The four of them went to the movie theater together, with the two girls in front and Lu Tingzhou and his bodyguard bringing up the rear.
Ahead, Luo Shiqing took the initiative to approach Qin Jia and quietly lowered her voice: "Hey, Qin Jia, so the person you were waiting for was Lu Tingzhou."
"How far have things progressed between you two?"
Qin Jia thought for a moment and said, "I just became friends with him last Saturday, and we're not particularly close yet."
"By the way, their robots are pretty good. You can check them out if you're interested."
Without hesitation, Luo Shiqing replied, "Their company's robots are too expensive; it's not worth buying them separately."
Qin Jia: "You can become friends with him and ask him to give you a 10% discount."
Luo Shiqing was taken aback. "You're buying a robot, and he's giving you a 10% discount?"
Qin Jia: "Mm."
Luo Shiqing secretly glanced behind her, then looked back at Qin Jia and couldn't help but tease, "So, he really is generous."
"However, I have absolutely no interest in robots. You can keep this great discount for yourself."
Seeing that Luo Shiqing wasn't interested, Qin Jia smiled and didn't continue the topic.
The cinema was nearby; they walked to the end of the road, turned right, and arrived.
The bodyguard accompanied Qin Jia to collect her tickets in the lobby on the first floor, while Lu Tingzhou and Luo Shiqing went to buy snacks and drinks nearby.
After shopping, we met up and lined up to enter.
Lu Tingzhou's phone suddenly rang. He patted Qin Jia on the shoulder and said, "I'll take this call."
Qin Jia handed him a ticket, saying, "The movie is about to start, let's go in first."
Lu Tingzhou took the paper ticket and gave a soft "hmm." He then left the line, listening to his phone call as he walked towards a less crowded corner.
The call was from the shopping mall.
The person in charge asked, "Mr. Lu, if you can't come, what will happen to the cost of booking the entire venue?"
That shopping mall is one of the properties under the Lu Group, and it is registered under the name of his second uncle, Lu Jingnian.
Second Uncle always kept business and personal matters separate, so Lu Tingzhou didn't hesitate and paid the normal amount for booking the entire venue.
Lu Tingzhou stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, calmly looking outside, and said indifferently, "Do as you please."
The person in charge became a little nervous upon hearing this, saying, "I dare not use such a large sum of money casually."
The man hesitated for a moment, so Lu Tingzhou lowered his eyes and said decisively, "I'll give you a plan later, and you can just follow it."
Upon hearing this, the person in charge on the other end of the phone visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mr. Lu."
After ending the call, Lu Tingzhou casually found an empty seat, opened his phone's notes app, and quickly wrote down a plan for an activity to reward customers and employees.
After finishing writing, he copied the text from the memo and sent a text message to the mall manager. The manager replied quickly, and the matter was considered closed.
The hall was bustling with people coming and going.
Lu Tingzhou sat to the side, quietly watching the scene, but felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Suddenly, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, urging the audience to enter the theater to watch the animated film.
Upon hearing this, he composed himself, put away his phone, stood up, and walked towards the ticket gate.
-
There are usually pre-movie commercials before the movie starts, but this one lasted for six minutes and still hadn't ended, making Qin Jia feel drowsy.
As her eyelids drooped, a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted over. She subconsciously looked to the side, her gaze unexpectedly meeting Lu Tingzhou's, and she gradually perked up.
Qin Jia pointed to the big screen and said in a very soft voice, "Don't worry, it hasn't started yet."
Lu Tingzhou: "Hmm."
Noticing that her hands were empty, he asked, "Aren't you going to eat popcorn?"
Qin Jia: "I tried two, but I didn't like the sticky feeling on my hands, so I gave them to you for fifteen."
Fifteen was Qin Jia's bodyguard. Lu Tingzhou had heard her mention him. He looked to his left and saw Luo Shiqing and the burly man in black each holding a bucket of popcorn.
Lu Tingzhou calmly withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and asked her, "What do you like to eat?"
Qin Jia blurted out, "Matcha-flavored ice cream and sweet candy."
Lu Tingzhou: "I'll go buy it."
Qin Jia looked up upon hearing this and was surprised to find that they were very close. Despite the dim light, his facial features were still exceptionally handsome.
Qin Jia stared intently at him. "But the movie is about to start."
She wanted to go, but the movie had already started, and if he went out now, he would miss some parts. That didn't seem fair to him.
"It's nothing." Lu Tingzhou looked away. "I've read the synopsis and know the general plot of the movie."
"Then..." Qin Jia paused for a few seconds, then said softly, "I only need a small portion, don't buy too much."
Lu Tingzhou: "Okay."
Despite it being a Saturday afternoon showing, most people were drawn to popular movies, and not many people watched this animated film.
The film's protagonist is a little fox, and the story tells of the little fox's otherworldly adventure.
The movie was visually appealing, the animals were incredibly lifelike, and the plot was quite engaging. Qin Jia watched it with great interest, completely losing her sleepiness.
After a minor climax, the little fox escaped the villain's pursuit and fled to the island.
