Chapter 17
The conversation on Friday ended with the trusting words, “I’ll leave it to you.”
They tacitly agreed not to contact each other throughout the entire Saturday, each enjoying the lazy time unique to the weekend.
It wasn't until Sunday afternoon that Lin Qi's phone received a message from Chen Yan, which contained the detailed arrangements he had made for their "date" that evening.
【Chen Yan: Good afternoon.】
Chen Yan: The concert opens at 6:30. I've booked a 5:00 p.m. local restaurant near the theater. Going there a little earlier will give me more time.
He planned the time nodes in an orderly manner to ensure that they could have a leisurely and relaxing evening.
Then, a message with his unique thoughtfulness made Lin Qi curl the corners of his mouth.
【Chen Yan: It has a salty and sweet taste. You should like it.】
He still remembered. He remembered her casual remark at the dinner table, "I just like this kind of sweet and salty food." Not only did he remember it, he used it as an important reference and carefully selected this restaurant for her.
This silent and subtle care made Lin Qi feel more moved than any deliberate sweet words.
[Chen Yan: I'll send you the location and restaurant information. Let's meet at the restaurant at 5 o'clock?]
Lin Qi smiled and replied "OK", then began to prepare seriously for the date in the evening.
At ten minutes before five in the evening, Lin Qi arrived at the restaurant early.
Just as Shen Yan described, the restaurant had an elegant environment, not many people, and soothing music was flowing in the air. She saw Shen Yan sitting by the window at a glance.
He was dressed more formally today than the previous two times, wearing a thin dark gray wool sweater of excellent texture and a well-tailored black casual suit. He looked calm and upright.
He was not looking at his phone, but had a cup of hot tea beside him, quietly looking at the bustling street scene outside the window, as if thinking about something.
Perhaps he felt her gaze and turned his head.
The moment he saw her, he immediately stood up and showed a very gentle smile without any alienation on his face.
"Coming." He said, his voice was particularly clear in the quiet restaurant.
"Have a seat. Did the journey go smoothly?"
Lin Qi had dressed up for the day, wearing a chic Chanel-style cashmere suit and light makeup. She smiled and sat down in the chair he had pulled out.
"Are you getting tired of eating sweet and savory food with me all the time?" She looked at him and asked half-jokingly and half-seriously, "What do you usually like to eat?"
This was the first time she took the initiative to care about his taste preferences.
Chen Yan's gaze lingered on her for a moment, from her well-fitting suit to her smiling eyes. There was pure admiration in his eyes.
"You look beautiful today." He said directly, his tone frank and sincere, without a trace of frivolity.
Hearing her thoughtful question, he smiled, picked up the teapot, and naturally refilled her tea.
"You won't get tired of it." He said, his eyes falling gently on her face, "When two people eat together, what's important is not what you eat, but who you eat with."
A somewhat textbook love remark, spoken from his mouth in a very plain tone, seemed particularly convincing.
He put down the teapot and answered her second question: "I'm not picky about food. I can eat all kinds of cuisine. But if I'm alone, I usually eat simpler, a bowl of noodles, or a few dishes with rice, as long as I can fill my stomach."
He looked at her and added, "So..."
His voice paused slightly, and his eyes became more serious than before.
"With you, I can take eating more seriously."
Chen Yan's words, "Only with you can I take eating more seriously," were like the most gentle spell, instantly softening Lin Qi's heart.
She didn't say thank you, nor was she shy. She just pursed her lips and smiled for a long time, the light in her eyes brighter than the lights in the restaurant.
Then, she raised her head and, with a lively and cunning tone, accepted his heavy seriousness and upgraded it into a grander future.
"Then let's set a goal," she said. "First, we'll try all eight major Chinese cuisines. Let's really savor Chinese food."
She transformed his "eating seriously" from an emotional concept into a concrete, practical, and long-term plan that belonged to "us."
Hearing her grand "flag", Chen Yan was stunned at first, and then he laughed out loud.
It was a very happy, relaxed smile, even her eyes were filled with genuine laughter. He looked at her excited expression and shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of doting and indulgence that he himself hadn't noticed.
