84. Chen Yunsheng returns home

Chen Yunsheng's return date was finally set a few days before Christmas.

On the day he came back, Jiang Nan took half a day off in advance and told her driver Zhang Lei not to go. Then she drove to the airport alone.

Afterwards, she mingled with the crowd of people waiting to greet the passengers at the airport, staring eagerly at the international arrivals exit.

When the tall figure in a long black coat pushed a luggage cart and slowly appeared in the crowd, she felt her heart almost immediately start beating with excitement.

Then her eyes swept over his face inch by inch.

He looked thinner, and his eyes were still filled with fatigue after a long flight, but the moment he saw her, his eyes suddenly lit up, sparkling like a deep sea reflecting the starry sky.

Then he walked towards her quickly, forgetting to push the luggage cart. It was his assistant behind him who quickly took it over.

He wanted to hug her, but finally suppressed the urge. He just stood in front of her and asked softly, "Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"No, I just got here a while ago," Jiang Nan shook her head, resisting the urge to reach out and help him comb his hair. She then smiled with her eyes curved, "Welcome home, classmate Chen."

As she spoke, she tried to take a small bag from his hand.

"Well, let's go home." Chen Yunsheng didn't let her take the bag. Instead, he naturally held her hand with his free hand. "Where is the car parked?"

"It's parked next to your company's car," she said, then looked back at his team and added with a smile, "I bought some refreshments for you and have already put them in the car."

The assistant pushing the cart and the staff behind him all thanked him with smiles.

Chen Yunsheng was stunned for a moment, then he laughed softly: "Is there any for me?"

"I prepared some osmanthus honey for you," Jiang Nan blinked and let him lead her to the parking lot. "I made it myself."

Hearing this, Chen Yunsheng quickened his pace slightly, then tilted his head to look at Jiang Nan's face, and said in a mischievous tone, "Did they add chili?"

"Of course not!"

Looking at Jiang Nan's expression that suddenly became lively, Chen Yunsheng smiled triumphantly.

He preferred to see her happy and embarrassed rather than tears and sorrow. She would be more lively than ever, full of vigor and vitality, like a rising sun.

——

On the way back to the city, the street scene outside was bleak in winter, but the car was warm and there was a comfortable and leisurely tranquility.

Chen Yunsheng sat in the passenger seat, eating osmanthus honey from the insulated lunch box while listening to Jiang Nan talk.

"Are you tired? Do you want to lay down the chair and take some more sleep?" Jiang Nan asked softly.

"I slept on the plane," Chen Yunsheng replied. "Let's go home. I'm craving... the smell of home."

He said the smell of home made Jiang Nan feel sweet.

She immediately responded in a joking tone: "How did you know I was planning to make sweet and sour pork ribs?"

Hearing this, Chen Yunsheng smiled again.

In fact, he doesn't seem to have any particular favorite dishes, but now he does like the taste of sweet and sour pork ribs.

After that, the two chatted for a long time. From the weather in Europe to the temperature in Jiangcheng, from Jiangcheng's eating habits to white people's food, and finally stopped at the mystery novel she gave him.

At that time, Jiang Nan had only one thought in her mind - she didn't know that Chen Yunsheng could talk so much, but she didn't find it annoying.

The nearly two-hour drive disappeared in the blink of an eye during this chat.

After the car parked in the apartment garage, the two went upstairs.

When he opened the door and saw the changes inside, a glimmer of surprise flashed in Chen Yunsheng's eyes.

On the entrance cabinet, next to the four rabbits, there's a furry snowman doll with a red scarf, looking adorable. A few brightly colored pillows grace the living room sofa, and a string of star-shaped lights hangs by the window, emitting a warm yellow glow.

The entire space is still neat and clean, but it no longer has that serious and cold sense of order.

"I just bought some random things," Jiang Nan explained, a little embarrassed. Then she took out the green cotton slippers with cartoon eyes she had bought for Chen Yunsheng and said hesitantly, "Try these."

Chen Yunsheng showed a surprised expression. Then, he took off his leather shoes and put on a pair of slippers that seemed a little too cute for him. He stepped on them, and his eyes finally fell on Jiang Nan's face. "Very good, very warm."

His voice was gentle as usual, but his tone was much softer.

Jiang Nan breathed a sigh of relief: "As long as you like it."

Then, Chen Yunsheng put down his simple carry-on luggage and turned to the cloakroom.

The moment he opened the door, he was stunned again.

His wardrobe, once dominated by black, white, and gray, had been transformed into a new section. It was filled with Jiang Nan's clothes, a soft yet rich palette of off-white, pale pink, emerald green, and hazy blue. Besides the formal shirts and pants, there were also several dresses with unique patterns. The sweaters and hoodies stacked in the adjacent area were also a riot of color, like a rainbow, blending unexpectedly yet harmoniously into the once deserted space.

"Have you all moved here?" He turned around and looked at Jiang Nan, who looked a little embarrassed.

"Yeah," Jiang Nan nodded, then walked over to him and said a little embarrassedly, "Auntie helped to tidy up some of it. Is it - too crowded?"

