53 Thank you for your heartbeat
On the way back to the hotel, a subtle silence filled the car. The words "because we all love you" were like a piece of red-hot charcoal, deliberately thrown into the snow on a winter night, sizzling and steaming up a white mist of emotion. Liu Yuwei felt her throat tighten. Adults can easily talk about liking, can talk about feelings, can ask for opportunities, and can even have physical contact, but the word "love" is too solemn. Even with the help of alcohol, Liu Yuwei completely vented her pent-up emotions, but at this moment she still didn't know how to catch this "straight ball". She moved uncomfortably, supported herself on the seat with both hands, and leaned forward. Outside the car window, snowflakes rustled against the glass, and were pulled into silver lines by the speeding car. The halo of the street lamp passed over the side of her face, and her nails scratched the leather unconsciously back and forth, making a slight rustling sound, like a trapped kitten scratching the door. Jin Lang initially glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but seeing her motionless, like a statue, he turned and boldly framed her in his field of vision. The scene felt familiar. Months ago, he had repeatedly reminded Shen Cheng that Xingguang needed to hire a law firm. He had used numerous connections to find Liu Yuwei's team, and finally, on that snowy day, found an excuse to take her home. Back then, he mustered the courage to ask her if she regretted it, but she only responded with silence. Although Liu Yuwei didn't say it explicitly today, her words hinted at the answer he had hoped for. "Xiao Yu..." Jin Lang whispered her name, his voice like the plucking of a cello string, trembling faintly in the enclosed space. "Hmm?" Liu Yuwei turned her head, her scarf slipping slightly, revealing her fair neck. Her beautiful eyes held an indescribable emotion. "Thank you!" She raised her eyelids, and the small mole hidden at the end of her brow lifted, as if asking for what she was thanking him for. Jin Lang understood the look, his Adam's apple rolling as he softly explained. "Thank you for not turning down my invitation to go out yesterday." "Thank you for taking me to try ice cream and the best beer in Berlin." "Thank you for telling me stories about your childhood." Outside, the sound of snowflakes hitting the glass suddenly intensified, like countless tiny drumbeats, beating hard on the heart. Liu Yuwei couldn't think of a response. She leaned back in her chair, reached out to loosen her scarf, and offered a fleeting smile in response. Just when she thought the conversation had ended, Jin Lang suddenly leaned over, closing the distance so close that his breathing was audible. Their eyes met in the dim light, his pupils as dark as ink, like a black hole in the universe, sucking you in without a second thought. "…
On the way back to the hotel, a subtle silence permeated the car. The words "Because we all love you" were like a piece of red-hot charcoal, deliberately thrown into the snow on a winter night, sizzling and steaming up a white mist of emotion.
Liu Yuwei felt her throat tighten. Adults can easily talk about liking someone, can express their feelings, can ask for opportunities, and can even have physical contact, but the word "love" is too solemn.
Even though Liu Yuwei had let out all her pent-up emotions under the influence of alcohol, she still didn't know how to handle this "straight ball." She shifted uncomfortably, supporting herself on the chair with both hands, and leaned forward.
Outside the car window, snowflakes rustled against the glass, only to be pulled into streaks by the speeding car. The halo of light from the street lamp passed over the side of her face, and her nails scraped unconsciously back and forth on the leather, making a subtle rustling sound, like a trapped kitten scratching at a door.
At first, Jin Lang just glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but seeing that she was as still as a sculpture, he simply turned around and took her whole body into his sight.
This scene seemed familiar. A few months ago, he repeatedly reminded Shen Cheng that he needed to hire a law firm for Xingguang. He then used several connections to find Liu Yuwei's team, and finally found an excuse to send her home on that snowy day.
At that time, he mustered up the courage to ask her if she regretted it, but all he got was silence. Although Liu Yuwei didn't say it explicitly today, the words between the lines still revealed the answer he had hoped for.
"Xiaoyu..."
