Chapter 109: The Scent on You

Chapter 109 The Scent on You

The other end of the line was very quiet, their breathing light, and Yang Yue remained silent throughout, patiently waiting for him to finish.

Lin Haoda repeated "the box" in a low voice, then looked up in a daze, standing by the roadside watching the flow of cars and pedestrians.

He walked under a tree, where the dense, evergreen leaves blocked most of the streetlight above, making the trash can below look like a dark blob—even though it had been painted several times with bright paint, it was still too dim to make out clearly.

It also made Lin Haoda couldn't help recalling the trash can at the airport—gray, inconspicuous, with no extra markings on it.

When Lin Haoda tossed the box in, he hadn't thought much about it; he just felt that when a relationship reached its end, being able to wrap it up quickly and decently was something to be grateful for.

In fact, he had stuffed many photos into the box, leaving the photo album nearly half empty, and he never expected anyone to find them; it was more like a farewell he was saying to himself.

Perhaps because he recalled some of the feelings from when he discarded the box, Lin Haoda ultimately couldn't muster the courage to actually voice that question, or rather, asking or not asking didn't matter much. After a few seconds of silence, realizing he had been bothering him for too long, he apologized and hung up.

Half a world away in time, the other end had already plunged into a long night, while here, dusk was just about to fall. Holding his phone, he looked at the distant streetlights twinkling like stars that had just been bathed, and let out a long, wistful sigh.

Actually, it didn't have much to do with that box and those photos.

He knew he just hadn't figured out what to do next. Should he keep playing dumb and just drag it out day by day?

Lin Haoda zoned out and drifted into the subway station; it was still rush hour, every car was packed.

He found a less crowded corner and grabbed a pole with one hand. Online, all kinds of rumors were going viral—those about him were still at the top. The words Guan Junshan had said during his midday livestream were being captured frame by frame and stitched into long screenshots, and that photo, after being enlarged, was being discussed and dissected with relish.

Luckily, when he went skiing, he had been fully geared up with goggles and helmet, his face mostly covered, so he wasn't completely outed.

As an ordinary person, Lin Haoda usually enjoyed browsing gossip and enjoying the gossip, but the moment he became the main character, most of the fun disappeared instantly.

The discussion even spilled over into game-related topics. Finally, Lin Haoda scrolled to a popular science account he often visited, watched a video of hermit crabs foraging on the beach, and only then managed to calm down a bit.

Lin Haoda forced himself to live a normal life—sleep and eat as usual, take the blame and work overtime as usual—ignoring the online uproar, unilaterally cutting off contact.

But he didn't expect Guan Junshan to find him so quickly—on Friday after work, his project still needed a finishing touch, so he was destined to stay late again. At mealtime, he went downstairs with a few colleagues to grab fast food. As they exited the elevator, the automatic glass doors slid open slowly. He looked down at his feet, and before he could lift his head, someone nearby called out, "Whoa, whose boyfriend is waiting? So flashy!"

Lin Haoda naturally didn't think it had anything to do with him, so he just smiled along and kept walking out.

The deep winter air was moist and biting, the wind slapping his face with a desolate chill. Holding his scarf tightly, he couldn't even be bothered to look up, until a hand suddenly pulled him from behind, making him pause.

It was Tong Dong. She popped out from behind him like a bunny, calling "Team leader," telling him to wait.

It was terribly cold in the wind, and the other colleagues, seeing they had something to talk about, went on ahead. Tong Dong grinned, tugging Lin Haoda's arm, leading him down a few steps from the staircase, and then pointed for him to look at a tree in the distance.

There, a black car was parked, and clearly a figure stood in front of it—tall and straight, with a tiny red glow flickering at the tip of a cigarette.

Looking from the steps, the outline of that face was mostly hidden in the shadow of the extended branches, only roughly discernible as a very tall person, his aura seemed restrained, not deliberately showy.

Lin Haoda's heart inexplicably beat a little faster, step by step down the steps, his footsteps and pounding heartbeat syncing up like perfectly matched drumbeats. He walked over, and the closed car window reflected the sunset in the sky—the orange evening glow was so brilliant it seemed unreal, like something from a dream.

Only when Lin Haoda was standing right in front of him did Guan Junshan raise his hand, stubbed out the cigarette, step out from under the tree shade, and greet him: "Good evening."

A gust of wind blew, carrying the faint smell of tobacco from him—faintly spicy and bitter.

Lin Haoda sniffled, paused for two seconds, then let out a soft "Hmm," and looked up at him.

"Why are you here?"

He asked calmly, his voice betraying no emotion.

But Guan Junshan gave a leisurely smile, as if he had expected it: "I happened to be nearby on business, and when I finished around this time, I thought of you and came to see you."

