Chapter 55 Too many wet dreams will lead to…
The man's profile flashed blurry for a moment, and Jiang Nuanyu's heart leaped into her throat. Without thinking, she tiptoed and leaned her upper body over the railing.
She wanted to see more clearly, but the person and the staff member turned a corner and went inside.
Ignoring whether it was inconsiderate, Jiang Nuanyu ran to the stairwell in her high heels and scurried down several steps until she could see the scene below the second-floor platform.
Apart from a few gallery staff members, the two people who were just in sight have disappeared.
Jiang Nuanyu stood blankly in the middle of the stairs, her eyes still fixed on the front, but the scene before her eyes seemed to gradually lose focus.
At that moment, she felt lost.
Although she only caught a glimpse of him, the profile of that man's face, that inexplicably familiar feeling that made her heart flutter instantly, could only be felt by Liang Qi. No one else could give her that feeling.
Someone walked past her, gave her a strange look, and went upstairs. Jiang Nuanyu then realized she was blocking the way and quickly moved to the side.
She was momentarily stunned, her heart pounding in her chest, feeling anxious but unsure why; a bitter feeling welled up inside her, but she didn't understand where it came from.
She looked around, and the foreign faces, the familiar yet unfamiliar language, and the words on the wall all pulled her back to reality.
She was in Paris, not Beijing, so how could she have run into Liang Qi?
It was that dream she had this morning that gave her the illusion. Perhaps knowing how much she wanted to see him, her brain made her see things in a daze, giving her a brief moment of satisfaction.
Jiang Nuanyu stood there for a while, and after her mood calmed down a bit, she went back upstairs.
Her mind was in turmoil, and she hadn't completely shaken off what had just happened. She mechanically moved forward, climbing the stairs to the third floor.
It's even quieter here than downstairs; you can barely hear any footsteps.
A male staff member with long blond hair approached and politely asked, "Madam, do you have an appointment?"
"Huh?" Jiang Nuanyu was a little confused and didn't understand the other person's hidden meaning. She smiled at him and shook her head. "No." Then she walked inside.
A staff member followed beside her and tentatively asked, "Would you like someone to accompany you to the exhibition?"
Jiang Nuanyu was even more puzzled, then shook her head and politely said, "No need, thank you."
Seeing her so determined and "confident," the staff member hesitated, unsure whether Jiang Nuanyu was a potential collector or VIP. He didn't dare to stop her rashly and could only cautiously follow beside her.
Jiang Nuanyu quickly sensed his predicament, stopped, and took the initiative to ask, "Excuse me, is it not convenient here at the moment?"
The staff member quickly explained, "I'm sorry, ma'am, the exhibition area on the third floor is currently only open to customers by appointment." He added, "If you are interested, you can register at the front desk, and we will arrange for someone to assist you later. Perhaps you are here by invitation, or..."
Jiang Nuanyu then realized that this wasn't a place she could just enter casually. She quickly explained, "I'm sorry, I probably didn't see the relevant signs and went straight upstairs. I'm really sorry."
The staff member breathed a sigh of relief, but still maintained professional politeness: "It was our oversight that caused you inconvenience."
"No." Jiang Nuanyu shook her head repeatedly, pointed in the direction of the stairs, indicating that she would leave immediately.
Feeling incredibly embarrassed by her unauthorized intrusion, she lowered her head and hurried towards the stairwell. Just as she turned the corner and was about to go downstairs, she looked up and her gaze met that of a figure walking towards her from the other side of the corridor.
Jiang Nuanyu's steps suddenly stopped, her mind momentarily blank. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she was still dreaming.
But she recognized the woman in formal attire who was with Liang Qi.
That glance downstairs just now, it was him.
Since it happened twice in a row, it definitely wasn't an illusion.
Liang Qi clearly hadn't expected to see Jiang Nuanyu here. He stood there, not reacting for a moment.
A few meters apart, the two stared at each other silently. The instinct to escape made Jiang Nuanyu want to look away, but she knew she couldn't.
She wanted to see him; she missed him.
Not counting that one glance when he was drunk in the elevator, she hadn't seen him for almost half a year since Christmas Eve.
During her months in Paris, when she was awake, she deliberately tried not to think about him. Even though he would always invade her dreams against her will, she always believed that they were just random fragments of information generated by her brain and did not mean anything.
She thought that as time went by, her feelings for him would eventually cool down and fade, just like they had been more than six years ago, shrinking into a single point, existing but without any pain or itch.
But your body's reactions don't lie.
When she sees him, her heart still races uncontrollably.
"Miss Conti."
The lady in formal attire next to Liang Qi suddenly bowed slightly and greeted him politely.
Liang Qi shifted his gaze slightly, past Jiang Nuanyu, and looked behind her.
Jiang Nuanyu also turned around, but only caught a glimpse of Zhu Li's fleeting shadow passing by her.
Julie walked briskly, leaving behind a gust of wind carrying the scent of an unfamiliar woman. She didn't turn around until she was beside Liang Qi, then looked at Jiang Nuanyu.
