Chapter 148: Watching a Movie

Wang Chunhua did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately agreed, "Alright!"

She realized she never should have made any excuses for that scoundrel in the past. She had once thought her understanding would make him turn over a new leaf, but instead, he had vanished even more thoroughly and even remarried.

"I will have someone bring you and your son over on Saturday afternoon. Until then, make sure you don't alert the enemy," Lu Yan cautioned.

Wang Chunhua could barely wait. "Is it very far? Why can't we go this afternoon?"

"On Wednesday, most people are at work; there wouldn't be enough idle people to watch the spectacle. If we do it then, the television station can broadcast it that same evening, and the newspapers will come out the next day, which is Sunday. That way, the impact will be much wider."

Wang Chunhua took a deep look at Lu Yan, surprised by how thorough his planning was. "Alright, I'll listen to you!" After saying this, she asked one more worried question: "Can you really get those people from the newspapers and television stations to come?"

"Yes," Lu Yan replied with certainty.

After the conversation, Shen Qingyi and Lu Yan did not stay any longer. Once they were outside, Lu Yan glanced at his watch. "Let's go see a movie."

"Okay!"

After walking for a while, Shen Qingyi asked him, "Are you doing this to force He Xiangcao out?"

"At this stage, it doesn't matter whether she comes out or not, as long as everyone turns their attention back to her. Wasn't she hailed by everyone as a 'new-age woman' who dares to stand up to power because of that professor's incident? Since that affair was such a big deal back then, let's let everyone re-examine what kind of character this 'new-age woman' actually possesses. Once that perception is challenged, people will inevitably start to doubt whether what she said back then was credible. Doubt is a powerful thing."

This trip to Wang Chunhua’s house was not in vain; it was truly an unexpected gain. Hearing Lu Yan’s analysis, Shen Qingyi said sincerely, "Thank you!"

"I don't want you to say thank you."

Shen Qingyi paused, looking up at him. The words, "What do you want from me?" came to her lips but she swallowed them back. She was beginning to understand Lu Yan a little; this man was not as conventional as he appeared on the surface.

"Since I don't need to thank you, then I'll keep you good company at the movie later."

A smile touched Lu Yan’s brows as he replied, "Agreed!"

His wife seemed to have become a bit sharper.

When they reached the entrance of the cinema, Shen Qingyi went ahead to buy the tickets. Since it was not the weekend, the theater was not crowded. She placed the tickets in Lu Yan’s hand. "I’m going to buy some peanuts, melon seeds, and soda."

Lu Yan took the tickets and smiled. "Go ahead."

When Shen Qingyi returned, she was holding two paper bags and two bottles of soda. Lu Yan took the sodas from her. "Let's go in."

At the ticket checkpoint, Lu Yan handed the two tickets to the attendant. As they were let through, the attendant couldn't help but take a second look at the pair; they were incredibly attractive—better looking than the lead actors on the screen, especially the man, whose posture was straight and tall.

After they entered, there were still five minutes before the film began. They found seats in the middle of a row. Once seated, Lu Yan drank one of the bottles of soda in one go. Shen Qingyi stared in astonishment. "Why did you drink it all?"

He placed the empty bottle under the seat and freed up a hand, taking the two paper bags from Shen Qingyi. "I can't carry this much with only two hands!"

Shen Qingyi: !!!

"I could have carried them," she said, truly failing to understand his logic.

"If you were holding them, how would you have hands free to shell the peanuts and seeds?"

Shen Qingyi: That seemed to make some sense.

She stopped talking and reached into one of the bags Lu Yan was holding, grabbing a handful of peanuts to slowly peel. She used the other bag to collect the shells, suddenly feeling that Lu Yan was quite farsighted.

The movie began, and the lights in the theater went out. Shen Qingyi watched the screen and ate a couple of peanuts, then, remembering Lu Yan had no hands, she fed him two as well. She shelled the peanuts and seeds and fed them to him one by one. Eating the snacks his wife fed him, Lu Yan found the movie becoming surprisingly interesting.

After a while, the intervals between her feedings grew longer. Lu Yan turned to look at his wife and discovered she was completely absorbed, even sniffing back tears.

On the screen, the heroine had been betrayed and abandoned, huddled alone in a corner with her head buried in her knees. The cold color palette, the cluttered background of the room, and the melancholic music made the scene appear quite tragic.

During the four years he was absent, his wife had likely suffered through similar experiences. He felt a pang of distress in his heart. Wanting to comfort her, he finally managed, "It's all acting; they're just trying to trick you into crying."

Shen Qingyi turned and glared at him. "I know that!"

What a buzzkill; this man clearly hadn't been watching carefully.

It was pitch black in the theater, and Lu Yan couldn't see her expression clearly, but he felt the tone of her voice and quickly shut his mouth. Only after that scene had passed did Shen Qingyi begin feeding him again.

When the movie ended, they left the theater. Lu Yan was still holding the half-finished bottle of soda Shen Qingyi had left. "Do you want more?"

Shen Qingyi reached out, took the soda from him, and, mimicking him, drank the remaining half in one go.

When they returned home, it was almost time for An'an to get out of school. Shen Qingyi went to pick him up. An'an complained, "Dad is on break, why didn't he come with you?"

Hearing this, Shen Qingyi didn't know what to feel, but she was deeply grateful for her decision to leave An'an with Lu Yan.

After An'an returned, he went straight to Lu Yan's room. Shen Qingyi went to her own room to start organizing her father’s manuscripts and materials. She packed all of her father's important belongings into a trunk and locked it.

At dinner, the family sat at the table, with An'an and Lu Yan chatting and laughing.

"Dad, I followed the principles you told me and modified that old robot into a four-wheel-drive car."

Lu Yan smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Dad will take a look later!"

Lu Caiqing clicked her tongue. "What a clever little rascal!"

An'an raised his small face, saying proudly, "It's all because Dad taught me. If I can modify it into a car that can transform, maybe I can make a lot of money like Dad, and then Mom won't have to worry about not having money to spend."

Hearing her son's words, Shen Qingyi felt a wave of tenderness. "Thank you, An'an. Actually, Mom doesn't like spending that much money. You're still young, just study hard and that's enough."

Lu Yan disagreed. "This doesn't conflict with studying hard, and it has nothing to do with age. As long as he likes it, we should support him. Besides, academic success isn't just about 'trying hard'."

Lu Caiqing chimed in with a smile, "That's true, that's true. My second brother never studied particularly hard when he was growing up because he had so much work to do after school and during breaks, yet his grades were always excellent."

Shen Qingyi did not refute this, but she was puzzled—after all, her father had always lectured her to study hard since she was a child.

At that moment, she heard Lu Caiqing say, "An'an is different from other children. 'Trying hard' is only advice for the average child."

Shen Qingyi: !!!