The embrace on the terrace and the words Shen Yanzi had whispered in his ear felt like a surging tide, leaving Arthur utterly overwhelmed.
By the time he came to his senses, he found himself being half-carried and half-guided by Shen Yanzi away from the clamorous cocktail party and tucked into that familiar black Bentley.
The car remained terrifyingly quiet.
Arthur curled up in a corner of the seat, head bowed, his fingers unconsciously picking at the stitching of the expensive leather. His face was still damp, and both his nose and eyes were red, making him look like a child who had suffered a great grievance.
But inwardly, his mind was like a pot of boiling porridge, bubbling with all sorts of messy thoughts.
Shame, embarrassment, lingering fear…
But more than that, it was an incredibly surreal, light-headed sense of vertigo.
Shen Yanzi…
Did that count as…
A confession?
Though the manner was blunt and awkward, those words “beautiful,” “flashy,” “want to hide you away,” “it feels uncomfortable right here”…
Arthur peeked through his lashes, stealing a quick glance at Shen Yanzi beside him.
The man was looking out the window, the lines of his profile still cold and hard. However, his tightly pursed lips and the slight bob of his Adam’s apple seemed to betray a heart that was anything but calm. His well-defined hands, resting on his knees, were unconsciously rubbing against each other.
It seems he…
Is also a bit nervous?
This discovery made Arthur feel strangely balanced, even giving rise to a tiny, audacious spark of joy.
It turned out this iceberg wasn’t completely unmoved after all!
The car drove steadily through the London night, the two of them remaining silent throughout the journey. The air was filled with a subtle, unspoken silence that made his heart race faster than any previous confrontation.
Finally, the car pulled to a stop outside a side gate of Arthur’s residence. Arthur lingered, not quite wanting to get out. He felt as though tonight was a bizarre dream; once he stepped out of the car, the dream might end.
“We’re here,” Shen Yanzi finally spoke, his voice deeper and raspier than usual.
“Oh… right.”
Arthur responded softly, his fingers fumbling with the seatbelt buckle, unable to release it for a long time.
Shen Yanzi turned to look at him. In the dim lighting of the carriage, his eyes were as deep as the sea, the emotions within them complex and hard to read. He seemed to hesitate for a second before reaching out across the center console and pressing the release for Arthur’s seatbelt.
A soft click sounded, exceptionally clear in the quiet car.
His fingers inevitably brushed against the back of Arthur’s hand a touch that lasted only a moment, yet felt like an electric current. Arthur pulled his hand back sharply, his cheeks beginning to burn again.
“Thank you…” He spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito, scrambling to open the car door and practically fleeing.
“Arthur.”
Shen Yanzi’s voice suddenly came from behind him. Arthur’s footsteps faltered, his heart instantly leaping into his throat. He turned back stiffly.
At some point, Shen Yanzi had also stepped out of the car and was standing by the door, his tall figure somewhat blurred by the night. He looked at Arthur, appearing to struggle for a few seconds before speaking somewhat stiffly:
“Are you… free tomorrow evening?”
Arthur froze, blinking his eyes, not reacting for a moment.
As if feeling his words weren’t clear enough, Shen Yanzi furrowed his brows and added another sentence, his tone rigid as if he were issuing a commercial directive: “Not for business. For dinner.”
Arthur: “!!!”
Dinner?!
Is he… asking me out?!
Arthur’s heart rate instantly soared to 180, blood rushing to his head. He stood there with his mouth open, staring foolishly at Shen Yanzi, forgetting to answer.
Shen Yanzi waited for a few seconds. When no response came, his frown deepened, and a flash of undetectable… chagrin crossed his eyes? Or perhaps even a bit of… defeat? He averted his gaze, his tone growing even colder and harder: “If you’re busy, forget it.”
“I’m free!” Arthur practically shouted, the volume startling even himself.
He quickly covered his mouth, his cheeks exploding in red, but his eyes were brilliantly bright as he nodded frantically. “I’m free! I have nothing to do tomorrow night! Nothing at all!”
Shen Yanzi seemed pleased by this over-the-top reaction, and his tense jawline softened ever so slightly. He gave an almost imperceptible nod. “Good. The location and time… I’ll send them to you.”
With that, he stopped looking at Arthur, turned, and sat back in the car. The door closed with a thump, and the black Bentley drove away without lingering, quickly disappearing into the night.
Arthur remained standing foolishly on the spot, watching the direction where the car had vanished. The night wind blew the stray hairs on his forehead, feeling cool, yet it couldn’t dissipate the heat on his face.
Just now… Shen Yanzi asked me to dinner tomorrow night?
A private invitation?
Not to talk about the project?!
“Aaaaaahhhhh—!”
Arthur finally registered it. Covering his burning cheeks, he hopped with excitement several times before forcing himself not to scream out loud.
He practically floated back to his room and didn’t sleep at all that night. He rolled around in his bed clutching his duvet, his mind replaying Shen Yanzi’s rigid “Are you free tomorrow evening?” and “For dinner” on loop, his smile stretching from ear to ear.
So, this is what an iceberg’s date is like?
Clumsy… and a bit cute?
The next day, Arthur was in a state of extreme excitement and nervousness. He turned his entire wardrobe inside out, throwing clothes all over the floor, gesturing with them in front of the mirror, never satisfied.
