Chapter 26 A subtle silence fell over the reconnected vehicle...
"No matter how busy you are, Mr. Gu, please remember to eat on time." Lin Yuwei looked out the window, her voice soft but filled with genuine concern: "If you get a stomachache, you'll be the one who suffers."
Gu Qingyan tightened his grip on the steering wheel slightly, his heart stirred by her words of concern. He hummed in agreement, his voice gentler than before: "I'm used to it. Sometimes I get so busy that I forget."
Following the address given by Lu Ming, the car quickly arrived at a secluded and quiet Japanese restaurant. The waiter led them to a private room that had been reserved in advance. The room was elegant and offered a great deal of privacy.
After they sat down, Gu Qingyan did indeed have a serious discussion with Lin Yuwei about the technical issues for a while. His insights were unique, and the solutions he provided made Lin Yuwei see the light. She couldn't help but admire his professional abilities.
After all the food was served, Gu Qingyan naturally used serving chopsticks to put a piece of grilled eel, which Lin Yuwei used to love, on her plate: "Try this, it's their signature dish." Lin Yuwei was taken aback for a moment, then thanked him softly. Time seemed to flow backward, and the habits he had taken care of gradually resurfaced.
While they were eating, Lin Yuwei's phone suddenly rang. It was Li Xiao calling: "Sister Weiwei, where are you? President Zhou is back, it's after get off work time now..."
Lin Yuwei quickly said, "I'm sorry, I forgot the time. I'm talking to President Gu. You and President Zhou can go back first. Don't wait for me."
Li Xiao: "Okay, I'll talk to President Zhou."
Lin Yuwei soon received a text message from Zhou Xubai: I'll pick you up after I take Li Xiao back to the company.
Lin Yuwei quickly replied with her head down: No need, I can go back by myself. Then she placed her phone screen-down on the table and said to Gu Qingyan with a slightly apologetic expression: "I'm sorry, Mr. Gu, let's continue."
Gu Qingyan asked seemingly casually, "Mr. Zhou... is very considerate to you." His tone was flat, as if stating an objective fact. He looked down at the teacup in his hand, turning it gently, as if there was something on the teacup worth studying.
Lin Yuwei smiled and avoided the main point: "Xu Bai is a very good partner and takes good care of our studio." She didn't want to talk too much about Zhou Xu Bai, especially in front of Gu Qingyan, so she quickly brought the topic back to work.
The two discussed for about half an hour, and the difficulties at work were basically clarified. Dessert was served after the meal, which was a delicate matcha mousse.
Gu Qingyan gently pushed the dish of mousse in front of Lin Yuwei: "I remember you used to like matcha flavor." His movements were natural, and his tone was calm, as if he were just mentioning it casually.
Lin Yuwei's heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something. She hadn't expected him to remember such a subtle preference. She thanked him softly, scooped up a little with a small spoon, and the slightly bitter and sweet taste melted on her tongue, also stirring up those deeply buried memories.
As the two were finishing their meal, Lin Yuwei's phone vibrated again. She glanced at it and saw it was Zhou Xubai again: "The rain is getting heavier. Send me your location. I'll come pick you up."
Before Lin Yuwei could reply, Gu Qingyan's voice rang out, carrying an undeniable tone: "After we finish eating, we'll go back to the company to get our things first, then I'll take you home. Don't rush to refuse me, it's on the way anyway." He didn't give Lin Yuwei a chance to refuse, and gestured to the waiter to settle the bill: "We've had enough of talking."
Looking at the increasingly dense rain outside the window, Lin Yuwei hesitated for a moment before replying to Zhou Xubai: No need, Xubai, I've finished talking here and am about to go back. I'll let you know when I get there, don't worry.
After sending the text message, she felt a strange sense of relief, yet also a vague mix of anticipation and nervousness.
On the way back, the atmosphere in the car was much more relaxed than on the way there. After finishing our work, the brief silence felt rather subtle, and soft piano music flowed from the car stereo.
Stopping at a red light, Gu Qingyan suddenly spoke, her voice unusually deep in the small space: "Thank you for having dinner with me today. It's been a long time since I've had a peaceful meal with someone like this."
Lin Yuwei turned her head to look at Gu Qingyan in the driver's seat. The flowing neon lights outside the window swept across his angular profile like water, casting flickering shadows on his usually cold and aloof features, unexpectedly outlining a hint of loneliness and weariness.
Her heart felt as if it had been gently pricked by something, a slight, tender feeling rising within her. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly, her tone gentle to the point of unconsciousness: "Don't always be so busy working and making money. Sometimes, it's good to stop and enjoy life. Life isn't just about work; it's what makes it interesting."
The car was quiet for a moment, with only the low rumble of the engine.
"Hmm." Gu Qingyan responded noncommittally, his gaze still fixed intently ahead, making it impossible to discern the emotions in his eyes.
The light turned green, and he smoothly restarted the car. After merging into traffic, it took him a while before he seemed to finally make up his mind. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he added, his voice a few decibels lower than usual: "In the future... if I come here for a meeting and it happens to be lunchtime, can we eat together?"
He seemed to find the suggestion a bit abrupt, and immediately added in a businesslike manner, trying to make his tone sound more natural: "I think... this way everyone can relax a bit, and the discussion will be more efficient." He tried to keep his voice steady and calm, but his slightly tense jawline and the way his hands gripped the steering wheel with slightly firm knuckles still betrayed a hint of barely perceptible tension and anticipation.
