# Chapter 4
"A-Yang talks about you guys all the time." MM smiled brightly. "Especially you, A-Yi. He says you're the cutest guy he's ever met."
I probably went a little green. Cute? That's definitely not a compliment for a guy. And where exactly am I cute?
I'm 175 cm tall, 60 kg, with a nice straight nose and thick eyebrows. I might look a bit on the thin side, and I'm not as magnetic as Shangguan, but cute? Absolutely not!
Shangguan's expression also looked a bit off—though that's something only someone who's been bullied by him for six years would notice. To everyone else, he's always got that cold, robotic face.
But, hmph, what does he have to be unhappy about? I'm the one being called cute here. Could he possibly be interested in that compliment?
"A-Yi, can I call you that? You really are as adorable as A-Yang described." MM kept attacking me. "You look just like a high school student, not someone in their twenties at all."
"Right, right, this guy is a magnet for women's maternal instincts. Despite being lazy and spacey, he attracted a whole group of girls. Though Shangguan attracts fans, he attracts older sisters. You wouldn't believe it, but there were girls who would get his food for him and save him the best portions. It really made us so jealous."
I was certain my face had gone completely green. Was there any need to be this brutal? When have I ever attracted a bunch of older sisters? If I could actually make women feel maternal toward me, I wouldn't be stuck doing all this extra work every day—the pile of files on my desk is at least half from my female coworkers!
Shangguan glanced at his watch, which finally caught Chen Zhongyang's attention.
"Oh right, you two are still going to the movies, right? This film's pretty decent, at least it's not completely idiotic. Oh, and here—my business card. Xiao Tian and A Jin are both in this city too. We've been saying we should get together for a reunion, and now we happened to run into you two, so we could totally have a classmates' gathering too! Quick, quick, exchange contact info. You absolutely must be reachable anytime."
Shangguan pulled out his business card, which of course immediately drew another round of amazed exclamations from Chen Zhongyang. I didn't have a business card, and was about to give my phone number when Shangguan said, "A-Yi works where I do now. Just contact me."
Chen Zhongyang didn't push it, took the card, and said his goodbyes quite readily. As he turned to leave, I seemed to catch a remark: "Their friendship is still so great..."
Are Shangguan and I really that close? Maybe. We've been together for six years after all, from when I started college until now that I'm working, and we've lived together this whole time. I really can't recall ever spending this much time with anyone else.
But how did we even meet in the first place? He's two years ahead of me, and we weren't even in the same dorm. Through a club? I vaguely remember being forcibly dragged by some girl in my class to join the drama club, but I only went a few times, and Shangguan doesn't seem like the type who'd join drama club anyway.
Hmm, I guess it must have been through Chen Zhongyang, since they're in the same graduating class.
Lost in thought, I followed Shangguan into the theater. His spending habits have always been on the extravagant side, so he bought us box seats. The theater was packed, but being in a private box actually felt pretty comfortable—though I couldn't help starting to worry about my wallet. This could have been solved with a two-yuan rental disc, but now it was probably going to cost a hundred times that. Plus, knowing Shangguan, I'd just get lectured again. I'd made up my mind: no more running my mouth!
The blockbuster that my coworker had recommended and Chen Zhongyang had praised as decent left me drowsy and bored. From the opening, you could already predict the ending—hero saves the world, beauty saves the hero. Big-budget films always seem to follow this formula; the only thing that changes is grander settings, bigger casts, and better special effects.
Is this supposed to make people cry from emotion? Watching the male and female leads heroically sacrificing themselves for each other, I was nothing but depressed and bewildered. If they want to sacrifice themselves, that's their own choice. Is mutual sacrifice really so noble? It's based on loving the other person, after all. So this kind of sacrifice is really for themselves.
And humans should have every right to do whatever they want for themselves. What's there to be moved by?
Thinking about the two hundred yuan I'd have to pay for this, I regretted it down to my intestines.
After two dreary hours, the movie finally ended. I dragged my heavy eyelids out of the theater and basically fell asleep the moment I got into the car. Shangguan's expression seemed a bit off—but probably just because he didn't like the film either. Or maybe for other reasons.
But whatever the reason, it was none of my business to worry about. Are you kidding me? The boss's mood—is that something a regular employee can even guess at?