1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Chapter 170 An Awkward Movie-Watching Experience (Part 2)

In front of the Xidan Dahua Cinema, the afternoon sun, carrying the dryness and warmth unique to Beijing, cascaded down onto the bluestone steps.

The air was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly baked sweet potatoes, the smell of fried noodles from roadside stalls, and the faint exhaust fumes from buses in the distance.

The entrance was packed with people, all dressed in fashionable young people.

After Li Wan jumped off the bus, she clung tightly to Dong Jianguo's arm, as if afraid he would run away if she let go.

"Shall we go inside?"

Li Wan looked up at him, her big eyes sparkling, full of light.

At this moment, her face was filled with a happy smile.

Dong Jianguo nodded reluctantly.

Since we're already here, we might as well make the best of it. At worst, we can find an opportunity to talk things out with her after the movie and put an end to her hopes.

But can I still bring myself to do it?

Upon arriving at the cinema entrance, Li Wan immediately spotted Shang Chunyan waiting there somewhat impatiently.

"Spring Swallow!"

She cheered and dashed towards her roommate like a swallow in flight.

He snatched the two tickets he had been longing for directly from her hand.

"Hey, Wanwan, all you care about are Chunyan and movie tickets, don't you see any other classmates from your training program?!"

Hearing someone call her name, Li Wan looked up and saw that several of her classmates who had participated in the training at the State Administration for Industry and Commerce were standing behind Chunyan.

"Oh, what brings you guys here too? Going to the movies?!"

The group chuckled: "Watching a movie is nothing compared to watching a real person. We just want to see what kind of guy can make the top beauty of the training class so infatuated."

As they spoke, the group turned their gazes toward Dong Jianguo, scrutinizing him carefully from head to toe.

Dong Jianguo smiled and waved to everyone.

It must be said that Dong Jianguo is indeed quite capable.

Xiao Liming from the Fine Textile Factory is not just a name without substance.

He is over 180 cm tall, has a handsome face, and possesses a composed demeanor that he developed after becoming a factory manager.

Standing in the light, it's as if I can glow.

Standing next to Shang Chunyan was a man of similar build to Dong Jianguo.

The man was dressed in a sharp dark blue suit, his hair was slicked back, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses. He exuded an air of sophistication.

Unlike the curious stares of others, his gaze carried a hint of hostility.

Not only that, he took the initiative to walk up to Dong Jianguo and extend his hand to him: "Dong Jianguo, you are the factory director of Hezhiwei Food Factory, right? My name is Zhang Shuai, I am from Beijing, and I am currently a civil servant of the Beijing Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce. I am a colleague of Wanwan who participated in the training at the same time."

"I've heard a lot about you from my classmates, but seeing you in person is truly an eye-opener."

"Hello there."

Dong Jianguo shook hands with him.

Just as I was about to pull my hand away, I felt a force much stronger than a normal handshake.

Ok?

Dong Jianguo frowned slightly.

Look at the other person.

Zhang Shuai also had a smile on his face, but it was tinged with a hint of provocation.

"Zhang Shuai, right?" Dong Jianguo's lips curled into a faint smile, neither obsequious nor impolite.

He did not break free immediately, nor did he retaliate immediately, but instead allowed Zhang Shuai to exert pressure.

Slightly close your five fingers and exert force from your palm.

This is not a contest of brute force, but a test of skill and endurance.

Zhang Shuai's smile began to falter.

He thought that with his status as a civil servant and the strength he had specially trained, he could show off his skills in front of this "nouveau riche" and let Li Wan see who the real man was.

But he didn't expect that Dong Jianguo's palm was like a red-hot iron, steady and heavy.

As Dong Jianguo's knuckles slowly tightened, Zhang Shuai felt a tingling, numb pain emanating from between his bones.

"hiss"

A piercing pain shot from his palm straight to the top of his head, and Zhang Shuai's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, with fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

But he was too proud to lose face in front of Li Wan, so he could only grit his teeth and squeeze out a muffled groan.

"Jianguo, what's going on between you two—" Li Wan finally realized something was wrong. She looked at their tightly clasped hands and then at Zhang Shuai's distorted expression, and asked with some concern.

"Oh, it's nothing." Dong Jianguo seemed to just realize what was happening, and he smiled as he released his grip. "Zhang Shao and I hit it off immediately, and we're just catching up right now. Zhang Shao's grip strength—you can tell he's an elite within the system, honed from serving the people!"

