Chapter 26: CH 26

After a couple of absurd days, Feng Si finally let go of his grudge and suggested going somewhere farther away.

They set off early in the morning, and when they got in the car, Lu Jingchen still seemed a bit sleepy, wrapped in Feng Si’s flight jacket, leaning in the seat without moving.

A bottle of ice-cold mineral water was pressed against his face, and Lu Jingchen turned his head to look at Feng Si, who was in the driver’s seat, smiling at him. “Didn’t sleep well again? Do you want some water?”

Lu Jingchen was a bit speechless.

He slept around two or three in the morning last night; he wasn’t entirely sure. It was rare to have a vacation, and yet he couldn’t sleep well, all thanks to the person next to him.

And he actually had the nerve to ask.

Taking the water and unscrewing the cap, Lu Jingchen frowned. “Just focus on driving”

Feng Si stared at the bobbing Adam’s apple and raised his gaze to Lu Jingchen’s lips, slowly moistened by the water.

He leaned closer, capturing Lu Jingchen’s breath.

Since that kiss outside the nightclub in Paris that night, Feng Si no longer hid his feelings. He always acted on his impulses without warning, coming close to kiss or doing more. Most of the time, Lu Jingchen would cooperate.

But even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t stop Feng Si. He would be forceful if necessary, not willing to let him go.

Tasting Lu Jingchen’s lips slowly, Feng Si gazed into his eyes, and Lu Jingchen calmly met his gaze, as if intentionally challenging him.

Lips pressed against lips, Feng Si chuckled softly. In the next second, his tongue forcefully invaded Lu Jingchen’s mouth, turning the gentle intimacy into a dominant and aggressive conquest.

As the kiss ended, Lu Jingchen leaned back against the seat, breathing unsteadily, and his voice struggled to come out. “Can you drive now?”

“Sure.” Feng Si started the car, still with a smile in his eyes.

It was precisely because Lu Jingchen refused to back down that it made Feng Si want to tease him even more.

Unfortunately, they had to go out; otherwise, he would have carried Lu Jingchen back to the house with him.

As the car entered the coastal city, Lu Jingchen’s eyes were drawn to the seagulls soaring along the coastline ahead. He was captivated by the sight for a moment.

Feng Si next to him asked, “What are you looking at?”

Lu Jingchen returned to his senses. “The sea here looks bluer compared to the one in Norway, and it’s not as desolate.”

“Oh, really?” Feng Si looked at him and suddenly asked, “How about the sea in Africa?”

Lu Jingchen’s expression flickered. “…They’re different.”

Back then, they had only caught a glimpse of it.

Feng Si smiled and turned his gaze back to the road, continuing to drive.

They spent the morning touring the city and as it was approaching noon, Feng Si drove around the streets and alleys, looking for a place to eat.

“I was planning to have you recommend something, but you said you’ve never been here, so in the end, I have to decide. Let’s get off here.”

Their car stopped at the bottom of a steep slope, with restaurants, bars, and cafes lining both sides of the road. Feng Si led Lu Jingchen up the slope, saying there was a local restaurant with authentic cuisine up ahead, so they went there.

“You’ve been here before?” Lu Jingchen asked with a hint of uncertainty, and Feng Si casually nodded, “A few times.”

“Curious about who I came here with?” he tilted his head and asked.

Lu Jingchen sensed his tone and seemed to anticipate that he might say, “I won’t tell you.” So, he calmly replied, “i’m not.”

Feng Si said, “If you’re curious, just ask. If you ask me, I’ll tell you.”

Lu Jingchen shook his head slightly, not allowing him to succeed.

Feng Si’s chosen restaurant was in the middle section of the slope, and the tables and chairs were set up directly along the street under the shade of umbrellas.

As they sat down, Feng Si browsed the menu, and Lu Jingchen’s gaze turned to the blue sky at the top of the slope, with a church’s golden spire below. The scene was ordinary yet calming, and it brought him a rare sense of ease.

Feng Si ordered for both of them, then said he would go to the restroom. Lu Jingchen nodded, content to sit alone for a while.

Taking a sip of water, a white dove landed near his feet. Lu Jingchen looked down, and the dove raised its head as if gazing back at him.

He picked up a piece of bread from the table and tried to flick it down to the dove. The greedy creature came close, attempting to snatch it directly from his hand. But in the process, it pecked his palm, causing a fleeting look of surprise in Lu Jingchen’s eyes, captured by a shutter sound.

Looking up, he saw Feng Si, who had returned without him noticing, holding a phone and smiling. “Is it okay to take a picture of this?”

Lu Jingchen pulled back his hand, and the dove didn’t get the food, flapping its wings and flying away.

Feng Si sat back down and handed him the photo he had just taken.

Lu Jingchen, appearing a little silly in the picture, felt a bit uncomfortable. At that moment, Feng Si even thought that the seven years had not left any trace on him.

It was just for that moment.

Looking at himself in the photo, Lu Jingchen felt a bit awkward. “Can you delete it?”

