Insufficient balance

  In December, Fuzhou was not as cold as Beijing and Tianjin in the north where snowflakes were falling, but it was no longer a weather that allowed people to wear thin shirts and short sleeves. Chen Jingyun himself was wearing a military uniform with a woolen coat on top. But Lin Yun in front of him was wearing a slightly cool silk dress, even her arms were exposed.

  Chen Jingyun still remembered the last time he saw her, the weather was not as cold as it is now, but she was already wearing a thick red fox fur cape, which made Chen Jingyun think that her body was not very good and afraid of the cold.

  After walking a few steps, Chen Jingyun spoke up: "It's so cold outside, why aren't you inside the house?"

  Lin Yun's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she was about to speak, but then Chen Jingyun continued, "It's so cold outside, if you catch a chill, it won't be good!"

  Only when he said this did I realize that he was worried about himself, and the defensive thoughts in his heart just now instantly disappeared.

  Lowering his head and answering in a low voice: "My mother is not here today, there's no one at home!"

  When she heard this, Chen Jingyun finally understood why she had insisted on meeting in the pavilion in the backyard on such a cold day. It turned out that since Mrs. Lin was not around, it would be inappropriate for the two of them to stay in one room together as an unmarried couple, despite being engaged. After all, they were still not married, and rumors and gossip needed to be avoided. Even if Chen Jingyun didn't care, she was a girl with a thin face after all.

  "Why don't you wear a few more!" Chen Jingyun had already taken off his overcoat and walked up to her side, putting it on her.

  Lin Yun was about to respond to Chen Jingyun's words, but instead saw him take off his coat and put it on her before she could react. In that instant, a strange feeling surged up in her heart. It was sweet, embarrassing, and shocking, and for a moment, Lin Yun's thoughts were like a child knocking over a jar of honey.

  The original words couldn't be said, instead I somehow blurted out: "I want you to see me wear it!"

  Chen Jingyun was taken aback for a moment, then remembered what he had said to her before, that he wanted to see her wear some retro-style clothes, and at the time Lin Yun had also promised to wear them for him. It was just an offhand remark back then, but unexpectedly she had remembered it and was now standing in the cold wind wearing them for him to see.

  There was a moment when he was so moved that he couldn't speak.

  For two lifetimes, although he had liked many women, Chen Jingyun still didn't believe in the word "love" deep down. His previous self had stubbornly thought that so-called love between men and women was just a term humans came up with to justify their carnal desires. Although there were countless examples of so-called love in movies and TV shows, Chen Jingyun hadn't encountered a single real-life example. What he mostly saw were couples who got together due to circumstances and would fly the coop when disaster struck. Occasionally, some couples could last long, but it was only because they had gotten used to each other and couldn't bear to be apart, not because of love or affection, just habit. This was similar to how an old lady who raised cats couldn't bear to part with them.

  But the kind of love that can make one's heart skip a beat, for which one would live and die, Chen Jingyun had never heard of, never seen, and even more so, never experienced.

  So stubborn Chen Jingyun today but is to find that his heart was in the previous moment in a fierce jump, without warning, came like lightning, let his heart fiercely jumping, even for a moment he suspected whether he had a heart attack.

  Chen Jingyun took several deep breaths and tried his best to calm himself down.

  Lin Yun felt that Chen Jingyun was a bit strange now, and he was completely different from the one she saw last time. The first time she saw Chen Jingyun, he gave her an impression of being like a heroic figure in a novel, whether it was his speech or movements, all exuding a feeling that made people almost look up to him.

  But today, Chen Jingyun started out okay, but when he took off his coat and put it on himself, Lin Yun felt that the man in front of her didn't seem like the one she imagined who led tens of thousands of troops to reclaim Fujian and co-founded the Southern Republican government with many Tongmenghui gentlemen. When she saw him breathing rapidly and avoiding eye contact, looking elsewhere, she began to suspect whether this Chen Jingyun was still that Chen Jingyun.

  Chen Jingyun naturally didn't know that his unintentional action, caused by the sudden heartbeat, had given Lin Yun a new impression of him. At this moment, Chen Jingyun wasn't even looking at Lin Yun like he did before, but instead turned his gaze elsewhere, calming himself down after counting his breaths before turning back to look at her.

  "Very beautiful!" Chen Jingyun: "Did you make it yourself?"

  Lin Yun nodded: "Mm, I've always liked making all sorts of different clothes, but those are usually not suitable for going out and can only be worn at home!"

  "Oh?" Chen Jingyun didn't expect that Lin Yun also liked designing clothes, and if she were to say it in the future, she might even become a fashion designer. At this moment, he also became interested: "Have you designed many?"

  "There are many!" Lin Yun said: "I usually wear what I make myself!"