As he spoke, he flipped his wrist and released his grip.

Zhang Shuai took a step back and kept swinging his hands behind his back.

Shang Chunyan couldn't help but lean closer: "Zhang Shuai, what's wrong? Have you been working too hard lately and aren't you feeling well? Your face looks pale—"

'

"I'm fine—I just didn't expect that Factory Director Dong Jianguo would be so strong just from shaking hands."

Upon hearing this, Shang Chunyan suddenly realized what was going on, and then whispered a reminder to him, "Forget it, don't take it to heart. I saw him fighting with someone on the train to Beijing, a really tough guy."

There are four of them!

"I don't know what's wrong with Li Wan, she actually likes this kind of boorish man—"

Zhang Shuai was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but when he looked at Dong Jianguo again, his eyes became even colder.

"What's wrong?"

Dong Jianguo spread his hands innocently, then turned to Li Wan: "Li Wan, the movie is about to start, shall we go in first? Or—do you have something to discuss with your colleague?"

"It's okay, oh, wait a minute."

As she spoke, Li Wan jogged towards the stall next to the movie theater.

When I returned, I had two bottles of Arctic Ocean soda and a box of popcorn in my hands.

Because I was running quite fast, my bangs were damp with sweat.

Seeing her busy running around, Zhang Shuai couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and his hatred for Dong Jianguo instantly intensified.

"Jianguo, let's go inside quickly!"

"it is good"

As Dong Jianguo spoke, he took the soda and waved to everyone, saying, "Goodbye, comrades!"

It wasn't until the two disappeared through the ticket gate that Li Wan's colleagues started talking about the couple.

"Goodness gracious, did you guys see the way Li Wan looked at that kid?! She was practically drooling! Tsk tsk!"

"I bought soda for Li Wan before, but she refused it. I thought she didn't like soda, but it turns out she just didn't like drinking soda with me."

"Dong Jianguo is really lucky—but he's not bad either, young and handsome, and I heard he makes a lot of money running a factory—"

It's a case of the man being wealthy and the woman being beautiful.

"Alright, alright, stop looking! Didn't Zhang Shuai say he was going to take us out to play today?! Ugh, where's Zhang Shuai?!"

"Yeah, where's Zhang Shuai?!"

True Lies was an absolute top-tier blockbuster at the time.

The screening room, which can accommodate a large audience, is 70-80% full.

Except for a few corner pieces in really bad locations, the other areas were already full of people.

"I never expected so many people to come to the movies today," Li Wan said excitedly in a low voice, her fingers tightly gripping Dong Jianguo's arm, as if afraid of getting separated in the dim light.

"Li Wan, just find your seat according to your ticket, you don't need to hold on so tightly—"

"Oh dear, it's so dark here—what if we get separated?"

Dong Jianguo sighed and had no choice but to let her have her way.

What he didn't see was that Li Wan, in the darkness, smiled secretly as if her scheme had succeeded, and then held him even tighter.

His and Li Wan's seats were in the eighth row, near the aisle, with a perfect view.

The lights suddenly went out, plunging the entire venue into darkness.

Aside from some latecomers rushing to their seats and affecting the experience, the overall feeling was quite good.

The giant screen lit up, music started, and the movie began.

As Arnold, clad in a diving suit, climbed out of the water, the audience was quickly drawn into the tense and exciting spy mission.

The audience frequently erupted in gasps and cheers as the plot unfolded.

The plot is fast-paced, with gunfights, explosions, and stunts unfolding one after another, keeping the audience glued to the screen and eliciting gasps of surprise from time to time.

However, for Dong Jianguo, this was an ordeal.

In the movie, Schwarzenegger plays Agent Harry, who, due to his long-term secret missions, is unable to reveal his true identity to his wife, leading to a deep rift between the couple and even the crisis of the "seven-year itch."

On screen, Harry's wife Helen meets a charming antique dealer named Albert at a dinner party.

Abbott pursued her relentlessly, taking her to fly planes and parties, letting her experience long-lost romance and passion.

Harry could only watch helplessly, unable to express his frustration.

"Helen is so foolish! Giving up such a good husband, she actually wants to elope with that liar?"

"Exactly, I don't think that Abbott is a good person; he has shifty eyes!"

The surrounding audience members were whispering among themselves.

Dong Jianguo sat in his seat, but his body was somewhat stiff.

