58. Sending Affectionate Eyes
"gentlemen--"
Outside the car window, the patrol police's flashlight flashed and just passed by the passenger seat.
The dark film on the glass blocked out most of the light, but the refraction at that moment still allowed the police to accidentally peek into the car - the man leaned over and covered the woman in his arms, their figures overlapping, like two lingering silhouettes.
The young policeman was visibly stunned for half a second, then he coughed twice tactically and raised his voice, "Sir, there is traffic control here, you cannot stop."
The two people who were suddenly interrupted stopped in a hurry like frightened rabbits, and Chi Jin immediately shrank into an ostrich.
Chen Yisheng swallowed, waved to the police, said sorry, and quickly drove away.
It wasn't until they turned two intersections that the tense atmosphere in the car suddenly relaxed. The two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh out loud at the same time.
The blush on Chi Jin's face hadn't faded yet, but she didn't want to miss this opportunity to tease him. She deliberately scratched the back of his hand, which was resting on the gear shift, with a sly smile in her voice, "Just now... I didn't see you so shy."
"Then continue?" He raised an eyebrow.
Chi Jin blushed and waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, you drive quickly, or I can drive."
Chen Yisheng chuckled: "Let's go eat first. Only when we're full can we have the energy to watch the fireworks."
The car finally stopped by a secluded bay, away from the bustling main park area. A restaurant with huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea stood quietly. Warm lights filtered through the glass, creating a radiant warmth in the cold winter night.
"Is this the place?" Chen Yisheng glanced at the restaurant's facade and turned to ask her. It was obvious that making a reservation here was quite difficult.
"I have a classmate who works in marketing here. When I asked her, she had just canceled her reservation and gave me the spot."
Although the seat is next to the food delivery port, which is not considered good, it is next to the window, so you can have a panoramic view of the inky sea and the faint lights of the park in the distance, without being disturbed too much by other diners.
The lights of the main venue in the distance were broken up by the waves, flickering like someone had sprinkled a handful of stardust into the ink.
"You're so lucky." Chen Yisheng naturally pulled out a chair for her. "I didn't do any preparation in advance. Does your classmate have any dish recommendations?"
"She said this restaurant's baked series is very famous." Chi Jin handed his coat and scarf to the waiter while flipping through the menu.
"Order whatever you like," Chen Yisheng said gently, looking at the menu. "It's still a long time before the fireworks show starts, so we can eat slowly."
"You are not allowed to rush to pay the bill today." Chi Jin said, "This watch is not cheap, is it? Order whatever you want today, I will pay for it."
Chen Yisheng looked up at her from above the menu, a smile in his eyes: "Then I won't be polite today, I'm really going to charge you a lot."
"You're welcome." Chi Jin smiled with her eyes curved, and the light fell on her eyes, making them sparkle.
"Okay, let Miss Chi pay for it today, and I'll just live off her." Chen Yisheng handed the menu back to her with a smile, and leaned back in his chair in a relaxed manner.
Chi Jin was really generous. He ordered foie gras, baked snails, creamy lobster pasta, and even double the dessert.
"Another bottle of white wine, semi-sweet."
Chen Yisheng raised his eyebrows: "I know you can drink a lot, but I still have to drive later."
"Non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice." She winked. "The ritual must be there."
Chen Yisheng wiped his fingers carefully with a warm towel, a smile on his face. "I've been eating and drinking with you these past few days, and I'm starting to worry about getting fat in middle age."
"Haven't you heard? Appetite is the easiest pleasure in the world to satisfy." Chi Jin held her chin and looked at him, the light softly outlining her profile. "It's vacation time, Editor-in-Chief Chen, so be nice to yourself and don't be so harsh on yourself."
"Can you please not call me that from now on?" Chen Yisheng put down the towel and looked at her face. "Otherwise, I will have to respectfully call you Editor Chi."
Chi Jin felt like he was back in the editorial department immediately.
"Okay." Chi Jin immediately felt the same way and nodded in agreement, "Then I'll call you by your name, how about that?"
Chen Yisheng speculated. "Chen Yisheng," with both first and last name, while not quite as intimate, was far more appealing than just a surname and a job title. He nodded. "Fair enough. Then I'll call you Chi Jin, too."
"No, using my full name and surname sounds like a boss calling me names." Chi Jin wrinkled his nose. "You can call me Xiao Chi, or Chi Zi. Everyone in the editorial department calls me that."
"Until I think of a more appropriate name, I'll just call you by your name." Chen Yisheng curled his lips. "Let's eat first, then we'll go straight to the beach. We'll put our things in the car and go back to the hotel after watching the fireworks. What do you think, little devil under the King of Hell's throne?"
"We've reached an agreement! I don't want to go to the hotel either." Chi Jin picked up a piece of foie gras for him. "I've been here twice when I was studying, both times during the day. I heard it's very lively at night. I want to buy some cultural and creative products, like a refrigerator magnet. You can accompany me for a walk later."
"Okay." Chen Yisheng nodded. "It's good to walk around more often than sitting all day. Tomorrow will probably be very lively. If we can get up, we can watch the sunrise and sleep until we wake up naturally before gathering together."
He said "let's get together again" very calmly. After hearing this, the last bit of subtle tension in Chi Jin's heart dissipated - he really didn't have those impatient "wrong thoughts".
She nodded reassuringly and picked up her knife and fork: "Let's eat! I'm starving."
After a busy day and two hours of driving, both of them were indeed hungry. They enjoyed the food in front of them tacitly, occasionally exchanging their opinions on a certain dish. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable.
