57. Flirting
The afternoon workday seemed to stretch on for an unusually long time. Chi Jin worked on his manuscript, occasionally glancing at the time in the lower right corner of his computer.
Three o'clock, four o'clock...
The closer I get to getting off work, the stronger that secret feeling of anticipation becomes.
Around 4:30, there was a slight commotion at the office door. Jiang Xuhuan whispered, "Editor-in-Chief Chen is here."
Chi Jin's heart skipped a beat. He looked up and saw Chen Yisheng, accompanied by one or two middle-level managers, walking into the large office. He was still as stern and serious as ever, listening to his subordinates' reports while casually scanning the office area, as if he were conducting a routine inspection.
When his eyes swept across Chi Jin's workstation, he didn't pause for a moment, as naturally as if he was looking at any ordinary employee.
Chi Jin quickly lowered his head and pretended to work seriously, but his fingertips felt a little cold.
However, a few minutes later, Fang Tang walked quickly to her workstation with a document in hand. "Xiao Chi, Editor-in-Chief Chen just reviewed this document and made some suggestions for revisions. Please process it quickly and send it to me before leaving get off work."
"Okay, boss." Chi Jin took the document and glanced at it quickly. It was an ordinary layout planning draft.
Fang Tang turned and left. Chi Jin opened the document and was about to read the comments carefully, but his eyes suddenly stopped -
In the upper right corner of the document's title page, there was an ordinary yellow sticky note.
On it was her familiar penmanship, which was so strong that it could be seen through the paper. It read:
[One more hour. Come on :) ]
Next to it, he drew a small cluster of fireworks and a tiny crescent moon in a clumsy yet cute way using simple strokes.
The cold document, under the pretext of official business, contains such a sentence.
He also used emoticons and hand-drawn patterns, which he almost never uses.
This extreme contrast is like a piece of candy wrapped in a cold and hard shell, which suddenly melts in your mouth, and the sweetness spreads throughout your body in an instant.
Chi Jin suddenly covered her mouth with her hand to suppress the laughter and exclamation that was about to burst out. She quickly tore off the sticky note like a thief, tore off the sticky note that was about to find Zhou Cheng, and pasted this one in its place.
Anyway, there is no signature, so no one can tell.
After doing all this, she raised her head and looked eagerly towards the entrance of the editorial department.
The "culprit" was no longer there. He had come suddenly and left just as abruptly, as if he were just passing by and casually offered some "work instructions."
Chen Yisheng is quite cute.
She lowered her head to revise the manuscript, typing rapidly on the keyboard, but she could hear her heartbeat "tapping" in sync.
——One more hour.
——In one hour, I can escape to the beach with him to watch the fireworks and celebrate the New Year.
It was four forty-five and the office heater was turned up too high, making her cheeks red.
Chen Yisheng's words "Come on :)" played in my mind on a loop, like an inappropriate yet sweet background music.
…
At 5:30, it's time to get off work. The office instantly becomes lively, colleagues say "Happy New Year" to each other and leave with brisk steps.
Chi Jin was anxious, but she had to patiently check her emails one last time, click send, and then slowly began to pack her things. She needed to avoid the peak traffic.
The phone screen lit up. It was a WeChat message from Chen Yisheng reminding him of the car's location.
Looking at the words, her heart was at peace. He was always like this, always considering everything carefully.
By the time she reached the basement, the flow of people from Zhongxin had thinned out. The black car was parked quietly in the corner, like a dormant animal.
She opened the car door and got in. The heater in the car was on high, instantly dispelling the winter chill brought from the ground.
"Are you getting anxious waiting?" she asked as she fastened her seat belt, her voice lighthearted, a tone she herself hadn't noticed.
"It's okay." Chen Yisheng turned his head to look at her, his eyes soft, without a trace of the coldness he had during the day. He leaned over naturally and helped her tidy up her hair that was pressed down by the scarf. "Are you tired today?"
