Yingqu Liuzi was pampered by her wealthy daddy.

On Saturday afternoon, Shen Yu'an received a message from Xize.

Are you free this afternoon?

Shen Yu'an was painting in the living room when he saw the message, and his brush stopped. He put down his brush, picked up his phone, and typed: "I'm free."

"I'll pick you up at four o'clock. I'll take you for a walk by the river."

The riverbank. The Thames. Shen Yu'an has been in London for two years and has been to the riverbank many times, but she has never been there with Caesar.

He put down his phone, stood up, and walked to the wardrobe. What to wear? Lately, he'd been agonizing over this question every time he saw Xize.

Ever since admitting her feelings in front of the bathroom mirror, Shen Yu'an has been unable to face Xize with a normal attitude.

After rummaging through the clothes for a while, he finally chose a light gray thin sweater and a pair of dark casual pants. The round neck of the sweater revealed a small section of his collarbone, and the sleeves were a bit long, covering half of the back of his hand.

It looks soft and clean.

He looked in the mirror, then brushed his bangs aside with his hand, and then, feeling it was too deliberate, he messed up his hair a little.

At 4 o'clock sharp, the car downstairs arrived.

Shen Yu'an went downstairs and opened the car door. Xize sat in the back seat, not wearing a suit today, but a dark gray cashmere cardigan over a white shirt, with one button undone at the collar. His hair was also more casual than usual, with a few strands falling across his forehead.

Shen Yu'an sat down, and her heart started racing again.

Good afternoon, sir.

"Good afternoon." Xize glanced at him, his gaze lingering on his light gray sweater. "You're dressed very warmly today."

Shen Yu'an looked down at himself, his ears feeling a little hot: "Yeah, it's gotten cooler today."

The driver started the car and drove towards the Thames. Shen Yu'an looked out the window, her fingers gently clenching on her knees.

His mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts: whether the lighting was good today, whether the wind was strong by the river, and whether his sweater looked good enough.

The car stopped at the entrance to a walkway on the south bank of the Thames. This section wasn't crowded, and there were even fewer tourists. The view was expansive, with the Parliament House and Big Ben visible across the river.

Xize got out of the car first, then went around to the other side to open the car door for Shen Yu'an.

When Shen Yu'an came out, the river breeze was blowing.

The evening breeze was no longer biting, but carried the unique damp smell of the river.

He took a deep breath and felt his heartbeat calm down a bit.

Xize stood beside him, tilting his head slightly to look at him: "Let's go."

The two walked slowly along the riverbank.

The trail is wide, with the river on one side and a lawn and benches on the other. The evening light is beautiful, and the sun is setting.

The outline of Big Ben is clearly visible in the distance, its face reflecting light.

Shen Yu'an and Xize walked side by side, with about half a step between them.

Shen Yu'an looked at the river and thought to himself, "It's so beautiful."

He glanced furtively at the person next to him.

Nishizawa's profile appeared much softer in the light of the setting sun.

The usually sharp lines, high nose bridge, and neat chin all became warm under the golden sunset.

The wind blew his hair, and a few strands of deep golden hair floated up and fell down.

Shen Yu'an glanced at it and then looked away, his heart skipping a beat.

"Is it pretty?" Xize's voice came from the side.

Shen Yu'an was startled: "Beautiful, the river is very beautiful."

Xize glanced at him sideways, a faint smile playing on his lips: "I was asking about the scenery."

Shen Yu'an's face flushed instantly. He thought Xize was asking him about looking at him, but it turned out he was asking about the scenery.

"...The scenery is beautiful too," he whispered, his ears burning.

Xize didn't say anything more, but slowed down his pace so that Shen Yu'an could keep up.

After walking for a while, Shen Yu'an saw a row of benches by the river, facing the direction of the setting sun, a very good location.

Xize saw it too: "Want to sit for a while?"

Shen Yu'an nodded.

The two sat down on the bench. The bench was made of wood, and the green paint had faded a bit from the wind, but it was very stable to sit on.

Shen Yu'an sat neither too close nor too far from Xize, but the bench itself was not wide, and the gap between the two of them was only the width of a hand.

