42: The atmosphere is everything when it comes to watching movies.

Hearing this, Yu Heng looked at Ning Yutong. The girl was still biting the tip of her chopsticks, but her gaze was elsewhere, avoiding him.

This was getting interesting.

He spoke leisurely, "Watching films... it’s all about the atmosphere."

"What atmosphere?" Ning Yutong finally looked at him.

Yu Heng said with mock seriousness, "Look, you need a comfortable place. It shouldn't be too bright or too dark, and it's best to have some snacks and drinks. Most importantly..."

He deliberately paused.

"What?" Ning Yutong followed up as expected.

"It has to be a safe place where no one will disturb us," Yu Heng grinned. "That way, when we get to the exciting parts, we can even learn a thing or two on the spot."

"Then I'm not watching!" Ning Yutong turned her head away. "You're always thinking about doing bad things."

"Haha, just kidding, just kidding," Yu Heng said with a chuckle. "I promise I'll only watch and won't touch!"

Yu Heng told himself to be patient.

When he first started getting into the scene in his past life, he was young, strong, and in decent shape, so hookups were easy. This made his approach to intimacy a bit different from normal people.

Back then, if they liked what they saw and the conversation was good, they'd just get down to business. Afterward, they'd go their separate ways, maybe meeting again next time.

It was simple and direct. He truly lacked experience in the "push and pull" of a typical relationship. The only girl he had ever truly pursued in his past life was He Mengyao.

Moreover, after getting married, he had only ever been with He Mengyao.

Trying to go for a "quick win" with these girls definitely wouldn't work; he had to take it slow.

"Promise?" Ning Yutong turned back. "Words like that sound untrustworthy coming from you."

"How am I untrustworthy?" Yu Heng picked up a piece of tripe and swished it in the pot. "I'm a man of my word."

"Yeah, right," Ning Yutong muttered softly. "You just mentioned 'learning on the spot'..."

"That was just a joke," Yu Heng said with a smile. "If we're really going to watch, it'll be for pure appreciation. I absolutely won't pull any small moves."

As he spoke, he felt amused himself.

"Then when are we watching?" Ning Yutong lowered her head, poking at the tripe in her bowl.

Yu Heng's heart stirred.

There was a chance.

He took a sip of Sour Plum Drink and said, "Aren't we filming the short video this weekend? Let's focus on getting that done first. We can watch after we're finished."

"Oh..." Ning Yutong responded, not asking further.

Red oil bubbled in the pot, steam rising.

After eating for a while longer, Ning Yutong suddenly remembered something. "By the way, my roommate mentioned today that her boyfriend invited her to a Private Cinema this weekend."

"A Private Cinema?" Yu Heng raised an eyebrow. "Is that really a place for 'watching movies'?"

"She said it's just for movies," Ning Yutong blinked. "There are sofas, blankets, and you can pick the films yourself."

"Yeah, and you can do other things too." Yu Heng scoffed. "Your roommate and her boyfriend going to a Private Cinema just to watch a movie? Who'd believe that?"

Ning Yutong froze for a moment, then realized what he meant. Her face flushed again. "Why are you always thinking in that direction!"

"It's not me thinking that way," Yu Heng shrugged. "That's just what those places are for. Dim, private, big soft sofas... You're telling me a young couple goes there just to watch a movie?"

He paused and looked at Ning Yutong. "It's like if I told you I have a cat at home that can do somersaults and asked if you wanted to come see it."

"Really?" Ning Yutong asked, her eyes wide.

"Uh..." Yu Heng was speechless. He now felt that Ning Yutong was the kind of person who would actually believe the "just rubbing, not going in" line.

"Alright," Yu Heng waved his hand, changing the subject. "What are you planning to wear for the video shoot this weekend?"

"Oh!" At the mention of this, Ning Yutong's eyes lit up. "I'm planning to wear that light blue JK Uniform, the one I wore for the interview. For the 'before' part of the transformation... I'll just wear this sweater and skirt. Is that okay?"

"That works," Yu Heng nodded. "Actually, pajamas would be fine too. The bigger the contrast, the better."

"Should I bring everything then?" Ning Yutong bit the tip of her chopsticks. "I'm worried I won't be able to hit the beats of the music."

"It's fine, we'll just try a few more times," Yu Heng said. "That's how filming videos goes. If one take doesn't work, we'll do another until we're satisfied."

He didn't actually have much experience filming short videos; in his past life, he mainly handled live streaming operations. But even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd seen a pig run—he understood the basic tricks.

Especially for these "beauty-focused" short videos, there were three core elements: the person looks good, the camera work is steady, and the timing hits the beats.

As long as Ning Yutong didn't get so nervous that she became stiff, it wouldn't be a big problem.

"Yu Heng," Ning Yutong suddenly looked at him seriously, "if I can't get it right no matter what, will you think I'm stupid?"

"Of course not," Yu Heng chuckled. "This is just a matter of practice. You'll get it naturally after doing it more. Besides, aren't you good at dancing? Your sense of rhythm can't be bad."

Ning Yutong finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "That's good, then."

By the time they finished the hotpot, it was nearly eight o'clock.

Stepping out of the shop, the evening breeze blew away much of the hotpot smell from their clothes.

"Shall I walk you back to your dorm?" Yu Heng asked.

"Mhm." Ning Yutong nodded.

The streetlights stretched their shadows as they walked side by side toward the school.

"Yu Heng," Ning Yutong suddenly said softly, "I think you're doing great right now."

"Doing what?"

"Doing what you want to do," Ning Yutong said. "Renting a place, doing live streams, filming videos... I feel like you know exactly what you want."

Yu Heng glanced at her.

Under the dim yellow streetlights, Ning Yutong's profile looked very soft, her eyelashes casting faint shadows on her cheeks.

"Know exactly what I want?" Yu Heng smiled. "I'm just messing around."

"It's not just messing around," Ning Yutong said earnestly. "A lot of guys in our class just play games all day. You're much better than them."

Those words were quite pleasant to hear.

Yu Heng didn't reply, thinking to himself that it was only because he had lived through it once and knew how precious time was.

In his past life, he had also drifted through his days aimlessly.

The high pressure of high school was suddenly released, and he hadn't known what to do with himself.

He hadn't studied well during his four years of university, nor had he played well.

But he couldn't tell Ning Yutong that.

"What about you?" he asked back. "What do you want to do?"

"Me..." Ning Yutong thought for a moment. "I used to just want to study hard and find a stable job after graduation. But now I feel like trying different things like you are doing seems quite interesting too."

She paused, her voice growing softer. "That's why I want to try filming short videos. Besides, doing these things with you makes me very happy."

Yu Heng understood the underlying meaning. He smiled and said, "As long as you're happy. There will be plenty of things for us to do together in the future."

When they reached the girls' dormitory, many young couples were already lingering at the entrance, reluctant to part.

Yu Heng and Ning Yutong stood in the shadows where the streetlights couldn't reach, and the atmosphere suddenly became a bit subtle.

"I'll head up then?" Ning Yutong let go of his arm but didn't turn around immediately.

"Okay," Yu Heng nodded. "Get some rest."

"See you this weekend!"