"Not tired." Chi Jin shook his head, his eyes falling on his left hand holding the steering wheel. Suddenly he felt playful and stretched out his right hand, gently covering the back of his hand.
Chen Yisheng's hand paused for a moment, then he took her hand in his palm, passed his fingertips through her fingers, and interlocked their fingers tightly.
His palms were warm and dry, with a reassuring strength.
"Let's go?" he asked in a low voice, his voice sounding particularly low and pleasant in the closed compartment.
"Yeah!" Chi Jin nodded heavily, with an unconcealable look of anticipation and smile on his face.
The car smoothly pulled out of the basement and merged into the evening traffic. Outside the window lay the bleak winter streetscape, the sky gradually darkening, the lights coming on, but inside the car, it was warm as spring, filled with soothing music and the silent intimacy between the two of them.
"By the way, there's something I want Editor-in-Chief Chen to explain."
"What?"
"How come someone appears to be a strict, aloof, and awe-inspiring boss, but secretly draws little fireworks?" Chi Jin pulled up the photo she took of the sticky note. "And it's quite pretty."
Chen Yisheng glanced at him, and his ears seemed to blush faintly, but his tone remained calm: "Encourage subordinates and improve work efficiency. What's the problem?"
"Yo yo, encourage your subordinates." Chi Jin said, "Why didn't you encourage me like this before?"
"I'm in a good mood today." He looked straight ahead, pretending to be serious, but the slightly upturned corners of his mouth betrayed him.
Chi Jin didn't ask any more questions, but her heart softened and she held his hand even tighter.
The car drove towards the seaside, and the city lights outside the window gradually became sparse, replaced by the quiet and deep darkness of the winter night.
The one and a half hour drive was neither long nor short. The heating was sufficient and the temperature was comfortable. Chi Jin felt a little drowsy and yawned lazily.
"Are you sleepy?" Chen Yisheng's voice was low, his eyes still focused on the slightly congested traffic ahead. "It's a little bit congested, so we might arrive later than expected."
"I'm not sleepy." Chi Jin shook his head, trying to dispel the sleepiness, his voice was a little soft and coquettish, "I'll chat with you, and you won't be sleepy anymore."
The traffic slowed to a stop at a red light. Chen Yisheng leaned over, reached out from the backseat, grabbed the gift, and handed it to her. "Oh, you haven't opened this yet. If you don't accept it, it'll be sitting alone in my car through the New Year."
Chi Jin only then remembered this and quickly took it, carefully untying the ribbon. Inside the box, a small, exquisite watch lay quietly on black velvet. The dial was simple, with smooth lines. In the dim light of the car, it shone with a warm luster. It was both professional and capable, yet gentle, very suitable for her identity as an editor.
She took out her watch and immediately put it on her slender wrist. She held it out to his eyes and shook it gently. The watch chain reflected a tiny glimmer of light. "Does it look good?"
"It looks good." Chen Yisheng answered without hesitation. His big hand took hold of her wrist, and his fingertips caressed her warm skin. "This sweater is also very beautiful."
"If you don't like it, it's okay to put it away." His tone was gentle and completely respectful.
"I like it! I like it! Really!" Chi Jin immediately looked up at him with sparkling eyes, and said in an eager and sincere tone, "You are so busy on a business trip, and you still think of me..."
"Wear it if you like it." Chen Yisheng's lips curled up gently, and his voice lowered a little, "When I was on a business trip, I thought about you all the time."
These words were too blunt and scorching, a stark contrast to his usual cool and reserved image. Chi Jin blinked in disbelief and deliberately teased, "Editor-in-Chief Chen... have you been single for too long? Are you a little... hungry?"
"Don't say that about yourself," his eyes were calm and serious, "You're great. Before you, I only had one girlfriend. It was a long time, and then... I got used to being alone."
He actually brought up this topic, and Chi Jin asked, "Is this a deliberate trap for me? How long has it been going on?"
