Chapter 1292: Chapter 1292: The First Lady’s Journey of Study [11]
Tang Li leaned against the wooden door, gripping the handle tightly with her left hand. At this moment, it seemed like the only action that could help her manage the tumult of emotions inside her.
Song Baiyan spoke slowly first: "Not inviting me in for a seat?"
"..." Tang Li snapped out of it and immediately stepped aside.
Snow was falling outside, leaving wet marks where Song Baiyan’s leather shoes stepped.
Song Baiyan noticed this himself and turned his head to look at Tang Li. Only after a few seconds of silent exchange did Tang Li realize and stepped forward, saying: "I’ll find you some slippers."
She opened the shoe cabinet at the entrance and squatted down to rummage.
After a while, Tang Li finally pulled her head out of the cabinet: "Seems like there aren’t any."
Song Baiyan: "..."
But Tang Li quickly found a solution.
She opened the cabinet next to it and took out two trash bags, "Disposable shoe covers."
Song Baiyan looked at the slipper substitute in her hands, amused, and jokingly asked: "Is this your way of treating guests?"
"Who said that?" Tang Li opened one trash bag and placed it next to Song Baiyan’s foot: "Since you’re wearing disposable shoe covers, of course, the service will be thorough."
The leather shoes were slipped into the trash bag, and Tang Li expertly tied a knot.
Before she could finish tidying up, she was pulled up.
Song Baiyan looked her over carefully, noticing the dark circles under Tang Li’s eyes, "Saying you’re busy isn’t just an excuse, you’ve even got dark circles."
Tang Li: "..."
"Instead of hinting I look ugly, why not just say it outright?"
Dark circles mean one looks weary, and people tend to age ten years when they look tired.
She decided to retract her previous praise of Song Baiyan’s eloquence.
Song Baiyan’s smile deepened, his large hand gently touched her eyelids, his words full of affection: "Who said dark circles can’t be attractive? Like a panda, wouldn’t it be so adorable without them?"
Tang Li: "..."
The problem is—
Is she a panda?
Does her physique relate to a panda?
Moreover, a panda consumes tens of pounds of bamboo shoots a day.
Tang Li had reason to suspect Song Baiyan was subtly implying she had gained weight.
With that thought, what was initially a rare guest seemed on the verge of becoming an uninvited one.
Song Baiyan stopped teasing her and just asked: "Do you have other plans for tonight?"
Tang Li had just returned from her advisor this afternoon.
After finishing up her project, the advisor gave her a two-day break.
So, there’s nothing planned for today or the next three days.
But because she had been on the losing side a moment ago, she couldn’t help but play hard to get: "Yesterday, Frida invited me over to her place to watch a movie at 9 PM."
Song Baiyan raised his left wrist and glanced at his watch: "So that means you’ll have to leave in an hour and a half."
Tang Li didn’t say yes, nor did she deliberately deny it.
She led the ’guest’ upstairs to her room, shut the door, and finally voiced her suspicion: "Are you here in Norway for a state visit?"
"After visiting Finland, I thought I’d drop by."
Such a spontaneous visit from Song Baiyan was naturally different from that of ordinary people.
If arrangements weren’t made with Norway, how else could the presidential plane from S country enter Norwegian airspace?
With him at her door, it meant the visit arrangements were in place.
However, Song Baiyan wasn’t intent on discussing official business, so Tang Li didn’t press further. She picked up her mug, walked to the water dispenser, and poured a cup of hot water for Song Baiyan.
Turning back with the mug in hand, Tang Li saw Song Baiyan’s eyes roaming around the room.
As her gaze followed his, landing on the bean bag chair, she spotted three pairs of socks sitting unwashed. Tang Li’s cheeks warmed; she put the mug down, moved forward to pick up the six socks, and stuffed them into the desk drawer.
Straightening up, she somewhat proudly declared: "All gone."
This kind of clumsy cover-up was both amusing and ironic.
"No help cleaning up every day?"
"I clean my room myself."
