Chapter 97: Date and Encounter
Jonas arranged our date at an ocean park.
The wind in early January was damp and cold. The plane trees lining both sides of the street were bare. I checked my makeup in the car, then got out and walked toward Jonas.
The New Year holiday was almost over, but the ocean park was still crowded with visitors. Jonas stood next to a balloon vendor, wearing a light gray mandarin collar coat. His smile was still somewhat frivolous, his eyes bright and lively, his nose tip red from the cold.
"Sorry, have I kept you waiting?" I walked up quickly, my breath forming white puffs that vanished instantly.
"I just got here too." Jonas handed me a pink helium balloon and tied the string to my backpack, saying it was to prevent me from getting lost.
This was how most parents kept their kids from wandering off. The vendor was surrounded mostly by adults with children. I couldn't help but laugh. "If I get lost, that would be quite a mess."
"You're telling me!" Jonas thought back to those days when I was kidnapped by Lucas, feeling somewhat emotional.
Under the envious gazes of people waiting in long lines, we entered the ocean park directly through the VIP entrance.
"Where should we go first?"
I hadn't been to a place like this in many years, and even the act of dating felt quite foreign to me. I looked at the detailed guide in my hand and asked Jonas for his opinion.
Since he chose this date location, I guessed he must have made a tour plan.
Sure enough, Jonas showed a confident smile, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, his phone rang.
Jonas glanced at the screen, his brow furrowing, and gave me an apologetic look.
I gestured for him to go ahead. Jonas stepped away to answer the call. I sat down on a bench by the roadside, watching the passersby.
"You didn't verify their identity, and you actually handed over the goods to them! Are you out of your minds? Why am I stuck with you useless idiots!"
"He feeds you some nonsense, and you believe it? If he said he was the president, would you believe that too?"
Jonas's voice wasn't particularly loud, but the irritation in his tone was obvious. "Get those goods back immediately!"
A few minutes later, Jonas hung up and walked over to me. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine. Did something go wrong?" I asked.
Jonas let out a long sigh. "I have a trading post at the border between Caldrania and Orinthal. Someone impersonated my relative, brought a bunch of people to eat and drink on my tab, and walked off with a shipment of weapons."
His expression wasn't great. I asked in surprise, "You got scammed? What are you going to do? Do you need to go there?"
Jonas shook his head and looked at me very seriously. "The most important thing for me today is this date with you."
I felt a bit helpless. "Come on, don't be silly. Was it a lot of weapons they took?"
"Not too bad, not a huge amount." Jonas shrugged. "I don't really care about that loss. What makes me angry is that the person in charge of the trading post was so easily fooled!"
"There are a lot of clever scammers in the world, especially now with all this advanced AI technology." I glanced at the coffee shop not far ahead. "Come on, I'll buy you a hot chocolate. Hope it'll cheer you up a bit."
"Bella, you're so thoughtful!" The gloom on Jonas's face lifted, and he smiled relaxedly as we walked side by side toward the coffee shop. "Honestly, sometimes I really envy you guys. You have fixed properties, and most of the time, you just need to stay on your own turf. I don't like being a wandering bird, but I have no choice but to go everywhere."
"Would you consider changing careers?" I asked curiously. "A different job might not pay as well as what you're doing now."
Jonas looked conflicted. "Maybe I'll just stick with what I have."
We each held a cup of hot chocolate and strolled leisurely into the tropical fish exhibition hall.
In the center of the hall stood a massive cylindrical aquarium, filled with all kinds of tropical fish swimming around. Their colorful forms created a striking contrast with the cold gray tones outside the window.
Light streamed down from the top of the tank, casting rippling shadows on the floor. The sound of gentle water flow and visitors' soft conversations filled the air, creating a quiet and warm atmosphere.
A staff member handed us two commemorative stickers, winked, and teased good-naturedly, "Hope you enjoy your date."
I instinctively wanted to explain, but worried about hurting Jonas's pride, so I just smiled silently.
Jonas took the stickers and happily asked the staff member, "Do we look like a couple? Do we look good together?"
The staff member replied, "Of course!"
"Thanks, though I'm still working on winning her over." Jonas put his arm around my shoulder as we walked inside. I stiffened for a moment, trying my best to relax.
Jonas quickly let go and turned to me. "Bella, you look beautiful today."
"Thank you, you look very handsome today too," I quickly replied.
Jonas burst out laughing, bending over dramatically. "Your response is like an NPC in a video game!"
I felt a bit embarrassed. Before I met Lucas, I'd spent most of my time honing my medical skills. My experience with romance came mostly from observing people around me.
At a moment like this, if it were Karen, she'd probably say to Jonathan, "An NPC from an adult game? Are you into that kind of roleplay? I'll satisfy you tonight!" And Jonathan would probably be teased into blushing.
"Bella." Jonas finished laughing and called me back from my wandering thoughts. "I know you just broke up with Lucas and aren't ready to start a new relationship yet."
His voice seemed somewhat muffled by the surrounding noise, yet every word fell clearly into my ears. "It's okay, we can take it slow, spend more time together. I'll let you gradually get used to having me around."
He didn't hold my hand like last time, but very restrainedly avoided too much physical intimacy with me. This was remarkably considerate for a playboy who'd been around the block.
I walked forward with him, and we came to a long underwater tunnel.
All kinds of fish swam past outside the tunnel—massive sharks, stingrays with long trailing tails, and schools of small, delicate sardines.
Surprisingly, Jonas had extensive knowledge about fish. He explained the blue world before us, and I found myself listening with fascination.
"Bella!"
Jonas's explanation was interrupted. I turned my head to see Ashley and Arthur running toward me.
Their excited steps were like puppies romping in a field.
"We're starting school soon, and we've been catching up on homework every day!"
"Lucas finally agreed to bring us here, and we never expected to run into you!"
"This is great, let's hang out together!"
I was immediately surrounded by the mischievous Ashley and Arthur, while in the distance, Lucas was walking toward us.
The blue glass wall was like a frozen ocean. The thin winter sunlight refracted through the glass into scattered spots of light that fell on Lucas.
He seemed to have lost a bit of weight, or perhaps it was the light and shadow that made his features more defined and his facial contours sharper.
"What a coincidence," Jonas said through gritted teeth, his smile stiff.
"Yeah, what a coincidence." Lucas's tone was meaningful, as if it really was a chance encounter. "Since we've run into each other, let's hang out together for the rest of the day."