S-level Young Girl and the Old Times of the Vintage Cinema

In Ancheng, the sky always darkened exceptionally early.

At six o'clock in the evening, the red lanterns on the ancient street lit up one after another, adding a lot of warmth and vitality to the slightly chilly small town.

Su Bai held Ke Yujia's hand as they walked out of the alley that sold fried radish pastries. The little girl still held half an unfinished pastry in her hand, eating it with great relish like a little hamster guarding its food, with a tiny bit of grease on the corner of her mouth.

"Are you satisfied with just a little snack?"

Su Bai stopped in his tracks, naturally pulling a tissue from his pocket and wiping the corner of her mouth. His movements were so gentle it was as if he were handling a fragile piece of porcelain. "Let's go, I'll take you for a proper meal. It's too cold today, you can't just have this for dinner."

Being wiped so intimately by Su Bai, Ke Yujia's cheeks flushed red again.

"No... there's no need to go anywhere too nice."

She whispered somewhat shyly, "Brother Su Bai, you've already helped me a lot today and gave me so much 'bonus'... Let me treat you to dinner! But I'm usually quite frugal at school, so I might not... might not be able to afford a place that's too expensive. I know there's a clay pot potato noodle shop ahead, and it tastes pretty good. How about we go eat there?"

Seeing her cautious demeanor, terrified of making him spend money while wanting to repay him to the best of her ability, Su Bai felt a wave of softness in his heart.

This girl, even knowing that he was a wealthy boss now, hadn't lost a single bit of the innocence and simplicity in her bones.

"Silly girl."

Su Bai bent his finger and gently flicked her smooth forehead. "When you come out with me, there's no reason for a girl to pay. Not even if you're an old classmate. As for the potato noodles, save it for next time you treat me. Listen to me today, I'll take you to eat something comforting."

Without allowing her to argue, Su Bai led her toward the Land Rover Defender parked outside the street.

Ten minutes later.

The car stopped in front of a rather elegantly decorated Chinese courtyard restaurant.

The plaque over the door read "Wild Mountain Fungi".

This was a newly opened wild mushroom hotpot restaurant. In a small place like Ancheng, a hotpot place that focused on high-end ingredients flown in from Yunnan definitely had a ceiling-level consumption rate.

"Wow... this place looks really expensive."

Following Su Bai into the spring-like warmth of the private room, Ke Yujia somewhat awkwardly took off her off-white lamb wool coat. Her slender legs, clad in white silk stockings, were pressed together uneasily beneath her chair, and she placed her hands properly on her knees.

"It doesn't matter if it's expensive or not, the main thing is that it's comforting to eat this in the winter."

Su Bai handed the menu to the waiter and directly ordered the restaurant's top-tier free-range chicken broth base, along with a large pile of precious wild mushrooms like matsutake, jian shou qing, and morels, as well as a few portions of premium wagyu beef.

He didn't know what the standard of the wagyu ordered here would be. Logically speaking, with today's advanced cold chain transportation, any proper urban area shouldn't have a problem in theory. However, Ancheng was a weird place, so who knew.

Soon, the golden chicken broth was bubbling in the purple clay pot. The rich, savory aroma mixed with the unique wild scent of the mushrooms instantly filled the entire private room.

"Have a bowl of soup first to warm up."

Su Bai personally ladled out a bowl of soup, used a small spoon to skim off the floating oil, and placed it in front of Ke Yujia.

"Thank you, Brother Su Bai..."

Ke Yujia held the exquisite bone china bowl with both hands, gently blowing on the hot steam, and took small sips. The warm, mellow chicken soup flowed down her throat into her stomach, instantly dispelling the coldness she had caught from the wind on the street.

Through the swirling steam, she secretly observed the man sitting opposite her.

He helped her cook the mushrooms and boil the beef with movements that were skillful and elegant. He didn't have the condescending airs of a boss, nor the showiness of a nouveau riche; he only possessed a relaxed aura that made people feel incredibly secure.

Ke Yujia felt as if she were in an unreal dream.

This dream was too sweet, too warm, making her even a little afraid to wake up.

The meal was eaten with tender affection.

Although Ke Yujia usually strictly controlled her portion sizes to maintain her dancer's figure, under Su Bai's "semi-forced" feeding, she unknowingly ate until she was stuffed.

"Phew... I'm so full."

Ke Yujia put down her chopsticks and rubbed her slightly bulging little belly, a satisfied yet somewhat annoyed expression appearing on her face. "Brother Su Bai, you're too bad. If I get fat and can't fly when I go back to dance 'Tage', Principal Dancer Lin will definitely scold me to death."

