8: Chapter 8 Invitation and Acceptance

Lin Yu crossed his arms over his chest, his voice laced with a touch of playfulness and lethargy: "Whether it works or not depends on whether there's a reward, right? You can't expect me to work for nothing."

Director Chu Yao's face, which had just thawed from its icy state, froze for a moment. Her clear, bright almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, and her long eyelashes fluttered, like a startled butterfly about to take flight.

A few seconds later, a faint rosy hue dyed her cheeks, spreading all the way to her earlobes, and even her neck took on a delicate pink tint.

She didn't dodge, nor did she show any displeasure. Instead, she took a deep breath, looked up at Lin Yu, and even though her cheeks were burning, she spoke earnestly: "What reward do you want? As long as it's within my power, anything is fine."

Lin Yu lowered his eyes, feigning deep thought.

These few seconds of silence made Director Chu Yao's heart tighten. She watched Lin Yu nervously, her fingers unconsciously gripping the corner of her clothes, feeling a bit apprehensive, fearing that Lin Yu might make a request she couldn't fulfill.

Lin Yu slowly raised his head, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and said: "How about this? Tomorrow I'm going to a car show to look at cars for my dad. Come with me and help me check them out. Hey! Why are you blushing?"

Director Chu Yao breathed a sigh of relief: "Mind your own business. Is that all?"

"Yeah, what did you think? That I'd make things difficult for you? Of course! Though, it would be even better if we could go look at houses too."

Hearing Lin Yu talk about buying cars and houses, Director Chu Yao couldn't help but feel curious. They had been colleagues for two years, and although they hadn't talked much, she had never noticed him appearing like a wealthy person all this time!

Director Chu Yao thought this to herself but didn't hesitate at all, immediately nodding vigorously: "Okay, it's a deal. I have the whole day free; the blind date is in the evening."

"It's a deal. Let's connect on Green Bubble later." Lin Yu waved his hand with a smile.

The two stood at the small intersection, parted ways, and returned to their respective posts.

Ding! Director Chu Yao's Intimacy +10. Current Intimacy: 38.

Lin Yu paused for a moment, his lips curling slightly. The intimacy of this ice-cold beauty was truly hard to increase.

The afternoon's work was far busier than the morning's. By the time everything was sorted, it was 6:15 PM. Su Qingxue's message arrived right on time: "Lin Yu, are you off work yet?"

"Just finished. I'll wash my hands, change clothes, and I'll be ready to go. Where are we going?"

Su Qingxue replied quickly: "Do you want to eat buffet, hot pot, or barbecue tonight? You pick one, and I'll book the place!"

"Let's go with hot pot then."

"Alright! I'll book the Chaoshan Beef Hot Pot place at the intersection of Huaying Road and Zhongshan Road. Their freshly sliced beef is exceptionally delicious. I went there once with my grandmother before, and the taste is very authentic~"

"Okay, I'll head straight there."

The electric scooter's paint was peeling, and the handlebars were worn smooth; compared to the cars driven by his colleagues nearby, it looked exceptionally shabby. But Lin Yu didn't care at all. He straddled the scooter, twisted the throttle, and the rear wheel made a "creak, creak" sound as he rode toward Huaying Road. It looked like the bearing was broken?

Riding like the wind (at least that was Lin Yu's impression; in reality, it was only about 20 mph), the evening breeze brushed against his cheeks, blowing away the fatigue of the day.

When Lin Yu arrived at the entrance of the Chaoshan Beef Hot Pot restaurant, Su Qingxue was already waiting there.

At just one glance, Lin Yu's gaze involuntarily lingered on her.

The system rated Su Qingxue's appearance at 88 points; she was definitely a genuine beauty. The panic and haggardness from a few days ago had vanished. After carefully dressing up, she was even more beautiful, making it impossible to look away.

She was wearing a light beige dress that reached just to her knees, outlining her slender and well-proportioned figure, the hem of the dress swaying gently with the breeze.

Her long, jet-black hair draped over her shoulders, soft and shiny. With delicate bangs on her forehead, her small face looked even more refined—brows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn water, a small and pert nose, and lips of a faint pink. Even without makeup, she possessed a refined and otherworldly beauty.

Her skin was fair and delicate, glowing with a soft light under the evening lamps. Her temperament was quiet and gentle, like a white lotus blooming silently—clean and comfortable.

Compared to before, Su Qingxue was clearly much more cheerful now. Previously, because of the consecutive incidents at home, she had been shrouded in a layer of gloom, with an unresolvable sorrow and fatigue between her brows, as if she were carrying a heavy burden. But now that her grandmother's health was slowly improving, the clouds of worry on her face had been swept away. She had become lighthearted, her eyes curved like crescents, a faint smile playing on her lips, and even her gaze had brightened.

