Woman in Black Dress

Fang Qi was completely baffled.

But then the older man suddenly let out a soft laugh.

Then Fang Qi saw... the man casually wave his hand around.

"Alright, alright, the movie's over."

"All of you, head back now. Go wherever you need to go."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was perfectly clear in the quiet theater.

And then, the next second—

Those "audience members" who had been sitting silently, all staring at Lin Xiaoyou in unison...

Suddenly "came alive"!

The office worker in the plaid shirt stood up from his seat. He stretched naturally and let out a yawn.

The female college student with a ponytail picked up her canvas bag beside her, pulled out her phone to glance at it... then her fingers started tapping, as if she were replying to a message.

The middle-aged woman carrying celery bent down to pick up her scattered shopping bag, casually brushing off the dust.

Then they all started...

Walking toward the exit, chatting and laughing?

And they were actually talking among themselves!

"Oh my, that movie was really good!"

"Yeah, yeah, I was practically in tears. Xiao Yue really went through so much!"

"That last scene—did you hear it? That heartbeat..."

"Stop, stop, you're going to make me cry again! So intense, so pure love!"

They chatted as they walked, just like ordinary moviegoers who had just finished watching a great film!

Fang Qi: "?"

Wait...

How was this not unsettling?!

But what was even stranger—

"Xiaoyou, I didn't expect to see you here."

The middle-aged woman with celery beamed at Lin Xiaoyou and waved:

"Long time no see!"

Lin Xiaoyou instinctively replied:

"Oh, long... time no see?"

Then she froze.

Her eyes went wide as she watched the woman walk away...

And then—

"Xiaoyou, how’ve you been lately?"

A young guy in a T-shirt smiled at her.

Lin Xiaoyou was dazed: "...Uh, pretty good, I guess..."

Two girls passed by arm in arm and winked at her.

"See you next week, Xiaoyou!"

Lin Xiaoyou blinked her almond-shaped eyes:

"...Oh, see you next week...?"

"Xiaoyou, I'm heading off now!"

Another girl walked by and waved at her.

Lin Xiaoyou's mouth fell open: "...Uh, bye...?"

One after another, one after another.

Every single person who passed by Lin Xiaoyou stopped to greet her.

Their tones were familiar, their expressions natural—like they were old friends she'd known forever!

Lin Xiaoyou just stood there, dazedly responding to each greeting—

"Oh... okay..."

"Mm... see you..."

"Uh... bye..."

But the look on her little face shifted from bewildered to even more bewildered, from confused to utterly lost, until finally it became—

"Who am I? Where am I?"

"Why do all these people know me?"

Complete and utter confusion!

And her best friend Xiao Qing was already frozen in place!

She didn't even realize when she'd let go of Lin Xiaoyou's hand. She just stared blankly as the crowd filed past...

Watching them greet Lin Xiaoyou, watching Lin Xiaoyou respond in a daze...

Fang Qi was still sitting in his seat, staring dumbly at this "heartwarming" scene.

...Hey.

These people had just been staring at Lin Xiaoyou in that eerie way, hadn't they?

How did they suddenly get so chummy?

And Lin Xiaoyou clearly didn't recognize any of them!

...What the heck was going on?!

The crowd gradually trickled out.

The hall fell silent—eerily silent.

Fang Qi sat in his seat, looking at the few people left...

His mind was still struggling to catch up.

At the doorway, Lin Xiaoyou was still craning her neck to peer outside, watching the retreating backs. Her mouth hung slightly open, wearing an expression that screamed—

"Did I just see a ghost?"

Behind her, Xiao Qing seemed to have snapped out of it, but her face was even paler!

One hand clutched Lin Xiaoyou's sleeve for dear life; the other covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling!

The middle-aged man was still sitting beside Fang Qi, relaxed and at ease, watching everything with a smile.

And standing next to him was someone else.

A woman. A very beautiful woman.

Not like Liguang's kind of beauty—that delicate, almost unreal girlish charm. This was...

A mature, seductive kind of beauty.

She looked to be in her late twenties, tall and curvaceous.

She wore a slinky black long dress that hugged her figure, the hem brushing her ankles. A thin silver belt cinched her waist, accentuating her slender curves.

Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, loose and alluring.

Her face... had sharply defined features, with a hint of an enigmatic smile in her eyes. Her red lips were slightly curved.

The black dress only added to her air of mystery—like a flower blooming silently in the dead of night.

She simply stood by the man's side.

And her posture... looked familiar.

Hands folded in front of her, head slightly lowered, a faint smile on her lips.

Fang Qi knew that pose all too well!

That was Liguang's "service pose"!

Was this woman... his AI companion?

Fang Qi stared at her for a couple of seconds, his throat bobbing slightly.

There was something about her vibe...

It felt oddly familiar...

But the silver-haired girl had already spun around, planting her slender back firmly between him and that woman!

She was still rubbing her own backside with one hand, then glanced back at him with a glare!

A flash of crimson flickered in her scarlet eyes, and her lips were slightly pouted, like she was saying, "Just you wait, master."

