Chapter Six
Su Xian opened the cigarette pack; there were five cigarettes left, but the lighter was no longer inside. She closed the pack, having planned to quit after smoking these last few, but now it seemed she'd have to move up the pace.
Footsteps echoed down the stairs on the side of the deck. Su Xian didn't turn her head, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure in a black suit approaching, standing against the railing just like her. A sea breeze ruffled her long hair that draped over her shoulders, and a few strands brushed against his sleeve. She and he seemed to be quite close.
"Miss Su, are you in such a dilemma? Are you trying to quit smoking?"
Su Xian lowered her head, only then realizing that her thumb had been repeatedly fiddling with the lid of the cigarette pack. She calmed herself and shook her head. "I just couldn't find a lighter."
Lin Zhiyuan smiled slightly, took out a black lighter from his suit pocket, slid his thumb across the cap, and a bright orange flame shot out with a "whoosh".
Su Xian took out a cigarette and put it in her mouth, leaning forward slightly and cupping the flame with her hands, the thin smoke emitting a red glow. She took another cigarette from the pack and offered it to him, but Lin Zhiyuan shook his head.
It's interesting that someone who doesn't smoke carries a lighter with them.
Su Xian turned around and leaned against the railing, slowly exhaling smoke. She knew Lin Zhiyuan had been watching her, but she pretended not to notice and lowered her eyes.
The two opposite corners of the black lighter were pressed by his fingers, and after spinning a few times, it slowly came to a stop, revealing the small silver four-pointed star on the front. The small diamond in the center of the four-pointed star flashed slightly before disappearing into the shadow of his palm.
Su Xian's heart skipped a beat; this was exactly the same as the lighter she had lost. Of course, her lighter wasn't unique, but both he and she had been in the same place.
Su Xian took a deep drag of her cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and said casually, "Mr. Lin's lighter is quite special. Was it custom-made?"
Lin Zhiyuan gripped the lighter, and instead of answering, asked, "Does Miss Su like it?"
Su Xian flicked her cigarette ash. "I wouldn't say I like it, I'm just curious why Mr. Lin, who doesn't smoke, carries a lighter."
"Speaking of which, there's a story behind this lighter. Would Miss Su like to hear it?" Lin Zhiyuan looked at her with a half-smile.
Su Xian recalled what happened that day. She did leave a little slowly, but later she wore a mask in the coffee shop, so he might not have recognized her.
Su Xian felt relieved and turned to look at him. Wisps of white smoke swirled between her fingers, lingering around his side.
"I thought that lighters had no other function besides igniting fire."
"That depends on who has it, doesn't it?"
His fingers were slightly bent, making it easy to see the raised knuckles. The tips of his thumb and forefinger rested on the prism of the lighter, gently stroking it from top to bottom. Su Xian knew that the surface of this lighter was very smooth, and she liked to hold it and play with it when she had nothing to do.
She watched as his fingers traced the prism several times, then his thumb circled the silver edge of the four-pointed star before finally landing on the small diamond and slowly drawing circles a few times before reluctantly stopping.
Su Xian's heart trembled slightly, and even her palms felt a little warm.
Lin Zhiyuan's hoarse voice came through, "The same lighter will have different functions in different people's hands. My lighter can do more than just light a fire."
Su Xian licked her lips, smiled slightly, walked to the sofa and sat down, placing the cigarette in the ashtray's groove.
Lin Zhiyuan leaned against the railing, his white shirt peeking out from under his open black suit. For some reason, Su Xian recalled the conversation she had overheard that day, and her gaze drifted downwards. He stretched out his long legs, a relaxed smile on his face, but his eyes were fixed on her.
The rhythmic crashing of the waves against the shore was distant, and the menthol-scented white smoke was dispersed by the wind, leaving a small, broken ash in the ashtray. Su Xian sat on the sofa, while Lin Zhiyuan remained standing by the railing, a distance between them.
"The winery delivered a batch of newly made red wine today. I wonder if Miss Su would be interested in joining me for a tasting?"
On their first meeting, a man and a woman alone, he tried to seduce her by offering her drinks; his tactics are getting more and more outdated.
“It seems like we’ve only just met.” Su Xuan leaned back on the sofa, propping her head up with one hand, and looked him over with interest.
"Really?" Lin Zhiyuan's smile remained unchanged. "I feel like I hit it off with Miss Su right away."
Su Xian's smile faded. She knew this; when Lu Ran first taught her to practice acting in front of a mirror, he had said that when she looked at people with a blank expression, it made them feel like they could see right through her. Later, she learned to manipulate her emotions; her eyes could be gentle, happy, or angry.
But now, she suppressed all her emotions and scrutinized him, trying to find any clues.
