Chapter 290 Why can’t friends give gifts to each other?
The car window was half-lowered, and the wind blew the scent of winter cherry blossoms into the car.
Jiang Chenyu put one hand on the steering wheel and used the other hand to open his phone and dial a video call.
"One minute." He raised the corners of his lips at the screen, the wind blowing through his slightly curled hair. "We'll be there soon. You can come down now."
The camera shook, and Cen Lian stood on tiptoe on the second-floor terrace and waved. Her goose yellow dress was blown into a blooming bud by the wind.
She leaned a little closer to the screen and watched him steering with one hand, feeling a little dazed.
The tire shook slightly as it rolled over the speed bump, and Jiang Chenyu's profile suddenly appeared in the picture.
The collar of the windbreaker was lifted by the airflow, revealing the faint line of the collarbone, and the jawline flickered in the mottled shadows of the trees.
I have to say that the way Jiang Chenyu steers the wheel with one hand is so handsome that it's almost unfair.
"Doctor Jiang..." Cen Lian stared at the screen of his mobile phone, somewhat like a fangirl.
"Hmm?" He whispered, his Adam's apple rolling. His eyes were still fixed on the road ahead. His eyelashes looked particularly beautiful in the sunlight. "I'll wait for you at the door."
"Okay." Cen Lian responded and hung up the phone. She picked up her skirt and ran downstairs. The wooden stairs made a light "tapping" sound as she stepped on them.
"Hey, where are you going?" Mother Cen was arranging flowers in the living room. When she looked up, she saw her daughter flying across the entrance like a little butterfly.
"I have an appointment!" Cen Lian shouted without turning his head. When he bent down to put on his shoes, his hair brushed across his cheek, revealing a part of the red tip of his ear.
Mother Cen put down the scissors and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window curiously, just in time to see the black car parked outside the courtyard.
The car door opened and a tall figure stepped out. A corner of his light grey windbreaker was lifted by the wind, and the sunlight danced on his shoulders, making him look handsome and tall.
Jiang Chenyu walked around to the passenger seat and opened the door smoothly.
Cen Lian trotted over, her skirt swaying in a gentle arc, like a blooming goose yellow dandelion.
"Slow down." He reached out and supported her waist, with a smile in his voice.
Mother Cen recognized the man as Jiang Chenyu just by looking at his back, and was secretly delighted: Finally, a pig has come to dig up cabbage!
When Cen Lian got into the car, Jiang Chenyu gently placed his palm on her head, his knuckles glowing warmly in the sunlight.
He closed the door very quietly, but as he turned around he seemed to be aware of something and looked towards the window.
Jiang Chenyu's eyes briefly met Mother Cen's who was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
He was slightly startled, then raised the corner of his lips and nodded in greeting, his posture calm and with a bit of respect of a junior.
Mother Cen couldn't help but smile with her eyes curved. She waved at him and made a "go away" gesture, her eyes full of mischief.
Jiang Chenyu's smile deepened. He tapped lightly on the car door with his fingertips before walking back to the driver's seat.
The car door closed and the interior suddenly became quiet, with only the faint scent of winter cherry blossoms floating in the air.
Cen Lian was fastening her seat belt with her head down, her hair hanging down, covering her slightly flushed face.
"Is the seat belt stuck?" Jiang Chenyu leaned over, gently fiddling with the metal buckle with his slender fingers, and his warm breath brushed past her ear faintly.
"No...no!" Cen Lian pressed it in a panic, and with a "click", the seat belt was fastened firmly.
Jiang Chenyu chuckled softly, turned the steering wheel with one hand, and the car slowly drove away from the Cen family's old house.
He caught a glimpse of her still a little embarrassed, so he teased her, "Auntie saw me just now."
"Ah?!" Cen Lian'an turned his head suddenly, his eyes wide open, "My mom?"
"Yeah." Jiang Chenyu looked ahead, his tone nonchalant, "But she just waved at me, probably meaning..."
He paused, glanced at her sideways, and said with a mischievous smile, "'Hurry up and take my daughter out to play, don't dawdle.'"
Cen Lian's ears turned red, "Jiang Chenyu!"
He chuckled, holding her wrist with one hand, squeezing it gently and then releasing it, his voice soft, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore."
