Beijing Colors Lingering

The following afternoon, Shen Jinsui arrived at the restaurant by car.

Since she was treating Zhou Yancong to dinner today, she took the initiative to make the reservation at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Haidian District.

After the two arrived at the private room and took their seats, the waiter handed them the menu.

Afterwards, the waiter served several exquisite and delicious dishes, including shredded pork with sweet bean sauce, premium tofu, fried dough sticks, braised sea cucumber with scallions, braised cuttlefish, and three delicacies of deer antler.

The ingredients used are fresh and diverse, with a dazzling array of choices. The flavors are rich and delicious, emitting an enticing aroma; all are authentic and classic Beijing specialties.

After dinner, Shen Jinsui paid the bill, and this time Zhou Yancong didn't argue with her about paying.

After the car arrived at the entrance of Yujingyuan, the driver opened the back door, and Shen Jinsui and Zhou Yancong got out of the car.

Then, they went into the Royal Garden.

As they approached the gate of Shen Jinsui's villa, Zhou Yancong suddenly called out to her, "Shen Jinsui."

"Hmm?" Shen Jinsui stopped and turned to look at him, only then noticing that he suddenly had a beautiful paper bag in his hand.

Zhou Yancong handed her the bag and slowly said, "I saw the Weibo post you retweeted before, and I know that the comic you are the main artist of is about to be published, so I wanted to congratulate you in advance."

Shen Jinsui did not take the bag from his hand, shaking her head and declining, "No need."

A faint smile played on Zhou Yancong's lips as he earnestly said to her, "Shen Jinsui, as your friend, I just want to congratulate you."

Shen Jinsui looked a little helpless. "Actually, you don't need to congratulate me in any special way."

Seeing that she was unwilling to accept it, Zhou Yancong paused for a moment, and after considering it carefully, his deep and pleasant voice slowly rang out again: "Mrs. Nightingale, would you like to give me a comic book with your signature in the future?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Consider it a return gift to me."

The man's deep, magnetic voice drifted into Shen Jinsui's ears on the night breeze, causing a slight stirring in her heart.

This wasn't the first time someone had called her that, but hearing it from Zhou Yancong carried a strange undertone.

Shen Jinsui lowered her eyelashes, and after a few seconds, she raised her eyelids, a little curious about what gift he would give her.

She then asked, "What did you send me this time?"

Zhou Yancong did not answer, then took out an exquisite and luxurious black velvet box from the bag, and then opened the box.

Shen Jinsui's gaze swept over and landed on an antique diamond necklace. The main diamond was a large pink diamond, dazzling and radiant.

Shen Jinsui knew that this necklace came from a Christie's jewelry auction, and was the final lot. Its name was "Calypso".

This is the third time Zhou Yancong has given her a gift, and it's still quite valuable. Each time, he uses the excuse of being friends.

She couldn't help but think that she and Zhou Yancong must both know that they had feelings for each other, but there was only a thin veil separating them.

Shen Jinsui couldn't help but wonder if Zhou Yancong would say anything else to her today.

However, after a silence that lasted for several seconds, she felt slightly disappointed.

Because Zhou Yancong didn't say anything more, he simply put the velvet box back into the bag and waited patiently for her to accept the gift.

Shen Jinsui pursed her red lips, lowered her gaze, and suddenly asked Zhou Yancong in a soft voice, "Was it you who instructed someone to arrange the Nebula team building activities before? You even specially arranged for me to stay in the top-floor suite and let me win the grand prize?"

Zhou Yancong didn't hide anything from her and nodded truthfully, replying, "Yes."

At this moment, Shen Jinsui inexplicably recalled her conversation with her sisters not long ago, and also thought about what Ding Jiayi had encountered.

He Zhenzhen had once wondered if Zhou Yancong might have the same thoughts as Pei Chiyu.

However, deep down, Shen Jinsui did not want to believe such a conjecture; she felt that Zhou Yancong was not that kind of person.

Her thoughts drifted away, and before she knew it, she blurted out without thinking, "Zhou Yancong, do you want me to be your follower?"

After he finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Zhou Yancong didn't understand the meaning of those words at all. Although he was puzzled, he still humbly asked, "What does it mean?"

Shen Jinsui felt that since she had already said it, she would just continue talking.

She looked up at Zhou Yancong with an arrogant expression and said lazily, "The thing I have plenty of is money; it's just that others follow me."

Although Zhou Yancong didn't understand what she meant, he still replied, "Okay, then I'll follow you."

"..." Shen Jinsui was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect the other party to answer like that, and she didn't know how to respond.

Should Zhou Yancong follow her?

Is this still possible?

Zhou Yancong stared at her face, noticing her ever-changing expression, and gradually realized that her words did not mean anything good.

Did Shen Jinsui misunderstand him?

Then, Zhou Yancong asked directly, "Shen Jinsui, have you misunderstood me?"

“I…” Shen Jinsui suddenly fell silent.

After a while, Shen Jinsui thought that since they had already talked about this much, and she wasn't a dull person, she wouldn't keep her thoughts to herself forever.

Therefore, Shen Jinsui decided not to play games with Zhou Yancong and asked him directly, "Zhou Yancong, you've given me such expensive gifts time and time again. What exactly do you mean by this? Do you want me to be your lover or...?"

"Shen Jinsui." Zhou Yancong interrupted her, having already realized what she had misunderstood.

After a long pause, Zhou Yancong continued, his tone extremely sincere: "I never thought of making you my lover. I like you, I want to be with you, and become your boyfriend."

The last word drifted into Shen Jinsui's ears, silently stirring her heart, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Zhou Yancong gradually realized that it was his own behavior that had caused Shen Jinsui to have this misconception. After thinking for a few seconds, he carefully explained:

"I'm sorry, it was my inappropriate behavior that caused you to misunderstand. This is the first time I've liked a girl, and I'm afraid that if I express my feelings too early, you will reject me. So, I want to be your friend first, and then confess to you, so that we can be together naturally."

His expression was serious and firm, and his words were sincere and earnest, without the slightest hint of pretense.

Shen Jinsui's face suddenly turned embarrassed after hearing this. She finally understood what it meant to be so embarrassed that her toes were digging into the ground.

You could probably scrape together enough for a one-bedroom, three-living-room apartment!

Before Zhou Yancong could even speak, she had already lost her temper and questioned him, and even made malicious assumptions about him.

She's never been such an impulsive person, so why did she change after meeting Zhou Yancong?

Zhou Yancong suddenly chuckled softly. Since he had already expressed his thoughts, he might as well take this opportunity to formally confess his feelings to her and ask her if she wanted to be his girlfriend.

Zhou Yancong pondered that he could take her to the confession scene he had specially instructed someone to prepare beforehand, another time.

Just as Zhou Yancong was about to speak, Shen Jinsui spoke first: "I'm going home now, goodbye."

After Shen Jinsui finished speaking, she didn't give him a chance to reply, immediately turned around and left, quickly fleeing the scene.

Zhou Yancong smiled slightly, his eyes softening. He didn't stop her, but simply gazed quietly at her back.

The two families are meeting next Sunday, so I'll take her there on that day.

It'll be soon, in just a few days.

He can certainly wait.