Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 85: Painted Skin

"A few days ago, this kid saved Xiao’nan. Now Xiao’nan is very close to him and follows him everywhere," Goldie Thorne explained.

Phoebe Thorne’s eyes lit up with understanding. "Then we must treat him well. The boy doesn’t have it easy, and I think he has a great future ahead of him."

"He can’t even get enough to eat and doesn’t go to school. What kind of future can he have?"

Goldie Thorne scoffed. He didn’t think much of Adrian Hawthorne. Phoebe Thorne sighed. ’What a poor child.’

After parting ways with Phoebe Thorne, Goldie Thorne caught up to Tang Xiao’nan and the others. He planned to head to the busiest market to see if he could do a little business, but Adrian Hawthorne wanted to go to the movie theater instead.

"What’s so great about the movie theater? The market is way more exciting! Xiao’nan, they have tons of delicious things to eat there. I’ll buy some for you," Goldie Thorne coaxed.

Tang Xiao’nan shook her head firmly. "I don’t want to eat. I want to look at postcards."

Goldie Thorne felt deflated. His little niece was getting harder and harder to please. ’What a headache.’

In the end, they went to the movie theater after all. Goldie Thorne didn’t feel safe letting his little niece tag along with a group of older kids. His niece was fair and chubby, just the type of plump little girl that child traffickers loved. If anything happened to Xiao’nan, his older brother would have his hide.

The downtown area of Wraven wasn’t large, nor was it particularly prosperous. It was a world away from the globally famous "City of Small Commodities" it would become in the future. It didn’t take long for them to reach the movie theater. At the entrance was a large promotional poster for a film from Portloria: *Painted Skin*. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The costumes and makeup in the Portloria film were clearly far more beautiful than those in mainland movies of the time. Tang Xiao’nan studied the movie poster, which featured a very beautiful actress. The cast list was displayed beside her.

Directed by Frank Bauer, starring Iris Judd and Gareth Grant.

She didn’t recognize any of them. They must have been very old-school Portloria stars, true natural beauties. Even if their makeup and costumes were outdated, they still possessed a unique charm. Of course, Tang Xiao’nan was comparing them to a future standard. For the current era, the makeup and costumes in this film were considered very advanced.

There was an endless stream of people buying tickets, all of them there for this movie. After being closed off for over a decade, everyone was full of enthusiasm for new things.

"Wow, that actress is gorgeous. Wanna watch the movie? My treat." Goldie Thorne’s eyes were glued to the poster. He had completely forgotten why he’d come to the city, wanting only to catch a glimpse of the star on screen.

"Xiao’nan, do you want to see it?" Patrick Thorne was also getting an itch to watch it; he had never seen a film from Portloria before.

’If I watch it, I can brag about it when I get back.’

"I don’t want to. I want to look at postcards."

Tang Xiao’nan was resolute. She had seen a later version of *Painted Skin*, so how could she possibly be interested in this one? Of course, the acting of the old-school stars was surely top-notch, but the makeup, costumes, and special effects definitely couldn’t compare to those of the future. Tang Xiao’nan just couldn’t get interested.

"Patrick, you and Uncle should watch the movie. Mr. Hawthorne and I will go look at postcards," Tang Xiao’nan suggested.

Patrick Thorne and Goldie Thorne hesitated. They really wanted to see the movie, but they were worried about leaving Tang Xiao’nan.

"I’ll keep a close eye on Xiao’nan. We’ll stay right around here," Adrian Hawthorne promised.

"Alright then. Gentry, you watch Xiao’nan and make sure she doesn’t run off."

They couldn’t overcome the temptation of the movie. The uncle-nephew duo bought two tickets—fifteen cents a piece, thirty cents for both. They gave one last series of reminders as they entered, then excitedly went to watch the film.

Adrian Hawthorne held Tang Xiao’nan’s hand tightly and went with Gentry Chapman to find their classmate. They found him quickly. He was a tall, skinny boy with a small bag slung over his shoulder, stopping young men and women to hawk his wares.

"Movie stills of Iris Judd and Gareth Grant! Want some? One for thirty cents, two for fifty..."