Lin Zhiyuan didn't flinch, his smile unchanged. "Miss Su, every time you see me, it seems like you're looking for something?"
His question was serious, but the frivolous answer made Su Xian's heart skip a beat.
Both she and he knew perfectly well what had happened that day.
"Mr. Lin is joking."
Su Xian stopped looking at him and reached out to extinguish the cigarette butt that was burning shorter and shorter.
It was Lin Zhiyuan who broke the silence first.
"This batch of wine has a low yield because of the frost. The grape harvest was not as good as in previous years, and we don't know if it will affect the taste of the wine."
"I originally planned to try it alone tonight, but I think it would be a different experience if someone tasted it with me."
Lin Zhiyuan took two steps closer, his voice gentle, "May I do this as a gesture of hospitality?"
Having made such a request, it would be incredibly rude to refuse.
"Okay," Su Xian replied softly.
Lin Zhiyuan went downstairs to get the wine and returned in just a few minutes. He took off his wristwatch and placed it on the table. The sand-gold tourbillon and the skeletonized movement swung rapidly.
When shooting an advertisement for Holmes watches at the beginning of the year, Su Xuan had seen a similar model in the product catalog, but this watch did not have a clear logo on the front of the dial, and the hands were also pure black, so it must be a private customization.
"Because it hasn't been officially launched yet, the packaging of the wine you usually see will be a little different."
Su Xian then noticed that the wine bottle was only sealed with a cork and there was no label on the bottle.
Lin Zhiyuan was only wearing a white shirt, with one button undone at the collar, looking rather nonchalant. Su Xuan nestled on the sofa, watching him hold the corkscrew, screwing the screw into the wooden stopper round and round, securing it in place, and then pulling it upwards.
The veins on the back of his hands bulged, perhaps a testament to his strength, making the act of pulling out the cork graceful and effortless. He lifted the cork little by little, his sleeves rolled up at his elbows, his forearms taut from the exertion. His shirt concealed his upper arms, only the outline of his muscles vaguely visible under the light. His shoulders and back were full, not the kind of bulky muscles, but rather a perfectly balanced strength, harmoniously complementing his waist and legs.
With a soft "poof," Su Xian came back to her senses.
Lin Zhiyuan poured red wine into two stemmed glasses. "It's new wine, so it doesn't need much decanting. You can drink it straight away."
Su Xian took the wine glass, clinked glasses with him, and took a small sip.
"Hmm... It feels a bit astringent at first, but it's smooth and easy to accept." Su Xian held the stem of the glass, brought it to her lips, and took a sip to savor it. "It has a fruity aroma of strawberry and cherry, and a bit of chocolate. The taste is very full-bodied, and I'm looking forward to how it will change after aging."
Lin Zhiyuan also took a sip, but has not yet offered his opinion.
Su Xuan thought for a moment and then added, "I'm just describing how I felt after drinking it; it might not be very professional."
“You’re absolutely right. Many people use so-called professional terms to describe their wine tasting experience, trying to show off their expertise. But simpler language can more directly reflect your taste buds’ perception of the wine.”
Lin Zhiyuan picked up the wine bottle and poured wine into his glass.
Do you know how wine is made?
Su Xian shook her head.
“After the grapes ripen, they need to be harvested by hand, then destemmed, and then crushed in a machine. The grape skins and crushed pulp are soaked together to release a mild tannin, which is the astringency you just mentioned.”
"Next comes fermentation, which is carried out at a constant temperature of 23 or 24 degrees Celsius. After 7 to 10 days, the sugar in the grapes is converted into alcohol. At the end of fermentation, the wine needs to be pressed, but this process must be very gentle to avoid extracting bitter tannins from the grape skins and seeds."
"Then the wine is poured into barrels, usually oak barrels. This batch of wine was stored in barrels for 8 months before being filtered and bottled."
The winemaking process, narrated in his gentle voice, sounded like the most touching side voiceover on a television program.
Lin Zhiyuan put down his empty wine glass. "As I said before, due to the weather, the yield of this batch of wine is not high. So, like you, I'm looking forward to how it will change."
“You know a lot about wine,” Su Xuan said, looking at him.
"After visiting many wineries, we finally decided on Burgundy, which can be considered a coming-of-age ceremony for us."
The ruby-red wine flowed slowly from the bottle held by Lin Zhiyuan into the stemmed glass.
She was 18 years old. When she was 18, she was about to take the college entrance exam. Every day she was in the classroom doing test papers that seemed to never end.
He and she are different. They were different when they were 18, and they are different now. Just like that expensive watch he casually left on the table, I wonder how many years she would have to work non-stop without eating or drinking to afford it.
Su Xian finished the glass of red wine in one gulp, only to find it bitter.
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