The calendar on Zhu Jingru’s nightstand was a sea of red. The past fourteen days were all marked with an “X.” Simply seeing each other wasn’t nearly enough. For two weeks, they had only exchanged a few, almost identical sentences.
“Good morning, what would you like to drink?”
“Alright.”
“Please enjoy.”
Bai Qinglin was a man of few words, aloof and polite. Even if their eyes met occasionally, he would naturally look away.
Zhu Jingru, however, thrived on this. He tapped the calendar slowly with the red marker between his fingers.
He circled the fifteenth day, symbolizing a new beginning.
The next morning.
The coffee shop was crowded, with a queue forming. It was a Monday morning, and the bustling pedestrian intersection was frequented by white-collar workers from the office buildings.
Among the crowd of black, white, and grey, Zhu Jingru was exceptionally eye-catching. His appearance and demeanor were unforgettable. His clothes were never the same, the colors varied, his style bold and avant-garde. He was also different from the office workers, never in a hurry, coming and going freely like a gust of wind.
And every evening, just before closing, they would receive a takeout order from the bar next door. The coffee ordered was identical to the one in the morning, making it easy to guess it was the same person.
As for the name, address, and phone number… Bai Qinglin had looked at them dozens of times and could now recite them from memory. Not only him, but everyone in the shop had a deep impression of this particular customer.
Bai Qinglin turned around, washed his hands clean, and prepared to make Zhu Jingru’s coffee. Moist droplets dripped from his long fingertips, then wiped clean with a handkerchief.
After a while, the coffee was sent over by the server. Bai Qinglin took off his apron and inadvertently glanced at Zhu Jingru, who was sitting by the window.
His posture was relaxed, his back slightly reclined, half his body bathed in the sunlight filtering through the glass window. The shadows in his eye sockets were quite deep. There were many handsome people, but his beauty didn’t seem like a product of civilized society. His demeanor was languid and casual, his features like a richly colored oil painting filled with mystery. Even with his eyes closed, he was strangely flamboyant.
It didn’t match the “ru” (scholarly, refined) character in his name.
This brief glance was impolite, and Bai Qinglin was about to look away.
However, the next second, Zhu Jingru opened his eyes and looked at him without warning.
Their eyes met silently for a moment.
Bai Qinglin’s expression remained unchanged.
Zhu Jingru first nodded politely at Bai Qinglin, then turned to look out the window, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, a small gesture he only made when he was in a good mood.
He had originally intended to count his heartbeats, but he lost track as he counted.
After Zhu Jingru left, Bai Qinglin reminded the server beside him, “Lower the heating temperature of the air conditioner.”
“Is it too hot?”
“Yes.”
Bai Qinglin didn’t feel hot, but when Zhu Jingru had turned to look out the window earlier, his left ear, adorned with two silver rings, seemed to have flushed.
After adjusting the temperature, the server wiped the used tables. When he reached the window seat, he discovered a ring.
“Shop Manager, this should be Mr. Zhu’s. He left quite a while ago.”
“He’ll come back for it when he realizes he’s lost it.”
“That’s true.” The server was quite familiar with Zhu Jingru and commented, “The clothes he wore today look really cool with this style of ring.”
“Don’t casually discuss the customers.” Bai Qinglin lowered his head and placed the ring in a wooden box by the counter, storing it safely until the owner came to retrieve it.
However, until 8:55 pm, when the coffee shop was about to close, the owner still hadn’t appeared. Instead, the takeout order arrived as scheduled.
The address was still the bar next door. With so many people around, it was necessary to mention the personal item.
After making the mocha, Bai Qinglin packed it up, sealed the ring in a paper bag before having the server deliver it, sending it along with the coffee.
Then he stood by the counter and dialed the number on his phone.
The call was connected quickly.
“Mr. Zhu, I’ve had the server deliver the ring you left at the shop.” Through the glass, Bai Qinglin saw the bright lights of the bar outside, almost able to glimpse the noise and bustle within.
The voice from the phone wasn’t noisy, but a languid tone that was pleasant to listen to, as if he had just woken up. “Thank you, Shop Manager Bai. I’ve been looking for it for a while. It turns out I left it at your shop. I apologize for the trouble.”
“No trouble at all. You’re welcome to come again.” Bai Qinglin didn’t like small talk.
The other party didn’t mind, “Definitely.”
At this moment, Zhu Jingru had parked his car outside the coffee shop. Yesterday, he had noticed that the landline phone at the counter was broken, and the Bluetooth speaker was playing a lingering love song.
He couldn’t help but smile. Contact information, how simple a matter.