In real life, that face was a thousand times more vivid than on a screen—perhaps because he had just won an award and was basking in his success.

The more at ease Guan Junshan seemed, the harder it was for Lin Haoda to put on a cold face. He just cleared his throat and explained, "I have to work overtime tonight."

If Guan Junshan wanted to have dinner with him, he naturally had to follow Lin Haoda's schedule.

But Guan Junshan lowered his eyes and looked at him, "I know."

He slipped one hand into his coat pocket, his demeanor gentle: "I asked Tong Dong before coming; she already told me."

Lin Haoda couldn't react in time, snapping his head up and meeting his eyes, "You—"

Guan Junshan acted as if he hadn't noticed, walking over a couple of steps to open the car door for him, "Eating fast food all the time is bad for your stomach. There's a decent Chinese restaurant nearby—I called ahead; it won't waste your time."

Lin Haoda had no idea when Guan Junshan had even managed to win over the people around him. He turned his head, his tone hardening unintentionally: "No need. Too much trouble."

Guan Junshan rested one hand on the car door, and the warm air from inside mixed with the car's air freshener scent, wafting gently, wafting into Lin Haoda's nose. After a few seconds of silence, he lowered his voice and continued to refuse: "Besides, I have colleagues... still waiting for me."

Then he turned to leave.

Suddenly, a faint, almost imperceptible sigh drifted on the wind. He ran fast, but Guan Junshan was quicker—with a bang, he slammed the car door and strode over to catch up.

They walked a short distance, finally stopping a few steps from the car. Guan Junshan raised his hand but didn't touch him, just hovering in the air.

"You don't need to avoid me." Guan Junshan put on the most upright and honest demeanor, open and aboveboard. "It's just a meal; it's nothing."

Lin Haoda buried his chin in his scarf, rubbing the tip of his nose against the short fleece, leaving only his eyes exposed—moist and innocent, like a deer. Now that it had come to this, any more excuses would only make him seem guilty, but so what if he felt guilty? Guan Junshan had never been one to know his boundaries.

The streetlights above flickered twice, turning on one by one. The dim yellow light mixed with a hint of purplish afterglow from the horizon outlined Guan Junshan's backlit profile with a blurry halo.

Lin Haoda's lips moved, about to speak, when Guan Junshan suddenly felt his pocket, grabbing his buzzing phone.

The screen was faintly lit, showing a number. Lin Haoda slightly turned his face away, but was immediately stopped.

"Look." Now Guan Junshan seemed full of confidence, shoving the phone toward him and shaking it. "It's the restaurant calling—must be urging us to go."

Lin Haoda had nothing to say, casting a glance, and could only let him answer it right in front of him.

Guan Junshan answered the phone while still fixing his eyes on Lin Haoda, making a series of "Mm-hmm" sounds before finally speaking: "Change the last dish to fish soup, make it fresh."

Some vague sounds came from the other end. Guan Junshan paused, then said, "Hold on."

He lowered the hand holding the phone slightly, his tone natural, looking at Lin Haoda: "What fish do you want? Carp or sea bass?"

Lin Haoda instinctively opened his mouth, met his eyes for a second, then stopped abruptly. After a few seconds of hesitation, he somewhat regretfully looked away.

Guan Junshan curled his lips. Even without getting the answer he wanted, his tone had become much brighter as he replied to the other party: "Sea bass, fewer bones."

He confirmed a couple more things about parking, then finally hung up.

The sky gradually darkened, and the temperature dropped. Two figures still stood by the roadside, their shadows stretched by the streetlights and overlapping.

"The dishes are almost ready." As Guan Junshan spoke, a faint white mist came out. He said quietly, "If it's any later, it'll be stewed too long."

It was the first time someone had used such an excuse to take him away. Though the reasoning was weak, Lin Haoda was silent for a moment, then turned and walked toward the car.

He got into the warm, pleasant car, greeted by an unfamiliar blend of fruity and woody scents. Guan Junshan followed, buckled up, and locked the doors and windows.

As the car was starting up, Lin Haoda tried to make small talk, since now that he had agreed to this meal, he didn’t want to come across as reluctant or unwilling to exchange even a single word.

So he casually asked, “Did you change the car fragrance?”

Guan Junshan seemed not to expect the question. He paused for a moment before replying, “Yeah.”

The vents were facing directly at him. Lin Haoda smelled the fresh new scent and was just about to say, “Doesn’t really seem like your style,” when Guan Junshan beat him to it.

He didn't look at Lin Haoda. He also didn't tell him that the last time he had left sheepishly, he had sat in the car smelling a fragrance he disliked the whole ride. Instead, in a very low and calm voice, he said, “Do you know that you have a very distinctive scent?”

“I spent a long time picking this one, and I thought it resembles it quite a bit.”

Then he quickly corrected himself, “But only a little, though.”