Feng Si replied, “Why delete it? I’ll keep it for myself. So i can look at it when we are not together”

Hearing his reluctant tone, Lu Jingchen fell silent for a moment and changed his mind. “As you wish.”

Feng Si restrained his smile. “Thanks.”

After finishing their meal, they didn’t go back to get the car. Instead, they continued walking up the slope.

Feng Si had a cigarette in his mouth and spotted a small shop selling ice cream on the side of the street. He held onto Lu Jingchen and said, “Let’s try that.”

Lu Jingchen’s first reaction was to refuse, “Didn’t you just have dessert?”

Feng Si went into the shop and came out five minutes later, holding a cone of creamy ice cream in one hand and an unextinguished cigarette in the other.

Casually, he walked back to Lu Jingchen and alternated between taking a drag from the cigarette and a bite of the ice cream. It was an oddly mismatched combination, but somehow, it gave a strangely harmonious feeling.

Lu Jingchen watched him approach, and Feng Si swallowed the smoke before him. “What are you looking at?”

Lu Jingchen asked, “…Are you smoking or eating ice cream?”

Feng Si took a bite of the ice cream and offered it to Lu Jingchen. “Want to taste?”

The word “no” was on Lu Jingchen’s lips, but for some reason, he swallowed it back.

He lowered his head and cautiously took a bite of the ice cream from Feng Si’s hand. Subconsciously, he licked his lips, finding the taste too sweet and making him slightly uncomfortable.

Feng Si’s fingers made a circular motion, staring directly into Lu Jingchen’s eyes. Following where Lu Jingchen had just licked, his tongue traced the same path.

Lu Jingchen’s breath hitched slightly, feeling the intense heat in Feng Si’s gaze. The action of licking the ice cream seemed like a straightforward suggestion, igniting a surge of desire within him, making his palms even sweaty.

The ice cream was offered to him again, and Feng Si asked, “Want more?”

With his eyes downcast, Lu Jingchen slowly licked it once more.

Feng Si’s eyes filled with amusement.

They shared the ice cream together, and Lu Jingchen remained quiet, not looking at Feng Si again.

Feng Si placed the cigarette back in his mouth, and his gaze darkened with the smoke.

The ice cream quickly vanished, and just as Feng Si was considering whether to bring Lu Jingchen back to the car, Lu Jingchen spoke first, “We’re done, let’s go.”

Feng Si abandoned the idea; it was still a bit too early to do that.

As they reached the top of the slope, they entered a church for a visit. Spotting a piano in the corner, Feng Si walked over and casually tapped a few keys. Lu Jingchen frowned, “If you can’t play, then don’t touch it.”

“Do you know how?” Feng Si raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to sit down. “Play something for me.”

Lu Jingchen hesitated and played a brief tune.

Feng Si leaned against the piano, watching him attentively.

Lu Jingchen might not be a professional, but just sitting in front of the piano, he exuded an elegant air, resembling a true nobleman and captivating anyone who looked at him.

“Did you take lessons?” Feng Si asked.

“My mother taught me,” Lu Jingchen replied, shaking his head slightly. “It’s been a long time since I played.”

Feng Si chuckled, “I’ve seen interviews with your mother before. Are you really her biological son? Your personalities are completely different. If you had even half of her open-mindedness and liveliness, your life would be much more colorful than it is now.”

Lu Jingchen responded, “If you’re dissatisfied, you can find someone open-minded and lively. You don’t have to stick with me.”

“Oh, really?” Feng Si bent down, getting close to him, and said, “If I find someone else, what will you do? Will you be heartbroken?”

His tone was playful, like a joke with no real intent.

Suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable, Lu Jingchen stood up and said with a cold voice, “Let’s go back.”

As they walked out of the church, someone called Feng Si’s name.

Lu Jingchen turned to look, and it was a young Asian girl smiling as she rushed over and jumped onto Feng Si’s back. “Why are you here? I thought I saw wrong. How come you didn’t tell me you were coming here?”

Feng Si held onto her with both hands, still smiling. “Stop it, get down.”

The girl coquettishly complained for a few more sentences before finally getting down from Feng Si’s back. He ruffled her hair and put his arm around her shoulder, facing Lu Jingchen. “Say hello.”

Seeing Lu Jingchen, the girl’s eyes brightened. “Brother-in-law…”

“Call him Brother Shen,” Feng Si reminded her.

The words “Brother Shen” came sweetly from the girl’s mouth, and Lu Jingchen’s mind slowly rebooted. He mumbled, “Hello.”

The girl was about to say something, but Feng Si sent her to the nearby café first. “We’ll be there in five minutes.”

After the girl left, Feng Si raised his hand and waved it in front of Lu Jingchen. “Back to reality now? What were you thinking about?”

Lu Jingchen silently looked at him, his emotions complicated.

Feng Si clicked his tongue. “You tell me to find someone else, yet you still get jealous even of my own sister?”