It fell from his fingertips

Ten minutes later, Lin Xiaoxiao held the revised sketch and was so excited she almost jumped up on the spot.

"Thank you so much, brother and beautiful sister."

Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at the bar in the corner of the studio and said, "Please wait a moment, both of you."

Then he turned around and ran to the bar.

When she returned, Lin Xiaoxiao came over carrying two cups of mango pomelo sago.

"Big brother, beautiful sister."

Lin Xiaoxiao handed over two cups of milk tea. She first put one cup into Tang Luoqing's hand, and then carefully handed the other cup to Zhou Jinbai. She said nervously and gratefully, "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, or I will feel bad about it."

Tang Luoqing originally wanted to decline, but when she saw the girl's bright eyes, she immediately thought of herself. Didn't she also want to thank Zhou Jinbai?

So Tang Luoqing swallowed her words, only curtsying her eyes and saying, "You're too kind."

Zhou Jinbai also looked down at the cup that was handed to him.

The paper cup was printed with the studio's light gray logo, exactly the same as the one in Tang Luoqing's hand.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Jinbai saw that Tang Luoqing had already inserted a straw and taken a sip, her eyes crinkling as if it tasted delicious. Zhou Jinbai's fingertips twitched, and a moment later, his well-defined fingers took the milk tea.

"Thanks."

The man's voice was low and faint, revealing no emotion.

Lin Xiaoxiao burst into laughter, thanked him several times, and then skipped back home with her sketches in her arms.

Silence returned to the surroundings. Tang Luoqing held the milk tea, taking a sip after another, as if she intended to finish it in one go.

Zhou Jinbai also inserted a straw and took a sip.

The sweet taste filled his mouth, and Zhou Jinbai frowned slightly.

As the president of the Zhou Group, Zhou Jinbai usually only drinks the bitterest Americano coffee, the kind without milk and with sugar.

Having long been accustomed to bitterness, I suddenly felt uncomfortable drinking something sweet.

But Zhou Jinbai still swallowed it.

Then, the man placed the cup on the corner of the drawing table, as if nothing had happened, and his fingertips returned to the drawing. His voice was calm and undetectable: "For this last distant view, use clean water to blend it again, making sure there are no brushstrokes."

"Okay, sure."

Tang Luoqing quickly placed her half-finished milk tea in the corner of the drawing table and began making revisions.

Zhou Jinbai glanced at the two milk tea cups side by side. The cups were exactly the same, the colors were exactly the same, only the amount of milk tea remaining was different, and his eyes flickered slightly.

As for Tang Luoqing, after the last stroke of water was applied, the entire painting was finally completely perfect.

Looking at the finished product, she breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Tang Luoqing carefully laid the sketches flat on the empty easel to dry, then put them away in her portfolio along with the other sketches. She looked up at Zhou Jinbai, her eyes crinkling with a serious smile, and said, "Big brother, I've finished revising them all. Thank you so much for today. I've taken up your entire morning; could I... treat you to lunch?"

Fearing that Zhou Jinbai might be busy with other things, Tang Luoqing quickly added, "If you're not free today, you can refuse me. I'll wait until you're free, anytime."

Zhou Jinbai's first reaction was also to refuse.

Over the past year, he has restrained himself too much, and has habitually restrained himself from doing anything that is not in accordance with the rules of his status.

but now……

The image of that day in the restaurant corridor flashed uncontrollably through the man's mind.

At that moment, Zhou Yanchen was leaning against a pillar smoking, while Su Leqi stood opposite him, smiling and saying, "We agreed that we wouldn't leave the bar until we were drunk." His younger brother, however, exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone nonchalant, offering no clear refusal.

There was also the investigation report that Assistant Shen sent to his email yesterday. In the densely packed itinerary, Zhou Yanchen spent most of his nights in Haicheng in private clubs and bars, and Su Leqi's name appeared with an glaring frequency.

Zhou Yanchen said he would focus and take it seriously.

But as the saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature."

Zhou Jinbai's naturally drooping fingers tightened, and his eyes darkened.

He paused for two seconds, picked up the milk tea in his hand, and took another sip.

