Chapter 236: The date instantly turns into a fire!
Fifteen minutes before the agreed time of seven o'clock, Chu Jingya arrived at the movie theater entrance.
She spotted Gu Beixiao standing under the huge poster at the state-run cinema at a glance.
Today, he is completely different from the carefree playboy he used to be.
He was wearing a crisp military uniform, his epaulets gleaming in the setting sun.
His shirt was buttoned up meticulously, and he stood as straight as a young poplar tree.
That handsome face, which always carried a touch of roguish charm, was now filled with unease.
He stood ramrod straight with his hands in his pockets, but every now and then he would lift his foot and stomp the ground with the sole of his shoe, looking awkward as if he didn't know where to put his hands and feet.
Looking at his expression, Chu Jingya couldn't help but laugh, and the tension in her heart quietly dissipated a bit.
She stepped forward. "You're here quite early."
When Gu Beixiao saw her, he visibly stiffened.
He took his hand out of his pocket, but not knowing what to do with it, he had no choice but to put it back in.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat and looked her up and down, feigning composure. "Not bad, not dressed like a butterfly."
What was meant to be a compliment took on a different meaning when it came out of his mouth.
Chu Jingya was already used to his stubbornness, so she just rolled her eyes at him and didn't argue with him.
The film is a newly released war movie that tells the story of soldiers fighting a bloody battle on the border.
The theater was dimly lit, and the deafening sounds of gunfire and fighting filled the air.
Chu Jingya was a little scared and subconsciously shrank back towards Gu Beixiao.
Gu Beixiao seemed to have noticed. He didn't say anything, but simply turned his body slightly to the side, subtly placing her between himself and the aisle, creating a small distance between them.
During the more than one-hour movie, the two barely spoke, and the atmosphere remained somewhat awkward.
As the movie ended, crowds poured out.
Gu Beixiao was walking ahead when he suddenly stopped and stood in front of the convenience store at the entrance.
He awkwardly pulled out his money and tickets from his pocket and said to the sales clerk inside, "One popsicle."
He held the popsicle wrapped in thin paper, still steaming, and handed it to Chu Jingya, still with that awkward expression.
"Look how hot you are."
Chu Jingya took the popsicle, and her fingertips accidentally touched his hand. Both of them recoiled as if they had been burned.
She lowered her head and licked the popsicle in small bites, the sweet and cool taste melting in her mouth and sweetening her heart.
The two walked slowly along the seawall.
The sea breeze was a bit strong that evening, ruffling Chu Jingya's freshly combed hair. A few strands playfully clung to her cheeks, tickling her.
Just as she was about to raise her hand to sort it out, a large, well-defined hand reached out before her.
Gu Beixiao's movements were a little stiff. He carefully used his fingertips to tuck the stray hairs on her cheek behind her ear.
Warm fingertips gently brushed across her cheek.
The touch was lighter than a feather, yet it sent a jolt through Chu Jingya's body, causing her to freeze instantly.
She could feel her cheeks burning hot where his fingers had touched.
Gu Beixiao seemed startled by his own actions, quickly retracting his hand, his ears turning bright red.
Neither of them dared to look at the other, and the atmosphere was extremely ambiguous.
Just when Chu Jingya felt her heart was about to jump out of her throat.
"boom--!"
A deafening roar suddenly came from the direction of the port not far away!
The earth seemed to tremble.
The two looked up in astonishment and saw a massive fireball shooting into the sky from the direction of the harbor, turning half the night sky a terrifying orange-red. Thick smoke, mixed with sparks, billowed upwards wildly.
Something's happened!
The slight awkwardness and unease on Gu Beixiao's face vanished in an instant.
Instead, there is the vigilance and solemnity unique to soldiers.
"Run! It's dangerous over there!"
His reaction was incredibly fast. He grabbed the still-stunned Chu Jingya and turned to run away from the port.
The piercing alarm sounded throughout the entire island in the next second.
Red fire trucks and green military trucks, with long sirens blaring, sped past them, all heading towards the port.
A pungent, burnt smell filled the air.
Gu Beixiao pulled Chu Jingya to a safe area near the military compound before stopping.
He turned back to look at the firelight, his expression more serious than ever before.
"You go home first, I need to go check on things!"
As a soldier, he could not stand idly by.
Chu Jingya's heart clenched; she was afraid, but even more worried about him.
She instinctively grabbed his hand, the same hand that had just brushed her stray hairs away, now filled with strength.
"Watch out!"
All those words could be summed up in just these three.
Gu Beixiao nodded heavily, gave her a deep look, and then rushed towards the sea of fire without looking back.
His back view, resolute and determined, quickly disappeared into the chaotic night.
Meanwhile, in the Gu family courtyard.
Su Yue had just put the two children to sleep and was preparing to go back to her room to rest.
The red encrypted phone in the living room suddenly rang urgently, its sharp ringing sound particularly jarring in the quiet night.
Su Yue's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly walked over to answer the phone.
On the other end of the phone came Chief Engineer He's voice, trembling with tears and extreme fear.
"Comrade Su Yue! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"
"The medicines we stored in the warehouse at Pier No. 3, ready to be shipped abroad... were all destroyed in the explosion just now!"
"We're finished! The pharmaceutical and medical device factory is going bankrupt! We also have to pay huge sums in breach of contract penalties to overseas customers... We can't afford it!"
A series of bad news, like countless steel needles tempered with ice, pierced Su Yue's heart.
Those were millions of dollars worth of medicine, the result of months of tireless work by all the employees of the pharmaceutical and medical equipment factory, a stepping stone to opening up overseas markets, and even more so, her pledge to prove her abilities to the Huo family.
Now, it's all gone.
The immense impact made her vision go black, and a chill ran from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
But in just a second, Su Yue forcibly suppressed all her surging emotions.
Especially in times like these, it's crucial to stay calm and avoid making a rash decision.
She spoke into the microphone with an almost cold calm.
"Chief Engineer He, listen to me, now is not the time to cry. First, immediately block the news, calm the emotions of the factory employees, and tell the outside world that it was an ordinary warehouse fire and had nothing to do with our pharmaceutical and medical equipment factory."
"Second, have Gu Beixiao immediately send Chu Jingya home, and then have him come find me right away!"
Su Yue hung up the phone without hesitation.
She didn't even have time to change out of her dress. She grabbed the keys from the wall, rushed out of the house, hopped on her old bicycle, and pedaled like a madwoman toward the port.
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