17: Chapter 17 Danger! It's about to get out of control!

"I... um..." Chu Yi, standing at the doorway, suddenly stammered, her fingers subconsciously twisting together.

Su Bai wiped the sweat from his neck again. "What's wrong?"

"C-could you please put on a shirt first..."

Chu Yi's voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum, her gaze drifting, refusing to land on him.

Su Bai looked down at himself; he was indeed not very presentable.

But he didn't move, saying naturally, "Just finished working out, I'm still hot. What's up?"

Chu Yi took a deep breath, as if psyching herself up, and then looked up.

But she still didn't dare look at his body, fixing her gaze on the area above Su Bai's chin.

"I found a horror movie that I really, really want to watch,"

She spoke quickly, as if afraid she wouldn't have the courage to finish if she slowed down,

"But none of the others will watch it with me, and I'm too scared to watch it alone. C-could you watch it with me?"

After she finished speaking, she pressed her palms together in front of her chest in a standard 'puppy praying' pose, looking at him with wet, glistening eyes.

"Help me out, please, please!"

Su Bai looked at her sparkling eyes, then glanced at the clock on the wall, which pointed to nine-thirty.

"What movie is it?"

"《The Conjuring》!"

Chu Yi immediately perked up,

"It's really good! I've been wanting to watch it for ages but was too scared to watch it alone. I finally worked up the courage tonight..."

Su Bai had, of course, seen this movie.

He thought it was quite scary when he watched it in his past life, but now...

"Fine."

"Great!"

Like a puppy that had just received a treat, Chu Yi almost jumped on the spot.

She turned and ran towards her room, her ponytail tracing a cheerful arc in the air,

"I'm going to get my laptop!"

Su Bai watched her back disappear at the end of the hallway, then looked down at his sweat-dampened sweatpants. He hesitated for a moment but decided not to put on a shirt.

Mainly... his underwear was still hanging in Luo Ying's bathroom.

Less than two minutes later, Chu Yi trotted back, clutching a silver laptop.

Tucked in her arms was a large bag of colorful snacks.

As she wobbled over, her two straight, long legs were blindingly white under the hallway lights.

She shuffled in her fuzzy slippers, ran to the doorway of Su Bai's room with a 'patter-patter' sound, poked her head in, and frowned,

"You don't... have a table in here."

Su Bai's room was very simple.

A bed, a chair, and a wardrobe.

"Want to watch it in the living room?" he suggested.

"No, no way."

Chu Yi shook her head repeatedly, saying seriously,

"Horror movies only feel right when you watch them in a cramped space. The living room is too open; it kills the scary atmosphere."

She stood in the doorway, tilted her head to think, and suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Wait for me!"

She ran back.

This time it was even faster; she rushed back in a dozen seconds, carrying a small folding table in her arms.

It was the kind specifically made for use on a bed, with a wooden surface printed with cartoon cat stickers.

"There, that works!"

Chu Yi triumphantly shook the small table, her twin ponytails swaying along with it.

She walked into the room, expertly set the table on Su Bai's bed, and started pulling things out of the bag:

Potato chips, cola, spicy gluten strips, chocolate, and two bottles of Yakult.

She arranged them neatly, as if setting up some grand ceremony.

Then she kicked off her slippers, pressed her knees onto the mattress, nimbly climbed up, and sat cross-legged on one side of the table.

Everything was ready.

She patted the empty spot beside her, looking up at Su Bai, who was still standing.

"What are you doing? Come on up."

Su Bai looked at her sparkling, defenseless eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He tugged at his shorts, silently climbed onto the bed, and sat down next to Chu Yi.

The mattress sank slightly, their combined weight creating a shallow depression.

Chu Yi turned on the laptop, expertly found the already-downloaded movie file, and clicked it.

The screen lit up, and the opening music was low and oppressive.

Chu Yi subconsciously hunched her shoulders, then naturally leaned closer to Su Bai.

Her arm brushed against his; it felt slightly cool.

Su Bai didn't move.

The movie began.

A dim, old house, eerie dolls, and inexplicable sounds.

The director was very skilled at creating that kind of fear that seeps out from the marrow of one's bones.

At first, Chu Yi put up a brave front, pretending to be calm, even daring to open a bag of chips while watching.

But when the first jump scare occurred—the basement door opening on its own, with something vaguely moving in the darkness—she froze completely.

The chip stopped in mid-air.

Then, she slowly, slowly inched toward Su Bai.

First her arm, then her shoulder, and then... one of her legs.

Su Bai could clearly feel that leg pressing against the outside of his thigh.

Cool, smooth, with that unique, delicate texture of a young girl's skin.

Chu Yi's body temperature was on the lower side; right now, she was like a piece of cool jade pressed against his scorching skin.

He didn't pull away.

Chu Yi didn't pull away either.

She seemed completely unaware that her leg was pressing against someone else, or perhaps she was aware, but didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Her attention was entirely on the screen, and as the plot progressed, her body leaned more and more toward Su Bai.

Su Bai caught the scent of her.

It was the fresh fragrance of body wash, mixed with a hint of laundry detergent, and that natural, faint sweetness unique to a young girl.

She had just showered, and her hair wasn't completely dry yet. A few damp strands clung to the side of her neck, and water droplets from the ends of her hair had dampened the thin straps of her camisole.

When she turned her head to talk to him, that fragrance wafted straight into his nostrils.

"Do you think there's really something wrong with that doll?"

She asked in a whisper, as if afraid to startle the ghosts on the screen.

"Yeah."

"I think that mother is so brave..."

"Yeah."

"Have you seen this before?"

She finally noticed his perfunctory responses and turned her head to look at him.

With this turn, she discovered that they were close enough to count each other's eyelashes.

Chu Yi froze for a moment.

She looked at Su Bai's profile, at his smooth jawline—so good-looking!

And further down... pectoral muscles, abdominal muscles...

"Gulp..."

Chu Yi was drooling with desire.

Her face flushed red, and she hurriedly wiped her mouth.

At this moment, she suddenly realized that she

Her cheeks gradually grew hot.

But she didn't move away.

She turned her head away awkwardly, and the movie continued.

In the movie, the wardrobe door suddenly flew open, and a dark shadow lunged out!

Chu Yi screamed, subconsciously grabbing Su Bai's arm and burying her face against his shoulder.

"Ahhh!! I'm not watching anymore, I'm not watching!"

She shouted, her voice muffled, tinged with a hint of crying, yet also filled with the excitement of someone who is both terrified and loves to watch.

His entire arm was held in her embrace.

He suddenly remembered that he had just posted that message in the livestream chat tonight—

"Everyone stay on the same platform"!

But right now, he himself was about to lose control!