It fell from his fingertips

The black sedan slowly stopped beside Tang Luoqing.

The car window rolled down, revealing the man's handsome features.

Zhou Jinbai's gaze first fell on Tang Luoqing's face, then swept down to the cat carrier she was tightly clutching in her arms, his brows furrowing imperceptibly.

"Where to?"

Tang Luoqing looked at the back of the car in surprise, never expecting to run into Zhou Jinbai here.

Holding her umbrella, she took half a step forward, bent down, and met Zhou Jinbai's deep eyes: "Big Brother?"

Seeing the man glance at the candy, Tang Luoqing pursed her lips shyly: "Oh, my kitten isn't feeling well, I'm taking it for a follow-up checkup."

"I'll take you there."

Before Zhou Jinbai could finish speaking, the passenger door was pushed open, and Assistant Shen walked around to open the rear door, stepping aside to make room and gesturing for him to get in: "Ms. Tang, please get in the car."

"No, no need, brother."

Tang Luoqing quickly shook her head and unconsciously took half a step back: "I'll just take a taxi, it won't take up your time."

Zhou Jinbai tightened his grip on the document, and after a moment...

"It's hard to get a taxi on a rainy day, get in."

Then, the man looked away, as if the matter was not worth discussing at all.

but……

In particular, before Tang Luoqing could think much about it, Assistant Shen had already taken the cat carrier from her and placed it in the back seat.

Tang Luoqing hesitated for a moment, then bent down and sat in the car. She turned her head and whispered, "Thank you, brother," before sitting down with the cat carrier in her arms.

Zhou Jinbai, out of Tang Luoqing's sight, raised his eyes, then looked away and continued looking at the documents in his hand, as if Tang Luoqing's presence had no effect on him whatsoever.

If you look closely, you'll notice that Zhou Jinbai hasn't turned a page of the document in his hand for several minutes.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of the pet hospital. Tang Luoqing got out of the car carrying the cat carrier and gave Zhou Jinbai a serious bow: "Brother, I'm so sorry to have troubled you so much today. If I hadn't run into you, I don't know how long I would have had to wait. I hope I didn't delay your business?"

Zhou Jinbai nodded, his voice calm: "It's nothing. Go in, don't delay the follow-up examination."

"it is good."

Tang Luoqing responded, holding the umbrella and the cat, and turned to enter the pet hospital.

Outside the door, inside the car.

Zhou Jinbai didn't look away until Tang Luoqing's figure disappeared from sight. He then calmly instructed, "Shen Xiuwen, you and the driver stay here. After Miss Tang's follow-up examination, take her back to Yujing Bay. You take the next flight."

Assistant Shen was taken aback: "President Zhou, then you..."

"I'll take a taxi to the airport."

Zhou Jinbai pushed open the car door, stepped out with his long legs, and Assistant Shen immediately came over with an umbrella.

"But the rain is so heavy, you..."

Assistant Shen looked worriedly at the increasingly heavy rain and frowned.

"fine."

After putting down those two words, Zhou Jinbai took the umbrella from Shen Te's assistant, hailed a passing taxi, got in, and his figure quickly disappeared into the misty rain.

Assistant Shen watched the taxi drive away and sighed silently in his heart.

Why would a CEO of a large corporation choose to take a taxi in the rain to catch a flight instead of using his official car?

Although it's easier to hail a taxi here, Miss Tang can also easily hail one here.

Forget it, the boss has suffered enough from unrequited love.

·

The follow-up examination went more smoothly than expected. The doctor said that the inflammation from the milk candy had subsided significantly, and after taking the medicine for two more days to consolidate the treatment, it would be completely cured.

Tang Luoqing relaxed, picked up the cat carrier and walked out of the hospital lobby. Just as she took out her phone to call a car, she saw a familiar car parked motionless at the entrance, with Assistant Shen standing next to it holding an umbrella.

Tang Luoqing was taken aback and quickly walked over.

Assistant Shen smiled and opened the back door for her: "Ms. Tang, are you done with your check-up? Mr. Zhou said he doesn't need the car for the time being, so he asked me to wait for you here. I'll take you home first, and then I'll come pick him up."

"I can't accept this, it's too much trouble for you."

Tang Luoqing felt a little guilty: "I can take a taxi myself, don't delay your brother's business."

"No trouble at all, it's nothing."

Assistant Shen spoke with a calm expression, gesturing for him to get in the car: "Please get in quickly, the rain is getting heavier again."

Seeing this, Tang Luoqing could no longer refuse and sat in the back seat with the cat carrier in her arms.

As the car drove away from the hospital, the rain outside the window tapped against the glass, making a soft, pattering sound.

She looked down and stroked Milk Candy's head, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

Half an hour later, Zhou Jinbai's plane landed at Jincheng Airport.

Just as I sat down in the van that came to pick me up, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Assistant Shen: "[Mr. Zhou, the follow-up checkup results for Naitang are very good; the inflammation has basically subsided. Ms. Tang has been safely delivered to Yujingwan Community. I've booked the next flight, which will arrive in Jincheng around 10 PM tonight.]"

Zhou Jinbai paused slightly on the screen, then replied with a single word: "Thank you for your hard work."

He put away his phone, looked out the window at the rapidly receding night view, and frowned slightly.

The boundaries that should have been strictly adhered to seem to have gradually become blurred with each exception made.

On the other side, Tang Luoqing settled Naitang in the cat bed, fed it cat food and warm water, and watched the little guy curl up and fall asleep before turning around and walking to the drawing table.

Normally, being stood up by Zhou Yanchen today would have made her feel so frustrated that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on writing.

Strangely enough, today when I laid out the drawing paper, my hand holding the pen was unusually steady.

