Before I could get a reply, the lights came on.
As the movie ended, Xu Ruantang quickly stood up and fled as if she were escaping.
"I'm going to the restroom."
She left those words behind without looking back.
Xu Ruantang washed her face with cold water and calmed herself down before leaving the bathroom.
Chen Ji stood not far away waiting for her. Seeing that her face was wet, he took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, saying, "Wipe it off."
Xu Ruantang took it, smiling casually, "Okay, thank you."
The two rode away on their bicycles. On the way, Chen Ji asked her, "Was the movie good?"
Xu Ruantang was still fiddling with the bicycle seat. "I don't quite understand. What about you?"
Chen Ji said calmly, "I think it looks great."
After a while, he asked again, "Do you think there are any cars in this world that can travel to the future or the past?"
Xu Ruantang couldn't understand!
She felt like the world had collapsed, and the emotions she had just managed to compose herself almost crumbled again.
So, in a fit of desperation, he asked, "Chen Ji, is there something you want to tell me? Why did you bring me to the movies?"
Chen Ji did not answer her directly, but instead turned into a side road and slowly stopped the car.
He stood by the roadside, turned to look at Xu Ruantang who was still sitting, and said in a tense voice, "I want to hold a banquet. Did you agree to it when we were watching the movie just now?"
Xu Ruantang was stunned.
So Chen Ji did all this just to host a banquet? And not to subtly suggest anything to her or remind her of anything? Why doesn't she believe it?!
"Is there anything else?" Xu Ruantang stared intently at Chen Ji's handsome face, trying to glean some clues from it.
Chen Ji replied calmly, "No."
After saying that, he tilted his head awkwardly, coughed softly, and explained, "This is Grandma's wish, and I want to help her fulfill it."
"You brought me to the movies to please me? Then why choose a film you can't understand?"
Xu Ruantang continued to probe, asking further questions.
Chen Ji looked regretful. "This was my oversight. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry."
Xu Ruantang stared at him with a probing gaze for a long time, but couldn't discern anything, so she simply gave up.
“Okay, I promise you.” After saying that, Xu Ruantang added, “From now on, just say what you want to say directly. Don’t beat around the bush. I don’t like it.”
She was so frightened her heart almost exploded; how could she possibly like it!
Chen Ji is really something. He used to be so aloof, but now he's acting like a completely different person just to get her to do him a favor.
"But aren't you afraid that after we finish the wedding banquet, if we get divorced, Grandma will be even less able to accept it?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ji lifted his eyelids and stared intently at her, his expression extremely complex.
After a long pause, he said in a half-joking tone, "We'll keep it a secret as long as we can."
Xu Ruantang wanted to say that she could always help him, but that was too direct and would scare Chen Ji.
To win over the client, you need to plan carefully.
Many women have tried to seduce Chen Ji, but it seems he's not falling for it.
Even after what happened at the movie theater, Chen Ji still sat up straight, and the hand holding him was placed very properly.
Xu Ruantang regretted it again. If she had known she needed to win over a man, she shouldn't have swiped away those tutorial videos on the short video platform!
I'm completely clueless now.
Everyone says that funny girls don't have love. She probably can't even catch the tail of love, so how could she possibly catch a cold and aloof man like Chen Ji!
After riding the bicycle for a while, Xu Ruantang realized that this was not the way she came. "Chen Ji, did you remember the wrong way?"
"No, let's go to the entrance of the art academy to buy you art supplies, and then we'll go home."
This time, Chen Ji didn't keep her in suspense and told her directly.
Xu Ruantang was surprised that he still remembered this matter, and felt a strange unease.
As she looked at Chen Ji's strong and broad back, a scene from the movie theater flashed before her eyes.
At that moment, it seemed like her heartbeat wasn't just hers alone...
Before he could figure it out, Chen Ji spoke again.
Why aren't you wearing the watch I gave you?
Chen Ji's voice was clear and sharp. Xu Ruantang couldn't think of an excuse for a moment, so she said, "I forgot. I'll wear it when I get back. Thank you. But why did you give me a watch?"
Could there be a locator or tracker inside?
Thinking this, she laughed self-deprecatingly, as if she were a little neurotic.
"I saw it and thought it would suit you, so I bought it."
Chen Ji's voice was light and casual, but in reality, his palms, which were gripping the bicycle handlebars, were sweaty.
When the two arrived at a shop outside the Academy of Fine Arts, Xu Ruantang realized that Chen Ji had brought her to the Central Academy of Fine Arts!
She stared intently at the school's gate, looking at it again and again, and realized it was completely different.
She had previously seen a documentary about the school's anniversary celebration, which showed the school in the 1980s, and it didn't look like this at all.
It seems that the world in the book is more or less different from reality.
"Wait for me, I'll go in and buy it."
Xu Ruantang jumped off his bicycle and said to Chen Ji.
Chen Ji was looking for a place to park his bicycle and go inside with her when he heard this, and his expression paused.
Do you know what to buy?
Xu Ruantang had already run a few steps. "I don't know. I'll ask the shop assistant, or I can ask the students inside for help."
The shops near the art academy are mostly frequented by art students, so her statement is not surprising at all.
Chen Ji parked his bicycle and stood outside the door watching her figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance.
She wore a white floral dress, her hair was casually draped behind her head, and she wore a pair of white canvas shoes, revealing her slender and straight calves.
Standing among the university students here, she doesn't look out of place at all; in fact, she looks even more youthful and beautiful than them.
Chen Ji's eyes darkened, and at this moment she finally realized concretely that there was an eight-year age difference between her and him, and a bittersweet feeling flashed through her heart.
Xu Ruantang carefully selected drawing pencils, and after that, she also picked up an eraser, sketch paper, sketchbook, and craft knife.
There were many types of pencils, but she only took HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B.
4B, 6B, and 8B are used for outlining and shading, as well as for painting dark areas. 2B and 4B are used for depicting mid-tones, while HB and 2B are used for painting highlights and details.
The sketchbooks here are still military green, and Xu Ruantang took one.
She wasn't planning to buy paints, and was about to go to the checkout when a boy next to her called out, "Hey, it's not a good deal for you to buy these. Do you want me to help you pick some out?"
The boy looked shy, his face slightly flushed as he spoke, but he still mustered up the courage to take two steps toward Xu Ruantang.
"No need, I'll take these, thank you."
As Xu Ruantang was about to leave, the boy spoke up again, "Excuse me, which class are you in? I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Ji walked in, took the things from Xu Ruantang's hands, and asked gently, "Finished shopping?"
Xu Ruantang nodded, "Okay, I'll go pay now."
"I'll go. The bicycle is still outside. You go out first."
After Xu Ruantang left, Chen Ji's gentle smile faded slightly. He glanced at the boy who was still standing there in a daze, then turned and left.
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