At the mention of Lin Qingyu, a meaningful smile tugged at the corner of Su Bai's mouth.

"She wouldn't dare scold you. When the time comes, just tell her I made you eat more."

"How could I do that!" Ke Yujia quickly shook her head, speaking solemnly. "In the dance troupe, Sister Qingyu is the most professional. Work is work, I can't ask for special treatment just because... because I know you."

Seeing her earnest appearance, Su Bai smiled and shook his head.

This little bunny was quite principled.

Ke Yujia probably still didn't know that the current relationship between Lin Qingyu and Su Bai was what truly counted as special treatment.

"Alright, no special treatment. Now that we're full, what should we do next?" Su Bai picked up a hot towel and wiped his hands.

"Um... I'll listen to you," Ke Yujia replied obediently.

Su Bai leaned back in his chair, looking at the night view outside the window, his gaze gradually growing distant.

Today's reunion with Ke Yujia made many childhood memories involuntarily surface in his mind. Although those memories had somewhat blurred with the passage of time, when a specific trigger appeared, they could still be clearly awakened.

"Yujia."

Su Bai suddenly spoke. "Do you remember that there used to be a very old movie theater next to the Workers' Cultural Palace in our Yun County?"

"I remember!"

Ke Yujia's eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, "It was called 'Dongfanghong Theater'! But it's really run-down now. I heard it was contracted out to a private owner a few years ago and turned into a small cinema. Not many people go there nowadays; everyone goes to the big malls in the city center to watch movies now."

"As long as it's still open."

Su Bai stood up and grabbed his overcoat. "Let's go, I'll take you on a trip down memory lane."

Ke Yujia froze for a moment before following his footsteps.

She looked at Su Bai's back, and her heart suddenly started beating wildly.

Going to the Dongfanghong Theater?

That was the deepest, and most secret, secret about Su Bai in her childhood memories, aside from the White Rabbit candy during naptime.

...

Half an hour later.

The Land Rover Defender parked by a somewhat dilapidated street.

This area belonged to the old town of Ancheng. There were no dazzling neon lights, and the streetlights appeared somewhat dim.

At the end of this street stood an old building full of Soviet-style architecture. The paint on the exterior walls was already peeling off, and the red neon sign over the door that read "Dongfanghong Theater" even had a few letters that were no longer lit, flickering with a slightly desolate light in the cold wind.

But twenty years ago, this was the liveliest and most fashionable place around.

Su Bai led Ke Yujia to the ticket window.

There were no modern self-service ticket machines, only a glass window where a middle-aged woman sat dozing off inside.

"Boss, two tickets for right now. Any movie will do," Su Bai said, tapping on the glass.

"Oh... there's only a New Year comedy screening, starting in ten minutes." The woman rubbed her eyes, tore off two slightly rough paper tickets, and handed them over. "Sixty in total."

After buying the tickets, Su Bai went to the nearby concession stand and bought a bucket of popcorn and two cups of cola.

The two walked into the somewhat dim screening room.

As they pushed open the heavy soundproof door, a unique smell—a mix of old carpets, artificial popcorn flavoring, and the scent of a room that hadn't seen sunlight in years—washed over them.

The theater was large, but the facilities were quite old. The seats were those traditional red folding plush chairs, with the velvet fabric worn through in some places.

In the entire room, including the two of them, there were probably no more than ten people in the audience.

They found a spot in the corner of the back row and sat down.

"This place really hasn't changed a bit."

Su Bai placed his cola in the cup holder and looked around, a nostalgic smile appearing on his lips.

"Yeah."

Ke Yujia sat beside him, holding the bucket of popcorn tightly with both hands, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's hum. "I remember... the chairs back then were so high for me. My feet couldn't even touch the ground when I sat on them."

Su Bai turned his head and looked at the girl, who appeared exceptionally docile in the dim light.

"Of course you remember."

Su Bai chuckled. "After all, I was the one who sneaked you in back then."

Ke Yujia's face instantly flushed beet red.

She hadn't expected Su Bai to actually remember that!

It was back when they were in the senior class of kindergarten.

One afternoon, kindergarten let out early. Because his parents hadn't finished work yet, Su Bai was waiting at the gate. Meanwhile, Ke Yujia had been bullied again by some mischievous little boys who had torn her newly bought hair accessory, and she was hiding in a corner crying her eyes out.

At that time, to cheer up this Little Sniveler, Su Bai had audaciously taken her hand, rode the bus to the city center, and arrived at this Dongfanghong Theater.

They had absolutely no money to buy tickets back then.

