Jiang Xiaosi returned to T University to attend classes again, feeling like she had just won the lottery. Her face was glowing with happiness, and she was walking on air.
During class, she kept winking at Shen Mo, pouting, and making funny faces, but he completely ignored her. At lunchtime, she would sneak into his office, but usually, she ended up being asked to help grade papers.
Hu Hui was already surprised when Jiang Xiaosi told her that she and Shen Mo had officially started dating. But seeing Shen Mo’s unchanged attitude and poker face made her even more skeptical.
“Xiaosi, stop lying to me. There’s nothing wrong with liking someone, but if you keep fantasizing like this for too long, you’ll end up with a mental illness!”
Jiang Xiaosi chuckled foolishly. “I do feel a bit crazy lately. My emotions are all over the place, like I’ve been through a lot. Falling in love feels so strange. Just thinking about him makes my heart race like crazy, and it feels like I’m swimming in honey.”
“Just wait. After a while, when the passion fades, you’ll start fighting over all the little things in life.” Hu Hui sighed, thinking about her relationship with Chen Anyuan.
“Here, I have two movie tickets for you. If you can convince your professor to go, then go see the movie together. It’s a new 3D release, and IMAX tickets are really hard to get. I finally got them, but he told me he’s too busy with work to go.”
Jiang Xiaosi took the tickets and looked at Hu Hui with concern. Lately, it seemed like the problems between Hu Hui and Chen Anyuan were getting worse. When they were still in school, they could spend all day together. But now that one of them was working, the time they spent together had decreased, and so had their affection. Would the same thing happen to her and Shen Mo in the future?
But…
Would she and Shen Mo even have a future together, given her inability to grow up?
Maybe she could change his view of non-humans. Even if he didn’t mind that she was a zombie, how could he possibly face a childlike version of her forever?
These questions haunted Jiang Xiaosi, and she didn’t dare to think about them. Whenever she did, the happiness in front of her seemed to crumble into pieces.
Thankfully, Shen Mo didn’t say he was too busy with work, like Chen Anyuan had. When Jiang Xiaosi asked him to see a movie, he agreed right away. Although Shen Mo still appeared cold on the outside, Jiang Xiaosi could feel a difference in his gaze—it was warmer than before. The most obvious sign was that he no longer avoided her eyes.
They had dinner at a Hunan restaurant, took a walk, and bought drinks, popcorn, and half a crispy duck before heading to the theater. Even though they often ate together, this was their first time seeing a movie. Shen Mo didn’t understand—did watching a movie together really define a relationship?
During the movie, Jiang Xiaosi noticed that Shen Mo seemed distracted. Was he not enjoying the movie?
As soon as they walked out of the theater, Shen Mo threw up, and Jiang Xiaosi panicked, not knowing what to do.
“I knew you got carsick, but I didn’t know you’d get sick from a movie too!” Jiang Xiaosi said, laughing while supporting his weakened body.
It took Shen Mo a while to recover. Technology had really advanced to this level? The car chases and aerial flips were just too fast for him.
Jiang Xiaosi helped him sit down on a bench and stood behind him, gently massaging his temples.
“When was the last time you saw a movie?”
When Shen Mo didn’t answer, Jiang Xiaosi’s eyes widened in surprise. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been to a movie theater?”
“Not interested.” Shen Mo said coldly with his eyes closed.
Jiang Xiaosi burst into laughter and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. “I get it! You’ve never dated anyone, and you didn’t have a cute little girlfriend to take to the movies. Of course, you wouldn’t go to the theater alone!”
Shen Mo snorted, refusing to comment.
Jiang Xiaosi, annoyed by his silence, pinched his neck. Suddenly, she noticed that the “Jiang Xiaosi seal” was still imprinted on the back of his neck, and she felt a wave of sweetness in her heart. Did he not notice it? Or had he noticed but didn’t mind?
Jiang Xiaosi leaned down and gently kissed the mark with her soft lips. Shen Mo shivered as if a jolt of electricity had run through him, raising goosebumps all over his body.
“Hey, hey, this is still a public street. Be careful, or you’ll get arrested for being a pervert!”
A surprised voice suddenly interrupted. Jiang Xiaosi turned her head and saw Xiao Tang and Lin Qiang.
Jiang Xiaosi blushed. “Are you two here for a movie too?”