Faced with the sight of the two standing side by side, Jiang Nuanyu swayed forward slightly, almost as if she was about to turn and leave.
But reason quickly brought her back to her feet and told her how reckless, absurd, and naive her thought had been just moments before.
Struggling, Liang Qi finally lifted his foot and walked towards her. Once he stopped in front of her, he made no polite formalities and said, "Wait for me a moment, let's have dinner together tonight?"
It had been half a year since they last met, and he seemed unchanged. His gaze was still powerful, as if it could pierce through her subconscious defenses.
Jiang Nuanyu was stunned. She hadn't even processed the fact that she had actually reunited with Liang Qi in Paris, let alone with Julie by his side. She had even less mental energy to think about it.
She seemed taken aback by his direct invitation to dinner, unable to immediately decide whether to accept, and hesitated, "I..."
Seeing that she didn't seem inclined to agree, Liang Qi didn't give her any more room to refuse or evade, and continued, "You can book the restaurant?"
He just made the decision for her like that? And he did it by letting her choose?
Jiang Nuanyu vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
It seems she's been tricked by him.
But compared to the bewilderment of being arranged, the voice in my head that "I don't want to refuse him" seemed to be louder.
Seeing that she hadn't responded to him, but at least hadn't made any excuses, Liang Qi said, "It won't be long." He glanced at his watch, then looked back at her. "Wait for me for twenty minutes. Okay?"
Jiang Nuanyu paused for two seconds, lowered her eyes, and remained silent.
Now that Liang Qi was sure she had agreed, his gaze softened, and he gently patted her arm: "Okay."
He nodded to Julie beside him, and before leaving, he glanced at Jiang Nuanyu one last time.
Jiang Nuanyu smiled at him, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Zhu Li looking at her.
Their eyes met, and Julie smiled at her before heading to the inner section of the third floor of the gallery with Liang Qi.
Julie and she locked eyes for a brief moment, but the smile on Julie's face seemed to linger even longer. Before she could even turn around completely, the gaze dispersed.
Jiang Nuanyu wasn't sure if Julie had recognized her, after all, the distance between Beijing and Paris was too great. But in any case, Julie's reaction just now left her feeling quite uneasy.
As she was thinking this, the blonde staff member returned to her side and said perceptively, "Madam, if you need to stay in the gallery any longer," he gestured for her to sit down, "our lounge area is over there, you can sit for a while."
Jiang Nuanyu thanked the other party a beat late and followed the directions to sit down on the sofa.
Liang Qi's estimated time was neither too long nor too short. She waited outside for nearly twenty minutes, and before she could even drink the coffee on the coffee table, she saw him and Julie come out from inside.
At the same moment, Liang Qi's gaze swept towards her, and their eyes met briefly in mid-air.
However, Julie seemed to still be talking to him.
Julie stretched out a hand and pointed to a certain spot in the exhibition area. Liang Qi looked in the direction she was pointing, and Julie, who had been beside him, quickly took two steps, turned to face him, and walked backward with her hands behind her back.
Jiang Nuanyu couldn't see Zhu Li's expression or hear what she said, but she saw Liang Qi seem to smile slightly.
The familiar warmth between the two seemed even greater than when they were in the capital. Jiang Nuanyu felt a tightness in her chest, pursed her lips, and looked away, unwilling to look at them for even a second longer.
When she looked up again, Liang Qi was already walking towards her. She slung her bag over her shoulder and stood up ahead of time.
Liang Qi stopped two steps away from her, looked at her, and didn't say anything.
He knew she would be waiting for him. Rationally, he was quite certain. But it wasn't until he came out and saw her sitting on the sofa that he felt relieved.
He found this inexplicable emotion amusing; how could he possibly think she would run away on her own?
Jiang Nuanyu was even more confused when she saw that he was not only staring at her without saying a word, but also suddenly pursing his lips slightly.
She blinked her dark eyes slightly and asked, "Can we... go now?"
She still subconsciously used "we".
Liang Qi gave her another deep look and nodded: "Let's go."
The two walked together toward the exit. When they reached the stairwell, Jiang Nuanyu was about to go down when Liang Qi called out to her, "This way."
She turned her head and saw the elevator sign in the direction he was looking.
"Oh," she replied, and followed him down the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed, their gleaming reflections were mirrored in the doors. The gallery's elevator doors were completely undecorated, essentially indistinguishable from mirrors.
Liang Qi looked at her openly through the reflection in the mirror. Jiang Nuanyu felt a little uncomfortable under his clear and deep gaze. She licked her lips, then raised her hand and casually tugged at the bag strap on her opposite shoulder.
Her blouse had long sleeves that flowed down her arm, neatly covering most of the back of her hand. Her fingers were curled up, revealing only four prominent knuckles.
She's lost a lot of weight. He noticed it when they were at the bottom of the stairs.
Her cheekbones and jawline were almost skin and bone, her face was tight and small, not that she wasn't beautiful, but looking at her made him inexplicably uncomfortable.
Not wanting to see her uncomfortable in silence, he took the initiative to ask, "Have you decided what you want to eat?"
