Chapter 119 - The Necklace

"Excellent, Phase 1 completed."

Moments after Bai Zhi and Lin XiaoYi walked into the auditorium, a furtive-looking Xia Wen peeked her head out of the nearby stairwell, one hand on her earpiece.

"XiaoYi, once you're in, get into position. Rendezvous in two minutes."

Xia Wen, professional wingman, may have never been on a date herself, but she knew the theory intimately. If all the world were a game, then she was a most competent dating sim player.

This "dating" thing was just like capturing a target in-game, and the way to unlock the achievement was clearly to fill the relationship meter by saying and doing things that pleased the target in real life!

She had arrived thirty minutes ahead of time to scope out the theater. The auditorium was on the third floor, so Xia Wen had taken up a position in the stairwell, from where she had an unobstructed view of the entire place.

There, she had lain in wait until Bai Zhi walked up the front steps. On her signal, Lin XiaoYi had executed the first phase of their plan, which capitalized on his loathing for sweet foods to orchestrate a perfect encounter at the vending machine.

Xia Wen was confident that the brief interaction had surely increased Bai Zhi's affection for Lin XiaoYi by at least five points—a good start.

She didn't even need her Plan B, which she had prepared because, frankly speaking, Xia Wen had feared that Bai Zhi would flake on them at the last minute, as he had a reputation for doing. Oh, the lengths she went to for her dear bestie.

I wonder if that lady I bumped into came from the previous screening...?

Xia Wen frowned as she looked toward the restrooms.

It had been half an hour since the middle-aged lady had rushed inside.

Perhaps she was overthinking it, or perhaps it was some sort of instinct, but she could not shake the feeling that the lady gave her the creeps. To use a more visceral description, it felt like she'd seen a cockroach run across her path. It simply left her with an inexplicably unsettling gut feeling.

I hope it's just my imagination. Nobody else seemed to notice... Man, our luck can't be that rotten, can it? We just survived that ordeal, too...

Xia Wen pressed a hand to her forehead, suddenly sensing a throbbing pain.

It was only a vague hunch, but she'd never been the type to leave things to chance. Her approach to any situation was to expect and prepare for the worst scenario.

"Well, if the shit hits the fan, we can always take cover behind the bigger man..." muttered Xia Wen as she adjusted her hood and headed to the auditorium herself.

She was burning with curiosity about what was going on in the restroom, but she was wise enough to know the fate of overly curious cats.

Besides, who's to say the lady wasn't just battling a particularly protracted bout of diarrhea?

As Xia Wen's retreating figure turned the corner, the eye that had been intently watching from the gap in the restroom door slowly faded into the darkness.

———

Since it wasn't a holiday or otherwise notable season, the movie they had come to watch was simply a newly-released budget film in the horror genre.

According to scientific studies, when going on movie dates, picking a horror movie was an exceptionally effective way to strengthen the feelings of a couple for each other, and rapidly raise their level of intimacy.

After all, how many couples who went to see a horror flick were really there for the horror, anyway? Since Lin XiaoYi's lifelong happiness hinged on this date going well, Xia Wen had prepared endless plots and schemes to help... Or rather, she had poured her heart into the task.

The auditorium was surprisingly well-occupied for a weekday, with about half the seats taken up more or less evenly throughout the hall. The seats that Xia Wen had purchased were in the front half, and flanked an aisle such that Xia Wen and Lin XiaoYi were on either side of it, while Bai Zhi sat next to Lin XiaoYi.

"I was worried you would reject my invitation."

It had been five minutes since they sat down, during which Bai Zhi had made no effort to speak. Desperate to break the ice, Lin XiaoYi bravely made the first move.

Her date had been frowning the whole time, and she wondered what was going through his mind.

"Oh. Why's that? Most people would be glad to be invited to a movie, right?"

Bai Zhi seemed to remember where he was and turned to the campus belle.

Lin XiaoYi nodded firmly. "You're clearly one of the minority, though."

"Is that so? Well, I don't think I'm that much of a contrarian..." Bai Zhi stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Then again, rather than a movie, I'd much prefer a meal. I've always thought that going to the movies was rather extravagant.

"Uhh..."

"To be honest, some things did surprise me," Bai Zhi said, turning back to face the wide screen. "I'd expected your roommate to be the one asking me out. Instead, it was you."

It was 9:30 p.m., and five minutes before the movie was scheduled to start.

"...Why her?"

Lin XiaoYi's face turned stony as she heard Bai Zhi's words.

Bai Zhi thought for a moment, then said, "Hmm, I guess it's because she and I have more in common. She and I have some shared interests, but I don't recall you and I having any at all... Of course, the time I spent courting you before doesn't count. I've apologized for that."

"Are you still upset about that?" Lin XiaoYi blurted out.

"Upset? Why would I be? The me back then was just human trash. Me now, however, I don't hold grudges."

Bai Zhi shrugged and took from his pocket a glimmering silver necklace.

"There's a lot I don't understand, but just in case... Would you put this on?"

"A ne-ne-necklace? What's with the sudden..."

Lin XiaoYi stammered in shock as she suddenly found herself looking at an expensive-looking piece of jewelry.

"'Cause I need to make sure of something."

Bai Zhi placed the necklace into her hands with an inscrutable look.