Boss, Please Go Easy On Me (GL) - Chapter 8
Yang Sheng only returned after the movie started. Yan Xiaomi kept staring at him, eating her popcorn without blinking. She avoided looking at the screen, and her eyes, filled with resentment, met Yang Sheng’s speechless expression. In a flash of electric light, Yan Xiaomi offered him the popcorn, asking sullenly, “Want some?”
“No.” Yang Sheng passed her to walk inside. An Yao sat in the middle, watching the two nervous people. She didn’t say anything, but glanced at Yan Xiaomi, who had turned her face away, and reached out to take a piece of popcorn from her. Yan Xiaomi was startled and choked, coughing several times before calming down. It seemed this popcorn couldn’t be eaten either, lest she choke to death later.
Yan Xiaomi kept turning her head to look at the boy next to her. He had delicate features, looked a bit effeminate, and seemed slightly younger than her.
The boy sat very straight, staring intently at the big screen. His hands were clutching his pants, seemingly very nervous, and the expression on his face was a little unnatural, as if he was deliberately trying to be brave.
The atmosphere of the movie was gloomy from the start. The sound effects were constantly bizarre, and then there was the noisy screaming of a group of people, the frantic sound of running, and the splashing of water.
In the dark cinema, this eerie atmosphere was very impactful. Yan Xiaomi covered her ears to avoid listening, but in the quiet environment, she couldn’t block the sound effects from entering her ears. The more she tried not to listen, the clearer she heard it. Her fear surged rapidly, and she felt every nerve was sensitively receiving the stimulation of the surrounding sounds.
“Do you think they will die?”
The sound effect suddenly became tense and urgent. A girl in the back row leaned into the boy’s arms, covering her eyes, looking like she wanted to watch but was afraid.
Yan Xiaomi noticed her and finally turned to look at An Yao and Yang Sheng. An Yao was still leaning back in her seat, unchanged. No emotions could be seen on her face; her eyes were staring at the big screen a little blankly, as if she was spacing out. Yang Sheng looked quite anxious, constantly looking at An Yao. Did he want An Yao to throw herself into his arms like the young girl in the back row?
Yan Xiaomi found this scene quite amusing. CEO An was truly insensitive and unbelievably calm.
“Ah!!!” The boy next to her suddenly screamed and grabbed Yan Xiaomi’s arm. “Ah!!!” Another scream, shared by many girls in the cinema, instantly made Yan Xiaomi’s heart tremble. She didn’t even have time to scream, reflexively wanting to break free from the man’s hand, only to lean towards An Yao and grab her arm, hiding beside her.
The boy seemed stunned with fear, burying his head and trembling slightly, his hand gripping Yan Xiaomi tightly. She felt her hand was about to be crushed. Yan Xiaomi wanted to cry but had no tears. She turned to look at his panicked face, just about to ask, Brother, could you please let go of me?
“Ah ah ah!!!” A new round of screams broke through her ears. Yan Xiaomi finally understood why An Yao told her not to scream in her ear. This 800-decibel high-pitched shriek felt like it was going to make her deaf.
Yan Xiaomi looked at the screen in despair, wanting to know what he was so scared of. As soon as she turned her head, she happened to see a man’s head suddenly bitten off by a large fish that leaped up, leaving only a neck spurting bl00d. The shot was a close-up, very sudden and fast, as if it were right in front of her eyes, instantly shattering Yan Xiaomi’s psychological defense.
“Ah ah ah!!!” Yan Xiaomi screamed, uncontrollably shaking off the man’s hand, and hugged An Yao tightly, trembling slightly with fear, feeling like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.
People around were still screaming incessantly. Yan Xiaomi panted, staring blankly with wide eyes. Only that scene remained in her mind. It was over; she was going to have nightmares now.
For a long while, Yan Xiaomi’s breathing was very rapid. An Yao saw her so terrified that her own heart twitched. She stroked Yan Xiaomi’s head and gently comforted her, “It won’t jump out.”
Yan Xiaomi was still holding An Yao’s hand, her face turned towards her back. An Yao felt a slight tremor in her hand. She turned to look at Yang Sheng, “Let’s go. We’re not watching anymore.”
Yang Sheng glanced at Yan Xiaomi, who was hiding in An Yao’s arms, feeling a little speechless.
Out of the cinema, Yan Xiaomi was in a daze, feeling mentally unwell. She walked forward with her head down, passing the car and continuing to walk.
“Xiaomi.” An Yao stepped forward and took her hand. Yan Xiaomi was startled and came back to her senses, “CEO, CEO An, what is it?”
An Yao stared at her for a moment, then turned to Yang Sheng, “You go back first. Xiaomi and I will go back later.”
“Teacher asked us to go back for dinner. Let’s go back together.”
Yang Sheng looked at Yan Xiaomi, then back at An Yao.
“I’ll walk with her for a while.”
An Yao didn’t want to say anything more to him and directly led Yan Xiaomi towards the mall. Yang Sheng had no choice but to follow in his car. After following for a while, he was constantly honked at by the cars behind him for driving too slowly, so he had to leave first.
“Want ice cream?” An Yao asked Yan Xiaomi. She was still spacing out. An Yao patted her face, “Look at me.”
Yan Xiaomi stared at her woodenly, “CEO An, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry.” An Yao suddenly hugged her, gently patting her back, comforting her as tenderly as one would a child.
Yan Xiaomi was a little stunned, her gaze fixed on the light, strong and hot, shining on the ground through the gaps between the tall buildings. It looked exceptionally bright in contrast with the shadows. The moment An Yao held her, she felt her inner fear being illuminated by the light and slowly evaporating.
She and An Yao were standing in the shade, but she saw the light behind An Yao. Yan Xiaomi raised her hand and touched An Yao’s arm, saying in a dazed manner, “It’s not cold.”
