More Than Just Work

Jiang Chen’s gaze lingered on the viewfinder for a few seconds before he pressed the shutter.

Next, he pointed to a sun-drenched two-seater by the window.

“Go there, for the last shot,” he said. “Don’t bother posing. Just… pretend you’re waiting for someone, or lost in thought watching the street.”

Finally free from the pretense, Zhou Yi, as if a great burden had been lifted, immediately moved to the window seat and settled in.

Watching the occasional pedestrians, old bicycles, and dappled tree shadows on the street outside the window, for a moment, she truly felt her mind wander.

Jiang Chen held up his phone.

Through the lens, her sun-drenched silhouette was captured, head tilted slightly. A delicate curve of her neck emerged from the folds of her scarf, appearing serene and… beautiful. Surprisingly, she harmonized perfectly with the old-fashioned cafe.

He lingered for another two seconds before pressing the shutter.

“Done,” he announced, lowering his phone. He walked over, settling into the seat opposite her, then turned the screen towards her. He swiftly scrolled through the photos he’d just taken. “It’s good. We’ve covered pretty much every angle needed.”

Zhou Yi leaned in to look. Jiang Chen’s photography skills were indeed impressive; his compositions were meticulous, perfectly meeting the survey’s requirements.

The awkwardness she’d felt finally began to dissipate.

‘Perhaps… she had truly overthought things?’ Jiang Chen might simply be efficiently completing his task.

“Mhm, you covered everything,” she murmured, her quiet assessment a form of acknowledgment.

Jiang Chen hummed in response, his fingertips swiping across the screen a few times. A moment later, as if a thought had suddenly struck him, he spoke with a serious expression, “The survey photos are sufficient, but… for a couple out together, not taking a single joint photo seems a bit… unreasonable.”

“Huh?”

Before Zhou Yi could fully grasp the hidden meaning behind his words, Jiang Chen had already risen. With an utterly natural movement, he came to her side and sat on the armrest of her chair, right beside her.

The space on the seat instantly became cramped.

Zhou Yi could distinctly feel the warmth radiating from his waist and thigh, along with the clean, crisp scent of him, subtly mingled with the faint aroma of coffee.

The fragrance enveloped her.

“What are you doing?”

“Why are you dodging? We were holding hands the whole way here, weren’t we?”

“Th-that was unavoidable…”

Zhou Yi’s ears burned crimson, her voice fading to a whisper. “But this… this is too much.”

“Just cooperate for a moment, it’ll be quick,” Jiang Chen’s voice whispered close to her ear. His left hand was already raised, phone in hand, switched to the front-facing camera. “The more you try to hide, the more attention you’ll draw.”

Zhou Yi’s struggling movements involuntarily ceased.

Taking advantage of her pause, Jiang Chen naturally extended his right arm, wrapping it around her back. His hand rested lightly on her other shoulder, gently pulling her closer to him.

His face was quite close, and suddenly, two faces were framed within the phone screen.

Zhou Yi’s body instantly stiffened, a buzzing sound filling her mind. ‘This… this is too close!’

“Look at the camera.”

Click.

She reluctantly lifted her gaze to the phone screen.

“Smile, girlfriend.” His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, making Zhou Yi tremble. The tips of her ears flushed scarlet instantly.

“Now.”

Jiang Chen pressed the shutter, capturing the moment her eyelashes fluttered in alarm and her cheeks flushed crimson.

Click.

“This one won’t do,” Jiang Chen dismissed, his arm still wrapped around her, showing no intention of letting go. “It looks too much like a kidnapping.”

Zhou Yi felt like crying. ‘Wasn’t it?!’

“One more. Tilt your head a little closer to me.” Jiang Chen’s breath ghosted over her sensitive earlobe again, sending an indescribable shiver down her spine.

Then, the hand resting on Zhou Yi’s shoulder moved.

It slid along her stiff shoulder line, then gently cupped her chin, subtly turning her face towards him.

Their gazes were forcibly locked together at an incredibly close distance.

“Look at me.” His voice carried an irresistible magnetism. Zhou Yi was compelled to turn her head, her eyes colliding with his, which were now inches away.

In their depths, her flustered reflection was clearly visible, along with a hint of an intensity she couldn’t quite decipher.

“You…” She wanted to say something, to accuse him of going too far, to push him away. But the words caught in her throat, ultimately dissolving into a sharp, indrawn breath.

“Last one.”

Click.

“Is that… enough?”

Jiang Chen’s gaze lingered for a moment on the flushed corners of her eyes and her slightly parted lips.

“Yes, that’s enough.”

Only then did he slowly release her hand, returning to his seat opposite her. “It’s just work. Why so tense?”

‘It was just work,’ Jiang Chen internally defined his actions.

Beyond wanting to trigger more, clearer ‘memory fragments’ through intimate contact to piece together his perplexing past… more than that, he simply wanted to see her flustered.

She looked particularly amusing.

And particularly… adorable.

So adorable, in fact, that he couldn’t resist teasing her a little more, wanting to see her blush, her ears burn, her eyes dart away, looking like she wanted to flee but dared not.

Yet, he also knew that this level of teasing had reached its peak. Any further, and he might genuinely scare her away. If she fled, the loss would be immense.

Therefore, it was best to stop while he was ahead and quit while he was winning.

He picked up his phone, opened the photo album, and scrolled through the few joint pictures he had “tricked” her into taking.

The screen’s light reflected on his face as he swiped through them, his gaze lingering on each photo for a few seconds.

In the photos, his expression was normal, even bearing a deliberately gentle smile.

She, on the other hand, transitioned from initial fright and stiffness, to flustered helplessness during their forced eye contact, and finally, in that last shot, her cheeks flushed, eyelashes trembling as she looked at him…

Every single one was quite beautiful.

That last one… the way she looked, and the delicate curve of her slightly upturned neck…

The screen dimmed, then brightened again.

That ambiguous photo, a silent declaration in itself, now lay quietly beneath all the application icons.

Zhou Yi was now slumped in her chair, gasping for breath. Her face was burning, and her heart still pounded erratically.

She gazed at Jiang Chen’s calm, unruffled face, a surge of immense grievance and confusion welling up within her.

‘How could he… how could he act so nonchalant after doing something like that?!’

‘So, was she truly overthinking it? What on earth was she getting so flustered about then?’

To suppress the turmoil raging within her, she picked up the half-cooled Americano and took a large gulp.

“…It’s so bitter.”

Jiang Chen glanced at the time, then put his phone away. “Alright, that’s enough. Let’s go.”

Next, they needed to visit the nearby commercial district and residential areas.

Beyond the target cafe itself, they also had to ascertain the foot traffic, customer demand, surrounding environment, and competitive landscape of the neighborhood.

This division of labor was based on Zhou Yi’s suggestion: Han Yan would first survey the surroundings, while they focused on the cafe’s interior. Afterwards, they would switch roles to gather observation samples from different time slots.

Upon hearing Jiang Chen’s words, she silently nodded and stood up.

But just as she took a single step, not even fully out of the booth, a warm hand reached out again, incredibly naturally, and took hers.