It fell from his fingertips

The two walked out of the beach, through the hotel's garden path, and turned into a small path that Tang Luoqing had never taken before.

The roadside is lined with trees that have large leaves that hang down and sway gently in the wind.

The wind carried the fresh scent of leaves, blowing Tang Luoqing's hair to one side, and her mood gradually brightened.

Tang Luoqing followed behind Zhou Jinbai, looking at the tall and handsome man's back in front of her.

Zhou Jin's white shirt had a straight shoulder line, and the cuffs were still rolled up to his forearms as always, revealing the cold and white wrist bone that she had seen many times.

He rarely looked back while walking, and he didn't today either. But every now and then, he would slow down slightly, as if to make sure that Tang Luoqing was still following behind.

Tang Luoqing noticed this, her long eyelashes trembled, and her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something, soft and warm.

It turns out that the seemingly cold and aloof older brother actually has a thoughtful and warm-hearted side.

Tang Luoqing unconsciously quickened her pace, closing the distance between herself and Zhou Jinbai.

After walking for about ten minutes, a small red brick building appeared at the end of the winding path. The exterior walls were covered with ivy, and the dense green leaves were fluttered with fine silver edges by the sea breeze.

There was no sign at the entrance, only an old, faded wooden plaque with the character "陆" (Lu) engraved on it.

"When Mr. Lu was sketching in Xinwei, he lived here. Later, the studio was kept, and people would come to clean it occasionally. The paintings are still there."

Zhou Jinbai pushed open the door, stepped aside to let Tang Luoqing in first, and then said, "I just called him and confirmed that I can bring you in."

Tang Luoqing went inside.

The studio was quiet, with only the slight creaking of the wooden floorboards underfoot. The walls were covered with paintings of all sizes, some exquisitely framed, others just rough sketches casually pinned to the wall—all depicting the sea.

There's a picture of a gray sea before a storm, a golden-red sea at sunrise, a silvery-white sea under the moonlight, and another of a painting depicting the moment a wave crashes against a reef, with white spray flying everywhere, as if you can hear a loud boom.

Tang Luoqing stood in front of that picture, tilting her head back and looking at it for a long time. The waves reflected in the picture washed away the tear stains from not long ago.

"This is the last seascape that Mr. Chen painted in Xinwei."

Zhou Jinbai stood a few steps behind Tang Luoqing, his voice calm, as if stating a fact unrelated to anyone: "He said that after finishing this painting, he would never be able to paint a better sea, so he would stop painting seas."

As he spoke, the man's gaze did not fall on the painting, but instead fixed on Tang Luoqing's profile as she intently looked at it. Watching her serious expression and seeing the soreness in her eyes gradually replaced by relaxation, Zhou Jinbai's fingers twitched slightly, but he forced himself to hold back, his fingertips curling as he pulled them back to his side.

Throughout the entire process, Tang Luoqing didn't turn around; her gaze remained fixed on the painting. Curious, she asked, "What did he paint next?"

"Mountains, inland mountains, mountains without water."

Tang Luoqing hummed in agreement, took two steps to the side, and went to look at the next one.

This painting depicts a beach after the tide has receded. The sky is reflected in the wet sand, and a small figure is squatting on the ground picking up seashells. It's unclear which child it is.

Tang Luoqing stayed in the studio for a very long time, until he had looked at every single painting.

She turned around and met a quiet gaze.

Zhou Jinbai stood by the window, backlit, so his expression was not visible.

"Big brother,"

Tang Luoqing held her phone, a little embarrassed: "I...can I take a picture? I want to go back and sketch the composition."

When she spoke, Tang Luoqing's voice was soft and slightly probing, her eyes full of expectation, making it impossible for anyone to refuse.

Not far away, Zhou Jinbai's eyes were deep, his eyelashes lowered, as if he was composing himself. After a long while, he raised his eyes again.

"Yes, but..."

Zhou Jinbai calmly walked over from the window and stood next to Tang Luoqing. He leaned down slightly and pointed to the shadow of the rocks in the lower left corner of the picture: "The layers of ink here can't be captured in a photograph."

As the man leaned over, a faint, refreshing scent wafted over, quite pleasant. His long, slender fingers, with distinct knuckles, touched the canvas, creating a scene like a painting.

Tang Luoqing's ears felt inexplicably hot.

She unconsciously moved to the side, creating some distance between herself and Zhou Jinbai, but her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Then, a deep, masculine voice, leaning slightly closer, was heard: "If you really intend to copy it, bring paper and pen tomorrow."

Tang Luoqing was taken aback, and reflexively turned to look at Zhou Jinbai. Her eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up: "Really? That's great!"

Seeing Zhou Jinbai hum in response and step back to a safe distance, and then step back even further, as if to prove that his earlier close approach was merely to point out a scene in the painting, Tang Luoqing's previously absent heartbeat returned to normal, revealing a sweet smile with two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks.

Her eyes curved into crescent moons, her long eyelashes curled up, and the corners of her eyes were still a little red, traces of crying from earlier, yet her smile was like a rainbow after the rain, soft and sweet.

Zhou Jinbai's breathing tightened slightly, his prominent Adam's apple bobbed rapidly, and his deep eyes darkened.

Tang Luoqing didn't notice anything unusual about Zhou Jinbai's eyes because the other person was facing away from the setting sun, so she couldn't see the expression on his face.

