Chapter 41: From now on, it's mine.

She has no work scheduled for tomorrow, but she has arranged to go shopping with Fu Xiaodan.

"Around four o'clock, I guess."

"Okay, I'll be there around 4:30, let's have dinner together."

When the car arrived near the residential area, Sheng Yi asked Yan Shen to drop her off by the roadside. They passed a convenience store and bought breakfast for the next day.

It was already September, and the temperature had dropped slightly at night. The moon was round and hung high in the sky, overlooking all living beings.

With no work the next day, even the evening seemed to offer plenty of free time. Sheng Yi carried her bag and strolled leisurely home.

The old man at the gate had the TV turned up very loud; you could hear familiar sound effects from war movies without even listening closely.

The few low trees in the green belt must have just been pruned; their leaves lay a thin layer on the ground, rustling softly when stepped on.

A few cars were sparsely parked in the parking spaces in front of the apartment building. Sheng Yi looked up and saw that the light in her window was on, casting a soft glow. It seemed that Fu Xiaodan had arrived before her today.

She walked around the front of the car, about to go upstairs, when she subconsciously glanced at the car parked next to her. This spot seemed to have been empty when she left home today?

When Wen Shili opened his eyes, he saw her standing in front of the car, looking thoughtful.

He rolled down the car window.

The narrow gap was enough for Sheng Yi to see the people inside the car.

"You—" she gasped softly, glancing around warily, "Why are you here?"

The voice was kept very low, like someone doing something wrong.

Wen Shili leaned over and opened the other car door. "Get in."

Sheng Yi kept looking at him, without moving an inch.

Wen Shili leaned closer, his tone casual. "I'm fine with nothing." He lazily raised his eyelids. "But are you sure you want to say this standing here?"

Following his movements, Sheng Yi saw the lights shining upstairs. After hesitating for a moment, she still sat down inside.

He reached out and turned on the car's interior light, his gaze falling on her hand before shifting back to the road ahead. "Don't you still owe me a meal? If it's convenient, let's do it today."

Sheng Yi had almost forgotten about this.

She had been waiting for his news for two days, but when she saw the news, she found out that he was constantly flying around, both domestically and internationally, and seemed to have no free time at all.

"Aren't you in Z City?"

"Yes, the flight tickets have been moved up." Sheng Yi felt that he seemed to smile slightly when he said this.

She patted her stomach, which was about 80% full, and perked up, "Now, what should we eat?"

Wen Shili was easy to please, "I'll do as you say."

Sheng Yi thought for a moment. Fu Xiaodan had introduced a restaurant last time, but it was a bit far from here.

Wen Shili: "It's okay, I'm not very hungry."

Sheng Yi: "..." Can't we eat it tomorrow? Are you afraid she'll run away?

When he wasn't speaking, she remained silent as well. The car was quiet, but not awkward.

Sheng Yi was scrolling through her phone when she received a message from Fu Xiaodan asking why she hadn't arrived home yet, since she hadn't said she was almost there. Sheng Yi glanced at the man in the driver's seat; his long, slender fingers rested on the steering wheel, possessing a kind of handsomeness that needed no further elaboration.

She typed a few words, then deleted them. Finally, she told Fu Xiaodan that she had something to do and would be delayed, and that Fu Xiaodan should go to sleep first.

The light ahead was red, and the car slowly came to a stop. Wen Shili turned his head and met her unwavering gaze. Sheng Yi didn't react for a moment and forgot to look away.

Their eyes met.

Of course, his eyes were also very beautiful. However, the once deep pool seemed to have a slight reddish tinge, and upon closer inspection, one could see faint blood vessels in his eyes.

The light turned green, and Wen Shili turned his gaze away and followed the car in front.

Sheng Yi hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you sleep well last night? Your eyes are all red."

Wen Shili gripped the steering wheel and replied casually, "It's alright."

His face was covered by a mask, and all the fatigue could only be revealed through his eyes, which were perfectly concealed the moment he lowered his eyes.

He didn't want to talk about it, and she didn't press him further.

I originally thought that someone like him would have gotten used to and overcome such a high-intensity schedule by now. But if I think about it from another perspective, being tired is being tired, and getting used to it doesn't mean that you can get rid of the physical fatigue.

Familiar buildings flashed by outside the window. Sheng Yi sat up straight. "Let's stop at the intersection ahead."

Following her instructions, Wen Shili drove the car to the underground parking lot, and Sheng Yi led him straight to the top floor.

Many restaurants were still open, and the waiters greeted them from afar as they approached.

Sheng Yi led him around a corner and asked him softly, "Are you sure you're not hungry right now?"

"It's alright," Wen Shili replied in a similarly soft voice.

"That's good."

Even after the two sat down, Wen Shili was still a little confused as to why the program, which was supposed to be a food show, had suddenly switched to a movie channel.

Sheng Yi placed the cola on her right, took the popcorn from his hand, and handed him another cola.

She checked online and found that this movie had the worst attendance rate. Coincidentally, there was a showing at this time.

When buying tickets online, I only encountered three or five "fellow enthusiasts," and they all bought tickets for the most obscure and less desirable spots, which seemed suspicious.

As the lights dimmed, sure enough, besides them, only a few living people were sitting in the very center.

Ignoring Wen Shili's questioning gaze, she joked, "I've come to support my idol."

The lead actor is a young heartthrob who became wildly popular last year, but most of his fans have already left. This movie was only meant to cash in on its audience, and its reputation collapsed on its opening day. The remaining fans maintained a false sense of prosperity for two days, and then they started to give up.

