Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Meeting with Netizens
His finger pointed at the spines of a set of books placed side by side, which meant he was recommending them to her. The books on this row of bookshelves were pressed together a little too tightly, and she couldn't pull them out. She put her palm down and pressed down on a book next to it, and it was pulled out crookedly.
The first volume seemed to have more than 500 pages, telling the story before and after the catastrophe. She randomly opened a page and saw a colorful picture printed on the upper left corner. The strange creature made her fall in love with it all of a sudden. She hugged the book and walked to a chair nearby.
The interior space of this library is spacious, with people separated by a seat. Manuel sat not far away and watched her fascinated, her fingertips resting on the edge of the pages, turning them one by one.
He sat on her right. When she lowered her head to read, her head and shoulders habitually turned to the left, her eyes blinked, and her eyeballs moved up and down as she read. The breeze from the central air conditioner blew the strands of hair by her ears onto her face. The woman stretched out her index finger to hold it behind her ear.
Her name played silently in his mind. Under the invisible mask, the intact half of his cheek turned slightly red. He opened the cover, but could not look away. The moment the other person raised her eyes, he lowered his eyes and stared at the blank title page.
But she just looked up to confirm that he was still there, then lowered her head and continued, licking her lips unconsciously.
He guessed she was thirsty, so he took out a water bottle from the net pocket of his backpack, removed the lid, went to the water dispenser to get a glass of water, and placed it on her desk.
"Thank you." Someone brought her water when she was thirsty. It was very thoughtful. She looked up and saw the thick eyebrows, the curvature of the hair flow, and the angle of the tail. She always felt as if she had touched them before. She frowned, but could not remember where she had seen him.
The pair of deep green eyes and the mask covering the lower half of his face and neck made him look very mysterious, but he was the boss's friend, and she had no reason to doubt him. After thanking him, she lifted the lid and drank it. The sweet water irrigated the dry fields, which was refreshing.
Manuel endured the scrutiny silently, his eyes fixed on her without any confusion, as if he was genuinely concerned. He was sure that the other person was unaware of his existence and had never met him before. Was her hesitation a sign of recognition?
If so, did she recognize him as the anonymous netizen, or did she recall the dream that night? He originally thought that it was a erotic dream caused by his longing for her, but now he is not sure.
After drinking all the water, she still felt unsatisfied, so she stood up, but someone had already taken action. Looking at the man's back, the curve of his palms, fingers, and nails, the blue veins on his arms, and the circumference of his chest, back, and waist, she felt more and more familiar.
But how could that be possible? She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought and forget this absurd dream. When the man approached, she drank some water and stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom."
The other party pointed out the direction. She turned on her laptop and walked out, away from the reading area, to the outside of the toilet. Next to it was the elevator lobby. She stood at the door and clicked on the green-eyed dog's avatar. The other party was online and walked to the window beside her.
Manuel watched her leave, his eyes fixed on her, he didn't understand at first why she hadn't returned for so long, he was about to go look for her, but the next second a message came through, causing a shock.
He looked down and found that it was a message from her. How could he describe his mood at this moment? He was by her side, but she wanted to contact someone else? He couldn't help but wonder, was it because of his appearance that she was disgusted?
Perhaps that dream had caused him to start having inappropriate fantasies, but he couldn't stop and walked aside to check the letter.
The temperature in the elevator lobby was much hotter than inside. From time to time, a group of people walked out from inside. When she looked up, she saw the person standing there sending messages. She didn't care. Compared to this, she wanted to find someone to confirm.
Fanzi: [Hello, I came to the library you recommended today. There are really many history books here. Thank you.]
Green-eyed dog avatar: [That's good]
As expected, the reply came in seconds. She was about to say something, but when she saw that the other party was typing, she stopped and waited for the other party's reply.
Green-eyed dog avatar: [I'm here too]
Fan: [Really? Where are you?]
I just started reading a book. After about half an hour, I have only read more than 20 pages and just entered the first chapter and the first section. The content is indeed detailed, but because it is too comprehensive and too complicated, it is difficult to digest and absorb.
Since there was someone around who knew about this, why not ask him out for a chat? Besides, he had a bodyguard with him, so there was no need to worry about safety. With this in mind, she sent another message: "How about meeting up for coffee?"
Manuel's fingers hovered in the air as he quietly watched the other party's invitation. He was afraid that such an opportunity would hardly come again. He almost subconsciously wanted to agree, but he...
Green-eyed dog avatar: [I am not convenient]
Oh, so that's a pity. Xu Shanshan put down her hand and looked out the window. The elevator door had opened, but there was no sound of footsteps. She looked back in confusion and found a tall man with a shaved head and a leather jacket standing behind her, as quiet as a cat. There was actually a black shadow in the shape of a lion behind him. She didn't know how long she had been watching him.
Suspecting he was mentally ill, she didn't dare to provoke him. She suppressed her panic and forced herself to look away, carefully moving to the side. However, as soon as she moved her feet, the other person also changed his position, blocking her like a wall.
Could it be a robbery, in the library? She regretted not asking him to come along. It would be troublesome to meet strange people now. But in the end, she had to be cautious in dealing with this "big brother" in front of her.
"Hello, can I borrow it for a moment?"
Two students walked out of the door while joking. She looked at them for help, but they looked up at the big guy, measured the difference between them, and decided to pretend not to see her and seek help from security.
