016 Don't Forget Our Promise (1)

The night has always been a constant, yet the sorrows lurking in the darkness have branded the silent and wordless eyes with a searing pain.

Ming Xichen strolled casually into a coffee shop and settled into the corner seat by the window. A waiter in a purple uniform approached to take their orders. Xichen ordered a cup of hot latte, while Shen Yunyi opted for a cup of Blue Mountain coffee and a plate of fruits.

Ming Xichen leaned back against the silk - cushioned chair. Her delicate hand propped up half of her alluring cheek, and she tilted her head slightly, pressing it against the cold glass window. Her eyes were locked on the distance, lost in thought.

As night descended and the city lights flickered on, the entire city was engulfed in the symphony of music and the dazzling glitz of nightlife.

Enveloped by the steam from the coffee, her whole body was bathed in warmth. Xichen adored this kind of warmth, savoring it in the air - conditioned environment during the sweltering midsummer.

Shen Yunyi gazed at Ming Xichen sitting across from him. Gone was the sexy and enchanting look from that night. Her skin was as fair as polished jade, and she wore no makeup. Her eyes were as clear as a mountain spring, pure and untarnished. She casually and languidly leaned against the glass window, and her eyes would sometimes linger on his face for a brief moment. This kind of gesture was as if she had faced him like this countless times before. There was no trace of shyness, no hint of impropriety, just an effortless naturalness, as if they had known each other for an eternity.

"Can you play the piano?" Ming Xichen suddenly blurted out, her thoughts having wandered far away.

"No," Shen Yunyi replied indifferently, as if it was a given that he couldn't. "Fei learned to play the piano, and I learned to paint."

"I've heard from Fei that you graduated from the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts and are a talented painter. Your hands are so elegant," she said, her words a bit jumbled. Only she herself knew what she was trying to convey.

Shen Yunyi was taken aback by her words. Then, he calmly said, "After graduating from the academy, I went to Italy. The night you saw me, I had just returned. A few good friends got together. They all said that Fengwu Jiutian was the most famous club in Xizi City, and if we wanted to have a good time, we should go there. Maybe it was fate that brought us together there."

"Why didn't you go to a Buddhist academy?" Her words left Shen Yunyi completely dumbfounded. It took him a long time to mutter, "I'm passionate about painting."

"Oh, actually, I'm really into Buddhism. There aren't any Buddhist temples in Bingcheng. Do you know the Sophia Church?" She suddenly sat up straight, her eyes shining with eagerness as she looked at Shen Yunyi.

For a moment, Shen Yunyi's expression cracked. Then he rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I've heard of it. What's the connection?" He was on the verge of losing his composure. Couldn't this person have a normal, coherent conversation?

"Of course, there is. If that church were a Shaolin Temple or a nunnery, I might have already renounced the worldly life," she said, blinking her eyes playfully.

Shen Yunyi was flustered. His eyes scanned Ming Xichen up and down, left and right. Her fair skin, clear eyes, and red lips all indicated that she was in good health. At least, there was no visible sign of illness. But why were the words she said so bewildering? It was so odd. Could it really be true that you can't judge a book by its cover?

"There are many Buddhist temples in Xizi. Where are you going to live in seclusion?"

"Let's wait until Fengwu Jiutian goes international. The road ahead is fraught with thorns, and I still have to work my fingers to the bone," she said. Then she leaned over again, pressing her face against the glass window, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"You - you're pulling my leg!" Shen Yunyi watched Ming Xichen's trembling shoulders and her little face struggling to hold back laughter, and only then did he realize that he had been duped.

"The pig says you're not as stupid as it is..." She burst into uncontrollable laughter, completely forgetting about her image.

Shen Yunyi leaned forward slightly, and the chair let out a faint creak as it rubbed against the floor. He said with a half - smile, "I don't appreciate being teased."

She laughed even more heartily. "But I find it so much fun to tease you. How can you be so naive..." Before she could finish her sentence, a puff of warm air hit her face. Shen Yunyi's face was almost touching hers. His heavy and stuffy breaths landed forcefully on Ming Xichen's face, wave after wave.

"You..."

A kiss.

An unexpected, fleeting kiss, as light as a dragonfly skimming the surface of a pond.

Shen Yunyi realized his blunder and panicked, trying to pull his head back. But unexpectedly, Ming Xichen actively let down her guard. He was completely at a loss and instinctively kissed her more passionately.

Suddenly, Ming Xichen's coffee cup was knocked over by someone. In the sudden silence, the loud sound jolted both of them back to reality. They quickly sprang away from each other, turned their heads to one side, and fell silent.

As if still in disbelief of what had just transpired, Ming Xichen slowly lowered her head, and her voice was incredibly gentle. "You... you just kissed me?"

"Yes. And you responded to me," Shen Yunyi also composed himself. He turned to face her and slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, forming a ghostly arc.

Ming Xichen didn't utter a word and just sat there in silence.

Shen Yunyi saw that her eyes were filled with a watery helplessness under the hazy light, but her expression remained as calm as a still lake. Maybe her face was a little paler, or maybe it was just his imagination.

Just as he was about to speak, she spoke first. "I just mistook you for him again."

Shen Yunyi was stunned. The clear and calm lake in his eyes suddenly rippled like it had been struck by raindrops, churning with grief.

The atmosphere grew heavy and dull. To break the awkwardness, she spoke first. "We're getting to know each other better. We should introduce ourselves, right?"

Shen Yunyi didn't say a word. It seemed he was still caught up in what she had said earlier.

"My name is Ming - Xi - Chen," Xichen leaned forward, her voice brimming with mischief.

"Shen Yunyi," he said in a very low voice, so soft that he could barely hear himself.

Ming Xichen didn't mind. She already knew his name. Yunfei had told her that he had a twin brother who was born 15 minutes earlier and took the position of the elder brother.

"To make up for the blow to your innocent heart, sister will give you my phone number," Ming Xichen stretched out her hand, indicating for him to give her his phone.

Shen Yunyi's eyes regained their clarity, and he handed her his phone.

She took the phone, deftly entered her number on the keypad, and made a call.

Once there was a giving tree

Who loved a little boy

And everyday the boy would come to play

Swinging from her branches

Sleeping in her shades

Laughing all the summer hours away

And so they loved, and oh the tree was happy

Oh! the tree was glad…