章 8: Chapter 8: Saying One Thing but Meaning Another
編集者: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Bo Jingshen only opened his eyes and sat up before landing, his eyes bloodshot.
Su Lu handed him a cup of warm water, "Drink some water."
Bo Jingshen stared at her for two seconds, took a sip, and then stopped.
A slight furrow in his brow.
It was not warm water in the cup, but lukewarm sugar water...
He used to dislike drinking plain water, finding it tasteless.
Back then, Su Lu would mix a cup of light sugar water for him to make him drink more water, with different flavors for different seasons.
In summer, it was watermelon sugar, in autumn, chrysanthemum or osmanthus sugar.
But after their breakup, his heart was too bitter; no amount of sugar could save him. Even the bitterest black coffee, he could drink cup after cup without changing his expression.
Su Lu saw him take a sip and stop, "What's wrong?"
Bo Jingshen put down the cup, "Too sweet."
Su Lu was stunned. Sweet? She had mixed it according to his old preferences.
Things are no longer the same.
Hearts can change, and so can tastes.
The plane landed smoothly.
Stepping out of the cabin, it seemed they could already smell the salty sea breeze of Hai City.
The young captain came out of the cockpit to talk to Bo Jingshen.
It seemed they had a good relationship. The captain spoke to Bo Jingshen quite casually.
"The forecast says a typhoon is coming in the next couple of days. There's no way we can fly. Even if we could, the turbulence would be too much. You should stay in Hai City for a few more days," Yan Sui said.
"Got it." Bo Jingshen nodded lightly.
Yan Sui glanced at Su Lu playfully and asked in a low voice, "Is there... something going on?"
Bo Jingshen frowned, "Mind your own business."
Yan Sui laughed, "If something is going on, Cainan will be heartbroken. She chased you abroad and then back here. She's still on the plane, arriving in Hai City tomorrow. Be a decent person and treat her well."
Bo Jingshen said nothing in response, only said lightly, "Let's go."
Then he walked towards Su Lu, "The car is waiting at the door, let's go."
Su Lu followed him outside with a calm expression, unaware that she had overheard their conversation in the wind.
She couldn't describe her feelings at the moment.
She knew that someone as outstanding as Bo Jingshen could not have been without relationships over the years. No matter what kind of relationships he had or with whom, she had no right to inquire.
She understood all too well. But hearing it was different from knowing.
It left her feeling empty.
She thought it was pretentious.
Outside the airport, a luxury car stopped in front of Bo Jingshen.
Bo Jingshen: "Get in."
She had arranged for her car to be parked right behind, and she hesitated, "No, I have my car arranged."
Moreover, they were not staying at the same hotel. Su Lu even specifically asked Xu Ning to book their hotels far apart.
Bo Jingshen gave her a meaningful look and nodded, "Alright then."
Su Lu got into her car, which drove towards the hotel. The luxury car in the rearview mirror grew further away.
When she arrived at the hotel and went to check in, Su Lu was dumbfounded.
The man she had parted ways with at the airport was now at the front desk, signing with his slender fingers.
"Here is your room card, Mr. Bo. Your rooms are on the 21st floor, 2107 and 2108, two suites."
Su Lu stood behind him in a daze. Upon hearing the numbers, she exclaimed, "Wait, 2107 is the room I booked."
The receptionist smiled, "Miss Su? Mr. Bo has already taken care of your reservation. Here are your room cards. Enjoy your stay!"
Su Lu looked at Bo Jingshen's smirking face and the two room cards in his hand.
"Let's go," Bo Jingshen said.
Su Lu could only follow him into the elevator, feeling somewhat helpless. Both the flight and hotel reservations she made for him went unused.
Su Lu: "You hardly seem to need my help..."
He could clearly arrange everything by himself.
Bo Jingshen: "If you didn't shirk responsibilities, I wouldn't mind following your arrangements. But... the Wanli International Hotel in the High-tech District? You might as well have booked it in the neighboring city."
Su Lu coughed lightly. The hotel she booked for him was indeed a bit far, almost an hour's drive away.
"I thought the tech exhibition you are attending is in the High-tech District, so booking a hotel there would be convenient for you."
Hearing this, Bo Jingshen chuckled.
In the next second, she was unexpectedly pressed against the elevator wall.
His warm breath brushed against her face.
"Do you have to guard against me like a thief, Su Lu? Am I going to eat you?"
Su Lu's mind flashed back to the night at Yunding, thinking he had already eaten her before.
Bo Jingshen's phone rang.
"You have a call," Su Lu said, attempting to break free.
But he didn't let go, holding her wrist with one hand and the phone with the other.
In the elevator's mirrored door, they looked like an intimate couple.
Yan Sui's name appeared on Bo Jingshen's phone screen.
Yan Sui: "I've arranged for the scar removal expert you wanted. Isn't a scar a badge of honor for a man? You never cared about such things. Why bother now? Is there really a situation?"
"Nonsense, hanging up." Bo Jingshen ended the call.
The elevator was silent. From the phone conversation, Su Lu vaguely heard some key words.
A scar removal expert...
Su Lu looked at her reflection in the elevator's mirrored door, seeing the scar at the corner of her eye.
Bo Jingshen handed her a room card, "Find a day when you're free. I'll take you to see that expert for your eye scar."
Her suspicion was confirmed, as his words indicated the expert was for her.
A surge of indescribable feelings welled up within, both sour and warm.
"There's a famous scar removal expert at the First Affiliated Hospital." Not waiting for her reply, he frowned, "You're at least a woman. You should care about your face."
His tone was firm, leaving no room for refusal.
Su Lu hadn't planned to refuse, nodding obediently, "Okay."
After entering their respective rooms, Su Lu lay down on the soft bed, staring at the ceiling, exhaling a long breath.
Bo Jingshen's pale face due to flying anxiety popped into her mind.
"What exactly... have you gone through?"
She could never be completely indifferent to him. Now, it seemed, even less so.
After tidying up to go out for dinner, Su Lu stood hesitantly in front of Bo Jingshen's suite door.
Should she knock and ask him to join?
Just as she hesitated, the door opened.
Bo Jingshen looked down at her, "What's the matter? Why not knock?"
Su Lu bit her lip, "I was going to eat. Do you want to..."
"Let's go," Bo Jingshen said, typing a message on his phone before exiting, closing the door behind him, "Where do we eat?"
Meanwhile, Yan Sui, waiting in the lounge for Bo Jingshen to come and have a drink and chat, received a message.
"Something came up, another day."
-- 贈り物
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