Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 176: Alice's Sleepwalking

After Yang Chen uttered the word "date," Lin Ruoxi seemed visibly caught off guard, staring blankly at him without a word.

Yang Chen interpreted Lin Ruoxi's silence as unfamiliarity, perhaps feeling that he had been too forward all of a sudden. So, he took a step back and said, "Too fast for you? How about we just grab dinner casually?"

Lin Ruoxi shook her head gently and softly asked, "Should I change my clothes?"

"What clothes should I change into?"

"What should one wear for a date?" Lin Ruoxi asked somewhat shyly.

Yang Chen understood now. It wasn't a refusal; she just didn't know how to approach the idea of a date. So, he smiled casually and said, "No need to change. This is fine. But we'll have to change the car. I must be the one to take you on the date, not you driving me there."

With a nervous heart, Lin Ruoxi nodded, started the car, and drove the red Bentley all the way to where Yang Chen had parked, then they both got out and got into the white M3.

"Where are we going?" It was Lin Ruoxi's first date, and she sounded nervous and timid.

Yang Chen found it extremely amusing. His usually cold-as-ice wife had suddenly become like a shy schoolgirl experiencing her first love. He wanted to reach out and ruffle Lin Ruoxi's head, but he was afraid she might explode, so he raised three fingers and said, "I'll give you three choices: watch a movie, go shopping, or visit the aquarium. Where do you want to go?"

There was an immediate gleam of romance in Lin Ruoxi's bright eyes. After a moment's thought, with a hint of anticipation, she said, "Let's go to the aquarium. I've never been there before. I love tropical fish; they're so beautiful."

"The aquarium closes soon in the evening, let's pick something else," Yang Chen said.

"In that case, shopping will do. Let's go and check out some malls that aren't under my management. It'll be like an inspection visit," Lin Ruoxi compromised.

Yang Chen shook his head, "Shopping will exhaust me. Don't think I don't know, once you women start, you won't care if the men accompanying you drop dead."

Lin Ruoxi frowned, "Then where?"

"Let's watch a movie. We can just sit and watch, isn't that nice?" Yang Chen smiled.

Lin Ruoxi bit her lip, feeling a surge of frustration, pouting she said, "Then why did you even bother letting me choose?! You could've just said let's go watch a movie!"

Yang Chen grinned, "Isn't this demonstrating family democracy? I gave you three options. Maybe you'd choose the cinema on your first try? If you don't choose, anyway, the steering wheel is in my hands. In the end, I have the final say, right? After all, leaders do this, and aren't you a leader too? You understand, democracy, democracy, hehe..."

"You rascal! I'm getting off, go on your date alone!" Lin Ruoxi's delicate face once again became icy, as if she was about to get out of the car.

Yang Chen laughed heartily, "See you later!"

The moment the words fell, the BMW made a sharp sound, and the tires rubbed violently against the ground as the car shot out of the parking space like an arrow!

Lin Ruoxi was just about to unbuckle her seatbelt when the sudden force pushed her back into her seat!

"Are you crazy?! I want to get off this car!"

"What did you say, darling? I didn't hear you!" Yang Chen laughed heartily.

The car raced down the neon-lit avenue, drawing a streak of red light, and the roaring engine turned heads of passersby.

Due to the sparse traffic around the convention center, the road was wide, allowing the speed to increase steadily. Eventually, it felt like driving on a highway. In many bends, Yang Chen could even pull the handbrake for a few simple drifts!

"Crazy! Stop! Stop! You're crazy! Crazy!" Lin Ruoxi shouted until she couldn't anymore. She was too worried that if she continued, the car might crash into a guardrail. So, she just sat there, hands covering her face, resigned to the inertia of the car swaying back and forth. Although it wasn't her first time riding in a fast car driven by Yang Chen, Lin Ruoxi still felt her soul almost detached from her body. This feeling of life or death speed was something that movies couldn't convey.

It wasn't until they reached a busier section of the road that Yang Chen slowed down, and Lin Ruoxi finally relaxed her hands, letting out a sigh of relief.

Feeling her heart beating wildly, Lin Ruoxi lost her strength to scold Yang Chen. She just looked at him with a faint gaze, a gaze that could "strangle" Yang Chen.

Yang Chen didn't mind and said, "Don't look at me like that. I just thought it's a shame that you drive such a good car but don't enjoy the thrill of speeding. It's a regret. While we're still young, let me let you experience the excitement of speed."

"I don't need such a crazy experience," Lin Ruoxi said, her face pale, biting her lip.

"This isn't a crazy experience. My driving skills are good, not just because I drive fast but because I drive faster than others while still being safer than anyone else. If someone's driving skills are poor, even if they drive slowly, they'll still crash into something. That's my confidence, and I hope you can believe in it," Yang Chen said.

Lin Ruoxi scoffed, "Someone without a driver's license telling me their driving skills are safer than anyone else's. What should I believe about you?"

"You see, Miss, you're fixated on appearances again. A driver's license is just a piece of paper, at most a harder one. In today's world, academic diplomas earned over one or two decades no longer represent a person's true cultural level, and they can even be forged. What can a driving license, which can be obtained in about a month, represent?" Yang Chen chuckled.