The second draft is almost finished, and Tang Luoqing has recently started to conceive the third draft.

She painted the autumn sun at the alley entrance, the old alley with snow falling, and the courtyard wall covered with wisteria flowers in spring. As she painted, Zhou Jinbai's words would always unconsciously pop into her mind: Don't make the lines too full, leave room for the wind, the light and shadow should be ethereal, so you can't press the brush too hard.

In the past, she always needed others to point out the problems before she could see them. Now, when she puts pen to paper, she can perceive where the paper is too crowded, where the colors are too heavy, and where the flow of the writing is broken.

Following my intuition and making adjustments little by little, the results were even better than I had expected.

Of course, Tang Luoqing could only see a small part of the problem; she couldn't be sure about anything else.

For example, this is a sketch she made casually at a riverside bar a couple of days ago.

At the time, she wanted to paint waves rolling with shimmering light in the dead of night, but the paintings always came out stiff. The waves were lifeless, the wind was ethereal, and you could feel a sense of unease even through the paper. They lacked the vastness and relaxation that the sea should have.

Ultimately, she never actually stood on the beach and watched the waves at night, never felt the salty sea breeze, so what she painted was always a layer of distance.

Since you can't figure it out, why not go and see for yourself?

Once the thought came to mind, it couldn't be suppressed.

Since Zhou Yanchen wouldn't be back this weekend, she decided to take a short break and go to the beach to sketch for a few days, just to relax.

With that in mind, Tang Luoqing waited until Naitang was completely healed, then opened the ticket booking software and selected a flight to Xinwei.

The next day, Tang Luoqing left the milk candy at a pet store near her home and boarded the plane on time with her suitcase.

After a flight of more than two hours, it was already completely dark when we landed.

After exiting the terminal and taking a car to the hotel, the humid sea breeze, carrying the salty smell of the sea, instantly dispelled the gloom that had accumulated over the past few days.

Tang Luoqing booked the Jingyue Holiday Hotel, which is right on the beach. You can walk for just a few minutes and step onto the soft sand.

After checking in, she went to the balcony.

The distant sea was dark and gloomy, with waves crashing against the rocks, making a deep and rhythmic sound. The scattered stars on the shore formed a line that stretched into the depths of the night.

The wind was strong, making Tang Luoqing's hair fly wildly. The coolness of the seawater hit her face, but she felt unusually open-minded.

It felt as if all the tightness in my chest had been blown away by the sea breeze.

She leaned on the railing, took a deep breath, and slowly smiled.

Just then, my phone rang; it was Zhou Yanchen calling.

"How did the follow-up checkup for the milk candy go wrong?"

Zhou Yanchen's voice was as gentle as ever: "I'm sorry, baby, I've been too busy these past two days, and I only have time today."

"Naitang had a follow-up check-up a few days ago, and you're only asking today?"

Tang Luoqing wasn't very happy, and her tone became somewhat indifferent: "It's all better now. I left Milk Candy at the pet store and came to Xinwei Beach for a vacation, and also to look for inspiration."

Upon hearing this, there was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"...Xinwei?"

Zhou Yanchen's voice paused noticeably, a hint of panic in his tone, before he forced a smile and said, "Why did you suddenly run off there? You didn't even tell me beforehand."

"Aren't you busy? I didn't want to bother you."

Tang Luoqing didn't notice the unusual tone in Zhou Yanchen's voice. She leaned against the railing and swung her legs: "I just came out to sketch a few seascapes so I can submit the third phase of the proposal when I get back."

"Is that so..."

Zhou Yan coughed lightly and asked casually, "Which hotel are you staying at? Is it safe? A girl shouldn't stay in a place that's too remote."

Tang Luoqing was a little surprised that Zhou Yanchen was suddenly asking such detailed questions today, but she still told him the truth: "Jingyue Holiday Hotel is right by the beach. The environment is quite nice and it's a reputable hotel."

"Oh, that's fine then."

Zhou Yanchen's tone sounded inexplicably tense, but he quickly added, "Then take care of yourself. Don't go to the beach tonight. I'm going to take a shower now. I'm all sweaty. Goodnight, baby."

Before Tang Luoqing could say anything more, the phone was abruptly hung up.

Tang Luoqing held the darkened phone, somewhat bewildered.

Why does Zhou Yanchen seem so strange?

She shook her head, not thinking about it too deeply, and turned back to continue looking at the sea.

The sea at night is vast and calm, with waves crashing one after another, enough to drown out all the little worries.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the same hotel, Zhou Jinbai was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of ice water.

He arrived in Xinwei yesterday, dealt with the branch's supply chain issues, and then stayed here to discuss cooperation on the coastal cultural tourism project. He was staying in the executive suite on the top floor of the Jingyue Holiday Hotel.

Immediately, Assistant Shen arrived, holding a tablet, and stood behind Zhou Jinbai, reporting in a low voice: "President Zhou, we've just confirmed that Mr. Zhou's hotel is also the Jingyue Hotel, on the fifteenth floor."

Zhou Jinbai tightened his grip on the cup.

The fifteenth floor, downstairs from him.

Zhou Jinbai lowered his eyes, looking at the scattered lights on the beach below, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Immediately, the man took out his phone and found Tang Luoqing's recent WeChat Moments post: a photo of ocean waves at night, without a location tag, but the bottom right corner of the photo happened to capture a corner of the hotel balcony.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhou Jinbai put away his phone, his voice icy: "Understood. Tomorrow's cooperation meeting will proceed as planned."

As for other things...

Zhou Jinbai looked up at the churning sea in the distance, his eyes swirling with emotion, but he ultimately suppressed it.

He can wait.

All we can do is wait.