Gu Jingran's embrace was warm, carrying the scent of someone who had traveled a long way.
Ye Linchen paused for a few seconds before slowly raising his hand to hug her back.
His coat was still cool, mixed with a faint scent of soap, pressing heavily on her breath, giving her a strange sense of peace.
He didn't say anything, he just held Ye Linchen in his arms as if trying to make sure she was really standing there.
Time stretched out infinitely at that moment, and Ye Linchen could even hear his own heartbeat, thumping against his eardrums.
Her fingers curled up unconsciously, as if afraid that the warmth would slip away if she loosened them.
The silence was broken when the sound of their neighbor opening their door across the street roused them from their reverie.
Ye Linchen lowered her eyes uncomfortably, her cheeks slightly flushed, and smiled at Gu Jingran.
"Come in quickly."
Gu Jingran nodded, placed his suitcase by the door, closed the door behind him, and then sat down on the sofa.
"Just got up?"
Gu Jingran placed the plastic bag he was carrying on the coffee table and glanced at Ye Linchen, whose face still bore the marks of sleep.
"I got up for a while, but I felt like I wasn't fully awake, so I fell asleep again while sitting on the sofa."
"I slept too late last night," Gu Jingran said knowingly.
As he spoke, he unwrapped the plastic bag layer by layer.
Inside was a bowl of steaming white porridge and several steamed buns wrapped in a paper bag.
The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating his sharply defined profile. His lips were tightly pressed together, and there was no smile on his face.
He seemed more aloof than usual.
Ye Linchen watched his movements and felt a sudden surge of tension.
"Will coming back this time interfere with your work?" she asked, sitting down next to Gu Jingran.
Gu Jingran placed the porridge in front of Ye Linchen and glanced at her.
Ye Linchen waited for him to answer her gently, as he always did, and then ask her how she had been lately.
But he didn't!
He simply raised his hand, gently brushed aside a stray strand of hair from Ye Linchen's temple, and said calmly, "Have some porridge first, it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Ye Linchen blinked and glanced at his face.
Gu Jingran seems a bit off; he looks unhappy.
But it looks no different from usual.
Ye Linchen felt inexplicably guilty.
She curled her lips into a smile at his cold, aloof face and said, "How did you know I hadn't had breakfast yet? Mr. Gu always seems to be on the same wavelength as me."
Whether it was the phrase "telepathic connection" that had an effect or not, Gu Jingran's tightly pursed lips curved slightly into a smile.
Seeing that his expression softened, Ye Linchen pressed on, asking, "President Gu is so busy, he probably hasn't eaten yet, right? Would you do me the honor of having some with us?"
A smile spread across Gu Jingran's eyes. He hummed in agreement, got up, went to the kitchen, and brought out two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
He ladled out most of a bowl of porridge for Ye Linchen and then placed the steamed buns in front of her.
"Your favorite steamed buns, fresh out of the steamer."
"Thank you, Mr. Gu," Ye Linchen said with a smile.
This breakfast was eaten in unusual quiet.
When Gu Jingran returned from out of town, he would always tell her about some interesting things he had seen and heard.
From south to north, from north to south, they can make even a bowl of bland white porridge sound delicious.
But today, the only sound between the two was the occasional crisp sound of a porcelain spoon hitting the rim of a bowl.
Gu Jingran ate very slowly, taking a sip of porridge and a small bite of steamed bun, his gaze always fixed on the bowl in front of him.
Ye Linchen sipped her porridge slowly, glancing at him furtively.
Gu Jingran's jawline was taut, making it seem less like he was eating and more like he was completing a task.
An invisible pressure floated in the air, heavy and suffocating.
Even the meat buns he specially brought back, which were her favorite, tasted a bit hard today and I couldn't taste anything.
Ye Linchen knew that he had something to say.
Those words must have been difficult to say, which is why he remained silent, as if gathering his strength or pondering them repeatedly.
She finished the last mouthful of porridge in her bowl, picked up the last steamed bun with her chopsticks, and ate it slowly.
She was waiting, waiting for him to speak.
As she put down her chopsticks, Gu Jingran also put down his bowl and chopsticks and stood up.
He moved swiftly, reaching out to collect the bowl in front of her.
Right now.
Ye Linchen said to himself.
If they don't talk things out soon, this silence will wear down the air between them.
She reached out and gently tugged at Gu Jingran's sleeve.
The fabric carried the warmth of his body, making it slightly warm.
Gu Jingran stopped what he was doing and looked up at her.
"Are you unhappy?" Ye Linchen asked.
Gu Jingran did not answer immediately.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on her fair fingers that were tightly gripping his sleeve.
His gaze was deep and unfocused, as if he were looking at an object he couldn't understand.
"It's not that I'm unhappy," Gu Jingran said slowly.
"What is that?" Ye Linchen looked back at him and asked, "You said on the phone yesterday that we would talk about it when we met."
"We're sitting face to face now, and you still can't say it?"
She could feel his fingers tightening around the dishes.
A soft sigh escaped from Gu Jingran's lips. He put the half-empty bowls and chopsticks back on the table and sat down again.
This time, he did not avoid Ye Linchen's gaze.
After thinking for a while, he finally spoke.
"I'm just a little sad, feeling like you don't seem to need me."
Ye Linchen was stunned.
She blinked, almost thinking she had misheard.
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