Unfortunately, no matter how slowly they walked, the short distance was soon covered. After hopping through the last ring, Zhou Yun couldn’t help but relax, swaying her feet excitedly a few times before signaling to Zhao Ran to let her down.
Reluctantly, Zhao Ran set his stepmother down, his hand inadvertently brushing against her thigh one last time before she was fully on the ground.
Zhou Yun adjusted her clothes, patted Zhao Ran on the shoulder, and said with a laugh, “You’re quite something, Xiao Ran. You can carry your mom now.”
Zhao Ran smiled, accepting the small gift handed to him by the teacher. “Of course. Those gym classes weren’t for nothing. I could carry you another hundred meters without a problem.”
Zhou Yun playfully swatted him. “Oh, stop it. You almost dropped me back there, swaying like a rollercoaster. You wouldn’t have made it another ten meters.”
Zhao Ran smiled without replying. If it meant getting to feel her up, he could have gone another five hundred meters without issue. After playing a few more games at the stalls, the sky began to darken, and Zhao Ran suggested they go to a restaurant outside for dinner, followed by a movie before heading home.
He remembered watching movies with his parents a long time ago, but his stepmother would usually be snuggled up with his father, leaving Zhao Ran feeling like a third wheel. Now that the old man wasn’t around, wouldn’t it be easier to cop a feel from his stepmother in the dark movie theater?
Before they went, his stepmother called her sister at home to explain their plans.
Zhao Ran and Zhou Yun had dinner on the commercial street, after which Zhou Yun asked Zhao Ran to go online and see what movies would be suitable for them to watch.
“How about this one? A big-budget Hollywood production.”
“Not that one. It’s all blood and gore.”
“This one, then? This year’s most poignant love story.”
“What kind of choice is that? That’s a movie for couples.”
After several suggestions, his stepmother didn’t find any of them suitable. “That leaves only this one—Spirited Away. It’s still showing.”
“An animated film? Sure, I haven’t seen it anyway.”
Zhao Ran didn’t say anything, but Spirited Away had already been broadcast on TV several times. Though it was quite good, even the best movie loses its charm after multiple viewings.
Unfortunately, there were no other suitable options. His stepmother firmly refused to watch horror films, leaving only Spirited Away. Zhao Ran had no choice but to compromise.
After buying tickets online, they each got a cup of milk tea and entered the theater. The audience for the Hollywood blockbuster nearby was mostly young people and couples, while the screening they attended was filled almost entirely with parents and children—fathers and sons, mothers and daughters. In short, it was mostly families. Few young people were interested in watching a rerun here.
“What’s this movie about? Searching for someone?” Having heard Zhao Ran say it had been broadcast multiple times on TV, his stepmother asked him about it before the film started.
Their seats were toward the back. Next to Zhou Yun was a young boy, while the seat beside Zhao Ran was empty.
“Basically, it’s about a young girl’s journey of growth. She finds her true self in a strange world,” Zhao Ran explained briefly before adding, “I won’t spoil it for you. That would ruin the fun.”
His stepmother nodded, took a sip of her milk tea, and Zhao Ran glanced at her hand before quietly slipping his arm around hers and resting his head on her shoulder.
She looked at him and gently stroked his head. “Are you tired?”
Zhao Ran shook his head. “No, I just want to be closer to you.” For some reason, his mind was filled with images from that night—his stepmother on the bed, intertwined with Zhao Ping in such an elegant posture. The thought made his heart ache, and he held her arm a little tighter.
“Silly child,” she said with a soft laugh, patting his head. She was more than happy with this kind of closeness.