Little Su Bai pulled little Yujia along, and while the ticket inspector wasn't paying attention, they sneaked in through the fire escape at the back door.

The two of them hid under the chairs in the very last row and watched a screening of the then-popular animated film, Lotus Lantern.

During that movie, although Ke Yujia was on edge the whole time for fear of being caught, it was the most thrilling and happiest afternoon of her childhood.

Because, in the darkness, that little boy held her hand tightly the entire time, telling her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"I thought... you had forgotten a long time ago." Ke Yujia lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously picking at the paper popcorn bucket.

"How could I forget such a glorious deed?"

Su Bai leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. "To sneak you in back then, I even scraped my knee, and when I got home, my mom beat me with a feather duster. But... seeing you smile through your tears, taking a beating was totally worth it."

Hearing Su Bai recount the past events in such a breezy tone, Ke Yujia's eyes suddenly grew hot.

So, in his heart, it wasn't just some forgotten interlude either.

Just then, the movie began.

The big screen lit up, playing a New Year comedy from this year's Spring Festival lineup.

They called it a comedy, but it was really just a forced hodgepodge of stale internet memes, coupled with awkward acting and noisy sound effects that only made people want to sleep. Domestic comedies these days were indeed getting more and more perfunctory.

Su Bai had zero interest in this kind of movie and found it extremely boring after watching it for only a little while.

He turned his head slightly, his gaze landing on Ke Yujia beside him.

By the flickering light of the big screen, Su Bai noticed that the girl's current state was more tense than if she were watching a horror movie.

She sat bolt upright, her back barely touching the backrest at all.

Although she was holding the popcorn with both hands, she hadn't eaten a single bite. She just gripped the edge of the paper bucket so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

Her slender legs, clad in white silk stockings, were pressed tightly together. Due to her nervousness, her knees rubbed together slightly, revealing an attitude of extreme restraint and helplessness.

Obviously, even though this girl had seen some of the world while in her dance troupe, in her private life, she was absolutely the kind of pure, good girl who had never gone out alone to watch a movie with a boy.

Even if her elbow just accidentally brushed against Su Bai's, she would quickly shrink away as if electrocuted, and then, as if afraid Su Bai would misunderstand, carefully inch her way back.

This conflicted and innocent appearance, falling into Su Bai's eyes, was ten thousand times more interesting than the movie on the big screen.

"Phew..."

Ke Yujia took a deep breath, trying to relax.

She could feel Su Bai's gaze on her. That strong masculine aura, mixed with the faint scent of premium cologne, completely enveloped her in this enclosed screening room.

Her heart beat like a drum, and her mind was a tangled mess.

"Why isn't he watching the movie..."

"He keeps looking at me... Is my makeup ruined today, or is there a snag in my white stockings?"

"Should I take the initiative and say something to him? But what should I say?"

Just as Ke Yujia was letting her imagination run wild, so nervous she was about to faint.

A crisp system notification sound suddenly rang out in Su Bai's mind.

Ding!

System has detected a high-value target.

Target is currently being scanned...

A virtual light screen that only he could see instantly unfolded before Su Bai's eyes.

Name: Ke Yujia

Age: 20

Appearance: 93 (Extremely high bonus for pure yet alluring and youthful cute attributes, highly appealing contrast)

Figure: 88 (Petite and exquisite, excellent proportions, dance major grants extremely high flexibility and localized malleability)

Purity: 100 (Emotional experience is a blank slate, has never had any romantic history)

Affection Level: 85 (Childhood filter plus hero saving the beauty plus attraction to the strong, currently in a state of extreme secret crush and self-persuasion)

System Conclusion: The target meets the standards of an S-rank Goddess! Because the target possesses a special childhood friend bond and has an extremely pure personality, successfully conquering her will yield special rare rewards!

Suggestion for Host: Let nature take its course, go with the flow.

Looking at the lines of golden text on the system panel, the smile on Su Bai's lips gradually deepened.

An S-rank Goddess.

Just as expected.

Although Ke Yujia didn't have Xia Lin's nation-toppling queenly aura, nor did she have Chen Yusheng's coldly stunning academic genius halo, her extreme purity and softness, along with that pitiful, endearing temperament unique to youthful girls, was in itself an extremely scarce top-tier resource in this materialistic society.

Moreover, an initial affection level as high as 85.

Truth be told, this girl had already pretty much won herself over.

There was absolutely no need for any flashy gimmicks, nor did he need to throw money around to forcefully break through her defenses.

All it took was giving her a subtle sign that she could lean on him in this perfect atmosphere, and that would be more than enough.

"Did you enjoy the movie?"