Lin Yuwei's heart skipped a beat. Gu Qingyan's seemingly reasonable suggestion was like a pebble thrown into the still waters of her heart, which she had finally managed to calm down. Reason slammed an alarm in her mind, reminding her to keep her distance and avoid any unnecessary time alone.
A subtle silence fell over the car; the air seemed to stand still. She could sense his tension—seemingly focused on driving, but actually waiting for a response.
Finally, she avoided direct eye contact, her gaze falling on the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, and gave a vague, almost inaudible reply: "Um...we'll see." This ambiguous answer, neither an agreement nor a complete rejection, was like an invisible layer of thin ice, instantly covering the subtle warmth that had been lingering in the car.
Then, the atmosphere inside the car froze completely. The brief moment of tenderness and probing had been silently withdrawn, leaving only silence spreading between the two. Gu Qingyan didn't speak again, his profile returning to its usual coldness and aloofness. Lin Yuwei also turned her head towards the car window, pretending to look at the night view, but her mind was in turmoil.
The silence that followed until the car stopped again, right in front of her apartment building, was so heavy it was almost suffocating.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of Lin Yuwei's apartment building, and the deep hum of the engine went out, plunging the surroundings into an eerily clear silence.
"Thank you, Mr. Gu. Drive carefully." Lin Yuwei thanked him in a formulaic way, her fingers quickly unbuckling her seatbelt as if every second of hesitation was torture, and turned to push open the car door.
"Yu Wei."
His voice rang out again, deep and resonant, piercing the silence of the carriage. This time, it wasn't through the car window, nor was it that distant "Miss Lin." Her name was spoken from his lips, carrying a long-lost, undeniable weight, striking her eardrums clearly.
Lin Yuwei's heart skipped a beat, her movements froze instantly, and her hand on the doorknob seemed to be rooted to the spot.
Gu Qingyan turned around, his gaze calm yet focused on her. The streetlights outside the car window cast dappled, bright light into his deep eyes, as if concealing some unspeakable emotion. He seemed to be making a final effort, his voice slower and deeper than usual: "Today's discussion was very fruitful," he affirmed the work first, then subtly changed the subject, trying to make his next words sound less abrupt, "For future project matters, you can contact me directly."
He paused, as if carefully choosing his final bargaining chip, the air almost still. Then, he added clearly, his tone carrying an almost solemn promise: "Not just this project, I'll always be here for you..."
These words, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, instantly stirred up layers of uncontrollable ripples in the calm lake of her heart.
Lin Yuwei abruptly lowered her head, not daring to look into his eyes that seemed to see through everything, afraid that another glance would reveal the panic in her heart. She gave a low, almost indistinct "hmm," as if in response, but more like an unconscious attempt to escape.
The next second, she almost frantically pushed open the heavy car door, as if escaping from some suffocating space. She staggered into the apartment building, forgetting even to say "goodbye".
Gu Qingyan didn't leave immediately. He sat alone in the driver's seat, his gaze deep and complex, watching the familiar yet slightly flustered figure completely disappear behind the building entrance. After a long while, he finally raised his hand and rubbed his temples hard, a clear trace of fatigue flashing across his face.
Yet, beneath that weariness, a barely perceptible, extremely slight upward curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. At least, she heard it; at least, she didn't reject him with the same unwavering resolve as before. Today was a beginning, a beginning that would no longer be one of "never seeing each other again."
Lin Yuwei returned to her apartment and absentmindedly completed her washing routine. The warm water washed over her body, but it couldn't wash away the chaotic thoughts lingering in her mind. That deep voice, that phrase "I'll always be here whenever you need me," echoed repeatedly like a curse, disturbing her peace of mind.
Lying in the warm, soft blankets, she closed her eyes, trying to force her brain to shut down. But Gu Qingyan's figure, his profile reflected in the streetlights through the car window, the subtle light in his deep eyes, and the fragments of memories she had forcibly sealed away in the past, all rushed out inappropriately, so clear they were suffocating.
She tossed and turned in bed, the clock on the wall silently ticking away, the city lights outside the window gradually thinning out, but her lucidity and anxiety persisted.
Finally, Lin Yuwei sat up resignedly, turned on the bedside lamp, and in the dim light, she opened the bedside table drawer, rummaged around for a while, and her fingertips touched a small, cold medicine bottle containing melatonin that hadn't been used in a long time.
She poured out two melatonin tablets, swallowed them with the remaining cold water in her glass, and the sweet, fruity flavor spread across her tongue. Lying back down, she deliberately avoided the reefs of memory, began silently counting numbers, forcing her brain to stop working, and forcefully suppressing all ripples related to that name back into the depths of her heart.
The medicine slowly took effect, like a gentle yet irresistible mist, finally enveloping her in a deep sleep that had nothing to do with her will.
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Author's Note: I'm starting to have some doubts. Is my writing really that bad? This week, my collections have barely increased; a few have gone up, then a few have gone down [laughing and crying emoji]. But after looking at it repeatedly, I really can't see anything wrong. Maybe it's just my limited writing skills.
It is expected to be completed in mid-October. The current drafts are almost up to the finale. I may add a side story from the male lead's perspective about their childhood sweetheart period and a side story about their marriage. I wonder if anyone is interested?
Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this story (super narcissistic), but the data was just so-so, which is a bit of a shame that it didn't get much like from everyone [laughing and crying with face covered]. I'll start a new one after I finish this one next month. I have five or six ideas waiting to be developed, but I haven't decided which one to start yet. I'll think about it slowly after I finish this one this week.
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