"Past midnight? The Ring? Maybe not!"
Yoona frowned and shook her head, clearly not too interested. Girls generally were not that into horror movies to begin with, and this was hardly the best time for one.
Of course, Blake Su was extremely interested. Especially after being scared by Yoona earlier tonight, and then being reminded by her just now, his desire to watch it only grew stronger.
"Come on, it only feels right when you watch it past midnight. You know, horror movies are all about atmosphere. There has to be a sense of ritual."
Blake Su sounded excited.
"Um..."
Yoona thought for a moment. Seeing that Blake Su really was excited, she remembered that if not for him tonight, she might have ended up sleeping out on the freezing street.
Now, keeping him company for one horror movie did not seem impossible.
"Alright. Since you want to watch it that badly, I'll watch it with you!"
"Great!"
Blake Su looked delighted. After they finished their late-night snack, he first dimmed the living room lights, then pulled the curtains shut, pushing the horror atmosphere to the limit.
"Blake, what are we watching?"
"The Ring. Have you seen it?"
"Mm-hm. I watched the first two with Jessica back in the dorm. We watched them during the day, and they were still scary."
"Good, good. Then tonight, we'll watch the third one, The Ring: Spiral."
As he spoke, Blake Su went to set it up.
Yoona leaned back on the sofa, hugging a teddy bear, and said with a frown, "If I get scared and scream later, you're not allowed to laugh at me."
"Why would I?"
Blake Su smiled and shook his head.
Soon, The Ring: Spiral started playing on the TV. At the beginning of the movie, on a chaotic, noisy street, a woman was crouched on the ground, talking on the phone.
Paired with the dim room, it immediately gave off an eerie feeling.
The Ring: Spiral.
This was the third film in The Ring series, meant to reveal the secret behind the cursed videotape. The deeper the investigation went, the more everyone discovered.
Not only would people who watched the tape die, but Sadako had also used a fetus to return to life and take revenge on her enemies.
As more people died one after another, the atmosphere grew stranger and stranger. When the male and female leads discovered the shocking truth that Sadako was using a fetus to resurrect herself, Sadako's true form suddenly appeared, pushing the terror to its peak.
"Ah!"
Frightened, Yoona hugged the plush toy and instinctively leaned closer to Blake Su. She thought that since Blake Su liked this so much, he must be pretty brave and would not be scared.
However...
"Aaahhh!"
Blake Su screamed outright. Before Yoona could even lean over, he had already moved closer to her first.
This sudden scene left Yoona a little stunned.
Wait.
Wasn't Blake Su the one who wanted to watch a horror movie? How... how was he even more scared than her? What was going on?
"Ah!"
Just as she was thinking that, Sadako appeared and killed someone, pushing the horror plot to another climax. Blake Su was scared into screaming again.
As for the bewildered Yoona, she was not quite as scared anymore.
Because her mind was no longer fully on the movie.
"Sadako?"
Yoona murmured to herself, linking together everything that had happened tonight. Then she looked at Blake Su, who was practically clinging to her like she was a stuffed toy.
It suddenly dawned on her.
Earlier, she had been wearing white, crouching by the curb, with her hair hanging down over her face. She looked exactly like Sadako. That was why Blake Su had said that.
And that was why she had scared him.
There was obviously no Sadako in real life, yet he had still been frightened. That meant he was timid. And now, watching a horror movie, he was even more scared than she was, even though she was a girl.
That only proved how afraid he was of horror movies.
But even though he was clearly terrified, he was still this interested. He still wanted to watch, and he even went out of his way to create the right atmosphere.
He wanted horror movies to have a sense of ritual.
Once she figured that out, Yoona could not help finding it funny.
He was clearly scared, but he still loved horror movies so much. He was really bad at this, but still loved playing.
Still, looking at the tall Blake Su beside her, clutching her tightly while being both terrified and unable to look away, she suddenly found him a little cute. There was an oddly charming contrast to it.
"Hehe."
With a soft laugh, Yoona simply hooked her arm around Blake Su's.
The two timid people leaned half against each other and watched the final climax of The Ring: Spiral together.
...
The next day.
Since he had to accompany Yoona to pick up her bag, Blake Su told Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian that their meeting would be moved to dinner. The two gladly agreed.
So, at 10 a.m., after Blake Su and Yoona woke up and had a simple breakfast, Blake Su first took her phone to a repair shop, then drove her to Arizona State University.
They found her childhood friend and successfully retrieved the bag. Her passport, ID, and everything else were all inside. Only then did Yoona finally relax.
"Thank you, Blake!"
With her bag on her back, Yoona sincerely thanked Blake Su.
"No problem."
Blake Su smiled faintly. "It was nothing."
"Um..."
Yoona thought for a moment, then covered her mouth and giggled. "As thanks, how about... I watch another horror movie with you before going back?"
"Really?!"
Blake Su's eyes lit up.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Blake Su's expression, Yoona immediately burst into laughter. Thinking back to last night, she became even more certain of just how obsessed Blake Su was with horror movies despite being so easily scared.
"Next time, for sure."
Yoona smiled sweetly. "Jessica is still waiting for me. How about this? To show my thanks, I'll treat you to something to eat before I leave."
Hearing that, Blake Su realized the horror movie was gone, which meant the fun was gone too. He immediately became unhappy and curled his lips.
"I think you're the one who wants to eat."
"Yes, yes."
"I'm the one who wants to eat, so you can just eat a little with me, okay?"
Yoona did not deny it. She smiled and pulled him into a Western restaurant.
After they enjoyed a good meal, Blake Su drove Yoona to the airport.
"Thank you, Blake. Let's hang out again when we get the chance. Bye!"
Yoona smiled and waved goodbye, then passed through security and left.
After watching Yoona leave, Blake Su checked the time and saw that it was getting late. He drove home, rested for a few hours, then went to the upscale restaurant where he had arranged to meet Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.
Once they met and ordered their food, they waited.
Blake Su went straight to the point.
"For the 2012 Olympics, if we want to do better than the quarterfinals in 2008, we can't rely only on the three of us.
"The other domestic players need to prepare seriously too and compete in their best condition.
"So... Yao, I'll need you to handle that side of things. With your influence, I believe everyone will have even more motivation."
"Mm."
Yao Ming nodded seriously. "I'll talk to them. Everyone will prepare actively. And... because you suddenly emerged like this, everyone's confidence will rise too.
"They'll train harder and improve themselves.
"Right now, for the Chinese men's basketball team, you and Yi Jianlian are the main sources of firepower. No, to be precise, you alone are the strongest source of firepower. Yi Jianlian can only support you."
"That's not true."
Yi Jianlian shook his head again and again. "Yao is the second core. How can you leave yourself out?"
"Me?"
Yao Ming shook his head, looking dejected.
...
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