23、
After the official internship date was confirmed, everyone surrounded Anning and solemnly lectured her:
“As the saying goes, insiders don’t speak outsider nonsense. During work hours, you must remain constantly alert for any suitable targets. Report developments immediately!”
Anning could only laugh helplessly. “I’ll try.”
Mao Mao, who had started working odd jobs at an art gallery last month for certain reasons, sighed emotionally:
“Recently I’ve only been meeting rich people, rich people everywhere! Or top-tier artists! It seriously feels like a freaking romance novel! But, but… I don’t dare make a move!”
Chaoyang: “Isn’t your entire purpose in life to hook a rich husband?! If you don’t dare act, what are you even alive for?”
Mao Mao: “Easy for you to say! Usually they come in groups!”
Anning: “Mm… anything appearing in giant groups is honestly pretty terrifying.”
Chaoyang: “Just follow them around constantly, make your existence impossible to ignore, then wait for one to stray from the pack…”
Qiangwei sighed dramatically. “How tragic! Just look at us — youthful, lively, cheerful girls — yet somehow we’ve reached twenty-four or twenty-five without boyfriends. Tragic!”
Mao Mao protested, “Who says I’ve never had one? Tons of guys chased me back in the day! It’s just that halfway through I encountered an极品 that traumatized my later years. He cornered me against a wall yelling, ‘Do you like me or not?!’ Then after I rejected him, he suddenly shouted, ‘Hand over your money!’”
“……”
Qiangwei: “…And thus was born the current you, who only dares fantasize but never strike?”
Mao Mao wailed, “I only wanted to play hard-to-get a little! Heavens!!”
Anning said calmly, “Mm… everything has a first time.”
“……”
That evening, Anning headed out as promised.
The restaurant she chose was downtown, recommended by Chaoyang, supposedly famous throughout X City for its unique flavors.
Mm, just to be safe, Anning brought plenty of money.
It took twenty minutes by taxi from the school’s front gate.
Originally she’d wanted to go together with him — save transportation money while appearing reasonable and proper — but Xu Moting hadn’t been on campus these past two days.
Very well.
Mm… what a pity.
Anning arrived half an hour early and selected a quiet seat.
But the moment she sat down, she began zoning out. Her earlier composure was gradually replaced by nervousness, and she suddenly wanted to flee before the battle even started…
But she was the one who invited him.
If she really ran away, she’d probably be executed tomorrow…
Right?
Twenty minutes later, Xu Moting pushed open the restaurant door.
His gaze wandered lazily around the room before landing on the person seated beside the window.
Hands sliding into his pockets, he slowly walked over.
When he reached her side, he couldn’t help sighing softly.
Pulling out the opposite chair, he sat down, his straight elegant back leaning leisurely against the chair. Clean fingers interlocked casually atop his lap as he looked at the girl asleep face-down on the table.
Li…
Anning.
To Xu Moting, if someone remained unforgettable after five or six years, then he might as well remember her for a lifetime.
Because he knew there would never be a second one.
In truth, Anning wasn’t fully asleep.
The moment she heard movement, she opened her eyes and saw the man sitting across from her.
All the psychological preparation she’d painstakingly done moments earlier instantly collapsed.
She raised her head and forced herself to sound calm.
“…Hi.”
“Didn’t sleep well last night?”
There seemed to be indulgence hidden in his tone.
“Mm… sometimes I get insomnia.”
Xu Moting seemed to recall something and looked at her calmly. “Never thought you’d suffer from insomnia too. Busy nightlife?”
Anning completely failed to notice anything strange in the question and answered pitifully, “I don’t want nighttime activities either…”
And hearing that, Xu Moting suddenly realized how absurd he’d become…
Now he slipped into these irrational jealous moods at the slightest provocation.
Raising a hand, he pressed his forehead and summoned the waiter to order.
“Mm… a few days ago I found my birth certificate while looking through some things. Turns out I was born at noon, and very likely exactly at high noon…”
Anning tried to start a conversation to improve the atmosphere.
