Chapter 13 Chapter 13
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Spring breeze is like love
In the making
——Leslie Cheung, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter"
*
In early winter, the weather in Minshi has gradually become colder, but the wind from this bay of sea between the mountains is still warm.
This sea area has just been developed. Backed by high mountains, it has a constant supply of warm and humid ocean air blowing in, swirling in the sky to create a rare warm climate.
Wen Ying and Shen Li were the last two to arrive at the B&B. Shen Yuan had already arrived, along with three other people, all four of them enthusiastically playing cards. A young woman and a young couple were all close colleagues of Shen Yuan's.
Seeing Shen Li pulling the suitcase in, Shen Yuan dropped the cards in his hand and jumped high, looking back: "Where is my sister-in-law?"
He turned sideways, revealing Wen Ying following behind him: "I brought it to you."
Wen Ying began to look around the villa as soon as she entered. It was a three-story building, freshly painted, with the beach right in front of the door.
She entered the living room, looked around, and asked Shen Yuan in surprise: "How did you find this place? It looks really nice."
It is a two-hour expressway drive from Mincheng City. Whether it is the scenery, climate or distance, it is the perfect choice for a vacation.
Shen Yuan warmly took her hand and said, "I came here for an interview when the project started. At that time, I thought it would be great to be able to vacation here. Now it seems to be true."
The friends were having a great time playing, and when they saw Shen Yuan's brother and sister-in-law arrive, they politely put down the cards in their hands and stood up to greet them.
Shen Li reached out and pried Shen Yuan's hand apart, then took Wen Ying's hand instead. He raised his chin and motioned Shen Yuan to return to the card table: "Let's go put the luggage away. You finish this round and don't keep your friends waiting."
Shen Yuan was reluctant, but still listened to Shen Li's words: "Your room is on the east side of the third floor, the largest suite."
Several young people started playing cards happily again, while Chen Li and Wen Ying went up the stairs.
The suite is called a suite, but it has an extra living room compared to ordinary rooms. However, there is a terrace on the eastern side with a wide view, half of which is the mountain and the other half is the sea.
Wen Ying was standing on the terrace enjoying the breeze, her hair flying high.
Shen Li stood beside her and asked her if she was happy.
Chen Li was close, Wen Ying's hair fluttering and tangled around his arm. His voice, mixed with the sea breeze, blew into Wen Ying's ears.
Her ears felt numb and half of her body felt numb.
Wen Ying walked away from Shen Li without leaving a trace, pointing ahead to show him the faint shadows of several sailboats on the sea: "I haven't seen the sea for many years."
Chen Li leaned his forearm on the railing, the wind blew the loose hair on his forehead, making him as clean as a teenager.
"Do you remember the first time you saw the sea?" he asked.
Of course I remember.
Wen Ying finished the college entrance examination and Chen Li was also on vacation at home. During the long summer vacation without homework and test papers, Wen Ying was bored and didn't know what to do.
She pestered Chen Li to take her out to play. She originally thought it was just a casual stroll around the city, but unexpectedly, Chen Li took her on a bus and swayed to Jiangcheng.
The word "Jiang" is in the name of Jiangcheng, but the city is close to the sea and has the most beautiful long coastline.
Chen Li took her to the beach, dug out crabs and clams from the sand, carried plastic buckets to the beachside food stalls and cooked them on the spot, swallowing them steaming hot with vinegar.
At that time, she was eager to try and wanted to use the sound of the waves to ask Shen Li whether he liked her.
He probably liked her, right? At least he had a crush on her. Otherwise, why would he take her on a long bus ride to Jiangcheng during the hottest days of summer, just because she casually said she wanted to see the sea?
But the girl's thoughts were subtle, so she didn't dare ask him before leaving.
She was very scared.
If the answer is no, Wen Ying doesn't know how to face Shen Li. She cherishes Shen Li and would rather be neighbors and friends in a muddled way than drift away just to get an answer.
Chen Li narrowed his eyes slightly in the wind, as if trying to see Wen Ying's face clearly. "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye," he sighed, "and you've become an adult."