Just then, Lu Tingzhou returned.
Qin Jia saw the ice cream in his hand and was about to take it when he stopped her.
"Wipe your hands first."
Should he help her wipe her hands? Without thinking much, Qin Jia reached out her hand.
Lu Tingzhou was suddenly stunned. He looked at the girl's slender fingers, opened the wet wipes he had just bought, and silently began to wipe her fingers.
Through the wet wipe, as their fingers touched, Qin Jia had a strange feeling.
A subtle itch crept from her fingertips into her heart; she pulled her hand away and unconsciously held her breath.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
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Their eyes met, and Qin Jia was momentarily distracted. She took the wet wipes and said, "I can do it myself."
After wiping her hands, Lu Tingzhou opened the plastic bag and let her throw away the trash.
Are your hands still sticky?
Qin Jia belatedly realized what was happening, shook her head, and whispered, "I won't stick anymore."
After she finished speaking, a box of ice cream appeared in front of her. Qin Jia took it and scooped out a spoonful.
The smooth ice cream melts on your tongue, with a rich matcha flavor that is neither astringent nor bitter, and the aftertaste is the sweet aroma of red beans. It's delicious and not greasy.
The movie continued, and amidst the rising and falling laughter, Qin Jia gently tugged at Lu Tingzhou's sleeve and whispered, "It's delicious, thank you."
He replied calmly, "You're welcome."
"If you like it, that's fine."
-
Ninety minutes flew by, the movie ended, and all the lights came on.
Luo Shiqing rubbed her sleepy eyes, still groggy, and asked, "How did it end? What was the ending?"
Luo Shiqing got up early today and was busy for most of the day. She was so sleepy in the latter half of the day that she couldn't resist the temptation of sleep.
While cleaning up the trash, Qin Jia said, "It's a happy ending. The little fox became the most popular person on the island and became good friends with everyone."
Luo Shiqing responded with an "oh," then noticed the ice cream box in Qin Jia's hand and asked curiously, "Hey, when did you buy this? I remember this store is pretty far from here, right?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Jia looked at Lu Tingzhou, who said calmly, "Driving is faster."
Luo Shiqing saw through it but didn't say anything. She turned her head and patted Fifteen next to her, "Friend, let's call it a day."
Fifteen suddenly opened his eyes and sat up straight.
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He glanced down at his watch and quickly reminded Qin Jia, "Miss, we should go home!"
"If we don't leave now, it will be too late."
Qin Jia slung her bag over her shoulder, picked up the cleaning bag, and stood up from her seat. "Let's hurry up and go."
The four left the theater and took the elevator downstairs.
Qin Jia threw away the trash on the first floor and hurriedly said goodbye to Lu Tingzhou and Luo Shiqing.
"Let's meet again sometime. I'm heading back now."
Watching the girl's departing figure, Luo Shiqing secretly glanced at Lu Tingzhou beside her. The man's eyes were filled with a smile, completely different from how he had acted when he saw her before.
Luo Shiqing wasn't interested in him; she just found it strange that the rumored celibate Young Master Lu of Yucheng would actually be pursuing someone.
Unfortunately, he was too reserved, so reserved that the girl didn't understand his intentions at all.
Thinking about her previous experience of being rejected by him, Luo Shiqing suddenly wanted to provoke him.
So, before Qin Jia had gone far, Luo Shiqing took the initiative to call out to her.
Qin Jia stopped and turned around.
"What's wrong?"
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She jogged forward, took Qin Jia's hand, and said in a coquettish tone, "Qin Jia, I want to ask you something. Can you promise me?"
Qin Jia was taken aback. "I need to think about becoming a model."
Luo Shiqing cleared her throat and continued in a tight voice, "It's okay, take your time to think about it. I'm asking about something else."
Qin Jia seemed to be thinking, "Go ahead."
Luo Shiqing looked at her and asked sincerely, "Can I be your friend?"
Qin Jia didn't hesitate much, a bright smile appearing on her lips. "Of course."
After she finished speaking, Luo Shiqing gave her a quick hug before letting go, saying, "Goodbye."
The brief, warm embrace stirred a certain instinct within Qin Jia.
As if possessed, she reached out and hugged Luo Shiqing back, mimicking her gesture.
"goodbye."
After the hug, the two left hand in hand very naturally, as if they were close friends who had known each other for many years.
Once outside the cinema, they went in two different directions, one on the left and one on the right.
He never looked back.
Meanwhile, in the lobby on the first floor, Lu Tingzhou, who had witnessed the whole process, gradually darkened his expression.
-
It's 9:30 p.m.
After taking a shower, Qin Jia sat on the bed in the bedroom, browsing a plant-related app.
This powerful app can predict when trees will flower and bear fruit through data analysis.
According to the app's backend analysis, her locust tree will bloom in five days.
Qin Jia became more and more excited as she thought about it, so she put down her phone, got out of bed, walked to the window, and looked at the locust tree in the yard through the glass.
The bright moonlight fell on the trees, and a holy halo enveloped every leaf. She watched quietly, and her heart became more and more peaceful.
