Su Yue was just about to turn around when the phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated. The buzzing pressed against her waist and abdomen. She pulled it out and saw the word "Mom" flashing on the screen.
"Hello, Mom." Su Yue answered the call and moved toward a less crowded corner to keep the surrounding noise from drowning out her voice.
On the other end, Zheng Qiuyi's voice immediately came through, edged with urgency. "Xiao Yue, where are you right now?"
Su Yue glanced around... Some people were raising their wineglasses to clink them together, while others were picking lobsters in the seafood section. Laughter drifted through the air.
She lowered her voice. "Mom, I'm out having dinner."
Zheng Qiuyi had evidently heard the noise in the background. After a pause, she asked, "You're eating out—with whom? Are you with Lin Li?"
Su Yue had not expected her mother to guess correctly in one try. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the phone case. After two seconds of silence, she answered, "Yeah. A coworker gave me a discount coupon, so I asked him to come along. It would be a waste otherwise."
A hint of amusement immediately entered Zheng Qiuyi's tone, along with a teasing note. "Oh? Is it really just to avoid wasting it?"
"Mom." Su Yue quickly interrupted her, a coquettish note in her voice. "Did you call just to ask about that? You must have something else to say, right?"
Only after being interrupted did Zheng Qiuyi remember the important matter. Her tone instantly grew heavy, and even her voice became more solemn. "I need to tell you something. The exhibition hall downtown was robbed."
Su Yue's footsteps stopped at once, and the paper plate in her hand nearly tipped over. She hurriedly steadied it, her voice full