Endless Fall

“He’s too good at finding angles.”

“Indeed.”

“Yilan.” Jiang Ye came out after changing and interrupted their conversation. “Do you want to put on makeup?”

“I’ll put on lipstick.” Her skin was fair and there were no spots or pores. She could go out without makeup.

“We’re going out. Let’s talk tonight,” Pei Yilan sent a message in the group chat. After putting on her lipstick, she was led out by Jiang Ye.

On the other end of the screen, Qian Yue put down her phone and was about to take a nap when she received a call from Zhou Yanshen.

“Qianyue.” His gentle voice entered her ears like an electric current. “Are you up?”

“Not yet.”

“What time is it more appropriate for me to pick you up?”

“Four or five o’clock?” She turned over lazily, unwilling to leave the warm bed. “I haven’t slept enough.”

“Alright.” When Zhou Yanshen heard her yawn, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Then I’ll come at five.”

“Where are we going tonight?”

“Secret.”

Qian Yue was too sleepy to guess.

She slept until the alarm rang at four o’clock. After dressing, she went out to meet him.

“You just finished meeting a client?” She fastened her seatbelt and looked at the suit he was wearing.

“No.” Zhou Yanshen did not explain further. He stepped on the accelerator and drove out of the city.

The restaurant, which was located halfway up the mountain, was shrouded in the afterglow of the setting sun. The blue pool at the door was decorated with a bright light, like a layer of gauze dancing on the water.

The cobblestone road by the pool led to the entrance of the restaurant. Through the sensor door, there was a small indoor fountain. Occasionally, one could see goldfish wagging their tails and playing happily in the water.

Zhou Yanshen held Qian Yue’s waist and walked up the European-style staircase to the private room by the window on the second floor.

The roof of the private room was triangular and was made of glass, through which one could admire the sky.

He pulled out the chair at the dining table and pressed the call bell on the right, signaling the waiter to serve the dishes.

“This place is so beautiful.” Qian Yue looked at the mountains in the distance through the French window, admiring the beautiful scenery carved by nature.

She rested her elbows on the table, her curly chestnut hair hanging in front of her shoulders. “How did you find out about this place?”

“My secretary recommended it.” Zhou Yanshen hung up the coat he had just taken off and sat opposite her.

He tidied the collar of his suit and stared deeply at her side profile. “This shop has just opened. There aren’t many people yet.”

“No wonder.” Qian Yue said, “As long as they do a little publicity, business will definitely be booming.”

“But they only serve five tables of customers a day.”

“The boss of this restaurant is interesting.”

“Yes.” Zhou Yanshen took two sips of lemonade and looked at the waiter who pushed the dining cart in. “He’s probably opening it for fun.”

“The dishes are ready.” The waiter placed the dishes he had ordered in advance on the table. “Please enjoy.”

“Thank you.” Qian Yue picked up her chopsticks.

Eating under the setting sun was a very romantic thing. Even the food became special.

She tasted the drooling delicacies and shared the interesting news with Zhou Yanshen in this undisturbed environment.

“There’s cream at the corner of your mouth.” Zhou Yanshen stared at those juicy lips, unable to look away.

“Where?”

“To the left.”

Qian Yue wiped it with a tissue.

She looked up. Before she could ask if she had wiped it clean, the faint smell of tobacco reached her nose.

Zhou Yanshen, who was leaning forward, reached out his well-defined hand and placed his finger on the corner of her lips.

As soon as they got closer, their gazes inevitably met, and the atmosphere became strange.

“Left from my side.” Zhou Yanshen looked into those eyes and smiled.

He brushed her hair away from her ear, his actions so alluring that Qian Yue’s heart skipped a beat.

She felt the warmth of his fingers and the tips of her ears turned red. “Is it clean?”

“Yes.” Zhou Yanshen sat back down.

He scooped up a spoonful of dessert and put it in his mouth to taste. As if he felt that it was too sweet, he put down the spoon. “Where will you spend Chinese New Year this year?”

“Lin City.” Qian Yue’s parents were temporarily away. “They’ll come back during the holidays.”

“That’s not so bad.” They were leaving for Italy on the third day after Chinese New Year. It would be a lot of trouble if she had to take a trip back to Lin City.

“And you?”

“I’ll spend time with my old man.”

Qian Yue had never heard him mention his parents, so she was very curious. “Are Uncle and the others overseas?”

“Yes.” Zhou Yanshen lowered his eyes and puffed on his cigarette.

His expression was calm. “They come back twice every six months, but we hardly see each other.”

...

“Why?”

“We quarrel the moment we meet. I can’t be bothered to see them.”

Qian Yue did not ask further.

She looked at the clouds that were covered by the night sky and changed the topic. “It gets dark early in winter. Even the stars are out early.”

“Really?”

“There are four lining up over there.”

Zhou Yanshen looked in the direction she was pointing.

He looked at the watch and guessed that they had probably set up the venue. He stood up and said, “Qian Yue, let’s go out and walk around.”

Qian Yue followed him out.

As they walked along the corridor, Zhou Yanshen suddenly stopped in his tracks. “Close your eyes first.”

“Close my eyes?” Qian Yue had a vague guess.

...

At Zhou Yanshen’s signal, she reached out her right hand and placed it on his palm. “Is there a surprise for me?”

“Of course.” Zhou Yanshen let her go up the steps.

He held her hand and walked to the open-air garden. Then he gave the two waiters at the side a look.

When the beautiful violin music sounded, he whispered into Qian Yue’s ear, “You can open your eyes now.”

Qian Yue’s eyelashes fluttered.

What entered her sight was candles forming a heart shape. She stood in the middle of the candles, her feet covered in rose petals.

“Qian Yue.” Zhou Yanshen, who was holding a bouquet of red roses, stood outside the heart and called her name softly.

He looked into her eyes. Perhaps it was the first time he had officially confessed to his girlfriend, but he had already forgotten the opening line he had thought of. He subconsciously got to the point. “Can we be together?”

The light from the LED light softened his face and silently magnified the gentleness in his eyes.

For a moment, Qian Yue really wanted to pounce into his arms.

She clenched her fists at her sides and gradually regained her senses. “Mr. Zhou, do you like me?”

“I do.” Zhou Yanshen thought that he liked her and that he could do what Lin Jiao said.

“How much?”

“I can’t say for sure.” He was telling the truth. “But you give me a very different feeling.”