Chapter 55 Going Home for the New Year
After the person involved left, the remaining three people had no interest in staying. Chang Zi walked in front with his hands in his pockets, and the soles of his shoes rubbed against the smooth marble floor, making a small sound.
"Do you think falling in love really changes a person?" He looked up at the winding light strip on the ceiling, his eyelashes casting fan-shaped shadows under his eyes.
Yu Tao's fingers unconsciously stroked the frosted texture on the edge of the elevator button, and the metal panel reflected his slightly furrowed brows.
The hum of gears could be heard from deep within the elevator shaft, and the blue light on the digital display flickered. "I don't know. Not everyone can be as lucky as him." His Adam's apple rolled as he spoke, and his voice was filled with a hint of imperceptible envy.
"I can only say he's incredibly lucky." Yuan Wenzhong loosened his crooked tie and was the first to step into the slowly opening elevator door. The mirrored walls reflected the exhausted silhouettes of the three men. He gazed at the dark circles under his eyes in his reflection and sighed deeply.
Chang Zi stared up at the elevator's ascending numbers. The stainless steel door frame refracted the ceiling light into countless tiny points of light. "Ah, Ling Shen has become a love saint," he deliberately stretched out the last syllable, with the playful aura of youth.
As soon as he finished speaking, the two people behind him laughed out loud at the same time.
The other party, Su Nian, was curled up on the bay window, with the sketchbook spread out on his knees filled with messy lines.
Dusk deepened outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's neon lights smearing the glass into flowing spots of light. He held his phone, his fingertips repeatedly tracing the name "York" in his address book across the screen, and finally, at a certain moment, pressed the call button.
"Su, believe me, I will definitely give you an amazing finished product." York's voice came from the receiver with a smile, and the background sound was mixed with the sound of coffee cups clinking.
The Italian designer's signature rolled tongue accent was particularly exaggerated when he said "stunning", and the rustling sound of the pen tip scratching across the paper was clearly audible through the airwaves.
Su Nian's ears turned red as she looked out the window at the darkening sky, unconsciously poking the blank space in the notebook with the tip of her pencil.
"Then please..." He ended the call hastily, clasping the hot phone on his knees. The setting sun shone through the gauze curtains, casting a fine golden net on the back of his hand.
The chicken soup was boiling in the pot in the kitchen. Su Nian stood there with a knife in his hand, but his thoughts were drifting away.
The sound of the door lock turning pierced the silence.
"A Nian, I'm back." Ling Shen's voice drifted into the kitchen with the draft in the corridor. Su Nian suddenly came back to his senses and found that the soup in the pot had turned brown at the edge of the pot.
He hurriedly turned off the gas stove, and the stainless steel pot handle was still scorching hot.
Ling Shen leaned against the entrance to change his shoes, his dark blue tie slanted around his neck. Seeing Su Nian running out in a panic, the corners of his lips raised in a familiar arc, his arms outstretched like wings.
When Su Nian bumped into the embrace with the scent of cedar, she heard the strong heartbeat in the other's chest.
The aroma of chicken soup wrapped in the medicinal scent of angelica filled the living room. Ling Shen rested his chin on the top of Su Nian's head, and his tie fell on the other's shoulders.
"Anian, I miss you so much. I'm so tired from work." His voice had a coquettish tone at the end, and his warm breath swept across Su Nian's sensitive earlobe.
Su Nian patted his lover's back gently, his fingertips feeling the undulating muscles beneath his suit. The first time he faced Ling Shen like this, he was so nervous that even his breathing became irregular.
Now, he can naturally reach out and straighten the other person's curled hair, just like straightening the crooked spines of books in a bookstore.
Just like now, Ling Shen was clearly dressed in a suit and tie, but he was lying on Su Nian's shoulder and refused to get up.
Su Nian felt the arm behind her tighten around her waist, yet she relished the close contact. The chandelier above the dining table stretched their shadows, creating overlapping outlines on the wall.
It was not until the warm chicken soup went into his throat that Ling Shen breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned lazily in his chair and looked at Su Nian who was serving him rice.