Seeing Lin Yu arrive on his electric scooter, Su Qingxue immediately waved at him with a smile and walked up to him with light steps: "Lin Yu, you're here! I was worried you wouldn't find the place, so I've been waiting here for a while. Let's go! Let's head in; I've already booked a table." Su Qingxue stepped aside to let him pass, her tone natural and warm.

The two walked into the hot pot restaurant together. The interior was steaming, filled with the rich aroma of beef. It was bustling with people but not noisy, and the environment was clean and tidy. Su Qingxue, familiar with the place, led Lin Yu to a booth by the window to sit down, picked up the menu, and ordered skillfully.

She was thoughtful and knew that guys had big appetites and loved meat, so without hesitation, she ordered four portions of freshly sliced beef, added a portion of beef tendon, a portion of handmade beef balls, then ordered a few vegetables like enoki mushrooms, baby bok choy, lettuce, and tofu, and finally grabbed two bottles of iced sour plum juice.

After ordering, Su Qingxue got up and walked to the seasoning station, carefully preparing two different dipping sauces.

She made a sesame paste base for Lin Yu, adding cilantro, chopped green onions, chili oil, and a little oyster sauce—the taste was rich and fragrant. For herself, she prepared a shacha sauce base, which was light and savory, perfect for pairing with beef. Both dipping sauces were prepared perfectly; it was clear that she was a girl who was very good at taking care of others.

Taking the dipping sauce, Lin Yu said: "I could have done it myself; you're too polite." Su Qingxue sat down opposite him and said with a smile: "This way I feel at ease."

"This girl... Mmm! She's really great."

The hot pot base was brought out quickly—a yin-yang pot with rich bone broth on one side and a slightly spicy red broth on the other. The freshly sliced beef was bright red with clear marbling; it looked extremely fresh at a glance.

The waiter brought the dishes to the table one by one. Su Qingxue took the initiative to pick up her chopsticks and put the beef into the pot: "Try their beef; it's cooked after ten seconds of shabu-shabu. It's especially tender."

Lin Yu nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and the two chatted while shabu-shabu-ing the meat.

After eating a few bites, Su Qingxue picked up the sour plum juice in front of her, gently clinked it against Lin Yu's cup, and said with a sincere tone: "Lin Yu, thank you! If it weren't for you these past few days, I really wouldn't dare to imagine what things would have turned into."

Speaking of this, her voice choked up slightly.

Lin Yu looked at the emotion in her eyes, smiled gently, and waved his hand: "It's all small stuff, just a minor effort. You've thanked me countless times already; being like this makes us too distant."

"This is not a small matter." Su Qingxue looked at him earnestly. "To me, it's a huge deal."

Lin Yu quickly changed the subject and asked softly: "By the way, how is your grandmother doing now?"

Mentioning her grandmother, Su Qingxue showed a smile again: "Much better! The doctor said she's recovering exceptionally well. She can eat some liquid foods now, like porridge or soup. Her Spirit is also very good; she even sat up and chatted with me for a while today."

"That's good." Lin Yu nodded, feeling relieved.

"And my dad," Su Qingxue continued, her tone filled with surprise and relief. "After this incident, he seems to have completely woken up and changed a lot. He's now obediently caring for my grandmother at the hospital every day. He smokes less, and he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol. He has completely settled down."

In the past, Mr. Su was addicted to alcohol, lazy, and often came home drunk, always making the household chaotic. This lesson made him fully understand the meaning of responsibility, and he finally shouldered the burden of the family again.

Watching the family get better bit by bit—grandmother recovering, father repenting—Su Qingxue's heart was filled with happiness. Since sitting down, the smile on her face had hardly stopped; her eyes curved like crescent moons, gentle and dazzling.

Ding! Su Qingxue's Intimacy +15. Current Intimacy: 60.

The meal was warm and comfortable.

Su Qingxue didn't talk much, but she was always carefully shabu-shabu-ing meat and picking vegetables for Lin Yu, putting cooked beef balls into his bowl, taking care of him meticulously. Lin Yu also occasionally picked a chopstick of vegetables for her. The atmosphere between the two was relaxed and ambiguous, without the slightest awkwardness. The meal lasted over an hour, and the dishes on the table were eaten clean.

Seeing that they were about done eating, Lin Yu raised his hand to call the waiter over to pay the bill.

Who knew that just as he raised his hand, he was hurriedly stopped by Su Qingxue.

Su Qingxue pressed down on his arm, her cheeks slightly flushed, her tone serious: "Lin Yu, don't fight me on this. We agreed that I would treat you to a meal to show my gratitude; how can I let you pay the bill? I must pay this money." There was a hint of stubbornness in her eyes.

