Under his silence, the atmosphere around suddenly became strange. Jiang Baizhou’s gaze was restrained, his thin lips pressed into a line. After a long time, Cen Jin silently looked away from his eyes, and a soft murmuring voice drifted into his ear: "I already apologized to you, what else do you want? It was an accident, and... clearly, I’m the one at a loss, right? It was... my first kiss!"
Hearing this, Jiang Baizhou’s previously furrowed brow suddenly relaxed. Even his indecipherable eyes showed traces of amusement, and his indifferent expression softened a bit, with a slight twist of his lips, he asked with interest, "First kiss? Are you sure?"
Cen Jin was startled, instinctively raising her eyes to meet his. It was as if something crossed her mind, making her inexplicably guilty, and she raised her hand to cover her lips. Just then, two waiters arrived with dishes. She forcefully changed the subject, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating without daring to look at him: "Um, the food is here, let’s eat, I’m starving, ah, the taste is not bad."
Seeing her wandering gaze, Jiang Baizhou’s just-relaxed brow furrowed again. He knew the truth about the first kiss, even if she didn’t, but now seeing her reaction, it seemed there might be something else going on. His heart felt as if it was pinched, and his handsome face darkened immediately: "Nie Cenjin, tell the truth."
"What truth?" Suddenly hearing her full name called out by him, she was so startled her tongue almost tied in knots.
"What else?" His gaze made her whole body prickle with unease. Cen Jin glared at him, her face red, and retorted angrily, attempting once again to change the subject by placing a shrimp in his bowl: "Food doesn’t talk, eat up."
Jiang Baizhou, seeing her bury herself in her food, relaxed his knit brows somewhat, and didn’t pursue the topic further, picking up his chopsticks to eat the shrimp she had placed in his bowl.
Throughout the meal, not a single word was exchanged. Or rather, Cen Jin never once looked up at him, focusing solely on the food, dishes, and drinks.
After the meal, noticing he had no intention of picking up his chopsticks, Cen Jin got up to take her bag and go pay the bill. As soon as she stood up, Jiang Baizhou lifted his eyes and asked, "Where are you going?"
"To pay, of course!" Cen Jin replied confidently, meeting his gaze for less than half a second before turning away and walking toward the cashier.
Jiang Baizhou raised an eyebrow, leisurely taking a sip from his water glass, but his deep gaze never left her. It was only after he saw her using her phone to scan the code that he put down his glass and walked over toward her.
They left the restaurant one after the other. The night had fallen completely, and there was a small square nearby with lively music playing and groups of dancing aunties. Cen Jin and Jiang Baizhou glanced over a few times as they passed. Walking along a tree-lined path, the dim streetlights elongated their shadows, still one following the other, without any interaction.
"Nie Cenjin." Suddenly, Jiang Baizhou called out loudly, stepping forward and grabbing her hand gently, pulling it slightly backward.
Upon hearing his voice, Cen Jin abruptly looked back, and in the next second, a strong force pulled her backward, causing her to lose her balance and fall into his arms.
"When will you break the habit of walking with your head down?" Before she could even react, a wave of scolding came raining down on her head.
Cen Jin tilted her head to look forward, and it turns out there was a lamppost directly in her path. If he hadn’t pulled her back, she might have really crashed into it, ending up with a big bump on her head.