Xu Moting raised an eyebrow slightly. “Mm?”
“…Heavy yang energy.”
The waiter standing nearby even turned to glance at her.
Xu Moting simply replied, “And?”
Anning: “High noon is when executions happen.”
Clatter.
The waiter’s pen fell onto the floor.
After hurriedly picking it up, he immediately fled.
Xu Moting merely responded:
“Mm.”
Anning: “……”
Then he laughed.
Lowering his head slightly, he asked softly, “How did you know today was my birthday?”
Anning let out a small “Ah,” uncertain whether her face had reddened.
“On the project资料… you filled it in too.”
Not wanting to stay trapped in awkwardness, she hurriedly tried to continue the conversation.
“October fifteenth. Then you should be a Libra.”
Xu Moting looked at her, lips curling faintly upward. “What about Libra?”
Anning: “According to astrology, your guardian deity is the God of Love… and my ruling planet is Venus.”
“And then?”
“Mm… in Christianity, Venus represents the Devil. The Devil and the God of Love… have you read Milton’s Paradise Lost?”
He simply smiled, so she continued:
“The child of the Devil and the God of Love is… the God of Death.”
Xu Moting: “Oh, sounds good. I have no objections.”
“Mm?” No objections to what?
“You said our future child would be the God of Death. Sounds pretty good.”
“……”
I never said that…
Also, when exactly had the conversation advanced to future children?!
At that moment two people approached. Only upon drawing close did they realize someone sat opposite Xu Moting.
“How rude of us, interrupting while a beauty’s present.”
One of them — a beautiful woman — raised a hand apologetically toward Moting.
Xu Moting turned and smiled upon seeing her. “Back already?”
“I’ve been back for over a month. You really are as indifferent as ever. No wonder Chengyu keeps complaining you ‘freeze’ her out.”
Unable to suppress her curiosity, the woman finally looked toward the person seated across from him.
“Since we’ve run into each other, won’t you introduce us?”
“Anning.”
Moting gestured toward the two standing figures.
“My colleagues from the Supervisory Office.”
The beauty clicked her tongue but still stepped forward warmly to shake hands with Anning.
“Su Jiahui. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh…”
At that moment Anning finally remembered who the man standing beside the beauty was.
The gentleman from yesterday’s movie theater.
Truly, coincidences happened everywhere.
The man already nodded toward her in greeting.
Jiahui burst out laughing at Anning’s little “Oh.”
“Girlfriend, right? Haha, a lot of girls in the Supervisory Office are probably going to be heartbroken.”
Xu Moting smiled without denying it.
Later, after the two left, Anning couldn’t help asking:
“Um… aren’t you going to explain?”
Her question was rather vague, but he understood perfectly.
“Explain what? Isn’t that simply the truth?”
“…………”
The entire dinner left Anning utterly dazed.
Later, when she went to the restroom, she happened to encounter Su Jiahui inside.
The woman chatted with her for a while.
“Moting’s hard to get close to, right?”
“…Not really.”
“When did you two start dating?”
“…Just now.”
When Anning came back out, Xu Moting was already waiting beside the counter, hands in his pockets, posture relaxed and elegant.
Distracted, Anning accidentally tripped on the carpet.
Fortunately Xu Moting reacted quickly and caught her.
Yet even while supporting her, he was already criticizing:
“Watch where you’re walking instead of looking everywhere.”
“It was the carpet…”
Her tone sounded utterly innocent.
Moting laughed softly and pulled a tissue from the counter.
“Dry your hands.”
“Oh…”
Watching the scene, Su Jiahui felt a faint bitterness in her heart.
Then Anning suddenly remembered something.
“You already paid?”
Xu Moting knew exactly what she was thinking and simply smiled.
“Next time. There’ll be plenty of chances.”
Mm…
When exactly would “next time” be?
And also—
Wasn’t he smiling way too much today?