The sweet milk tea assaulted his taste buds once more, and Zhou Yanchen swallowed the milk tea with a forceful up-and-down motion of his prominent Adam's apple.

Then, swallowing back the refusal that was on the tip of her tongue, she changed her words lightly: "Alright."

Tang Luoqing was surprised that Zhou Jinbai agreed so quickly. Her eyes crinkled with joy, and she quickly took out her phone to look up the restaurants she had saved. As she walked, she said with a hint of excitement in her voice, "Big brother, I heard from Yan Chen that you can handle spicy food. I saved a Sichuan restaurant near the cultural and creative park. It has a great reputation and is said to be authentic Sichuan cuisine. I just don't know if you'll like it."

"Of course, it might be a bit cheap..."

"Can."

Before Tang Luoqing could finish speaking, Zhou Jinbai agreed without much objection. The man's gaze fell on Tang Luoqing's surprised and sparkling profile before quickly shifting away.

About ten minutes later, the two arrived at the Sichuan restaurant.

The shop is small, decorated in an antique style with wooden tables and chairs and red lanterns hanging in the air. As soon as you enter, you are greeted by the aroma of spicy food.

Tang Luoqing found a seat by the window, picked up the menu and carefully flipped through it, ordering only the signature spicy dishes: boiled fish, spicy chicken, dry-fried green beans, and a serving of spicy blood curd.

After you've finished ordering, order some more for Zhou Jinbai.

At the same time, I was secretly relieved that this place looked clean and tidy. Some hole-in-the-wall restaurants may have great food, but their hygiene is really not good.

Actually, Tang Luoqing originally wanted to invite Zhou Jinbai to a more expensive place to eat, as if that would show her sincerity, but it was too expensive. She could afford it once in a while, but if it happened too often, it would hurt her wallet.

Most importantly, for some reason, Tang Luoqing suddenly wanted a man like Zhou Jinbai to experience the simple pleasures of everyday life.

Fortunately, Zhou Jinbai glanced at the dishes on the menu and did not show any displeasure. He even added a mildly spicy hot and sour cabbage dish.

That's all.

Zhou Jinbai returned the menu to the shop owner, picked up the teapot on the table, poured two cups of warm water, and pushed one cup in front of Tang Luoqing.

"Thanks."

Tang Luoqing smiled slightly, her tone still a little reserved.

The dishes were served quickly, a vibrant red, glistening with oil, and emitting a wonderful aroma.

Seeing Zhou Jinbai pick up his chopsticks, Tang Luoqing also picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of boiled fish.

She thought that since she was inviting someone to eat spicy food, she should at least eat some herself and not just watch.

But Tang Luoqing was actually a little scared, because she had never been able to eat spicy food since she was a child. She was the kind of person who could make tears well up in her eyes with just a drop of chili oil.

Looking at the fish slices coated in red oil in her chopsticks, which looked incredibly tempting, Tang Luoqing swallowed nervously, steeled herself, closed her eyes, and took a bite.

The moment she bit down, the spiciness shot from the tip of her tongue to the top of her head, followed by a numbing sensation. She coughed violently, her eyes instantly welling up with tears, and her lips turned a deep red, as if coated with a thin layer of rouge. They were moist and glistening, and even the corners of her eyes were red, making her look like a peach petal wet by the rain, soft and pitiful.

Tang Luoqing hurriedly reached for the milk tea, drinking more than half of it in one gulp. She then picked up the plain water that Zhou Jinbai had just poured and drank most of it in one go, gradually suppressing the spicy taste in her mouth.

Across from him, Zhou Jinbai ate a few bites of spicy chicken, then looked up and saw Tang Luoqing looking like this.

The girl's nose was sweating, her eyelashes were damp, and her eyes were misty, like grapes soaked in water. But she still forced herself to continue, picking up another chopstick of stir-fried green beans. She bit very slowly and very small, as if she was struggling with the spiciness, as if that would prevent her from being impolite.

The man's hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly.

Immediately, Zhou Jinbai stood up, his tone devoid of emotion: "I'm going out to make a phone call."

Tang Luoqing was taken aback, thinking that Zhou Jinbai had work to deal with, and quickly nodded: "Okay, you go ahead with your work, don't worry about me."

