Sheng Kuang paused, his body stiffening slightly.
After a long moment, he lowered his head to look at the person whose head was buried in his chest.
Her fingers clutched his shirt tightly, and she was still crying.
He stared at her slender, pale fingertips for a few seconds before belatedly raising his hand and placing it on her back, patting it gently as if to comfort her.
Feeling his movement, Lin Jing’s eyes stung even more. The tears she had managed to control began to well up again. She had never known she had such a sentimental side; being comforted only made her more emboldened.
The airport was noisy. The sound of suitcases being dragged across the floor, the calls from Starbucks, the joyous exclamations of friends reuniting after a long absence – all these sounds rushed at her from all directions.
Lin Jing hugged him, crying her fill against his chest. She had no intention of letting go.
She had been crying so intensely that her brain felt slightly deprived of oxygen. She closed her eyes and adjusted for a while before her consciousness slowly returned.
She smelled the scent of his clothes and heard the beating of his heart close to her ear. After a few moments of realization, she fluttered her eyelashes and opened her eyes.
Her head was still buried in his clothes, and all she saw was black. She blinked a couple of times, released her fingers from his shirt, and tugged at his jacket, pulling it down little by little. A gap appeared, and light suddenly streamed in. She was a little unaccustomed to it, squinting her eyes before peeking out through the gap.
He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a simple men’s necklace. He was looking down at her, and she didn't have time to dodge before her gaze met his.
They looked at each other for a few seconds. She blinked, feeling the dampness on her eyelashes. She raised her hand and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, haphazardly smearing away the tears on her face. Then, she took half a step back, creating a little distance between them. She cleared her throat, her voice hoarse from crying, and said, "Um, I need to use the restroom."
As she spoke, she pulled his shirt down from her head, intending to hand it back to him.
As the shirt slid down to his shoulders, he suddenly raised his hand and wiped her reddened eye corners.
Her mouth slightly agape, she froze.
The next second, he saw his fingertip catch a tear. He took the shirt away from her and said, "Go ahead, it's to your left."
Lin Jing stood there for a few seconds, her lips moving, but she said nothing. She went to the restroom.
She had applied light makeup before leaving, but her eyeliner had smudged into patches from crying. She rummaged through her bag for makeup remover wipes and carefully wiped her face clean in front of the mirror. Then, she cupped cold water and washed her face several times.
It was already quite cold in Beijing. Without heating, the cold water hitting her face made her shiver.
It also cleared her head considerably.
She closed her eyes, composed herself, then took a tissue, wiped her face dry, tidied her hair, and took a deep breath, looking at her reflection. Assured she looked normal, she turned and walked out.
Sheng Kuang was standing just outside the restroom exit.
Lin Jing saw him and hesitated before walking towards him.
She expected him to ask what had happened. But to her surprise, when he heard her footsteps, he looked up. Seeing her, he acted as if nothing had happened, tucked his phone into his pocket, and stood up straight. "Let's go, it's time to eat."
Lin Jing was stunned.
Sheng Kuang saw her reaction and was also taken aback. "What's wrong?"
Lin Jing looked at him without speaking.
"You're not hungry?" Sheng Kuang said. "I'm a bit hungry. Come eat something with me."
Lin Jing was stunned.
Sheng Kuang saw her reaction and was also taken aback. "What's wrong?"
Lin Jing looked at him without speaking.
"You're not hungry?" Sheng Kuang said. "I'm a bit hungry. Come eat something with me, okay?"
Lin Jing's throat began to feel tight again.
She had always known that beneath Sheng Kuang's arrogant and self-centered exterior lay a gentle and thoughtful young man.
She thought that after her outburst, anyone would be curious about what was wrong with her.
Even a stranger would likely wonder why she was crying so sadly.
He must have been incredibly curious, yet he asked nothing.
Lin Jing pursed her lips and said, her voice trembling slightly, "Okay."
Sheng Kuang ordered a car and waited in the parking lot.
He led her to the car, opened the door, and let her get in first before getting in himself.
The car was quiet. The driver was playing a sentimental Cantonese song.
The traffic was a bit congested, and the car moved slowly, stopping and starting. In the bumpy ride, Lin Jing glanced at Sheng Kuang through the rearview mirror.
He was looking at her.
When she wasn't paying attention, he was secretly looking at her.
His expression was a little tense, and his eyes held a trace of worry, as if he was afraid she would be sad again. He seemed a bit cautious.
Lin Jing was startled. She quickly averted her gaze and stared blankly out the car window.
She saw everything, yet she saw nothing.
Her mind was a mess, filled entirely with the look she had caught on his face just now.
For some reason, she felt that no matter what unreasonable request she made at this moment, Sheng Kuang would agree.
She didn't know where this confidence came from, but she felt that by his side, she could be as willful and capricious as she pleased.
She wasn't the type to act out. On the contrary, the thing she feared most was acting out.
When other children were unhappy in middle or high school, they could cling to their mothers and act spoiled.
This was something she had never dared to imagine.
And something she had never considered.
Yet now, in front of Sheng Kuang, she felt the urge to act out.
She thought she was truly someone who would become spoiled when pampered.
While she silently despised herself, she had already begun to act out: "I don't want to eat at the restaurant you booked."
Sheng Kuang glanced at her. "Where do you want to go?"
Lin Jing thought of a place.
Sheng Kuang indulged her, canceling the original reservation on his phone and changing it to the place she had mentioned.