The car drove into the main road, and the sunlight shone through the shadows of the trees and fell into the gap between the two people, like silent tenderness.
Cen Lian glanced at him secretly, and saw that his profile, which was concentrating on driving, looked particularly good in the light and shadow, and his heartbeat quickened again.
"What are you looking at?" he suddenly asked, his eyes still fixed on the front, but the corners of his lips slightly raised.
"Look at the way you drive with one hand..." She responded subconsciously, and only after she finished speaking did she realize that she had said what was in her heart, and immediately covered her mouth.
Jiang Chenyu raised his eyebrows, tapped the steering wheel twice with his fingertips, and said meaningfully, "Oh? Is Miss Cen satisfied?"
Cen Li'an buried his face in his palms and said in a muffled voice: "...It's too foul."
He chuckled softly, reached out and rubbed the top of her head, his fingertips lingering briefly in her soft hair, then withdrew his hand and continued driving.
Outside the car window, the city scenery passed by quickly, but the temperature inside the car quietly rose because of the presence of someone.
——
Half an hour later, the car stopped at the parking lot of the aquarium. Jiang Chenyu walked around to the passenger seat and opened the door for Cen Lian.
She had just taken a step when he gently grabbed her wrist and said, "Wait."
He leaned over and brushed his fingertips over a cherry blossom petal that had gotten on her skirt at some point in time. His movements were so natural that it seemed like the most ordinary interaction between friends.
Cen Lian lowered his head and saw that his thick eyelashes cast a small shadow in the sunlight, and his Adam's apple rolled slightly with his breathing.
"Okay." He stood up and tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ears, but immediately took a half step back to keep the right distance.
The two of them walked in side by side.
The dome of the aquarium was filled with shimmering water light. There were not many people in the Beluga Whale Pavilion. Behind the huge glass curtain wall, two Beluga whales were swimming gracefully.
Cen Li'an trotted over, placed his palms on the cold glass, his eyes sparkling, "They are so beautiful!"
Jiang Chenyu stood beside her, his hands in his windbreaker pockets, his eyes fixed on the swimming white whale. "It's really beautiful."
His tone was relaxed, but not perfunctory.
Suddenly, a white whale swam towards them and slowly spit out a string of bubbles in front of Cen Lian.
She turned around in surprise, "Jiang Chenyu! Look, it's blowing bubbles at me!"
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Chenyu had already pulled out a small dark blue velvet box from his pocket and casually handed it to her. "This is for you."
Cen Lian was stunned, his fingers hanging in the air, not daring to take it.
"Don't get me wrong," he chuckled, his tone as casual as handing out a piece of candy, "it's just a little thing. I just thought you might like it."
He took the initiative to open the box, and inside lay an exquisite whale brooch. The streamlined body was outlined in platinum, and the densely inlaid diamonds sparkled in the dark blue water.
"I happened to see this little thing last night while walking past a jewelry store," he said with a casual shrug. "Since you like marine life, I bought it."
The white whale behind the glass curtain wall made an ethereal cry, and amid the rippling water, Cen Lian could clearly see the blue diamond that served as the eye on the brooch, reflecting a deep-sea luster under the light.
"This... is too valuable," she whispered. "I can't accept it."
Although the Cen family is not as wealthy as the Jiang family, they are also a wealthy family. She could tell at a glance that these diamonds were worth a lot of money.
Don’t underestimate this small brooch; it costs at least seven figures.
"Why, can't friends exchange gifts?" Jiang Chenyu raised his eyebrows and said in a teasing tone, "Or is it that Miss Cen has thought of something else?"
He took out the brooch and pinned it to her collar naturally, his fingertips deliberately avoiding her skin. "Just consider it a celebration of our friendship."
Jiang Chenyu's movements were so light and quick that Cen Lian'an had no room to refuse.
The white whale spit out another string of bubbles, which exploded into countless points of light above their heads.
Jiang Chenyu took a step back, put his hands back into his pockets, and smiled calmly, "How about it? It matches your skirt perfectly."
Cen Lian looked down at the brooch, the gleam of the diamond reflected on her eyelashes.
She looked up and gave him a bright smile. "Thank you, I love it."
"That's good," Jiang Chenyu said softly as he turned and walked towards the next exhibition area. "Let's go, the dolphin show is about to begin."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
