"Hmph! I forbid it! Even if Zhang Yimou wants to make an adult film, we won’t invest!"

"Hehe... If Zhang Yimou wants to make an adult film, he wouldn’t need our investment. If he announced it, plenty of people would come knocking with checks, right?"

...

The two of them were chatting about movies, and although they bickered a bit, they managed to avoid any awkward silences. Once they arrived at the cinema, Li Yan had already seen the promotions and had a movie in mind he wanted to watch.

However... Zhang Yurong was the first to speak: "Let’s watch this one! Feng Xiaogang’s holiday film should be quite relaxing."

Uh... he had just watched this movie a couple of days ago with someone, and it was with a group. Li Yan was a bit speechless, but since it’s her birthday and he was taking her out, he definitely had to fulfill her wish.

"I’ll go buy the tickets." When Li Yan went to buy the tickets, he sighed inwardly. Could Feng Xiaogang’s film not have high box office sales? I’ve contributed 12 tickets by myself! This is the power of brand loyalty!

After he bought the tickets and turned around, Zhang Yurong was still waiting for him at the same spot. But now, there were a few men around her, making her a bit uneasy.

Someone trying to hit on her? Very likely! With a stunning beauty like Zhang Yurong, she would stand out even among thousands. While the cinema was filled with young people, it was rare to find a girl who could compare to her. Seeing her standing alone, surely many men would try to flirt with her.

Just as Li Yan was about to heroically rescue her and chase away the unwanted attention, he noticed that there weren’t just men there; there were also a few women. They were actually standing together talking! Initially, he thought they were men trying to hit on her, so he didn’t pay attention. On closer inspection, they all seemed a bit familiar.

The men, he didn’t recognize; the women, seemed to be from the PR department!

Damn, S City is so big, with millions of people, and I run into colleagues at the cinema? That’s too much of a coincidence!

In reality, it’s not as exaggerated. Although S City has millions of people, it’s also very large, with two districts occupying most of the suburbs and most of the population. Many of the million people here are outsiders coming for work. The city’s internal population is not small either, but since the range is smaller, the population density is higher. An appearance at the cinema is another layer of selection. There are only a few top cinemas, and there are quite a few employees from Paradise Group Headquarters, so it’s not a miraculous occurrence to bump into them here.

Li Yan finally understood why Zhang Yurong was uneasy; she wasn’t afraid of being hit on, but rather worried about colleagues finding out she was there with him.

He had already bought the tickets and turned around. Although he wasn’t as well-known in the company as Zhang Yurong, he might still be recognized. Helplessly, he quickened his pace to the side to avoid their sight, blending with the new crowd entering, and circled behind them to pretend to look at posters while listening to them discreetly without turning back.

Zhang Yurong usually appeared cold and aloof, but that was mostly towards men. As a female employee, some only had admiration or envy, generally not feeling a big pressure. Recently, due to the business battle with Changhe Group, she took over the role of the former director Lin Fenni, and started overseeing the PR department personally, becoming more familiar with the PR staff.

Seeing their company’s female CEO at the cinema today, they were shocked at first, then they thought, a CEO is human too; why not watch a movie on a day off? So, they approached to greet her, even suggesting she join them for the movie.

Zhang Yurong couldn’t mention Li Yan, nor let them see him buying tickets. She could only say she was waiting for someone, another friend hadn’t arrived yet, and suggested they go first. But since they already had someone buy tickets for the next session, which was the same movie, and since it’s not starting immediately, they gathered around her and chatted.

The man dating the PR department ladies can’t be half bad. They all heard Zhang Yurong’s name and took the chance to be courteous when meeting her.

So, Li Yan and Zhang Yurong were both secretly wishing they weren’t in this situation.

Comparatively, Li Yan had successfully moved behind them, not only could he hear them talk better and grasp the latest situation, but he also avoided being seen.—Of course, if they happened to turn around to look at this poster, he’d have to quickly slip away.

And Zhang Yurong was in a more difficult position because she said she was waiting for someone. Normally, when waiting for someone, people would glance around to see if the person they’re waiting for has arrived. She had to act like she was waiting but couldn’t glance around, in case she really saw Li Yan and they would spot him too. To her relief, Li Yan seemed to have realized the situation; otherwise, he should’ve returned with the tickets by now. She could only hope Li Yan would find a good way to handle it.

Perhaps it’s just a matter of mutual understanding!

Li Yan seemed to sense Zhang Yurong’s silent plea and felt he should resolve the situation. To separate the PR ladies and Zhang Yurong, there were essentially two options. One was getting Zhang Yurong to leave; the other was getting the group to leave. From his perspective, getting Zhang Yurong to leave was easier to execute. But to leave, there had to be a good reason, otherwise if they followed and looked over, the lie would be exposed.