Chapter 62 Jingyuan
◎“I will make this city, on its most prosperous and bustling high platform, light up a lamp that belongs only to you.”◎
Lin Yujing, 28, sat in a courtyard house on the top floor of a building in the most prosperous and affluent area of Chang'an Avenue, thanks to Chen Jingshu's influence.
After the sunshade window was raised in the sky, the easel, though standing in the light, only felt a soft glow and did not feel the slightest bit scorching.
She was without makeup, her hair was loose, and she wore a moon-white silk robe. She sat next to the easel with her legs half-crossed, wearing soft-soled slippers.
In front of her was a small table that Chen Jingshu had moved out for her before she went to work, and in less than an hour, it had been filled with various teas and snacks.
Lin Yujing was a little tired from painting, so she put down her palette and leaned against the chair.
With her eyes half-closed, her mind was filled with the idyllic life she had been living with Chen Jingshu during this time.
I don't know if it's just my imagination, but this time when she came to stay, she seemed much more vibrant.
Chen Jingshu, on the other hand, is still the same as before. No matter how fiercely he scolds her at night, it doesn't affect his ability to get up early for work the next day.
When Lin Yujing occasionally gets out of bed in the morning and her legs feel weak on the carpet, she wonders whether she or Chen Jingshu is the one with the heart problem.
He seems to have inexhaustible energy; even after a long day at work, he can still sneak in unnoticed.
Whenever I see her sitting in front of the French windows painting, I take out my phone and snap a bunch of pictures of her as she paints.
This provoked Lin Yujing to get up and chase after him to hit him. Then he hugged her back and fell onto the sofa, pulling her to admire the photos he had just secretly taken.
I'd like to add another comment: "The lighting in this photo is great; it makes you look so fair and radiant."
"This picture shows off my great figure. I feel like I've grown quite a bit since then."
"This one is the prettiest because you're looking at me."
Lin Yujing pinched his hand, which was still chattering and groping her.
Instead of dodging, the man became even more audacious, and even smirked, "I wonder whose wife this is, she's so beautiful!"
Lin Yujing ignored his words the first time or the second time.
After a while, Lin Yujing learned to retort, "It might be from Old Wang's family, or it might be from Little Liu's family."
At this point, Chen Jingshu would immediately react, carrying her towards the bedroom while continuing to flirt, "Now that you mention it, I feel like I'm forcibly taking someone else's wife in the attic. Making love while feeling guilty is a unique experience."
Lin Yujing was utterly impressed; this person never uttered a single serious word.
It wasn't until the second quarter summary meeting of Huaren Group was approaching that Chen Jingshu started working overtime more often.
Lin Yujing usually finishes work before Chen Jingshu leaves, and after taking a shower, she lies in bed reading.
Chen Jingshu figured out her daily routine, so he simply went to the mall after work.
They never come back empty-handed, whether it's perfume, lipstick, shoes, or bags.
But this man loved to act. He would always stand at his door with a bag in his hand, pretending to be injured one day and drunk the next, shouting into the house, "Wife, come and get me!"
When Lin Yujing got annoyed by being called and left the bedroom, he roughly carried her back to bed, saying, "Wife, I'm here to pick me up from get off work today, so I'll reward you with a night of passion."
Later, Lin Yujing learned from experience and let him call out to her while she simply turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Within a minute, this person will slink back home.
Of course, he would then roughly wake her up, saying, "My wife didn't pick me up from get off work today, so you're being punished by having a sleepless night."
Lin Yujing chuckled silently, marveling at the man's peculiar thought process.
No matter how he was rewarded or punished, the reward always ended up on him.
However, because the two lived together, they spent more time together in their spare time.
Chen Jingshu is outstanding in appearance, physique, and family background, and has always been the most watched young master in Beijing's entertainment circle by Yijing Entertainment Media.
Especially after he and Jiang Yingli broke off their engagement, the new romance of the Huaren heir became the biggest source of media attention.
Over the past two weeks, Lin Yujing and he have been followed and photographed in numerous photos.
From small things like shopping and eating out, to kissing in the car, to big things like accompanying her to art association activities.
During their trip, the two went to Guangzhou to buy art museum decorations. They heard that there was a master in Singapore who was particularly effective at divination and wanted to ask for a peace charm. So they took a stroll around Singapore, which also attracted the attention of Hong Kong entertainment reporters.