Wen Ying scoffed: "What do you mean by becoming an adult?"
Shen Li drew a line on his shoulder with his palm: "You used to be this tall and skinny like a bean sprout."
Wen Ying smiled: "It only shows that your cooking skills are not good. The noodles you cook every night are a mess."
Actually, Shen Li was a pretty good cook. His parents were away from home all year round, and there was no takeout back then, so he had to cook everything himself. He had to feed not only himself but also Wen Ying, his follower.
Since they were all in school, noodles were the easiest and quickest to make. Wen Lin cooked a pot of pork ribs every weekend, and Chen Li cooked noodles in the broth, adding an egg, two pieces of tender pork ribs, and a handful of seasonal vegetables, which was enough for the daily nutritional intake.
During his holidays at home, Chen Li had time to cook. He loved spicy food, but Wen Ying didn't dare, so he accommodated her taste and kept chili peppers out of the house.
Chen Li smiled sideways, "You have no conscience. For your health, I cooked in various ways, but I didn't expect it would be like throwing meat buns at a dog."
Wen Ying was helpless: "Just ask yourself, what do you mean by 'cooking in different ways'?"
“At least the vegetables in the bowl are different every day.”
Wen Ying laughed: "You're changing the subject. Can you call this a gimmick? Why don't you just say you're serving a full Manchu-Han banquet, a state banquet?"
The atmosphere was harmonious when Wen Ying's phone rang. She made a shushing gesture, turned to face the sea, and answered the call: "Mr. Zhou."
Not knowing what was being said on the other end of the phone, Wen Ying smiled with eyes as crescent as the moon: "It's okay, the scenery here is really nice."
A warm breath rose and fell beside her ears. It turned out that Chen Li had slowly walked behind Wen Ying, holding the railing with his hands on the left and right, and holding her loosely in his arms.
Wen Ying took a step sideways and wanted to walk out, but Chen Li had no intention of letting go. She was puzzled and looked back at him, only to meet a pair of somewhat cold eyes.
"Okay, I'll remember that," she replied hastily. "I'll send you the revised version in an hour."
After hanging up the phone, Wen Ying didn't bother to talk to Shen Li, and dialed another number: "Jia Ran, there are a few places in Mr. Zhou's indictment that need to be revised. I will send the specific content to your email. Thank you for your hard work."
After she finished making the arrangements, she turned around and shook her phone at Chen Li apologetically: "I'm sorry, we agreed that there would be no 'Wen Lu' and no 'Chen Jian' this vacation. It seems that I have to break my promise."
He raised his eyebrows: "You let Yu Jiaran help you?"
Wen Ying felt a headache and rubbed her brows. "Luo Ming can't be relied upon, and Jiaran happens to be in Jiangcheng. She declined the offer I introduced to her last time and asked if she could continue to work with me. I think I'll have to start my own business sooner or later, and having her as an assistant will save me a lot of energy. Zhou Boyu's case involves too much property, so I think Jiaran might need to come over in a few days."
She said apologetically, "I've ruined your holiday. It's a bit disappointing, isn't it?"
Chen Li put his arms around her. They were not too close, but their postures were intimate and somewhat ambiguous.
He looked at her and said, "It's okay. Zhou Boyu's case is very important to you. I understand." Shen Li changed the subject and asked, "Does he know you're on vacation?"
Wen Ying was a little puzzled. "I'm representing him in his lawsuit, so I had to tell him about my vacation. What's wrong?"
This is a basic operation. Wen Ying doesn't understand why Shen Li asked such a question.
Shen Li finally let go and turned into the room: "Just asking."
Wen Ying stood there, looking at Chen Li's back speechlessly.
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In the evening, a group of people sat together in the living room on the first floor. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the dark sea, and only the reflection of the brightly lit lights in the house was reflected on the glass.
The temperature dropped, and the fireplace was lit. Shen Yuan chatted with his colleagues, discussing work and news while they gathered around a hot pot. The pot was filled with seafood they'd just bought from the beach that afternoon, and as the broth boiled, the delicious aroma filled the room.
