47 Park

Sunday morning came too slowly.

Yang Xiao tossed and turned in bed, not even seeing the dawn. She sighed several times. Usually, when she was at work, the moment she collapsed, the alarm would ring like a death knell.

After a shower, she was completely sleepless. She'd left in a hurry and left her computer behind, so even if she wanted to work, she'd have to make do with her phone. She checked and sorted the data again, confirmed it was correct, attached it to an email, and scheduled it for delivery. She didn't like bosses who assigned weekend work but didn't count it as overtime, and naturally, she didn't want to be like that either.

Just as Zhou Qi picked up the eyebrow pencil to draw his eyebrows, he gently knocked on the door.

Yang Xiao couldn't help laughing. The morning had finally arrived.

"Good morning." Zhou Qi stood at the door, smiling and greeting her. He hadn't put a single piece of clothing in his suitcase last night, but this morning, as if by magic, he had changed his clothes. He imitated her, wearing a khaki windbreaker with a fitted black turtleneck underneath.

Simple, clean but very pleasing to the eye.

"Good morning, are you stealing my clothes?" Yang Xiao teased, even though her windbreaker was still draped neatly on the back of the sofa.

"Sneak in overnight and hit the target with one strike." Zhou Qi followed her words, mumbling out four-character phrases like a primary school student just learning idioms. "Now, we've accomplished our mission and are about to retire."

Yang Xiao bent over with laughter. "You didn't buy all this last night, did you? Are you doing some urgent image management?"

"No. I bought it in advance and mailed it to me." Zhou Qi said, then bent two fingers and knocked twice on the open door. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." Yang Xiao took a few steps back and gestured for him to come in. "Sit on the sofa and wait for me. I'll also take care of my image and draw my eyebrows."

"Do you need my help?" Zhou Qi asked casually, sitting on the sofa with his arms and legs stretched out, looking at Yang Xiao who was leaning over the dressing mirror, touching her face with makeup. "You look beautiful now, and you don't even need to put on makeup." Yang Xiao held an eyebrow pencil and glanced at him through the mirror. "I don't put on makeup just to hear you say 'I don't have to put on makeup'." She turned around and touched Zhou Qi's face with the eyebrow pencil in the air, her tone relaxed but serious. "This is me telling myself that a good day is about to begin. Just like when you wear nice clothes, it makes you feel good."

"And it depends on the individual. Some people can achieve this effect with a delicious breakfast, so they can completely forgo the tedious makeup. Some people say it's like performing a kind of beautiful service, which is possible. But I think the criteria for judging 'service' or 'freedom' have nothing to do with the act of applying makeup itself."

"It's more about the heart. Is it voluntary or forced? Is it self-recognition or pleasing others?"

"I willingly invested my time and energy, and in return, I gained corresponding happiness and self-recognition. To me, this feels more like 'freedom.' We all choose different paths, but the ultimate destination should all be reaching 'I'm fine, right?'"

Zhou Qi didn't interrupt, and put away his teasing expression. He leaned forward slightly on the sofa, looking at her with burning eyes. He was silent for a moment, "Can I kiss you?"

"Not now. I just put on lipstick."

"It's not a red crested crocus."

"Because I have to apply it again!" Why did I only just realize now that Zhou Qi has so much inexplicable sense of humor?

"Okay. Then let's go have a delicious breakfast later and double our self-recognition." Zhou Qi did not simply agree with Yang Xiao's theory and say "You are right", but instead used the word "we".

Yang Xiao likes this word, we. Not you and me, but us.

As they walked out, sunlight streamed through the trees, spots of light like leaping elves, sometimes landing at their feet, sometimes on their shoulders. Yang Xiao walked to Zhou Qi's right. The two wore matching clothes as they walked under the shade of the trees, occasionally swinging their tightly clasped hands like they were on a swing.

It was the weekend, and Beihai was bustling with people. Countless pleasure boats drifted on the tranquil lake. Ducks, bobbing in the water, leaped onto the sunlit moorings, wings outstretched. The splashing water droplets shone like dazzling pearls in the sunlight, each one dazzling Yang Xiao. The beauty of the world seemed almost unreal. A child, calling for its mother, darted past Yang Xiao, swaying the willow branches.

The weather is just right, neither too cold nor too hot.

"Actually, the North Sea is even more beautiful in spring," Yang Xiao said, pointing to a plant with crisscrossing branches on the inside. "This is a yellow rose. It blooms brilliantly in spring. The flowers are small, yellow, and the messy branches are covered with thorns. It has a very wild beauty."

Zhou Qi turned his head to look at Yang Xiao, concentrating on her neat profile. He squeezed her hand and said, "I've got this. Teacher Yang's little plant class. Let's do it again in the spring."

"Okay." Yang Xiao smiled, dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. She looked towards the bench by the lake. "Last time, I was alone here. I sat there until dark and was about to go back. The lights were dim. Suddenly, a girl in a red checkered dress walked out from the path and startled me."

"Hahaha." Zhou Qi's eyes curved with laughter, his youthful spirit taking over. "If you put it that way, I'm not that brave either. When I first took anatomy class, I was still a little scared of the cadaver teacher."

