055 Movie

“Let’s not leave it for next time—I’m really not cut out for this line of work.”
Du Ruo smiled, waved his hand, and prepared to leave. He’d been polite so far, but now that he was outside, there was no need to keep up the formalities.

“No, no, Mr. Du, you misunderstand. You know I’m in finance; I usually deal with successful people. They’re the wealthiest, and also the ones most prone to trouble. I’d like to exchange contact details with you—maybe we’ll have the chance to work together in the future. Don’t be so quick to refuse; nobody turns their back on money, right? And if you’re not interested, no one can force you.”

Li Yu, seeing Du Ruo about to leave, hurried two steps after him, explaining quickly. Her attitude had shifted entirely from matchmaking to cooperation—she was now treating Du Ruo as an equal.

“All right, then.”

Du Ruo paused; he hadn’t thought of this before. But Li Yu’s words made sense—nobody says no to money, and he was no exception, especially as the demands of martial arts training grew. Without some income, he might not be able to support himself.
Besides, since he’d chosen the martial path, he often felt the urge to let loose, to vent the aggression in his chest—and if he could make money at the same time, all the better.

Just like in the café earlier: in the past, he would’ve politely excused himself, but today, his instincts had almost led him to show off a bit, which resulted in him crushing the glass. He’d even consumed a thread of “Qi” to strengthen his fingers and protect them from harm.

The two moved closer, exchanged contact information, and Du Ruo couldn’t help but sniff again.

The scent of milk lingered, faint and with a trace of something fishy. Du Ruo was now quite certain of his suspicion.

After exchanging numbers, Du Ruo drove off alone.

“Hey, Mom, the matchmaking’s over. I’ll stay in Yangjia Village tonight and won’t be coming home.”

Du Ruo called his mother from the car—he still needed to let her know, no matter what.

“So soon? Did you really sit down and talk with her? Didn’t you invite her to dinner or a movie?”

His mother had plenty of questions and even regretted not giving Du Ruo more advice about the whole matchmaking process.

“Uh, Mom—do you like children?”

Du Ruo couldn’t help but interrupt with an apparently unrelated question. Originally, he hadn’t wanted to gossip; just because the matchmaking failed didn’t mean he should speak ill of the other party. He didn’t like her, but someone else might not mind putting in the effort.

“Of course I do! Don’t worry, your father and I can manage for a few more years—we can definitely help with a child.”

His mother spoke with absolute certainty.

“What if she already has a baby, just a few months old? Hmm... probably not even three months. In ten months, you might be called Grandma.”

Du Ruo replied mildly. It wasn’t that matchmaking couldn’t involve children, but not such a young one—and the woman might have someone else behind her. This wasn’t just about the child; the real issue lay elsewhere.

“Oh... honestly, Old Xu is just too unreliable! She told me the woman had a high degree, was talented, and beautiful...”

His mother immediately understood and began to grumble.

“All right, Mom. Aunt Xu probably didn’t know the details either. The woman is indeed decent, educated, and wealthy. We’re just not a good match, that’s all. Don’t talk about it everywhere, okay? I’m driving.”

Du Ruo reminded her and hung up.

Li Yu hadn’t meant to deceive anyone—her conditions were clear. She wasn’t looking for marriage, but for a legitimate father for her child, someone who could silence any gossip. Du Ruo simply wasn’t suitable.

After hanging up, Du Ruo let it go. Given what happened at this matchmaking, his mother likely wouldn’t set him up with anyone else for a while.

Driving up to the village entrance, Du Ruo hadn’t even parked when he saw Yang Chenguang busy in the square with two others.

“Chenguang, what are you up to? Is there a performance tonight?”

Du Ruo parked outside the yard and walked over.

“Nah, the village is showing a movie tonight. Don’t forget to come and watch.”

Yang Chenguang, sweating, saw Du Ruo but didn’t stop, helping hoist up a movie screen.

“Really? Do people still watch movies here?”

Du Ruo glanced at the screen. In his memory, movies in the village were an old tradition; he hadn’t expected it to still be around. But he’d been away for years, hardly paying attention.

“I’m not sure about elsewhere, but our village is fine. We get some tourists, and they’re interested in this. Later there’ll be popcorn and ice-cold cola for sale—it gets lively. Help me move some stools from the village storeroom.”

Yang Chenguang explained. Showing movies in the village was actually a requirement—each year, a certain number had to be screened to enrich rural entertainment.

A few years ago, Yang Chenguang had discovered that movies could attract outsiders—even tourists from the town would come out of curiosity. So he seized the opportunity, turned it into a way to promote the village, and applied every month for screenings.

He even bought extra stools for the screen area, so visitors wouldn’t have to stand or leave in frustration.

“Sure! I haven’t watched a movie like this in years. Let’s have a drink tonight?”

Du Ruo smiled and followed to help carry the stools.

As the sun set, the small square lit up, and villagers began to bring out goods to sell.

Yang Chenguang truly excelled as a village official. Those selling goods were well-organized—balloons, popsicles, cola, popcorn—all set up quietly in designated spots, waiting for customers.

In the afternoon, Du Ruo and Yang Chenguang carried not just stools but also washed down the square with water—not only for cleanliness, but to cool it down. With big fans blowing, grabbing an ice cream made things quite comfortable.

It wasn’t just the square; Du Ruo noticed the tavern and other shops had moved tables and stools outside, adding to the lively atmosphere.

Du Ruo, Yang Chenguang, and Xiang Yuanyuan sat outside, drinking, watching “Born to Fly” on the screen. The crowd kept growing.

Du Ruo saw not just the usual villagers, but two tourists staying at a guesthouse, and even several visitors from town who’d come specifically for the movie.

“This is why I love it here—beautiful scenery and a sense of life.”

Xiang Yuanyuan, for once, wasn’t drinking spirits but held a cold beer, clinking glasses with Du Ruo and Yang Chenguang.

“It’s probably been twenty years since so many people came just to watch a movie—really nice.”

Du Ruo was moved. These people weren’t just here for the film itself, but for the novelty of the experience.