Gossip is even more thrilling than watching a movie.

Ruan Liangce had met Shen Nanzheng when he went to the military region to visit his eldest brother, and he had learned a lot about his heroic deeds from his brother's accounts.

Using the phrase "young and promising" to describe him was far too superficial; he was practically a legendary figure in the reconnaissance regiment.

Never expecting to see him here, Ruan Liangce was so pleasantly surprised that he completely overlooked that familiar sense of oppression.

"Brother Shen, you still remember me, right? I'm Ruan Liangze's younger brother, Ruan Liang策."

Shen Nanzheng remembered now. Ruan Liangze indeed had two younger brothers.

However, he had no impression of either of them.

Yet, hearing Ruan Liangce address "Sister Wen Ran" so familiarly just a moment ago, he said in a deep voice, "I remember you now!"

Oblivious to Shen Nanzheng's displeasure, Ruan Liangce abandoned the idea of buying popcorn and asked instead, "Brother Shen, are you here to watch the movie too?"

"Mm," Shen Nanzheng replied. "I heard you're the film projectionist?"

Not expecting his idol to know even this, Ruan Liangce said excitedly, "Yes, I am the film projectionist."

Shen Nanzheng expressionlessly said, "Then why aren't you hurrying off to work!"

"I'm going right now." Ruan Liangce had never been so obedient, a reaction born entirely out of respect for his idol.

Watching her third brother march straight into the cinema as if he had been put under a spell, Ruan Ling frowned and said, "What's going on? Is my third brother losing his mind? He hasn't bought the popcorn yet, didn't even say goodbye, and just left like that?"

Wen Ran chuckled. "Isn't it a good thing that he's dedicated to his work? The two of us can just share a portion of popcorn."

Jin Baoli rolled her eyes. "Is that what you call dedication? To me, he's just out of his mind!"

Ruan Ling immediately retorted, "You are not allowed to talk about my third brother like that!"

"Your third brother was talking about me too!" Jin Baoli was petty and held grudges.

Right now, she just wanted to draw a circle on the floor and curse Ruan Liangce, wishing that someone with such a poisonous tongue would never be able to find a wife.

How dare he say she wasn't pretty! Did he think she needed his opinion on her looks?

Hmph!

Interrupting the two of them and once again deliberately ignoring Shen Nanzheng's urging, Wen Ran said, "Stop bickering, let's head inside first."

Ruan Ling let out a "hmph" and pulled Wen Ran along.

Jin Baoli, still feeling unconvinced, let out a "hmph" of her own and followed them in.

And just like that, Shen Nanzheng was completely ignored by Wen Ran.

Well, that was fine too.

The corners of his lips curved upward as he walked over to find his seat.

Ruan Ling and Jin Baoli flanked Wen Ran like a pair of guardian deities, shielding her right in the middle.

Wen Ran glanced back at the entrance, and seeing Shen Nanzheng approaching, immediately sat up straight.

Shen Nanzheng walked over to Jin Baoli. "Comrade, please excuse me. You're sitting in my seat."

Jin Baoli was puzzled. "You must be mistaken. How could I buy the wrong seat?"

Shen Nanzheng flashed his ticket and pointed to the seat number printed on it.

Jin Baoli was dumbfounded the moment she looked!

Sure enough, she had actually sold the seat right next to Wen Ran to someone else.

She felt like tearing her hair out!

However, seeing that he was dressed in a green military uniform and that his speech and mannerisms suggested he was someone of standing, she tentatively said, "Apologies, why don't we just leave things as they are? Besides, sitting between two female comrades would be very awkward for you."

Shen Nanzheng's expression remained unchanged. "I'm not awkward."

Jin Baoli: "_(┐「ε:)_l"

Annoyed that Jin Baoli had spoken ill of her third brother, Ruan Ling chimed in from the side, "Jin Baoli, you're the one who sold the seat to him in the first place."

Wen Ran stood up. "Comrade Shen, please don't give Baoli a hard time."

A trace of gentleness crept into the corners of Shen Nanzheng's eyes. "I'm not giving her a hard time. You could switch seats with her, if you like."

