Chapter Eight Festival
Because Lin Yu needs to go to the same hospital for a follow-up examination and related tests in a week, her original plan to return to Shanghai before the holiday had to be temporarily postponed. Instead, she plans to use these few days of rare rest to enjoy the hotel room upgraded for her by the company and take a stroll around Feicheng.
Although I've been stationed here for over a month, I'm busy debugging the system and following the workers around the site every day, so I have very little time that is truly my own.
On the afternoon before New Year's Day, Lin Yu declined Sister Wang's invitation to dinner, planning to stroll around the nearby temple fair alone. His phone, lying beside his bed, rang with a special WeChat voice message tone. Lin Yu picked it up, and a completely black profile picture appeared on the screen.
......
Jiang Chuan parked the car in front of the hotel lobby. When Lin Yu came downstairs, he was leaning against the car door, holding his phone and replying to messages. When Lin Yu saw him, he looked up as if by telepathy and met her gaze.
The night in Feicheng was chilly. Since she didn't need to dress professionally today, Lin Yu gave herself a playful cat-like makeup look and styled her hair into two braids that cascaded over her shoulders. Over a long Klein-blue fleece sweater, she casually wore a long teddy bear coat, making her look extremely mismatched next to Jiang Chuan.
Jiang Chuan, dressed in all black as always, looked as if he were rushing to a funeral at any moment. The instant he saw Lin Yu, he put down his phone and walked towards her. "Every time I meet Engineer Lin, it's a real surprise!"
Lin Yu crossed his arms. "If this is a compliment in disguise, then thank you!"
"Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise?" Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Then go to hell!"
The car was well-heated, creating a stark contrast with the cold outside, but Lin Yu, having just come out of the room, didn't feel the difference much.
Feicheng is a county-level city with a relatively underdeveloped economy. The locals live at a slow pace and have an exceptionally vibrant nightlife. Jiang Chuan drove her around Feicheng's bustling streets, weaving through narrow alleys before finally bringing the car to a smooth stop in front of a somewhat dilapidated courtyard.
There were no proper parking spaces in the yard, so the car had to be half-riding on the curb, squeezing perfectly into the narrow space by the roadside. Lin Yu admired Jiang Chuan's skillful driving and exclaimed sincerely, "Your driving skills are really good, second best among all the drivers I've ever seen!"
Jiang Chuan locked the car and looked back at Lin Yu, his dark eyes shining brightly in the dimly lit car. "Don't tell me, the number one is your ex-boyfriend!"
“It’s my dad!” Lin Yu shrugged. “He’s a great driver, I didn’t inherit any of that. My mom always says I inherited all their bad habits.”
“Then Engineer Lin’s parents must be exceptionally outstanding,” Jiang Chuan added meaningfully. “After all, in my eyes, Engineer Lin, you are already excellent enough.”
Lin Yu chuckled. "Your understanding is rather one-sided; we've only met three times."
"Perhaps we'll have plenty of opportunities in the future to prove my insight." Lin Yu suddenly sensed that strange, ambiguous atmosphere again, smiled, and didn't intend to respond.
"You shouldn't call me Engineer Lin. It gives the impression that I'm still working overtime at the company. It might be better to just call me by my name," Lin Yu suggested.
"Lin Yu?" He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tongue touching the roof of his mouth as if it were a damp moss. As the two words slipped from his lips, his Adam's apple bobbed gently, and the last syllable was drawn out, like fingertips brushing against the faded penmanship on the title page of an old book.
The name was short and abrupt, taking less than half a second to pronounce. He unconsciously curled the corners of his mouth, his smile unexpectedly warming, but the moment the name was finished, he let that warmth quietly settle into his eyes.
After consulting Lin Yu about her dietary restrictions beforehand, Jiang Chuan took her to a fish head restaurant hidden in an alley. The restaurant seemed like two different worlds; it was freezing cold outside, but the restaurant was bustling with activity inside. The staff led them to a round table in the corner covered with a plastic sheet.
