Those Steps We Walked Together

Chapter 6: Water entry steps on the banks of the Seine

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Based on ideas provided by Julia, the team's story design has begun to take shape.

Everyone decided to go home and start refining the details of the plot, sorting out their research notes, so that they could be handed over to Hugo for summarization.

And character design is also starting to be put on the agenda.

The creative aspect of characters is exactly what Cheng Kesong is not good at, so he decided to go for a walk by the Seine on Thursday, draw a picture of the steps that go deep into the water, and observe a lot of passers-by, looking for a design that may be eye-catching. point.

Surprisingly, he took the initiative to ask about Hugo.

"Do you want to come together tomorrow?"

Hugo blinked and smiled immediately: "Okay."

Since their story takes place at night along the Seine, they need to do a graphic research on the night scene of the Seine, so the two made an appointment to meet at Place de la Concorde on Thursday afternoon.

The days in Paris are always very long in summer, and it often becomes completely dark until after nine o'clock in the evening. This day also happened to be the summer solstice. Although the time agreed by the two of them was five o'clock in the afternoon, the sky still did not change, but the temperature was slightly lower than that of noon.

The breeze blew on the surface of the Seine, stirring up a dense layer of fine waves.

Cheng Kesong stood on the edge of the square near the Seine, and saw Hugo coming bathing in the sun from a distance.

Hugo wore a slightly fitted grey-green cotton short sleeve, khaki cropped harem pants, and a pair of extremely simple beach flip-flops. There was no belt on the waist of his trousers, but a long fabric belt. After tying it in a knot, the fringes at both ends dropped down to his knees and swayed slightly with his footsteps.

This belt is woven from many colored cloth strips of extremely high purity, and the colors are gorgeous, which is very conspicuous against the gray tone of his suit.

Around his neck was a colorful wooden decorative chain that echoed the colorful belt, and he hammered leisurely on his chest.

It was the first time that Cheng Kesong saw someone who could combine clean, fresh and exotic so ingeniously - Hugo's temperament has always been like this, his art is not pretentious, his personality is not eye-catching, just like a street performer in an alley in Paris with an accordion An impromptu serenade played with a light melody.

When Hugo approached, Cheng Ke Song realized that the other party had replaced the three diamond nails on his face with rubies.

"good afternoon."

Hugo greeted him with a bright smile, raised his hand and half wrapped his arms around Cheng Kesong's shoulder, and gave him a face-to-face salute.

Cheng Kesong immediately noticed that the perfume on his body had also changed, it was a little richer than before, with a slightly moist and deep smell of amber and musk.

"Let's walk along the Seine. Do you want to go to the Isle of Cité, or to the Eiffel Tower?"

Hugo tilted his head and asked.

Cheng Kesong didn't think about it for too long: "The iron tower, the iron tower in the night is always beautiful, and I haven't seen it for a long time."

Both of them had no problem with the itinerary, so they walked slowly westward along the footpath by the Seine.

There are many bridges over the Seine, as well as many steps that extend from the shore into the water.

These steps are often built face to face, and when you go down one side, you can see the stairs going up on the other side. The river water is not particularly clear, but you can also see four or five steps underwater through the water surface. The water surface swayed slightly, and small waves were shot on the stone surface where the steps entered the water.

Hugo sat down on the side rail of one of the steps and leaned down to look down at the reflection in the water.

"Actually, the Seine is not suitable for such a supernatural story. She is too conspicuous. Everyone comes to Paris and sees her for the first time. Whether you go to Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower, or even the Louvre. And it has always been here. The ship passed by, the commercial atmosphere was too strong, and the soul and redemption did not seem to be in the same channel."

There was concern in his tone.

"I think it doesn't matter." Cheng Kesong sat down at the top of the steps, put his feet on the stone slabs two steps below, and continued to speak.

"Look, our story takes place on the night of the full moon. On the night of the full moon, according to legend, anything can happen. At that time, there will be a full moon in the sky and a full moon in the water. Maybe It is at this time that a mysterious door will open between the two."

