Chapter 283 The relationship takes a step further
Sunlight streams into the restaurant through the gauze curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled shadows on the wooden dining table.
Cen Lian picked up the coffee and took a sip, but his eyes unconsciously fell on the hand of the man opposite him.
Jiang Chenyu's fingers are long and strong, with distinct knuckles, and he is now gracefully cutting the fruit on the plate.
"Do you come here often?" Cen Lian asked, his voice softer than usual.
Jiang Chenyu looked up at her, the sunlight dancing on his eyelashes. "Not often. I come and stay for a few days when I'm not too busy at work and too tired."
He paused. "It's quiet here."
Cen Lian nodded, and suddenly remembered something, "By the way, have you seen my phone?"
"Charging it in the living room." Jiang Chenyu seemed to have anticipated her question. "It ran out of power last night. You were about to fall asleep, so I charged it for you."
This detail warmed Cen Lian'an's heart.
She lowered her head to continue eating breakfast, but found that the corners of her mouth unconsciously rose.
"Do you usually make your own breakfast?" she couldn't help asking.
Jiang Chenyu put down his knife and fork, picked up his napkin and gently wiped the corners of his mouth. "Only here. I'm usually too busy, so I basically just eat some boxed lunch in the hospital."
He paused. "If you like, I can do it often."
These words made Cen Lian'an's fingers pause slightly.
Often? What did he mean by that?
She looked up and met Jiang Chenyu's gaze. His deep eyes seemed to contain some emotions that she could not understand.
"It's my pleasure," she heard herself say, her voice so soft that it was almost drowned out by the clinking of coffee cups.
After breakfast, Jiang Chenyu suggested taking her to visit the villa.
The house is bigger than Cen Lian had imagined. The decoration style is simple but tasteful. It gives people a sense of security as soon as they enter.
The study is filled with books in various languages, several abstract paintings hang on the wall, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the blue sea.
"Did you choose all these?" Cen Lian asked, standing in front of a blue-gray painting.
Jiang Chenyu walked up to her and smelled the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, which made him slightly dazed.
"Mostly. Some were gifts from friends."
The two of them chatted while visiting, and time passed quickly, and it was afternoon in the blink of an eye.
The beach is exposed after the tide goes out, sparkling with tiny lights.
Jiang Chenyu changed into casual clothes, a white linen shirt and light-colored shorts, and looked much younger.
He took out a small straw hat and put it on Cen Lian. "There's still some sunshine outside. Don't get tanned."
"Are you ready, Shell Hunter?" He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and a rare sense of ease flashed in his eyes.
Cen Lian nodded, and the two of them walked towards the beach not far away.
The beach still retained the residual warmth of the sun, and the fine sand seeped into the gaps between the sandals, making me feel itchy.
Cen Lian simply took off his shoes and walked barefoot on the warm beach.
Seeing this, Jiang Chenyu also took off his shoes and socks like her.
"Watch out for shell fragments," he warned, concern in his voice.
When the tide receded, countless treasures were left on the beach.
Colorful shells, smooth pebbles, and occasionally a trapped crab or two.
Cen Lian squatted down excitedly like a child and picked up a spiral pink shell.
"Look! How beautiful!" She held up the shell to show Jiang Chenyu. The sunlight shone through the thin wall of the shell, casting a pink spot of light on her palm.
Jiang Chenyu took a few steps closer and looked down at the shell in her hand. "This is a rose conch, which is quite rare."
His voice was firm and professional. "Look at the pattern on it. Does it resemble rose petals?"
Cen Li'an looked at him in surprise, "You also know how to classify shells?"
"I grew up by the sea and learned some from my grandfather."
Jiang Chenyu squatted down, looking at her at eye level, and dug out a dark blue shell from the sand. "This is a sapphire shell, which is even rarer."
His fingers accidentally brushed against the back of Cen Lian'an's hand, and the touch at that moment made both of them slightly startled.
Cen Lian felt a tiny electric current spreading from the point of contact, and his cheeks became hot unconsciously.
"You... know a lot." She said softly, pretending to focus on the shell in her hand to hide her panic.
Jiang Chenyu did not respond immediately, but continued searching on the beach.
After a while, he suddenly looked at her and said, "When I was a child, I often picked up shells by myself at the beach. At that time, I felt that every shell hid a secret that didn't belong to it."
Cen Lian'an's heart softened when he heard the man's words.
She looked at the man's focused profile. The sunlight gilded him, making him look less cold and more gentle and fragile.
"What now?" she couldn't help asking.
Jiang Chenyu turned to look at her, his eyes deep. "Now I think some secrets are... worth sharing."
This sentence was like a small stone thrown into Cen Lian'an's calm heart, causing ripples.
Cen Lian didn't know how to respond, so he lowered his head and continued looking for shells, but he found that his heart was beating so fast that even his fingers were shaking.
They walked slowly along the shoreline, bending down from time to time to pick up beautiful shells.
Jiang Chenyu can always tell the name and characteristics of each shell.
Cen Lian'an was like a studious student, exclaiming in surprise from time to time.
Before they knew it, the distance between the two was getting closer and closer, and there were more and more shells in the basket.
"Wait." Jiang Chenyu suddenly stopped and fixed his eyes on a certain spot on the beach.
He walked over quickly, carefully pushed aside the sand, and dug out a shell of a strange shape.
"What is this?" Cen Lian approached curiously.
Jiang Chenyu's eyes sparkled with surprise. "Heart-shaped conch, very rare."
He held the shell in his palm and showed it to her. "Look, isn't it shaped like a heart?"
The shell shone with a pearly sheen in the sunlight and indeed took on a perfect heart shape.
Cen Li'an couldn't help but reach out and touch it, "It's amazing..."
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the shell, Jiang Chenyu suddenly closed his palms and gently held the shell.
Cen Lian'an's fingers fell on the back of his hand.
The two looked up at the same time and their eyes met.
The sea breeze blew by, bringing a hint of salty air.
Jiang Chenyu slowly opened his palm and handed the heart-shaped shell to her, "This is for you."
Cen Lian held his breath and carefully took the precious gift.
The warmth of the shell in his palm had not yet dissipated, and she held it tightly in her palm, as if holding some unspeakable secret.
"Thank you." She whispered, her voice almost drowned out by the sound of the waves.
Jiang Chenyu just smiled slightly, and that smile was warmer than the sunshine.
He reached out and gently brushed away the fine sand that had gotten into her hair, his movements as gentle as if he was handling some fragile treasure.
"We should go back." Jiang Chenyu's voice was low and gentle. "The sun is about to set."
Cen Lian nodded, but found that he couldn't move.
Jiang Chenyu seemed to see through her thoughts. He reached out to take her basket full of shells, and naturally took her hand with his other hand.
"Let's go." He said softly, but his hand showed no sign of loosening. "I'll take you home."
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