CH 3.2

Footsteps sounded closer and closer, Lin Chaosheng looked up from his book and saw Lu Chenfeng with a packet of cigarettes in his hands, greeting him gently, “You are up this early?”

Lu Chenfeng nodded, “You too.”

Lin Chaosheng was wearing a thick white knit, the woolen edge glinting soft; he looked like he was scared of the chilly weather. He asked despite knowing the answer, “Are you going out?”

Lu Chenfeng lifted the cigarettes up, “I’m going to do something bad.”

Lu Chenfeng didn’t exactly want to feel the coldness again he felt on the balcony, but he was desperate for a smoke. He had no choice but to ask inappropriately, “Is smoking allowed inside?”

Lin Chaosheng replied, “It is, in this minute.”

Lu Chenfeng’s breathing slowed down and his heartbeat dropped. He gazed at Lin Chaosheng who sat against the light. These two simple sentences seemed to soothe his irritation more than nicotine.

“Have a sit,” Lin Chaosheng saw him standing there and invited friendly.

Lu Chenfeng nodded and pulled the seat open while putting the cigarettes away.

They sat by the wooden table next to the bookshelves. Lu Chenfeng looked at all the books on the shelf and surprisingly found out there was a variety of genres, such as classics, magazines, photography collections, poetry collections, and there were even a few children’s books.

Lu Chenfeng, “Did you buy all of them?”

Lin Chaosheng shook his head, “No, guests left most of these for the guest house.”

Lu Chenfeng was obviously considering what topic to talk about next to avoid awkwardness, but Lin Chaosheng naturally led the conversation on, “Where’s your cigarettes?”, he asked with a smile, “Didn’t you want to smoke?”

Lu Chenfeng massaged his nose bridge, “Not that urgent.”

They conversed casually and Lin Chaosheng’s voice was gentle, “When did you start smoking?”

“Not long ago,” Lu Chenfeng sighed lightly and suppressed the emotions in his eyes, “End of last year.”

He noticed the notebook in Lin Chaosheng’s hands and saw a few words printed on the dark green cover under the dim light: Visitor’s Book.

It was a generation where people only typed with keyboards and commented online, this notebook was like an antique. Lu Chenfeng sounded curious, “Do people really sit down and spend time writing something down?”

Lin Chaosheng’s lips curved up, “Yes, a lot do. The content is quite interesting too.”

Lu Chenfeng raised an eyebrow, “Such as?”

Lin Chaosheng picked a random comment and read it out without changing his expressions, “‘The owner is so handsome, does our guest house need a lady boss?’”

Lu Chenfeng, “……”

There was a light smile in his tone and warm spring breeze seemed to brush his eyes. The mountains and ocean revealed itself with the rising sun outside the glass wall, golden sunlight outlined Lin Chaosheng’s delicate body.

Lin Chaosheng held a pen and wrote down a reply underneath a guest’s comment. He flipped a page and glanced at it profoundly. He held the notebook with both hands and said, “Someone else said……”

Lu Chenfeng looked at him.

“Most of the people who wanted to travel could be separated into two categories. The first type are people who are curious about the world, and the other type are those who are completely disappointed in life.”

Lin Chaosheng didn’t notice the fluctuation of emotions in Lu Chenfeng’s eyes and read the rest out softly after a short pause, “Travel has different meanings to everyone, some people were ‘gaining’ and some people were ‘losing’.”

Both of them sank into a moment of silence besides the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the counter. Lu Chenfeng frowned more and more and pursed his lips together while tapping on his knee with his right index finger. He heard Lin Chaosheng ask, “Mr. Lu, what do you think?”