Li Jing hadn't expected to run into Guan Hongqi's best friend here. She was momentarily flustered, but quickly suppressed it and forced a smile. "Comrade Qiangguo, what a coincidence."
"Yes, what a coincidence," Lin Qiangguo replied, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhao Zhigang like a nail. "And this comrade is...?"
Not wanting to cause any trouble, Li Jing simply introduced him, "This is my friend, Zhao Zhigang."
She then turned to Zhao Zhigang, "Zhigang, this is Lin Qiangguo, a friend of mine."
Zhao Zhigang, on the other hand, was very generous and took the initiative to extend his hand to shake hands with Lin Qiangguo, his smile open and honest. "Hello, Comrade Lin. Li Jing and I are currently trying to get to know each other."
His tone was natural, as if he felt there was nothing to hide, and he even had a bit of the enthusiasm of a first meeting. "You're Li Jing's friend, that's great. You can tell me more about what Li Jing likes, so I can cater to her tastes."
His attitude was excellent, showing great sincerity, and he seemed very satisfied with Li Jing.
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiangguo felt a mix of emotions, a strange sense of unease and anxiety welling up inside him.
He forced a stiff smile and said perfunctorily, "Ah... okay, okay... Comrade Li Jing is a very nice person..."
The child in his arms started fussing and wanted to go inside to watch the movie. Lin Qiangguo, as if he had found an excuse, quickly said to Li Jing, "Well, the child is making a fuss, so we'll go in first. See you later, Li Jing, Comrade Zhao."
After saying that, he practically dragged his family along as they hurriedly squeezed into the ticket gate.
Li Jing watched his retreating figure, pursed her lips, and said nothing.
Zhao Zhigang then spoke up, "Our match is about to start too, shall we go in now?"
Li Jing snapped out of her daze and said, "Okay."
...
Throughout the entire movie screening, Lin Qiangguo was completely distracted and didn't pay any attention to what was happening on the screen.
The image of Li Jing and that man standing side by side kept swirling in his mind.
He knew Guan Hongqi well and knew that although the kid was tough on the outside, he had never really let go of Li Jing.
If Li Jing really ends up with someone else, what will happen to Hongqi...?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh.
As soon as the movie ended, Lin Qiangguo didn't even have time to walk slowly with his wife and child. He shoved his son into his wife's arms and said, "You guys go home first. I have something urgent to do and need to find a phone!"
Without waiting for his wife's reply, he practically ran to a public phone booth near the movie theater.
He eagerly inserted the coin, his fingers trembling slightly as he dialed Guan Hongqi's office number.
It rang several times before being answered.
Hello, who is this?
Guan Hongqi's voice sounded tired, as if he was still working overtime.
"Red Flag! It's me, Qiangguo!" Lin Qiangguo said urgently, "Guess who I just saw in the movie theater?"
Guan Hongqi raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Li Jing!"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Guan Hongqi's voice came through, carrying a hint of deliberate indifference, "Oh, so what if you saw it? What's wrong with that?"
He seemed to be writing something in his hand, and you could hear the faint sound of paper rubbing together.
“She’s not alone!” Lin Qiangguo emphasized. “She’s with a man! That man told me himself that they’re ‘trying to get to know each other’! It looks like they were introduced by their families and are on a blind date!”
Snap!
The sound of a pen nib breaking came from the other end of the phone, followed by a long, suffocating silence.
Not hearing a response from the other end, Lin Qiangguo shouted twice into the microphone, "Hongqi? Guan Hongqi, did you hear me?"
Several seconds later, Guan Hongqi's voice rang out again, its dryness betraying his panic, "Where? Which movie theater are they in?"
In that brief silence, Guan Hongqi seemed to belatedly realize…
The girl who once smiled at him in the library, hugged him on a snowy night, and then stubbornly disappeared for more than half a year after he drove her away in anger, the girl he thought would always be waiting for him to break the deadlock, may really be getting further and further away from him.
She might even... never look at him again!
The thought of this possibility sent an unprecedented panic through him, like an invisible hand suddenly gripping his heart, almost suffocating him.
He no longer cared about saving face or his pent-up anger; all he wanted now was to know where she was.
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