Jiang Nuanyu looked up, startled. Although he had told her to book a restaurant, she hadn't thought about it at all while waiting for him, so she really didn't have any ideas now.
Just then, the elevator arrived, the doors opened, and Liang Qi stepped aside to gesture for her to go first.
On the way out of the gallery, Jiang Nuanyu thought that since Liang Qi had said he would book the restaurant, she couldn't completely refuse. After getting into the car, she asked him, "What would you like to eat?"
Her tone was earnest and confident, giving the impression that she was ready to let him speak. Liang Qi smiled silently and said, "I'll leave it to you. Any recommendations?"
“I…I haven’t been here long either…” Jiang Nuanyu instinctively resisted the word “recommendation.” By saying that, he was essentially acknowledging that she belonged to this city.
For some reason, she didn't want Liang Qi to think that she had completely adapted to and integrated into Paris.
Perhaps it's because that's not the truth.
But she then suggested, "How about we have French food? I went to a restaurant with my colleagues last month, it's near my office. It was pretty good."
Liang Qi naturally had no objection: "Sure."
Jiang Nuanyu nodded: "Okay."
She then gave the driver the exact address in French.
Her voice is naturally light and soft, and her volume is not high when she speaks. Combined with the vague and languid tone of French, it is quite pleasant to listen to, and also has a sticky quality, which is quite unique.
After she finished speaking, Liang Qi smiled and said, "You speak French quite well."
Jiang Nuanyu couldn't help but turn her head to look at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes: She only gave him an address, how could he tell how well he was speaking?
Liang Qi received her gaze but did not explain.
Jiang Nuanyu took the initiative to say, "I can understand the general French they speak, but I speak it only so-so." After a pause, she added softly, "Very so-so."
That's not entirely true.
Compared to the locals or those who have been in a French-speaking environment for many years, Jiang Nuanyu's French is indeed not as fluent. However, she is considered to have a natural talent for languages, and at her current level, she has absolutely no problem handling daily conversations.
The phrase "very ordinary" seems to have some merit.
Sure enough, Liang Qi noticed it too. He turned his head to look at her, his eyes seeming to express his willingness to hear more.
Jiang Nuanyu paused for two seconds, then continued, "There's a Korean guy in my group who really likes to speak French. Even though our working language is English, he always tries to communicate in French from time to time."
When Jiang Nuanyu mentioned her Korean colleague, she was genuinely annoyed, and her tone carried a subtle but absolutely sincere complaint.
“Every time, everyone was speaking English perfectly fine, and then he would suddenly start speaking French. Since all the other group members were French, they naturally followed suit and spoke French with him.” She frowned slightly.
"For the first two months, whether in team meetings or in regular communication, I couldn't keep up whenever I switched from English to French. ... Not to mention others, even I felt like I looked stupid and had poor work skills."
At this point, she looked somewhat helpless and dejected, lowered her head, and lowered her voice: "My boss, who is a very senior editor in my team, didn't assign me much work at first..."
Once she started talking, she went on and on about her work, starting with her "not-so-good French." I didn't even realize that she was so talkative, something I'd never seen before in my interactions with Liang Qi.
Perhaps it was during her months in Paris that she became accustomed to starting a conversation anytime, anywhere, which formed a kind of "muscle memory" in her mind;
Perhaps it was because she hadn't spoken her mother tongue for too long;
Perhaps it's because she talks much more now than when she was working in Beijing, but has very little to say about her true feelings, that leads to her strong desire to express herself.
In short, until a certain moment, she belatedly realized that in the quiet car, it seemed that only her voice was echoing, while Liang Qi hadn't uttered a single word.
She fell silent, wondering if she had talked too much and disturbed him.
Liang Qi, who had been listening silently, suddenly said after she stopped, "Isn't it good that the boss doesn't assign work?"
Jiang Nuanyu was surprised that he would take the initiative to continue the topic, and her heart immediately felt light.
She muttered to herself, "If this continues, I might go from 'unemployed' to really 'unemployed'."
Liang Qi's words were meant to tease her, and hearing her reply, a smile involuntarily appeared in his eyes, and he chuckled softly with great pleasure.
Jiang Nuanyu caught his laughter, and her previously depressed mood turned into a happy one.
She couldn't help but turn to look at him. Although it was almost seven o'clock, the sun set late in Paris at this time of year. Sunlight streamed in through the car window, casting a pale orange halo over half of his profile.
Her gaze fell slightly, and beneath the black suit jacket and tie, Liang Qi was wearing a dark gray shirt today.
She felt the color was somewhat familiar—
In that R-rated dream I had this morning, he was wearing a shirt of this color...
Suddenly recalling that dream in front of the "person involved," her heart skipped a beat. She stiffly turned her head back and looked out the window guiltily, feeling her ears burning as if she had been drinking.
Isn't it said that dreams are gradually forgotten after waking up? How come she remembers even the details so clearly?!
Behind her, Liang Qi glanced down at his own clothes and saw nothing amiss.
He looked up, his gaze falling on the traffic ahead, and after a moment, he suddenly curled the corner of his lips.
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