Wen Shili nodded. "Your hobby is quite niche."

Sheng Yi pretended not to understand his implied meaning and said, "Thank you for the compliment."

She sat upright, looking quite like someone appreciating and learning; she would have looked even more like it if she hadn't been making constant "smacking" noises while eating.

Sheng Yixuan had been showing off the popcorn for a while, and seeing him staring at it longingly, she moved a little closer and asked, "Do you want some?"

Wen Shili pinched two and put them in his mouth, then shook his head and told her to take them away. They were a little too sweet.

Sheng Yi ignored him and continued chewing.

Actually, the lead actor's performance was better than she expected, and the special effects makeup actually added a touch of weight to his thin face. However, the most fatal problem with this movie wasn't the actors, but the film itself; nine out of ten reviews said it was boring.

Sheng Yi had initially thought that a story that took more than an hour to tell could be incredibly boring, but after half an hour of performance, when the plot remained bland and uneventful, and the whole story was incomprehensible, she began to believe it.

When she turned around, the person who had just mentioned her niche hobby was now intently staring at the screen. Looking at the front row, the few remaining "like-minded" people had also lowered their heads. After waiting a while, some people simply got up and left.

Sheng Yi turned back to the person with bright eyes standing to the side, looked up at him and asked, "How is it?"

Seeing her expectant eyes, Wen Shili swallowed and said indifferently, "So-so."

If the director could have filmed from a different perspective, it would have been easier for the audience to immerse themselves in the story. Also, the film tries to do too much, giving the impression that it tries to say everything but fails to explain anything clearly.

As for the male god... I don't know if she meant that dumbfounded teleprompter or that extremely exaggerated hyperactive child.

"I knew it." Sheng Yi pursed her lips and smiled silently, then looked back at the screen. "Since we're already here..."

She paused for a moment, then said, "If you're sleepy, you can take a nap first. We'll go eat after we finish watching."

Wen Shili curled his lips slightly and obediently closed his eyes. "Mmm."

Sheng Yi glanced at the sleeping person beside her, covered her yawn, picked up a piece of popcorn and put it in her mouth, forcing herself to get back into the story.

The male lead was still reciting his lines expressionlessly, in a very monotonous and hypnotic way.

The heavenly voice that was praised so highly last year is nothing special.

Facial features that look good on a small screen appear on the big screen... well, how to put it? Maybe some people are just born with a movie face.

Sheng Yi turned to the side, unconsciously comparing the two people on and off the screen.

Unlike the impression he gave off, Wen Shili, when asleep, concealed his languid expression and remained quiet, even his breathing was very soft.

The hat was pulled down, partially obscuring the eyebrows and eyes; even with a mask on, it only fueled people's curiosity.

Suddenly, the protagonist in the movie shouted something. Wen Shili turned slightly to the side, and Sheng Yi was also startled. She looked away and stared blankly at the screen.

She didn't know when she fell asleep. When she opened her eyes, Wen Shili was already awake, holding her popcorn. "Want some more?"

Sheng Yi rubbed her eyes, "Where are we in the movie?"

Wen Shili quietly told her about the previous plot.

His voice was very pleasant, and the otherwise boring film was made more interesting by his narration, but Sheng Yi still couldn't help but feel sleepy while listening.

Looking at the time, it was almost over. "Should we head out now?"

Wen Shili smiled. "Aren't you going to look at your idol anymore?"

Meeting his meaningful gaze, Sheng Yi was certain that he was there to mock her.

It was almost eleven o'clock, and the shops that were open when we arrived were now all closed. Sheng Yi wanted to suggest we go somewhere else to continue, but before she could say it, she couldn't help but yawn. She hadn't expected the movie to have such a strong aftereffect.

Seeing her yawning repeatedly, Wen Shili said, "It's getting late, I'll take you home first."

Sheng Yi blinked. "Aren't we going to eat?"

She followed him into the car, still a little dazed, and heard him say, "I'll put this meal on the tab for now, and I'll come back to you to settle it tomorrow."

As she got off the bus, she touched the sandwich in the bag and thought about giving it to him to tide him over, but then she figured he probably didn't need it. She withdrew her hand and said, "I'm going now. Take care on your way."

She turned to open the car door, but Wen Shili grabbed her arm. "I'm not giving it to you."

Sheng Yi struggled, "I didn't say that."

“I heard you.” He took the sandwich from her hand and placed it beside him, like a puppy guarding its food.

With a click, the car door unlocked. Sheng Yi got out of the car, but Wen Shili followed her out. "It's too late, I'll take you upstairs."

Sheng Yi, holding the flowers, looked up at the upstairs and said, "My roommate is home."

Wen Shili said, "I'll see you to the door."

It was meant well, but Sheng Yi was too sleepy to argue with him.

She led the way, his footsteps echoing behind her. The road home, which she had walked countless times, took on a strange and unfamiliar meaning because of his presence.

"I'm here," she said, leaning against the door in a low voice.

Wen Shili gave a soft "hmm," and the beautiful bouquet of flowers bloomed in her arms, oblivious to everything around her.

Sheng Yi noticed his gaze and raised an eyebrow smugly, "How is it? Not bad, right?"

Wen Shili pursed his lips, wanting to agree, but ultimately didn't say it.

Sheng Yi picked up a bunch of flowers. "Here, for you."

"It's not right for someone else to give it to me as a gift."

Sheng Yi reached out her hand, "Give it back if you don't like it."

“He didn’t say he didn’t like it,” Wen Shili quickly replied.

She paused, then raised her voice slightly, "Then... it'll be mine from now on."