Liang Xiao had accompanied several girls to haunted houses and escape rooms before, where they would cling to him out of fear. He was used to it.
However, sitting between two clients—one male and one female—watching a movie together was a first for him.
Yang Yang and Lu Ze were both focused on the movie. Liang Xiao sat in the middle, staring straight ahead with his back perfectly straight. Neither arm rested on the armrests, making him look… very fair and impartial.
He reminded himself that Lu Ze wasn’t technically his client, just a friend. But Liang Xiao had never made friends with clients before—it was too easy to invite trouble.
That made Lu Ze special, and Liang Xiao still hadn’t figured out the best way to interact with him.
Though he appeared engrossed in the movie, Liang Xiao didn’t even know the protagonist’s name. When the eerie background music started, both of his arms were suddenly grabbed at the same time, startling him out of his thoughts.
For a moment, he didn’t know which side to address first. After a brief hesitation, he realized he didn’t have a free hand to deal with either.
He gently patted Yang Yang’s hand to comfort her and then subtly turned his head to glance at Lu Ze.
The lighting was too dim to make out Lu Ze’s expression, but after a moment, Lu Ze released his grip and leaned closer to whisper softly, “Just take care of her; don’t worry about me.”
A few seconds later, he added in an even quieter voice, “Just leave me one arm.”
Liang Xiao smiled silently.
For the next hour, the terrifying music and visuals barely let up. Yang Yang clung tightly to one of Liang Xiao’s arms and murmured, “Why is this so scary…”
In a gentle tone, Liang Xiao asked softly, “Do you want to stop watching?”
Yang Yang shook her head. “No, I’ll finish it.”
After speaking, Liang Xiao straightened up again but deliberately placed his other arm on the armrest, where Lu Ze held onto it with his hand.
The arm Yang Yang clung to felt nothing unusual, but the one Lu Ze held onto felt constantly tense. Depending on how scary the scenes were, Lu Ze’s fingers would tighten intermittently. Liang Xiao was sure there were now five distinct finger marks on his arm.
When the male protagonist ran home only to find a corpse glaring at him from behind the door, the theater erupted in screams.
Yang Yang let out a scream as well and pressed herself against Liang Xiao’s side. Lu Ze muttered a low “Sh*t” and grabbed both of Liang Xiao’s arms this time.
However, his movement was so exaggerated that it caught Yang Yang’s attention.
The two of them locked eyes across Liang Xiao in the dim light. Feeling awkward, Lu Ze quickly let go and whispered apologetically, “Sorry, miss… I got scared and borrowed your boyfriend for a moment.”
Yang Yang burst into laughter despite herself and covered her mouth as she laughed for quite some time.
“It’s fine—borrow him as much as you like,” she said with a smile.
Because of this little episode, Lu Ze wasn’t as scared anymore. The more he thought about it, the funnier it seemed. He ended up laughing silently for quite a while—even shaking Liang Xiao’s seat slightly.
When the movie ended and the lights came on, Yang Yang got a good look at Lu Ze’s face and exclaimed in shock, “Oh my god—you’re so handsome!”
She glanced at Liang Xiao, then at Lu Ze, and teased, “I feel like I’m a bit of a third wheel here.”
Lu Ze quickly waved his hand and apologized again, “I’m really sorry about earlier.”
“It’s no big deal,” Yang Yang said with a playful wink at Liang Xiao. “I’m very forgiving.” After all, it wasn’t like Liang Xiao was her real boyfriend anyway.
Among the three of them, only Yang Yang was left in the dark. Lu Ze felt a little guilty about it. He thanked Liang Xiao with a quick “Thanks, bro,” and hurried off.
After Lu Ze left, Yang Yang was still smiling. “What an interesting and handsome guy,” she said.
Liang Xiao gave a small smile. “Let’s go.”
As they walked out, Yang Yang was drawn to a claw machine filled with teddy bears in the arcade. She leaned in for a closer look and exclaimed, “These are so cute! I want one. How’s your claw machine game?”
“Not bad,” Liang Xiao replied.
Not far away, Lu Ze lingered for a while, watching them. Since Liang Xiao was busy helping Yang Yang win stuffed toys, he couldn’t check his phone. Unsure of what to do next, Lu Ze exchanged some coins and wandered around the arcade while recording on his phone for video content.
“Not sure what to play,” Lu Ze said to the camera. “Maybe I’ll just shoot some hoops.”
Holding his phone in one hand, he started shooting baskets with the other. For someone who played basketball often, the short range was no challenge—he made every shot even with one hand. Just as Lu Ze started to feel bored, Liang Xiao walked up behind him and said, “All done.”
Lu Ze froze for a moment before quickly responding, “Perfect timing! I’m filming a video—want to join?”
Liang Xiao glanced at the phone in Lu Ze’s hand but didn’t mention Yang Yang again. Instead, he grabbed the basketball and started shooting.
“I’m tired of shooting—your turn now, Xiao-ge,” Lu Ze said.
Liang Xiao shot one-handed as well, grabbing balls with both hands and sinking two shots in quick succession.
Lu Ze let out a whistle. “That’s so cool.”
“Want me to film you?” Liang Xiao asked.
Lu Ze handed him the phone. “Xiao-ge doesn’t talk much—guess this part will just be visuals without commentary.”
“Do you want your face in it?” Liang Xiao asked quietly.
Lu Ze nodded. “I’ve shown my face before—it’s fine.”
Liang Xiao framed Lu Ze’s face in the shot as he prepared to start shooting again. Before taking his first shot, Lu Ze casually spun the ball on one finger and then switched hands—a move so effortlessly cool it seemed like second nature to him. It probably ran in his genes from his dad.
Lu Ze often praised Liang Xiao for being cool, but Liang Xiao wasn’t sure who he had inherited it from. He had never met his biological parents. Jiang Qing had raised him, but their personalities couldn’t have been more different—they didn’t even look alike. No one would ever guess they were mother and son, and Jiang Qing never acknowledged it either.
That’s why Liang Xiao envied Lu Ze—envied his close relationship with his mom, envied his cheerful personality, envied how he could still smile so brightly even when life threw challenges at him.
When Lu Ze finished shooting and turned back to smile at the camera, Liang Xiao found himself momentarily dazed by that magnified smile on the screen.
Lu Ze walked over and grinned at him. “Xiao-ge, why are you staring blankly?”
“Cool,” Liang Xiao replied simply.
Liang Xiao handed the phone back to him. Lu Ze said, “That’s it for now. Let’s go eat.”
He turned off the recording and looked at Liang Xiao. “I thought you two would be having dinner together.”
“She suddenly had something come up, so we ended early,” Liang Xiao replied.
“Then let’s eat together,” Lu Ze snapped his fingers. “She’s not mad, right?”
“No, she said you’re interesting,” Liang Xiao said.
Thinking about the awkward scene earlier, Lu Ze chuckled for a while before sighing and patting Liang Xiao on the shoulder. “Xiao-ge, your job isn’t easy.”
Liang Xiao looked at him. The job wasn’t hard—dealing with you was.