Jin Lang called her name in a low voice, and the sound was like the strings of a cello, vibrating slightly in the enclosed space.
"Um?"
Liu Yuwei turned her head, her scarf slipped down a little, revealing her fair neck, and her beautiful eyes were filled with indescribable emotions.
"Thank you!"
She raised the corner of her eye, and the small mole hidden at the end of her eyebrow rose up, as if asking what she was thanking for.
Jin Lang understood the look, his Adam's apple rolled, and he explained softly.
"Thank you for not rejecting my invitation to go out yesterday."
“Thank you for taking me to try the ice cream and the best beer in Berlin.”
"Thank you for telling me stories about your childhood."
Outside, the sound of snowflakes hitting the glass suddenly became dense, like countless tiny drumbeats, beating on people's hearts.
Liu Yuwei couldn't think of how to reply, so she leaned back in her chair, reached out to loosen her scarf, and gave a fleeting smile in response.
Just when she thought the conversation was coming to an end, Jin Lang suddenly turned sideways, and the distance between them was instantly shortened, so close that she could hear his breathing.
Their eyes met in the dim light. His pupils were as dark as ink, like a black hole in the universe that could suck people in if they weren't careful.
"besides…"
Jin Lang deliberately paused for a few seconds.
"Thank you for your kindness."
"Thank you for your honesty."
His voice was very soft, but because we were so close, every word fell into my ears.
"oh…"
Liu Yuwei suddenly buried her face in her scarf again, the fibers tickling the tip of her nose. The words she had spoken were caught by this man like a boomerang. After a whole night of confessions, he just kept harping on this one sentence.
The heat in her ears continued to rise, as if someone had lit a fire in her veins.
When they arrived at the hotel entrance, Jin Lang got out of the car with Liu Yuwei.
She was a little puzzled, her voice shrouded in white mist, "Aren't you going back to the hotel directly?"
Jin Lang shook his head and said, "I want to walk around a bit more by myself. Go up quickly!"
Liu Yuwei raised her phone in surprise, the cold light of the screen reflecting her slightly furrowed brows, "At this hour?!"
She pointed to the dark sky, where snowflakes were densely weaving the curtain of night. "It's still snowing!"
He smiled and responded gently, "I need to wake up. Today feels a bit like a dream."
"When I couldn't sleep before, I often went out for a run alone in the middle of the night. Don't worry!"
"Then...goodbye!"
Liu Yuwei was about to turn around and leave when Jin Lang stopped him.
"Wait a moment!"
He stepped forward and pulled out a small bag.
"Take this. It's snowing and the temperature will definitely drop tomorrow."
Liu Yuwei opened it and saw a few hot packs and a pink hand-warming egg inside.
The memory suddenly flashed back to that winter when she mischievously stuffed her cold hand into his collar, but he held it with his backhand and pressed it against his warm neck. He smiled and said, "It's the warmest here."
She lowered her head, saying nothing, snowflakes scattered in her hair, and the flashing lights of passing cars made her look as if she was covered in tiny starlight.
"It's too cold, let's go in!"
He urged in a low voice.
Liu Yuwei nodded and said bye.
Jin Lang peered through the glass partition, watching the figure gradually blur in the golden light before disappearing around the corner. He breathed a long sigh of relief, and the white mist quickly vanished in the cold night.
He fished out his cigarette case from his pocket. A few minutes ago, when he'd learned the truth about their breakup, a dull ache had gnawed at the softest part of his heart like a rusty knife. But the anticipation for the future, like a firefly in the dark night, beat restlessly in his chest.
The flame of the lighter flickered in the wind, and the burnt aroma of nicotine seeped into the lungs, temporarily suppressing the surging emotions.
In the warm, spring-like lobby, Liu Yuwei stood in front of the elevator door, the tip of her red nose reflected on the metal surface. Jin Lang's words, "When you can't sleep, go for a night run," echoed in her ears, like snowflakes blown away and then swept back by the wind, rustling in her heart.