The plot on screen was like a scalpel, precisely dissecting the deepest, most hidden corners of his heart.

The seven-year itch?

Although he and Xiuyun haven't been together for seven years yet, during his time in the capital, especially these last two days, his thoughts seem to have already wandered far beyond what he could think of.

Everything was in that little family.

He had too many secrets he couldn't tell Xiuyun, and too many plans he couldn't let her know.

And what about Li Wan?

She was like Abbott in the movie, entering his life with an irresistible allure.

This feeling made him feel both guilty and—for some inexplicable distraction.

Just then, he felt a slight movement beside him.

Li Wan seemed startled by the tense atmosphere in the movie; her body trembled slightly. Then, she quietly and tentatively approached.

At first, it was just a light touch between their shoulders.

Seeing that Dong Jianguo did not resist, she seemed to become bolder. She slowly leaned towards him, and finally, her head gently rested on his shoulder.

Dong Jianguo's body froze instantly.

Li Wan's hair exuded a faint scent of shampoo, mixed with her unique body fragrance, which entered his nostrils.

It was a scent that made his heart race and his mouth dry.

In the darkness, Li Wan's cheeks were flushed. She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, as if she were enjoying this moment of tranquility and comfort.

She moved closer and closer, her warm breath gently brushing against Dong Jianguo's neck, sending a shiver down his spine.

Dong Jianguo gripped the soda bottle tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He tried to push her away, his reason screaming "danger!" but his body was frozen in place, unable to move.

He could even feel Li Wan's full breasts brushing against his arm with each breath.

This forbidden, guilt-ridden contact caused his hormones to surge uncontrollably.

He dared not move, and could only stare intently at the screen, watching Schwarzenegger fly his plane between buildings, trying to use the sound of explosions to cover up his thunderous heartbeat.

If Dong Jianguo and Li Wan's situation was like springtime blossoming amidst undercurrents, then Zhang Shuai, who bought a ticket to enter the theater as soon as the movie started, was currently in hell, burning with flames.

Zhang Shuai sat in the darkness, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Although he was looking at the screen, he kept his eyes glued to Dong Jianguo and Li Wan in the back row.

He watched as Li Wan leaned on Dong Jianguo's shoulder.

He watched Dong Jianguo's wicked hand with his own eyes. Although he did not take the initiative to hug Li Wan, he did not push her away either!

He even saw Dong Jianguo's arm slightly raised, as if he wanted to wrap his arms around Li Wan, but then stopped in mid-air and finally just stiffly placed on the armrest.

"asshole!"

Zhang Shuai cursed wildly in his heart.

He felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger.

Li Wan is his! She's the woman Zhang Shuai has his eye on!

When did it become the turn of some country bumpkin from out of town to be hugging and cuddling here?!

He imagined himself sitting in Dong Jianguo's seat, imagined Li Wan leaning in his arms, and imagined himself openly embracing her slender waist.

But the reality is that he can only sit here like a fool, watching others show off their love.

In the film, Arnold's portrayal of a powerless husband watching his wife fall into another man's arms resonated deeply with Zhang Shuai!

Damn it, how can we let heroes bleed and weep?

Don't foreign countries know how to protect military marriages?!

What the hell is this lousy movie?!

As the plot unfolds, Arnold successfully relinquishes his wife's extramarital affair partner, except for Ugly.

Viewers thought Arnold would severely punish his cheating wife, but to their surprise, the punishment was that his wife would perform a "sexy dance" for him.

In the movie, Arnold panics when he sees his once conservative wife dancing provocatively in sexy lingerie while embracing a man.

But the scene in the movie theater is completely different.

Audiences who had never seen such exciting scenes in a regular movie theater erupted in cheers and whistles.

Many male audience members let out rough laughter.

The female companions who were brought to the movie blushed in the darkness, but their eyes were fixed on the big screen as if they were glued to it, unwilling to look away.

Dong Jianguo could clearly feel that Li Wan's breathing had become much heavier.

"Um, Li Wan, if you feel offended, you don't have to look at it—"

Dong Jianguo also felt that this movie was indeed not suitable for people like him and Li Wan to watch.

However, the well-intentioned reminder did not receive the reward it deserved.

Li Wan gave a soft snort, but tightened her grip on Dong Jianguo's arm even more.

To Dong Jianguo's surprise, his arm seemed to be deeply embedded in her floral dress.

Unable to extricate myself —