“What?” An Yao released her. “What isn’t cold?”
“No, nothing.” Yan Xiaomi smiled, finally snapping back to reality. She turned around and saw the ice cream shop next to them, and her spirits lifted instantly, “CEO An, let’s go eat ice cream.”
Yan Xiaomi tugged An Yao’s hand, feeling it intently. It wasn’t cold, not like the temperature of an ice mountain, but a little like the light of the sun, capable of driving away darkness, a warm light.
“Doesn’t eating so fast make you cold?” An Yao had a slight smile on her face, “No one is fighting you for it.”
“It’ll melt if I eat it slowly.” Yan Xiaomi scooped another large chunk of ice cream into her mouth, but it was so cold she dared not swallow it. She kept holding it in her mouth, fanning herself with her hand, like an ant on a hot pan, anxious yet helpless.
An Yao found it funny and pointed to the trash can next to them. Yan Xiaomi closed her mouth and shook her head. She had to swallow the ice cream she scooped even if it killed her from the cold. She slapped her chest, strained her neck, and finally swallowed it. “Cool to the heart, my spirit soars~” Yan Xiaomi exhaled, staring happily at the ice cream in the box.
An Yao didn’t have any special feelings for ice cream. She would eat it occasionally when she thought of it, but sitting in the store eating ice cream with her like other young couples felt like something she hadn’t done in a long time. Seeing Yan Xiaomi enjoy it so much, the ice cream seemed to become very delicious in her mouth. An Yao looked at her own ice cream and began to eat with enthusiasm.
Yan Xiaomi enjoyed the ice cream today, feeling refreshed. Mainly, the excitement had stimulated her appetite. As long as she didn’t think about that scene, there was nothing to be afraid of. She was still the happy and slightly funny Yan Xiaomi. However, she suddenly realized that An Yao also had gentle moments even when she wasn’t drunk.
“Why are you looking at me?” Noticing Yan Xiaomi staring at her for a while, An Yao looked up and asked her. Yan Xiaomi was caught in the act and scratched her head a little sheepishly, smiling as she asked, “CEO An, you weren’t even looking at me. How did you know I was looking at you?”
“Peripheral vision.” An Yao put down her spoon, suddenly realizing she had finished most of her ice cream, which was rare.
“Oh…” Yan Xiaomi slightly raised her chin and licked her spoon, feeling very childish, and also a little… enticing.
An Yao didn’t know why she suddenly thought of the word “enticing.” Yan Xiaomi, with her fresh, simple, sweet, and slightly clumsy personality, really wasn’t very noticeable in her eyes, but in that second, she just felt it. Yan Xiaomi, with her red lips, white teeth, good skin, and delicate features, was a little enticing.
“Are you done eating?” An Yao asked.
“Mhmm, I’m done.” Yan Xiaomi put down her spoon.
“Let’s go.” An Yao stood up and paid. The two left the shop.
The weather was very hot. The ground was like a steamer, radiating heat everywhere. Yan Xiaomi felt like a steamed bun, about to inflate soon.
“CEO An, let’s take a taxi back.”
Yan Xiaomi desperately fanned her face with her hand, then moved closer to An Yao to fan her as well. After only a few minutes, she was sweating from the heat. Luckily, they caught a taxi, or Yan Xiaomi felt she would have embarrassed herself today.
It was past five in the afternoon when they returned to Professor Yan’s house. Professor Yan was preparing dinner. There was a man in the kitchen who looked about the same age as Professor Yan, quite handsome, and very masculine. Yan Xiaomi thought such a man was excellent and stared at him for a long time.
“An’an, Xiaomi, you’re back.” Professor Yan came out of the kitchen carrying a dish, a beautiful smile still on her face, and her voice sounded very happy.
Yan Xiaomi took the dish from her hand and asked, “Auntie, who is he?”
Professor Yan smiled without answering and turned back into the kitchen. Yan Xiaomi was even more curious. Just as she was about to follow and ask, she was suddenly pulled by the arm by An Yao, “Sit down.”
Yan Xiaomi felt An Yao was cooling down even without the sun. Her voice was cold and indifferent, lacking the gentleness from outside. She obediently sat on the sofa, positioning herself between An Yao and Yang Sheng. She could feel the murderous look Yang Sheng was directing at her, but she pretended not to see, constantly looking towards the kitchen. That man… was really handsome. Could he be her aunt’s boyfriend?
Professor Yan had been divorced for several years, so it was perfectly normal for her to have a boyfriend. Yan Xiaomi was happy for her to have such a good boyfriend.
“CEO An.” Yan Xiaomi looked at the man inside and asked An Yao, “Do you think that person is Auntie’s boyfriend?”
For a while, Yan Xiaomi didn’t hear an answer. When she looked at An Yao, she was startled. An Yao’s gaze was very cold, with almost no expression on her face, turning into a quiet ice mountain again. Yan Xiaomi dared not speak again, nor did she dare look around. She quietly stared at the TV, watching Boonie Bears. After a while, the three people on the sofa were all staring blankly at Boonie Bears. Yan Xiaomi was actually engrossed and couldn’t help but burst into laughter, an exaggerated, back-and-forth laugh, as happy as a child. Yang Sheng couldn’t help but chuckle at her laughter, and even An Yao couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile, drawn in by her exaggerated laugh.
“How old are you three, watching Boonie Bears?” When Professor Yan came out, she saw the three of them sitting neatly, watching Boonie Bears and laughing together, and she also smiled.
“Auntie.” Yan Xiaomi stopped laughing and called her. She glanced at An Yao, stood up to help carry the dishes, and leaned in to whisper, “Is that man your boyfriend?”