Although she had been mentally prepared, the deliciousness of this restaurant still far exceeded Ruan Mian’s expectations. So much so that she, who had claimed to have no appetite before coming, ended up eating until she was seventy percent full before putting down her chopsticks.

Not long after she stopped, Chen Yi also put down his spoon and asked: “Are you full?”

“Pretty much.” Ruan Mian took a sip of water, her eyes glancing at the dessert on the table, her fingers touching the dessert spoon, torn about whether to eat it or not.

Actually, she wasn’t completely full, but she rarely ate a serving of dessert after reaching this level of fullness. However, if she only ate a little, it wouldn’t seem satisfying enough.

Chen Yi noticed her movements and thought she was afraid of gaining weight, so he said quite tactfully: “If you want to eat it, go ahead. You’re not fat anyway.”

This wasn’t false—Ruan Mian really wasn’t fat. She was naturally someone who couldn’t gain weight and had a small frame. Even after all these years, though her height had shot up five or six centimeters compared to high school, her weight still remained in the lean category.

After an internal struggle, she ultimately didn’t pick up the sinful spoon. “It’s not that I’m afraid of gaining weight—mainly I just can’t eat anymore.”

“Then let’s pack it up and save it for later.” Chen Yi pressed the bell to call the server and only had that one dessert packed.

By the time they left the restaurant, it was already evening. The timing of their meal was neither early nor late, and what should have been a full day’s date had been condensed to just half a day due to both of their work schedules.

Summer in the north was hot, but unlike the south where even the air seemed to steam people, as long as you stood in a shaded area, it wasn’t so stuffy.

The two had parked far away and walked along the tree-lined path. During the evening hours, there were many more pedestrians and workers commuting by bicycle along the way.

At the traffic light intersection, Ruan Mian was squeezed among the crowd rushing for buses and subways, her shoulder brushing against Chen Yi’s arm. The heat from the asphalt that had been baked all day surged upward.

After more than ten seconds, the red light turned green. The people around them began moving, electric scooters jostling with bicycles. The two walked through the crowd, their hands touching inadvertently and then moving apart.

At another touch, Chen Yi didn’t pull his hand back again. Instead, he reached around to grasp her hand, his fingers sliding down and threading through the gaps between hers, interlacing their fingers.

Ruan Mian’s heartbeat stuttered. She looked up at him. The man turned his head to watch the passing vehicles, leaving her with a view of his refined and handsome profile.

She raised her hand to hold tighter and lowered her head with a smile.

During this season, just walking on a street without any shade was hot enough. The two held hands all the way, a thin layer of sweat seeping from their palms, but neither suggested letting go first. They held hands like this all the way to the parking lot.

After getting into the car, they didn’t rush to leave. After blowing the air conditioning for a while to cool down, Ruan Mian’s phone rang. She turned her head to look out the window as she answered the call.

Chen Yi’s hand gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles fair and slender. The warmth that had lingered in his palm earlier had been blown completely away by the air conditioning.

He waited for Ruan Mian to finish her call before asking with concern: “What’s wrong?”

Ruan Mian shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just that my senior’s boyfriend’s younger sister came to visit them, and she’ll probably be staying at our place tonight. She gave me a heads-up in advance.”

He made an acknowledging sound and asked: “Where to now? Want to watch a movie?”

“Either way, I don’t have anything else to do anyway.” As Ruan Mian spoke, she took out her phone to check the movie showings at nearby theaters. For some reason, she suddenly recalled what Lin Jiahui had told her before—that next time she went to see a movie with Chen Yi, she should choose either a lingering romantic film or a thrilling horror film, and she should also choose the seats carefully.

—Either choose couple seats in the VIP hall, or choose the corner farthest back in a regular theater.

Back then, she hadn’t thought about any future with Chen Yi, so she had casually deflected with a few words and moved on from the topic.

Now Ruan Mian instinctively turned her head to glance at the person sitting beside her, but was caught red-handed by Chen Yi. He was turning the steering wheel, driving the car out of the parking lot before asking: “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Ruan Mian closed her phone, also cutting off those wild thoughts.

There weren’t any particularly large theaters nearby, so Chen Yi found a private cinema cafe on Meituan and directly booked a private room.

He handed his phone to Ruan Mian. “Whatever type of movie you want to watch, just tell them on here.”

Ruan Mian took the phone. On it was his chat page with the shop assistant, who had also given recommendations of all different types.

