A Moment in Destiny

Chapter 287 Seeing the Movie

Vincent followed her gaze and looked over. With a frown, he said, “Okay, we’ll see that one. I’ll buy the ticket. Give us a private box.”

Leila was puzzled. He came out to watch a cartoon and requested to block booking.

Pointing at the poster, he said, “Give us that box. Make sure no one will disturb us.”

As he spoke, he tossed his cred card to the ticket seller. Then he arrogantly held the tickets and walked to see the movie while holding Leila’s hand.

Even after they had sat down and the movie started to play, Leila was still at a loss. How could he accompany her to see a cartoon? Besides, she didn’t request to see the carton, did she?

There were only two of them in the box. It was so quiet that they could hear each other’s breath.

Leila cast a secret glance at Vincent who was sitting next to her. He concentrated on the screen, on which there were commercials. The movie was about to play.

“Why are you looking at me instead of the screen?” asked him in a deep voice.

With a deep frown, he looked quite impatient. He didn’t understand why she had chosen to see the cartoon. “How childish!”

Leila curled her lips helplessly. She didn’t pick up the cartoon.

“Why are you silent? Compared with seeing a movie in our private theatre at home, it nicer to watch it here, isn’t it?”

Leila was startled by his words. She looked at him uneasily. His handsome face looked pure and neat, but there was a trace of gloominess on it. He squinted his sharp eyes, gazing at her.

It turned out that he still minded that she had seen a movie with Theodore before.

Leila was in a daze and didn’t know what to speak. They were in such a big space which was quite luxurious. It was far bigger and more luxurious than the theatre at home, so she felt more comfortable seeing the movie here. The couch was wide and huge, so cozy that she wanted to nap.

Vincent glanced at the commercial on the screen. With an evil and ironic smile on his face, he asked, “Did you also watch the cartoon with another man?” Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Leila clenched the hemline of her clothes. She always felt uneasy in his presence.

“Answer me!” Vincent stared at her and snapped, “Which movie did you see with him?”

“Well, we didn’t see a cartoon,” Leila answered in a low voice, biting her lower lip. She felt quite upset, always afraid that she would say something wrong.

“What did you see?”

“In the Mood for Love.” Leila wondered if her words would provoke him.

Pak! The lighter went off and the fire lit up. Leila saw Vincent’s gloomy face. He lit up a cigarette and took a drag.

“Did you like it?”

“Yeah, very much,” she answered honestly.

Suddenly, he reached out to pinch her chin, raising her face to look at him. Seeing the stubbornness in her eyes, he had an impulse to lose temper.

“Isn’t In the Mood for Love a porn movie?” he said casually while casting a glance at her and loosened the grip on her chin.

Leila gaped. How could it be a porn movie?

She was speechless. That movie was indeed an art movie.

Vincent added, “You are only allowed to watch cartoons from now on. No porn movies!”

“I didn’t!” Leila wanted to retort him, but she didn’t have the guts.

“Watch the movie. Shut up!” Vincent’s voice was expressionless as if it sounded from afar. The cigarette between his fingers almost burned out. He tossed it on the floor, feeling annoyed for some reason.

Leila looked at the screen, wondering whether she should laugh or cry.

It seemed that except for the cartoons, other movies had become porn movies in his mind, hadn’t they?

As far as Leila knew, since The Lion King was released, it had won the attention and favor of the world and achieved unprecedented success and glory. For a long time, it was the only cartoon movie in film history to enter the top ten box office, becoming the most successful animated film in the history of Disney

Some critics said that this movie had the shadow of the famous Hamlet, which had won many cheers. Therefore, The Lion King's heatwave has swept all over the world. It had been configured into twenty- seven different languages and warmly welcomed by the audience in forty-six countries and regions. It had won the hearts of millions of audiences all over the world.

It was worth mentioning that The Lion King incubated popular music among children and adults -- such as Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Circle of Life, thus enduring and becoming a popular musical film on Broadway.

Although it was a cartoon movie, it was quite attractive. Leila had seen this movie before, but it was during her high school. Recalling the scenes, she should enjoy watching it again.

She watched the screen in silence. From the birth of Simba to Simba was nestling in his parents’ arms, the warm scene attracted Leila as well as Vincent.

He gazed at the screen with his deep eyes. Leila wondered what was on his mind.

She was attracted by his serious look. Sensing that he was quite solemn and different, she tilted her head and looked at him.

Vincent lit up another cigarette with his lighter. The sound of opening the light lid was quite clear. He took a drag and exhaled white smoke.

The smoke wreathed his face, and his outlined handsome face looked blurred. But his eyes were still sharp. He was gazing at the screen, but Leila could sense that his thoughts were not on the scene.

She looked back at the screen -- it was the scene that Simba was with his father. Mufasa told Simba that everything the line touched was their kingdom.

Simba asked what about the dark place.

Mufasa said that he couldn’t be a king by courage alone.

Obviously, it was the scene a father was teaching his son how to live on. Vincent watched it so seriously as if he was recalling something through this scene.

