Chapter 320 - 243: Tender Feelings (Part 2)

Chapter 320: Chapter 243: Tender Feelings (Part 2)

Peter didn’t want to see this kind of ending.

This wasn’t true redemption. The two main characters would surely find another reason to separate later on.

After getting off work, the Tiefling arrived at the mansion he hadn’t visited for months.

After asking the butler for an update, he went straight to the garden outside the Sir’s bedroom.

"Hey! How’ve you been, brother?"

The Tiefling greeted him with the same playful smile as months before.

"What’s with the beard? It’s hideous."

A smile appeared on the Sir’s face for the first time in a long while.

Then, they got into a luxury car and sped off, the scene shifting to the one from the beginning of the movie.

Getting stopped by the Guard Corps, making a bet, pulling a prank, and teasing the Knight and the doctor.

The Magic-guided Vehicle drove all the way to the coast. The Tiefling helped the Sir shave his beard, then pushed him into a seaside restaurant to a table facing the ocean.

"I’m not staying to eat with you."

"Why?"

"You won’t be alone. This is your date."

"A date?"

"You can’t run away this time," the Tiefling said, getting up and patting the Sir’s shoulder. "Give her a good kiss for me."

Then he swaggered out of the restaurant.

A soothing piano melody began to play, building momentum for the final emotional climax.

Amidst the Sir’s anxious, ragged breaths, a beautiful figure walked toward him.

It was the woman he’d been romantically interested in online for so long but never dared to meet in person.

The Tiefling had found her and arranged this meeting.

Panic, joy, gratitude, relief—a whirlwind of complex emotions washed over the Sir’s face in an instant.

The subtle changes in his expression moved every person in the audience.

There wasn’t a single trace of acting. It was a nearly perfect "performance."

Peter stared blankly ahead. He hadn’t expected the plot to end this way.

The Tiefling had found the Sir new hope, a new pillar of support, giving him the courage to face life again.

And after accomplishing all this, he simply stood outside the window, smiled, waved to his friend, and turned to leave.

The camera pulled back, following the Tiefling’s receding figure as he walked further and further away along the coastline.

The screen slowly faded to black, and a line of text appeared.

To a great and sincere friendship.

Peter’s eyes filled with tears, his vision blurring.

He didn’t dare raise his hand to wipe them away, because then people would know he was crying.

’As long as no one noticed, I can still pretend to be a tough guy in the dark.’

But sobs could be heard throughout the theater, and Grace, sitting beside him, had already burst into tears.

Crying, she said, "I’m definitely going to make Dad approve that job fair project for the Tieflings. They’re so pitiful, they need help."

Peter wanted to say that not all Tieflings were pitiful; some of them got exactly what they deserved.

’But then I thought about it. I have no right to say that, because I used to believe all Tieflings deserved their lot, without ever considering if there were genuinely pitiable individuals among them.’

’If there are many Tieflings like the main character in *Shadow of Evil*—hardworking, optimistic, and responsible, but simply trapped by their circumstances—then they really do need help.’

The lights in the theater came on.

Peter didn’t rush to get up and leave. Instead, he took out his phone.

As a sixteen-year-old Mechanician’s apprentice, his own power was too small. There wasn’t much he could do to help these poor Tieflings.

But there were some things within his power.

He opened the *Shadow of Evil* forum and, on the rating platform, deleted his previous negative reviews one by one. He re-rated it with a perfect score and left a positive comment.

"Recommended. It’s a good film, worth everyone’s time. It’s not some malicious attempt to whitewash Tieflings. It’s just a touching story about friendship and the unfortunate saving each other, and the main character just happens to be a Tiefling. There are good people among the Tieflings, too."

After writing it, he even refreshed the page a few times.

Someone replied to his positive review, accusing him of being paid off, but more people liked his comment.

He glanced at the comment section. The number of positive reviews had clearly increased. It seemed many people like him, who had received free tickets, had now seen the film and realized how absurd their previous negative reviews had been.

The rating went up a little with every refresh.

In just a few minutes, the score had broken past two and was heading for three, showing no signs of stopping.

You had to understand, on the Zog Platform, where you could only rate a movie after watching it, *Beyond Reach* was tied with *Hunting* as one of only two *Shadow of Evil* films on the entire platform to score above nine.

