Xia Qingtian recognized the person, and a faint smile bloomed on mobius's face.
Li Xiaoxiao glanced at Xia Qingtian, then at mobius. She patted Xia Qingtian's shoulder, giving her a look that said, "Don't worry, I understand everything." She then made an excuse to leave. Before she went, she subtly gave mobius a thumbs-up and winked when he wasn't looking, then, like a gust of wind, she grabbed her purchases and disappeared.
Watching Li Xiaoxiao like that, Xia Qingtian could only shake her head helplessly.
"Did I interrupt you?" mobius asked.
"No, I was just strolling around. What about you? Are you working here?" Xia Qingtian asked, looking at mobius.
"Yes, this mall is under the Gu Corporation. Mr. Gu... Mr. Gu wants the quarterly report for this mall, so I've come to get it," mobius replied.
"Don't you just need to click your mouse to send over a quarterly report?" Xia Qingtian had interned at Xia Corporation for a whole summer and knew a thing or two. "You still need to come in person?"
"In principle, yes. But... Mr. Gu asked me to do it, so there must be a reason," mobius smiled subtly.
He wasn't going to tell Xia Qingtian that there were problems with this mall's financial statements, and that there was something fishy going on with upper management, requiring him to handle it personally.
"Hmm... capitalists," Xia Qingtian narrowed her eyes, as if she understood something.
Seeing Xia Qingtian's deepening misunderstanding of "Mr. Gu," mobius wanted to explain. But then he heard hurried footsteps behind him.
The two senior executives he had just fired, along with several managers who had their salaries cut, were rushing towards him, out of breath, seemingly wanting to beg him.
There was nothing more to say about this matter. If these蛀虫 (zhu蟲 -蛀虫, i.e., parasites/vermin) weren't dealt with, this mall would not only go bankrupt in three years, but also mysteriously accumulate several massive debts. Although it wouldn't drag down the Gu Corporation, it would certainly cripple it for years.
Seeing these people again now, it was already his mercy that he hadn't made them disappear from this world entirely.
What else was there to beg for?
Moreover, Xia Qingtian was nearby. If they blurted out anything that exposed his identity, it would be of no benefit to him at all.
With this thought, mobius suddenly took Xia Qingtian's hand.
"?!" Xia Qingtian, whose hand was suddenly grabbed, didn't have time to react before mobius whispered in her ear, "Run!"
Xia Qingtian felt incredibly fortunate that it was the last day of military training, and she had changed into comfortable sports shoes at school before going out with Li Xiaoxiao.
Now, she ran nimbly, keeping pace with mobius without any pressure.
Her agile legs allowed her to feel the wind on her face again after a long time.
The two of them ran out of the mall and all the way to the fountain in the park near the shopping district before they finally stopped.
Panting heavily, Xia Qingtian supported herself with one hand on her knee, while her other hand was still held in mobius's palm.
At this moment, Xia Qingtian realized mobius's palm was very warm, just like the embrace that early morning.
She was momentarily lost in thought.
"Sorry," mobius followed Xia Qingtian's gaze to his hand, then let go and gave an awkward laugh. "It was a moment of urgency."
"Are you sure Mr. Gu just asked you to get the quarterly financial reports?" Xia Qingtian asked mobius.
If it was just for the report, why would they need to run like this?
"Actually, there was a small issue, but it's not convenient to talk about," mobius smiled apologetically.
"Capitalists, I understand," Xia Qingtian nodded with a knowing look.
Mobius felt that "Mr. Gu" in Xia Qingtian's mind was probably beyond redemption, and he felt a headache coming on.
This was not his intention at all.
But to explain rashly now would only seem like a cover-up. Mobius could only curve his lips into a strained smile.
This smile, in Xia Qingtian's eyes, took on another meaning.
It must be very hard for mobius to make a living under that business prodigy.
"Occasionally... exercising isn't bad," Xia Qingtian raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
"I'll treat you to ice cream," mobius pointed to a nearby ice cream stall with a pleasing pink and white color scheme.
"Sure," Xia Qingtian agreed heartily.
The two of them ordered two different scoops of ice cream. After eating, they fell silent.
As expected, one shouldn't have any expectations for ice cream stalls in parks.
"How's... yours?" mobius asked Xia Qingtian.
"Hmm... you probably don't come here often, do you?" Xia Qingtian didn't answer mobius's question directly, but instead asked him, "Is this your first time buying ice cream here?"
"Yes," mobius nodded. Normally, he didn't have to flee in such a disheveled manner, let alone treat a young girl to ice cream.
"Then you must have picked the worst flavor they have," Xia Qingtian looked at her ice cream with a complicated expression. "Mine is probably the second worst."
Mobius immediately recalled their first conversation at the coffee shop downstairs from Gu Corporation and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Xia Qingtian also smiled at his reaction.
With their laughter, the ice cream, which was rich with artificial flavors and sweeteners, didn't taste quite so bad.
After eating ice cream, mobius received a phone call and said goodbye to Xia Qingtian.
Xia Qingtian politely declined mobius's offer to drive her home and went straight to the city library.
Once in the car, mobius couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled the events in the park.
Looking at his hand again, the soft texture still lingered.
His monotonous life, mired in the repetitive days, seemed to have been disturbed by a thrown stone. The ripples it created brought infinite unknowns and surprises.
The future seemed to be veiled in a layer of mystery, giving him a sense of anticipation once more.
"Mr. Gu, you seem to be in a good mood?" his personal assistant sitting beside him asked.
"What is it?" mobius looked at him.
"Nothing, it's just... I don't think I've ever seen you smile like this," the assistant said.
"Is that so?" mobius responded with an inscrutable tone, then took out his phone and began discussing work matters with his assistant.
Seeing mobius return to his familiar self, the assistant immediately threw himself into his work. It was only when the car stopped in front of the company that he secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Xia Qingtian's contract signing needs to be advanced," mobius said.
"Wen Ning's flight returns today. She should be able to contact Miss Xia within two days at the latest," the assistant replied.
"Mm," mobius responded and got out of the car with his long strides.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingtian, who was at the library, received a text message. The sender claimed to be Wen Ning, an agent from Gu Corporation Entertainment, and informed her to meet at the Yuecheng Recording Studio in the New District at ten o'clock tomorrow morning.
Seeing this message, Xia Qingtian could hardly believe her eyes.
Wen Ning, actually contacting her personally!