other again.

Watching them scrutinize each other’s companions, Ning Chan cringed hard. Now what? Would the misunderstanding deepen, or would they finally come clean?

Unfortunately, Ning Chan didn’t get to see what happened next. The episode ended with a narrator’s closing remarks—the next installment wouldn’t air until the following week.

Though left hanging, Ning Chan had no intention of using his clout to make them keep performing. He simply wanted to get his hands on the script and skip straight to the ending.

As Ning Chan flipped rapidly through the script, Kane couldn’t help but wonder if he was that into the show.

"Not particularly," Ning Chan admitted. "But now that I’ve gotten this far, not knowing how it ends just bugs me."

Kane, indifferent to most things outside of Ning Chan, didn't really get this whole closure thing but was fully supportive in action. "So, are you going back to the theater next week? If you are, I’ll clear my schedule."

"No need. Knowing the plot is enough for me." Ning Chan wasn’t bothered by spoilers—in fact, he preferred checking summaries before committing to a show or movie. If it wasn’t good, he’d cut his losses early rather than waste more time.

"Alright. If any new plays come up, I’ll have them sent over for you to check out."

Ning Chan didn’t refuse. He was curious about what kind of stories people were into these days.

While the two of them lived leisurely, reports about a coastal village getting razed and its people slaughtered reached them.

Behind the atrocity was the same nation tied to the "Paradise City" incident.