After the meal to digest the food, the two walked back along the wooden plank road.
The market on New Year's Eve is brightly lit, and the stalls are hung with small strings of lights. When the wind blows, they look like swarms of fireflies flickering.
There was a dazzling array of cultural and creative products. Though upon closer inspection, they looked similar to other creative markets in the city, those in love see everything through a soft filter. Chi Jin enthusiastically selected two wave-shaped refrigerator magnets in different colors, a pair of plush bunny pendants, and a small house-shaped aromatherapy lamp.
Chi Jin stuffed one of the portions into Chen Yisheng's bag and said, "We'll share half when we meet."
If she were shopping by herself, she would never buy this piece of beautiful garbage, but now, she couldn't walk when she saw these fashionable little pieces of garbage.
"I thought you were very simple." Walking to a place where the crowd was less, Chen Yisheng hung the yellow bunny pendant on his briefcase.
Chi Jin stared at his black business bag that looked to be worth several thousand yuan. It had stern lines, but now it held a cute rabbit.
"Why don't you stop hanging on the bag? Isn't that a bit embarrassing?"
"No. I think it's quite cute. Seeing her reminds me of you, which is great." Chen Yisheng shook the bag. "But it's a bit embarrassing for our colleague to show up at the office with this. You can just take it home."
Chi Jin nodded, took two steps forward and grabbed his arm: "I'm sorry, King Chen, your secret lover."
Chen Yisheng smiled gently, raised his hand to ruffle her hair, and then helped her straighten her scarf, which had been blown askew by the wind. Then, he took her hand very naturally. This series of small movements was as smooth as flowing water, extremely smooth, and carried an indescribable doting.
Chi Jin felt sweet in his heart as he held her hand, but he couldn't help but tilt his head and jokingly said, "Mr. Chen, have you really been single for a long time? Why do I feel like you're a little too skilled?"
"Some things will just happen naturally." Chen Yisheng took her hand and said, "Let's go to the main venue."
The seaside park is already full of people.
There were still thirty minutes left in the countdown. Occasionally, one or two trial fireworks exploded in the sky, like melted gold fragments, briefly illuminating the dark night and drawing small cheers from the crowd.
Chen Yisheng protected Chi Jin and struggled to find a slightly higher slope with a good view. He pulled Chi Jin into his arms from behind, unzipping his coat and wrapping her tightly in it. Chi Jin immediately felt the warmth and comfort of his chest on her back, and she smiled softly.
He suddenly let go of her and took something out of his pocket -
A cluster of small fairy wands lit up with a "crackling" sound.
The firelight danced under his eyelashes, and his usually cold eyes now seemed to contain the entire Milky Way.
"You'll cover your ears if you're afraid the big fireworks are too loud." His voice was low and hoarse, but with the awkwardness of a teenager, "Practice a small one first."
Chi Jin was stunned and asked, "Where did this come from?"
"I bought it just now while you were in the bathroom."
“It’s really beautiful.”
"Mom! The fireworks from the uncles and aunts are so beautiful, I want one too!" said a child.
The two turned their heads and looked at each other. Chi Jin took three or five cigarettes from his pocket and handed them over: "Handsome boy, take them."
"Ah, how can this be so embarrassing? Hurry up and thank your brothers and sisters."
"Thank you, brother~ Thank you, sister~" The little boy took it happily with a sweet and crisp voice.
Chi Jin patted his head: "You're welcome. Take it and play with it."
The new fairy wand was lit, and Chi Jin held it up carefully. The flames bloomed into small golden flowers in her pupils.
"When I was little, my dad often took me to set off fireworks. From New Year's Day to Lantern Festival, we would set off boxes of fireworks one after another."
"What now? Do you dare to light the firecrackers yourself? Or do you want your uncle to take you?"
Chi Jin's hands froze. She had not yet told Chen Yisheng anything about her family, and naturally had not mentioned the news that her father had passed away unexpectedly a few years ago.
"Now... I'm older and don't set off fireworks anymore."
Chen Yisheng heard the slight tremor in her voice and knew that now was not a good time to dig into the problem. He simply placed his palm on the back of her hand and turned the fairy wand in a different direction, letting the wind blow the flame more vigorously.
"Whether it's in Jing City or anywhere else, as long as you want, I'll take you there."
"What if we get caught by the police?" She turned her head to look at him, her eyes shining brightly with sparkles and a hint of playfulness.
He chuckled, a slight vibration in his chest. "Then I'll hold your hand tightly, and we'll run together."
…
Ten, nine, eight...
The crowd's voices surged, layer upon layer, and the white mist from their breath intertwined like premature fireworks.
There were deafening screams and cheers all around, but Chi Jin raised his head amidst the clamor and stood on tiptoe. A warm breath came close to his ears, and a clear and soft voice said, "Chen Yisheng, Happy New Year."
Four, three, two...
He lowered his head, his lips almost touching her earlobe——
"Jinjin, Happy New Year."
At the last second, the first real firework shot up into the sky, exploding into a huge silver-white waterfall that lit up the entire night sky and the sea, as well as every face on the ground looking up.
The crowd was boiling, and snowflakes and sparks fell in an alternating pattern.
Amidst the deafening noise, Chen Yisheng leaned over and kissed her.
——Very light, like snowflakes falling on eyelashes, melting at the touch.
But it made her eyes hot.
Fireworks filled the sky and continued to bloom behind them, transforming into endless light, shadow and colors, enveloping the two people hugging each other in an unreal, brilliant dream.
At the first second of the new year, they exchanged their first kiss under the gorgeous sky.
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