She had trouble making decisions, so in the end she let the shop assistant decide. Just before exiting the private chat page, the other party asked whether it was for a couple or multiple friends.

Ruan Mian answered truthfully, and the other party replied with an okay, then nothing more.

The road there wasn’t too congested. In about twenty minutes, they arrived at the nearby parking lot. When going upstairs to the shop, Chen Yi asked: “What movie did you choose?”

“I didn’t choose. I let the shop owner recommend one.” Ruan Mian looked at their two hand-holding figures reflected in the elevator mirror. “I didn’t know what to watch either.”

Chen Yi didn’t seem to care what they watched and didn’t say anything upon hearing this.

When they arrived at the shop and verified their purchase voucher, the guy at the front desk led the two of them toward a private room at the end of the hallway. As they walked, he boasted: “This movie—all the couples who come to our place say it’s great after watching it.”

Ruan Mian was somewhat curious: “What movie?”

He smiled: “It’s a secret for now.”

Seeing that ambiguous smile of his, Ruan Mian couldn’t help but think in that direction and asked: “If it’s not good, can we change to a different movie?”

“Of course you can. We charge by duration, not by movie.”

When they reached the private room, the guy set up the playback equipment. Before leaving, he turned off the lights in the room, poked his head in and said: “There are no cameras in the private room, okay.”

“…”

“…”

Fortunately, the lights were off, making the visibility much more blurred. Taking advantage of this natural condition, Ruan Mian feigned composure and sat down on the other side of the two-person sofa.

Soon, there was also a sinking weight beside her.

Although there was still about a palm’s width of distance between them, the man’s light and crisp fragrance enveloped her in this small space like a cocoon, wrapping around her thread by thread.

Ruan Mian was practically sitting on pins and needles, her whole body stiff and her back straight, her gaze fixed tightly on the screen. She even prepared herself to rush over and unplug the power cord immediately if the movie turned out to be one of those types.

Fortunately, this shop was still law-abiding. After a stretch of eerie and thrilling melody ended, several blood-red large characters appeared on the screen.

From the background music to this title, even the most oblivious person could tell by now that this was a horror film.

Ruan Mian let out an inaudible sigh of relief. Her whole body also unconsciously relaxed, leaning back against the sofa, even placing a pillow behind her head for comfort.

After watching for a few minutes, she remembered something: “Are you okay watching this? If not, we can change to something else.”

“No need, I can watch it.” Chen Yi glanced at the screen, then quickly looked away. For a long time after that, he kept his elbow propped up with his hand against his temple, occasionally using his fingers to block his line of sight.

During this time, a server from the shop knocked and came in to bring snacks and a fruit plate. The bright light from outside the door leaked in, and Chen Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The fruit plate had seasonal fruits on it. Ruan Mian wasn’t interested, so she reached for the dessert they had packed from the restaurant earlier and ate it in small bites.

The sweet fragrance unique to desserts spread through the air.

Chen Yi turned his head to look over. Through the dim light, he saw her left cheek slightly bulging. Not knowing if she had finished chewing, she stuffed another spoonful into her mouth.

He looked down at her. “Is it good?”

“It’s alright, a bit too sweet if you eat too much.” Ruan Mian turned her head to meet his gaze. Her lips had a layer of moisture on them, and the fruity fragrance was rich.

Chen Yi lowered his eyes and raised his hand to wipe away a trace at the corner of her lips.

Their gazes inevitably locked together. For a moment, ambiguity grew thick, and even the unusual background music couldn’t damage it in the slightest.

Ruan Mian’s breathing hitched slightly. Just as her eyelashes trembled, the person before her suddenly closed the last bit of distance between them until there was no space left.

Unlike the light taste from last time.

The man’s breath was burning hot, spraying entirely on the side of her face. His warm, soft lips gently sucked on her lower lip, extremely meticulous, yet more like torture.

At such close distance, neither had closed their eyes. They could clearly perceive each other’s every small and sensitive change.

The air around them seemed to have boiling water added to it, becoming sweltering and unbearable. Ruan Mian’s eyes trembled lightly. She slowly closed her eyes, and the few soft sounds that occasionally escaped seemed especially ambiguous.

After quite a while, Chen Yi let out a low, ragged breath, turning his head close to her neck, his rapid breathing seeming to suppress something.

Ruan Mian also felt somewhat weak all over, letting him hold her, feeling his somewhat burning body temperature beneath his clothing. Even the terrifying melody became enchanting.