It's not like she hadn't experienced the pain of losing a loved one. For the past six months since her grandfather passed away, she'd often found herself reminiscing about her childhood, remembering how, during his final illness, he'd personally roasted peanuts, ground them into a paste, and sent it to her. Later, that moldy bottle of peanut butter was hidden in a corner of the refrigerator, like a longing she could no longer express.
She didn't know how Jin Lang managed to cope with the family changes back then, but it was definitely not as he said nonchalantly tonight.
Liu Yuwei couldn't help but imagine a blurry figure running in the night. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts—clearly summer attire, yet a light snow was falling beneath the streetlights. He ran slower and slower, his steps growing heavier. Finally, as if he had no strength left, he crouched on the ground, curled up, and melted into the thick night.
The elevator opened and closed, and the concierge pushed a shiny gold luggage cart past and asked if anyone needed help.
Liu Yuwei finally came to her senses. She shook her head and thanked him politely, then turned around and walked towards the hotel gate again.
Pushing open the glass door, a cold wind blew snowflakes in her face. She immediately spotted a figure not far away, leaning against the wall, the crimson cigarette butt between his fingertips flickering in the snow like phosphorescence in the deep sea.
The snow covered his head like white hair, and the dim light made his shadow thin and long, making him look so lonely.
As if he felt his gaze, Jin Lang subconsciously looked back and was surprised to find that Liu Yuwei had come back. He quickly straightened his back.
Before he could react, the moment the cigarette butt fell to the ground, Liu Yuwei had already "bumped" into his arms.
Jin Lang froze in place, his arms slightly outstretched, his mind blank, letting the snow drift into the gap between them.
The hug was as fleeting as a snowflake falling into the palm of your hand and melting in an instant.
Liu Yuwei let him go, then took a half step back, raised his face, and his eyes were full of sincerity.
"Please tell Jin Lang from eight years ago that if Liu Yuwei knew the truth at that time, he would never leave him alone."
Until Liu Yuwei left again, Jin Lang did not wake up from the dream on the snowy night.
…
In a taxi three meters away, the driver was knocking on the steering wheel impatiently, urging the passengers in the back seat to get out quickly.
Andrea's bachelorette party lasted from the afternoon until late at night. If there wasn't a wedding the next day, the male classmates who hadn't seen each other for a long time would definitely have continued to party.
Although he had drunk a lot of wine, Ren Yiming's sight penetrated the hazy snow curtain and recognized the familiar figure at the hotel entrance from a distance. He was still wondering why she was still standing downstairs so late, but the car stopped and the front windshield was like a huge screen, playing the entire scene of Liu Yuwei throwing herself into Jin Lang's arms.
The burning sensation of alcohol in the blood vessels had not yet dissipated, and in an instant it condensed into sharp ice crystals, sending a biting chill throughout the body.
He walked into the elevator like a zombie, his crooked tie hanging around his neck like a noose. The hum of the metal car mixed with the tinnitus made his temples throb.
Standing in front of Liu Yuwei's door, he raised his hand and it hovered less than an inch away from the door panel. In the end, he failed to knock and just punched the air.
Back in the room, Ren Yiming slumped on the sofa, took out his cell phone, typed a line of words and then deleted them. The flashing cursor seemed to be mocking his cowardice.
Where did you go today?
The reply came quickly.
【Walked along the Bodhi Tree Street. 】
The words "Are you yourself?" remained in the dialog box, and before he could click send, a new message popped up.
[I'm a little tired, I'm going to wash up first, see you tomorrow.]
Ren Yiming numbly deleted the question he hadn't sent and replied, "Go to bed early."
He got up and went to the mini bar to open a beer.
He tilted his head back and took a big gulp. The cold liquid slid down his throat and caused a stinging sensation in his stomach.
Therefore, even if you have the upper hand for many years, you cannot resist a turn of fate.
The snow outside the window fell harder, and all the emotions were buried silently like this city.
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