Global Film Emperor

Chapter 551

Not knowing who it was, she stepped back slightly, closer to the door of the shop next door, her face somewhat flustered. Perhaps she would have preferred to hear the sound of splashing water without stopping rather than stopping her steps. Only when she heard the voice of the person approaching did she breathe a genuine sigh of relief, like a child who had been put at ease.

"Didn't we say not to go out tonight? And it's raining so hard."

Her unease lessened considerably, but her emotions did not calm down. Instead, she gripped the umbrella handle even tighter. Lu Ze could clearly see the muscles in her hands clench. She lowered her head slightly, then suddenly remembered something, hurriedly stretched the umbrella forward, bumping it against Lu Ze's forehead. She then quickly withdrew her hand in fright.

The umbrella ribs almost poked his eyes. The raindrops finished their exchange, sliding down from between his brows and lingering on Lu Ze's long eyelashes, causing a slight itch. He could only raise his sleeve and rub it haphazardly, then smiled silently at the little quail in front of him.

"Sorry……"

"It's okay, I'll open the door first."

The shutter door had been unplugged when he left last time. He squatted down to unlock it, but then felt the rain disappear. He looked back at her and saw that she was standing at a certain distance, bending over and trying to hand the umbrella to him. Lu Ze didn't say anything, but quickened his pace. After a rustling sound, he went inside and turned on the light.

A thin layer of dust was visible, and the rainwater on her shoes churned into mud inside the house. Lu Ze didn't care. She, however, stomped her feet hard before entering, put her umbrella away outside the door, hesitated before walking in, and stood at the door without moving.

He grabbed some tissues and rubbed his head haphazardly, then handed the tissues back to her. He didn't waste the already wet tissues; he used them to wipe the dust off the stool, but instead of moving them in front of her, he deliberately made some noise at the table.

"sit down."

She was about to say something, but then quickly stopped. Her steps were slow but firm, one step at a time, without any hesitation. She easily gripped the back of the chair and sat down, which was her usual spot. She gently placed her small burlap bag across her shoulder on the table, and then sat quietly, though her face looked somewhat preoccupied.

He turned on the tap to let the water run, said something to her, then picked up an umbrella from the store and went out to buy some more. A few minutes later, he returned, boiled some water, washed the cup, soaked two pieces of Banlangen (a traditional Chinese medicine), sat down opposite her, and handed the cup to her.

There was no music playing, no conversation, only the clear sound of wind and rain. She held the cup with her hands crossed to warm her cold fingers, while Lu Ze crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and elegantly sipped the hot water.

Only the wall lamp above their heads was on in the room. The floor-to-ceiling window reflected both of them in the room and the neon lights outside. A light rain fell, tracing the path of the water droplets that had flowed earlier.

This scene would be perfect for filming a breakup scene between the male and female leads; it would be a classic among classics. However, compared to her immersive performance, Lu Ze's habit of blowing on the hot water and then slurping a small sip, along with the mischievous glint in his eyes, made it seem to others that this renowned actor was somewhat out of character.

Seemingly sensing that Lu Ze's gaze was fixed on her, a faint blush gradually crept onto her fair cheeks. The heat on her face made her lower her head even further, and it also caused the faint smile on Lu Ze's lips to widen.

"Why don't you speak?"

Instead of guiding her to relax with words, he tried to get her to start a conversation, which was undoubtedly making things difficult for her. Lu Ze was indeed quite wicked. He was always like this. When communicating with outsiders, he was always polite and friendly. His language never made people feel pressured. Instead, it was as gentle as a breeze. His considerate and appropriate praise, as well as his handsome and harmless face, would quickly make people feel good and trust him.

However, this is a gentle trap. Most young people, or those who find it difficult to relax and see themselves as inferior to Lu Ze, will inevitably reveal their true thoughts to some extent during their conversations with him. Some even more naive people will reveal all their secrets. For example, many elderly people will start chatting about their family matters within a few tens of minutes, allowing Lu Ze to easily understand their family structure and social connections. This is without Lu Ze deliberately guiding them. If someone wants to deliberately trap you with words, even a reserved and intelligent person should be wary.

However, Lu Ze's tone changes considerably when he is with people close to him, including his parents. Everyone knows that Lu Ze has a sharp tongue. If he wants to tease you, he will quickly transform into a stress monster and can break down your defenses with just a few words, making you both angry and amused. This is the most obvious manifestation of Lu Ze when he is relaxed.

She froze, already nervous, and didn't know what to say. She stammered out a nonsensical sentence: "Uh... I, I wanted to say... I haven't thought of anything."

At this moment, saying "It's okay, think about it slowly" would be the perfect solution, but she couldn't resist teasing him, and Lu Ze didn't want to continue teasing her. He put away his mischievousness and said, "It's quite dangerous to go out at night, especially with the rain. I'm not leaving until tomorrow afternoon."

She still didn't look up; her soft hair obscured her facial features. She simply pushed aside the water glass, then gently picked up the small burlap bag she always carried, took out a thermal bag, and unwrapped it. Inside was an old-fashioned aluminum lunchbox wrapped in a clean white towel.

"I heard... the food on the train is expensive and not very good, I... I'm afraid you'll be hungry."

The old lunchbox, with its handle that could be flipped over to act as a clip, was difficult to close tightly, and some oil inevitably leaked out. It was then absorbed by a white towel, leaving patches of pale yellow oil stains on the surface. Lu Ze's smile faded, and after a moment of silence, he managed a slight smile before opening the lunchbox.

"I'm really hungry. Stir-fried pork slices, your school cafeteria makes them so good."

The rice was still warm, and the aroma lingered even when he got close. Lu Ze picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He didn't know if it was because he hadn't eaten anything oily for too long, or if the pork was just good, but even though it had been sitting for a while and was a bit soggy, it still tasted especially delicious.

"The school children love to eat it too. This year, there is much more social assistance than in previous years, so the cafeteria always makes it."

"Really? That's great!"

"Yes, the school replaced all the desks with new ones this year, and also equipped every classroom with a computer. This year, a child was very sick, and his parents didn't have the money to treat him, so they kept putting it off. They thought there was no hope, but unexpectedly, the principal made a phone call and someone donated money."

How is the child now?

"I can walk now, I'm much better."

Her world was small, only the size of her school and a few streets nearby. She only heard about many things from others, which made her always hesitant to speak and lack the courage to verify the truth with Lu Ze. However, when she hesitated, she always made the choice to believe what she heard.

Until something happened in her world, and she actually participated in it, her words suddenly became more real. And the reality gave her a little courage that had been hidden in her heart for many years. Perhaps when talking about topics "outside the world", she would still become that timid self, but at this time she did not realize that her transformation was huge.

This is what Lu Ze hoped to see; he hoped she would speak firmly, because firm belief is contagious.

Her speech gradually became more fluent, and she was able to offer some answers to Lu Ze's questions. Lu Ze ate his rice; if it were any other meal, the inner turmoil afterward would have kept him awake for two days, but this time…

It smells really good.

So... this money was well spent, right?
"..."

I really want to eat braised pork slices.



(End of this chapter)