Lin Qiang snorted. “We were supposed to be staking out the theater to catch a suspect, but someone got so engrossed in the movie that the suspect got away without him noticing.”
Xiao Tang stammered, “W-well, you fell asleep too…”
Jiang Xiaosi was speechless at these two.
“It hasn’t been that long since I last saw you two, and now you’re together?” Xiao Tang winked at Jiang Xiaosi.
Jiang Xiaosi wanted to explain, but Shen Mo nodded, his expression saying, “What’s it to you?”
Xiao Tang could only rub his nose and swallow the words he wanted to say as Lin Qiang dragged him away. All he could do was shout from a distance, “Xiaosi, next time dinner’s on me! You’ve got to share your relationship secrets!”
Jiang Xiaosi giggled. “Shen Mo, you’re not worried about people finding out? Especially since Xiao Tang can’t keep his mouth shut?”
“Why should I care?”
“People will say you’re robbing the cradle! Ouch!” Jiang Xiaosi yelped as Shen Mo flicked her forehead.
After a brief silence, Shen Mo suddenly looked at her seriously and said, “Even if there’s something I care about, once I’ve made up my mind, I won’t care about what others think.”
“Really?” Jiang Xiaosi happily wrapped her arms around his neck. She had always known he was cold, but she had forgotten how stubborn he could be.
A gentle smile appeared on Shen Mo’s lips. He grabbed her small hand and brought it to his mouth, lightly biting her fingers.
There were still many insurmountable obstacles between them. But since he had decided to accept her, he would never back down.
Jiang Xiaosi suddenly felt something cold in her palm. She opened her hand and saw that it was the key to Shen Mo’s house that she had returned to him before. She was momentarily stunned.
“Keep it. Don’t knock on my door in the middle of the night anymore.”
Jiang Xiaosi couldn’t quite describe how she felt. By giving her the key again, it was no longer just a key to his house—it was the key to his heart. He was finally willing to open up to her, handing over his promises for the future. This man—how could she put it—he was trouble. When he rejected you, he made you feel like the most hated person in the world. But when he accepted you, he made you feel like you were the most important, happiest person to him.
“What about Shui Xin?” she asked.
“I found her a place. She’s already moved out. She’s staying in the country for a while, but she can’t stay at my place forever.”
Jiang Xiaosi laughed cheerfully. “Are you worried about gossip, or are you afraid I’ll get jealous?”
Shen Mo replied lazily, “She disturbs my sleep.”
Jiang Xiaosi rolled her eyes and hung the key back around her neck on a silver chain.
“Let’s go home. If we’re out too late, your dad will worry.”
“Okay.” Jiang Xiaosi linked her arm with his as they walked back, noticing just how much shorter she was compared to him.
“Shen Mo, let’s go to the amusement park and ride the roller coaster this weekend.”
Shen Mo’s face instantly paled. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Master, I’ve found out Jiang Xiaosi’s true identity.” A nearly invisible shadow knelt before Shui Xin.
Shui Xin was startled. “What happened to you?”
“I was injured by the Shikigami that Shen Mo sent to protect Jiang Xiaosi.”
“A Shikigami?”
“Yes, Awei and Ayin. I can’t get close to Tuo Gu Xiang, and I can’t reveal myself when Shen Mo is around. Even when he’s not, there’s always a Shikigami following her. I think it’s because they’re afraid of Mei Xin coming back for revenge.”
Shui Xin nodded. “Shen Mo is paying more and more attention to her. I don’t get it. She’s just a child. Has he lost his mind?”
“Jiang Xiaosi isn’t an ordinary person. She and Jiang Liu are thousand-year-old zombies.”
Shui Xin was stunned. “Impossible! There’s no way Shen Mo and I would miss something like that!”
“I don’t know. Maybe they have some kind of artifact that hides their true nature.”
“Then how did you find out?”
The shadow hesitated before replying, “I overheard it.”
Shui Xin, still shocked, didn’t press further. She began pacing anxiously.
“No wonder she was able to make Shen Mo fall head over heels for her. Turns out she’s a monster. I was wondering why she was bold enough to use herself as bait to catch Mei Xin. Maybe they had planned it all along to earn Shen Mo’s trust.”
“What do we do next?”
“I’ll make sure Shen Mo sees her true nature.”
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