Chapter 19

The taxi stopped smoothly at the gate of Lin Qi's community.

Chen Yan paid the fare and got off the bus with Lin Qi. He took the backpack from her naturally, while his other hand still held her hand tightly.

It was late at night and the community was very quiet, with only a few dim ground lights illuminating the path under my feet.

They walked very slowly, no one spoke, and the only sound was the subtle rustling of their shoes on the fallen leaves.

On this familiar way home, because there was one more person by his side, Lin Qi's heart, for the first time, felt a sense of "belonging".

Chen Yan stopped in front of the entrance gate of her apartment building.

He returned the backpack to her, and their hands, which had been holding each other, naturally separated.

It was quiet, with only the faint chirping of insects in the distance. The sensor light on the porch lit up as they approached, casting a soft shadow on his face, making his focused gaze seem particularly profound.

They stared at each other, neither of them speaking first. There was a subtle, electric tension in the air.

"Today," Chen Yan spoke first, his voice lower and hoarse than in the car, "I'm very happy, Lin Qi."

A very simple and very candid summary.

After saying this, he leaned towards her very slowly.

His movements were so slow that they gave Lin Qi enough time to subconsciously step back and dodge.

But she didn't.

She just stood there, her heart almost jumping out of her chest, holding her breath, watching his handsome face enlarge little by little before her eyes.

Then, a very gentle kiss, with a hint of cool evening breeze, fell on her lips.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, it separates in an instant.

But it left a circle of hot and infinitely spreading ripples in the lake of her heart.

Chen Yan took a half step back and stood up again.

He looked at her and saw her eyes widen and become a little bewildered because of the kiss, just as he expected. A very soft, triumphant smile flashed in his eyes.

"Go ahead." His voice returned to its usual gentle tone.

"Go to bed early."

"……good evening."

He said this, but did not turn around and leave immediately.

He just stood there, looking at her, urging her to go home with a silent gaze.

Lin Qi felt her face was so hot she could fry an egg on it. She didn't dare look at him again, but nodded randomly. Then, somewhat hurriedly, she turned around, swiped her card, pushed open the door, and walked into the corridor as if she was "escaping in panic."

The sensor light behind him lit up in response.

She didn't look back, but she could clearly feel his focused and calm gaze fixed on her back.

It was not until she turned up the stairs that her gaze was blocked by the wall.

Chen Yan saw the sensor light in the corridor light up and then go out after a while. After confirming that she had safely gone upstairs, he turned around, put his hands in his pockets, and slowly disappeared into the dark night.

Lin Qi returned home and closed the door.

She pressed her back tightly against the cold door panel, and only then did she feel her somewhat weak legs regain support.

She couldn't calm down for a long time.

The touch of that kiss was still clear, lingering on her lips. Soft, slightly cool, yet carrying an unmistakable scent that belonged to him.

She stood in the entrance for a long time before slowly walking to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of ice water and drinking it in one gulp. But that couldn't extinguish the fire in her heart or the burning temperature on her cheeks.

She walked to the balcony again, opened the window, and let the cool breeze of the late autumn night blow on her face. After a long time, her heartbeat, which had been racing due to nervousness and excitement, finally calmed down bit by bit.

She returned to the room, took out her cell phone, and opened the dialog box with Shen Yan.

She wanted to say something to him.

But she didn't know what to say.

Saying "thank you for taking me home"? That's too polite.

Saying "I'm very happy today"? It seems a bit deliberate.

Her fingertips deleted, deleted, subtracted, typed, deleted, deleted, typed again. In the end, all her emotions turned into the simplest, echoing words of concern.

【Lin Qi: Are you home yet? 】