"Really?" Yang Xiao was a little surprised when she heard that, and nudged him lightly with her shoulder. "But you seem fearless. You feel like even if the sky falls, Zhou Qi can handle it."

"Zhou Qi is not Superman." Zhou Qi shrugged and made an expression that said, "There's really nothing I can do about it." "But if it really collapses, I'll try to hold it up."

At that moment, the sound of a cruise ship's horn blared incessantly from the lake. Both of them looked toward the source of the sound. It seemed that water traffic was particularly congested today.

"Let's take a picture." Yang Xiao took out the mobile phone from the pocket of her windbreaker and looked at a girl with a camera hanging around her neck on the side of the road. Just as she was about to walk towards her, Zhou Qi stepped forward before her and politely explained his purpose.

The girl smiled generously and agreed immediately, "Of course no problem, I'll take some photos for you with my camera."

Under the guidance of professionals, the two stood beneath the willow branches opposite the White Pagoda. There were no exaggerated movements; everything felt natural. Yang Xiao tilted her head and leaned on Zhou Qi's shoulder. In almost every frame, she looked at the camera, made a big scissors sign, and smiled brightly.

The professionals couldn't help but press the shutter several times, and exclaimed as they took the photos, "What a perfect match, so beautiful."

The light was great, the model was great, the setting was great, and there was no chance of a bad film. The professionals were so excited that they insisted on getting back together for another shoot. Yang Xiao smiled and agreed, offering to treat her to dinner as a thank you. The girl shook her head and declined, her eyes filled with a fixation on light and shadow. "Next time, the light is so good today, I can't bear to leave." With that, she immediately exported the photos from her camera, sent them to Yang Xiao, and went back to photographing ducks.

Tour groups came and went, and the benches by the lake were finally empty.

So the two of them sat on the bench, shoulder to shoulder, looking at the photos on their phones that were still warm.

"It's a great photo." Yang Xiao said softly.

The light is ample, yet not overly bright. In the photo, the wind whips up the willow branches, causing the strands of hair around Yang Xiao's ears to dance with them. Her raised hand, a pair of scissors, stretches forward, as if to convey this joy beyond the frame. Zhou Qi tilts his head to look at her, his gaze focused and gentle. Behind him, the white pagoda sits quietly on its height, like a frame taken from a movie.

In Yang Xiao’s favorite park, they took their first photo together.

The wind swept across the lake again, creating ripples. By the time it reached the bench, it had become even gentler, but enough to allow them to savor the sweetness of the tranquility, flowing and spreading in the breeze.

The two had no plans or preparations for a picnic, so they had to leave the park and find a place to eat. Yang Xiao felt her stomach rumbling, but her chest was filled with happiness, almost bursting with it. "Zhou Qi, do you think this can be considered a happy ending?"

"Not really, because I didn't drink a sip of water." Zhou Qi continued.

"True, but I still have to rely on carbs." Yang Xiao looked up and saw a Yunnan restaurant in front of her. She pulled Zhou Qi through the door and walked in. The interior decor was a bit like a cafe, with warm yellow light focused on the square tables. Movie posters lined the inner wall, and wine bottles were placed here and there under the posters, creating a casual yet refined atmosphere.

It was past lunchtime, so the restaurant wasn't crowded. The two of them sat down on the first floor by the window. The waiter brought them menus, poured them some lemonade, and recommended some dishes. Seeing his enthusiasm and being incredibly hungry, Yang Xiao ordered what he recommended.

The beams of light converged on the table, making the surroundings somewhat dim, making Zhou Qi's face appear even more three-dimensional and handsome in the shadows. Yang Xiao looked at him, her smile growing as did her appetite. This meal was truly, truly a feast for the eyes.

"I saw that the dish you just ordered on the menu has zhe er gen (Herba Zhe Er Gen). Can you eat it?" Zhou Qi flipped through the menu and pointed to the picture of the dish. "I'll ask the waiter to see if it can be removed."

"No need. You are here today, so you can try it." Yang Xiao did not explain the second half of the sentence, but the meaning was clear. In short, Zhou Qi would help her finish all the dishes she didn't want to eat.

"Okay." Zhou Qi closed the menu and met Yang Xiao's eyes in the dim light, her sincere and passionate eyes.

After dinner, the two pushed open the glass door and saw the setting sun cast across the ground, casting slender shadows and casting a golden glow on passersby. Yang Xiao remembered the first time she ate at McDonald's. The sunset was just as captivating, and Zhou Qi and she were just as quiet that day, quietly watching the moment when the sky and the ground met.

Walk straight along the side of the hotel and you will return to Beihai Park.

Zhou Qi held her hand and said what she had said last night, "Let's go, let's go see the blue White Tower after sunset."

Yang Xiao nodded. The warmth and fullness brought by the food mixed with the satisfaction and joy in her heart rushed to her eyebrows and mouth corners. She just let Zhou Qi lead her, walking without stopping, once again, walking against the flow of people towards Beihai.

She thought that if she met a "princess" wearing red clothes by the lake again tonight, she would probably smile and say to her, "What a beautiful outfit!"