Control Freak - Chapter 21

After dinner, they arrived at the movie theater a bit early to wait for the screening.

The movie tickets were pre-booked. Ye Zhou wasn’t the type to force himself to watch movies he didn’t want to just to create a romantic atmosphere, so he had straightforwardly asked Guan Heng what kind of movie he wanted to see. Neither of them liked romantic stories, so they chose a suspense film. They both watched attentively throughout, and after the movie ended, they discussed the plot for a while.

Guan Heng’s high intelligence was particularly evident at this moment. Despite the film’s use of deception and misleading tactics, he had already guessed who the culprit was a third of the way through the plot. He deduced the entire crime process from trivial, inconspicuous clues, even identifying details that Ye Zhou hadn’t noticed at all. If the movie hadn’t just premiered yesterday with no online reviews yet, Ye Zhou would have thought Guan Heng had seen spoilers beforehand. Nevertheless, Guan Heng remained a great audience member and didn’t spoil the movie for others by revealing the plot, saving his insights for their post-movie discussion with Ye Zhou.

Aside from lecturing, Guan Heng rarely spoke much in everyday situations, only occasionally becoming more talkative in times like these.

Ye Zhou enjoyed listening to him speak. His deep, sexy voice was a pleasure to hear. But Ye Zhou couldn’t help but be curious; he had never experienced someone intellectually dominating others before.

“Since you figured out the plot, do you find watching movies like this boring?”

Actually, it’s not just about watching movies. Many challenges seem completely unchallenging in front of so-called geniuses. Ye Zhou felt like there was nothing that could stump Guan Heng. Earlier, when Zhou Jiayi described Guan Heng as perfect, Ye Zhou thought it was an exaggeration. But after spending time together, he realized it wasn’t an exaggeration at all. There really are people in this world who are born winners, but a life that’s too smooth may also cause them to lose a lot of enjoyment.

“No.” Guan Heng’s response wasn’t forced at all. He didn’t need to accommodate anyone, but he still said something that would make Ye Zhou happy, “It depends on who I’m watching with.”

Ye Zhou wondered if it was just his imagination, but after confessing to Guan Heng, his attitude towards him didn’t change; in fact, it seemed even more ambiguous. Even though Guan Heng hadn’t agreed yet, Ye Zhou felt that moment wasn’t far off, and he had patience.

The movie ended around 9:30 PM, a decent time, and the lobby was even more crowded than before. Tonight was Christmas Eve, and despite work and school the next day, many people wanted to revel all night. Ye Zhou wanted to capitalize on the good atmosphere to further enhance Guan Heng’s feelings towards him, but going elsewhere on such a holiday would likely be just as crowded. After some thought, he asked, “Are we heading back now? Or would you like to come to my place for a while?”

“Okay.”

Guan Heng didn’t give a clear answer, which Ye Zhou interpreted as meaning they could decide based on the situation.

They had parked their car in the basement of the shopping mall when they arrived. Taking the elevator would have been quicker, but there were many people waiting at the elevator entrance, so they opted for the escalator instead. Being tall had its advantages here; they stood out in the crowd and didn’t have to worry about getting separated. Ye Zhou felt it was a bit of a pity that he didn’t have a chance to hold Guan Heng’s hand, but he could still walk ahead of Guan Heng to clear the way.

From time to time, Ye Zhou looked back to see if Guan Heng was following behind him. However, because he turned his head too frequently, he caught a strange sight in a corner of the cinema lobby from the corner of his eye. There was a long line of people waiting to buy tickets, apparently waiting for additional movie showings to open up. To prevent the already crowded lobby from becoming more chaotic, staff had set up rope barriers to separate the queue from other patrons.

Ye Zhou noticed a man wearing a duckbill cap behaving oddly. The queue was clearly not moving, yet he kept leaning forward, almost pressing against a girl in a short skirt. Their posture seemed intimate at first glance, making them appear like a couple. However, when the man took out his phone from his pocket, Ye Zhou sensed something was wrong.

Who would reach their phone under their girlfriend’s skirt? This was clearly an act of voyeurism.

Ye Zhou saw this scene and almost without hesitation, immediately changed direction and walked towards the man.

“Ye Zhou?” Guan Heng’s voice sounded from behind him.

However, Ye Zhou seemed not to hear him at all, steadily pushing through the crowd in the opposite direction. The crowded throng provided perfect cover. The man probably thought his actions had gone unnoticed, showing no restraint whatsoever. He even used the corner of his phone to touch the girl’s thigh, intrusively reaching under her skirt.

Although the man did not directly touch her with his hand, such behavior constituted sexual harassment. Ye Zhou accelerated his pace, pushing through the crowd in the opposite direction, and rushed into the queue, grabbing the man’s wrist.

“You—” The man was caught in the act and hurried to retrieve his phone.

Uncertain if the man had captured anything, Ye Zhou was afraid he might delete any photos or videos. He maintained his grip, unwilling to let go. In that moment, he contemplated exposing the man’s misconduct. However, even though the girl in front of them was rescued, she still kept her back turned, trembling slightly. Not everyone had the courage to resist, and victims of such incidents often did not want to become the center of attention in such a crowded place. It would only attract more onlookers, gather a crowd, and spark discussions. More sensitive individuals might even feel ashamed, and afterward, they might self-reflect at home.

But the people in the back of the line had no idea what was happening up front. They only saw someone suddenly rushing in and quickly shouted, “Hey, where did you come from? Don’t cut in line!”

“Stay in line properly!”

The man who was in a standoff with Ye Zhou also seemed to snap out of his shock. “Who are you? I don’t know you! Why are you grabbing my phone? Let go!”

But there was no way Ye Zhou would let him go. He suddenly shouted loudly, “You were taking pictures of me!”

His shout not only startled the man but also quieted the surroundings. Even the girl in front quietly turned her head, visibly shocked. Guan Heng, who had caught up by now, heard it clearly and looked at Ye Zhou with deep concern.

Meanwhile, the commotion continued. Many people around had already turned their gaze towards them.

The man was quick-witted, his mind working fast. Clearly a habitual offender, he began to counterattack, “What nonsense are you spouting! Why would I take pictures of you? We’re both guys, what’s there to photograph? Don’t be so vain just because you’re good-looking──”

Ye Zhou knew that such a reason wouldn’t hold water, but he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. He had a sudden inspiration, and without thinking, he blurted out, “You were taking pictures in the restroom──”

Normally, taking pictures of an attractive man wasn’t particularly strange, but the location made all the difference in how it was perceived.

Everyone turned to look at the man with eyes that now seemed to view him as a pervert.

“I-I didn’t──” The man felt unfairly accused and glared angrily at Ye Zhou. “Don’t make up lies!”

Thanks to Ye Zhou’s bold accusation, many people were starting to believe him. Some even started to heckle, “Did you or didn’t you! Just show us your phone and we’ll see!”

Ye Zhou’s heart sank. If there were indeed any indecent photos on the phone, he couldn’t just show them to everyone. Sure enough, the girl beside them turned pale at the thought.

But the man was clearly feeling more guilty, even becoming angry with embarrassment. Suddenly, he lashed out with a punch towards Ye Zhou.

Ye Zhou was completely caught off guard by the sudden attack, standing too close to react in time. It seemed he was about to get hit. However, at that moment, his body was abruptly pulled backward, falling into a broad and sturdy embrace.