83. Business trip

It was only the middle of November, but the chill in Jiangcheng was already growing.

As the cold snap set in, Jiang Nan began busily preparing winter clothes for her parents, herself, and Chen Yunsheng. But before she could get busy for long, Chen Yunsheng suddenly informed her that he was leaving for Europe.

Chen Yunsheng made it clear to Jiang Nan. This trip was partly for annual business inspections and cooperation discussions, partly to pave the way for a honeymoon after the Spring Festival, and to gain a deeper understanding of Chen Minghui's specific overseas plans.

But this also means that Jiang Nan was alone at home for a long time.

Even though he believed in Jiang Nan's ability to solve problems and had deliberately kept Wei Yan, he still felt a little worried. He was worried that his uncle would take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble, and he also felt reluctant to give up this peaceful life.

As for Jiang Nan, although she was sad about the fact that they had to separate temporarily, she did not find it difficult and was even actively packing Chen Yunsheng's suitcase.

The day before departure, Jiang Nan checked Chen Yunsheng's luggage one by one in the cloakroom according to his previous list. At the same time, she followed her own ideas and stuffed a few packets of stomach medicine that could pass customs, snacks, and a mystery novel that she thought was suitable for passing the time during the journey into Chen Yunsheng's luggage.

Chen Yunsheng also walked around the cloakroom with her, holding two cups of coffee. When Jiang Nan stopped, he would offer her coffee, and when she finished, he would considerately take the cup and say a few words to her.

Amidst such trivial matters, Chen Yunsheng easily recalled his situation during the Dragon Boat Festival. Back then, he could only sit aside and watch her happiness and her life. But now, he had become an indispensable part of her life.

This feeling is very novel, just like a brilliant flower suddenly blooming in a place without spring, or like a lush towering tree suddenly emerging from a deep sea.

Strange, weird, and completely contrary to common sense.

But he didn't reject it, and even said that he was happy to let his life be intertwined with hers, and it would be best if they could never be separated. He felt that he was a little sick, so he didn't say anything, but acted very docile, almost disguising himself as a harmless creature.

However, to Jiang Nan, his entanglement seemed to be just a storm that had nothing to do with her.

For the rest of the time, he quietly watched her squatting in front of the suitcase, carefully comparing everything in the suitcase, with a serious expression and a solemnity in her behavior, as if she was facing a great enemy.

"You don't need to bring too much. There is everything over there." After a few minutes of silence, Chen Yunsheng finally couldn't help but speak, and his voice was softer than usual.

Hearing this, Jiang Nan looked up at him and gave him a shy smile: "I know. But I just wanted to be on the safe side."

Afterwards, Jiang Nan checked the last few things, closed the box and stood up: "Everything has been checked. Nothing is missing." After saying that, Jiang Nan turned his head to look at Chen Yunsheng and smiled gently.

Chen Yunsheng looked at her and suddenly felt a very awkward sensation - tingling and numb, as if hundreds of insects were gnawing at his heart.

He was silent for a moment, then said in a tone of instruction, "When I'm away, if there's anything at home or at work... feel free to contact me. Wei Yan will be keeping an eye on Zhang Lei, so just use the car normally, but be careful with your words. If he suddenly changes lanes while driving, you must notify Wei Yan immediately."

"Don't worry, I can handle it," Jiang Nan reassured him, then changed the subject, "Just focus on your work. Be careful on the road, and especially remember to eat on time."

For a moment, she really looked like a wife who was about to send her husband on a long journey, giving him instructions and complaining about his bad habits.

Chen Yunsheng felt neither offended nor impatient. He listened quietly, and at the same time, a flash of inspiration hit him, as he found the source of that tingling sensation. So, when Jiang Nan took the cup of coffee from him, he casually asked a shocking question: "Will you miss me?"

While he was speaking, he kept paying attention to Jiang Nan's expression.

Jiang Nan, caught off guard by these words, had no other expression except confusion and bewilderment. But when she realized what Chen Yunsheng was saying, her cheeks flushed again.

Then, she turned her face away as if she was not surprised by the decoration of the cloakroom and therefore didn't hear what he said.

Chen Yunsheng looked at her evasive attitude, blaming himself for being reckless, yet still insisting on demanding an answer. So after a few minutes of silence, Chen Yunsheng spoke again: "Nannan, will you miss me?"

Hearing his voice, Jiang Nan closed her eyes in embarrassment, wondering why Chen Yunsheng had suddenly changed his ways. But after a while, she still gave him a stuttering answer: "Yes... yes."

To make his answer less ambiguous, Jiang Nan added dryly, "This place is so big, and I live alone...it must be very lonely."

After saying this, Jiang Nan's expression changed slightly.

She felt that the more she described, the worse it got.

"I try to keep the frequency of making calls every day." As he spoke, Chen Yunsheng followed Jiang Nan's gaze and looked at a wardrobe opposite.

The room was filled with his clothes. Black, white, and gray were the main colors, with the exception of dark and light blue. The overall look was serious and cold, lacking any freshness.

In the past, when he was choosing clothes in the cloakroom, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it, and was even used to this clean and cool style. But at this moment, he felt a little subtle resistance - her world was colorful, but he only had the monotonous black, white and gray.

Thinking of this, Chen Yunsheng calmly turned his gaze away and looked at Jiang Nan beside him. He looked at her ear, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly said to her, "Put your clothes in too."

