I had been thinking that Valentine's Day was approaching, and films released during the Valentine's Day slot should be of decent quality.
Who would have thought that the entertainment industry in recent years has become increasingly shoddy.
Tian Tian forced herself to endure the discomfort for half an hour, but ultimately found it bland and tasteless, a waste of time, and left early.
Little did she know that today was just that unlucky, she had forgotten to check the almanac before going out.
Disinterested, she came down from the upper floor. Upon reaching the entrance of the mall, the sky began to drizzle.
Although spring rain is as precious as oil, moistening things silently, Tian Tian hadn't brought an umbrella. Coupled with watching a bad movie alone for another half hour, she simply couldn't appreciate it.
The mall entrance was crowded with people waiting for the rain to stop.
It's strange, isn't it, that even going to the mall nowadays requires competition.
Single people were few and far between; most were middle-aged couples, young families of three or four, or young couples.
She stood alone in the crowd, watching those around her being intimate and incredibly warm, which made her feel even more down.
Gritting her teeth, she decided to just dash out. She'd treat it as a moment of romance, getting caught in the spring rain and hailing a taxi by the roadside.
There was a rather large plaza in front of the mall, so it was quite a distance to the road.
Lifting the hem of her skirt and holding her bag, she plunged into the drizzle.
As fate would have it, the concrete ground, soaked by the rain, was slick and shiny. Her expensive cashmere-soled leather shoes stepped onto it, making for a truly slippery ride.
She hadn't taken five steps before her feet slipped. Before she could react, she fell face-first with a loud thud, right in front of everyone.
Since she was six years old, her life had been very well taken care of. She had never been in such a disheveled state, let alone fallen.
Today was comparable to the worst day of her 26 years of life.
Without looking back, she could hear bursts of laughter from behind her. Tian Tian was so embarrassed she wished she could punch a hole in the ground and disappear into it.
Her clothes were all wet, cold, and dirty. Her face was flushed with embarrassment, and she fought back the urge to cry as she got up from the ground, continuing forward with her head down.
Just as she took a few more steps, an umbrella was suddenly held over her head.
Looking up in surprise, she saw Chen Dongyang again.
He still had his laptop bag slung over his shoulder, holding a black umbrella, looking at her with a degree of concern.
"Are you alright?"
It was better not to run into acquaintances, but running into one made her feel even more embarrassed.
Tian Tian looked down at her skirt, the mud and water clinging to her upper body, and felt no gratitude for his sudden appearance.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
Chen Dongyang explained, "I just finished talking with a client. I saw it was raining, so I went in to buy an umbrella. Who knew that as soon as I came out, I saw you... Are you hurt?"
He saw her fall?
Tian Tian was so angry she almost ground her teeth to dust, "No, I'm not made of paper."
"It's so cold, and you're wearing such thin clothes."
As Chen Dongyang spoke, he handed her a small pack of tissues, indicating that there was water on her hair as well, "Wipe yourself."
Tian Tian didn't thank him. She walked along, wiping the water from her hair. The two of them had already reached the roadside.
There were many passing vehicles, but even more people waiting for taxis.
As a young lady from a wealthy family, she had always been chauffeured before. She had never used a ride-hailing app. She only knew such a thing existed, and this was the first time she was trying to figure it out.
"Do you know how to hail a taxi online?"
Chen Dongyang looked at her fair and tender hands, her latest expensive phone, her rosy cheeks, and her large, watery eyes, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Why couldn't a princess stay comfortably in her castle? Why did she have to experience the hardships of ordinary people?
"Don't bother hailing one. I've already hailed one. Let's share a ride."
"Share a ride? What does that mean?"
She didn't even know about ride-sharing; she truly was a pampered young lady.
"Sharing a ride means... never mind. I'll get you home safely, that's all."
The two of them stood by the roadside like other couples. After a few minutes, a white car with its hazard lights flashing approached.
Chen Dongyang confirmed the license plate number with his phone; it was the car he had called. He gently pushed Tian Tian's back.
"Let's go, get in."
The two of them sat in the back. Chen Dongyang closed his umbrella. The driver asked where they were going, and he asked Tian Tian first.
"I'll take you first. Tell me the address."
Tian Tian gave an address. As expected, it was a high-end affluent area.
The driver started the car.
Since they didn't know each other well, there wasn't much to talk about. After a period of awkward silence, Chen Dongyang placed his laptop bag on his lap and took out his laptop.
"The client had a few suggestions. Since I have inspiration now, I'll make the changes."
He was explaining his actions to Tian Tian.
But in Tian Tian's eyes, it was unnecessary.
Do whatever you want, what does it have to do with me?
Chen Dongyang was focused on drawing next to her, while she listlessly stared at the scenery outside the window.
After an unknown amount of time, her phone in her bag buzzed. She took it out to see a video call invitation from Jiang Nan Fang.
She didn't want to answer.
Not to mention that she wasn't home yet at this hour, which would worry Jiang Nan Fang. Moreover, there was a stranger sitting next to her, and she herself was dirty.
But her parents were really persistent. After calling once and seeing she didn't answer, Zhan Bei Jue called again.
Fearing something might be wrong, Tian Tian had no choice but to answer, holding the screen only towards herself.
"Daddy, what's up?"
Zhan Bei Jue had his arm around Jiang Nan Fang, and both their heads were close to the camera.
"You worked so late yesterday, and Mommy and I were worried about you going out to live on your own, not eating properly after work, and not sleeping on time. So today we specifically made your favorite meal and brought it over. Why aren't you home?"
Jiang Nan Fang said, "We've been waiting for over half an hour, are you still at the company?"
So that was it.
Tian Tian said, "I'm not at the company, I'm on my way back. Aren't I in the car?"
"Why do you always get off work so late? Is the company busy, or are you hitting a bottleneck at work? Mommy told you, no matter what you encounter..."
Tian Tian didn't want the people around her to overhear her private life too much, so she interrupted Jiang Nan Fang and said,
"Okay, okay, I got it. I'll get off work on time tomorrow and go home. I have to go now."
Just as she was about to hang up, Jiang Nan Fang stopped her.
"Don't hang up yet. Don't you drive yourself to and from work? Why isn't this your car? Who's driving? Who are you with?"
Tian Tian knew she couldn't hide it from her, but she didn't want to reveal too much, so she tilted the camera towards Chen Dongyang's computer screen.
"I'm with a colleague. There are details in a drawing that need to be changed, and we're discussing it. This is his car, and we'll be there very soon. I'll call you back when I get home."
Seeing her precious daughter still busy with work so late, and with a colleague present, Jiang Nan Fang couldn't say much more.
She could only give a few more reminders, telling her to eat well when she got home, and then she and Zhan Bei Jue left first.
After all, there were two younger ones at home to look after.
After hanging up the phone, Tian Tian breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to apologize for her rude action of pointing the camera at his computer, Chen Dongyang's phone rang again.
The two exchanged a look. He answered the call, and Tian Tian turned her head towards the window.