Chapter 3193: Chinese Toon Lane Bitter Summer 36

Miss Xiang fell silent for a moment, then looked at Chenshu and smiled faintly, but she didn't go on to say it outright, merely turning the coffee cup in her hand, "So this is what it looks like when you truly care about someone."

She set down her cup, gazed at the crowd outside the window, and lowered her voice a bit, "But can the person you like really tolerate your personality?"

As the relative who had spent the most time with Chenshu, Miss Xiang knew well that although Chenshu appeared gentle and aloof, in truth the possessiveness toward anything he cared about was extreme, hidden beneath a mild smile and thoughtful gestures.

Chenshu narrowed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and kept a smile at the corner of his mouth, "Why wouldn't I be able to bear it? Xiao Chen needs me a lot."

He indulged all of Jin Chen's bad emotions, indulged his gradual desire to take over his life. Likewise, he also enjoyed the feeling of being needed.

They are two plants whose growth intertwines, their underground roots long since inseparable; neither is purer than the other.

As they spoke, many people walked out of the exhibition hall entrance.

Jin Chen, who had garnered widespread favor upon first showing promise, walked beside Professor Jin Feng, yet he also faintly felt surrounded by the crowd; they admired talent, all the more so for being the student of Professor Jin Feng, the leader of the domestic field.

Jin Chen walked out amid the throng, even though he wore only a plain white shirt, his long legs took a few steps, standing in the afternoon sun, his cool, detached demeanor resembled the composure of someone long accustomed to the world of fame and fortune, as if nothing could disturb his rhythm.

Even Miss Xiang, who came from a wealthy family, was somewhat surprised by this sight.

She could hardly believe that the boy with a tragic background in the file, when standing among a group of elites, would actually look like this—not like a youngster just stepped out of a small place like Lingcheng, but rather as if he were born to stand there.

Even Chenshu had a moment of dazedness.

He, separated from the street by the glass window, saw Jin Chen standing in the crowd, surrounded by researchers and practitioners many years his elder, speaking with composure and propriety, only then realizing his worry had been unnecessary.

Jin Chen was already capable of standing on his own, and he grew increasingly vigorous and high-spirited.

Chenshu propped his chin on one hand, gazing with keen interest and fascination at that person outside the window.

He watched for a good while, then turned his head and told Miss Xiang, "Miss, you may go now."

Miss Xiang: "……A dismissal order? I haven't finished my coffee yet."

"Otherwise Jin Chen would feel uncomfortable when he comes over." Chenshu admitted frankly.

Miss Xiang looked at him speechlessly, lifted the cup and downed the remaining half of her latte in one gulp, then stood up, put on her sunglasses, and turned to leave.

At that moment, Jin Chen by the exhibition hall entrance already showed a hint of weariness in his brows and eyes.

He was on the verge of crashing from social overload, a bit like after taking medicine when his emotions lay flat on a line with no ripple—he couldn't wring out any social feeling, his mind felt wooden, somewhat drained.

Fortunately it was only two hours; if it lasted any longer, those people could personally witness him turn from a genius into a fool.

Jin Chen slightly held his breath, listening to Professor Jin Feng, still full of energy, exchanging pleasantries with those people.

Senior Brother Bai Xue had long since disappeared, probably slipping away unnoticed when no one was looking; Jin Chen greatly admired Bai Xue's decisiveness and escape speed, but unfortunately he himself wasn't socially anxious—just a mentally ill person still capable of pretending.

Jin Chen hadn't even had a chance to check his phone when he already spotted, with sharp eyes, Chenshu behind the floor-to-ceiling glass across the way.

Jin Chen's heart suddenly gave an itch; he pressed his lips together, wanting to rush over to his brother to recharge his energy.

He uncomfortably shifted his gaze to Old Man Jin Feng, hoping the man could read his eyes and let the person go quickly, but Professor Jin Feng was chatting enthusiastically with an old friend, even patting the other's shoulder when the conversation got lively, and didn't notice Jin Chen's distress signal at all.

Jin Chen: "……"

Unwilling to wait any longer, he strode across the street with his long legs.

Behind him came a string of "eh-eh-eh" sounds; someone was calling him, probably wanting to continue the earlier topic.

Jin Chen paused for a moment, then walked even faster, crossing the road without looking back.

He hurried all the way into the café, pushed the door open, letting in a gust of autumn wind, took a few steps to sit opposite Chenshu, and spoke in a hoarse tone: "Brother……"

He was practically a different person from the vibrant, talented youth just moments before.

Chenshu's lips curled into the familiar smile Jin Chen knew well; seeing Jin Chen's forehead hair a little messy, he let Jin Chen lean in and hold him tightly, and his own heart began to race for no reason.

The Xiao Chen he had brought out of Chinese Toon Lane was far braver and brighter than he had imagined.

The café wasn't crowded; they used decorative greenery to block the view of other tables, and Chenshu left a brief kiss on the corner of Jin Chen's lips.

This time it was Jin Chen who acted spoiled.

He buried his face in his brother's shoulder crook and whispered, "So tired, so tired."

Chenshu kissed him and asked, "How was the summit experience?"

Jin Chen lifted his head, his eyes shining, and said, "Very good."

He enjoys doing this kind of activity.

Everyone kept proper bounds, caring only about the immediate data problems; nobody looked at him with an inquisitive, pitying, or wary gaze.

Of course, if the time could be compressed to one and a half hours, that would be even better.

Chenshu hummed softly, reached out to play with Jin Chen's slightly longer bangs, swept the stray strand behind his ear, placed the earring hidden in his pocket onto him, and called out to people in a sugary voice, his eyes brimming with tenderness he could not conceal.

"Xiao Chen…… you didn't see my message because you were busy, right?"

Jin Chen startled, then hurriedly pulled out his phone to look—sure enough there was a message from his brother, sent nearly half an hour ago.

He felt a bit guilty, rubbing his nose against Chenshu's cheek, and frankly admitted his mistake: "I was wrong."

On the table lay a ribbon used to decorate dessert plates; Chenshu slowly untied it, straightened it, then wrapped it twice around Jin Chen's wrist, tying a loose knot that rested on the middle of his wrist bone. He then picked up the silver little fork beside the dessert plate, tapped Jin Chen's forehead lightly with its other end, leaned in close to his chest, and rubbed the tip of his nose against Jin Chen's neck, their breaths mingling.

"Next time, make sure to find a moment to reply to my messages; I'll worry otherwise, you know?"

Jin Chen, though teased, couldn't bring himself to get angry, and unconsciously rubbed his brother's ear to comfort him, saying, "I know."