Chapter 307: The Fifteenth Day in the ABO World

Chapter 307: The Fifteenth Day of Entering the ABO World

The two of them walked into the theater and found their seats.

The lights dimmed, and the big screen began playing previews.

The dim environment heightened every sensation—Wei Yang could clearly hear his own heart pounding like a drum, and could also feel An Yi's calm breathing beside him.

The armrest between them seemed to form a boundary. Wei Yang's fingers nervously curled and uncurled as he stole glances at An Yi's profile, made even more striking and refined by the flickering light and shadow. His heart felt like a little deer bumping around in his chest.

The movie officially began—a well-produced sci-fi romance blockbuster. The romance wasn't the main focus; it was more about humanity's adventures and survival in off-world colonies.

The plot was tight, and the special effects were impressive.

Wei Yang found it hard to keep his mind fully on the film.

He'd been working up to it for a while. Grabbing a moment when the movie entered a relatively calm narrative stretch and the theater was quiet, he leaned slightly toward An Yi and whispered in a breathy voice, with total sincerity and a little shyness:

"Brother, you look really good today. Your cologne smells amazing too—so good."

But the second the words left his mouth—

The female lead on screen shouted angrily: "Are you sexually harassing me?"

Wei Yang: "..."

An Yi: *pfft*

Wei Yang pulled himself together and tried again: "Brother, actually... the first time I saw you, I felt like you were like a star—so beautiful it didn't seem real."

His voice was soft, carrying a youthful rawness.

Just then, the movie happened to show the protagonist crew encountering a scruffy old astronaut who wouldn't shut up in a bar. The old astronaut was hitting on an alien woman, speaking in an exaggerated, sleazy tone: "Hey, baby, I got sick of that line a thousand years ago! 'You shine like a star'? Save it—just get me a drink instead!"

The old astronaut's lines were clear and loud, booming through the theater's surround sound.

Wei Yang: "..."

His lovesick, shy expression froze instantly. He was totally frozen.

An Yi's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

Wei Yang took a deep breath. Not ready to give up, he decided to try again.

He steadied himself, worked up his courage again, and spoke more seriously than before: "Brother, I genuinely like you. Maybe I'm not good enough yet, but I'll work hard to become better—to become... someone worthy of you."

His eyes shone unusually bright in the dark.

As luck would have it.

On the movie screen, the plot suddenly took a turn. That same smooth-talking old astronaut, now facing a wave of aliens charging at them, shoved aside a young crew member frozen in fear. Standing in front, he opened fire while shouting at the terrified young man with exasperated fury:

"Liking someone ain't worth shit, kid! You think talk alone can take down these things? Show some real damn action! Otherwise, you're just gonna be a snack!"

"..."

Wei Yang: "..."

He opened his mouth, staring at the cowering young crew member on screen, feeling an eerie connection to his own situation.

What the hell is this movie?!

Screenwriter, do you have it out for me?!

Wei Yang's chest was so tight with frustration that his face turned red.

He was so embarrassed he wanted to crawl out of his skin, and he wanted nothing more than to drag An Yi out of this theater that seemed determined to humiliate him.

As for An Yi beside him—he tilted his head slightly, raised a hand to his lips, making a fist, and his shoulders shook almost imperceptibly.

He almost laughed out loud.

Luckily, his iron self-control kicked in just in time.

He remembered they were in a movie theater and needed to stay quiet.

He forced the laughter back down, leaving only a clearly delighted glimmer deep in his eyes.

Wei Yang slumped his shoulders, looking dejected, not even wanting his popcorn anymore, feeling like this carefully planned date was completely ruined by the movie's bizarre dialogue.

But seeing An Yi amused made him think, well, that works too.

It wasn't until the movie ended and the lights came on that Wei Yang perked up again.

"Let's go." An Yi stood, his tone calm.

"Oh, okay." Wei Yang responded and followed An Yi out.

As they exited the theater into the brightly lit lobby, Wei Yang stole a glance at An Yi.

An Yi's expression was as composed as ever—that gentle, unruffled demeanor—but anyone with eyes could tell he was in an excellent mood right now.

Wei Yang broke into a smile. This is great!!

Coming out of the cinema, it was already near dusk.

"Brother, how about we go get dinner now?" Wei Yang suggested enthusiastically.

"Sure." An Yi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the rows of restaurant signs around them, and asked casually, "What do you feel like eating?"

Wei Yang almost blurted out "Whatever you want, bro," but swallowed the words.

He paused for a moment. "I'm down for anything! What do you like, brother? This time, it's my treat!"

An Yi glanced at Wei Yang. "You're treating me? Alright."

He nodded. "Let's do hotpot then."

He hadn't had hotpot in a while and was kind of craving it.

Tasty and a good deal.

Wei Yang's heart leaped, feeling like he'd made the right call.

He immediately pulled out his phone to look up directions and walked with An Yi toward a highly rated chain hotpot place.

Inside, the hotpot place was loud and bustling, steam rising in the air, and the spicy, savory smell of the beef tallow broth filling the space, chasing away the cold from the movie theater.

The red oil churned in the nine-grid hotpot, making a tempting gurgling sound.

It was still early, so the place wasn't crowded; the two easily grabbed a booth.

Once the dishes arrived, Wei Yang was running around, fine beads of sweat forming at his temples.

An Yi sighed helplessly and stopped him: "Just eat, don't worry about me."

Wei Yang looked at him like a lost puppy, thinking that An Yi's gesture meant he was being rejected.

But since An Yi had said so, he didn't push it further, so he could only put the shrimp paste he was about to give An Yi into his own bowl, set down the public chopsticks, and start eating.

As he ate, Wei Yang's thoughts began to churn.

An Yi's attitude made him uneasy, and he desperately wanted to find a breakthrough tonight to confirm something.

He watched An Yi's profile, slightly flushed from the steam and even more striking, and his heartbeat quickened.

He recalled that when reading novels before, besides the "call me brother" trick, he had also summarized another effective plot device—

When a relationship between two people with a significant gap in status hits a deadlock, or when one party wants to speed up the progression, that party can propose a "sugar arrangement," breaking through barriers in a seemingly humble yet bold way, often working wonders and arousing the pity, interest, or even the desire to conquer in the more dominant party.