"A Nian," he turned the celadon bowl in his hand, and the glaze reflected Su Nian's profile as he concentrated on drinking the soup.
"Well, what's wrong?" Su Nian put down the bowl, and the soup left shiny marks at the corners of his lips.
Ling Shen thought about his unformed idea, but he finally swallowed it all and smiled again. "Nothing, is the bookstore busy today?"
"With Li Li, I won't be so busy anymore." Su Nian drank the soup slowly, and smiled unconsciously when he thought of Li Li's ability.
Ling Shen looked at his lover's relaxed brows and suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. The lover who once loved to curl up with him now had stars in his eyes.
"Mom called me today and told us to go home for the New Year. I haven't agreed yet, and you..." He paused, observing Su Nian's reaction. The wind outside the window lifted the gauze curtains, bringing in the colorful lights of the Christmas tree in the distant mall.
Su Nian looked at the hesitant Ling Shen, knowing he was afraid he wouldn't adapt, and that the memory would trigger a flash of emotion. But in Su Nian's eyes, Ling's parents were like the warmest spring sunshine. His father's years of gentleness, patience, and tolerance for his mother were like the finest chisel, sculpting the identical Ling Shen before her.
"Let's go back." Su Nian raised a gentle smile at the corner of her lips, her eyes gleaming with anticipation, "I've been thinking about the New Year's Eve dinner you sent me before. This time I can finally taste the hot, freshly-cooked delicious food."
When Ling Shen heard Su Nian agreed to go home for the New Year, his eyes lit up instantly, like a child who got candy: "Really? Then I'll call Mom back right now." As he was about to pick up the phone, Su Nian held his hand.
"It's not too late to come back after dinner. Be careful not to spill the soup." Su Nian pushed the bowl of rice in front of him, a gentle smile in her eyes. Ling Shen sat down obediently, but couldn't help but secretly hook his foot around Su Nian's ankle, like a clingy dog.
After dinner, Ling Shen took the initiative to clear the dishes. Su Nian leaned against the kitchen door and watched him busy as he worked. Who would have thought that Ling Shen, who was so powerful and decisive in the outside world, would actually have such a homely side?
Su Nian seemed to have thought of something and laughed out loud. Ling Shen turned around, confused. The light blue apron on the tall and strong Ling Shen looked particularly funny. But in Su Nian's eyes, this was a moment he would remember forever.
At night, Su Nian was lying on the bed flipping through the pages of a book. Ling Shen gently put his arms around his waist from behind and said sleepily, "What are you thinking about?"
Su Nian closed the book and turned to face him: "I'm thinking about what gifts to bring to my uncle and aunt for the New Year." Ling Shen nuzzled his neck and said in a vague voice: "Don't bother. They'll be happy just to see you."
Su Nian smiled and pinched his cheek: "That won't do. This is my first official trip home for the New Year, so I have to prepare well."
Ling Shen hugged him tighter and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, "I'll do as you say."
"Ah Shen, Ah Shen?" Su Nian pressed her cheek against Ling Shen's chest, listening to the steady, strong heartbeat. She held her breath and waited for half a minute. Seeing Ling Shen's eyelashes still drooping, his even breathing brushing against the top of his hair, she dared to gently push herself up.
Moonlight leaked in from the gaps in the gauze curtain, casting a silver edge on Ling Shen's bony fingers. Su Nian took out the ruler she had prepared and carefully wrapped it around Ling Shen's fingers.
Su Nian tried to keep her wrist steady. Just as the tape measure touched her fingertips, the sleeper suddenly and unconsciously tightened his arm. Su Nian was so frightened that she nearly cried out, her heart pounding against her chest like a drum. Ling Shen muttered a faint whisper before falling back into a deep sleep.
After getting the accurate data, Su Nian took out his mobile phone, typed a few lines of text and sent it out. After a slight sound, Su Nian breathed a sigh of relief.
He nestled back into the familiar warmth, the curve of his lips becoming clearer in the darkness. With the joy of realizing a secret plan, he gradually fell asleep.
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