"Um."

Zhou Jinbai turned and walked out, his back tall and straight, his steps steady.

Tang Luoqing watched Zhou Jinbai's figure walk out of the store. Only when the glass door closed did she dare to open her mouth and fan herself with her hand. Her tongue was numb and she couldn't feel it.

"Ouch...it's so spicy."

Tang Luoqing took a deep breath and poured herself a glass of warm water, gulping down most of it before she felt a little better.

She felt a little annoyed.

I should have chosen a restaurant that serves both spicy and mild flavors. I was so focused on accommodating my brother's taste that I forgot I can't handle spicy food at all. Now, I've barely eaten any rice and have been drinking water the whole time.

But then again, she was the one who treated them to a meal to express her gratitude, so there's no reason for her to expect the guests to accommodate her.

Grandma always said that when you ask someone for help, you should only ask what they like. It's okay if we have to make some sacrifices. It's a favor if they're willing to help you, so we can't be picky.

Tang Luoqing always remembered those words.

But these dishes were indeed too spicy for her; she really couldn't eat them.

Tang Luoqing sighed and slumped listlessly onto the table.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Luoqing took out her phone and sent a message to Shen Baiyan, sending a picture of the table covered in chili oil as a complaint: "I treated someone to Sichuan food, but I can't eat a single bite myself because it's so spicy! Help!"

Shen Baiyan replied instantly: 【Who are you inviting? Why?】

Tang Luoqing: [Brother Zhou Yanchen, he gave me some pointers on painting, he's really good at it, so I'm treating him to a meal to thank him.]

After a few seconds of silence, a voice message popped up, the tone excited: "[Zhou Jinbai? The president of Zhou's Group? You had dinner with him alone? Wow, that's impressive! I saw him on financial news before, but I never saw his face. Even his back view was incredibly handsome. This older brother is way more charismatic than the younger one. I vote for the older brother!]"

Tang Luoqing had just taken a sip of warm water when she almost spat it all out.

She coughed for a long time, her face turning red, and frantically typed: 【What are you saying?】

Shen Baiyan: [What's wrong? Let me tell you, I just can't stand Zhou Yanchen, that womanizing bastard. He might cheat on you any day now, and I don't believe it.]

But Zhou Jinbai is different. I heard he's thirty years old and has always been busy with work, without even a single scandal. Where can you find such a rare gem of a man?

The more she said, the more outrageous it became. Tang Luoqing's cheeks flushed, and she quickly turned off the screen and placed her phone face down on the table.

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and Zhou Jinbai walked in, carrying a bag with the porridge shop's logo on it.

Tang Luoqing's heart skipped a beat, and she felt inexplicably guilty. She quickly sat up straight, glanced at the phone lying face down, and looked away, saying, "Big brother, you're back..."

"Um."

Zhou Jinbai walked to the table, took the food boxes out of the bag one by one, and placed them in front of Tang Luoqing.

Tang Luoqing looked up at Zhou Jinbai in surprise, somewhat bewildered: "Big brother, what is this...?"

"Bought from the porridge shop next door."

Zhou Jinbai returned to his seat, pulled out a chair, and sat down. His tone was calm as he reached out and kept the lid of the food box open.

Suddenly, a bowl of yam and millet porridge, a plate of stir-fried kale, and a small bowl of brown sugar ice jelly appeared in front of Tang Luoqing.

The dishes were all light and mild, a stark contrast to the bright red spicy dishes on the table.

Tang Luoqing looked at Zhou Jinbai, who was sitting opposite her, in surprise.

Seeing the other person hand her a porcelain spoon with the handle facing her for easy grip, Tang Luoqing took the spoon with a puzzled look and stared into the man's eyes.

She knew it was from the porridge shop next door. The porridge there was delicious, and the side dishes were also quite tasty. Tang Luoqing had eaten there several times before when she was tired from painting.

But what she didn't understand was why Zhou Jinbai bought it?

The man's deep eyes reflected the sunlight streaming through the window; they were so deep that it was impossible to discern his emotions, yet his words reached Tang Luoqing's ears clearly:

"When you treat others to a meal, you should also consider yourself."