Friend(GL) 136

Chapter 136: Movie

You Ruxu felt increasingly helpless against Zhou Tianzui. Before, it was due to guilt, now it was due to love. She even thought Zhou Tianzui could be even more daring. It was different from the guilt, now it was sweet, a blissful happiness.

A happiness she had never dared to imagine.

Zhou Tianzui, having completed her “verification,” was about to sit back when You Ruxu grabbed her collar. Zhou Tianzui, slightly surprised, was pulled close, You Ruxu kissing her with her eyes closed.

A much longer kiss than before.

A much gentler kiss.

You Ruxu’s slightly flushed cheek pressed against Zhou Tianzui’s, her warm breath tickling her skin. Zhou Tianzui chuckled, amused, “A Ran, are you shy?”

“No.” You Ruxu retorted.

Zhou Tianzui teased, “Still lying.”

Then with a playful gasp, “Let’s verify that again.”

She pulled You Ruxu close and kissed her for a long time, their childish game continuing in the car, kissing after every few sentences, until You Ruxu, tired of her teasing, heard Zhou Tianzui ask, “Where do you want to have dinner?”

You Ruxu said, “Where do you want to go?”

“How about the food street?” They hadn’t had a proper lunch, just a quick bite, and wanted to try something new for dinner. You Ruxu nodded, “Are you driving?”

Zhou Tianzui didn’t object. They got out of the car and switched seats. You Ruxu asked Han Shuang for recommendations on the food street, and Han Shuang listed a few popular online spots. You Ruxu chose a Western restaurant.

They rarely went to such places, perhaps once a month back in Jindu, so they wanted to try something new here. Zhou Tianzui got out of the car with You Ruxu. Popular restaurants were always crowded. Seeing the long queue, You Ruxu said, “Should we try somewhere else?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “Let’s just eat here.”

You Ruxu said, “I thought you didn’t like waiting in lines.”

“I don’t.” Zhou Tianzui said, “But I want to experience everything with you.”

Even something as mundane as waiting in line, she enjoyed it.

Their time together had been so short, looking back at the past three years, most of their memories were confined to that small apartment, no dates, no movies, no shopping trips, they were trapped in a cycle of emotions, every expression of affection a burden, and now, she wanted to experience all the things they had missed.

You Ruxu looked at Zhou Tianzui and nodded, “Okay, let’s wait then.”

“Want to watch a movie after dinner?” Zhou Tianzui suggested. You Ruxu hesitated, “I still have to write my daily report.”

Zhou Tianzui nodded, not saying anything.

You Ruxu, looking at her, asked, “Are you unhappy?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “If I were unhappy, would you go to the movies with me?”

You Ruxu shook her head.

Zhou Tianzui chuckled, exasperated.

She wanted to pinch You Ruxu’s cheek, but with so many people around, she refrained, “I’m not unhappy.” She leaned closer to You Ruxu and whispered, “My wife works so hard to provide for me, why would I be unhappy?”

You Ruxu pursed her lips and glanced at her, a warm smile in Zhou Tianzui’s eyes, saying such embarrassing things so casually, You Ruxu really wanted to cover her mouth. Seeing You Ruxu’s silence, she called out, “Teacher You?”

You Ruxu moved slightly, putting some distance between them.

Zhou Tianzui softly called out, “A Ran.”

You Ruxu turned, the overhead light casting a soft glow on Zhou Tianzui’s face, making her look beautiful.

She couldn’t help but smile, her head lowering slightly.

Zhou Tianzui, seizing the opportunity, leaned closer, “A Ran.”

You Ruxu: “Mm-hmm.”

Zhou Tianzui, hearing her soft reply, suddenly wanted to hold her close.

A strong, sudden urge, like an arrow about to be released, she couldn’t contain it, she reached out, but the bustling crowd brought her back to reality, and she curled her fingers. Her hand was held.

Zhou Tianzui looked at You Ruxu, surprised.

You Ruxu held her hand, her gaze calm and deep, like a still pool.

You Ruxu was always reserved in public, maintaining a proper distance, so during their three years in Jindu, no one had suspected their relationship. Zhou Tianzui thought she was used to it, although there were still moments of disappointment, but she understood You Ruxu, so she would always suppress those feelings. But now—looking down at You Ruxu’s hand holding hers, then at You Ruxu herself.

Those suppressed feelings, transformed into a sweet warmth, overwhelmed her.

Zhou Tianzui’s heart raced, her palm sweating slightly in You Ruxu’s hand, they stood side by side, not looking at each other, their hands clasped tightly, a silent understanding. Zhou Tianzui’s voice was low, a slight tremor, “A Ran, should we just go?”

You Ruxu looked at Zhou Tianzui, seeing the desire burning in her eyes, a warmth spreading through her, her throat tightening. Just then, her phone rang. She reached for it, but Zhou Tianzui didn’t release her hand, You Ruxu chuckled, “I need to answer this.”

Zhou Tianzui said, “Am I bothering you?”

You Ruxu glared at her and pulled her hand away to answer the call, it was an unknown number, she looked at it for a couple of seconds, then answered, “Hello?”

The voice on the other end was an older woman, a voice You Ruxu found familiar, “Hello, is this You Ruxu?”

You Ruxu replied, “Yes, speaking, may I ask who’s calling?”

“This is Ji Changan, team leader of the Criminal Investigation Department.” You Ruxu remembered, her first group meeting at the station, Ji Changan had chaired it. She glanced at Zhou Tianzui, hearing Ji Changan ask, “Is this a good time to talk?”

