candy
Shen Yingchang opened the door and immediately noticed the injury on Wen Yunsheng's head. He then reached out to pull Tao Chu's arm.
"Did he bully you?!" Shen Yingchang raised his voice, his tone urgent.
While Wen Yunsheng was still confused, Tao Chu suddenly understood—Shen Yingchang must have thought that she had finally lost her temper and beaten Wen Yunsheng.
She pressed Shen Yingchang's hand down, signaling him not to get agitated, and said she would talk to him in detail once they were inside.
But as soon as Tao Chu entered the room, Shen Yingchang slammed the door shut, startling her so much that she turned around abruptly—he had actually locked Wen Yunsheng out.
There was a rapid knocking at the door: "Chuchu!"
Shen Yingchang shouted, "What?! You still have the nerve to bring him into our room?!"
While seemingly speaking to Tao Chu, Shen Yingchang actually shouted towards the door, gesturing to Tao Chu with his hand behind his back, indicating that she should go to the bathroom and wait.
But when Tao Chu heard that Yun Sheng was still knocking on the door, she had no choice but to go over first and say through the door, "Wait outside for a while."
The knocking stopped.
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
Shen Yingchang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and click his tongue, whispering, "That aggrieved look... anyone who didn't know better would think you did something to him."
Tao Chu glared at him, and the two of them went into the restroom one after the other.
“He got into an argument with his dad, and his dad hit him on the head with an ashtray,” Tao Chu said.
The playful expression on Shen Yingchang's face vanished completely: "Wen Tao is this ruthless?!"
Tao Chu briefly recounted the conversation at the dinner table. After listening, he said, "These words are alright; they shouldn't have made Wen Tao so angry that he lost control."
"I heard the father and son arguing in the study, but I don't know the specifics."
Tao Chu saw that Shen Yingchang's brows were furrowed and he was not speaking, his eyes half-closed.
From her vantage point, she could see his eyes darting left and right, his lips pressed tightly together, clearly indicating he was rapidly thinking and analyzing.
Tao Chu had never seen Shen Yingchang react so strongly since he appeared.
Why was Wen Tao's injury to Wen Yunsheng so unexpected for Shen Yingchang, and why did it warrant his extra serious vigilance?
Tao Chu stared intently at him, and suddenly noticed that his brows relaxed, and a smile even returned to his face.
He looked up at Tao Chu and asked, "What are your plans for the next step?"
Tao Chu took out an envelope and handed it to him: "This is an invitation from Li Yue, asking me to attend tonight's banquet with you. I don't really want to go, but you can go."
"'Elegant Banquet by the Emerald Waters' has quite a few rules, even the attire is so particular. Okay, I'll go and broaden my horizons—but I suggest you go and check it out too."
"Why?"
Shen Yingchang refused to say more, and lowered his head to put the invitation into the envelope: "It's just a suggestion."
"You'd better explain yourself clearly." Tao Chu said sternly. "I could have directly refused Li Yue, but I accepted the invitation because I didn't want to cut off your path—it's pointless if you keep everything hidden."
Seeing the wariness and displeasure in her eyes, Shen Yingchang smiled and asked, "Can you cook?"
Tao Chu's patience with him was wearing thin, and she crossed her arms and asked, "What do you mean?"
"If there are only a few drops of oil on a hot pan, even if it's smoking, it will only make a 'sizzle' sound when it comes into contact with water. To make a big commotion, you have to heat a whole pan of oil until it's boiling hot. Even if you only sprinkle in a drop of water, it will 'sizzle' and pop, and you might even get a splash right in someone's eyelid."
He gestured with a grin, but Tao Chu could see the seriousness in his eyes.
His statement coincided with Tao Chu's association when he saw the order of Wen Tao's suites.
However, after seeing Wen Yunsheng injured, she chose the latter between radicalism and conservatism.
If some people are urging her to be radical, why should she take any more risks?
She only has this one life, and she wants to save it to avenge her mother.
The road ahead is long. Dying on this ship now would be like a stone sinking into the sea, unknown to anyone. It's not worth it at all.
"I'm not going." Tao Chu got up and walked out, saying before opening the bathroom door, "Take care of yourself."
Shen Yingchang didn't speak. After she left, he whispered three words: "See you tonight."
Tao Chu opened the door, and Wen Yunsheng, who was leaning against the wall, immediately straightened up and reached out his hand to her.
She suddenly remembered a video she had seen online before: a golden retriever waiting at the door for its owner to come home from get off work, wagging its tail wildly as soon as it saw its owner.
She felt she shouldn't have taken his hand so naturally, but seeing the wound on his forehead and his longing eyes, she felt it didn't really matter.