When Scar didn’t save his brother but pushed Mufasa to the cliff, Leila could obviously feel that Vincent’s body was instantly tightened.

Leila turned to look at him. At this moment, his face was under the blue light, looking quite ruthless. Suddenly, she felt that Vincent was the proud lion king with a deadly domineering manner.

“Did you have a good childhood without your father?” he suddenly asked in the dark.

‘Childhood without a father?’ Leila reechoed his words inwardly.

Her heart was tightened. Indeed, her father didn’t accompany her all through her childhood and youth. When other kids were sent to the school and picked up by their fathers, she felt so envious. She could only hide in the corner weeping without saying anything because she was afraid that her mother would feel heartbreaking. Whenever she asked her mother where her father was, her mother would always burst into tears.

Leila turned to look at Vincent. Suddenly she recalled that she had ever heard from Vincent that he didn’t have parents. She heard it when he was still dating her older sister. He had never asked where his parents had gone.

There was still a half-burned cigarette between his fingers. He cast a glance at her, smoking in silence.

“Quite lonely,” Leila uttered two words in a low voice.

Vincent was quiet. Staring at her eyes, he asked, “No hatred?”

Leila was stiffened without turning to look at him. Except for the sounds from the movie, seemingly the current quiet atmosphere quite suited them currently.

“Is the hatred useful? Could it turn back the time to restart my childhood?” She lowered her head. Then she said, “The hatred would only bring me unhappiness.”

Vincent turned around and gazed at the screen, without looking at her either. Suddenly, he said in a low voice, which directly went into Leila’s heart, “I feel more unhappy since I don’t have the hatred.”

Leila didn’t come back to her senses fully. Then she clenched her hands. “Forgetting will bring your happiness.”

She wanted to ask him if he didn’t have a father in his childhood either.

However, when the words reached the tip of her tongue, she still couldn’t speak out. Instead, she said, “Back then, other kids were sent to school and picked up by their fathers. During the weekend, their fathers would take them out for fun. Some of them went to the amusement park together with their parents, taking the roller coaster or merry-go-around. Some of them went flying kite. During the spring outing, their fathers would drive them to have a barbecue in the mountainous area and stayed in the tent. My mother and I had never had spring outings or gone to the amusement park...

“Moreover, other kids would eat the ice cream in summer, but I even couldn’t afford a Popsicle. It was all because I didn’t have a father. It sounded quite difficult, but after being through it, I felt that I’m quite lucky. I still have a mother. The suffers that I experienced before made me feel quite happy now and I can cherish my current life...”

Leila said in a faint voice. Vincent suddenly took a drag. On the scene, Simba fainted on the dry land and then encountered his friends Timon and Pumbaa. Suddenly, Vincent stood up and said in a deep voice, “I’ll go out for a while.”

Leila was taken aback, wondering if she had said something wrong. “Oh, sure!”

Vincent walked out without telling her what he was going to do.

In the huge private box, Leila was left alone. She tried her best to focus on the scene, and she was attracted by it indeed. Simba had lost his father Mufasa and left his lion pack, so pitiful.

Looking at his pitiful look, Leila felt her heart softened. She couldn’t help crying -- Simba was so poor.

Then, Simba gradually grew up and encountered his childhood playmate -- Nana. They hugged each other intimately. Leila burst into tears again because she was touched.

Suddenly, she heard the footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw a tall and strong figure walking to sit down beside her in a haze. A cup of ice cream appeared in front of her. It was a tiny cup, the smallest one. In his hands, there was a bag of snacks, a big bucket of popcorn, and a cup of hot chocolate.

Leila was stunned.

“Take it!” said he in a deep voice.

Leila quickly lowered her head and took over the ice cream, wondering if he deliberately bought it for her because she told him that she didn’t eat ice cream during her childhood.

If so, she was stiffened at the thought of it. Although the ice cream cup was freezing in her hands, she felt extremely warm. Facing him, she even couldn’t find the right words. However, if she kept silent, it would be too awkward. Her hands clenched the hemline of her clothes. Then she said, “Thank you.”

‘Vincent, could you please stop being so tender to me? I’m so afraid of your tenderness.

‘The thing that fears me more is how I should face you?

‘Vincent, did you also feel lonely during your childhood?’ her inner voice said.

A piece of tissue was handed over and pressed into her hands. “Wipe off the thing on your face. So ugly! How could you cry when watching a cartoon? So childish!”

Leila inhaled all of a sudden. The light in the box was so dim. How could he see the tears on her face? She felt confused but still took over the tissue. After wiping off the tears on her face, she raised her head in embarrassment.

“Hurry up and eat it. It’ll melt,” said he again. He reached out his fingers and stroked the hair in front of her forehead.

She looked up at him, casting a glance of his face in the dark, only to find his black eyes glinting. There was still a cigarette between his fingers. He put it to his mouth and took a drag. In the smoke, he looked at her in silence. Neither of them spoke.

“Hurry up!” he broke the silence. “Don’t interrupt me from watching the movie.”

Then he switched his gaze to the screen.