The man looked angry and stared at her face. If you didn't know her, you would think she was a philandering woman or a treacherous wife. In fact, they didn't know each other at all. Fortunately, Manuel saw that she hadn't come out, so he came over worriedly and noticed the confrontation between the two.
Pushing aside the crew cut man, he rushed in like a god, standing in front of her. Looking at the black mist at his shoulder, she knew his name, but that didn't mean he could be rude to a guide. "Move aside, Sentinel."
The man with the buzz cut was also blunt. "I'm not talking to you," he said, looking at the woman behind him, then sizing up the man in front of him. He had never seen such a man before, and seeing her clinging to him trustingly, he couldn't help but feel jealous. "Are you her sentry?"
Well……
Things seemed to be developing in an unpredictable direction. Both of them were stunned. What did he mean?
"No, he's not—"
"So what?"
Bai explained that it seemed they weren't here to rob, but rather they had mistaken each other for someone else. Seeing the two men clashing, she stepped out from behind Manuel, inserted herself between them, and spread her hands to block them. "Stop arguing, go to the restaurant if you want to."
"I'll go pack my things and we'll go to the restaurant and talk."
Manuel: “It’s already packed.”
She thought for a moment and said, "I'd like to borrow the remaining three books," but she was surprised when the other party replied, "They've been put away too."
Well, it seems that there is nothing to worry about. She took a step forward, and the man with a crew cut stepped back, pressed the button, and waited quietly for the elevator to arrive.
The elevator door opened, and she walked in first, stood by the door, pressed the button pointing to the basement, and then stood in the corner. Manuel followed closely beside her, and the man with a crew cut was not to be outdone. He stood in front of her and turned to look at her.
Weird guy, she frowned and looked over, but he looked as if it was all right, and even glared at her in return, insisting on sticking to her. She sighed helplessly, how could she reason with a lunatic?
As the elevator went down, she quickly reviewed the people she knew in her mind, and the answer was that there was no such person at all. What did "You are her sentinel?" mean? Who was he, where did such a strong possessiveness come from, and what did Manuel agree to?
The elevator goes to the underground floor, where there are two bright entrances and exits with glass on the top. The sunlight illuminates the street, and there are restaurants of all sizes on both sides of the street, providing different types of catering services.
Just talking about coffee, she thought about it and walked into a coffee shop. The group went to the front desk to order. Since the boss was not there, she naturally ordered an iced latte. After the other two people ordered, she took out her laptop.
Manuel: "Let me do it."
The man with the buzz cut was already standing in front of the machine, having paid after his facial scan. How childish! They even argued about this. The three of them found seats by the window, one beside her, the other across from her. Biting her lower lip with her upper teeth, she looked out the window nonchalantly, but then, with a bad feeling in her mind, she turned back to look at the green-eyed man.
"You're not going to tell him what happened today, are you?"
Manuel looked over. As long as it was what she wanted, he was willing to do it. He nodded, "Of course, I won't reveal anything."
"Okay," the waiter brought three cups of steaming cold drinks. They felt cool and comfortable to the touch. The man handed her the cup holders, but she waved them away. It might be a family inheritance, as the female elders in her family didn't react much to menstruation.
He drank it, and it was so delicious that he squinted his eyes, lowered his head and drank the coffee quietly, looking out the window from time to time, almost forgetting the existence of the other two people. They also raised their glasses and sipped them without any saltiness or blandness.
Feeling an itch on her collarbone, she reached out and scratched it. Turning to look at the two of them, she realized they were both staring down at her. She almost forgot she was there to mediate a misunderstanding. She put down her cup, wiped her mouth, and looked around at the two of them. "Then let's get started."
Because this was a bodyguard certified by the boss, which meant he was quite capable, she didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Why are you blocking my door?"
The man across the table suddenly lowered his head and turned from side to side. She and Manuel exchanged glances, and he casually placed his arm on the table, bringing them closer.
“Why did you block me?”
Manuel frowned, "What do you mean?"
Her eyes suddenly widened and she raised her hands, "Wait, wait, don't talk yet!" Then the two of them looked at her again. She raised her cup and took a deep breath to calm herself down a little. Why would he come to her house if he wasn't an online friend?
Seeing her look hesitant, Manuel guessed that they must know each other and something had happened before. But no matter the reason, since she didn't want to see him again, why would he have the nerve to continue to pester her? Didn't he understand that this would cause trouble to her?
Manuel: "You don't want to see him?"
He said this as if she nodded and he would stand up and kick him out. Hearing his suggestive question, she actually became entangled. The man with the crew cut couldn't help it. It must be him who instigated it. Otherwise, why did he suddenly block her when they were chatting happily the day before yesterday?
"Don't meddle in what happens between me and her."
His words fell on deaf ears, and Xu Shanshan was caught in the middle. She looked up at the ceiling helplessly. She had never expected her lust to cause so much trouble. Wasn't it an anonymous forum? After hiding for so long, it was the first time she had been confronted by someone, and it was in this kind of relationship.
She was worried about him exposing the truth, but she looked at Manuel and felt that according to the local customs, she wouldn't be the one to be punished. At most, she would anger her superiors and be accused of not paying attention to safety. But, it's better to have less trouble than more, right?
She raised her head and smiled her classic smile: "It's all a misunderstanding. I accidentally pressed the wrong button. I'll pull you out right away."
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