Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 288: Soft around the fingers

Hu Xiaobei's heart beat faster involuntarily. Even though it was just a movie, he felt a strange mix of nervousness and anticipation.

He casually turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness instantly, while the screen reflected his face in flickering light.

An Xiaoqian wasn't afraid at all; instead, she reached out and pulled him to sit down next to her.

The warmth of her fingertips traveled through his palm, and Hu Xiaobei felt his ears getting slightly hot. His heart was filled with even more desire, but fortunately, the darkness concealed his unease.

As the eerie opening music began, An Xiaoqian suddenly curled up, her delicate feet gently brushing against his leg: "Xiao Bei, I'm a little cold."

Hu Xiaobei could feel the soft warmth on his leg, and his heart began to beat slightly faster uncontrollably, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

"I'll go get you a coat."

He was about to get up to give it to her when An Xiaoqian used her hands and feet to hold him down, preventing him from getting up.

"No... Sisi, are you scared or cold?" His voice was lower than usual as he tried to sound calm.

At this moment, he was already somewhat flustered. An Xiaoqian's behavior left him at a loss, fearing that she would make a move on him.

In fact, with Hu Xiaobei's strength, An Xiaoqian couldn't possibly hold him down, but he couldn't really exert any force either.

"I'm a little scared because I'm cold~ But you're my coat~" An Xiaoqian didn't hide her thoughts at all and snuggled closer to him.

"..."

Faced with such a righteous reason, Hu Xiaobei had no choice but to abandon his previous idea and naturally put his arm around An Xiaoqian's shoulder, pulling her into his arms.

This action made him breathe very carefully, afraid that his rapid breathing would reveal his inner turmoil and trigger a chain reaction from An Xiaoqian.

As the plot unfolds, he seems to be able to clearly feel An Xiaoqian's heartbeat gradually accelerating.

Her breathing became rapid, her body trembled slightly as she pressed herself closer and closer to him. Her beautiful legs and feet, which had been resting on his lap, were now curled up in his arms, clearly captivated by the movie plot.

Hu Xiaobei felt as if his blood vessels were on fire, and his blood was circulating faster than usual.

His throat was dry, but he dared not move rashly. He could only use his shadow ability to grab the water cup from a distance and take a few sips of water every now and then.

When the female ghost suddenly crawled out of the TV screen, she screamed and almost buried her face in his chest, her fingers gripping his thin shirt tightly: "Xiao Bei, could you turn the volume down a bit?"

"Who insisted on doing that just now?"

The words had just left his mouth, and he hadn't finished speaking.

Hu Xiaobei's mouth was covered by An Xiaoqian's hand, and the faint scent of hand cream from her warm palm seeped into his nostrils, stirring up a hint of spring.

His body tensed slightly, and he quickly held his breath to resist the assault of the fragrance.

An Xiaoqian tensed up in fright, tilting her head slightly upwards as she threatened, "If you laugh again, I'll..."

Before the words were finished, eerie child laughter came from the screen again.

An Xiaoqian trembled with fright, straddling his lap and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, half-hanging on him, seemingly having forgotten her earlier suggestion to turn the volume down.

Hu Xiaobei pursed his lips, a muffled groan escaping his throat as he desperately tried to suppress his body's instinctive reaction, his brows furrowed in a deep frown.

An Xiaoqian, however, was completely unaware of what was happening. Startled, she scurried around him, hiding on his side as if playing hide-and-seek with him.

She finally caught her breath, then pressed her cheek against Hu Xiaobei's burning neck and murmured, "You're so warm~"

Sweet breath brushed against his sensitive earlobe, and Hu Xiaobei felt a jolt of electricity shoot up his spine to the top of his head. He quickly reached out to support An Xiaoqian's slender waist, which was unconsciously twisting, his voice hoarse and trembling uncontrollably: "My little darling, please don't move around anymore."

“But…” An Xiaoxi was about to speak when, in the next second, the female ghost’s shriek pierced the air.

She shuddered and, like a frightened kitten, instantly buried her face in Hu Xiaobei's neck.

The faint scent of jasmine in her hair, mixed with the sweat from her nervousness, swept across Hu Xiaobei's neck with her warm breath. His tailbone tingled slightly with fear, and his fingers unconsciously tightened and loosened on his shoulder.

Hu Xiaobei felt his self-control had dropped another level. He could only purse his lips, hold his breath, and stare intently at the screen, trying to distract himself and stay awake.

However, An Xiaoqian's faint fragrance seemed to penetrate everywhere, mingling with her warm breath and lingering around his neck, like invisible vines gradually entangling his senses.

As the shrieking sound gradually subsided, she peeked out from Hu Xiaobei's shoulder, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. Her almond-shaped eyes were narrowed as she peeked at the screen with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

She clung tightly to Hu Xiaobei in fear, yet seemed unable to look away as if she had been paralyzed.

As the female ghost's rotting face was about to be fully revealed on the screen, she reflexively tried to hide back, but just as she buried her face in her hair, she couldn't help but turn her gaze back to secretly observe the plot through her hair.

The person was constantly shifting between fear and curiosity, much like a little hamster that wanted to steal some sesame oil but was afraid of getting burned.

Suddenly, the female ghost on the screen let out a shrill, mournful laugh.

An Xiaoqian shuddered and instinctively shrank into Hu Xiaobei's arms, but the moment she looked up, she met Hu Xiaobei's helpless gaze.

The moment their eyes met, the air suddenly heated up.

Hu Xiaobei was filled with inner turmoil and struggle: if things continued like this, he was afraid he would really lose control.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he struggled to look away: "How about... we watch a different movie?"

He was about to get up when An Xiaoqian grabbed his sleeve: "No~ I want to watch this, horror movies are so exciting with the sound on~"

"..."

Hu Xiaobei was speechless, thinking to himself, "I wonder who was begging me to turn the volume down before, how come they're suddenly getting so irritating?"

He opened his mouth, but still made a request: "You can continue watching, but you can't keep making those startling movements."

An Xiaoqian blinked her clear, big eyes at Hu Xiaobei, and in less than a second, she said, "Deal! You can hold me while I watch, then I won't be able to move!"

Hu Xiaobei was puzzled. He looked at An Xiaoqian, whom he was holding, and asked, "Didn't I already hold you?"

An Xiaoqian smiled, a sly glint in her eyes.

She rolled over lightly like a lazy kitten, her back pressed against Hu Xiaobei's warm chest, her legs curled up in the crook of his knees.

Immediately afterwards, she took the initiative to pull up Hu Xiaobei's left arm and let it wrap around her waist and abdomen, while with her other hand she pulled Hu Xiaobei's right hand and wrapped it horizontally from his armpit to her left arm.

Her slender, fair fingers gently hooked around his fingertips, and she almost nestled into his embrace, feeling incredibly safe and secure, as if she had returned to her childhood days nestled in her father's arms, a truly blissful experience.

At the same time, the fresh fragrance of An Xiaoqian's hair, mixed with a faint body scent, lingered around Hu Xiaobei's nose.

With each breath, his chest gradually filled with wisps of warm fragrance, and a touch of tenderness welled up in his heart.

At this moment, even the hardest steel would melt into the softest silk.

(End of this chapter)