The next morning, Yun Qi had her secretary personally deliver the fabric Cen Jin needed. It was two meters more than Cen Jin initially requested, for which she specially called to thank Yun Qi. The two chatted for a while over the phone before hanging up, and Cen Jin then devoted herself wholeheartedly to the wedding dress design.
As evening approached, the sky turned gloomy.
After Ye Lingran finished handling her tasks, she walked to the door of the design studio, gently pushed it open, and peeked inside. She saw Cen Jin with a measuring tape and pen in hand, carefully measuring on the large fabric table, her expression extremely focused. Quietly, Ye Lingran walked over.
For a long time, Cen Jin, absorbed in her design, didn’t notice her presence, so Ye Lingran couldn’t help but speak up: "Cen Jin, it’s getting late! You don’t need to rush so much! Leave the rest for tomorrow."
"Oh, alright." Upon hearing this, Cen Jin suddenly looked up, responded with a smile, and then checked the time on her wrist: "Oh! It’s already six-thirty! I’ll finish what I’m working on and then leave! I’m almost done anyway. Lingran, you go ahead and leave first!"
"I think it’s going to rain tonight, you should head home early, don’t stay too late."
"Then I’ll head out first. Contact me on WeChat if anything comes up." Ye Lingran smiled gently, waved at her, and exited the design studio, softly closing the door behind her.
After Ye Lingran left, Cen Jin continued to work diligently. By the time she finished the process she was working on and stepped out of the design studio, it was completely dark outside. A gray mist draped a curtain over the sky as raindrops joyfully combined to play a melodious and winding tune.
Standing at the entrance of the studio, Cen Jin took a deep breath, the cool gentle breeze brushing against her cheeks, making her stretch her weary body. As she was about to lower her arms, she couldn’t resist reaching out to feel the myriad raindrops.
Suddenly, a crisp ringtone rang out. Cen Jin withdrew her hand, hurried back inside, picked up the phone from the table, and felt her heartbeat skip two beats when she saw the caller ID. She slowly slid the answer button, placed it to her ear, and softly murmured, "Hello."
"Where are you?" It was still that pleasant yet indifferent and distant voice, but it was much hoarser than before, sounding more laid-back and easygoing.
Even though he wasn’t in front of her, and she only heard his voice, Cen Jin felt her breathing hitch and become urgent, her heart racing. She replied, "In the studio."
"Yeah, I see it. It’s coming down quite heavily."
The line fell silent immediately after her words. Cen Jin waited for a while without hearing anything from the other end. She even checked the phone to confirm it was still connected, then put it back to her ear and called out, "Jiang Baizhou, are you still listening?"
"Then why aren’t you talking?"
"Do you need to work overtime?"
"No, I just finished the process in hand. The rest can wait till tomorrow. It’s not urgent. It’s just that the rain’s quite heavy now, and I didn’t bring an umbrella. The bus stop is a bit far, and I’m afraid of getting wet if I run over."
"I’ll come pick you up."
Listening to his calm and usual tone on the phone, Cen Jin’s heart raced again, but unexpectedly, he added two words: "On the way."
Cen Jin paused, a hint of disappointment flickered in her eyes as she asked back: "Are you near Chunxi Road?"
"You’re at the clinic?"
"Yes." Jiang Baizhou responded softly, paused for a moment, then continued to ask: "Do you want to come by and have a look?"