In the narrow, dim space, the clothing and leather sofa rubbed together making subtle sounds. Chen Yi released his hand but didn’t pull too far away. His tone was deadpan serious: “Not too sweet. It’s quite sweet.”

It took Ruan Mian a few seconds to realize what he was referring to. She unnaturally shrank back.

Chen Yi didn’t stop her, only raised his hand to place his arm on the sofa back behind her, as if declaring ownership to the air.

The movie still had more than half an hour left. Ruan Mian had been interrupted earlier, so continuing to watch felt somewhat disjointed. Even by the ending, she hadn’t figured out how the second male lead had become the mastermind.

However, she didn’t pay too much attention to these things. After the movie finished playing, she and Chen Yi came out of the private room. Before leaving, the shop employee was particularly dedicated in asking for a good review.

It was already past eight o’clock then. Night had fallen, the city’s high-rise buildings glittering with lights, and on the streets, car lights and streetlights complemented each other, forming a continuous ribbon of light.

There was a street market nearby. Chen Yi held her hand. “Let’s go stroll around for a bit.”

Ruan Mian didn’t refuse and walked aimlessly with him on the street. She casually asked: “Are you off for two days again this time?”

“Mm, just these two days. I have to go to the district branch for a meeting over the weekend.” Chen Yi asked: “I estimate my next break should be in August.”

It was only July now. There was still more than half a month until August. At the intersection, there were traffic police on duty. As the two walked past, Ruan Mian asked: “I’ve always been quite curious—didn’t you used to be interested in physics? Why did you come back to the country and join the military?”

“I figured it out.” Chen Yi unconsciously squeezed her fingers and mentioned to her his original motivation for physics, as well as the dangerous incident he and his professor encountered in Latakia. “In this lifetime, there are some things you have to experience before you know whether it’s what you want or not.”

The unrest in Latakia wasn’t the first time nor would it be the last. In corners of this world, the same things happened every day. Chen Yi didn’t want to always be the one being protected.

In a great nation, men should be self-reliant, willing to shed blood and sacrifice their lives without hesitation.

……

That evening, the two chatted about this topic all the way. They were clearly dating but made it seem like academic research, incredibly serious.

Later, Chen Yi drove Ruan Mian home. Before leaving, he asked: “Are you working tomorrow?”

“Yes, an early shift.” Ruan Mian stood outside the car. The light from the building intertwined with the streetlights falling on her, stretching out a long shadow.

“Alright, I have to visit my maternal grandparents tomorrow.” Chen Yi thought for a moment and still got out of the car. “I’ll come find you later in the evening.”

“You focus on your things first.” Ruan Mian said: “I don’t know if I’ll be free then.”

“…”

She added: “I’ll call you when I’m free.”

Chen Yi laughed softly. “Alright then.”

There were people coming and going in the building entrance. Chen Yi didn’t make any overly intimate gestures. He pinched her face and told her to go up quickly and rest early.

“Okay, be safe on your way back.”

“Mm.” Chen Yi watched her go inside before getting in the car and leaving.

When Ruan Mian returned home, no one was there. After showering and doing a simple cleanup, she set her work alarm. Only after Chen Yi told her he had arrived home did she put down her phone and go to sleep.

A dreamless night.

The next morning, Ruan Mian arrived at the hospital at her usual time as always. After the morning meeting, she went to make rounds and write medical records. The whole morning passed without surgeries or emergencies—a rare period of leisure.

Close to mealtime, Ruan Mian suddenly received a call from a delivery service. After carefully confirming that her name, address, and phone number were all correct, she asked about the restaurant’s name. It happened to be the Chinese restaurant she and Chen Yi had gone to yesterday.

When going downstairs to pick up the delivery, Ruan Mian called Chen Yi. No one answered the first time, but he called back later. “What’s wrong?”

Ruan Mian entered the elevator. “Did you order delivery for me?”

Chen Yi: “Mm, you got it already?”

“No, I’m going to get it now.”

“Pretty punctual then.” Chen Yi said: “Do they allow entry to your office area? If so, next time I’ll have them deliver it directly to your floor.”

She was stunned. “Next time?”

“Hm?” His tone was casual: “Oh, I forgot to tell you last night—I ordered half a year’s worth of meals for you at this restaurant. From now on, they’ll deliver to you every workday.”

“…”

Like an old father, he said: “Eat less takeout.”

—

**Author’s Note:** Chen Yi probably doesn’t quite realize that no matter how delicious a restaurant is, after eating it continuously for half a year, it will start feeling like cafeteria food 😀

Failed to deliver the longer update T^T