  "Why can't others wear it out, I think the one you're wearing is quite good?" Chen Jingyun was somewhat puzzled, looking at the two dresses she had worn before. Although they were different from the current young women's attire, they were quite similar to the late Ming dynasty attire, which was also popular after the Xinhai Revolution. Recently, it has been possible to see many people wearing Ming-style clothing, and Lin Yun's clothes should not be considered unwearable.

  Lin Yun Dao: "I used to wear it before, but after Mother told me many times, I stopped wearing it outside."

  It seems like she felt what she said wasn't convincing enough, so Lin Yun added: "Come on, I'll take you to see!"

  Following Lin Yun, Chen Jingyun could clearly feel the youthful aura emanating from her. The light and quick footsteps unique to young girls made Chen Jingyun feel good, and he even felt that continuing like this would be a great thing.

  Unfortunately, Chen Jingyun thought so, but the journey always has an end. Before long, the two arrived in front of a pavilion. Chen Jingyun looked around and found that the place he came to was a bit different from other places. At this time, the little maid beside Lin Yun had already opened the door. When Lin Yun stepped inside first, Chen Jingyun also took a peek inside. His eyes were quite good, and almost at a glance, he saw that the furnishings of the house had a feminine touch.

  This should be her boudoir!

  Chen Jingyun was really surprised at this time. According to what he had seen and heard over the past few months, although the atmosphere between men and women in this era had become more open, it was still far from reaching the level of later generations, especially among aristocratic families. The separation between men and women was still very strict, and for a girl to take a boy into her boudoir was a big deal.

  Fortunately, he and Lin Yun had already formally engaged, just lacking a formal wedding. So Chen Jingyun simply walked in with his feet up.

  But when Chen Jingyun went in, Lin Yun seemed to have thought of something and suddenly blushed. However, she was a clever woman and quickly found a topic to shift Chen Jingyun's strange gaze away from her face.

  "Look, these are all the things I've done this year!" Lin Yun said as she walked over to a large wardrobe against the wall and pulled it open.

  What entered her eyes was a dazzling array of clothes in various styles, with at least dozens of pieces: "Did you make all of these?" Chen Jingyun couldn't help but think that this girl's hands were incredibly dexterous, and she had made so many clothes in just half a year. However, when he looked at her fingers before, they were white and tender, not like those of a woman who worked day and night with needles and threads.

  When Chen Jingyun asked this question, Lin Yun was a little embarrassed: "It's not all me, I drew the pattern and let the maids do it together!"

  Chen Jingyun listened and suddenly looked enlightened: "I knew it, you're a designer, but saying you're a tailor is absolutely impossible!"

  Lin Yun felt a bit ugly after listening, and then changed the subject: "I've only worn many of these for a short while!"

  Chen Jingyun looked at the pile of clothes made of thin fabrics such as voile, then glanced at Lin Yun beside him, and his mouth corners slightly curved up: "Try them on for me to see!"

  Lin Yun heard his words and felt a little shy, but thinking that she was almost married to him, trying on a few clothes for him wasn't a big deal. This wasn't some shameful thing from a novel! Besides, Lin Yun had said before that she would wear it for him to see, and today she had brought him to her boudoir with this intention in mind, so she nodded immediately.

  Although the cold wind was blowing outside today, Lin Yun's boudoir was warm and cozy like spring. After Lin Yun took off his overcoat, Chen Jingyun didn't seem to be shaking slightly as he did when he was outside. Under Chen Jingyun's gaze, Lin Yun and a little maid beside him hugged a big pile of clothes and walked inside.

  Inside and outside, although there is no door, but in the middle is being separated by a screen, and Chen Jingyun did not go so far as to run in to see people change clothes, although he was extremely eager to do so, but Chen Jingyun had not been dazzled by the beauty in front of him, could only hold back his temper and wait outside.

  Inside came the whispers, the maid and Lin Yun's voices were extremely soft, causing Chen Jingyun outside to not be able to hear what they were saying. Occasionally a faint laugh would come through, and in the middle of it all, Lin Yun let out a light "ah" cry, prompting Chen Jingyun to ask from outside if something had happened. From inside, Lin Yun replied: "Nothing!"

  After a while, the maid inside finally came out, with a smile on her face, and after glancing at Chen Jingyun, her face turned bright red, as if she was too shy.

  Chen Jingyun had no interest in the 13 or 14-year-old little girl, nor did he have the habit of raising a young loli for a few years before eating her. So, he pretended to be very serious and didn't glance at her sideways, but his mind was thinking of Luo Lian at home. The little girl seemed not too old either, was she 16 or 17? Hmm, Lin Yun's age was only 17 anyway. After a circle of wild thoughts, Chen Jingyun found that he really was an old cow eating tender grass...

  Just as he was lost in thought, Lin Yun stepped out with a gentle and leisurely pace.

  Chen Jingyun looked up and gazed into the distance, his face filled with surprise and delight, for a moment he was speechless.