51: Is it pretty?

Wanguo Metropolis is well-deserving of its reputation as the busiest comprehensive Shopping Mall in the area, from the food court on the first basement level to the cinema and bars on the top floor, everything is available for eating, drinking, and having fun.

In the evening, people were coming and going in the Shopping Mall, the air mixed with the aroma of various delicacies and the noise of the crowd, revealing the prosperity of the city everywhere.

Chen Li followed the name of the Japanese restaurant Qin Xiaomeng sent and found it. Pushing open the thick wooden lattice door, a wave of cool air rushed towards him.

He scanned the interior, and immediately discovered the familiar Figure in the booth near the back—Qin Xiaomeng was waving at him excitedly.

Her movement immediately attracted the attention of guests at nearby tables.

It was no wonder; although Qin Xiaomeng was only wearing a simple pink T-shirt today, it could not hide her proud Figure.

Her pretty face looked especially exquisite under the lights; her straight nose bridge and snow-white skin were all attracting gazes.

As Chen Li approached, he vaguely heard the whispers of several Young Men at the next table:

"That beauty is really top-tier, brother..."

"This Figure... tsk tsk..."

"If she were my girlfriend, I would give up five years of my life..."

"Damn, this girl is really hot!"

"This Figure is amazing..."

He sat down opposite Qin Xiaomeng and could still feel the gazes cast from all directions—some envious, some jealous, and some inquisitive.

Chen Li smiled bitterly in his heart. A beauty like Qin Xiaomeng would inevitably be the center of attention wherever she went.

"Chen Li, how is it? Can you feel the many jealous gazes?"

Qin Xiaomeng leaned in, lowered her voice to tease, with a cunning light in her eyes.

"Let's eat. It's not comfortable to be stared at by so many people." Chen Li replied indifferently; he didn't like being watched like this.

"Let them look. Their eyes are on them, I can't gouge them out."

Qin Xiaomeng shrugged playfully and pushed the menu to him, "I ordered a few signature dishes. See what else you want to add?"

Qin Xiaomeng had long been accustomed to the hot gazes of those around her, whether direct or evasive.

She knew too well how attractive she was to men, especially Young Men.

At the Normal University, the title of campus belle brought her not just vanity, but more so, the gazes that followed her like a shadow.

When at school, she tried to wear loose sweatshirts or T-shirts that didn't show her Figure, trying to hide those overly hot curves.

However, clothes could hide her Figure, but they couldn't block her face.

Her appearance, which was playful yet pure, bright yet lively, could always easily capture the boys' gaze.

Qin Xiaomeng noticed that Chen Li didn't seem to like this kind of attention, so she timely restrained her teasing thoughts; she didn't want to make him unhappy because of this small matter.

After the meal, Qin Xiaomeng happily pulled Chen Li towards the cinema, but suddenly froze in place.

Not far away, the middle-aged man who had once made her feel humiliated was walking towards them, holding a young woman with heavy makeup.

At the same time, he also saw Qin Xiaomeng at a glance, as well as Chen Li beside her.

The man's eyes dimmed, and he felt stuffy inside, as if something was blocking his chest.

He recognized Chen Li—or rather, he recognized that Maybach he had seen.

He knew this was not someone he could provoke. Just as he wanted to pretend not to see them and lower his head to walk away, the woman in his arms spoke first.

"Yo, isn't this Qin Xiaomeng?" The woman curled her red lips, her gaze sweeping over Chen Li with contempt, "What, after leaving President Li, have you fallen to finding a poor student?"

Qin Xiaomeng's face turned cold. Before she could speak, Chen Li had already taken half a step forward and looked at the middle-aged man: "President Li, right?"

President Li's back instantly broke out in cold sweat, and a chill ran up his spine. In fact, he was also present that day at the Bank.

That day at the entrance of the Bank's VIP room, he had seen with his own eyes how the usually high-and-mighty President Luo personally sent this Young Man out with a face full of smiles.

That scene formed a stark contrast to how he himself had to be careful in the Bank for a loan.

"You... hello... We'll leave now, we'll leave now." His voice was dry, and he grabbed his female companion who still wanted to speak.

Watching the backs of the two leaving in a panic, Qin Xiaomeng was a little confused.

After walking far away, the woman was still unwilling to give up and muttered: "He's just a student, look how scared you are..."

"Shut up!" President Li turned around abruptly and slapped her across the face, "Do you know that person is not someone we can provoke?"

A small queue had already formed in front of the ticket office, and the audience waiting in the lobby was sitting or standing, very lively.

The huge electronic screen was scrolling through trailers of the latest movies, and the impassioned soundtrack filled the whole space with an expectant atmosphere.

Chen Li looked around at the dazzling array of movie posters on the wall—war, romance, animation, suspense... all kinds of genres were available.

As a boy, he was naturally more interested in the blood-boiling war movies.

"Chen Li, what do you want to see?" Qin Xiaomeng looked up and asked him.

"How about 'Wolf Warrior'?" Chen Li pointed to the poster full of tough-guy vibes.

"Sure!"

Qin Xiaomeng nodded immediately, a brilliant smile blooming on her face, "I'll go buy the tickets, you just wait here."

She bought tickets for the nearest 10:30 show. After waiting for half an hour in the lounge area, they received the notice for admission.

After queuing to check tickets and entering, an extremely spacious IMAX screening hall appeared before their eyes.

The huge screen almost occupied the entire wall, and the terraced seating area could visually accommodate two or three hundred people.

However, there were not many people in this screening, sitting scattered in various places, making the whole hall appear even more empty.

Chen Li followed Qin Xiaomeng's guidance and walked all the way up, finally stopping in the last row.

The design of this row was clearly different; they were all double sofa booths with high partitions between them, forming a relatively independent small space.

Looking around, the sparsely populated seats were all pairs of lovers, with an intimate atmosphere.

"Why did you book the last row?" Chen Li asked casually while sitting down. The seat was softer and more comfortable than he imagined.

Qin Xiaomeng hugged his arm and sat down, tilted her head and gave him a cunning smile, and lowered her voice: "Didn't I say I wanted to give you a surprise?"

As soon as the words came out, she blushed herself and hurriedly lowered her head.

In the dark, Chen Li could feel the warmth of her leaning against his arm, and the faint fragrance on her body.

Five minutes later, the lights dimmed completely, and the movie began.

The shocking sound effects instantly surrounded the entire cinema, and the fierce battle scenes unfolded on the giant screen, making Chen Li's heart surge.

Watching a war blockbuster in this kind of top-tier cinema hall, the sense of presence was indeed impeccable.

Qin Xiaomeng seemed to be looking at the screen intently, but her peripheral vision was always paying attention to Chen Li.

When seeing a fierce battle segment end and the plot slightly slowed down, she leaned over gently, her warm breath brushing past his ear:

"Is it good?"

"Hmm." Chen Li was watching intently and responded briefly.

"Then you watch first..." Her voice was so soft that it sounded like a whisper.

While she was speaking, her gaze quickly scanned the surroundings.

Under the dim light, the adjacent audience was immersed in the movie, and no one noticed this hidden corner.

After confirming this, she seemed to have made up her mind, and then slowly leaned down...