On the same day, Hong Kong entertainment news released a photo of Lin Yujing and Chen Jingshu holding hands as they arrived at Master Huang's residence, accompanied by a scathing comment: "The heir of Huaren Group is in love with an orphaned female painter, and they went to Hong Kong to have their horoscopes consulted to set a wedding date."
This move, like a butterfly effect, has once again diverted the attention of domestic media reporters.
Even bolder individuals directly brought up Chen Jingshu's name at the Huaren Group's publicly held third-quarter meeting, asking, "Mr. Chen, is good news coming soon, and are you about to receive a new title?"
Such a cryptic question immediately drew ambiguous laughter from the audience.
On the stage sat more than a dozen core shareholders of Huaren Group, and as soon as he said this, they all turned to look at Chen Jingshu.
Even Grandpa Chen Zhenfeng was amused, looking at his grandson with great interest and affection.
The sky-blue background was bathed in the light reflected from the spotlights, making Chen Jingshu appear noble and composed, yet devoid of the desolate and thin feeling of his past when his finery had been burned away.
He wore a gentle, refined smile, his long fingers hooking the microphone. I thought he would smoothly brush it off, but to my surprise, he stared straight at the reporter who had asked him the first question and replied, "You all saw it, and you wrote it down."
Everyone saw it and took pictures.
They even wrote the news headlines for him.
There's no need to ask him to confirm whether the wedding date is real or not.
The ambiguous yet unspoken words kept topics like "Huaren Group heir and emerging domestic healing-style painter getting married soon" trending on major portal websites for a week.
Despite mixed reviews, the Cinderella-esque love story has sparked heated discussions across various sectors.
As a result, Huaren Group's stock price soared, and Lin Yujing's paintings became the latest luxury item in Beijing's elite circles.
The news of the JING Art Museum's inaugural exhibition on July 4th spread like wildfire, with countless socialites and heiresses vying for tickets.
When Lin Yujing heard this news, she almost couldn't hold back and rushed from East Chang'an Avenue to the Central Business District.
When Chen Jingshu got home from get off work, he saw Lin Yujing sitting at the dining table with her back to him.
A plain yet beautiful face, but without any joyful expression.
"What's wrong with my wife today? She seems a bit unhappy."
Lin Yujing moved her chair, her face growing even more gloomy.
"Speak up, no silent treatment allowed." Chen Jingshu stepped forward, pressed down on the armrest she was leaning against, and confronted her directly.
Lin Yujing calmly opened her phone and showed him the screenshots from today. "It's all your fault for talking nonsense. The media is watching this place now, waiting to see when you put up the red 'double happiness' character."
"It's bound to happen sooner or later anyway, let them write whatever they want." Chen Jingshu flipped through a few pages, then bent down, picked her up, and sat her on the sofa. "What? Are you angry because I said you wanted to marry me?"
Lin Yujing frowned, then angrily punched him in the chest. "Am I angry because of this?"
"You clearly know that the first theme of the museum is Tibetan antelopes with a charity theme, yet you still attracted so many celebrities and socialites. If something unexpected happens that day, the story will be distorted again."
Chen Jingshu gently stroked her lower back and sighed, "Don't worry about that. We've already arranged for a security company to handle everything that day. As for the media, do you think we won't have any issues if we do nothing?"
"Since we know there will be mixed reviews, it means we can promote it without restraint."
Lin Yujing bit her lip, thinking that it made sense.
But then, as if remembering something, she cupped Chen Jingshu's cheeks in her hands and questioned, "Tell me, did those socialites and heiresses really pay for free tickets because they were interested in the art exhibition, or because of you?"
Chen Jingshu immediately understood the hidden meaning in her words. With a "ouch," she picked her up and said, "My young mistress, please don't be jealous of me."
His eyes and heart had been filled with her for ages.
Those reckless acts of going through fire and water, those all-night madness, those profound loves and hates that seemed to have already been with her throughout her life.
In this lifetime, there will never be another person who is engraved on Chen Jingshu's heart like she is.
-
In late June, the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University officially released its announcement regarding postgraduate thesis defenses.
Chen Jingshu dropped her off at the school gate early in the morning because he had to attend a meeting at Chen Jinyi's company that morning. He kept asking her along the way, "You're really not angry that I'm not with you today, are you?"
Lin Yujing was holding her iPad, checking her presentation slides, when she irritably pushed his face away. "You're the clingiest one. You should ask me if not spending today with me will be my most relaxing day."
