It was soon the day of the domestic premiere of the movie Doomsday Riot.
Ye Jinmeng called Xu Wanwan and He Junting to join her at the premiere venue. Shi Shuning couldn't come with them because he was busy with his startup recently, but he promised to rush over before the screening started.
After all, he had to guard his little girlfriend from being hit on by other men.
He Junyan got them front row tickets. Ye Jinmeng stared at the man—no, the boy—on the massive movie poster on the stage, her eyes twinkling so brightly that they almost blinded Xu Wanwan.
"Meng, you really like this male celebrity, huh?" Xu Wanwan had never seen Ye Jinmeng fangirling like this before, not even for Shi Shuning.
"Yeah, I super like him. Don't you think he looks insanely handsome, cool, and manly?" Ye Jinmeng was practically drooling.
Xu Wanwan looked at the boy on the poster, wearing a dirty white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, face smeared with grime and blood, eyes fixed with determination and fierceness, one hand covering his mouth, as if wiping away blood.
He was handsome, for sure, and looked like he could pull off some cool moves, but... she didn't really see the manliness.
It wasn't Xu Wanwan's fault, though. Justin himself looked quite young, around fifteen or sixteen, making him seem even more childlike next to the other male actor on the poster. His outfit didn't add much manliness either.
Xu Wanwan was confused. Meng had told her before that she liked the Rock type—she had even said the Rock was handsome, manly, yet adorably goofy, though Xu Wanwan didn't understand how she saw the goofy part. But this Justin was nothing like the tough guys Meng claimed to like!
"I'm here, I'm here!" Shi Shuning came panting and took the empty seat next to Ye Jinmeng.
After chugging some water to catch his breath, he noticed his darling drooling over the poster.
Shi Shuning: ...
He immediately cupped Ye Jinmeng's face with both hands and turned her head towards him. Still dazed, she looked at him questioningly, "Ning-ge, what's wrong?"
Shi Shuning felt torn between love and hatred!
"Have you had enough of staring? Drooling over another man in front of me, I'm not happy about it."
Though Ye Jinmeng felt Shi Shuning was being unreasonable, she still stroked his face soothingly. "Come on, I love you the most. Justin only exists on my screen, but you exist in my life. To me, he's virtual, but you're real, so don't be jealous of him, okay?"
How could Shi Shuning feel after hearing that? Happy, yet also like his adorable Meng was kind of a flirt...
Seeing Shi Shuning didn't respond, Ye Jinmeng suddenly pouted, "Ever since we started dating, I haven't touched your abs even once. As your girlfriend, shouldn't I be able to touch them anytime, anywhere? You're like that big liar, tricking me into a relationship but not giving me any benefits. Now you're even jealous of my idol. I'm really getting the short end of the stick here!"
Ye Jinmeng sounded more and more aggrieved as she spoke.
Now it was Shi Shuning's turn to panic. No, he didn't—don't misunderstand!
"No, Meng, you can touch my abs whenever you want. Look, I'll let you touch them right now." He grabbed her hand as he spoke.
While the two of them bickered sweetly, the other couple watched on amusedly.
"Such kids, so childish!" Xu Wanwan shook her head.
The man next to her, He Junting, didn't say anything but kept his gaze on her.
Xu Wanwan felt uneasy under his stare and tentatively asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
She reached up to touch her face as she spoke.
He Junting caught her hand, his expression still blank, then cleared his throat. "Actually, I also have abs."
Xu Wanwan: "Huh???"
"Ahem, you can touch them anytime if you want."
!!! Xu Wanwan's face instantly flushed red. She didn't expect Ting to be such a tease!
She pulled her hand from his grip and quickly rubbed his stomach before he could react, then quickly withdrew her hand and stuffed it in her pocket, smirking secretly.
Seeing her coy expression like a cat who got the cream, He Junting's heart softened, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile.
Soon after, the host of the premiere took the stage. Ye Jinmeng, who had been discussing abs with Shi Shuning, straightened her posture. As the crew members walked on stage one by one amid cheers and camera clicks, she yelled excitedly, "Ahh! Justin baby, sis loves you!"
What could Shi Shuning do but sigh resignedly on the side? He couldn't stop his girlfriend from fangirling, or he might lose her.
"Yan-jie, you're so beautiful!"
He Junyan and Justin took the stage together. Immediately, they heard Meng's voice calling out.
He Junyan looked up and waved back at the four of them seated together, smiling.
Justin followed He Junyan's gaze to see a girl with adorable buns waving at them, wearing his purple fan shirt.
When Ye Jinmeng noticed her idol looking their way, she squealed, "Ahh! Didi noticed me!! Ahh, didi, sis loves you!"
Seeing the girl's excitement, Justin winked at her. Ye Jinmeng clutched her chest, only mechanically repeating "Sis loves you."
Shi Shuning: ... Meng has never said she loves him. Wah, she doesn't love me anymore!
After the crew took the stage, there was a Q&A session for about half an hour before the host announced the start of the film.
Doomsday Riot is about one bright sunny morning when people are going about their usual business, when suddenly the sun seems to be blocked by something, darkening the entire sky.
Then the Earth is struck by a series of meteors of all sizes, destroying one city after another like atomic bombs.
Justin plays Daniel, an introverted and timid high school student. Luckily, the city he's in hasn't been hit by meteors yet, but the ensuing earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, etc. warn all survivors that their destruction is inevitable if they can't find sturdy safe havens.
So people start scrambling for shelter and supplies to survive. After getting separated from his family, Daniel suffers a series of breakdowns before meeting his teacher, Ava, played by He Junyan.