Hearing this, Jiang Nan showed a surprised expression - she felt that Chen Yunsheng often said shocking things today.

She blinked and replied cautiously, "No. The wardrobe in my room is enough."

Although she and he are now a couple who have obtained a marriage certificate in advance, she feels that their relationship has not yet reached the point where they need to share a cloakroom.

"Winter clothes are bulky," Chen Yunsheng said calmly, "and that closet won't be big enough." After a slight pause, Chen Yunsheng continued, "I'll ask Auntie to make enough space. Then you can leave it to her, or do it yourself."

Jiang Nan tilted her head to look at Chen Yunsheng, and after a few seconds of silence, she agreed, "Okay. I'll move." Then, Jiang Nan suddenly smiled mysteriously. Then, she leaned in front of Chen Yunsheng and said in a teasing tone, "Chen Yunsheng, are you afraid that I'll run away?"

"Of course not," Chen Yunsheng calmly denied Jiang Nan's guess, then said something incoherently, "The coffee is cold."

He said as he walked out of the cloakroom.

Jiang Nan stood there for a while and then burst into laughter.

Chen Yunsheng walked into the living room and heard her laughter. His cheeks turned red, but then he smiled softly.

Jiang Nan was right, he was indeed afraid that she would leave.

——

The next morning at nine o'clock, Chen Yunsheng was about to set off.

Jiang Nan originally planned to send Chen Yunsheng to the airport, but she couldn't resist Chen Yunsheng's insistence, so she just sent him to the basement and got in the car.

After Chen Yunsheng got in the car, he immediately rolled down the window. He looked at Jiang Nan deeply and tried to keep his voice calm: "I'm leaving."

He stared at her face as he spoke, and then he realized belatedly that he didn't even have any photos of her.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask her for a separate photo, but felt that this request seemed particularly abrupt and even a bit inappropriate at this moment. Therefore, he finally said nothing, but secretly planned to take a lot of photos of her this time.

"Be careful on the road." Jiang Nan then mentioned the location of the stomach medicine and snacks and asked him to remember them so that he wouldn't lose them when he needed them.

Chen Yunsheng nodded and looked at her a few more times. After a few minutes, he spoke calmly and told Lao Zhang to drive.

Jiang Nan waved at him, then stood in the stuffy basement. Only after the car turned the corner and disappeared from view did she reluctantly turn back to the suddenly empty apartment.

After this day, for Jiang Nan, the days without Chen Yunsheng seemed no different from before, yet everything seemed different.

She went to work as usual, and in her free time, she would have dinner and chat with Wenwen, video chat with her parents, and tend to the flowers and plants at home. Occasionally, she would go back to her old apartment to clean up. But most of the time, she was busy sorting her clothes in the closet according to season and color, tops and bottoms, skirts and pants.

The solemn and cold cloakroom suddenly became filled with a lot of colors other than black, white and gray, like a sketch suddenly covered with colorful watercolors. It was a little awkward, but also a little harmonious.

Based on these things, Jiang Nan believes that her life is still full of trivial troubles and happiness, and she has not become lonely.

Yet, when she was in her house downtown, she still felt like something was missing—she knew exactly what it was, but she just didn't want to admit it.

So after tidying up her closet, she started on a shopping spree.

She often bought things that weren't particularly useful but looked cute and warm. There were cartoon character dolls, two pairs of soft, snug-fitting cotton slippers, one hers, one Chen Yunsheng's. Besides that, there were also a ton of crocheted flowers, dreamy hanging ornaments, uniquely patterned bowls and plates, and a few four-piece sets in fresher patterns.

Jiang Nan took these photos and showed them to Chen Yunsheng, asking for his opinion. As a result, the two of them began to contact each other more frequently.

Sometimes it's a simple WeChat message. Chen Yunsheng will send her a picture of a foreign street scene or a cup of coffee. Jiang Nan will take a picture of a new item she recently bought or what she had for dinner.

Sometimes it was a late-night video call. It was usually when Jiang Nan returned home from overtime, or when Chen Yunsheng returned home from a day of meetings. He looked tired in the video, but his tone was gentle and soft.

Their conversations were trivial: he would briefly discuss work progress, she would recount interesting company happenings, or how she had successfully dealt with the driver Zhang Lei's probing questions.

During one video call, Jiang Nan discovered that the mystery novel she had stuffed into his luggage was spread out on his desk, and next to it was the stomach medicine she had prepared.

"Is the book good?" She was actually more concerned about the stomach medicine, but she knew he wouldn't tell the truth, so she chose another lighter topic.

"Not bad, the logic is rigorous, and the detective is quite clever," he commented, then asked her, "The temperature in Jiangcheng has dropped. Is the floor heating at home enough?"

"It's enough. Sometimes my nose and mouth feel too dry. Luckily I have a humidifier," she complained casually, "but it's a bit boring to eat alone."

Hearing this, Chen Yunsheng on the other side of the screen was silent for a moment: "I'll be back soon."

Jiang Nan was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Okay. I'll wait for you to come back."

Chen Yunsheng showed an expression that was a little surprised, but also very happy.

Just these few simple words made Jiang Nan laugh for a long time after the chat ended, and so did Chen Yunsheng.

Through these trivial exchanges across time zones, Jiang Nan felt as if he had participated in another part of his life, and also felt his busyness and fatigue. And through these daily sharing, he also gradually filled the gap in Jiang Nan's life that he had been absent from.