Chen Yunsheng shook his head. Then he turned and looked at her intently. "No. This is good." He paused and added, "It's very warm."

Jiang Nan was puzzled by his choice of words, but still smiled: "As long as you don't hate it."

The two were silent for a while, and then Chen Yunsheng turned to Jiang Nan and asked with great difficulty: "Can I hug you?"

Jiang Nan was a little surprised, but she could sense how much Chen Yunsheng valued this hug. Therefore, she hesitated for only a few seconds before agreeing to his request: "Sure."

As he finished speaking, he bent down slightly, gently put his arm around Jiang Nan's shoulders, and then rubbed his cheek against her hair. Jiang Nan was a little confused at first, but after slowly getting used to it, her body and mind relaxed. Then, hesitantly, she hugged his waist back.

Both of them were very restrained, not daring to exert much strength. Yet Jiang Nan still felt the protection hidden in this silent embrace. For Chen Yunsheng, this embrace carried the chill of a Jiangcheng winter, along with her own unique fragrance. But what he craved most was the subtle warmth.

The hug lasted for several minutes before ending with Chen Yunsheng reluctant to let go. Jiang Nan turned away slightly and deliberately changed the subject: "You should change your clothes. I'll go see how the spare ribs I asked Auntie to help prepare are doing."

After saying that, she left the cloakroom without waiting for Chen Yunsheng's reaction.

As Chen Yunsheng listened to her footsteps gradually fading away, he felt the fatigue of the past month suddenly dissipate, replaced by a warmth full of peace.

——

Over the next few days, life returned to how it had been before Chen Yunsheng left, but with a twist. They became more natural and intimate with each other, more and more like a couple falling head over heels in love.

Although Chen Yunsheng was still busy, he tried to get home on time for dinner. After dinner, the two of them would sometimes sit on the sofa and watch a movie, or read a book, occasionally exchanging a few words.

On Christmas Day, neither of them had any work plans and went on a date. In the morning, they stayed at home and experimented with cooking methods, mixing salt and water to make a pot of spicy hot soup look terrible.

But in the afternoon, they went out to see a movie. Jiang Nan was most impressed by the actress' eyes, while Chen Yunsheng was curious whether he and Jiang Nan would have a sweet and passionate kiss one day in the future.

So when enjoying the Christmas dinner in the restaurant that evening, Chen Yunsheng's eyes would always unconsciously fall on Jiang Nan's lips, and then he would uncomfortably look away before Jiang Nan noticed.

Jiang Nan was unaware of this - she was always nervous about the timing of giving the gift.

The restaurant had a great atmosphere, with soft lighting and melodious jazz music, but she just couldn't grasp the opportunity. When she saw Chen Yunsheng take out the gift he had prepared, Jiang Nan almost immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Yunsheng's gift was an exquisite diamond necklace with a tiny star pendant, while Jiang Nan gave him a limited edition fountain pen with a dark blue body and tiny silver stars, similar to the one she gave Wei Yan, but this one was more delicate.

"I hope it can help you sign more big deals." Jiang Nan said with a smile.

Chen Yunsheng took the pen and turned it gently: "Thank you, I like it very much."

As he spoke, his eyes couldn't help but glance over her lips again.

Her lips are very beautiful, and they look fuller and softer with lipstick, like a soft strawberry cake.

Immediately, Chen Yunsheng felt annoyed. He felt that his thoughts were a bit dirty and even an insult to her. Therefore, during the rest of the meal, he restrained his desire and did not allow himself to look at her lips.

Even when he needed to respond to a conversation, he looked only into her eyes.

However, there were still one or two times when he couldn't help but lower his gaze, but as soon as he caught sight of the tip of her nose, he immediately retracted his gaze. It can be said that Chen Yunsheng had an extremely difficult time eating this Christmas dinner, and even had a bit of a tastelessness.

Compared to his uneasiness, Jiang Nan was much more relaxed. She spilled the beans about the past month, talking about Wenwen's new boyfriend and complaining about the parachuted-in director's harsh clock-in rules.

Chen Yunsheng would respond to her topics, but he was always a little absent-minded.

It was not until dinner was almost over that he came back to his senses when fine snowflakes suddenly began to float in front of the window.

This is the first snow in Jiangcheng this winter.

"It's snowing." Jiang Nan looked at the snow falling outside the window, his eyes sparkling.

"Well," Chen Yunsheng looked at her and said something in a gentle and incoherent voice, "Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest."

Jiang Nan blinked, a look of slight confusion on her face. She felt something was off about Chen Yunsheng today. However, she didn't think much of it, simply assuming he was upset about Chen Minghui. So she tried hard to find something to talk about, but also tried not to touch on those taboo secrets.

Chen Yunsheng listened quietly, occasionally smiling in agreement. He wasn't fully absorbed in her details about color matching, directors, and colleagues. His attention was ultimately drawn to her lips, glistening with a rosy glow as they opened and closed.

Her soft lips would purse slightly when she spoke, and sometimes she would purse them unconsciously.

He looked at her beaming face, at her expression as she shared every bit of happiness without any defense, and a clear and strong thought suddenly and domineeringly occupied his entire mind.

——He wanted to kiss her.