On a clear morning after the snow, sunlight streamed through the spotless French windows, casting large, dazzling patches of light on the floor.
Yu Jiuyuan sat at the long table in the restaurant, her fingertips holding a silver fork, idly poking at the poached egg on her plate.
Rong Shenghan sat opposite her, looking down at the documents on his tablet. The morning light outlined his smooth jawline, making his profile look incredibly soft.
He seemed to notice her distraction, looked up at her, and asked with a hint of a smile in his eyes, "Not to your liking?"
"No." Yu Jiuyuan withdrew her gaze, picked up a small piece of egg yolk with her fork, and put it in her mouth. The warm egg liquid melted on her tongue, carrying a faint buttery aroma.
It tasted great, just the way she liked it, but she just didn't have much of an appetite.
Last night's "indulgence" was like a fleeting dream; as dawn broke, reason regained its footing.
She forcefully suppressed the ambiguous feelings between herself and Rong Shenghan, and put on her innocent and harmless armor once again.
But if I occasionally glance up and see his long, slender fingers resting on the documents, or hear his deep breathing, my heart will still skip a beat uncontrollably.
This feeling of being out of control made her somewhat irritable.
Just then, the doorbell of the villa rang.
Aunt Zhang came over early this morning. Upon hearing this, she was about to get up when Rong Shenghan stood up first: "I'll go take a look."
Yu Jiuyuan didn't pay any attention and continued to eat the breakfast on her plate.
Those who come to the villa at this time are nothing more than assistants delivering documents or subordinates reporting to them; there's nothing particularly noteworthy about them.
Then, from the entrance came Zhang Ma's slightly surprised voice: "Sir, may I ask who you are...?"
Immediately afterwards, a gentle and refined male voice rang out, with just the right amount of politeness: "Hello, I'm looking for Miss Yu Jiuyuan. My name is Ji Nianqin."
The three characters “Ji Nianqin” were like a pebble thrown into Yu Jiuyuan’s heart, causing her hand holding the fork to freeze instantly.
She thought she would never hear that name again in her life.
Rong Shenghan was clearly taken aback for a moment, then stepped aside and said, "Please come in."
The footsteps approached from afar, carrying a leisurely rhythm.
Yu Jiuyuan slowly raised her head and looked towards the restaurant entrance.
In the backlight, the man's shadow was stretched very long.
He was wearing a beige cashmere coat, the collar of which was casually open, revealing a matching turtleneck sweater underneath.
Her soft black hair fell across her forehead, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Behind the lenses, her eyes were warm and deep, like a pool of clear spring water.
Ji Nianqin.
The man who only existed in her childhood memories, whom her elders jokingly referred to as her "fiancé".
Ji Nianqin seemed surprised to see Rong Shenghan here. She raised an eyebrow slightly, then her gaze fell on Yu Jiuyuan, and a perfectly timed smile appeared on her face: "Jiuyuan, long time no see."
His voice was very pleasant, like the sound of a clear spring hitting jade, carrying the gentle warmth of the Jiangnan water towns.
Yu Jiuyuan looked at him, her fingertips tightening slightly, the edge of the fork digging into her palm and causing a slight pain.
She quickly concealed the surprise in her eyes, and her face lit up with her usual innocent smile: "Brother Nianqin? Why are you back?"
"I just got back from abroad and wanted to come see you first."
Ji Luoqin walked to the dining table, her gaze naturally sweeping over the tableware. The two used plates were clearly from breakfast eaten together by the two of them.
His gaze remained unchanged, still gentle, as if it were just a casual glance.
Rong Shenghan had returned unnoticed and stood discreetly behind Yu Jiuyuan, his hand lightly resting on the back of her chair, his posture intimate yet carrying an undeniable possessiveness. "Yuanyuan, aren't you going to introduce her?"
His voice sounded calm, even a little amused, but Yu Jiuyuan could sense that the temperature of his hand resting on the back of the chair seemed to have dropped a few degrees.
“This is Ji Nianqin, my neighbor when I was a child, and also…” Yu Jiuyuan paused, deliberately omitting the term “fiancé,” “and a very good friend.”
She turned to Ji Nianqin and introduced, "This is Rong Shenghan, my... classmate."
"Classmate?" Ji Nianqin pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light. "I've heard that Mr. Rong and Jiu Yuan are getting very close."
His tone remained gentle, yet carried a subtle hint of probing.
Rong Shenghan smiled and gently squeezed Yu Jiuyuan's shoulder, the gesture natural and intimate: "We are quite close, after all, we are not only classmates, but also colleagues in the student council."
He deliberately emphasized the word "colleague," but conveyed a completely different message through his actions.
There seemed to be invisible gunpowder smoke permeating the air.
Yu Jiuyuan looked at the two men in front of her. One was gentle and refined, seemingly harmless.
A gentle smile, yet a sharp glint in his eyes. She suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
Ji Nianqin's arrival was truly timely.
"Brother Nianqin, why did you suddenly come back?" Yu Jiuyuan broke the silence, picked up the water glass on the table and took a sip, trying to ease the strange atmosphere. "Why didn't I hear about it before?"
"I came back to take care of some family matters, and by the way..." Ji Nianqin's gaze fell on her, with a meaningful smile, "to fulfill the promise we made when we were children."
He spoke the word "agreement" softly, yet it struck Rong Shenghan's heart like a heavy hammer.
Rong Shenghan's hand, which was resting on the back of the chair, tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning slightly white.
He looked at Ji Nianqin, the smile in his eyes fading slightly, but his tone remained calm: "What agreement?"
Ji Nianqin didn't answer directly, but looked at Yu Jiuyuan with a gentle smile: "Jiuyuan, won't you invite me to sit down and have a cup of tea?"
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