Chapter 284: Chapter 199: A Date with the Ghost Bride (Third Update)
As night fell, Su Jie personally drove, bringing Han Ruyan to Mande City.
Along the way, the sight of towering buildings, ceaseless flow of cars, and the dynamic vista of the modern city filled Han Ruyan with an unprecedented sense of novelty.
Houses were packed densely like dust and smoke, billboards flickered, convenience stores were filled with colorful merchandise, glass curtain walls reflected specks of light, resembling a star-studded night sky.
The brightly lit city seemed never to pause, with neon lights racing around, crowds weaving through the streets, the clamor, car horns, and footsteps blending together to create an atmosphere of prosperity.
Compared to the past, Mande City had developed swiftly.
After winning the war to unify the East Qin State, Jieke Company once again threw around money lavishly, continuously developing the infrastructure of Mande City, boosting the economy and elevating the happiness of its citizens.
The population of Mande City had now surpassed one million, attracting people from other cities in the East Qin State to come here to work.
Although these numbers in Hua Country might only be the size of a county town, in Chan Country, this was already a major city.
“This is the city, I’ve never seen anything .”
Sitting in the passenger seat, Han Ruyan touched the steel chariot that ran without horses and then turned to gaze at the bustling traffic outside the window.
The Mande City before her eyes was a bizarre city she had never seen.
Everywhere one could see houses made of steel, cement, and glass, people talking to a small metal box, wearing odd clothing, screens in glass showing flickering images with vivid human figures appearing inside, as if someone lived within, performing a show.
Even though she had learned about these things from the Jade Scroll—knowing that the self-moving chariots were called cars; the talking metal boxes were communication tools called mobile phones; and the glass devices were televisions that could store and project images.
But knowing was one thing, experiencing it firsthand was completely different.
“It’s good you haven’t seen it before, come on, I’ll take you down for a look.”
Su Jie parked the car, put on big sunglasses to cover his face to avoid recognition, and then led Han Ruyan out of the car.
“Why does it feel a bit cold?”
“It’s July now, so hot it’s unbearable, huh, it does seem a bit cold.”
“Right? I said it felt a bit chilly.”
Some pedestrians near Han Ruyan shivered inexplicably and muttered as they walked away.
The place they got out of the car was a bustling night market, where the aroma of barbecue wafted through the air, the cries of vendors at their stalls were continuous, and the scent of various snacks permeated the atmosphere.
The game stalls at the roadside were full of cheer, and amidst the flashing lights, a vast array of small goods, decorations, leather products, toys, textiles, and more were displayed for sale.
Chan Country’s specialty jade and jewelry stalls, in particular, attracted many customers who stopped to admire.
“Boss, want to give it a try! One ring for one Hua Yuan.”
A game stall owner enthusiastically approached Su Jie and Han Ruyan as they passed by, beckoning to drum up business.
Su Jie saw a banner advertising behind the game stall; this night market had been planned and built by the Jieke Company.
The stall owner clearly had no idea that he was attempting to drum up business from the big boss of Jieke Company, the true controller of the East Qin State.
Seeing the owner so enthusiastic, Su Jie pulled out twenty bucks in exchange for some rings and handed them to Han Ruyan, whispering, “Don’t use your powers, just give it a try.”
Han Ruyan glanced at Su Jie, and although her eyes were not visible behind the sunglasses, Su Jie could imagine that she probably wanted to say something again that was against decorum.
However, with the crowd coming and going, in the end, Han Ruyan did not refuse, she took a ring and casually tossed it.
Twenty rings scattered like a Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers, each one precisely hooking onto various plush toys at the stall.
The boss’s mouth gaped open, and his face turned green.
Out of all the people to choose from, he chose the last customer who should be involved in the game. No amount of toys would be enough to satisfy the hooping.
“I’ll just take this one, boss. I’ll swing by to support your business when I have more time.”
Su Jie picked up a fluffy panda from the stall and stuffed it into Han Ruyan’s arms, continuing to stroll the city with Han Ruyan, enjoying the rare leisure time.
As they passed a movie theater, Han Ruyan suddenly pointed at a poster and asked, “Is that also a Fierce Ghost?”
Su Jie turned his head to look, it was a horror film from Hua Country being released, and the ghost on the promotional poster had caught Han Ruyan’s eye.
“This is just fake, not like you. If you want to know, I will take you to see it.”
“If it’s fake, there’s no need.”
“No, it’s just right for you to see how people here understand ghosts and demons. Besides, we are husband and wife. According to customs here, a couple watching a movie together is called a date, which is a symbol of close relationship.”
Han Ruyan tilted her head, not understanding how such an activity could be related to feelings.
“Anyway, just come with me to see it.”
Su Jie pulled Han Ruyan into the cinema, where the ghost movie had not yet started.
However, after Su Jie made a phone call, the manager of the cinema ran out sweating profusely, eagerly welcomed them with bowing and scraping, and helped clear out a theatre for Su Jie and Han Ruyan to have some private space.
Inside the cinema, as the screen gradually lit up, Su Jie and Han Ruyan started to watch the movie.
“This is a movie. It conveys images through a big screen. People shoot them in advance and then screen them in cinemas to earn money.
This movie is called ‘Bixian vs. Zhenzi 3’. Tsk, sounds like a crappy movie. I will have someone find a few classic horror films from the small Japanese days. They are the real experts in making this kind of movie.”
Han Ruyan didn’t understand Su Jie’s reaction; to her, the mere fact that people could move around on the screen was already very novel.
And after the movie started playing, Han Ruyan suddenly understood why Su Jie had reacted that way.
“Killing people is that troublesome for a ghost, killing these ordinary people?”
Han Ruyan couldn’t understand. Watching the so-called Fierce Ghost on the screen dealing with a normal person with so much trouble, she inexplicably felt insulted.
As the movie was nearing its end, the movie revealed that the so-called female ghost was just an illusion experienced by the female protagonist before drowning.
Han Ruyan felt as if she had been deceived when she heard this.
Her waterfall-like black hair fluttered, her eyes cold and eerie, exuding an oppressive atmosphere that was almost suffocating.
All electronic devices in the cinema began to flicker violently, showing signs of malfunction.
“Don’t get angry, you can’t kill people here, we’ll watch something else.”
Su Jie hurriedly held back Han Ruyan, knowing that if Han Ruyan truly lost her composure here, countless people wouldn’t live to see tomorrow’s sun.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, a new movie was delivered, and Su Jie managed to placate Han Ruyan for the time being.
At the same time, he made a mental note to never let Han Ruyan watch such lousy movies again. If Han Ruyan truly got angered, even Su Jie himself wouldn’t be able to handle the situation, and the consequences were too dreadful to imagine.