We'll be living under the same roof for the next few days, so what's a little hand-holding?
Wen Yunsheng's heart finally calmed down after he grasped her hand.
He was glad he hadn't backed down and had used his actions to regain her trust.
As long as she understands her own attitude and stance, it doesn't matter if she gets hurt a little.
As soon as the two returned to the suite, Wen Yunsheng said, "Please sit down first, I'll go get something."
Tao Chu sat on the sofa, looking around. She had been busy treating his wounds and hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings.
The design and decor here are completely different from Wen Tao's suite; the sofas, chairs, and floor lamps are all in the typical Bauhaus style.
Every time my mother visits me abroad, she stays in a hotel. Some of the older hotels use the Bauhaus style, which is simple, classic, and sophisticated.
If each suite has a completely different style, the cost of design and interior decoration would likely increase several times over.
She couldn't help but think of the "Elegant Banquet by the Green Water" that evening, which she guessed would be a lavish affair.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't curious, but she knew that curiosity killed the cat, so she decided to stay put in her suite.
Ideally, we should watch a few sunrises and sunsets, disembark safely, return to Jianglin, and see if we can contact "HP" before making any further plans.
As she was thinking, she was suddenly blindfolded. She instinctively tried to pull her wrists back, but then she heard Wen Yunsheng's voice: "Guess what gift I've prepared for you?"
Tao Chu's tense body relaxed, and she leaned back on the sofa, swinging her crossed legs: "I'm not a child anymore, why are you still doing this?"
Wen Yunsheng released his hand and placed it on her cheek, gently pinching it: "In front of me, you're just a child—come on, have some candy."
He sat down beside her and placed a flat, beige gift box on her lap.
The edge of the gift box is decorated with a pattern of italicized "teuscher" and the word "TRUFFES" is written in the middle.
Tao Chu looked down and was taken aback when he saw the familiar logo, then couldn't help but smile: "There's this shop on the ship? I've seen it a few times abroad."
“There’s none on the ship—after I found out you were going on the ‘Sea Chaser’ last night, I had someone buy some before closing time and have it delivered from Shanghai to the port overnight.” He eagerly sought credit.
"Thank you," Tao Chu said softly.
Before she even opened the lid, she could already smell the rich, sweet aroma of truffles and chocolate.
He had long since figured out her tastes—from childhood to adulthood, whether he was traveling or studying abroad, he would always bring back the most famous local chocolates to give to her.
"Teuscher" used to be one of her favorite chocolates, but she hasn't had it in a long time.
Under his eager gaze, she opened the lid and saw chocolates of various shapes neatly arranged inside the box.
When she was little, she loved to try all the different flavors of chocolate.
They were securely fixed in the box, like round mushroom heads hidden in the soil, waiting for her to pull them out one by one.
Back then, I didn't care about recognizing English or French. I just ate whichever flavor I found and savored it with my eyes closed.
Because of the sugar restriction in her home, she hid chocolates at Wen Yunsheng's house and ate more than a dozen a day.
She often ate until her fingers were covered in melted chocolate, and the dark brown stains on the corners of her mouth had to be rubbed off with her fingertips. Wen Yunsheng would just sit there watching her eat with a smile.
She was always protective of her food, and even when she occasionally showed mercy and shared a single seed with Wen Yunsheng, he dared not accept it.
Those were her most carefree, happy days, so far away now.
Staring at the dazzling array of exquisite chocolates, she unconsciously licked the back of her teeth.
Having had her fill of the refreshing and stimulating taste of mints these days, how could she not crave the rich sweetness of chocolate?
Wen Yunsheng noticed that she had been looking down at the food for a long time without picking it up to eat, and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
He feared that her tastes had changed and that the gift hadn't resonated with her, while he foolishly thought it was a surprise.
Tao Chu turned her head and looked at the uneasy Wen Yunsheng, and suddenly felt... that he was also like chocolate.
Even though she was fully aware of her situation and goals from the beginning, she had to admit that since learning of her mother's death, she had received the most warmth and love from him.
Perhaps to him, she was a childhood sweetheart he hadn't seen for eight years, whom he had lost and then found again.
But wasn't he also the sweetest candy in her memory?
She was afraid, afraid of becoming addicted to the joy of candy, complacent with the status quo, timid and hesitant, and gradually becoming numb.
Just like how she was hiding in this suite to save her life, she shouldn't assume that she's here for love and vacation just because of his sweet words and the azure sea view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
There were too many reasons to stop her; even a smooth, easy path was a temptation for her.
Before she could refuse the box of chocolates, the doorbell rang.
Wen Yunsheng got up to open the door. She breathed a sigh of relief, closed the lid, and gently placed it on the coffee table.
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