Wen Ran: "..."

Jin Baoli: "..."

Ruan Ling: "..."

Ruan Ling and Jin Baoli exchanged glances, both reading sheer astonishment in each other's eyes.

From this brief exchange, it was not hard to tell that the two of them actually knew each other!

Moreover, their relationship was clearly not simple. The crucial part was that they looked like a talented man and a beautiful woman, making a remarkably well-matched pair.

Tacitly concluding that something was going on between them, the two girls stopped bickering and, brimming with questions, put on their best gossip-watching expressions.

Wen Ran's cheeks burned. "You..."

"I agree to switch seats!" Jin Baoli blurted out before Wen Ran could finish. "Actually, I don't mind sitting between you and Ruan Ling either."

With a single sentence, she neatly arranged all the seating.

Ruan Ling also wanted a front-row seat to the gossip. "Why should you be in the middle of us? Come over to my spot, I'll sit in the middle."

Jin Baoli resolutely said, "Not switching."

Ruan Ling urged anxiously, "You have to switch."

Jin Baoli stubbornly repeated, "Not switching."

Ruan Ling: "..."

Before Ruan Ling could compromise, Shen Nanzheng offered his thanks and simply sat down in the vacant seat beside them.

Wen Ran was pulled along in his wake and found herself seated next to him. Glancing at his deadpan expression, as if nothing at all had happened, she found it somewhat amusing.

Ruan Ling and Jin Baoli stopped arguing and tacitly took their seats.

Both of them turned their gazes simultaneously toward the pair.

Who cared about the movie anymore? No matter how good the film was, they couldn't possibly keep their eyes on the screen now.

After the lights in the cinema dimmed, she and Jin Baoli snacked on popcorn while observing Wen Ran and Shen Nanzheng. Their eyes were practically glued to the two of them, and they were already mentally spinning all sorts of romantic scenarios.

Refusing to satisfy their curiosity, Wen Ran kept her eyes fixed on the silver screen.

Knowing that Shen Nanzheng had a weak stomach, she took out some peanuts, distributed a portion to the other two girls, and naturally shared some with Shen Nanzheng as well.

Then she pretended nothing was out of the ordinary and earnestly watched the movie.

The stubborn protagonist in the film, Huani, was truly worthy of her admiration. The tragic fates of Huani and her sister Shunji repeatedly struck a chord within her, reminding her several times of her own unresisting past life.

The mournful and touching melodies caused tears to involuntarily slip down the corners of her eyes.

She was hardly the only one whose eyes were dampened by the film's plot; many people in the audience were wiping away tears.

This only made Jin Baoli and Ruan Ling, who were busy engrossed in their gossip, stand out in stark contrast.

It was only upon hearing the wave after wave of muffled sobs around them that the two girls finally shifted their attention back to the movie.

Holding the peanuts in his hand, Shen Nanzheng felt a warm glow in his chest, choosing to believe that she had brought them specifically for him.

He slipped them into his pocket without eating them immediately.

Sitting rigidly upright in his seat, he kept his gaze straight ahead on the movie.

Yet he didn't catch a single fragment of the plot; his peripheral vision was entirely occupied by Wen Ran.

Catching the glimmer of tears at the corner of her eye, his heart gave a sharp, painful wrench.

He hurriedly pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to her.

Using a voice audible only to the two of them, he said, "Don't cry, it's just a movie."

Wen Ran clutched the handkerchief and wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes.

Whether it was a movie or something that had truly happened, only those directly involved truly understood the bitterness within; outsiders were merely spectators.

By the time they emerged from the cinema, many people were still unable to snap out of the film's emotional grip.

Familiar lines were continually chanted by the audience pouring out of the theater, and everyone remained swept up in high spirits.

Ruan Ling and Jin Baoli had eventually gotten drawn into the story toward the end, and with their eyes still red-swollen from crying, they joined the crowd in shouting, "Selling flowers! We have roses, and also azaleas..."

Wen Ran was just about to follow them when someone tripped her.

Her body pitched forward out of control, and the next second, she tumbled straight into a broad, solid chest.