novelaction Chapter 1437 Lin Shenjianyu: Unable to Speak
Chapter 1437 Lin Shenjianyu: Unable to Speak
Lin Junze sat opposite her, a dark gray casual suit jacket draped over the back of his chair, with a white shirt underneath. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, giving him a more relaxed and casual look, rather than a distant one.
He had drunk more than half of the black coffee in front of him, leaving a dark brown ring at the bottom of the cup. The smell of smoke on his body had long been diluted by the aroma of coffee, leaving only a faint woody scent, exactly the same as he remembered, yet seemingly with a touch more mellow with age.
A small round table separated the two, its tabletop made of solid wood with natural grain, the lines clearly visible in the light. The table wasn't wide, yet it acted like an invisible chasm, a metaphor for the decades they had missed each other.
The distance that was once so close has been stretched further and further by time due to the hesitation and concerns of those years. Now, even when we sit together again, breathing the same air, we always feel that there is something between us—the marks of time and the cowardice in our hearts.
The café was not crowded; the few customers at the tables were either talking quietly or looking down at their phones, and no one noticed the silent couple.
The melody of jazz flowed through the air, making the quiet between the two even more apparent, yet without creating any awkwardness. They were no longer the naive and innocent people they once were; time had left its subtle marks on their faces and accumulated a wealth of stories in their hearts.
Lin Junze picked up his coffee cup, took a small sip, and the bitterness of the black coffee spread on his tongue, but it made his thoughts clearer.
He looked at Wang Yuran across from him. She was gently stirring her latte with a spoon, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyelids. Over the years, he had thought about her, but every time he picked up his phone, he hesitated to press the dial button.
It wasn't that he hadn't tried to find her; it was just that when he reached places where she might appear, he would subconsciously turn away. He knew she wasn't married, just as he knew he wasn't married; this tacit understanding permeated all the years they had missed each other.
"The latte at this shop is pretty good," Wang Yuran broke the silence first, her voice soft and deliberately casual.
She looked up, meeting Lin Junze's gaze, a hint of a smile in her eyes, but she didn't dare look for too long, quickly shifting her gaze to the street outside the window. The sunlight outside was perfect, making the leaves gleam, and the occasional hurried pedestrian created a scene of tranquility.
“Yes, the black coffee is authentic too,” Lin Junze replied, his voice low and gentle. He followed her gaze to the window, paused for a moment, and then said, “I never expected you to become a legal aid lawyer. Back then, you said you wanted to be a commercial lawyer to help small business owners who were wronged to protect their rights.”
Mentioning her past ideals, Wang Yuran smiled, a smile tinged with both relief and helplessness: "People always change. After working as a commercial lawyer for several years and witnessing the cutthroat world of business, I find legal aid more meaningful. At least, it can genuinely help some people in need." She paused, then turned to Lin Junze, "And you? How did Gu Mingcheng arrange for you to come to Hong Kong?"
"I suppose it was... beyond my control." Lin Junze's eyes darkened, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness. "You know how deep the ties are between the Gu family and the Bai family. President Gu isn't feeling well, so I made this trip. I didn't expect you to come out so early today."
The two chatted on and on, from their first meeting years ago to their current lives; from their jobs to the movies they'd recently watched and the music they'd listened to. They talked for a long time, until the sunlight outside the window began to slant westward, casting long shadows on the table.
The conversation repeatedly drew closer to the deepest feelings in their hearts, only to be tacitly diverted time and again...
Wang Yuran knew that Lin Junze was unmarried and had never had another partner; Lin Junze also knew that Wang Yuran was unmarried and had always lived alone. This was something they both knew, and something that everyone who knew them felt sorry for.
It was an obvious thing, and both of them still had feelings for each other, but neither of them dared to take the first step, and neither dared to ask, "Have you still liked me all these years?" or "Have you really not liked me at all this year?"
No one dared to answer, "Yes, I've been waiting for you."
Back then, they missed out because of their naivety, their concerns, and their belief that there was plenty of time.
Now, they have shed their youthful naiveté and gained the weight of time. They have experienced too much and seen through too many people's hearts, but their feelings are still the same as they were back then. However, after decades of accumulation, the feeling they convey is no longer the same as it was back then.
The love I felt back then was passionate, impulsive, and a desire to possess it immediately; the love I feel now is profound, restrained, and born from a fear of losing it again...
Wang Yuran picked up her coffee cup, took a sip, and felt the warm liquid slide down her throat, but it couldn't dispel the timidity in her heart. She looked at Lin Junze, wanting to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She was afraid, afraid that her confession would shatter the current peace;
I'm afraid the answer I'll get won't be what I want; I'm even more afraid that even if we get together, the distance between us over the years won't last.
Lin Junze felt the same way. Looking at Wang Yuran's reddened eyes and her hesitant expression, he felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was blocking his heart.
He had rehearsed the reunion scene in his mind countless times, and thought countless times about telling her how he felt, but when the moment actually came, he just couldn't bring himself to say it.
He was afraid—afraid that he couldn't give her the happiness she wanted; afraid that his responsibilities would burden her; and even more afraid that she was no longer the girl who loved him back then.
The jazz music in the café continued, its melody still languid, but inexplicably tinged with melancholy. The two sat there, silence enveloping them once more, yet this silence was more powerful than any words, containing too much longing, too much regret, too much reluctance.
They were sitting right across from each other, and they both had each other in their hearts, yet it was as if they were separated by a vast distance, just one step away from the finish line, but they both tacitly chose to stay where they were.
The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and streetlights lit up one by one, casting a warm glow over the city.
Wang Yuran glanced at her phone and said softly, "It's getting late, I should go back." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice.
Lin Junze nodded, stood up, and picked up his coat from the back of the chair: "I'll take you."
The two walked out of the coffee shop side by side, and the wind chimes rang out again, as if drawing a brief comma to this unfinished reunion.
Pedestrians on the street were still hurrying by, and the evening breeze blew gently, carrying a hint of coolness, but it could not dispel the lingering resentment in their hearts.
They both knew that this time, their encounter wouldn't be like before, where they tacitly chose not to meet. But as for what the future held, neither of them knew, nor dared to think about it...