When Lin Yu entered, she observed that all the other seats were already occupied except for this table, with some even having to share a table, and there was a long queue at the door. She chose a seat against the wall, took off her coat, and Jiang Chuan casually took it and hung it on the coat rack behind her.
"Did you book it in advance?"
Jiang Chuan sat down next to Lin Yu, pulled over the stainless steel basin on the table, disassembled the disposable tableware and put it into the basin to rinse with hot water.
The sleeves of his gray turtleneck sweater were pulled up to his forearms, revealing smooth muscle lines that guided his slender fingers as he deftly manipulated the plates. "The owner of this restaurant has sued me before."
Jiang Chuan always liked to break down a sentence with a beginning and an end, only revealing half of it to leave room for interpretation. However, Lin Yu had no demands of him, so this didn't bother her for long.
Lin Yu was a lazy person who liked to outsource all the unimportant little things, so Jiang Chuan took it upon himself to call the boss and order a black fish head soup, a stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, and two side dishes that he often ate.
It was clear this was a long-established restaurant; the owner still used the old-fashioned way of keeping accounts—a pen and a notebook. His strong, slightly cracked hands were rapidly making notes in the notebook.
The restaurant's decor was reminiscent of the 1990s, giving Lin Yu a sense of time travel. After finishing his bill, the owner turned to instruct the kitchen, then returned to chat with Jiang Chuan during a brief moment of leisure.
He nodded politely to Lin Yu, then turned and asked, "Girlfriend?"
Jiang Chuan smiled and looked at Lin Yu, then turned to the boss and said, "VIP customer!"
The shop owner, his kind face greasy and sweaty, bowed to Lin Yu. "It seems I misunderstood!"
Lin Yu smiled indifferently. Just then, someone behind him called for the boss. The boss stood up, patted Jiang Chuan on the shoulder, and said goodbye to the two of them.
After the boss left, Lin Yu joked, mimicking a scene from an idol drama, "I thought he would say, 'You're the first girl Jiang Lu brought here.'"
Jiang Chuan took a sip of her flower tea and smiled, "There's no problem with saying that."
The food was served faster than Lin Yu had imagined. A huge fish head was half-submerged in milky white soup, with golden and emerald green ginger slices and scallion segments floating on the surface. The bottom of the casserole was bubbling and boiling, and the steam carrying the aroma stimulated Lin Yu's taste buds. She unconsciously swallowed.
Jiang Chuan took the bowl from Lin Yu, set aside the scallions and ginger, ladled a spoonful of soup for her, and added two more pieces of tender meat from her cheek and some firm tofu from the bottom of the bowl. "While it's hot!"
Lin Yu picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and put it in her mouth. A warm current slid from her mouth into her stomach and spread to her limbs. The freshness made her raise her eyebrows.
Seeing this, Jiang Chuan couldn't help but laugh. Lin Yu could see the sincerity in his smile and didn't hold back his praise. "Actually, I don't really like eating animals with legs below four, especially fish, but this dish is really delicious!"
Jiang Chuan took a sip of soup and looked up at Lin Yu. "Looks like I didn't do my homework properly."
"Maybe it's because my mom's cooking of fish is so bad that it gave me a phobia," Lin Yu said, waving his hand dismissively.
"She is too busy with work to study recipes, but she is worried that I am malnourished. For her, food is similar to health care products. She doesn't care about the taste but only focuses on the nutritional balance."
Lin Yu paused, then added, "So, for me, I can tolerate dishes I like even if the taste is mediocre, but for dishes I don't like, they have to be perfect in appearance, aroma, and taste before I'll even touch them. However..."
Lin Yu frankly admitted, "I like to try new things and constantly adjust my bottom line."
Jiang Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Are you talking about the food, or the people?"
"If it were you, as the defendant's lawyer..." Lin Yu finished the last mouthful of soup in his bowl without looking up, and said maliciously, "If you don't poison me, then you're morally superior!"
