I like
Hearing her clear voice from not far away, Su Ze turned his gaze and glanced at her seemingly unintentionally.
Xu Luoluo was immersed in the passionate enthusiasm of working hard at the base and didn't notice the ambiguous gaze from that man. While gesturing excitedly, she gulped down several glasses of juice and soon couldn't resist running to the restroom.
The hotel bathroom was spacious and bright, with large mirrors embedded in the milky white marble walls. Xu Luoluo saw her slightly flushed cheeks in the mirror, so she simply took out a hair tie from her bag and tied her hair into a high bun. It was too hot in the lobby, and tying her hair up made it much cooler. The bun was casual yet sophisticated. Xu Luoluo patted her face with some water, satisfied, and was about to return to the lobby when she encountered two uninvited guests in the corridor on her way back.
Su Ze hurried towards them, with Deng Lingling following behind. The two didn't speak, but their tacit understanding as they traveled together was obvious. When Su Ze glanced up and saw her, a complex look flashed in his eyes. Deng Lingling's face, which had been hidden in the darkness, suddenly looked up triumphantly at Xu Luoluo and took a small step forward.
Xu Luoluo felt uncomfortable under Deng Lingling's gaze. Was Deng Lingling treating her like some kind of imaginary enemy? However, Xu Luoluo was in a hurry to make arrangements for her stay in Lin'an and had no mood to confront or explain herself. She simply nodded casually to the two people opposite her as a greeting and then walked past them.
Deng Lingling felt as if she had punched a pillow, glaring resentfully at Su Ze's retreating figure. Su Ze's expression darkened the next moment.
The two hurried to the parking lot, where Su Ze stopped. "I remember you drove the car."
"I've been drinking and can't drive." Deng Lingling rubbed her forehead, glanced at Su Ze, and seeing that his expression remained unchanged, she persisted, saying with distress, "If I call a designated driver, I might miss the company meeting. Could you give me a ride, senior?"
“You can call me Director,” Su Ze said expressionlessly.
"Okay, Director." Deng Lingling looked at him with a wronged expression, opened the passenger door, and saw that he only frowned but didn't stop her, which made her feel a little excited. Sure enough, Su Ze only seemed cold on the surface; he was actually different towards her. She had never seen Su Ze drive any other women. When they just met Xu Luoluo, wasn't he also indifferent? It seems the rumors weren't true; there might be some misunderstanding in that photo. How could he possibly be interested in that kind of woman?
Thinking this, Deng Lingling turned to look at Su Ze's handsome profile. He gripped the steering wheel, focused intently on the road ahead, driving steadily and quickly, which made her feel very safe. The thought that this man was different towards her made her heart beat faster, and her clenched fingers loosened slightly as she couldn't help but want to trace the perfect profile of that marble sculpture.
The car suddenly stopped on the side of the road.
"The subway station is just around the corner. Get off here." The man's cold voice shattered her illusion. Deng Lingling's face turned pale instantly as she stared at Su Ze in disbelief. How could he treat her like this again and again? She bit her lip, her eyes filled with shattered light.
Su Ze frowned at her: "Hurry up, don't miss the meeting." He used her own words against her, showing no concern for her broken heart.
Deng Lingling could only nod reluctantly, awkwardly opening the car door and running out. Perhaps he was really in a hurry, because before she could even turn around, Su Ze's car drove away without a trace of hesitation. Deng Lingling seemed unable to withstand the winter wind, shivering like a broken leaf in the wind, her hands tightly gripping the tassels on her dress.
*
Lin'an.
Soft light spilled onto the pure white desk, and slender, fair fingers glided lightly across the touchpad. Xu Luoluo, clutching a soft sheep-shaped pillow, sat in her newly tidied, cozy little bedroom, thoughtfully browsing the webpage she had just opened.
Xia Ning was right; Lin'an was a haven for artsy young people. She clicked into the local forum in Linjiang, and the dazzling array of art events there made her blood boil. She clenched her fist secretly, wanting to go see something live!
Aside from art exhibitions, comic conventions, and music festivals, one post caught her attention: a short video scriptwriting competition initiated by the local tourism bureau. Lin'an lacks large factories and businesses; the city's development is built on tourism. With its charming old town scenery of flowing streams and bridges, as well as picturesque gardens, it was already a popular tourist destination for neighboring cities. This short video series clearly aimed to broaden its reach, promoting Lin'an nationwide and transforming it into a trending tourist hotspot.
There is still one month left until the submission deadline.
She bookmarked the webpage and opened her notebook to think. The script for this short video wasn't long; it should only take a week to write, so she still had plenty of time to learn about Lin'an. Although her budget was enough to live on for a year and a half, she certainly wouldn't refuse a writing assignment that offered a low workload and a bonus. She wanted to improve her scriptwriting skills within this year; learning and practice needed to go hand in hand so she could continuously review and revise her work.
But how do you get to know this city?
