Honest Beta gets scammed

He Xiangchen's body stiffened.

He wanted to say he wasn't scared, but the scream he hadn't been able to hold back still echoed in his ears, making any explanation seem weak and powerless. After a few seconds of silence, he managed to squeeze out a single word through gritted teeth.

"……Um."

Li Qing thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

"It's okay, I checked the time, it'll be over in half an hour."

He reassured He Xiangchen, explaining that he also didn't think much of the movie and wanted to leave early, but He Xiangchen had bought the tickets and hadn't said he wanted to leave, so it didn't feel right for him to leave halfway through.

The next instant, a hand grabbed his palm.

Li Qing was slightly taken aback.

The hand first grasped his entire hand, then its fingertips gently brushed against his palm. As his hand instinctively opened, the hand deftly slipped inside, intertwining with his fingers and holding them tightly together.

"..."

This is a bit awkward.

Li Qing turned his head to look at He Xiangchen.

The theater was too dark, and he couldn't see He Xiangchen's face clearly; he could only make out an outline.

He Xiangchen leaned almost his entire body towards him, his head drooping slightly, as if he was genuinely afraid and seeking a sense of security from him.

Li Qing blinked, looking at the two hands clasped tightly together.

If you're this scared, why do you have to watch a horror movie?

He found it somewhat amusing, but the slight embarrassment he felt dissipated, and he didn't pull away from He Xiangchen's hand.

For the next half hour, He Xiangchen held Li Qing's hand tightly. Li Qing gradually stopped paying attention. Although he thought the movie was not good, he still watched it patiently.

As for He Xiangchen, he had no idea what happened in the movie during those half hours.

His entire attention was focused on Li Qing.

Li Qing's hands were large with distinct knuckles and thin calluses on his fingertips. They felt a bit rough to the touch, yet he couldn't help but love them. However, it wasn't the right time yet; he would definitely examine and caress every corner of Li Qing's hands carefully!

A faint minty scent lingered around his nose, like a feather, tickling his heart and making him dizzy.

What is a movie? What do the monsters look like? Who died?

He knew nothing about it, nor did he care.

Finally, the movie came to an end.

The end credits began to roll on the screen, and the theater lights came on.

The light made Li Qing squint subconsciously. He breathed a sigh of relief; it was finally over.

She twisted her stiff neck, preparing to get up and leave, only to find that her hand was still being held firmly.

"He Xiangchen?"

He turned his head and looked over, calling out softly.

He Xiangchen seemed to wake up from a dream, his body moved slightly, and he tightened his grip on his hand, before reluctantly letting go.

"It's over, we should go out now," Li Qing said, standing up.

He Xiangchen didn't say anything, just nodded and followed Li Qing, walking out with the crowd.

He felt that Li Qing's perfume was a bit too strong, and might even have a hallucinogenic effect. Now, when he looked at Li Qing, he felt as if Li Qing was surrounded by a filter, making Li Qing completely different from the noisy people leaving the scene.

Especially when Li Qing turned around to look at him and smiled as she spoke to him, she was simply breathtakingly beautiful.

He Xiangchen did not speak again until the two left the movie theater and completely left the mall.

The summer night breeze carried a sweltering heat as it swept over him. Li Qing looked at the still crowded people in the square, sighed, and suddenly felt that something was amiss.

He Xiangchen hasn't said a word since the beginning. Hasn't he recovered yet?

He turned his head to check on He Xiangchen, and his eyes met those of He Xiangchen, who was staring at him.

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"

He Xiangchen pursed his lips, then forced a smile, saying in a deliberately relaxed tone, "I just felt that this movie wasn't very good, and it's quite different from the reviews online."

Seeing He Xiangchen's expression and hearing his seemingly consolation words, Li Qing almost burst out laughing. He knew that He Xiangchen was probably feeling embarrassed and awkward right now.

He was also very perceptive; instead of teasing him, he went along with what he was saying.

"It really wasn't very good. The plot was a mess. Let's not watch horror movies next time. The quality of these kinds of movies is too hard to guarantee."

Li Qing's words were meant to be conciliatory and comforting, but to He Xiangchen, they sounded completely unpleasant.

He stared at Li Qing's radiant smile and found it somewhat irritating. He couldn't help but let his tone become a little sour.

"I didn't expect you to be so bold."

"It's alright."

Li Qing shrugged noncommittally: "The main thing is knowing those are all fake, just scaremongering. If you're talking about real terror, what's truly terrifying is riding your bicycle back to the village and encountering a bear on the way—that's real terror!"

"..." He Xiangchen twitched the corner of his mouth, completely speechless.

He was frustrated; no matter what, his meticulously planned movie theater project had fallen through.

But then again, thinking about that last half hour...

He Xiangchen: "..."

The result wasn't too bad.

The two chatted as they walked to the parking lot.

Once in the car, He Xiangchen started the engine, preparing to take Li Qing back to her dormitory.

The air conditioning was on inside the car, creating a comfortable atmosphere.

On the way, He Xiangchen drove, glancing at Li Qing from time to time out of the corner of his eye.

Li Qing was looking down at his phone, his fingers flying across the screen, a silly smile on his face, as if he were chatting with someone.

Seeing how happy Li Qing was, he asked, "Who are you chatting with?"

"Oh, it's my sister."

younger sister?

He Xiangchen raised an eyebrow: "You have a younger sister?"

"Um."

Li Qing nodded, finally looking up from his phone screen: "My younger sister's name is Li Hao. She's a college student; she studied in Beijing before, and she's incredibly beautiful! She's a model now!"

Hearing Li Qing's tone, He Xiangchen suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered something.

He glanced at Li Qing seemingly casually and asked nonchalantly, "I saw a picture of a pretty girl on your WeChat Moments before. Is she your sister?"

Li Qing: "Yes, you've seen it before. Then I won't show you the photos."

The only girl in his WeChat Moments right now is Li Hao.

Upon receiving a positive reply, He Xiangchen's expression immediately brightened, and his voice was filled with amusement: "Really? I thought you were your boyfriend when I saw the photos before."

Upon hearing this, Li Qing immediately raised his head, his eyes widening in surprise.

"How could that be! We're like siblings! Besides, my sister has a boyfriend, and they're even talking about getting married!"

He Xiangchen had a big smile on his face.