Beijing Colors Lingering

He Zhenzhen leaned quietly on Shen Jinsui's shoulder.

Before long, her emotions gradually calmed down. She let go of Shen Jinsui's arm and said with a smile, "Sui Sui, you go to work first. After you get off work, we'll go find Yun Shu. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

Shen Jinsui carefully observed He Zhenzhen's expression and, seeing that she had returned to normal, felt relieved and smiled, saying, "Alright, I don't have much work left, I'll finish it soon."

"Okay, no rush, I'll sit here and wait for you." He Zhenzhen nodded slightly.

Shen Jinsui stood up, picked up her phone, and walked towards her desk.

She had just sat down in her office chair when the internal phone suddenly rang.

Shen Jinsui answered the phone and, after listening to her assistant's words, replied, "Wait a moment."

Shen Jinsui then looked up at He Zhenzhen, "Zhenzhen, Qi Mingyuan is outside the office."

He Zhenzhen was stunned upon hearing this, then pouted and muttered, "Why is he here?"

Shen Jinsui: "Qi Mingyuan must have guessed you were here, so he came looking for you."

“Then make him leave. I don’t want to see him right now. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.” He Zhenzhen shook her head.

Shen Jinsui tapped the table, and after considering it carefully, she said, "Since Qi Mingyuan came to find you specifically, he must want to explain what happened today. Since you've already decided to ask him tomorrow, you might as well make things clear now."

After listening to Shen Jinsui's words, He Zhenzhen thought about them carefully for several minutes, then stood up, looked at Shen Jinsui, nodded and replied, "Then I'll go out to see him."

Shen Jinsui: "Okay, call me if anything comes up."

"Ok, I know."

After speaking, He Zhenzhen left the office.

As soon as Qi Mingyuan saw He Zhenzhen, he rushed forward and took her hand, "Zhenzhen, I..."

“Let’s talk outside,” He Zhenzhen interrupted Qi Mingyuan, pulling her hand away.

Qi Mingyuan immediately nodded in agreement: "Okay."

-

The two left Shen Jinsui's studio and went to a nearby coffee shop.

The waiter brought over an iced Americano and a hot latte.

He Zhenzhen picked up a small spoon and slowly stirred the coffee in her cup.

Qi Mingyuan spoke first to explain: "Zhenzhen, don't misunderstand. The girl you saw is my aunt's cousin. You've met her before. My first instinct was to push her away, but seeing how sad she was crying, I patted her on the back. But I pushed her away shortly after. I also told her not to do that again."

He Zhenzhen paused in stirring her spoon. She remembered seeing Qi Mingyuan's aunt before, but she didn't seem to have seen her child.

He Zhenzhen immediately looked up at Qi Mingyuan and asked in confusion, "Then why don't I remember seeing her before?"

Qi Mingyuan explained earnestly to He Zhenzhen:

“My aunt’s family has immigrated abroad, so they rarely come back to China. My aunt and uncle are going through a divorce recently, so she brought my cousin back to China. When my cousin returned to Beijing, she found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her. She didn’t know what to do, so she came to me, hoping I could help her teach her boyfriend a lesson.”

"Several years ago, you saw your cousin at the old house. She was a little chubby back then, and she looks very different from how she looks now. It's normal that you don't remember her."

After Qi Mingyuan finished speaking, he took out his phone and opened the Qi family's group chat.

He showed He Zhenzhen all the group members, then clicked on his cousin's WeChat profile picture, and then showed her his cousin's Moments, which contained his cousin's daily photos.

He Zhenzhen was stunned upon hearing this, then lowered her eyes to stare at Qi Mingyuan's phone screen and saw his cousin's photo, which was indeed the girl she had met today.

He Zhenzhen couldn't help but cough lightly; it turned out to be a big misunderstanding.

After a long pause, she stammered, "I'm sorry, I... I didn't know she was your cousin. I thought you..."

You're a jerk.

Qi Mingyuan reached out and took He Zhenzhen's hand, gently stroking her back with his thumb. He smiled slightly and said softly, "It's all my fault. I should have pushed her away in time. I shouldn't have let her hug me. I will talk to her again."

This was the first time Qi Mingyuan had encountered such a situation, and he never expected his cousin to suddenly stand up and hug him.

When I have some free time tonight, I must call my cousin and have a good talk with her.

He Zhenzhen pursed her lips, gave an awkward smile, and then comforted her, "Your cousin's parents are having problems and want to get a divorce, and her boyfriend is cheating on her. She must be really upset, so don't blame her."

"I know, we'll go have dinner later." Qi Mingyuan smiled and squeezed He Zhenzhen's hand.

He Zhenzhen withdrew her hand and said with a smile, "I just said I was going to invite Sui Sui and Yun Shu to dinner."

Qi Mingyuan raised an eyebrow and said naturally, "Then I'll go with you."

He Zhenzhen nodded slightly, "Okay."

-

After a long while, dinner ended, and He Zhenzhen and Qi Mingyuan drove back to the villa area.

The car stopped at the gate, and the two got out and walked forward together.

As night falls, the silvery light fades, casting dappled shadows, and the streetlights outline each other's silhouettes.

"Zhen Zhen."

Qi Mingyuan suddenly spoke up.

"What's wrong?" He Zhenzhen stopped in her tracks upon hearing this.

Qi Mingyuan turned around and lowered his gaze.

Those peach blossom eyes seemed to possess an innate deep affection, like stars in the night sky, reflecting a delicate and bright light.

"Zhenzhen, when will you be willing to be with me?"

Qi Mingyuan slowly opened his mouth and asked, his slightly upturned lips carrying a gentle smile.

He Zhenzhen's eyes flickered slightly, clear as autumn water, captivatingly beautiful.

A moment later, a sly glint flashed in her eyes, and then she said expressionlessly, "Qi Mingyuan, you don't need to pursue me anymore."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Mingyuan's expression froze instantly, and he asked in a slightly flustered manner, "Zhenzhen, I... did I do something wrong? Tell me right away, and I will definitely correct it."

This was the first time He Zhenzhen had seen him like this, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing, saying coquettishly, "What I mean is, I agree to be with you, so you don't need to keep pursuing me."

Upon hearing He Zhenzhen's words, Qi Mingyuan was stunned for a few seconds before snapping back to reality, his eyes gleaming with delight.

He held He Zhenzhen's hand, a smile curving his lips. "I'm so happy to be your boyfriend. We'll be together forever."

"Okay." He Zhenzhen's eyebrows curved into a smile, her face as beautiful as a flower.

Qi Mingyuan leaned down, wrapped his arms around He Zhenzhen's waist, and gently pulled her into his embrace.

He Zhenzhen listened to the man's steady and powerful heartbeat and felt his warm embrace.

Her heart suddenly raced, and the tips of her ears gradually turned slightly red; her first love had officially begun.

The moonlight was as clear as water, and the night breeze stirred, creating a tender and affectionate atmosphere between the two.

After a long while, Qi Mingyuan released the person in his arms and quickly lowered his head to cover those soft, rosy lips.

He Zhenzhen slowly closed her eyes and responded shyly to the other person.

She felt a slight nervousness; this was her first kiss.