Hugo listened to Cheng Kesong quietly, looked at him for a long time, and suddenly smiled: "You are different from what I thought."

Cheng Ke Song didn't react for a while: "What?"

"I said you felt mysterious, like nothing could impress you. But now I realize I was wrong."

Hugo curled up one leg, put his chin on his knee, and looked at Cheng Ke Song with a smile.

"You are actually a very romantic person, there are many things that can move you, otherwise you would not be able to come up with so many beautiful stories. You are just a little passive, all your romantic feelings are hidden by you, very few Someone can see."

His tone was very gentle, and with the rhythm of the river's light lapping on the shore, it showed some lingering taste.

Cheng Ke Song was not used to being evaluated so directly, so he was a little embarrassed.

"I am very happy to have this opportunity to work with you to complete the weekly challenge." Hugo smiled.

"I'm also... very happy." Cheng Kesong said.

"Hey, just sit here and I'm going to paint a picture!"

With that said, Hugo suddenly jumped down from the sidebar above the steps and landed on the steps several steps lower than where Cheng Kesong was sitting.

"Be careful!" Cheng Kesong subconsciously got up to help.

Hugo leaned against the wall behind him and grinned: "It's okay!"

He took out the sketchbook from his bag, sat down on the steps below, and started sketching Cheng Kesong.

Cheng Kesong turned his head to look at the pedestrians coming and going on the sidewalk of the Seine River beside him.

There are many travelers on this road, and most of them are in a hurry, with the excitement of seeing the beautiful scenery on their faces for the first time. They are dressed in casual clothes, and some women even wear colorful big-brimmed hats, which are a bit out of tune with the local residents of Paris.

In fact, this is not a good observation point, but Cheng Kesong feels that the scenery here is very beautiful.

No matter the breeze or the sun, the fine spray on the steps is so delicate and small, even the tourist boat passing by the center of the Seine River in the distance makes him feel extremely cute.

And the big boy who was concentrating on drawing him.

Hugo happened to raise his head and collided with Cheng Kesong's gaze looking at him.

"Do you know that you are handsome?" Hugo asked suddenly.

Cheng Ke Song was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

He knew he wasn't the handsome type. His skin is a little dark, his facial features are very ordinary, and he has a pair of single eyelids. His nose is not very high and his lips are too thin.

He considers himself the type of person who is thrown into a crowd and instantly disappears.

Quite different from the Hugo who was destined to shine.

"You are very mysterious in the East, and you may never have noticed how charming your dark eyes are."

Hugo held the sketchbook on his chest, supported his chin with his right hand holding the pen, tilted his head and turned his face to look at Cheng Kesong.

Cheng Kesong's face was a little hot, he murmured a few times, and he said, "You are also very handsome."

"Me?" Hugo raised his eyebrows, and the cut surface of the ruby nail showed a splendid brilliance, "I can't be described as 'handsome' for my appearance. When they praise me, they always use 'beautiful'!"

Not at all humble.

Cheng Kesong felt it was right.

"Let's go and look for other steps."

Hugo stepped up on the slate, passed Ke Song by his side, stretched out his hand, and pulled him up from the ground.

The two stopped and walked along the Seine, drew close-up views of several steps, and sketched each other.

It was early seven o'clock, and the sky began to gradually darken.

The warm sunset hung in the sky, making a golden sparkle on the water of the Seine.

It is no longer suitable to continue painting under this light. Cheng Kesong and Hugo walked side by side by the Seine. The spire of the Eiffel Tower can already be seen in the distance, forming a silhouette against the setting sun.

"Have dinner together? There is a nice little restaurant nearby." Hugo suddenly said.

Cheng Ke Song naturally would not refuse.

It was indeed a small restaurant, and there was a circle of wrought iron outdoor tables under the awning outside the restaurant as usual. The setting sun slanted, coming far from the other side of the road, and shone on the dining table through the gap in the awning.

The two sat down at the small dining table outside.

"Good evening, gentlemen." The waiter quickly handed over the menu.

Cheng Kesong cautiously ordered a steak, and Hugo also chose the same.

"Have some wine?" Hugo asked with a smile.

