My wife is a witch princess

Chapter 40 The One I Love, The Character in the Play

When I first watched A Chinese Odyssey, I was amused by its nonsensical humor. On the second viewing, Song Che only felt regret. After wearing the golden headband, he would feel pain when he was in love, but he could only gain magic power by wearing the golden headband and save Zixia.

In the movie, Supreme Treasure puts on the golden headband and gains magical powers. He wears golden armor, and his cloak flutters loudly.

Xia Li placed her hands on her lap, her thoughts interrupted, and turned to Song Che. She lowered her voice, "Song Che, I need to leave temporarily… to use the restroom…"

Song Che was just getting to the crucial point when he heard this and paused for half a second before reacting. He hurriedly pointed to the side: "Oh, turn right after you go out, and it's at the end. Do you know the way? Or should I..."

"I'll take my sister-in-law!" Zhang Hanyu, sitting in the back row, leaned forward nimbly, his voice soft but eager, "I'm going too!"

"Okay, then I won't go."

Xia Li stood up and took one last look at the screen—the scene depicted the noisy and absurd wedding preparations in the Bull Demon King's stronghold.

She followed Zhang Hanyu, who walked briskly, and silently left the theater along the light along the wall.

The hallway was slightly brighter, filled with the smells of cleaning agents and old carpet. The movie soundtrack and dialogue were muffled by the heavy doors.

The cinema was really small, cluttered with unwanted items, and the lighting in the aisles was dim, as if it hadn't been changed in a long time. Zhang Hanyu complained, "I pay the same price, but the environment is worse. They might as well close down. If this one wasn't the closest, I wouldn't want to come here even once."

Xia Li followed her into the restroom. A row of doors were ajar. She opened one, but the handle behind it was missing. Fortunately, the door was still there, so it could provide some cover.

Xia Li came out of the bathroom after using the toilet and suddenly noticed the light was flashing. A moment later, the light went out. Zhang Hanyu turned on his phone's flashlight and groped his way out. "Xia Li, where are you?"

"This." Xia Li tried to turn on her phone, and subconsciously stomped her foot, but the light didn't turn on.

"It seems like there's a power outage; we can't see anything inside..." Zhang Hanyu said before he could finish.

boom--!

An explosion rang out, and flames immediately illuminated the corridor. Inside the movie theater, thick smoke billowed from the entrance. Within minutes, a flurry of footsteps and commotion erupted as the crowd closest to the door rushed out.

Zhang Hanyu felt a chill run down his spine. "There's a fire!"

A chaotic cacophony of footsteps, screams, and cries erupted almost simultaneously. The crowd surged towards the entrance like a burst dam, but soon, flames licked at the doorframe, engulfing the passage. With a muffled thud as something heavy collapsed, the entrance seemed to be blocked by the falling debris.

The darkness brought by the power outage, coupled with the thick smoke, made it difficult for Xia Li to determine the specific situation.

Zhang Hanyu, her voice trembling, dialed the fire department's number and quickly reported her location.

She grabbed Xia Li's wrist, her voice hoarse: "Quick, let's go, we need to get out of here!"

Several people who had fled in a disheveled state ran past them, shouting incoherently:

"A cat! This cat is huge and looks like it's come to life!"

"Running around with a charger in its mouth... it's starting fires everywhere!"

Zhang Hanyu was both scared and bewildered: "How big can a cat be...? Holy crap!"

Using the beam of light from her swaying phone, an unusual dark shadow suddenly swept past the edge of the thick smoke. It seemed to be carrying something in its mouth, and wherever it passed, carpets and hanging drapes were quickly ignited, and the fire spread!

"Let's get out of here!" Zhang Hanyu covered his mouth and nose, coughing from the choking air, but his other hand grasped at empty air. "Xia Li? Xia Li, where are you?!"

"I'm here."

Xia Li quickly took off the scarf around her neck and then the school uniform jacket Song Che had given her. She went straight to the sink, turned the tap on full blast, and thoroughly soaked the jacket and scarf. The smoke grew thicker, the heat began to hit her face, and the crackling sound of the flames was right next to her.

Xia Li, existing only in a human body, felt this approaching threat of death with crystal clarity.

So, if Song Che is left alone, he'll die, right?

"What do you want to do?" Zhang Hanyu asked in horror as he saw her actions. "The fire is so big, you don't actually want to go in, do you?!"

Xia Li acted as if she hadn't heard, continuing to carry some things on her back.

"In a fire... before the flames themselves cause direct harm, the dense smoke... hot gases, toxic particles... can cause suffocation and fainting... you must keep your body low to the ground and cover your mouth and nose with something damp..."

"You knew you'd faint!" Zhang Hanyu exclaimed anxiously, jumping up and down. The thick smoke made her eyes water. "I've already called the police! The firefighters are on their way! It's not safe for us to stay here. Let's go outside and wait for the professionals..."

"You go first." Xia Li's voice came through the damp scarf, sounding somewhat muffled. "Song Che... is still inside."

