Capítulo 13: 12. Kiddo, your mom has won!
Saturday, while the school forum was abuzz with a college entrance exam score, the person in question visited a shopping mall nearby.
Tang Shu's purpose for being there was simple, to watch a movie.
Having decided to live in the trajectory of the original host, she took acting seriously as her career.
For someone who had lived in Damo unhindered for eighteen years, the ancient Tang Shu would definitely not be willing to work an ordinary job after graduation.
"Tang Shu, have you taken your leave from school? The company has booked you a ticket to Yun Province for next Monday, and the Program Team will start shooting next week."
Sister Luo's call came through again, as expected.
Tang Shu retrieved a movie ticket from the self-service machine and bought a box of popcorn.
"I've taken the leave, don't worry, I'll be at the airport on time."
"Good, I'll send you the flight details."
"Alright."
"Oh, 'Happy Together' airs tomorrow night at eight, don't forget to retweet Teacher Pan's post on Weibo to help promote it."
Sister Luo thought about the Weibo account full of trolls, but eventually decided to make the suggestion.
Better than nothing, after all, infamy was a form of fame.
Tang Shu was surprised, then remembered she had recorded an episode, "I'll retweet it tomorrow."
"That's fine, you're busy, the company has picked up some scripts, I'll help you select."
"Thanks."
Having taken the popcorn and cola combo from the service desk lady, Tang Shu queued to have her ticket checked and then entered the theater.
Not far off, a man in casual wear took out a ticket and handed it to the beautiful woman beside him still engrossed in a game.
"Madam Jing, make sure you don't lose your ticket again."
"Is that how you talk to your mother? No wonder you still don't have a girlfriend; with your EQ, I don't expect to see a daughter-in-law's face for years~~"
The woman's black hair cascaded over her shoulders, her figure exceptionally slender; her hands that held the phone screen were carved like white jade, and a solid black duckbill cap on her head concealed her face.
Just from her appearance, one would never guess she had a son in his twenties.
Jing Yu sighed helplessly beside her, regretting not going to work today and letting his father accompany her instead.
"Anything else you need?"
"Uhm—let me finish this round. Isn't there still five minutes till the movie starts? Young people need to be patient."
"..."
Fine then.
Jing Yu, while avoiding the crowded weekend masses, pulled his mother by the sleeve to a resting area and barely sat down when he caught several girls secretly taking pictures of him.
"Ah— he's looking right at me!"
"He's hinting that you should delete the photo, sister, quickly get over your starstruck face!"
"But... it's my first time seeing such a handsome man, what if I don't want to delete the photo?"
The girl's friend nervously chuckled under the sharp gaze of Jing Yu, made a deleting gesture, and only then did Jing Yu look away.
"Phew— this man is not your type, too oppressive."
A few seconds of eye contact had her sweating bullets!
The girl with the phone, under the staring glare of her friend, reluctantly deleted the photo.
"Ah~~ even the chance to fawn over him is taken away; as expected, heartthrobs belong to others."
"I have to say, he's really handsome, but he looks way too rich and posh for our league."
The friend, more rational, pulled her companion into the cinema.
Meanwhile, the phone of the woman opposite Jing Yu blared with a victory message, "Winner, winner, chicken dinner."
"Yay~~ Sonny, your mom won!"
This pair instantly drew curious and questioning glances from the people around.
Jing Yu twitched his mouth, swearing never again to go shopping with his scatterbrained mother.
***
Screen 5, the movie "Blossom Your Beauty."
As the lights in the hall dimmed, the large screen played a few commercials before moving into the main feature.
The movie was about a painter meeting a pianist—an intertwining of romance and warmth, a hybrid of commercial and arthouse cinema.
About ten minutes into the introductory lead-in, the film officially dove into its theme.
An hour later, the movie reached its climax; the female painter and the pianist missed each other again, their figures parting ways, one to the left and the other to the right.
Jing Yu, while accompanying his weepy mother through the story, caught from the corner of his eye the girl sitting next to them spill cola on his black sneakers.
The hand that rested on the cola bottle was pale and slender, and even in the dim light of the cinema, it stood out.
Glancing up from the hand to the girl's face, Jing Yu's gaze inadvertently paused when it landed on her sleeping features.
Eyebrows slightly raised.
It was her.
The woman who bought the monkey doll from Herbal Hall.
Capítulo 14: 13. Is she flirting with me?
The black eyes that had deeply impressed him were now lightly closed.
The delicate little face lost its sharpness, appearing extra tranquil in sleep.
Jing Yu had never thought that a person's eyes could bring such a stark contrast to others.
Perhaps he had been staring for too long, for in the next instant those closed eyes suddenly opened, and he once again saw that familiar hint of cool indifference within.
The woman leaning back in her seat seemed momentarily stunned as she met his gaze, then slowly lifted her head.
"We... met a few days ago."
It was not a question, but a certainty.
For Tang Shu, who never forgot a face, this memory was still fresh. What's more, the man before her had extraordinarily handsome features, making him the most memorable person she had ever encountered.
The movie was still playing, and the male lead character was performing a soothing piano piece, which suddenly became the background music.
Jing Yu found himself observed by those pair of eyes, and his throat made an imperceptible movement.
The spilled drink, the sleeping, the alert eyes...