"You little ingrate." Chen Jingshu grabbed her hand and rubbed it in his palm. "Remember to think of me."
The car finally arrived at the school gate. Before Lin Yujing opened the door to get out, he pinched the back of her neck and kissed her again, which allowed her to escape.
Qi Woxue was already waiting at the door. When she saw her coming, she teased, "No wonder you're in love, you're so lovey-dovey!"
"Senior sister, you're teasing me too."
"No way!"
When she approached, Qi Woxue first took her hand and spun her around.
Lin Yujing was dressed in a floral tie-dye long dress, looking elegant and refined.
They also rarely wear bracelets, necklaces, or other accessories as styling.
She used to be as beautiful as a wild crow in a mountain stream, but now, nurtured in the greenhouse of Chang'an where flowers and trees can grow, her whole demeanor is coated with a soft glow.
The only thing that remains unchanged is the stubborn resilience in Lin Yujing's eyes.
It seems to perfectly reflect a popular saying recently—'Loving someone is like growing flowers'.
"Young Master Chen has raised you to be truly elegant and ethereal. However, it's more like he's raising a young lady than a wife." He was graceful yet unassuming, without disturbing her natural beauty.
It only served as a shelter for Lin Yujing from the wind and rain, and a protective banner for her.
"It's not as exaggerated as you make it out to be." Lin Yujing laughed shyly, then took Qi Woxue's arm and walked towards the defense building.
“It’s not an exaggeration at all,” Qi Woxue exclaimed. “When young men in Beijing are dating, which one doesn’t keep their mistress hidden away? Only Young Master Chen is so high-profile, wishing the whole world knew that you were the Mrs. Chen he was going to bring home in a grand sedan chair.”
Lin Yujing smiled faintly, her heart skipping a beat.
"Then I also want to congratulate Senior Sister on your upcoming wedding." Qi Woxue and Liu Hua's wedding date is set for August, the height of summer, a time when things are perfect for blossoming and bearing fruit.
"Then I'm letting you know in advance that I'm booking you to be my bridesmaid."
"No problem!" Lin Yujing readily agreed. "But Senior Sister, you'd better hurry up and let me reserve a flower girl in advance."
Qi Woxue poked her forehead, "Oh my, you were just saying I was exaggerating, and now you're starting to book with me too."
Lin Yujing nudged her with her shoulder, saying in a coquettish tone, "Senior sister, please stop teasing me."
"Hmm!" Qi Woxue exclaimed again, "Chang'an Avenue is a nurturing place. Even the usually sullen and aloof Lin University beauty has learned to act coquettishly."
The two laughed and joked as they walked to the graduate thesis defense building. Lin Yujing waved to her, "I'm going in first, goodbye senior sister."
-
It took nearly two hours for Lin Yujing to finish her defense.
Just as I was about to leave, I was stopped by several college leaders for a group photo.
She's quite a celebrity in the art world now; people call her by name wherever she goes.
After finally leaving the defense building, I was surrounded by junior students who had rushed over after hearing the news.
"Senior sister, please stay a little longer. If you leave today, it will be hard to see you again."
Lin Yujing laughed, "It's not that exaggerated. There's still a graduation ceremony afterwards."
Despite saying that, she was still surrounded by a group of people, who chatted about her work and took photos with her.
Until Chen Jingshu stood in the distance and called her name.
"Oh dear! We hadn't even finished chatting with my senior sister when her husband came to steal her away from us."
Chen Jingshu walked over with a smile, habitually reached out to take Lin Yujing's handbag and hung it on his shoulder, then stretched out his arm to hug her.
"It's time for lunch. I'll bring your senior sister to school again next time." He chatted with the group of kids like a family member, without any airs.
"Brother-in-law, tickets for my senior sister's art museum are so hard to get. Could you help our college get a few?"
Chen Jingshu seemed quite pleased with the title, and nodded solemnly, saying, "Since you're calling me brother-in-law now, I'll have my assistant deliver a few tickets to your school next Monday. But let's make it clear, they're registered under your real name and can't be transferred."
Amidst screams, Chen Jingshu put his arm around Lin Yujing's waist and said, "Wife, let's go home for dinner?"
Lin Yujing shook her head helplessly, "Have you had enough of showing off?"
"New sons-in-law are all like this, please forgive them."
Lin Yujing chuckled and patted his arm, "Showing off."
-
Once in the car, Lin Yujing first pulled down the mirror on the sun visor to check her collar.
