Chapter 18 Ling Shen's Stubbornness
"Su Nian?" Ling took a deep breath and pinched his knuckles into his palms to barely suppress the emotions surging in his chest. When he turned back to the restaurant, he saw only the porcelain bowls on the dining table with a cold glint like a thin layer of frost.
The lotus root and pork ribs soup had long lost its heat, and the oil had solidified into pale lumps, giving off a cold and hard luster under the light, just like the suddenly cooling relationship between him and Su Nian.
The seat belonging to Su Nian was empty, even the bottle of osmanthus rice wine that was specially placed in the center was gone.
Ling Shen's fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the chair, where there were still shallow marks left by Su Nian's elbow, but now there was only nothingness.
He slumped down in the chair, the glass making a crisp sound as it hit the table. When he tilted his head back to drink the last sip of wine, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus mixed with the mellowness of rice wine exploded in his throat, but he tasted a hint of bitterness on the tip of his tongue - the wine was soaked with tears that had slipped down at some point.
He picked up the cold greens with his wooden chopsticks. The edges of the leaves were wrinkled and dry. The bland taste made his throat tighten as he chewed. He forced himself to swallow every bite, but the swallowing became increasingly difficult. The carefully prepared dishes now turned into sharp thorns, piercing his heart.
This was the first time someone cooked for him, but he made a fool of the kindness because of other people.
"Su Nian..."
Ling Shen's voice was torn into pieces by a heavy nasal sound, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the empty wine glass.
The vase of wintersweet in the corner seemed to have lost its luster, just like Ling Shen's broken heart at this moment.
Su Nian huddled in the darkest corner of the bedroom. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the blinds, casting tiny silver specks on the wine bottles scattered across the floor. He clutched the necklace around his neck, "Chen Ran... Can you come back? I've made your favorite dishes, and I've also got some wine..."
Before he could finish his words, the empty bottle suddenly slipped from his palm.
The crisp sound of glass hitting the marble floor startled the birds perched outside the window. Beige wine swirled like a river in the moonlight. Su Nian slumped down among the shards, oblivious to the sharp pain in her lower back.
He looked up at the ceiling, and the flickering spots of light made everything in front of him seem illusory.
Yes, he was too demanding. Ling Shen was not Chen Ran, nor was he the person Ling Shen had been thinking about. He missed Chen Ran through Ling Shen, but before he knew it, he could no longer tell who the person who smiled so happily at him and was willing to bend over for him was.
"Ling Shen...Chen Ran..." Su Nian muttered, slowly curling herself up into a ball, letting her tears slowly wet her clothes.
When Su Nian woke up the next day, he looked at the clean dining table and said nothing else. He just baked bread and made coffee.
When the door opened, the sound of wind chimes echoed as usual. Su Nian smiled at every guest who came in. The pain in his lower back reminded him of his loss of control last night, but the words that came out of his mouth became, "I found the sequel to the book you wanted to read. Do you want to read it?"
After getting up, Ling Shen looked at the steaming bread on the table, as if he could see Su Nian putting the bread on the table.
The afternoon sun shines through the bookstore's glass windows, casting mottled shadows on the floor, and the air is filled with the unique scent of ink from old books.
The bookstore downstairs was deserted. Su Nian sat at the bar, looking somewhat exhausted. His face was the ugliest he had ever seen. His fingertips unconsciously traced the wood grain along the edge of the bar, and even his breathing was barely perceptible.
"Boss, do you have any new copies of this book? I want to buy one to keep as my collection." A girl with a high ponytail shouted at Su Nian behind the bar while holding an unsealed book. Her clear voice broke the tranquility of the bookstore.
Su Nian smiled, but it was more fragile than the thin ice outside the window. He paused as he stood up, a sharp pain in his lower back causing him to frown. Before he could say anything, Ling Shen had already hurried down the stairs and, with undeniable force, pushed him back into the chair.
"Tell me where it is, I'll get it." There was a hint of concern in his voice that he himself was not aware of.
"On the top of the fourth bookshelf, you..." Before Su Nian could say that the ladder to the top of the bookshelf was placed in the corner, she saw Ling Shen striding towards the bookshelf.
When Ling Shen raised his hand, his cuffs slipped down, revealing his smooth arms. He easily reached the books on the top shelf, took down the plastic-wrapped new book and handed it to the girl with neat and efficient movements.
"Ah...thank you." The girl stared blankly at the handsome guy who suddenly appeared, pressed the boss down, and then skillfully found the new book. Her cheeks flushed when she took the book, and she thanked him foolishly.
Ling Shen said nothing, simply nodded coldly and turned to walk towards Su Nian. The wind from his footsteps gently flipped the pages of the book. His eyes never left the figure behind the bar, and he didn't even realize how obvious his concentration was.
The girl who was left behind suddenly held the book in both hands, her eyes shining like stars, and her whole body twisted uncontrollably on the spot, as if she had discovered some shocking secret.
She opened her mouth but made no sound. She just used her mobile phone to quietly take a picture of the two people's backs, then tiptoed out of the bookstore.
Ling Shen was in no mood to consider other people's thoughts. At this moment, all he could see was Su Nian, who had lost all his energy.
The sunlight fell on Su Nian's pale face, and even her usually rosy lips had lost their color. She looked like a plant wilted by rain.
"Are you... okay?" Ling Shen looked at Su Nian with some worry as she kept rubbing her waist with her hands. The flash of pain that passed by was obviously not fake. "Do you want to go and rest?" He deliberately slowed down his tone, but still spoke with his usual stiffness.
Su Nian felt as if his head was about to explode, his temples were throbbing, and the accidental injury to his lower back made it impossible for him to sit still.
But when Su Nian glanced at the bookstore behind Ling Shen and looked at the neatly arranged books, he still forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired. If you are busy, go ahead and do your thing." He didn't want to make Ling Shen worry, and he didn't want to admit that he really couldn't hold on any longer.
Ling Shen looked at Su Nian, who was showing off, and felt a nameless anger welling up in his heart. He was angry that Su Nian didn't cherish himself, and that he always took everything on his shoulders. But Ling Shen, as proud as he was, couldn't say anything nice.
The caring words came to his lips, but turned into a hard accusation. "Whatever, don't blame me for not reminding you. If you fall ill, don't blame me for asking you for liquidated damages." Ling Shen's cold words made Su Nian laugh helplessly.
Before Su Nian could say anything, Ling Shen, with a stern face, helped him directly to the recliner. His movements were not gentle but surprisingly steady.
He also covered Su Nian with the blanket on the back of the chair and carefully tucked in the corners.
"Just sit here. You look half dead. I'm afraid you'll faint here." After saying that, Ling Shen imitated Su Nian and began to tidy up the bar, wiping the coffee machine clumsily and putting the scattered bookmarks in order.
The sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting a soft outline on Ling Shen's serious profile. Su Nian watched his slightly unfamiliar but extremely focused movements, and the pain in her lower back seemed to ease a little.
He closed his eyes, listened to the light sounds coming from the bar, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily rose.
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