Chapter 77
I went down the stairs and walked outside.
Guan Nan politely asked again, "Would you like anything else to eat?"
Hearing this, Jiang Li glanced at her, still maintaining his aloof and unapproachable demeanor. His tone was arrogant: "What, that's it?"
Or else?
Guan Nan hesitated for a moment after finishing the cold noodles, but before she could speak, she felt like she was giving the enemy a handle to use against her.
Is this how you apologize?
"······"
"Just like you."
"?"
"Doing a perfunctory job."
"When have I ever been perfunctory?" Guan Nan frowned, dissatisfied with his explanation, and muttered something.
The air was quiet, and these words reached Jiang Li's ears precisely.
Jiang Li: "When have you ever stopped being perfunctory?"
She was about to retort when she heard Jiang Li say calmly, as if nothing had happened, "Anyway, you're just killing time, why don't you come for a walk with me?"
Guan Nan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "I haven't had much free time either."
However, her words and attitude seemed unimportant to Jiang Li, as he strolled along leisurely, as if certain that Guan Nan wouldn't leave.
Instead of returning to Cangyuan, they took another path, the river breeze gently caressing their faces.
Fuling comes alive at night, with the city bright and vibrant under the neon lights. There are even more tourists than in the morning, with people queuing up to take photos.
The once quiet path was now deserted as everyone walked out.
At this moment, a photographer was taking pictures of people with his camera, constantly backing away to guide their movements and choosing the right angle.
The person almost bumped into Guan Nan.
Jiang Li's eyes flickered, and he pulled the person in front of him. He raised his arm, which was in his pocket, and casually put it around her shoulder, avoiding physical contact. He then subtly distanced himself from the person.
The photographer was completely unaware of this and even asked them if they wanted to take a picture as a memento.
Guan Nan was nestled in Wen's arms. Glancing past the large hand encircling her wrist, her eyes were drawn to the prominent Adam's apple, the sharp, smooth contours of her bones, and the sea salt scent that slowly filled her nostrils and took hold of her heart.
After a moment, he lowered his eyes, his gaze unreadable, whether scrutiny or mockery.
"Is it pretty?" Jiang Li asked.
Guan Nan was somewhat at a loss. She subconsciously wanted to nod, but then changed her mind and forced herself to say, "So-so."
Jiang Li curled his lip: "You usually get so engrossed in watching?"
"······"
Perhaps seeing that her ears were red and she looked shy and speechless, Jiang Li didn't make things difficult for her. After letting go of her hand, he returned to the safe distance he had been at before.
Guan Nan steadied herself, gripped her canvas bag tightly, and feigned composure: "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Jiang Li turned his head, staring straight at her, his upturned eyes revealing a hint of pursuit.
Although she knew he was asking a question he already knew the answer to, Guan Nan couldn't avoid the question. She had learned another lesson about Jiang Li's unreasonable and domineering behavior, and she pursed her lips awkwardly.
She carefully chose her words and said hesitantly, "Thank you for pulling me up just now."
"Did I pull you?" Jiang Li retorted. "Didn't you crawl over here on your own?"
Guan Nan was speechless again.
“If I remember correctly,” Jiang Li said with such certainty and conviction, “you just turned around, hugged me tightly, and whispered in my ear, ‘Jiang Li, help me.’”
"······"
He turned white into black.
If it weren't for the sudden turn of her eyes and the person falling into her arms, and the still-warm wrist bone reminding her, she would have believed that she had taken the initiative.
Guan Nan could never win an argument with him on this kind of thing, so she simply admitted defeat: "Yes, thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
The conversation has come full circle.
Guan Nan forced a smile and said, "Thank you for helping me, Jiang Li, thank you."
Hearing this made him grit his teeth in anger.
Jiang Li smiled smugly.
"You're welcome," Jiang Li said with a polite smile.
Seeing this, Guan Nan smiled at him, giving him a very formal smile.
The night was beautiful, and the two walked slowly, taking in the sights. Suddenly, Guan Nan truly felt a pang of sadness, realizing that 'they have really all grown up.'
The youthful impetuosity of youth has long since transformed into maturity and composure as time flows on.
Guan Nan glanced at the person next to her with narrowed eyes, who was casually sightseeing.
She suddenly remembered Jiang Li when he was a teenager.
Then, he shook his head self-deprecatingly.
Further on, past the photo spots and a row of lively night market stalls, you'll find a key-cutting machine tucked away in an inconspicuous corner.
The counter was deserted, with only an old man hunched over, grinding his keys.