Her desk was piled with various project materials, so it’s not convenient for others to tidy. She’d suffer if things got misplaced.
"Actually, it isn’t that messy." Tang Li defended herself.
Before she finished speaking, Song Baiyan, having shed his coat, was already bending down to fold the quilt.
Tang Li: ...Alright, pretending she didn’t just say that.
She was just a bit overwhelmed with her studies.
Seeing Song Baiyan tidy up her bed, Tang Li reciprocated by taking his coat off the chair and hanging it on the standing rack.
Out of the blue, Song Baiyan asked: "Where does Frida live? Shall I take you there later?"
With her husband here in Oslo for the first time, Tang Li obviously wouldn’t simply run off for leisure.
Besides, she was just blurting out an excuse earlier.
So she changed her mind without any guilt: "I haven’t finished, Frida invited me to watch movies, but I didn’t actually agree."
Song Baiyan straightened up, looking at someone whose words and actions didn’t match, his eyes filled with humor, his voice smooth: "Not going to the movies, are you ready to spend the evening with me then?"
The blunt insinuation made Tang Li’s ears turn red.
She moved to the bed, tugged at a corner of the quilt, "I don’t have any other plans anyway."
As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Moreover, this was the first time Song Baiyan, as her family, came to visit her.
The significance was different than her flying back home.
More importantly—
Song Xiaohua wasn’t here.
So, tonight was their world for two.
Just lacking a box of contraceptives.
She needed to stay in Norway for another half a year; getting pregnant during this time would be a disaster.
But there’s a pharmacy less than 500 meters from her residence, popping an occasional short-term pill wouldn’t be a problem.
With plans set in her heart, Tang Li asked: "Are you leaving tonight?"
Song Baiyan replied: "Tomorrow morning."
Saying this, he asked if Tang Li had a long down jacket.
Tang Li didn’t lack down jackets.
After she nodded, Song Baiyan continued: "Then get your down jacket on, accompany me to a place."
"Where to?" Tang Li asked as she pulled on her coat.
Seeing the girl in the coat looking like a silly goose, Song Baiyan casually grabbed a woolen hat from the closet and placed it on Tang Li’s head, a bit mysteriously: "You’ll see when we get there."
Was he planning to take her to a motel?
She had never stayed in a room with a man outside before.
Not even with Song Baiyan.
Although she felt it was a bit improper, trying it out wouldn’t be impossible.
Stepping out, Tang Li found a Mercedes-Benz GLC-AMG parked by the roadside.
As He Wei handed the car keys to Song Baiyan, Tang Li realized he meant to drive himself, and as she was about to speak, Song Baiyan seemed to know her thoughts, explaining: "He Wei and the others will follow, not staying far."
Tang Li relaxed, and once inside the car, she noticed Song Baiyan was driving towards the outskirts.
About half an hour later, the Mercedes SUV stopped at a woodland lake.
Looking around, an empty night sky stretched above.
Tang Li hadn’t really been to secluded places during her time in Oslo.
Standing by the lake, with fingers invisible in the darkness, she was about to ask about the purpose of coming here, when out of the corner of her eye, a bright light streaked across the night sky.
Soon followed by a second, a third...
Colorful, dazzlingly magnificent.
Realizing it was the northern lights, Tang Li refocused her gaze on the distant horizon.
The northern lights were not visible from the Oslo city center.
Indeed—
Northern lights were rare in Oslo.
Yet at this moment, they appeared right before her eyes.
The next moment, her gloved left hand was gently held.
"Norway’s Prime Minister said this place has had northern lights for several consecutive years, didn’t disappoint."
Upon hearing this, Tang Li’s lips curled into a smile.
She turned, placing a kiss on Song Baiyan’s cheek.
"Thank you."
Song Baiyan smiled faintly: "Thank me for what?"
For many things.
Tang Li silently replied in her heart.
Looking back at the northern lights, she also leaned her head against Song Baiyan’s shoulder.
In this place close to the end of the world, words were no longer necessary.
——
Goodnight!