Even *Holy Mountain Journey* and *Frozen* hadn’t achieved that. Those two were exciting to watch, but in retrospect, they really couldn’t compare to the two nine-point masterpieces.

Peter believed that in time, as more and more people actually watched *Beyond Reach*, its score on the *Shadow of Evil* forum platform would also rise above nine.

To Peter’s surprise, he also saw a few familiar names in the comment section.

They were from the same group chat as him.

’Parker? He gave it a perfect score too.’

’Didn’t he say in the group chat that he’d already torn up his ticket?’

Seeing that he wasn’t the only one who had "betrayed" their friends from the group, the anxiety Peter felt while writing his positive review began to subside.

’So everyone’s the same. That way, no one can judge anyone else.’

This kind of secretive deleting of bad reviews was not uncommon. If you forgot, years later it might just become part of your "cyber criminal record."

Seeing that the theater exit was no longer crowded, Peter and Grace got up to leave.

Because of the film, the two young people’s spirits weren’t very high.

The ending could be considered a happy one, I suppose.

But it wasn’t satisfying like a grand, perfectly happy ending; instead, it left a faint trace of sadness.

Unconsciously holding hands, the two left the theater.

Peter’s mind was preoccupied with one thing: a man with the Sir’s status, position, and wealth hesitated to meet the woman he was interested in, just because of a physical problem.

And yet here he was, holding Grace’s hand so easily.

He came to a clear realization.

’I’m not good enough for Grace.’

’A romance with such a huge gap in status will never have a happy ending.’

But he didn’t want to just leave Grace.

He had to find a way to make himself worthy of her, to be able to proudly take her hand in front of the City Lord.

"Peter?" Someone suddenly called out to him.

Peter turned. "Parker? What are you doing here?"

"Ha! I knew you didn’t burn your Shadow Demon Ticket."

"As if you really tore yours up."

"Well, it was the right call not to tear it up. That was a really good *Shadow of Evil* film. I even feel a little sympathy for the Tieflings now, and I’ve even been scammed by them before."

Parker had a wistful look on his face.

"By the way, the Zog Group has some kind of Deepwater City construction project. Interested? We could make a fortune."

Parker had always wanted to go out and make a name for himself. He was a construction worker, and his father and Peter’s father had been good friends since childhood, so the two of them had known each other since they were kids.

When Peter didn’t answer, Parker pressed on, "I’m serious. A new city will definitely be short on Mechanicians."

"I..." Peter hesitated.

"You don’t have to go to Deepwater City. There are good opportunities in Twin Tower City, too," Grace said.

"Oh, and who’s this?" Parker glanced at their intertwined hands. "Your girlfriend?"

"No..." Peter started to deny it.

"Yes!" Grace answered affirmatively.

The expression on Parker’s face shifted several times, rivaling the "realistic acting" of Sir Gordo at the end of the movie.

’My best bud found a girlfriend. I’m happy for him.’

’My best bud found a gorgeous girlfriend. I’m not happy for myself.’

"Oh. Uh, okay. Bye," Parker stammered, clearly shaken.

"Let me know what you decide about Deepwater City."

Then he left, looking utterly dejected.

Peter’s face and ears were bright red. Grace’s firm "Yes!" had stunned him.

"But..."

Peter wanted to say that given his circumstances, he could never build a family with the City Lord’s daughter.

"There are no buts. Didn’t Lady Roline ignore the Sir’s physical condition?"

Grace stared directly into Peter’s eyes, making it impossible for him to look away.

"I don’t care either."

Peter’s lips trembled slightly. Grace was a good person, but the more she acted this way, the more inadequate he felt.

After hemming and hawing for a long moment, he finally broke away from Grace’s torch-like gaze.

’It was too bright. I didn’t dare to look directly at it.’

He mumbled, "What if the Sir himself cared?"

Hearing Peter’s response, Grace couldn’t hide her disappointment. She let go of his hand and walked away.

Without looking back, she said, "Don’t bother walking me home, coward."

Peter didn’t reply. He stared at the magnificent buildings of Chrysanthemum Street, as if seeing a vision of the City Lord’s manor.

That manor was like a great mountain, crushing him until he couldn’t breathe.

’Maybe I should go to Deepwater City and give it a try.’