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墨書 Inktalez
Chen Shanni's words were not said casually. On her way to the airport, the car she was in indeed brushed past the car that Autumn Wind was in, and the two cars drove side by side for quite a while. Chen Shanni had waved to Autumn Wind to greet her. However, at that moment, Autumn Wind was in a daze and did not notice Chen Shanni who had been waving at her.
The reason for Autumn Wind's daze can be traced back to Leo taking Ina back to Pingtung.
After Autumn Wind and Leo met Qiu Ruolan, Leo resolutely decided to take Ina to visit his hometown in Pingtung the very next day. Leo's excuse was to pay respects to Grandma and visit the old house. But Autumn Wind knew very well that Leo was doing this not only to escape some memories he did not want to face but also because he was trying to find a way to truly accept Ina as a woman.
However, it seemed that their trip to Pingtung was not very pleasant, as Leo called Autumn Wind in a lethargic state on the afternoon they arrived.
At that time, Autumn Wind was sitting in the Fish Store, idly waiting for customers to come in, so Leo's call naturally became the best way for her to pass the time.
Yet, Leo's call did not lift Autumn Wind's spirits because his tone was so sorrowful that it could make one cry. His words revealed his unwillingness and helplessness, and after just a few sentences, he would let out a heavy sigh.
Faced with Leo's confessions, Autumn Wind did not know what to say. Wasn't that memory of Pingtung also her regret? Finally, after Leo sighed again, she interrupted his lamenting with an extremely unnatural high-pitched tone, saying, "Don't be so down... try to be happy... Are you guys staying in a nice place?"
Autumn Wind's loud words interrupted Leo's sorrowful mood. He fell silent for a moment, realizing he could not remember what he wanted to say next and could only answer Autumn Wind's question, "Um... the place we are staying is nice..."
At that moment, a customer entered the store, prompting Autumn Wind to interrupt Leo again: "Not now... there's a customer... I have to hang up..."
"Customer... where are you?" Leo did not know that Autumn Wind worked in the Fish Store.
"In the Fish Store... come visit when you have time... it's great here... I have to hang up now..."
"Uh-huh..." Leo replied absentmindedly.
Inviting Leo to visit the Fish Store was originally just a polite remark from Autumn Wind out of boredom. To her surprise, Leo took it seriously. After this call ended, on the third day—when Chen Shanni encountered Autumn Wind on her way to the airport—Leo actually showed up at the Fish Store.
However, when Leo arrived, Fish was not in the store; she was at a convenience store waiting in line to buy coffee, as the new rewards were quite appealing to her.
At that moment, Autumn Wind was holding Fish's one-year-old son Oke, who could not yet speak, while browsing online shopping out of boredom.
Since Xu Zhongyao was exposed for being extremely close with his female assistant, the family war between Fish and Xu Zhongyao had never ceased. With gossip reporters fanning the flames, the conflict escalated until it even affected their nanny; unable to bear their arguments any longer, the nanny resigned. Consequently, Oke had no one to look after him. Reluctantly, Fish had no choice but to bring him to the store. However, Fish seemed not at all fond of her role as a mother; she still acted like a child herself. Thus, the responsibility of taking care of Oke fell on Autumn Wind.
Oke was an adorable child who never cried or fussed while drinking milk. Whenever someone came in to browse clothes, he would stare intently with wide eyes. His long eyelashes resembled those of his mother Fish. Oke was actually an easy-to-satisfy child; as long as you put a bottle in his mouth, he would quietly stay beside you.
When Leo entered, Oke had already finished his milk and was happily playing in the stroller. Leo gently stroked Oke's head, and the melancholy on his face surprisingly disappeared.
Seeing the change in Leo, Autumn Wind mistakenly thought he really liked children, so he picked Oke up from the stroller, intending to hand him over to Leo. However, Leo jumped back as if shocked by electricity, saying, "I don't want to touch such a young boy!"
Autumn Wind shot him a disdainful look. "Young? Boy? Hey... you're about to get married... becoming a dad is just a matter of time..."
"I don't want to be a dad... I really want to continue being carefree for a few more years..." Leo muttered, glancing around the entire shop.
During lunchtime, there were almost no customers in the shop. Leo found a chair and sat with his back to the door, facing Autumn Wind. He cautiously picked up a cartoon pen that had been hard to come by on the table and said, "They still sell these pens in Taipei? Is it yours? So nostalgic!"