Lin Ruoxi hmphed, turned her head away, "I won't argue with you. You're just full of fallacies."

"Ah, good, good. Fallacies are still arguments. They belong to the same category as Einstein's theory of relativity. Why can't they be valid?"

Lin Ruoxi found it quite amusing that no man had ever spoken to her in such a joking manner. She turned back and asked, "Do you want to be a monk?"

Yang Chen rested one hand on the steering wheel and stroked his chin with the other. "Being a monk is fine too. The biggest regret of a monk's life is probably seeing the body of a nun but never seeing a woman's. I've seen women's bodies, so seeing a nun's would complete the experience."

It took Lin Ruoxi a long time to understand the implication of his words. In an instant, her face flushed, and she spat out "rogue" before ignoring him.

When they arrived at the parking lot outside the Zhonghai Cinema, Lin Ruoxi took out her phone and asked Yang Chen, "What movie are we watching? I'll have Wu Yue book a private room."

"A private room?" Yang Chen puzzled, "What private room?"

"Don't you need to book a private room to watch a movie?" Lin Ruoxi countered.

Yang Chen inquired carefully and then realized that Lin Ruoxi used to book a VIP private room on the second floor of the cinema when watching movies. Wu Yue would handle the tickets, and all she needed to do was show her ID to be escorted in.

Apparently, this girl had never watched a movie in the usual way.

"No need for that. Let's get off, walk over to choose a movie, and then I'll buy the tickets. Whether we sit upstairs on the second floor to look down on people or to watch the movie, what's the difference?" Yang Chen said with a smile.

Lin Ruoxi, feeling a bit uncomfortable, slung her bag and followed behind Yang Chen.

The surroundings were bustling with pedestrians, mostly young couples coming to watch movies together. In this lively atmosphere, Lin Ruoxi felt everything was quite novel.

They arrived at the entrance of the cinema ticket booth, with movie posters on both sides. Yang Chen pursed his lips. "Pick one. Which one do you like?"

Lin Ruoxi glanced around and locked her eyes on the poster of "Alice in Wonderland" for a long time, then reluctantly looked away and glanced at the other posters before shaking her head. "I don't mind. You choose."

Yang Chen smirked inwardly. It seemed she liked it but didn't dare to admit it, fearing he would tease her about being a "little girl." He pretended to ponder for a moment and said, "Then let's watch 'Alice.' The poster looks vibrant."

"Okay!" Lin Ruoxi immediately agreed with a smile.

Yang Chen smirked at her, and Lin Ruoxi realized she had revealed her inner thoughts. Blushing, she turned her head away.

After Yang Chen bought two regular tickets, they entered the cinema. Around the lobby were several snack stalls selling drinks, popcorn, and other snacks. Yang Chen bought a bucket of popcorn and two cups of orange juice before entering the screening hall.

Lin Ruoxi sat in the middle of the ordinary seats in the screening hall, surrounded by many other people, all waiting for the movie to begin, with murmurs heard around them.

A bucket of popcorn was placed in front of her. Lin Ruoxi turned her head, and in the darkness, Yang Chen was looking at her. "Here, take it. Since we haven't had dinner, this can fill you up a bit."

"I don't need it. I never used to eat it," Lin Ruoxi said quietly.

"My dear wife, just take it as a favor to me, okay?" Yang Chen said, coaxing her like he would a child at mealtime.

Lin Ruoxi pursed her lips, took the popcorn bucket, and reached out to grab one, then another. Sweet, fragrant, and crispy, it had been many years since she had tasted something like this. Lin Ruoxi couldn't help but eat a few more.

Seeing the woman enjoying the popcorn, Yang Chen placed the orange juice by Lin Ruoxi's seat. "If your mouth gets dry, drink some juice. Don't choke."

Feeling a hint of warmth in her heart, Lin Ruoxi realized that the cheap tickets, the cheap seats, the cheap food and drinks, and the noisy surroundings were all things she had never personally experienced before. Yet, strangely, this scene was far more flavorful than she had imagined. Was it because she felt the novelty of it, or was it because someone was accompanying her to watch the movie?

Sipping on the straw, drinking the juice, Lin Ruoxi found herself immersed in a unique experience, while the movie "Alice in Wonderland" had already begun on the big screen.

Watching Alice's fantastic journey in the fantasy world, Lin Ruoxi remembered a line she had heard in a TV series before.

"There's a condition called Alice in Wonderland syndrome, where the visual hallucinations are like looking through a telescope backwards, seeing a fairy tale world every day. It's a miraculous yet heartbreaking condition. I must have that syndrome, or why else would the time spent with that worthless man turn into a fairy tale?"

She had kept this line in mind for a long time, but she had never experienced it until now. This situation, however, quietly surged in her heart.

Lost in her thoughts, Lin Ruoxi felt her cheeks flush, turning red.

Embarrassing! When did she become so shameless? How could she even think of such cheesy words?

But unable to resist, she occasionally stole glances at the person beside her, then immediately lowered her head.

Is this girl alright? Why is her face so red? Is she running a fever?

In the darkness, Yang Chen noticed Lin Ruoxi's odd behavior and was filled with questions.