Out of nowhere, it started to pour rain.
It seemed that even Heaven couldn't tolerate Jiang Xu's ashole behavior.
The drive back to drop off An Nuonuo and the round trip to the cinema would be just about feasible.
But if they were delayed any longer, it wouldn't be.
So, Jiang Xu said to An Nuonuo, "Every young person needs to get caught in the rain at least once. Let's dare to go back."
"Huh?"
Jiang Xu directly dragged her into the pouring rain.
Almost instantly, her clothes got soaked.
However, the young girl didn't know Jiang Xu's actual motive.
She felt that this experience was rather thrilling.
The motorcycle traveled through the heavy rain.
Behind him came the ringing laughter of An Nuonuo, clear as a silver bell's chime.
Jiang Xu silently gave himself a pat on the back.
I can't believe it, I am an absolute genius.
Within a safe range and with maximum speed, he dropped An Nuonuo off at her place.
Jiang Xu advised, "Go change your clothes and have some brown sugar water or ginger tea to ward off the cold. I'm taking off."
"Right, you better go back," the young girl waved her hands.
Unable to resist one last look at the rain-soaked An Nuonuo, Jiang Xu left reluctantly.
He mustn't keep staring.
Sensing Jiang Xu's gaze, An Nuonuo's face turned red and she quickly turned around to head back inside.
When Jiang Xu arrived home,
he saw Jiang Xiaoyan sitting on the staircase, her face full of gloom.
However, when she saw Jiang Xu drenched in rain, she immediately fussed, "Why did you come back like this?"
Jiang Xu solemnly replied, "Because someone at home is waiting for me.
Even if it were knives raining from the sky, I would still bravely return home."
Jiang Xiaoyan was genuinely moved.
Just at that moment, a thunderclap echoed across the sky.
Jiang Xu shrank back.
Jiang Xiaoyan dismissed these actions, insisting that Jiang Xu change his clothes immediately.
After changing his clothes and having a cup of warm water,
Jiang Xu found out that the rain had stopped. It wasn't drizzling a bit anymore.
He felt so played.
As if someone was pulling a prank on him.
Jiang Xiaoyan had already wiped the motorcycle seat dry and was holding an umbrella. "Let's go see the movie. After watching it..."
She lowered her head, her face filled with shy blush.
Jiang Xu got on the motorcycle without any expression.
When they arrived at the cinema,
barely anybody was there for the late-night show.
Of course, the main reason was that it was not a weekend.
Otherwise, these late-night shows would be bustling.
Essentially, some people exclusively choose movies that aren't popular.
These are the kinds with no other audience present.
As for the reason,
Hehe, those in the know know.
At this moment, Jiang Xiaoyan has transformed back into a good girl.
She was wearing a white dress, her hair tied up in a ponytail, and she swayed as she walked.
Quite reserved.
She followed behind Jiang Xu, looking every bit like an introverted girl.
As usual, she bought popcorn and two cups of cola.
Upon entering the theater,
only one couple sat in the back rows.
As to how he knew they were a couple,
Well, it was because, as soon as he walked in, he saw them kissing.
Jiang Xiaoyan coquettishly said, "You can't do that to me later, otherwise I'll get shy."
Jiang Xu replied, "So you sit on the inside, and I sit on the outside?"
Jiang Xiaoyan: "You're so annoying, but if you insist, I guess I can't help it."
Jiang Xu: "..."
Since there weren't many people, they casually chose seats.
Jiang Xiaoyan asked, "Have you seen this movie before?"
Jiang Xu shook his head. "No."
Fearless bravado in the face of danger - that's the composed way to show off your manliness.
The movie started
And that's when Jiang Xu started to show off his acting skills.
He had no choice.
As mentioned earlier, she hadn't seen the movie before.
So, she had to behave as expected.
For instance, laugh when it was time to laugh.
Express gravity of face during a sentimental scene.
It was hard to imagine how those who watched the same movie three or four times, or even eight or nine, or more than a dozen times managed their facial expressions.
In the first half of the movie, Jiang Xiaoyan watched it seriously.
But when it came to the second half, she actually...
However, after it finished, she fell asleep.
Looking so peaceful.
Jiang Xu tried shaking her, but she didn't respond.
He shook her again, yet she still didn't wake up.
Then, he got up and left on his own.
Not long after, Jiang Xiaoyan chased after him.
She was very upset, "How could you abandon me and run off by yourself?"
Jiang Xu slapped his forehead, "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot about you."
That's what he said, but there was no trace of apology on his face.
The next moment, Jiang Xiaoyan was smiling again: "No problem, let's move on to the next spot."
"What next spot? It's time to go home."
"Didn't you promise? Are you backtracking, or were you deliberately lying to me?" Jiang Xiaoyan's displeasure was written all over her face.
Jiang Xu feigned ignorance: "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
Jiang Xiaoyan took out her phone: "Look at the text message you sent earlier."
Jiang Xu: It's more fun to watch movies late at night, and many young men and women watch movies late at night, then... hehehe, you know what happens.
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Jiang Xu continued to play dumb: "After watching a movie, you go home, don't you? Don't you understand?"
Uh-oh, it wasn't that Jiang Xu wanted to be a gentleman.
It's just that the current situation didn't allow that.
At least until she graduated high school and went to university, some restrictions couldn't been removed.
"Fine, I'll remember this. Just wait, hmph!"
Jiang Xiaoyan walked off in a huff.
Jiang Xu overslept the next morning.
It was already half past two when he came home last night.
He had just turned off the light and fallen asleep when Jiang Xiaoyan started to knock on the door from the outside.
Purposely taking revenge on him.
When he went out to see, she had run back into her bedroom.
After a couple of these episodes, he naturally didn't get much sleep.
When he checked the time, it was past eight.
He got up, brushed his teeth, and washed his face.
He looked at his phone.
He had several unread messages.
One was from An Nuonuo, asking why he hadn't come to school.
Another one was sent by Liu Yue.
It was about the movie "Those Years".
It had been released for over a week.
And the box-office result was starting to rise significantly.
The total box office nationwide had reached six million two hundred and eighty thousand.
If you deduct all kinds of investment, the cost of this movie had been recouped.
The rest, all profit.
This surprised Jiang Xu a bit.
For a movie with decent box office results, the typical screening cycle was between one to two months.
If it were to run for two months with stable box office, the total would be around fifty to sixty million.
Net profit would definitely be ten million.
Nice.
This movie could bring him a considerable profit.
Since he was already late, Jiang Xu was not in a hurry anymore.
He checked Weibo again.
He now had more than thirty thousand followers.
Bear in mind that Weibo followers at this time were real.
Unlike ten years later, where it was common to have several hundred, even several million followers.
If the trend continued, by the end of the screening of "Those Years", he could increase his follower count to over one hundred thousand.
A free channel for future promotions.
After Jiang Xu put on his shoes, he saw Jiang Xiaoyan's room door open.
She came out, yawning.
In an instant, a murderous intent boiled within Jiang Xu.
On seeing Jiang Xu, Jiang Xiaoyan didn't retreat back into her room.
Instead, she came out and, astoundingly, she made a move...