"That's not mine... I don't like those things. This actually is..." Autumn Wind deliberately left his sentence unfinished, gently shaking his head. After glancing at Leo's face, his gaze fell on Oke, who was peacefully asleep.
Leo shrugged and sighed. His eyes wandered aimlessly, resembling a handsome prince from a comic book. He sighed again, "I thought you would insist... I didn't expect you to give up too!" Suddenly, disappointment flickered in his eyes, piercing Autumn Wind's heart like arrows.
Autumn Wind knew he was referring to Qiu Mowen. He dared not look at him any longer; the desolation and sadness on Leo's face made Autumn Wind unable to help but doubt whether he had done something wrong to him. Autumn Wind pondered and wanted to find a reason for that battle he didn't consider giving up on. "I haven't given up; it's just that he found someone better!" At that moment, the part of Autumn Wind's heart that belonged to Liu Jian began to ache faintly. It felt unfair to Liu Jian, so he added, "Actually, I've found someone more suitable for me too!"
Leo let out a long sigh with a hint of bitter laughter and shrugged at Autumn Wind. "Really? You found a substitute? Unlike me, your genuine article and substitute are of the same gender?"
"Don't say that; I'm not just looking for someone; I'm looking for love..." Autumn Wind argued.
Before Autumn Wind could finish, he was interrupted by Leo, who frowned with disdain. "Don't be so high-minded; I'm just asking you why you would betray my expectations... You're going to continue with Ervin! Ah, my hopes have just been ruined by you!" He exaggeratedly opened his arms as if wanting to embrace Autumn Wind.
"Enough already! Why do you treat me as your hope without my consent?" Autumn Wind retorted, leaning forward with his hands resting between his legs.
At that moment, a sharp female voice came from outside: "Oh you, Autumn Wind... how dare you date a pretty boy behind Jaes' back! Come on now, get closer and I'll kiss you!"
Accompanied by the voice, Autumn Wind first looked up at Yu holding four cups of coffee and then carefully examined the almost frozen posture between himself and Leo—one with arms wide open and the other leaning forward—indeed resembling an impending romantic moment.
Autumn Wind withdrew his hands and crossed them over his chest. "Don't ruin my reputation... look who this is!" As he turned slightly, Leo came fully into view before Yu.
Yu's face quickly turned pale as she glanced at Oke lying in the stroller. After staring blankly for a few seconds, tears unexpectedly streamed down her face.
Autumn Wind knew Yu would have some extraordinary reaction upon seeing Leo but did not expect her response to be so intense that it left him feeling shaken.
At this moment, Leo stood up, smiling as he walked towards the fish. He gently patted the fish, which casually slid into Leo's embrace. Her hand, holding a coffee cup, looked extremely awkward.
Autumn Wind, who had been well-trained by Qiu Ruolan, immediately rushed to the door and blocked it with her body. Even if someone passed by or took a photo, they wouldn't be able to capture the fish's face.
The fish curled up in Leo's arms for a long time until Oke beside them let out a cry, prompting them to separate. Autumn Wind quickly walked over to the cart and picked up Oke, then stared wide-eyed at Leo and the fish, her brows furrowed and lips trembling. "You... Oke is..."
"What have we done... It's been a long time since we've seen each other... so we're excited..." The fish placed the coffee cup on the table, then took a tissue to wipe her tears while smiling. "What... just because you and Leo have a good relationship, we can't hug?"
"But..." Autumn Wind continued to look around cautiously, fearing the appearance of paparazzi.
"But what... Don't worry, I'm not afraid of any paparazzi at all... Don't worry about me..." The fish brushed her bangs back and handed Leo a cup of coffee. "Autumn Wind, you should have some too..." She hadn't looked at Oke even once.
While comforting Oke, Autumn Wind moved further into the shop from the entrance. Finally, she stood opposite Leo. As Autumn Wind scanned Leo and Oke in turn, she suddenly realized a serious issue.
From this angle, Oke in her sleep bore some resemblance to Leo, especially their closed mouths, as if they were carved from the same mold. Upon noticing this, Autumn Wind couldn't help but shiver slightly. She exhaled softly and carefully compared Leo and Oke.
Autumn Wind vaguely felt that she might have missed something.
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