Chapter 11
They each took their own "trophies" and came to the cashier.
Lin Qi first handed over the three books she had chosen and was about to scan the code to pay, but Chen Yan next to her naturally took out the Bach record from her arms and handed it to the boss together with a Pink Floyd record he had chosen.
"This one," he said to Lin Qi, his tone gentle but unyielding, "is mine."
Lin Qi was about to say no, but he spoke first, blocking all her polite words with a smiling and irrefutable reason.
"There's no reason to ask the recipient to pay for the gift themselves."
Lin Qi looked at his serious profile, smiled, and did not argue anymore, but accepted it calmly.
The two of them walked out of the quiet little shop one after the other, carrying paper bags filled with books and records.
The sun outside was even brighter than when I arrived, a bit blinding. The weekend streets of the city center, a cacophony of voices and traffic, seemed worlds away from the tranquility of the shop.
They stopped by the roadside, their morning's journey happily concluded, and now it seemed time to say goodbye. A small, paused gap appeared in the air.
Chen Yan glanced at his watch, then turned to Lin Qi naturally.
"Before I knew it, it was time for dinner." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Let's have a simple meal together?" he invited, then added very attentively, "Is there anything you'd like to eat, or do you have any dietary restrictions?"
Lin Qi nodded, and a warm feeling rose in his heart because of his natural invitation.
"Except for not eating spicy food, everything else is fine." She gave him a very important piece of information.
"Okay, I don't eat spicy food." Chen Yan nodded, as if he had taken a very important note in his mind. He looked around, as if to confirm his location, and then quickly came up with an idea.
"I know a restaurant nearby that serves local cuisine," he said, looking at her and offering a specific suggestion. "It's a quiet place, and the food is light."
Every keyword he chose—quiet, light—precisely matched her preferences and the atmosphere they needed at the moment.
He did not forget that there was still suspense between them regarding "books" and "Cantonese songs".
“It’s a great place to sit and chat,” he added.
"It'll take about ten minutes to walk there. Is that okay?"
"Okay." Lin Qi agreed readily.
They walked side by side along the sidewalk towards the restaurant. As they walked, Lin Qi couldn't help but put their unfinished game on the agenda.
"So," she turned her head and looked at Chen Yan, the smile in her eyes sly and bright, "the next meeting to reveal the answer to the mystery will be at the hotel later?"
Hearing her question with a smile, Chen Yan also smiled, and the smile spread from the corners of his mouth to his eyes.
"My answer," he turned his head to look at her, deliberately slowing down his speech, word by word, "depends on your answer. When will it be revealed?"
He deftly threw the question back with a gentleness that brooked no rejection.
"At the dinner table," he looked ahead, his tone returning to his usual calmness, but there was a gentle hook hidden in his words.
"It's a great place to listen to stories. Isn't it?"
Lin Qi's heart skipped a beat when he said that, but then he was amused by his serious look.
"Then I'm afraid I'll be so busy listening to stories," she complained half-jokingly and half-seriously, "that I'll miss out on the delicious food that's coming up."
Hearing her words with a hint of coquettishness, the smile on his lips deepened.
He did not stop, walking side by side with her, and said in a very relaxed tone:
"It doesn't matter."
“Delicious food and stories,” he said, separating the two words as if savoring them. “Both are worth taking your time.”
He looked at her with a look of complete relaxation and seriousness in his eyes.
"We are the same," he said, "We should not let each other down."
He spoke the last four words softly, yet they carried a solemn weight. Lin Qi's heart skipped a beat as she met his serious expression. She quickly lowered her head, staring at her toes, to mask her momentary panic and the slight heat that rose in her cheeks.
After adjusting her expression and tone, she tilted her head again, looked at him, and said in a light tone: "Okay, then...eat well first."
Chen Yan caught her momentary panic and her quick self-adjustment. The seriousness in his eyes also melted away and became soft.
He didn't expose her, but just followed her words and gave her the most comfortable way out with just one word.
"Um."
The word was spoken softly, with a barely perceptible hint of a smile. He understood that some words were most effective when delivered in just the right amount.
Coincidentally, they also walked to the door of the local restaurant. The storefront was a low-key wooden structure, looking clean and elegant.
He pushed open the door, and the warm aroma of food mixed with the faint fragrance of tea hit him. The shop was indeed very quiet, with only a few tables of customers chatting quietly.
He whispered a few words in the local dialect to the waiter who came to greet him, then led Lin Qi to a semi-private booth by the window, separated by wooden grilles.
He naturally pulled out the chair for her and waited until she sat down before sitting down opposite her.
After the waiter poured the tea, he handed her the menu, his tone completely restored to its previous calm and composed tone:
"Have some tea first. See what you want to eat. You're welcome."
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