——Yundu Villa——
When Xie Yunji returned, Chu Zhao was painting in the studio.
Large swathes of water-blue spread across the canvas beneath her brush, looking like an extension of the sky or the ocean under a clear day.
Xie Yunji loosened his tie. By the time he reached Chu Zhao’s side, the air of indifference and sternness that usually surrounded him had vanished without a trace.
In its place was the relaxed, leisurely side of Xie Yunji that he only fully revealed when alone or in the presence of Chu Zhao.
Beside the low stool where Chu Zhao sat, there was no proper chair, only a soft, sage-green cushion.
Xie Yunji didn't mind; he simply sat down on the cushion.
Chu Zhao noticed his arrival from the corner of her eye, but her focus remained on the painting, so she didn't speak to him.
However, from the beautiful curve of her profile, one could clearly see the faint, soft arc that formed at the corner of her lips when Xie Yunji took his seat beside her.
Xie Yunji naturally noticed this, too.
A gentle warmth bloomed in his eyes. He stretched out his left leg, bent his right, and casually picked up a poetry collection Chu Zhao had left in the studio, beginning to read.
The two of them went about their own business in silence, yet the atmosphere was perfectly and wonderfully cozy.
…
Chapter 202