Chapter Twenty-Four: Watch a movie and have some melon seeds?
With some time before the show started, the two randomly chose a tea restaurant in the mall for dinner.
Luo Yan, munching on a pineapple bun, watched Jiang Sui leisurely sipping his milk tea across from her and couldn't help but tease him: "President Jiang, why do you still like drinking milk tea, such... uh, common stuff?"
"Because it tastes good and it's cheap," Jiang Sui replied succinctly, her finger constantly swiping across her phone screen. "What do you think I should drink?"
"Shouldn't a businessperson like you be served an iced Americano or something similar?"
"Comrade Luo Yan, your stereotypes are a bit too strong."
"hehe......"
Luo Yan smiled awkwardly, took a tactical sip of her drink, and changed the subject: "You're so busy, how do you find time to watch movies? I thought your life consisted of meeting clients and attending meetings."
Jiang Sui didn't even lift her eyelids: "Indeed, you're not as good as me. Just dealing with your ex and your ex's current partner must make your life quite colorful, right?"
Luo Yan almost choked, and had to take a big gulp of frozen lemon soda to get it down. She thought to herself, "Let's change the subject."
"Seriously, don't you have any friends?"
Jiang Sui put down her cup, glanced at her, and said, "Even Qin Hui has three friends. Am I not as good as him?"
"I mean... uh, you can't find anyone else when you watch movies? Like... college classmates or something?" She tried to subtly inquire about his social circle, indirectly confirming whether Zeng Rong's "white moonlight" influence was still there.
"They are all very busy."
"Yeah." Jiang Sui readily admitted, and added insult to injury, "You work nine to five with weekends off, and you strictly follow the national statutory holidays. It seems you really are the most idle."
Luo Yan's eyes widened, and she almost threw the chicken bone at him: "President Jiang, didn't I risk my life to pass the civil service exam for this? You can take the exam yourself, why look down on someone like me who doesn't? And am I not dedicated? I'm always ready to sacrifice myself for the project!" After saying that, she realized that the word "sacrifice" was a bit ambiguous, her ears were getting hot, and she quickly lowered her head and took a big sip of her iced lemon soda, the ice cubes clattering loudly in the glass.
Jiang Sui glanced at her slightly reddened earlobes, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes, and steered the conversation back to the movie: "I wonder how the special effects are in this film."
"It has to be top-notch!" Luo Yan was immediately swayed and perked up. "I watched the director's previous work three times, and I've been looking forward to this one for so long. Space opera combined with hardcore physics, and that scene in the trailer where the T-ship travels through a wormhole..."
"You actually like watching science fiction? Shouldn't women like watching romantic movies or something like that?"
"Mr. Jiang, you're also making stereotypes!"
Luo Yan glared at him with displeasure, then continued to talk animatedly about her space fantasies in the movie, temporarily putting aside her plan to test his social circle.
She was so engrossed in her speech that she didn't notice Jiang Sui's gaze lingering on her vivid and lively face.
After finishing her meal, on her way to the cinema, Luo Yan realized the movie would last for more than two hours, so in order not to miss any of the exciting moments, she went to the restroom first.
After relieving myself and standing up, before I had even finished putting my pants back on, I heard a strangely familiar voice coming from the cubicle.
"Okay, I know, I've been here for a while... Hmm, I know, it's the same place as last time... Alright, alright, I'm hanging up now, you talk too much!"
Luo Yan was stunned for a moment.
That voice... why does it sound so much like her sharp-tongued and sarcastic aunt, Xu Jinglan? Who is she talking to on the phone?
Could it be that Xu Jinglan... is having an affair?!
Luo Yan's Bagua Radar immediately started beeping.
She quickly came out of the cubicle, not even bothering to wash her hands, and chased after them, hiding by the wall and peeking out.
The mall corridors were bustling with people coming and going, but none of them looked like Xu Jinglan who had just finished a phone call.
Did I hear wrong? She scratched her head; maybe it was just the voice that sounded similar.
Xu Jinglan's personality is completely opposite to Xu Jingfei's, who "want to give all the men in the world a home." She is a straight-laced woman who thinks "all men in the world are trash." It seems unlikely that she would make a phone call in such an almost coquettish tone; it must be an auditory hallucination.
She shook her head, dismissing her doubts, and jogged toward the entrance of the movie theater.
Jiang Sui was holding a huge bucket of popcorn and two cups of cola in one hand and operating the ticket machine with the other. Behind him were two girls who were taking selfies with the giant poster. Luo Yan glanced at another empty ticket machine not far away and walked over to kindly remind him, "Miss, that machine is empty."
When the two girls saw her, their expressions changed, and they quickly put their phones down and walked dejectedly to the other ticket machine.
Luo Yan sensed something was wrong and whispered to Jiang Sui, "Did I say something wrong?"
Jiang Sui glanced at the two girls, then at Luo Yan, and shook his head.
"Probably not."