Cheng Kesong's refusal made a circle around his mouth, and finally became: "Okay."

At restaurants in Paris, wine can be ordered by the glass. If you order a bottle of wine, the waiter will first pour a little into the quilt and let the customer taste it. When the customer is satisfied with the taste and taste of the wine, they will bring a new bottle to the customer. Customers can even request a sip of every wine in the store and choose their own wine to accompany them.

But neither of them are so hypocritical. Cheng Kesong ordered a glass of Bordeaux as usual, but Hugo chose pink wine.

"Have you ever eaten snails in Paris?" Hugo asked.

"I already tasted it on the first day I came here." Cheng Kesong said, "but I prefer its green garlic sauce to the snail itself."

“Bread slices dipped in green garlic sauce, delicious!”

"Yeah, it's delicious."

"Besides snails, what else have you tried?" Hugo asked curiously.

"A lot... But I still cook a lot by myself and rarely eat out." Cheng Kesong laughed.

"Wow! Do you cook Chinese food yourself?"

Cheng Kesong nodded: "Just make rice, plus some simple stir-fries, I won't do anything too complicated."

"It's already great, I only cook pasta." Hugo curled his lips.

The waiter quickly brought the wine and placed a small basket of baguette slices on the table. In large and small western restaurants in Paris, this baguette slice is provided for free, and if it is not enough, you can ask the waiter for it.

When the two finished eating the steak, Cheng Kesong learned Hugo's practice, picked up two slices of bread, tore them open, and dipped them in the soup on the plate.

"This restaurant puts out a unique dessert every early summer, and it's my favorite."

Hugo said, called the waiter, and added two rose ice cream balls.

"Their rose ice cream is made with roses that are blooming in season. The fragrance is rich and the color is warm. It is a double enjoyment of sight and taste. You must try it. But before that, I suggest you finish the wine first, Don't let the smell of the wine mess up that rose aroma."

Cheng Kesong followed his kindness and sipped the little red wine left at the bottom of the glass into his mouth.

Ice cream arrived quickly.

Sure enough, as Hugo said, two round and bright red ice hockey pucks were placed side by side in a white porcelain plate painted with a gold edge. In the light from the glass window of the restaurant, the red was fiery and enchanting, like two extremely passionate flames.

Hugo put his arms across the table and leaned forward slightly. He picked up a small scoop on the plate, scooped out a small piece of ice cream and put it in his mouth, tasted it slowly for a moment, and licked his lips with the tip of his tongue.

"Fragrant and rich, I love the taste of this pure rose."

Cheng Kesong only felt that the other party's lips seemed to be dyed the same color by the crimson red, and the ruby nail under his lips reflected a rose-like charm in the light.

Cheng Ke Song lowered his eyes crampedly and tasted the ice cream in front of him.

He rarely eats desserts, and he doesn't like the overly sticky taste of cream and sugar. Especially French desserts, they are always so sweet that they can only taste like sugar in one bite. He is insensitive to the macarons known as the queen of desserts.

But the ice cream in front of him subverted Cheng Kesong's impression of French desserts.

There are no dairy products in this ice cream, and the taste is extremely refreshing, more like a smoothie than ice cream. The entrance is the rich rose fragrance, and the very light sweetness is subtly blended in this floral fragrance, like the finishing touch, mobilizing people's taste buds.

No wonder Hugo admired it so much.

Rose is a symbol of love, its aroma is rich and fragrant, elegant and mellow. It was between the lips and teeth, in the nasal cavity, stimulating every sense of Cheng Kesong, making him feel that the breath was even more intoxicating than wine.

The sky had turned a deep blue, and the afterglow of the sunset finally slowly dimmed. The Eiffel Tower in the distance is lit up with golden lights at the moment when night is about to fall, becoming the most dazzling existence in the night scene of Paris.

Cheng Kesong looked at Hugo, but in his eyes he saw a light that was even brighter than the lights on the Eiffel Tower.

"I want to go around the iron tower." Cheng Kesong heard his voice say so.

This was followed by Hugo's laughing answer.

"Together."

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