Wen Ying was absent-minded during the meal, constantly fiddling with his phone with his head down, occasionally turning around to tap on his notebook.
Chen Li kept picking up food for Wen Ying, but she only picked up her chopsticks to take a bite in between.
After finally finishing the meal, Wen Ying finally finished her work and closed her notebook, feeling a little embarrassed: "I have something urgent to take care of."
Seeing that she had finished her work, Shen Yuan excitedly asked his colleagues to clear the table and pulled a few people to sit around on the sofa.
Wen Ying and Chen Li sat on the same side. She was a little tired, so she took off her shoes, curled up her legs, and leaned against the corner of the sofa.
Shen Yuan has a lot of clever ideas. He says that it will be more fun when there are more people around, so he wants to play truth or dare together.
Shen Li looked uninterested and wanted to refuse, but Shen Yuan stopped him first: "Don't spoil the fun."
A circle of people stared at him eagerly. Even Wen Ying, who was standing beside him, propped up her chin and looked at him with a smirk on her face. Shen Li could only admit defeat: "Okay, let's play for a while."
He stretched out his long arm, took a blanket from the small table next to him and threw it on Wen Ying's legs. Shen Li's gaze did not linger, and he was called over by Shen Yuan, as if the previous action was just a casual one.
Wen Ying silently unfolded the blanket and wrapped her legs tightly. She was afraid of the cold, and while it was still okay after dinner, she was afraid she would not be able to bear it if she sat there any longer.
Shen Yuan took a long spoon from the dining table and placed it on the coffee table. He twirled it with his fingers, spinning it in circles until it finally came to a trembling stop right in front of Wen Ying. The room erupted in cheers, with Shen Yuan's voice being the loudest.
No way.
Wen Ying frowned as she looked at the smiling Chen Li. "It's a bit unlucky today. It's really not a good day to travel."
She was helpless: "Truth be told, I don't want to take any big risks."
Shen Yuan finally seized the opportunity and clapped his hands excitedly to speak.
Shen Li glanced over and said, "Shen Yuan, you should stop now."
Shen Yuan curled his lips and said perfunctorily, "Oh, I know, I know." Then he turned around and asked Wen Ying with great interest, "Sister-in-law, I've wanted to ask you for a long time. You and my brother have been neighbors since we were young, and I never thought you were in love. How did you suddenly get married? Who of you pursued who in the first place? I rarely saw you in all these years, and my brother didn't say anything. I'm really curious."
Wen Ying looked at Shen Li for help, but Shen Li was unwilling: "We can't ask for outside help. Whoever speaks the truth should answer it himself."
Wen Ying held his forehead. For a lawyer, making up stories shouldn't be difficult. Wen Ying thought for a moment and said, "Of course he was the one pursuing me."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Shen Li guiltily.
It was indeed Shen Li who proposed marriage first, so it is not wrong to say that he took the initiative now.
Shen Li cooperated very well and even nodded.
Shen Yuan was even more excited: "He pursued you? I really can't imagine what it would be like. Sister-in-law, please tell me, how did my brother pursue you in the first place?"
Shen Li raised his eyebrows: "This is already the second question."
Shen Yuan pouted: “But I didn’t say I was just asking one question.”
Shen Li shook his head: "This kind of game has established rules. Just because you don't say it doesn't mean you won't follow it."
Shen Yuan was deflated: “I really failed you. You are a prosecutor and a lawyer. I wonder what it’s like at home. Do you debate with each other every day until your throat burns?”
The whole house burst into laughter.
After turning this page, Shen Yuan turned the spoon again. After a few near misses, the spoon handle swung away from Wen Ying and pointed at the young people on the other side.
They were already familiar with each other, so truth or dare was meaningless, so they could only choose dare. After a few rounds of the game, Wen Ying was already laughing so hard that her stomach hurt.
In the last round, everyone's eyes were fixed on the spoon. In the tense atmosphere, the spoon finally lived up to everyone's expectations and pointed at Shen Li.
Shen Yuan jumped up with laughter: "You must tell the truth, you must!"
Shen Li said righteously: "Come on, what do you want to ask?"
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