While queuing to have her ticket checked, Luo Yan saw those two girls again. It seemed like they were staring at her... oh no, they were staring at the girl next to her.
The case is solved! They deliberately lined up behind Jiang earlier. The selfie was just for show; their real purpose was to secretly photograph him!
Luo Yan felt a strange displeasure rising in her heart. She turned to the side, blocking the two girls' view, and then gave Jiang Sui a bright, fake smile, casually taking his arm.
"Why is the ticket checking so slow? I don't want to miss the opening credits!" The voice was so sweet it could kill an ant; even she couldn't believe it was her own voice.
Jiang Sui looked down at the hand that was holding his, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Please, speak properly."
"..."
Luo Yan suddenly regained her senses, quickly let go of his hand, grabbed a glass of cola and gulped it down. Her eyes darted around, her cheeks burned, and a little voice inside her was banging against the wall: Luo Yan, what are you doing? Are you possessed?
The movie theater was dimly lit, and a stunning space scene was playing on the IMAX screen.
Luo Yan was holding a huge bucket of popcorn, but she couldn't calm down.
Jiang Sui sat down next to her, so close that she could smell the faint mint scent on him, exactly the same as the one she smelled the night she was drunk. The scent seemed to have a magical power, making her restless.
To hide her nervousness, she could only keep drinking cola. After downing a large glass of cola, she soon felt the urge to urinate.
"Uh, I...I need to go to the restroom," she said softly, bending over to get up and leave.
The theater was dark, and she was so focused on getting there that she didn't pay attention to her footing. She tripped over someone's bag strap or an outstretched foot, and couldn't help but gasp softly as she lost her balance and fell to the side.
Jiang Sui reacted quickly and reached out to support her.
In the darkness, she lay on his chest, her hand instinctively gripping his shirt. She could clearly feel the taut muscles beneath the fabric and his warm body temperature, and her breath seemed to pause for a moment.
Luo Yan looked up in shock, only to be caught off guard by a pair of unfathomable eyes.
Time seemed to slow down. The screen light flickered, and the eyes so close to her shone brightly in the darkness, fixedly watching her. Warm breath brushed against her forehead, carrying a faint scent of milk tea.
At this moment, the plot was reaching its climax. On the huge screen, the spaceship exploded with a loud bang, and the sound of the explosion was almost realistic, but it turned into a blurry background sound.
Luo Yan could clearly hear her heart pounding like a drum. She stared blankly at Jiang Sui, her gaze fixed on him, unable to look away.
"You're blocking my way... and the audience behind you too."
Jiang Sui spoke softly, but did not push her away.
"Ah, I'm...I'm sorry!"
Luo Yan immediately jumped up as if she had been burned, her cheeks flushed red, and she stammered, "Then I... I'll go to the restroom first!" After saying that, she didn't care about Jiang Sui's reaction, stumbled out of her seat, and ran all the way to the restroom.
Jiang Sui turned her head to look at the fleeing figure, a slight smile playing on her lips, and quietly withdrew her outstretched left foot.
The cold water splashed on her face, and Luo Yan looked at herself in the mirror, her face as red as a monkey's bottom, and wished she could slap herself twice.
Have some self-respect! You're just a man, haven't you ever seen a handsome guy before?! Remember, you're someone who aspires to serve the people, how can you be seduced by beauty! Calm down! Calm down!
I took several deep breaths before I could barely suppress the strange feeling I had just experienced.
She dawdled back to her seat, no longer daring to look at Jiang Sui or drink any more cola. She sat up straight, staring intently at the screen, pretending to be an emotionless movie-watching machine. It wasn't until the movie ended and the lights came on that she realized she couldn't even remember the details of the second half of the movie.
Luo Yan lowered her head and followed the flow of people leaving the theater, wanting to escape this horrible place that was making her feel uneasy. Just as she stepped out of the theater, she caught a glimpse of a couple walking side by side to her right.
The man next to her, wearing a casual jacket, was listening to Xu Jinglan with a smile, and had a woman's handbag slung over his shoulder, which clearly belonged to Xu Jinglan.
Luo Yan abruptly stopped, her pupils dilating in shock!
Holy crap, isn't that her love-obsessed father, Luo Muyang?!
Xu Jinglan and Luo Muyang?! Did she accidentally stumble upon their "affair"?
No, both of them are single, so it can't be called an "affair," but this... is just too outrageous! The world has become utterly surreal. Does Xu Jingfei know that her sister is getting together with her ex-boyfriend?! Did Luo Muyang, unable to win over his older sister, start flirting with his younger sister?! What a novel and unique melodramatic soap opera of the year!
The amount of information is overwhelming; my CPU can't keep up. I desperately need oxygen!
Luo Yan watched in disbelief as the two people in front of her walked toward the elevator, chatting and laughing. She was stunned for a long time.
"What are you looking at?" Jiang Sui's voice rang out from behind.
Luo Yan frowned deeply, her expression a complex mix of emotions, "I think I've discovered something... truly extraordinary!"
Jiang Sui: "?"
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