Just as she was about to walk over, Jiang Li suddenly raised his hand and tugged at her hair. Her long hair was loose and not tied up. He controlled the force just right, and it didn't hurt or itch when he held it in his hand.
Jiang Li tilted his head: "Make a key."
“I don’t need it,” Guan Nan didn’t react for a moment, thinking he was asking her to make a copy of the key, and subconsciously shook her head, “I have a spare key.”
Jiang Liyi smiled and said slowly, "I'll use it."
"Oh." Realizing what was happening, Guan Nan responded hesitantly, pulling her hair back from his hand and casually combing it a few times with her fingers, her eyes constantly fixed on him.
He bent his knees and squatted in front of the key counter, looking at the old man at eye level.
After asking a few basic questions, he took two keys from a bunch of keys and gave them to the person in charge.
There weren't many keys in that ring, and after giving them all away, they were almost all gone. It was at this moment that Guan Nan noticed his red string bracelet, along with the reflective coin, encircled on his keychain.
Guan Nan was filled with mixed feelings and didn't know what to say for a moment.
To say he's being delusional or just imagining things is an understatement, but his behavior certainly makes people overthink and create unnecessary misunderstandings.
As Jiang Li stood up, Guan Nan casually looked away.
A moment later, Jiang Li walked over and put the key ring in his pocket: "It will take a while to get the key made."
Guan Nan nodded, and was about to say that it wasn't far from Hecang Garden.
His plan to leave alone was rejected.
Jiang Li seemed oblivious to her intentions, pointing to the empty platform beside her, seemingly asking her a question but actually making a decision in his mind: "Anyway, it won't be that quick, let's go take a look?"
That's what she said, but before Guan Nan could react, she had already walked over first.
Then he turned his head and raised his chin.
He gestured for her to follow.
After hesitating for two seconds, Guan Nan abandoned the idea of leaving first and followed him up to the platform.
The platform isn't exactly spacious, but it boasts a wide view. It's just the right size for two people to stand; any more than that would feel crowded. And when you look up, you'll see the Jialing Bridge right in front of you.
"Such a good location, how come no one noticed it?" Guan Nan blurted out after looking around, driven by professional instinct.
Jiang Li, leaning on the stone railing with one hand, heard her say this and offered a particularly sincere suggestion: "Why don't you post something online?"
After a few seconds of silence, Guan Nan felt that the discoverer should be respected: "You should post it."
"How so?" Jiang Li raised an eyebrow slightly.
Guan Nan said seriously, "Respect copyright."
Jiang Li turned around, staring at her as if scrutinizing her, before lazily saying, "...This wasn't built by me, I don't have the copyright."
“But you were the one who found the place.” Although she didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she said, Guan Nan said dryly.
"Oh." Jiang Li nodded.
Then, nothing more was said. Guan Nan was still waiting for him to say something. After waiting for a while, she realized that the other party had no intention of saying anything more.
This scene gave her a strange sense of familiarity, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where it came from.
"..." Guan Nan turned to look at him and saw that he was leaning on the stone railing with his elbows, and a breeze was blowing his bangs lazily across his forehead, making a certain word appear perfectly. She hesitated for a moment, "Oh, aren't you going to post it yet?"
Jiang Li tilted his head, his gaze fixed on her face, and said lazily, "Isn't this giving you the opportunity?"
"······"
"Am I not obvious enough?"
"······"
"Or, I'll send it to you, how about that?"
Guan Nan was momentarily speechless at his words. She wanted to say something more, but when she straightened up and met his gaze completely, she was speechless again.
But they found that the lighting on Hengtai was already dim, and with the shadows of the night river partially obscuring his back, it was almost impossible to see the expression on his face. His dark eyes were the only bright spot in the darkness.
Guan Nan stared blankly at him, looking at him openly and honestly.
At this moment, people were still coming and going in the alley, and laughter and shouts continued on the bridge over the river.
But she discovered, and only she discovered, that the world had frozen at a certain moment, or perhaps it was the world between her and him that had frozen.
The air was unusually quiet.
Guan Nan seemed to want to say something, but didn't know what to say. She moved her lips several times.
Her final words were simply, "Then let's forget about it."
"Do you have anything else to say?" Jiang Li closed his eyes, as if taking a deep breath, his tone both powerless and mocking.
Guan Nan pursed her lips and turned her head away: "Hmm?"
“Guan Nan,” Jiang Li turned around when he saw her turn her head away, looking at the long night river, his voice hoarse and deep, “Over the years, I always thought you had made some progress.”
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan's eyelashes fluttered, but she remained silent.
After a brief pause, he added, "Now it seems like nothing special."
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