Chapter Thirteen: Suzuna, the Mistress of Schemes

Inside the movie theater.

Chen Zi’ang held the bucket of popcorn uneasily, stealing glances at his younger sister beside him.

Chen Xiaozhu sat on his right, her gaze hollow and fixed on the screen, as if she were concentrating on the dialogue.

On his left was Suzuna Tsukimiya, her eyes already red, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

The movie’s plot was a bit melodramatic: a couple married for ten years whose feelings for each other had been eroded entirely by endless arguments and quarrels. Later, the wife, Mizukoto, travels back in time fifteen years and, facing her husband Masaki when he was still a stranger to her, resolves never to be with him again in this life… Yet once the female supporting character appears and begins to pursue her husband, Mizukoto is consumed by anxiety and unease.

Soon, the heroine decides to give her husband another chance, but he is utterly oblivious to her hints, and misunderstandings pile up one after another. Suzuna Tsukimiya watched with clenched teeth, while Chen Zi’ang could barely suppress his yawns.

“Stories like this always end with the misunderstandings being cleared up in the finale.” Seeing the tears brimming in Suzuna’s eyes, Chen Zi’ang could only offer comfort. “Don’t get too worked up.”

Suzuna ignored him, grabbing a huge handful of popcorn and shoving it into her mouth as if venting her frustration.

“You just don’t get it, senpai.” She huffed. “Mizukoto was trying so hard to give hints, but Masaki just couldn’t understand her at all. That’s the most heartbreaking part!”

“Well, what can you do?” Chen Zi’ang replied helplessly. “After all, the male lead didn’t bring any memories from the future back with him.”

“Even without memories, he should be able to sense Mizukoto’s feelings, shouldn’t he?” Suzuna protested righteously.

“If he could, the movie wouldn’t be nearly as long,” Chen Zi’ang quipped.

Hmm?

Suddenly he recalled that, when they first met, Suzuna Tsukimiya had indeed, for a fleeting moment, looked at him with a gaze full of deep longing and tenderness—as if he were a lover she hadn’t seen in ages.

So, did she bring him to see this film on purpose? Was it some kind of hint?

For example, that Suzuna Tsukimiya was his wife from the future… or something like that?

“Suzuna,” Chen Zi’ang’s voice dropped. “If I asked you to guess my bank card PIN, what would you guess?”

He hadn’t changed his PIN in over a decade, and likely wouldn’t in the future either. If she were really his wife from the future, she’d know it for sure.

“Um, ahaha…” Suzuna giggled awkwardly. “Why are you suddenly asking me to guess that, senpai?”

Of course, she understood the purpose of his question, but the problem was… she genuinely didn’t know his PIN!

“It’s nothing,” Chen Zi’ang replied, a bit embarrassed. “Just pretend I didn’t ask.”

Had he lost his mind? Why was he having such bizarre thoughts?

He really ought to watch fewer of these fantastical movies in the future.

“If you’d like, senpai, I could guess something else,” Suzuna was unwilling to give up and tried to salvage the moment. “Like your favorite dish, maybe…”

“No, no need.” Chen Zi’ang waved his hands repeatedly, growing more and more awkward.

Suzuna stared blankly at his profile. For a moment, a powerful impulse surged in her heart to reveal everything to him.

But that thought was quickly suppressed.

No, if she did that, she really wouldn’t stand a chance…

Stay calm, Suzuna-chan. Don’t try to pretend to be his wife from the future. If you act like you know things you shouldn’t, you’ll slip up sooner or later—right now, you’re the one who met him first; you have to play it safe. Time is on your side!

“Hand me a napkin,” Suzuna requested.

“Here you go.”

She dabbed the corners of her eyes and asked in a cheerful voice, “Senpai, if you met a girl who claimed to be your wife from the future, what would you do?”

“Nothing,” Chen Zi’ang replied. “How would I know if she was telling the truth?”

“What if she had proof?” Suzuna pressed, “Like knowing your bank card PIN…”

“Then I could start as friends with her,” Chen Zi’ang thought for a moment and replied. “If she really is my wife from the future, then even if we start over in this life, we’ll end up together all over again.”

“I see.” Suzuna’s mood improved instantly.

That’s right. Whether or not she’s his wife from the future, this life has to start from scratch—hmph hmph hmph, heh heh heh, ha ha ha!

She was tempted to tease him and say, “Then please start over with me,” but knowing his earnest nature, he’d just get flustered and find a way to politely refuse.

No, she’d have to take it slowly, let him gradually grow used to her presence.

Suzuna looked back at the screen—at last, Masaki recognized his feelings for Mizukoto, and the story moved toward its perfect, happy ending. Just as her senpai had said, in these melodramas, everything always resolves in a reunion; otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth the ticket price.

“After the movie, shall we walk around outside for a bit?” Suzuna asked softly.

“That might not be a good idea,” Chen Zi’ang hesitated. “You’ve been out all day. Won’t your family worry? It’s better to head home early.”

“Are you treating me like a child, senpai?” Suzuna pretended to be annoyed.

“It’s not about being a child.” Chen Zi’ang explained, “A girl staying out all night, her parents are bound to worry, whatever her age.”

“You have a point,” Suzuna mused, then smiled. “Then, senpai, could you take me home tonight?”

“Sure, let’s go home first.”

After settling his sister at home, Chen Zi’ang turned to Suzuna and asked, “Where do you live?”

“737 Guanting Street, Jinchuan District,” Suzuna replied.

Guanting Street—as the name implied, it was where bureaucrats lived and worked, almost exclusively home to the island nation’s political elite families.

But Chen Zi’ang had long known this young lady’s background was extraordinary. He nodded, “Let me call you a cab.”

Taking a taxi from Gunma to Jinchuan meant crossing two administrative districts; the fare would be at least 170 yuan. Suzuna just smiled and said, “No need, that’s too expensive. Just ride the subway with me, senpai.”

“The subway roundtrip takes two hours,” Chen Zi’ang exclaimed.

“But if I went home alone, my parents would definitely worry, right?” Suzuna used his argument against him. “And you wouldn’t feel comfortable letting me go by myself, would you?”

“Well…” Chen Zi’ang had no rebuttal.

“Or…” Suzuna pulled out her trump card, “I could just stay at your place tonight, senpai. What do you think?”

“I’d better take you home,” Chen Zi’ang surrendered.

Letting this young lady spend the night at his house would go against his principles, and if word got out, it would damage her reputation. Compared to that, though the journey home was long, it seemed only right—she’d come all this way just to study with him, after all.

Suzuna flashed a bright, triumphant smile and chirped, “Then let’s go, sen~pai~.”

“Mhm.” Chen Zi’ang answered with a helpless, wry smile.

He couldn’t shake the strange feeling that this girl understood his way of thinking inside and out, able to subtly influence his decisions every time.

Could she read minds?