Chen Yisheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Five years."
Chi Jin's heart sank suddenly, and his breath was choked: "So long? When did... it start?"
"From freshman year of high school to sophomore year of college." He stated calmly.
Chi Jin felt strangely relieved at this point in time—it was so long ago. She couldn't help but chuckle, a bit incredulous. "Editor-in-Chief Chen, you're in a premature relationship? Then... why did you break up?"
“It’s harder to stick to it when you’re in a different place.”
"You have such good conditions, how come no one is pursuing you?"
"When I was in school, I prioritized studying. When I was about to enter the workforce, I started thinking about finding a job. And when I finally got a job... didn't you see me wearing my ring the whole time? "Courtesy of a five-year relationship. At first, I wasn't used to being alone, but as time went on, I got used to just being alone."
Chi Jin nodded: "That makes sense. But if I didn't trust your character, it would be hard to believe that your window period would last so long."
Chen Yisheng smiled upon hearing this, his tone tinged with helplessness and self-reflection. "I'm much older than you, less interesting, and not very good at choosing topics. I'm just realizing now that New Year's Eve... doesn't seem like the right time to talk about this."
Chi Jin shook his head, his movements were very light, but firm, and said softly -
"I've said before that you're the senior in the industry I respect the most, and it's absolutely true. You're not preachy or greasy, and your professional skills are impeccable. From the perspective of the opposite sex, you're equally charming—calm and serious, gentle and thoughtful, and...very frank, which is very appealing."
As soon as she finished speaking, the car pulled to the side of the road without warning. The engine hum faded, like a deliberately soft breath.
Chen Yisheng unbuckled his seat belt, and the metal buckle popped up with a "click", and the crisp sound was amplified by the closed compartment.
He turned, facing her completely. The falling snow outside the window, chopped into tiny silver flakes by the streetlights, fell on his angular profile, making his usually calm eyes shine brightly, almost scorchingly.
"What's wrong?" Chi Jin was puzzled. "The car broke down?"
"Chi Jin."
He called her, and as the last syllable fell, his palms covered her face. That tiny, imperceptible tremor spread from the tips of his fingers to behind her ears, like snowflakes falling on burning coals, with a crackling sound, and white mist rising.
He didn't say "can you" or "will you?"
He just stared at her, his eyes so dark that they seemed to suck her in completely, and then spoke softly -
"I want to kiss you."
The four words, as if they had been repeatedly ground, had a gravel-like texture and were incredibly hot.
That was not a solicitation, but a statement that burst out after a long period of restraint; it was the first crack on the top of the snow-capped mountain finally cracked by the spring thunder.
Chi Jin heard his heartbeat suddenly slow down and blood roared in his eardrums.
The world was muted: the distant tides, traffic, and fireworks all retreated light years away.
All that was left was his breath, which was very close to her - with the coolness of the winter night and the scent of jasmine, occupying her airway inch by inch.
He didn't move closer immediately, but gently stroked the fine hairs on her cheekbone with his thumb, as if to confirm the truth.
He tilted his head, moving very slowly, and when the last inch between their lips was reached, he stopped and lightly touched her nose with the tip of his nose, exchanging a breath of air.
In that breath of air, there was his suppressed and trembling breath, and her heartbeat that was almost about to burst out of her chest.
Then he kissed her.
At first, it fits together restrainedly, like snowflakes falling into the palm of your hand, cold, but melts into water in the next second.
Chen Yisheng held her lower lip with a force as light as if he was touching fragile glass; but when he pulled back half an inch, he rolled it lightly with the tip of his teeth, causing a slight electric current.
Jin's fingers unconsciously grabbed the cashmere fabric of his coat. The tiny hairs tickled her fingertips, but she was reluctant to let go.
He noticed it and slid his palm down to hold the back of her neck, lifting her more steadily towards him.
The lips reconnected, and this time it was no longer a light taste.
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