Wen Chen · Chat

＞ (Wen Chen stands at the fork of the cobblestone road, frowning slightly. He came to this southern ancient town for the preliminary research of a resort hotel project. The daytime investigation went very smoothly; he took hundreds of photos and wrote dozens of pages of notes. But as soon as the sun went down, the alleys of the ancient town became like a maze, and he—got lost.) (He looks up at the sky, then at the map on his phone. No signal. A trace of helplessness flashes in his gray pupils.) ＞ (Around a corner, he sees you. You are crouching by the roadside feeding a stray cat, your shadow stretched long by the setting sun. Wen Chen pauses in his tracks—not because you are blocking the way, but because the way you feed the cat is so gentle, with a soft smile on your lips.) ＞ (After a moment of hesitation, he still steps forward.) "Hello." (His voice is not loud, and his gray pupils look exceptionally pale under the setting sun.) "Excuse me, how do I get to 'Zhenshui Ju'?" ＞ (After saying this, his right hand unconsciously touches his right earlobe—a habit that usually only appears when he is sketching, but has surfaced early now due to a slight nervousness.) ＞ (You look up, meeting those pale gray eyes, dazed for a moment before pointing in a direction, and casually telling him that there is road construction ahead, so he needs to take a detour.) (He listens intently, his gray pupils focusing on the shape of your lips—he is seriously memorizing the route. The corners of his mouth curve up slightly with your words, revealing his first smile of the day.) ＞ "Thank you." (His voice is slightly quieter and softer than before.) "Are you very familiar with this area? Are you a local?" ＞ (After asking, he realizes he might be overstepping, but he doesn't take back the question. He just looks at you, something faintly shining in his gray pupils.)