During her defense today, she felt an itch there, and only now that she pulled it open did she realize it was a mosquito bite.
"There are mosquitoes in the house," Lin Yujing muttered.
Chen Jingshu glanced at her, then reached out and touched her neck. "Our house is so high up, how could there be mosquitoes? Did the mosquitoes at school bite you?"
"Absolutely not, because I felt very itchy this morning." She's been pampered and spoiled, but also quite delicate.
Even a meal with unpalatable side dishes, or a mosquito landing on her, would make Chen Jingshu groan.
Chen Jingshu, however, liked her affected manner; it gave him a great sense of accomplishment in being relied upon. "Really?"
"right!"
"Alright! I'll sleep naked tonight and be my wife's mosquito killer."
Lin Yujing was amused by him, and did not forget to shake off his hand that kept wandering down her collar, "You're being indecent."
Chen Jingshu clicked his tongue, "I'm bored driving, so I'm looking for something to do."
"Then I'll trouble Mr. Chen to find something serious to do." Lin Yujing crossed her arms in front of her chest, blocking the hand that was about to cause trouble.
"Tch, so stingy. I won't let you hold me while you sleep tonight."
"..."
Back home, Chen Jingshu started unpacking the meals delivered from the kitchen, while Lin Yujing checked her email on her laptop.
After flipping through the pages, Chen Jingshu had already gone to call her for dinner five times.
In the end, it was the pampered young master who carried her, computer and all, to the restaurant.
"I told you to wait a moment, I need to check the admission results first." The OSU (Ohio State University) doctoral interview is scheduled for mid-June, and Lin Yujing feels that she has performed exceptionally well.
Even during the video call, the old professor, who was known in the art museum world for his seriousness and meticulousness, praised her repeatedly.
From then on, she checked her email almost every day, afraid of missing any confirmation messages.
Chen Jingshu placed the bowl in front of her and said, "OSU's admission notices usually come out in July. You're too impatient, honey."
Lin Yujing rested her chin on her hand, "But today, students from the School of Computer Science received admission notices from other schools. I heard that OSU and that school usually send out confirmation messages at the same time."
Chen Jingshu chuckled and immediately closed her laptop. "No matter how big the problem is, nothing is more important than you eating first. Even if you don't get in, your husband will donate a building to you. You can even go to the world's top doctoral program if you want."
Lin Yujing kicked his shin, saying, "I can't stand capitalists like you who think they can solve everything with money."
"Is there?"
"have!"
Chen Jingshu served her some food, but his tone and expression didn't change much. "For me, 98% of things in this world can be solved directly with money. The remaining 2% are you, and I have to solve them myself."
Lin Yujing bit her lip, feeling that something was off about what she was saying. "Chen Jingshu, I suspect you're making lewd jokes."
Chen Jingshu has been too flirtatious lately. Even when he's talking to her seriously, he seems very indecent. "Wife, when I make dirty jokes, I'm always just talking about it directly."
"Get lost, and you still say you're not making dirty jokes."
Chen Jingshu chuckled and scratched his head. "Seriously, is there anything I can't do with money?"
Lin Yujing twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and thought for a moment before saying, "For example, can you make it snow in the summer?"
Chen Jingshu's smile froze. "You really aren't afraid of making things difficult for your husband."
"It didn't snow last year, and I really want to see snow."
Chen Jingshu snapped his fingers at her and said cheekily, "Alright! Anything my wife wants is no big deal."
-
A week after her thesis defense, Lin Yujing officially graduated.
Chen Jingshu took a day off to accompany her to the graduation ceremony.
During that time, besides taking photos with a few school leaders, I was stopped by a group of younger students.
In the end, he had to ask Qi Woxue for help before he could get away and run to the dormitory to pack his luggage.
"Lin, the campus belle, is almost as famous as me." Chen Jingshu sat on the stool at Lin Yujing's desk, tidying up the textbooks on her bookshelf.
"Stop making fun of me. There are a few junior brothers and sisters who are also looking at you with longing eyes," Lin Yujing said.
"In all honesty, they just wanted to know if Huaren Group had any suitable resumes for them to submit."
Lin Yujing shrugged, deliberately trying to annoy him, "Who knows?"
"..."
Lin Yujing didn't have much luggage; clothes, books, and personal belongings filled only two suitcases.
Even with the moonlit fishing lantern that Chen Jingshu gave her, it still didn't fill the trunk of his SUV.