A night breeze blows, and insects chirp softly.
Suddenly, a bell rang from beside the pillow, breaking the silence of the room.
Qin Jia snapped out of her daze and went back to the bedside to get her phone.
Upon seeing the incoming caller ID on the screen, she immediately pressed the answer button.
Since the other party remained silent, Qin Jia had no choice but to take the initiative and ask, "What do you want to see me about so late?"
On the other end of the phone, the man said in a deep voice, "Miss Qin, I haven't even said anything, how did you know it was me?"
Qin Jia: "Caller ID is available."
"Oh." He chuckled. "I thought you remembered my voice."
His speech was incoherent and his tone sounded off. Qin Jia pondered for a moment and asked, "Lu Tingzhou, has something bad happened to you?"
"Or perhaps, he's drunk?"
Lu Tingzhou: "I didn't drink."
Qin Jia couldn't quite put her finger on what was strange, but something just felt off. "You're acting weird."
Qin Mo told me that there's a new scam that uses AI to synthesize other people's voices to defraud people.
Qin Jia glanced at the phone number again, thought for a moment, and said, "Do you remember where we watched the movie today?"
Lu Tingzhou: "New Century Cinema".
She continued, "How many people?"
Lu Tingzhou: "Four."
Can you repeat the name?
After she finished speaking, there was silence on the other end.
Is this really an AI scam? They even copied Lu Tingzhou's phone number?
As she was thinking about calling the police, a burst of laughter suddenly came from the other end of the phone.
"Qin Jia, I am not an AI."
Qin Jia took a deep breath. "AI will definitely not admit that it is AI."
"Don't lie to me, I'm not stupid."
The person on the other end chuckled again, "I'm right outside your house. Come out and you'll see."
After saying that, the call was disconnected.
After much deliberation, Qin Jia decided to go outside and take a look. But fearing it might be a scam, she simply called her bodyguard, Fifteen, to come along.
Qin Jia led Shiwu out, but stopped abruptly when they were almost at the door.
十五:"Young Miss, what's wrong?"
Qin Jia turned to look at him, "Call a few more of your brothers over. I'm afraid there are too many of them and you won't be able to beat them."
十六:"good."
-
The car came to a steady stop on the side of the road.
Lu Tingzhou took out candy from the car's glove compartment, then turned off the engine, opened the car door, and got out.
He walked to the entrance of the Qin family villa carrying the candy. Just then, the door opened, and a girl in pajamas came out.
When Lu Tingzhou saw Qin Jia, he took the initiative to greet her: "I told you I wasn't..."
Before she could finish speaking, seven burly men dressed in black appeared one after another and stood behind her.
Lu Tingzhou: "..."
With eight against one, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Qin Jia looked at the person, so embarrassed that she scratched her toes on the ground, "What brings you here..."
"...What are you here for?"
Lu Tingzhou took two steps forward and handed her the candy, saying, "You forgot to take this."
Qin Jia lowered her eyes and carefully examined the bag of candy in his hand. It seemed to be something he bought along with the ice cream, but she hadn't eaten much of it.
"You bought it, so you can eat it yourself." Qin Jia was slightly taken aback. "There's no need to make a special trip."
Lu Tingzhou put the candy into her palm, "Since it's for you, it's yours."
Qin Jia lowered her eyes, looking at the candy in her hand.
The packaging is beautiful, the candy wrappers are colorful, and the various flavors are labeled in small print.
She tore open the packaging, took one out, opened it, and put it in her mouth.
It's grape flavored and very sweet.
"It's quite sweet." She smiled gently, her bright eyes blinking slightly. "I like it."
"Thank you."
Lu Tingzhou smiled and said, "You're welcome."
A while later.
Seeing that Lu Tingzhou showed no sign of leaving, Qin Jia pulled her cardigan tighter and asked, "I've taken the candy. Is there anything else?"
Lu Tingzhou walked past her, glanced at the seven guards behind her, and said in a deep voice, "Tell them to turn around."
Qin Jia turned around and glanced at the seven pairs of eyes that were staring like copper bells. "Is there anything they can't see?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a tall figure loomed over her and hugged her tightly.
"Miss Qin Jia."
"As a friend, you can't show favoritism."
A magnetic voice fell into my ears, warmth enveloped me, and my heart raced uncontrollably.
Qin Jia understood his unspoken meaning, silently extended her hand, and responded without making a sound.
They hugged for a while, then simultaneously let go of each other.
Qin Jia waved to him, "Goodbye."
The man remained rooted to the spot.
Qin Jia was momentarily stunned. "Do you want another hug?"
"That was our farewell this afternoon. You still owe me a hug."
The evening breeze brushed against her hair, bringing an inexplicable warmth.
Qin Jia turned around and looked at the seven bodyguards, including Fifteen.
"Please turn around."
Upon receiving the instruction, the seven burly men turned around and silently covered their ears.
Qin Jia stepped forward, put her hands through the man's arms, and hugged him tightly.
Under the streetlights, President Lu, who had been feeling down all night, suddenly felt all the gloom in his heart vanish.