You Ruxu said, “One moment, please.”

She said to Zhou Tianzui, “I need to take this call.”

Zhou Tianzui nodded, watching her go, then continued waiting in line.

You Ruxu stepped out of the restaurant, finding a quiet spot, and stood in the wind, listening to Ji Changan say, “You’re familiar with the fishing boat cases, aren’t you?”

She said, “I am.”

“Then are you aware that Yuhai is just one of their locations?”

You Ruxu didn’t know this, she didn’t have access to such information, although she was close with Captain Zhou, she couldn’t just ask for classified information for a news story, “I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Their main base isn’t in Yuhai.” Ji Changan finished, and You Ruxu understood, “It’s in Jindu.”

There would be no other reason for him to call her otherwise.

Ji Changan was slightly surprised, You Ruxu was more perceptive than he thought.

He quickly recovered and said, “Yes, we’re sending an undercover reporter, but she’s not familiar with Jindu, she needs an assistant, you’ve been in Jindu for three years, I thought you might be suitable.”

Not only had You Ruxu spent three years in Jindu, she was also familiar with the suspect. She had helped uncover their baby trafficking ring back then, if their main base really was in Jindu, it might even be connected to the case from four years ago.

Ji Changan continued, “Of course, this isn’t a mandatory assignment, you have a choice, and our department, you know, it’s a high-risk job.” It wasn’t an exaggeration, during You Ruxu’s first meeting at the station, Ji Changan had emphasized the dangers involved. She remembered two reporters from the current affairs department wanting to transfer to the Criminal Investigation Department, and after a long explanation, Ji Changan had asked them to think it over.

You Ruxu had been present at that meeting, she remembered clearly.

Ji Changan said, “I’ll wait for your answer tomorrow.”

You Ruxu said, “Okay.”

Ji Changan hung up. You Ruxu, through the glass, looked towards Zhou Tianzui, who had reached the front of the line, her table by the window. Seeing You Ruxu look over, Zhou Tianzui smiled, and You Ruxu, gripping her phone, smiled back.

She returned to the restaurant.

“Have you ordered?” You Ruxu asked, sitting down opposite Zhou Tianzui, putting away her phone. Zhou Tianzui said, “I ordered two set C meals, is there anything else you want?”

You Ruxu looked at the menu, “That should be enough.”

Zhou Tianzui asked, “What do you want to drink?”

You Ruxu ordered two fruit juices, hearing Zhou Tianzui ask, “A colleague?”

“Yes.” She looked up at Zhou Tianzui, paused for two seconds, then said, “Let’s watch a movie after dinner.”

Zhou Tianzui, puzzled, “What about your work?”

“I can work in the car later.” You Ruxu said, “I’ve almost finished organizing the information from this afternoon.”

Zhou Tianzui, curious, “What made you change your mind?”

You Ruxu pretended to be capricious, “I want to, is that a problem?”

Zhou Tianzui smiled, “No problem at all.”

You Ruxu, her head lowered, took a sip of water, hearing Zhou Tianzui ask, “Should I book the tickets then?”

You Ruxu looked at Zhou Tianzui’s phone on the table, her gaze fixed on the screen, her expression serious, the light reflecting in her eyes, Zhou Tianzui watched her, and heard You Ruxu say, “Let’s watch a later one? The ten o’clock show?”

Zhou Tianzui returned to her senses, “Ten o’clock? What time will it end?”

You Ruxu said, “11:40, is that too late?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “Is there a nine o’clock show?”

You Ruxu scrolled down, “There’s a horror movie, at nine.”

Zhou Tianzui said, “Let’s watch that then.”

You Ruxu asked, “You like horror movies?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “I like cuddling with you.”

You Ruxu: …

She looked up at Zhou Tianzui, the screen’s light reflecting in her eyes, making them sparkle, Zhou Tianzui, seeing her expression, “I don’t want to watch a movie anymore.”

You Ruxu said, “We are watching a movie.”

She was truly being capricious now. Zhou Tianzui nodded, “Okay.”

They booked tickets for the nine o’clock show. You Ruxu worked in the car. Zhou Tianzui, worried about her eyes, took her to a convenience store. She sat beside You Ruxu, listening to the clicking of the keyboard, the quiet comfortable. She watched You Ruxu work, snapping a few photos with her phone. You Ruxu asked, “What are you doing?”

“Taking photos.” Zhou Tianzui said, “To look at when I’m back in Jindu.”

You Ruxu was silent.

Before getting back together, they hadn’t considered the distance, now that she thought about it, it had been impulsive and reckless, there were still many problems between them, even if the family issue was resolved, there was still the distance.

Her typing paused, her gaze fixed on the screen.

A voice beside her, “A Ran.”

You Ruxu turned, Zhou Tianzui was looking at the photos on her phone, her expression gentle. She said, “I don’t care about the distance,” then turning to You Ruxu, as if knowing what she was thinking, she added reassuringly, “I only care about, whether it’s you.”

I don’t care about the distance, I only care about, whether it’s you.

You Ruxu’s eyes reddened slightly, Zhou Tianzui’s image blurring, she blinked, and Zhou Tianzui gently wiped away the tears, her eyes clear and captivating, her voice soft and almost pleading, “A Ran, I really don’t want to watch a movie anymore.”

You Ruxu, seeing through her, couldn’t help but laugh.

Zhou Tianzui: I don’t want to watch a movie.
You Ruxu: Yes, you do.