After spending the night planning, Xu Luoluo, dressed in sportswear, set off for the tour group's meeting point the next day. What could be a faster and better way to learn about Lin'an Old Town than with a "Day Trip"?
Many people like her enjoy learning about Lin'an through tour groups, but most of them are aunties around the same age as Xu's mother. Before the tour bus arrived at the meeting point, the aunties warmly and generously surrounded her.
"How old is the young lady? Does she have a boyfriend?"
"Auntie has a nephew who works for a big company. He's tall and handsome. Would you like me to introduce you to him?"
Xu Luolu smiled awkwardly, just about to say something to brush it off, when another aunt rolled her eyes and enthusiastically pulled her to her side.
"Hey, your nephew in S City is messing around with matchmakers. Listen to your aunt, I have a nephew in Lin'an who's capable and upright, and he's about to start his own company."
Xu Luoluo frowned and smiled wryly, thinking of Tang Yizhuo. How come everyone so young is starting their own companies? Why is this world so chaotic? It's always about "your peers surpassing you," how are ordinary young people supposed to survive?
"Auntie, I didn't plan to..."
Before she could even say "dating," the aunt pointed to the right and said, "Look, here she comes." Then, without waiting for a reply, she gave her a shove and said, "Get to know each other, it's good for young people to be friends, hahaha."
Gu Sinian was momentarily stunned by her sudden appearance, but the other woman was clearly experienced in such situations and quickly regained her composure, giving the aunt a helpless greeting: "Aunt Liu." Then, turning to Xu Luoluo, she smiled gently: "Hello, my name is Gu Sinian."
"Hello, my name is Xu Luoluo." The other person was polite and well-mannered, and seemed like a person with good manners, so Xu Luoluo greeted him naturally. After chatting for a few minutes, they discovered that they had the same goal today, except that Xu Luoluo wanted to learn about the city to gather material, while Gu Sinian wanted to find a suitable location to open a restaurant.
Signature dishes include Sichuan-style boiled fish with numbing and spicy sauce, spicy chicken in chili oil, pork belly with garlic sauce, and dry pot ribs.
Xu Luoluo's eyes lit up when she heard about the dishes, and she couldn't help but swallow hard: "When you open your restaurant, I definitely want to go and eat there."
"Then you absolutely must come and support us." Gu Sinian smiled slyly, "I'll give you a 20% discount."
Both parties were very satisfied and tacitly took out their phones to add each other on WeChat.
This scene was viewed differently by the aunt.
"These two kids look so good together." The aunt behind me smiled with satisfaction. "They hit it off so quickly."
"Yes, they look like a perfect match."
"Wow, watching young people fall in love makes me feel young again."
"Oh, I wish my husband was this quick-witted."
The other aunties who were just arguing with each other also agreed.
Xu Luoluo & Gu Sinian: "..."
Aunties, are you here for tourism or to play matchmaker?
By the end of the day, Xu Luoluo's phone was filled with notes. The trip ended as the sun was setting, and when she returned to her small single room, it was completely dark, and the aroma of food filled the neighborhood. Usually, she'd be drooling at this time, but she'd already eaten dinner at the ramen shop recommended by Xia Ning. Patting her full stomach, she was still thinking about her important matter. As soon as she got home, she went straight to her desk, opened her laptop, and began organizing her materials.
She initially thought the tour would mainly focus on the "ancient" side of Lin'an, so she only hoped to experience the charming canals and bridges. However, she was surprised to find the tour was far more advanced than she imagined, featuring not only traditional canals but also scenic landscapes. The latter part of the trip included visits to a cultural salon and theater. Besides the tour guide, staff from the exhibitions and salons provided on-site explanations. This tour was truly modern and artistic. Xu Luoluo exclaimed inwardly, then immediately posted a strong recommendation for the tour on her WeChat Moments. At only 99 yuan a day, it was the ultimate value!
After posting on her WeChat Moments, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't started her real work yet. She hurriedly tossed her phone onto the carpet far away from her, as if it were a hot potato, and focused on listing her ideas based on the information. She wrote down her inspirations and thoughts, saw which ones were feasible, and then refined them.
The brainstorming process was the most enjoyable; her mind was racing, she couldn't stop, and the whole night passed by without her realizing it. Finally, when she had almost finished organizing all her thoughts, she picked up her phone and saw it was already eleven o'clock. Before washing up and going to bed, she went to settings and turned on WeChat notifications. To avoid interrupting her train of thought, she habitually turned off all notifications when writing. As soon as she turned it on, her phone vibrated a few times, and several messages popped up at once.
The first message is from Xia Ning: Tomorrow is Saturday, I'm asking her out for dinner and shopping.
The second message was from Tang Yizhuo: Call me back when you see this message.
Then he added: There are benefits.
Xu Luoluo's eyes lit up.
The third message was actually from Gu Sinian: "This might be a bit abrupt, but could you do me a favor? I'll treat you to dinner."
Xu Luoluo: ? ? ? Gu Sinian's last sentence really resonated with her.
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