On the way back from the university in the provincial capital, the unspoken warmth between the two had not yet dissipated when new ripples began to spread.
A few days later, one evening, Fu Jingchen waited downstairs at the technical department office. Seeing Liu Li emerge, he approached her, took two slightly yellowed movie tickets from his pocket, and handed them to her, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of nervousness:
"The factory's workers' cultural palace is showing a new movie tonight, 'The Pioneers,' about oil workers. I heard it's pretty good, but tickets are hard to get... I happen to have two here, wanna go see it together?"
Movie tickets were a rarity these days, especially for new releases. Liu Li looked at the two small pieces of paper, then glanced at Fu Jingchen's expectant eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed. Watching a movie together—the implications were far clearer than going to borrow equipment together. She felt a little flustered, yet also a strange sweetness; almost without hesitation, she reached out and took the tickets, her voice softer than usual:
"Great! I've heard 'Entrepreneurship' is a really good show. I'm free tonight anyway."
"Then... I'll wait for you at the factory gate after get off work?" Fu Jingchen's eyes lit up with a smile, and he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay." Liu Li nodded and carefully put the movie ticket into her work clothes pocket.
The movie was excellent, telling the story of the arduous struggle of Chinese oil workers. The scenes were grand, and the plot was moving. In the darkened theater, Liu Li and Fu Jingchen sat side-by-side, intently watching the screen, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones about their thoughts on the plot. There were no excessive words, nor any inappropriate actions, but the feeling of sitting side-by-side, sharing this moment, subtly warmed their relationship.
As the movie ended, the two walked out of the cultural center with the crowd. The winter night chill hit them, and they naturally walked side-by-side back to the factory. The streetlights cast long shadows, sometimes overlapping, sometimes separating. They still talked about the movie and their work, but the atmosphere held a more intimate, almost inexplicable, warmth than ever before.
Neither of them noticed that among the departing crowd were colleagues from other departments in the factory who had spotted them walking side by side from afar.
This seemingly ordinary scene quickly became a new topic of conversation in the factory area, where entertainment was scarce and news spread rapidly.
"Hey, did you see that? Liu Li from the technical department went to the movies with Engineer Fu, who was on secondment from the design institute!"
"Really? When did they start dating?"
"I knew it! They always seemed to be sitting together in the cafeteria; there was definitely something going on!"
"Liu Li has really struck gold this time. Engineer Fu is a college graduate, and his family seems to be quite well-off..."
Rumors spread like wildfire, quietly circulating in every corner of the workshop, office, and canteen. There was curiosity, envy, and a touch of inexplicable sourness and scrutiny. This time, the questions weren't just about technology; they directly targeted personal relationships, with the words subtly implying "climbing the social ladder" and "taking shortcuts."
The rumors naturally reached Liu Li and Fu Jingchen's ears. Fu Jingchen looked at Liu Li with some concern, worried that these gossips might upset her. When Liu Li first heard them, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a little annoyed, but she quickly calmed down and even found it somewhat amusing.
She recalled her initial meeting with Fu Jingchen on the project team, their joint efforts in tackling challenges, and their natural growing closer. Every step was based on mutual recognition of each other's abilities and character, and built upon shared ideas and goals. This relationship was pure and grounded; why should she fear what others might say?
She smiled at Fu Jingchen and said calmly, "Let them talk. We know the truth ourselves."
Even so, she subconsciously considered the potential impact and reduced unnecessary one-on-one contact with Fu Jingchen in public. However, the feelings that had just become clear in her heart did not falter because of these rumors; instead, they grew stronger amidst the undercurrent of resistance. She knew that the real difficulties might have only just begun.
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