Chapter 89: Titanic [First of a Three-Part Surge, Strong Recommendation]

The first-place result of the competition left Yang Tian deeply content; his dream had come true, though he showed no sign of it. Huang Juan, Bao Yuehong, and the others, however, were overjoyed.

After returning to No. 1 Middle School, Huang Juan and Chen Ming decided to hold a meal at An Qi’s small street-side eatery to celebrate Yang Tian’s victory.

Besides their homeroom teacher, Bao Yuehong, there were two guests as well: Zhang Zhi and his older sister, Zhang Xiu Xiu.

Though Zhang Zhi was a rich young master, he had been making his own way in Binhai, refusing help from anyone and enduring more than his share of hardship, so he was quite used to the atmosphere of a humble roadside stall.

Only Zhang Xiu Xiu ate with a strange expression. When she saw the sweet rice dumplings, she laughed in delighted surprise, for she had never tasted such a thing before. But when she saw the braised pork intestines, she dared not eat them, fearing they were unhygienic.

No one else minded; they only laughed it off. Zhang Zhi, however, gave her a scolding: “If I told you not to come, you insisted on coming, and now you’re full of these airs and graces. Don’t even think about going out with me again!”

Zhang Xiu Xiu could only smile bitterly. Quickly, she steeled herself and swallowed several pieces of pork intestines and a few pieces of stinky tofu to show that she could adapt, then begged Zhang Zhi to take her out to play again next time. This made everyone at the table burst into laughter. Was that really how an older sister was supposed to act?

“Yang Tian, come here.”

After dinner, they sat beneath the moonlight, drinking tea and chatting. At that moment, Zhang Xiu Xiu suddenly walked to Yang Tian’s side and spoke softly.

A faint orchid fragrance clung to Zhang Xiu Xiu, likely the scent of imported perfume. It was especially pleasant, and when she drew near, the intoxicating aroma rode in on the breeze, making Yang Tian’s heart give a small jolt.

After a brief silence, Yang Tian finally decided to rise and follow her. After all, she was Zhang Zhi’s sister. Even if he did not need to give her face, he still had to give Zhang Zhi some.

He had already noticed that Huang Juan beside him had changed expression. Zhang Xiu Xiu was beautiful and came from money, so she was naturally the object of admiration among the girls present—and, it could be said, the object of envy as well. Yet Zhang Xiu Xiu always seemed to enjoy striking up conversation with Yang Tian, so of course Huang Juan would not be pleased. Even Bao Yuehong, sitting nearby, found the whole thing rather odd.

“Do you need something?” Zhang Xiu Xiu led Yang Tian beneath a large camphor tree to one side, her smile full of mystery, and Yang Tian asked in confusion.

“Come on, let’s go see a movie together! On the way here I bought two tickets, both for the VIP section, the kind with private boxes—just the two of us in one room! Look, it’s the latest American romance blockbuster, Titanic. Let’s go watch it together, shall we?” Zhang Xiu Xiu quickly thrust two tickets, shaped like invitations, into Yang Tian’s hands.

Yang Tian took them with a smile and glanced at them. They were indeed tickets for Titanic, and they were for the VIP section of Parisian Charm Cinema. Parisian Charm was the largest and most luxurious theater in Binhai City, with private boxes for two, three, ten, or even twenty people. The fewer the people, the more expensive the box, and these were clearly the most luxurious seats of all.

“Just the two of us sounds a little inappropriate, doesn’t it? If your fiancé found out, he’d have me chopped into minced meat,” Yang Tian joked with a laugh. Zhang Xiu Xiu’s fiancé, Zhang Zhi had told him, was the son of the Zhang family patriarch’s biggest business partner, a man named Cheng Liang.

Cheng Liang’s father was Cheng Huaiyu, a major figure in the real estate world in Guangdong. He was a longtime client of Zhang Youcheng, Zhang Zhi’s father, and the two men were on excellent terms, so they had long since intended to join their families in marriage.

Cheng Liang was handsome and promising, and he looked even more like a successful man than Zhang Zhi did. He took a special liking to Zhang Xiu Xiu, and had even planned to invest in real estate in Binhai for her sake. But Zhang Xiu Xiu simply felt nothing for him.

“He wouldn’t dare. If he ever dared lay a hand on you, I’d ruin him!” Zhang Xiu Xiu said, puffing up with indignation.

“Heh, that wouldn’t be right. He is your fiancé, after all. Or do you mean to murder your future husband?” Yang Tian said teasingly. Even if Cheng Liang did not exist, Yang Tian had no desire to accompany Zhang Xiu Xiu to the movies alone. He had come back to live this life again, not to keep company with rich ladies at the cinema.

“What fiancé? It’s not even set in stone yet. Neither he nor I have ever been engaged, and we’ve never been together. To put it plainly, he and I have nothing to do with each other!” Zhang Xiu Xiu put on an innocent expression that seemed impossible to refute, speaking with a wounded look.

“I’m still a student. Don’t talk to me about that stuff—I don’t understand it. Anyway, go with Zhang Zhi. I still have homework to do when I get back tonight. Besides, I’m not interested in romance films.” Seeing Zhang Xiu Xiu so embarrassed, Yang Tian decided not to tease her any further. He handed the tickets back to her.

“Hey, Yang Tian... you little brat, do you think I like you or something? Don’t flatter yourself. I only wanted to thank you. I wanted to express my gratitude for all you’ve done for my little brother over the past half year. Look at how pleased you are with yourself! And let me tell you this: if there’s anything I want to do, I’ve never failed yet, and you won’t be an exception. You won’t be able to escape my grasp, hmph!”

Seeing Yang Tian stride away, Zhang Xiu Xiu stood there, stamping her feet in anger as she muttered under her breath.

As soon as Yang Tian returned to his seat, Huang Juan pulled him aside. The little girl secretly took out two ordinary movie tickets from her pocket—cheap tickets sold by the student theater across from the school. The conditions at that theater were poor, and the people who went there to watch movies were mostly students with little money.

“Xiao Tian, let’s go see a movie! Titanic. The classmates who’ve seen it say it’s really touching!” The little girl’s face shone with anticipation.

“Really? Then sure, let’s go. It’s been a long time since I saw a movie!” Yang Tian pretended to be surprised, his face showing eagerness and delight. In truth, he had already watched this film several times before his rebirth; how could he not know how moving it was?

He knew, however, that Huang Juan had surely never seen it, and he did not want to ruin the little girl’s beautiful expectations of this classic romance epic.

He did not want to go see a movie with Zhang Xiu Xiu, but going with Huang Juan made him more than happy to do so, even if it meant going to a noisy, shabby theater.

As expected, Titanic had a profound impact on Huang Juan. The girl, still innocent and half-understanding, became even more curious and longing for love after seeing the film.

When Jack said, “I figure life is a gift and I don’t intend to waste it. You never know what hand you’re gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you...”

Huang Juan nodded again and again, full of agreement, and secretly took Yang Tian’s hand, gripping it tightly.

By the end of the film, after the sinking, when she saw Rose in the icy water, Huang Juan was already crying herself to pieces. She threw herself into Yang Tian’s arms, clung tightly to his neck, and her tears of emotion soaked his chest.