Then she turned back, continuing to stare down the few people around them...

Especially that unfamiliar, mature, seductive woman!

The scarlet in her eyes flickered faintly—she was clearly scanning her!

Fang Qi saw her acting like this and the corner of his mouth twitched.

That crazy girl... she never misses a chance to get jealous!

And she's still rubbing!

He hadn't even pushed her that hard!

Just then, Lin Xiaoyou at the doorway finally snapped out of it.

She blinked, glanced left and right, and then—

"Pat-pat-pat-pat!"

She ran back toward them, dragging Xiao Qing along!

"Senior—!"

Liguang's eyes sharpened again, a red glint flashing as she immediately sidestepped, blocking Lin Xiaoyou's path!

Her small hands clenched into loose fists, her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at Lin Xiaoyou.

Lin Xiaoyou wove through the seats and stopped right in front of her, now blocked by Liguang.

She looked at Liguang, then at Fang Qi...

"Senior, senior, senior!"

She didn't try to get closer.

Instead, she gestured with both hands in front of her chest, her ponytail bobbing:

"What on earth is going on!"

"Isn't this supposed to be a haunted cinema? Then why were all those people here just now?"

"And... how do they all know me? I don't recognize them?"

"Is this part of a show? A prank or something? Are there hidden cameras around?"

She got more and more excited, her eyes gleaming, her ponytail swaying:

"Senior, are you guys filming some kind of variety show? Like... a hidden-camera prank show?"

“So, how was my performance just now? Did I look natural enough? Do you think they’ll edit me out?”

Her little mouth wouldn’t stop babbling, on and on!

Fang Qi: “…”

Wait…

Was this sweet, ditzy girl really a member of “Twilight”?

Or…

Was her mindset and acting skills so strong she was practically on another level?!

Next to her, her best friend Xiaoqing’s face had already gone pale as paper.

Her hand was still gripping Lin Xiaoyou’s wrist, and her whole body was trembling slightly:

“Xiaoyou, we really should get out of–!”

“Xiaoqing! Xiaoqing!”

Lin Xiaoyou suddenly turned to look at her:

“Don’t you think so? This has to be a variety show, right? Otherwise, how could so many people recognize me!”

“Oh, stop shaking! It’s not like it’s actually haunted—those are definitely all staff members!”

Xiaoqing: “…”

Fang Qi: “…”

Her act was certainly very sweet and naïve, but…

As he watched her positioning, Fang Qi’s eyelids twitched slightly.

She always remained about a step away from Liguang.

Her hands gestured nonstop, but from start to finish, she hadn’t taken a single step closer.

…She was afraid of Liguang.

That Lin Xiaoyou who used to throw herself at him all the time now truly didn’t dare to get close.

So…

She definitely wasn’t just the sweet, silly girl she appeared to be on the surface!

He glanced at Liguang again.

Silver-haired girl was squinting at Lin Xiaoyou, a faint glimmer of crimson flashing in her vermillion pupils, the corner of her mouth curling up into a gentle smile.

The little hand she had been holding out in front of him relaxed slightly, as if to say—Well, looks like you know your place.

Hmph…

This crazy woman sure was pretty pleased with herself.

Fine.

His gaze drifted over to that black-clad figure standing beside the middle-aged man.

She was still standing there quietly, hands clasped in front of her, eyes slightly lowered, with that subtle, elusive smile on her lips.

And the man… he was still looking at Fang Qi with a cheerful grin.

Both of them—one man, one woman…

Both wore that same smiling expression.

Fang Qi: “…”

A suspicion formed in his mind.

Could this pair possibly be…?

Just then, the tall, elegant figure in black stirred slightly.

She raised her eyes a little, her gaze landing on Xiaoqing, who was still trembling and tugging at Lin Xiaoyou, trying to leave.

She suddenly spoke.

“Xiaoqing.”

Her voice was pleasant—languid with a hint of huskiness, like a cat that had just woken up.

Her tone was casual, too, as if she were calling out to her own little sister.

“Release the restrictions.”

Xiaoqing’s body gave a slight shudder.

And then Fang Qi clearly saw…

Inside Xiaoqing’s pupils, a stream of data flashed all of a sudden!

A faint, eerie blue, flickering past… like lines of code darting across a computer screen!

She blinked once.

Then blinked again.

She looked at Fang Qi and Liguang, then at the man and the black-dressed lady, and finally at Lin Xiaoyou beside her…

The fear and panic on her face slowly faded away, bit by bit.

Her shoulders, which had been tense all along, gradually relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her…

Then, she gently grasped Lin Xiaoyou’s wrist…

And let out a long, deep breath!

“Phew…”

And then…

Her whole demeanor suddenly transformed!

From that trembling, cowardly hesitation just moments ago…

It shifted into exhaustion, lethargy, and a noticeable sense of relief!

“Finally…”

Her voice was the same, but her tone had completely changed.

Lazy, weary…

And tinged with a little distaste:

“The way I was acting just now…”

She raised her hand, rubbing her brow, then rubbed it again:

“It was really, really cringey…”