"Eight major cuisines?" He repeated slowly, as if weighing the feasibility of the plan. "This is a huge undertaking."
He didn't say "yes" or "no", but looked into her eyes in a half-joking and half-serious tone and asked the most crucial question.
"So," he said, "is this flag raised by the two of us together?"
He was confirming. Confirming that this wasn't just a casual joke she'd said, but a long-term invitation from her to him...about the future.
"Yes," Lin Qi nodded without hesitation, and proudly took the responsibility of overall command. "I'll take care of you. Eat one a week, and you'll be done in ten weeks."
Her ambitious words, "I'll take you to eat," made the smile in his eyes deepen a little.
He looked at her and didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of her favorite fish that was cooked to a crystal clear texture.
"One a week," he softly repeated her plan, then analyzed it slowly, "It sounds like you've already planned all our weekends for the next two and a half months."
He didn't look at her, but just lowered his head to look at the food on the table, but his words were addressed to her.
"I didn't expect," he paused, raised his eyes, and fixed them on her face with a very serious look, "that you would upgrade my 'Eat Seriously' plan into such a...grand goal."
He looked at her, his lips curled up in a deep arc, and his voice was filled with a low smile that showed he was completely moved by her.
"good."
One word, crisp and clear, a complete and willing response.
"Then..." He picked up the teacup, pointed it at her cup, and gestured to hers, officially "appointing" her with a new, smiling title.
"Thank you for your hard work, Guide Lin."
After that "grand" agreement was reached, the atmosphere became particularly relaxed during the rest of the dinner.
They chatted about their work and their feelings about the city, like a pair of long-time friends. Those profound, delicate topics were tacitly left for before dinner. Now, all they could think about was the anticipation for the next eight weekends, filled with the aroma of delicious food.
After dinner, Chen Yan glanced at the time. There were still twenty minutes before the concert, which was just the right time.
They walked out of the restaurant, the cool evening breeze blowing on their faces was very comfortable. The theater was not far away, and the lights were just coming on, the outline of the building looked particularly magnificent in the night.
They walked side by side, slowly and steadily, towards the theater.
There were quite a lot of people on the road. When passing a crowded intersection, Chen Yan naturally stretched out his hand and used his palm to lightly protect Lin Qi's back to help her block the passers-by who were hurrying beside her.
His palm didn't touch her directly, but she could still feel the dry, warm approach. It was a very measured, yet protective gesture.
They checked their tickets and entered the theater smoothly, and found their seats under the guidance of the theater staff.
The seats were adjacent, in the middle, with a good view. After they sat down, Chen Yan naturally took Lin Qi's coat and their shopping bags and placed them carefully on the empty seat next to her so that she could sit more comfortably.
They didn't speak again.
The surroundings were filled with the sounds of audience members entering the venue. On the stage, a black grand piano was quietly waiting for its owner under the spotlight.
In a few minutes the lights would dim.
The lights in the theater were dim, and the black grand piano on the stage was like an elegant giant beast, lying quietly under the spotlight.
Lin Qi's senses were enveloped by the unique and solemn sense of ritual at this scene, and she became very excited. She couldn't help but gently move towards Chen Yan.
Her voice was low and breathy, almost whispering into his ear.
"He's going to play his ten most famous piano pieces tonight," she said, as if sharing a long-held secret. "One of them, 'Autumn Whispers,' is my favorite."
The warm breath and the faint scent of shampoo that unconsciously emanated from her hair, along with her words, gently brushed against Chen Yan's earlobe.
This was the closest they had ever been.
Chen Yan naturally tilted his head towards her and listened attentively. In the dim light, he could see her eyes sparkling with excitement.
After listening to her, he did not withdraw immediately, but replied in the same whisper in her ear:
"good."
"Then I'll be extra careful later."
After he finished speaking, before he could sit up straight, the lights in the entire theater went completely dark at that moment.
The spotlight on the stage came on, Richard Clayderman walked onto the stage, and the audience burst into thunderous applause.
In the darkness, Chen Yan sat up straight, restoring the distance between them. But Lin Qi seemed to still be able to sense the slight warmth left by his approach.
The concert officially began.
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