Lin Yu looked at her serious expression and stopped insisting, smiling and withdrawing his hand: "Alright, then next time I'll treat you."

"Okay!" Su Qingxue smiled happily, got up, and went to the front desk to pay the bill.

After paying the bill, Su Qingxue walked back to Lin Yu's side, looked up at the wall clock, and the time pointed exactly to 8:00 PM.

She hesitated for a moment, looked up at Lin Yu, her eyes filled with a bit of anticipation, and asked softly: "Lin Yu, it's still early; how about we go watch a movie?"

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. He had nothing to do in the evening anyway, so why not accompany a beauty to watch a movie? It could also increase intimacy, so why not? He wondered if, once his attribute points reached a certain level, he would be able to leap over walls and climb roofs.

He pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement: "Sure, let's go then."

Su Qingxue didn't expect him to agree so readily, and her eyes instantly lit up, the smile on her lips impossible to hide: "That's great! Let's go to Wanda Cinema; it's not far from here."

Today, Su Qingxue had specifically taken a taxi here, not wanting Lin Yu to arrive first and wait for her. Now that they were going to the cinema, she naturally chose to ride on Lin Yu's electric scooter. Lin Yu straddled the front, and Su Qingxue gently turned sideways and sat on the back seat.

The electric scooter's seat wasn't very wide, and the two were very close. Su Qingxue hesitated for a moment, then reached out her right arm and carefully wrapped it around Lin Yu's waist.

The girl's arm was slender and soft; through the thin clothing, a warm touch was transmitted, and a faint, clean fragrance lingered in his nose. Lin Yu's body stiffened slightly, but he immediately relaxed, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Twisting the throttle, the electric scooter moved slowly. Pressed tightly against Lin Yu's back, feeling the warmth coming from him made Su Qingxue's cheeks flush slightly, yet she felt incredibly at ease. She leaned gently against Lin Yu's back, feeling this rare sense of stability, her heart feeling sweet.

Lin Yu couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Electric scooters are still the best.

In just over ten minutes, the two arrived at Wanda Cinema.

The entrance of the cinema was brightly lit, with people coming and going, very lively.

Lin Yu parked the electric scooter and walked into the ticket hall with Su Qingxue. They looked at the movies starting soon and asked the ticket seller, learning that only one sci-fi romance film called "Star River Dreams" had a showtime in half an hour. The other movies had either already started or would require a long wait.

"Let's watch this one?" Lin Yu looked at Su Qingxue.

"Okay, I'm fine with anything." Su Qingxue nodded, having no objections.

Lin Yu scanned the code, bought two adjacent movie tickets, and bought two cups of cola and a large bucket of popcorn nearby before sitting down in the waiting area with Su Qingxue.

Su Qingxue held the full bucket of popcorn, eating it in small bites. Occasionally, she looked up at Lin Yu, her eyes filled with a bit of shyness, then quickly lowered her head again, not knowing what she was thinking.

The waiting time passed quickly, and half an hour flew by.

They had their tickets checked and entered the hall. The two found their seats according to the seat numbers. Not long after they sat down, the lights in the cinema went out, the huge screen lit up, and the movie officially began.

In the darkness, the dim blue light from the screen reflected on Su Qingxue's profile, outlining her soft contours. Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows, and her refined features and skin that seemed ready to break at a touch were so beautiful that it was heart-stirring.

The two were very close, and intimate contact was inevitable. Occasionally, their arms would touch, sending a wave of warm sensation that caused both their heartbeats to accelerate unconsciously. Lin Yu turned his head to look at Su Qingxue beside him. The girl was watching the movie intently, her gaze serious, but her slightly clenched little hand exposed her inner nervousness.

He hesitated for a moment, then gently reached out and tentatively grasped her little hand, placing it on the armrest between them.

Su Qingxue's hand was slender, soft, and slightly cool. The moment it was grasped by Lin Yu, her body stiffened abruptly, her breathing stopped for two seconds, and her cheeks turned instantly red, even her ears burning up.

She didn't struggle free, just blinked her eyes gently. Her heart was pounding like a little deer, almost jumping out of her chest. Feeling the warmth and strength coming from his palm, Su Qingxue's heartbeat became faster and faster, yet she slowly relaxed and gently squeezed Lin Yu's hand in return.

The two held hands like this and quietly finished watching the entire movie.

The movie's plot was romantic and beautiful, and the warmth of the person beside her was even more heart-stirring than the love in the movie.

Until the movie ended and the cinema lights came on, the two finally let go of their hands. Su Qingxue hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look into Lin Yu's eyes.

Ding! Su Qingxue's Intimacy +10. Current Intimacy: 70.

Walking out of the cinema, the night was deeper, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the street.