The sun sank a little lower. The sky changed from gold to orange.

The river surface was still golden, but as the sun continued to set, that gold color gradually darkened.

Shen Yu'an remained silent. He gazed at the Parliament Building across the river, watching the spire of Big Ben become a silhouette against the sky, and felt that the moment was too quiet, so quiet that he dared not utter a sound.

It was so quiet that he could hear himself and Caesar breathing.

It was so quiet that he felt something was slowly flowing between them.

"Are you cold?" Caesar asked.

Shen Yu'an shook his head. He really wasn't cold; the wind was light today, and his sweater was thick. But he felt Xize's hand reach out and gently touch the back of his hand.

The hand was quickly withdrawn, as if just to check his temperature.

But the small spot on the back of Shen Yu'an's hand that was touched felt warm, a warmth that went straight to his heart.

He looked down at his hands. His fingers curled slightly and then relaxed. A voice inside him said, "Grasp them back, like you did when you had a fever that day." But he didn't move.

He was too timid. He was afraid that if he grabbed it, Xize would pull it back. He was afraid that the hand was just polite concern, and not something else.

"Xiao An." Xize's voice suddenly softened.

Shen Yu'an turned to look at him.

Xize was looking at the river without turning his head. His profile was bathed in the warm glow of the sunset, and his grey-blue eyes reflected the golden light from the river.

Shen Yu'an waited for two seconds, then did not continue.

"gentlemen?"

Xize was silent for a few seconds, then turned his head and looked at Shen Yu'an.

Those grey-blue eyes held the light of the river, the afterglow of the setting sun, and something else that Shen Yu'an couldn't understand.

"...It's nothing," Xize said, his voice a little lower than before, "I just wanted to call out to you."

Shen Yu'an's heart skipped a beat.

He quickly shifted his gaze back to the river, not daring to look at Xize again. But he knew his ears must be red, because his cheeks were burning, and even the base of his neck was hot.

A river breeze blew by, carrying the scent of water and a hint of distant flowers. Shen Yu'an's hair was ruffled by the wind, a few strands of bangs sticking to his forehead, but he didn't bother to brush them aside.

Because he dared not move, he was afraid that if he moved, his wildly beating heart would leap out of his throat.

The sun sank further down. The sky changed from pinkish-purple to a mix of light and dark blue. The streetlights were still out, and twilight descended like a thin mist, turning everything a warm gray.

Shen Yu'an sat on the bench, with Caesar Leicester beside her. Across the river stood London's most famous landmark, and overhead, the April sunset shone brightly.

He suddenly realized that this was the most beautiful scenery he had ever seen in his life.

It's not because the Thames is really that beautiful.

It's because of the person sitting next to me.

Shen Yu'an turned her head and secretly glanced at Xize again. Xize was still looking at the river, relaxed, with his long legs crossed and one hand on his knee.

The golden rays of the setting sun fell upon him, softening his features.

Beautiful. Really beautiful. More beautiful than the river, more beautiful than the sunset.

Shen Yu'an withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

He said softly, "Sir, thank you for bringing me here."

The sound wasn't loud; the river breeze dispersed some of it. But Xize heard it.

He turned his head to look at the boy beside him who had his head down. The light gray sweater looked soft in the twilight, and his hair was ruffled by the wind.

Xize looked at him for several seconds, then spoke in a very soft voice.

"Come again often."

Four words. Not a promise, not anything important, just a casual remark.

But Shen Yu'an's heart started racing again.

I'll come often from now on.

He repeated those two words to himself several times, then buried his face in his sweater collar, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

"Mm," he said, his voice muffled by his collar, but clear. "Come again sometime."

The evening breeze blew across the Thames, and the sun had already sunk below the horizon.

The streetlights lit up at that moment, one after another, illuminating the riverbank, their warm yellow lights forming a line in the twilight.

Shen Yu'an and Xize sat side by side on a bench and watched the entire sunset.

No one spoke again.

But the distance between the two people was now half a hand's width closer than when they first sat down.

Shen Yu'an's hand lightly, almost imperceptibly, touched Xize's sleeve.

He did not move.

Neither did Xize nor others.