4

That summer, I was forced to watch a lot of movies.

To build closer ties, I visited Li Zitong almost every day, but she remained quiet. The two of us sitting on the same bench, watching movies in silence, gradually became a routine.

I thought this little girl only liked to watch gory movies, but I soon found out that I was wrong. She watched all kinds of movies.

Comedy and tragedy, crime and romance, classics and science fiction... we devoured every new videotape. After watching so much, I realized that captivating films like "The Silence of the Lambs" were the exception. Most films were clichéd and repetitive, with almost every plot familiar and devoid of originality. You could predict the ending just by watching the beginning.

"Don't think that the protagonist is hiding well under the bed. The pager he forgot to turn off will definitely ring soon." I couldn't help but predict.

Li Zitong didn't answer.

As expected, the "beep" noise arrived. The gangster immediately raised his MP5 submachine gun and sprayed the bedroom with gunfire, turning it into a hornet's nest. However, the protagonist bravely broke through the hail of bullets and escaped through the window.

"It's time for the car chase scene, about ten minutes long."

"Shut up! Don't talk during the movie."

Then, as expected, there was a car chase scene. The protagonist was driving an old Ford sedan, and the villain was chasing him in a Hummer. It was all clichéd racing, drifting, and explosions. But she was still watching with rapt attention, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.

The intervals between changing the tapes were my only chance to talk to her and get a response. I yawned and said, "I'm impressed by you. You can even sit through such a cliché."

"It's definitely old-fashioned," she replied flatly. "The sentimentality is too deliberate and doesn't evoke any emotional resonance at all."

"Then why are you watching so seriously?"

She stopped changing the disc, thought for a moment, and pointed to the plastic packaging to show me.

"Did you see this line printed on it?"

"Plot summary?"

"Yeah, a short synopsis of the plot. It's the only way to judge whether a movie is good in advance, but it's actually completely useless. Movies with interesting synopses are mostly the same old stuff, while those with incomprehensible synopses can occasionally bring surprises. So I just watched them all without missing a beat."

"Watching movies is just to kill time, why do you have to make it so tiring?" I don't understand.

She smiled. This rare smile transformed her into a different person, regaining the childlike innocence of her peers, becoming more human and approachable, reminding me of the fleeting brilliant sky during the rainy season.

"After watching too many movies, 99% of my viewing time is just junk. But every now and then, I'll stumble upon a brilliant moment that moves me so deeply that it impacts my preferences, habits, and even my attitude towards life. It's precisely in pursuit of those moments that I keep watching movies."

I nodded in understanding. Having said that, watching too many bad movies was still unbearably boring. I couldn't quite concentrate like Li Zitong, so I started bringing snacks like melon seeds, shrimp crackers, and plum candies from home to eat while watching to pass the time.

Since Li Zitong treated watching a movie like a psychologically purifying religious ritual, I thought she would resent the distraction, but she actually ate even more enthusiastically than I. Halfway through the movie, I reached for the snack bag, but it was completely empty.

Since I was watching the movie for free, I couldn't complain about the snacks disappearing inexplicably. But after so many times, I finally couldn't help but complain, "At least leave some for me."

A puzzled look appeared on her face. "When did I eat your snacks?"

I grabbed the empty package and squeezed it, making a popping sound. "It was full half an hour ago, and now there's only air."

"Maybe I accidentally grabbed a little bit," she argued calmly, "but you must have eaten most of it yourself."

In order to get evidence of cheating, I started to observe her secretly while watching movies.

Basically, Li Zitong is pretty easy to understand during the film. He frowns at sentimental moments, clenches his fist in celebration when the villain is defeated, and when the plot gets tense, he grabs handfuls of snacks and stuffs them into his mouth like a hamster.

But mostly, she stared motionless at the TV screen. Light and shadow, sometimes vague, sometimes bright, cast a shadow on her face. Her beautifully shaped nose, long, drooping lashes, and slightly pouty lips made her profile look as sharp and tranquil as a silhouette. In this shabby, dingy music store, everything seemed to follow her expression, rising and falling like the tide. As I watched, I couldn't help but realize that she was, as my classmates had said, a beautiful girl of "piano and flowers." As long as she kept silent, she would be captivated.

When I came to my senses, I found that she was staring at me with an angry expression.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

I quickly looked away.

"If you really care so much about how much I eat, why not bring more next time?"

The door knocked, and someone came in. It turned out to be Zheng Kun and his duo.

They both looked straight ahead, as if they hadn't noticed me at all. They pretended to be selecting movies and walked around the store, but left without renting a single one. I felt a surge of fear and quickly said goodbye to Li Zitong.

As I walked into the alley, two people approached me from behind like ghosts, their hands on my shoulders. Although I was mentally prepared, I was still startled.

"You and that girl have a pretty good relationship. You're so affectionate with each other that it makes us feel embarrassed." Zheng Kun joked, holding a cigarette in his mouth.

"You guys want me to have a good relationship with you." I muttered softly.

"Since we're on such good terms, shouldn't we ask where the key is?"

For a month now, I have been using various excuses to put them off, but it seems that I can't delay it any longer.

"I roughly understand it, but the problem is that the key is in her father's hands, and he has gone to visit relatives out of town these two days." I lied.

"I see, that's the reason today. The other day the lock was broken, and today no one's home. Anyway, there's a reason for every day, right?"

“But I really heard her say that.”

Actually, I was lying. I already knew where the key was, and I knew how to steal it. One or two days a week, Li Zitong's father would bring some new customers to the store to look at the merchandise. They wouldn't touch the videotapes on the first floor; they'd head straight to the attic, lock themselves in, and spend the entire afternoon there. From time to time, the cringe-inducing sound of movies would pierce through the crack in the door. During that time, the key would remain stuck in the door. Forget stealing it outright; they'd probably have time to find a locksmith to make a duplicate and replace it.

"I believe it. How could I not believe it?" Zheng Kun nonchalantly instructed Zhang Zhihao, "As usual, hold your arms."

I froze for a moment. The next moment, my body stiffened, Zhang Zhihao moved directly behind me, clamping down on my movements. With such a large base weight, it was completely unclear how he could move so quickly.

Zheng Kun slowly blew out a smoke ring into the sky, pinched the almost burnt cigarette butt between his fingers, and waved it in front of me, "Open your mouth and stick out your tongue."

I instinctively understood what he was trying to do. I immediately gritted my teeth and struggled desperately.

"Tsk, strangle him until he sticks out his tongue."

Zhang Zhihao put his right arm around my neck and strangled me tightly. It was so painful that I couldn't help but moan.

"What I hate most is people lying to my face," said Zheng Kun.

My breathing became increasingly difficult, my vision blurred, and then even consciousness began to fade. A drowning man will cling to a straw. I tried not to stick out my tongue while gasping for air, mumbling an apology.

"Admitting to lying?"

I didn't have time to answer and could only lie on the ground, gasping for breath and tears streaming down my face.

"Don't be so petty. My patience has its limits." Zheng Kun squatted down beside me and softened his tone. "You can't get out of this anymore. You have to speed up the process no matter what. After all, this whole thing is run with you in mind."