Too formal would look stiff; too casual wouldn’t look respectful enough… The colors couldn’t be too flashy either, or he’d look like a “little peacock” again…
Finally, he chose a smoke-gray cashmere sweater paired with slim black trousers, topped with a well-tailored deep blue overcoat. He looked fresh without appearing too intentional.
He finally managed to endure until evening. With over an hour still left before the appointed time, Arthur couldn’t sit still. He arrived near the restaurant address Shen Yanzi had sent him early, pacing back and forth at the street corner like a young lad, his palms sweating constantly.
It was an unremarkable-looking private restaurant with a small storefront, yet it radiated an air of low-key luxury. Arthur took several deep breaths before gathering the courage to push the door open.
After giving Shen Yanzi’s name, the waiter respectfully led him to a quiet booth by the window.
Shen Yanzi was already there. He wasn’t wearing a suit today either, having changed into a black turtleneck with a matching cashmere coat over it. He looked much softer than usual, though his cold, sharp aura remained. He was looking down at his phone, his profile appearing well-defined in the soft light.
Hearing the movement, he raised his head. Their gazes met in the air.
Arthur’s heart skipped a beat instantly; he was so nervous he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. Shen Yanzi’s gaze lingered on him for a few seconds; his eyes seemed to brighten for a moment before quickly returning to calm. He set down his phone and gave a slight nod. “You’re here.”
“Yes… the traffic was a bit heavy.” Arthur made up a random excuse and sat down opposite him, feeling like his breathing was somewhat labored.
The atmosphere… was a bit awkward.
Unlike their previous mutual probing and the undercurrents of ambiguity, it felt as though a small hole had been poked through the paper window, making both of them feel a bit at a loss. Especially Shen Yanzi he looked… even more silent and tense than usual.
The waiter brought the menus, temporarily breaking the frozen air. Arthur lowered his head and pretended to study the menu, though his peripheral vision was stealing glances at Shen Yanzi.
He noticed that Shen Yanzi also seemed a bit nervous. His tone while ordering was faster than usual; he didn’t even ask much of Arthur’s opinion before quickly selecting several signature dishes.
Once the waiter left, the atmosphere fell back into an eerie silence. Arthur racked his brain for a topic, but his usually silver tongue felt like it had been replaced with wood. One moment he fiddled with the cutlery, the next he looked at the night view outside the window anything to avoid looking at Shen Yanzi.
Shen Yanzi didn’t speak either, merely taking a sip from his water glass, his gaze fixed on a point on the table as if in deep thought. After a long while, just as Arthur was about to be driven mad by the silence, Shen Yanzi suddenly spoke, his voice a bit dry:
“The Beef Wellington here is good.”
Arthur: “…Oh, okay.” That’s it? That’s all?
Another silence.
Arthur was nearly beside himself. This was completely different from the first date he had imagined! Where was the sweet ambiguity? Where were the flying sparks? Why had they become two mutes sitting across from each other?
He gathered his courage, looked up, and searched for something to say. “Um… the weather today seems quite nice, doesn’t it?”
Shen Yanzi looked at him, his gaze a bit strange, as if he didn’t understand why Arthur had suddenly brought that up, but he still nodded. “Mm.”
And then… nothing followed.
Arthur: “…” Help me!
The food arrived quickly. It was indeed exquisite, and the taste was beyond reproach. But the atmosphere between them remained awkward enough to freeze someone to death. Aside from the necessary dry exchanges like “Try this” or “How does it taste?”, there was almost no conversation. Only the slight sound of cutlery clashing against plates could be heard.
To Arthur, the food tasted like wax. The small flame in his heart was being extinguished bit by bit by this eerie silence, replaced by a growing sense of loss and grievance.
So…
Those words last night were really just to appease me?
This meal today is just going through the motions?
Does he actually have no idea how to be with me?
Or rather… does he regret it?
The more he thought, the sadder he became. Arthur’s head hung lower and lower, his nose starting to sting again. Just as he was about to be brought to tears by his own internal drama, a piece of perfectly sliced, succulent steak was suddenly placed onto his plate.
Arthur froze and looked up.
Shen Yanzi had already retracted his fork. His expression remained unchanged, even looking a bit unnatural as his eyes fixed on the wall beside them, his tone rigid:
“You’re too thin. Eat more.”
Arthur stared blankly at the extra piece of steak on his plate, then looked up at Shen Yanzi’s face—a man clearly caring for someone yet acting incredibly awkward about it. The grievance and loss in his heart were instantly washed away by a massive, indescribable warm current.
So… he just doesn’t know how to express himself.
Arthur lowered his head, lightly poking the steak with his fork, the corners of his mouth turning upward uncontrollably.
He muttered softly, “…Who’s thin.”
Despite his words, he obediently put the steak into his mouth and chewed slowly, feeling it was more delicious than anything he had eaten so far.
The atmosphere following that seemed to soften quite a bit. Although there wasn’t much dialogue, the suffocating awkwardness vanished. Shen Yanzi would still express his concern in his own way like silently pushing a dessert toward Arthur after seeing him look at it a few times, or quietly refilling his glass when it was empty.
Clumsy, stiff, yet exceptionally real.
Arthur looked at the business titan across from him, who was trying so hard to do well yet seemed a bit at a loss, and his heart turned as soft as mush.
It turned out that liking someone really could make a person act a bit foolish.
Even someone like Shen Yanzi was no exception.
This feeling… seemed not so bad after all.