Tang Luoqing couldn't help but lean forward, looking up at Zhou Jinbai with bright eyes and a joyful voice: "Big brother, thank you."

Zhou Jinbai's body stiffened slightly.

The fingers, which were hanging naturally, tightened, the knuckles turning white from the force.

The man's prominent Adam's apple bobbed again, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only nodded slightly, his voice low, soft, and even more hoarse: "Mmm."

Only Zhou Jinbai himself knew that at this moment, his heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

As I stepped out of the studio, the sea breeze rushed towards me again.

The two walked back along the same path they had come from, and Tang Luoqing's mood had completely calmed down.

Recalling the art studio she had just seen, and the scene from her previous visit to Qinyuan, Tang Luoqing couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother, are you very familiar with Old Master Lu? How did you manage to get the key to this place?"

Tang Luoqing's clear eyes were filled with curiosity, her long eyelashes fluttering as she earnestly awaited the answer.

Zhou Jinbai took in the clarity in Tang Luoqing's eyes, then looked away and said, "Yes, I studied painting with my grandfather for a few years when I was little."

Tang Luoqing looked at Zhou Jinbai in surprise.

Having studied under Master Lu and won many international awards, this man was forced to interrupt the thing he loved all his life because he had to go home to inherit the company.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zhou Jinbai's hand hanging naturally at his side. The man's fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles and a faint pink tinge at the fingertips. They were very beautiful hands.

It's hard to imagine what kind of painting would be created if such hands were to paint.

Tang Luoqing suddenly became very curious about what Zhou Jinbai's paintings looked like.

But after thinking about it, she still didn't dare to ask.

For Zhou Jinbai, this might be tantamount to reopening his wounds.

Just then, Tang Luoqing's phone rang; it was Zhou Yanchen.

Tang Luoqing's expression changed slightly. Her long eyelashes drooped down, obscuring the emotions in her eyes. The smile on her lips disappeared, replaced by a deep sense of bitterness and weariness.

She stared at her phone screen for a long while before finally swiping to answer the call.

"Where are you? Aren't you in your room?"

The voice of Zhou Yanchen on the other end of the phone sounded tired and flustered, completely different from his usual carefree self.

Tang Luoqing pursed her lips tightly, her eyes welled up with tears, but she forced them back.

"Baby, please don't be angry, okay?"

Zhou Yanchen's voice carried a pleading tone: "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you, I shouldn't have kept it from you. You can hit me, you can scold me, just please don't ignore me, okay?"

Tang Luoqing took a deep breath.

"Zhou Yanchen, I don't want to talk about this right now. I want to be alone."

"Luo Qing..."

Tang Luoqing hung up the phone.

She put her phone away and continued walking along the winding path, gazing blankly at the distant sea.

After a long while, she turned around and looked at Zhou Jinbai.

The man walked not far behind her, watching her quietly with deep, intense eyes, but he didn't seem inclined to ask any questions.

Tang Luoqing suddenly became curious.

"Big brother, you..."

When she spoke, Tang Luoqing hesitated. After all, this person was Zhou Jinbai, the cold and aloof Zhou Jinbai in the eyes of outsiders. However, he had indeed brought her here and shown her her idol's studio.

Tang Luoqing took a deep breath, stopped, and mustered her courage to ask, "You...didn't ask me why I was crying?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinbai took a step forward and stood in front of Tang Luoqing.

The man stared at Tang Luoqing with deep, focused eyes, as if trying to etch her into his heart.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice low and slightly magnetic: "You were smiling in the studio just now."

Tang Luoqing was slightly taken aback, and it took her a while to understand what Zhou Jinbai meant.

He meant that no matter whether she cried outside or suffered any injustice, the fact that she was smiling when she came to the studio was enough.

Tang Luoqing felt a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears.

But this time, it wasn't because of sadness, but because of... being moved.

Tang Luoqing took a deep breath, then another, holding back her tears of gratitude. She smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, brother."

Thank you Zhou Jinbai for not pressing her about the reason that embarrassed her. Otherwise, she really wouldn't know whether to tell the truth in front of her boyfriend's older brother, or what would happen if she did.

Needless to say, things are fine now.

Zhou Jinbai looked at Tang Luoqing, his gaze deepening.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "If you really want to thank me, why don't you..."

He paused slightly, and Zhou Jinbai's prominent Adam's apple bobbed again, this time with extra force, as if he were preparing something.

In a short while,

"Miss Tang, could you paint a picture for me?"

Tang Luoqing was slightly startled when Zhou Jinbai said this.

Miss Tang?

Previously, Zhou Jinbai had always addressed her as Miss Tang, while Zhou's parents would call her "Luo Qing." It seemed that only his elder brother had always called her "Miss Tang" since their first meeting.

"Big brother, actually..."

Tang Luoqing pursed her lips, unsure whether she should speak up, but she also felt that calling her "Miss Tang" was too formal, especially since her older brother had helped her so much.

So Tang Luoqing took a deep breath and said, "Big brother, you can... call me by my name."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinbai stared at Tang Luoqing, a complex emotion churning deep within his eyes. A moment later...

The man extended his hand to Tang Luoqing: "Okay, Luoqing, let's get to know each other again, Zhou Jinbai."