"According to Articles 114 and 115 of the Criminal Law, the crime of releasing dangerous substances, even if no serious consequences have occurred, is punishable by imprisonment for not less than three years but not more than ten years. This is not a worthwhile deal."
Jiang Chuan took Lin Yu's empty bowl, slowly ladled out another spoonful of fish soup, and pushed it over. "Besides, lawyers aren't omnipotent. In a society governed by the rule of law, I won't do anything that harms myself."
"You have too many ideas." Lin Yu took two tissues and wiped his mouth, recalling the great achievements he had found on the web last night.
"The environmental liability exemption case that Jingwei Law Firm handled for the mining group last year was a textbook example of technical circumvention. You've practically sievened the Pollution Prevention and Control Law; it's probably enough for every kid in your firm to write a master's thesis."
Jiang Chuan was quite surprised by Lin Yu's background check, and couldn't help but lean closer to her, carefully observing her expression, his voice unconsciously lowering. "Are you this attentive to every defense lawyer?"
“Of course, you’re quite special to me.” Lin Yu looked back at Jiang Chuan slowly.
"Oh? What's so special about it?"
"He's incredibly handsome!" Lin Yu readily admitted Jiang Chuan's obvious good looks without any hesitation.
A smile spread across Jiang Chuan's eyes as he deftly picked up the teapot and poured a cup for both Lin Yu and himself. "Your straightforwardness truly inspires awe."
"This world is strange sometimes. It always tries to beat around the bush when it comes to the obvious. Do you think this is progress or regression of civilization?" Lin Yu smiled unconsciously.
"I just complimented you on your looks because I genuinely believe it. I was happy to see you, and you were happy to hear it too—it's a win-win situation."
"Is a life of speaking frankly easier?" Jiang Chuan appreciated Lin Yu's honesty. She seemed to be a girl who grew up in a happy family, nurtured by love and warmth.
"Is life easier for good-looking people?" Lin Yu poked at the bamboo shoot slices on the plate with his chopsticks, his eyes gleaming with a sly light as he looked at Jiang Chuan. "Will the judge show extra sympathy for your client?"
Jiang Chuan swallowed the food in his mouth and said slowly, "Then next time you'll be my client. Maybe you'll witness how I can control everything in the court?"
He ate with impeccable manners, quiet and elegant, a faint smile playing on his lips. Lin Yu quietly admired the appetizing scene, using the tip of her chopsticks to play with the bamboo shoots he had picked up, her palm facing outwards as she opened one hand. "Stop," she said. "I hope I never have to deal with a lawyer again."
“But we can still eat together.” Jiang Chuan looked away and used serving chopsticks to place bamboo shoot slices on Lin Yu’s plate. “When we get back to Shanghai.”
Lin Yu lowered her head and tasted a slice of bamboo shoot; its freshness made her involuntarily give a thumbs up. "This owner has something special!"
Jiang Chuan didn't eat much, but seeing Lin Yu enjoying his meal, he couldn't help but smile. Lin Yu asked between bites, "Is your law firm in Shanghai?"
"Yes, it's not far from your company." Jiang Chuan scooped the deboned fish meat into a small bowl and placed it next to Lin Yu.
"Does Attorney Jiang care about every plaintiff this much?" Lin Yu, with a mouthful of fresh bamboo shoots, glanced at the prepared fish and mumbled a thank you, returning the other party's words verbatim.
"Do I look like I have nothing better to do?" Jiang Chuan pulled out two tissues, wrapped them around his fingertips which were stained with fish soup, and slowly wiped them clean.
"You have this air about you that money comes easily, there's no desire in your eyes, and you can't tell any emotion from them," Lin Yu said bluntly.
Jiang Chuan was amused by her again, so he put down his chopsticks, propped his elbows on the table, and leaned forward. "Maybe I just lack the drive to live, just like those ordinary people on the street."
Of course, as it turned out, Lin Yu's casual prediction about Jiang Chuan was completely different from his actual experience. But at that time, they were just two young people testing each other, so this discrepancy was not a big deal.
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