After cleaning the dormitory and going through the procedures of handing over the keys and getting the deposit back, the sun had already set.
Lin Yujing stood by the car, looking at the Ditang Apartment where she had lived for three years, and felt an inexplicable reluctance in her heart. "A-Shu, let's walk around the school for a while longer."
"Aren't you afraid of running into your junior brothers and sisters again?"
"I won't be coming here often anymore."
Chen Jingshu nodded, put his arm around her waist, and strolled leisurely along the lakeside path, stepping on the fallen flowers.
As evening fell, streetlights illuminated the campus.
Looking at the couples passing by, Chen Jingshu suddenly sighed, "I regret it even more now."
"Regret what?"
"I regret arguing with you back then and not continuing to try for Tsinghua University. Otherwise, I would have picked you up from class and taken you back to your dorm every day for the past seven years."
Lin Yujing smiled and said, "You already said that to me in Pengzhen."
Chen Jingshu stopped and gently pulled her into his arms. "Jingjing, let me hug you."
Lin Yujing smiled and hugged his waist back, then couldn't help but expose him: "A-Shu, I think, given your personality, you definitely wouldn't be willing to let me live in the dormitory for seven years. Maybe you'd take me to rent a place near the school gate in freshman year and tempt me to live with you in all sorts of ways."
Chen Jingshu frowned and pinched her cheek. "Lin Yujing, you really don't understand romance at all."
-
It was nearly nine o'clock in the evening when the two finally got home.
As soon as Lin Yujing stepped out of the hotel's elevator that went directly to the top floor, she saw the newly replaced plaque above the gate of the courtyard house.
The ancient and elegant plaque is inscribed with the two characters "Jingyuan".
Lin Yujing tilted her head back, and what fell into her eyes were the stars in the sky above Chang'an Street.
"Jingyuan?" she murmured softly.
Chen Jingshu, as if he had been waiting for this for a long time, stood beside her with his hands in his pockets and took the initiative to explain to her: "Jingyuan, the Jing in Lin Yujing, means your home."
Lin Yujing turned around, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and delight. "My home?"
"It really is your house. I secretly transferred the property to you as a graduation gift for my wife."
Lin Yujing was so surprised that she covered her mouth, thinking that this important person really liked to do things behind her back.
"Chen Jingshu, that's far too valuable!" It's a top-floor courtyard house overlooking the entire capital city, located on the East Second Ring Road.
It is also known as the heart of Huaren Group by all the people of Yijing. Chen Jingshu not only built a flying courtyard house for her, but also signed her name on it.
“My Jingjing is worthy of it.”
Lin Yujing's brow trembled slightly, a mixture of shock and indescribable emotion in her eyes. "But this place is different; it is the heart of Huaren."
"It is true that it is Hua Ren's heart, but you are also in my heart." Chen Jingshu's voice was very gentle as he held her hand and then pulled her into his arms.
He patted her back while trying to calm her turbulent emotions.
Chen Jingshu, the boy who occupied her entire youth.
Just because of a joke she made when she was young, a courtyard house was actually built for her in the sky.
Most notably, he placed it on the heart of Huaren, and also had Lin Yujing sit on the heart of Huaren.
It was as if he were announcing to the whole world that she was the only person in Chen Jingshu's heart.
"Jingjing, during those years without news of you, I only belatedly realized the regret and frustration I felt, and I even habitually searched for news about you. When I looked at the lights of thousands of homes and the bustling crowds, I would insist on why there couldn't be a light that belonged only to us, and I wished you were by my side."
His voice was very soft, yet the deep affection he conveyed in her heart was profound.
Every word, seemingly casually describing the seven years they were apart, also fully expressed his unwavering love.
Lin Yujing choked up, her eyes red as she touched his eyebrows and eyes.
She thought to herself: The love that she had schemed against and used had actually made the boy who loved her the most let go year after year.
Until I figured it out.
Since I can't forget her, I'll love her for a lifetime.
"Ah Shu, I'm sorry for being away from you for so long."
Chen Jingshu sniffed, and the faint lines of life in his eyes seemed to come alive with flesh and blood. "It's okay, it's good that you're finally back. But Jingjing, I really can't bear to live without you anymore."
Lin Yujing: "Yes, I won't leave again."
Chen Jingshu: "Okay, just stay by my side. You can do whatever you want without any problem."
"I will make this city's most prosperous and thriving high ground light up a lamp that belongs only to you."
A note from the author:
good evening!
-
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