If he hadn't had precision in his judgment, he might have really thought this woman was flirting with him.
"You... your cola spilled on my sneakers."
Jing Yu said.
Tang Shu looked toward her left hand and saw the black drink dripping drop by drop onto her black sneakers; due to the similar colors, she couldn't tell how much had actually spilled.
She weighed the drink, which seemed much lighter than before.
The moment was awkward for a spare second, and Tang Shu cleared her throat lightly as she met Jing Yu's deep gaze, feeling unreasonably guilty under his scrutiny.
"Sorry, are your shoes okay?"
"They're fine."
Jing Yu withdrew his gaze and looked towards the movie screen, where the story had entered its final phase, and the female painter finally met the pianist, embracing him by the lake.
As the end credits began to play, the lighting technician turned on the main lights of the cinema, and the audience gradually started to get up and leave.
Jing Yu's mother finally showed a smile, "This movie is so wonderful! It has beautiful artistic conception, and the piano pieces are very pleasant to listen to, plus it has a happy ending with everyone reunited!"
"Have you had enough fun?"
"No! I want to see more!"
"..."
Jing Yu, who hardly watched the film, twitched the corner of his mouth, wanting to retort something, but ended up sighing and said nothing.
Tang Shu, who still wanted to apologize, saw that the two were "chatting happily," hesitated for a moment, and then followed the crowd out of the auditorium.
The other party hadn't mentioned compensation, so that seemed to suggest the incident wasn't... too serious?
***
Fifteen minutes later.
Tang Shu once again bought a ticket, took a pair of 3D glasses from the staff member at the checkpoint, and entered the auditorium for the second time.
After she sat down, someone else took the seat next to her.
She glanced sideways unintentionally, and once again met those deep eyes.
Tang Shu: "..."
Jing Yu: "..."
The two nodded in acknowledgment, settled down, and watched the movie.
This time they chose an international science fiction action blockbuster. The 3D effects and the protagonist's thrilling abilities kept Tang Shu completely engrossed.
She munched on popcorn throughout, without a hint of sleepiness.
Finally finding a story she liked, Tang Shu thought.
After two movies, it was already noon, and after a casual meal in the mall, she was convinced that stories of this world were more interesting than Damo's storybooks, so she dived back into the cinema.
Until... three in the afternoon when she encountered Jing Yu for the fourth time.
By coincidence, they were seated next to each other again, and this time, the man didn't have the woman who claimed to be his "mother" with him.
Even Jing Yu was somewhat surprised. After watching three movies with his mother, he was finally picked up by his father. Figuring he had nothing else to do, he planned to watch another movie to pass the time, unexpectedly bumping into the same person for the fourth time.
Before Tang Shu could nod and greet him again, he spoke up.
"My shoes are a bit sticky."
"... Shall I compensate you with new shoes?"
Jing Yu's eyes fell on the popcorn in the seat next to him, and he pondered, "If you want to express your apology, you could buy me a drink when we leave."
Tang Shu was somewhat slow to react. In the morning, her "invited" shoes had a drink, and she was doing it again in the afternoon—what kind of logic was that?
However, she was still willing to apologize in such a way.
"Alright."
She agreed readily.
The movies being shown that October were lively, perhaps due to the big National Day release, and even mid-month, the screenings were still packed.
Art films, foreign blockbusters, domestic comedy films—one after another, enough to entertain someone bored from midnight till the next midnight.
By the time this comedy film ended, it was already five-thirty in the afternoon.
The two of them went to the cinema's lounge area side by side, and Tang Shu looked straight at the counter where the popcorn was sold, asking the person beside her.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Coke," Jing Yu blurted out without thinking.
Then he added two words, "Large one."
Tang Shu nodded and soon bought two Cokes from the counter, one large and one medium.
"Dear customer, please help yourself to a straw."
Following the cashier's suggestion, she laid her eyes on the colorful assortment of straws before her, with a look of curiosity.
With a mind to try everything once, she took one straw from each of the two different containers and left.
As she turned to leave, the cashier watched her back with a teasing and meaningful look.
The waiting area.
Jing Yu had finished a phone call, and now had a Coke and a straw in front of him.
"Thank you."
He took the drink, and unintentionally looking up, he noticed Tang Shu inserting the couple's double straw into the medium-sized Coke in front of her.
"..."
Normally composed, Jing Yu found his composure shaken by the sight before him.
Tang Shu, who was examining the purpose of the straws, caught a glimpse of his unusual gaze, "What's wrong?"
Her large eyes, clear with confusion, maybe because he had interrupted her train of thought, also seemed to hold a trace of bewilderment.
Three words unexpectedly popped into Jing Yu's head—kind of cute.
He confirmed her action was indeed out of curiosity and couldn't help but find it amusing, then he diverted the topic.
"Nothing, how are the medical herbs I bought for you last time?"
"Not bad. While they can't compare with the effectiveness of fresh herbs, the Processing Techniques were professional enough to ensure minimal loss of potency," she replied.
Tang Shu stopped focusing on experimenting with the two-headed straw and became eloquent when it came to the Poison Physician Technique.
While Jing Yu was not an expert in medical arts, he was well-informed. By the time they had finished their drinks, their conversation about the efficacy of medical herbs gradually came to an end.
As they were about to part, his deep eyes once again fell upon the couple's straw, and he let out a laugh.
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