Zhang Hanyu was left stunned, unsure whether to go out or follow him in. "Song Che... Song Che... ptooey, this is not the time to be so concerned about how to address him."

"Idiot! Xia Li, you idiot! Don't just throw your life away! Let me find a fire extinguisher!"

……

Song Che leaned comfortably back in his seat. The plot was at its climax, with the Monkey King, clad in golden armor and riding on auspicious clouds, battling the Bull Demon King in a fierce battle that shook the heavens and earth. Special effects lighting and clouds filled the screen, accompanied by stirring music.

...The familiar feeling...I remembered it all.

Song Che sat up straight, rubbed his nose, and thought, "The special effects are a bit too real; the smoke looks like it's actually drifting out."

My lungs are a little sore, could it be that I'm gaining weight?

It's not that I'm gaining weight, it's that there's a fire!

Screams and the sounds of things crashing mingled together. The light was dim, and the crowd surged towards the exit like headless flies, creating utter chaos. Song Che tried to follow the crowd, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.

He was terrified and struggled desperately, but could not budge.

A black cat glanced at Song Che, gave him a smile, and then dragged the fire source around. The carpet was quickly set ablaze, billowing smoke. Song Che coughed and had difficulty breathing.

The first wave of people who reacted the fastest had already pushed and shoved their way through the entrance, but the black cat nimbly leaped up and snapped the heavy speaker wires hanging there.

Clang!

With a loud crash, the audio equipment fell and blocked most of the entrance passage.

The remaining audience members panicked even more, screaming and rushing towards the exit on the other side. The fire wasn't completely out of control yet, but deadly thick smoke filled the entire space. Song Che coughed violently, tears streaming down his face, his vision blurred. He could feel the heat waves of the flames approaching from both sides, and the burning seats groaned mournfully.

The black cat, like a sheepdog, skillfully herded and created obstacles. Finally, it wagged its tail with satisfaction, leaped, and disappeared into the flashing emergency exit entrance.

"Cough cough...cough..."

Song Che's lungs burned, each breath filling him with smoke. His consciousness began to blur, his strength rapidly draining away along with the oxygen. Both exits were blocked, and he was surrounded by walls of fire and thick smoke. Even if he could still move his legs, how could an ordinary high school student possibly cross this death zone?

"Don't let me catch you. If I survive, I'll kill you."

The oxygen supply to the projector is decreasing, but the video continues to play.

It was the moment when Fairy Zixia perished. Dressed in a wedding gown, she drifted down from the sky, a poignant trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. Having fallen in love, she was no longer an indestructible celestial being, and could die like a mortal.

My destined one will come to marry me riding on a colorful cloud. I guessed the beginning, but I couldn't guess the ending...

Accompanied by lines of destiny...

A curtain beside Song Che was completely ignited, flames roared up, and a wave of heat hit him, almost setting his hair ablaze.

Song Che closed his eyes and suddenly felt a sense of relief. He felt sorry for his parents; he should have cried and begged them to come back and see him as soon as he returned.

In that case... I would have no regrets even if I died.

He tried to force a self-deprecating laugh, but only managed a series of coughs.

Ha, I never imagined that both deaths would end in being consumed by flames.

...I could guess the beginning, but I couldn't guess the ending.

"Song Che—!"

A familiar sound came from the thick smoke.

"Where are you? I can't see you!"

Under Song Che's incredulous gaze, she leaped over the fallen burning debris and leaping flames, spreading her arms as if to shield something. She closed her eyes, her silver hair fluttering in the heat, her cheeks flushed by the firelight, and in a clear voice, she recited an obscure incantation that Song Che knew all too well.

That was the starting position of a protective barrier spell she used in the other world.

But in this world without magic, the spell is meaningless, just a few broken syllables.

"Song Che—!"

She found him.

The next second, a damp scarf, cool and moist, covered his mouth and nose, shielding him from some of the heat. She herself used her soaked coat to tightly cover the lower half of her face, revealing only a pair of tearful, bluish eyes.

She stubbornly chanted the incantation over and over again in vain, only to find that Song Che was unable to move.

Xia Li bent down, her arms passing under Song Che's knees and back.

My body suddenly felt light, and my feet left the ground.

The anticipated fall or dragging did not occur. Instead, a slightly strenuous yet remarkably stable... princess carry took place.

The smell of thick smoke was instantly replaced by a cool, delicate fragrance. This fragrance came from her soaked clothes, and also from her. Song Che's forehead almost touched her chin; he could feel her arms trembling from the effort, and he could hear her rapid breathing.

Her heart was beating so fast.

His heart was beating so fast.

An inopportune psychological term flashed through Song Che's mind: the suspension bridge effect. When people experience dangerous stimuli, their heart rate involuntarily increases. And at this time, if there happens to be a person of the opposite sex nearby, it is easy to mistakenly attribute this physiological increase in heart rate to attraction.

In the soft, fragrant embrace, he was carried into the safe passage where the black cat had left.