Chapter 6: A gift for meeting someone: A cat passed down through three generations, even if the person leaves, the cat remains.

"Huh?"

Why don't they just go to the photo studio and have the photos developed that day instead of waiting until the next day?

When Chang Xile woke up from her nap, it was already noon. When she woke up, she thought about this question and was confused for a while. She felt that she really didn't get enough sleep, and her IQ had also dropped.

A few days ago, right after military training ended, her roommate Yang Guisi went to live in the house she rented off campus, leaving her in this dormitory as a nominal bed. Therefore, for the past few days, there have been only three people living in their dormitory.

Chang Xile squinted her eyes and pulled open the bed curtain, and saw Ren Qing sitting at the table with her legs crossed, watching anime, while Fang Xinai was concentrating on putting on makeup in front of the mirror.

Fang Xinai saw from the mirror that Chang Xile had woken up, and immediately smiled. He stood up, trotted on tiptoe, and climbed onto the edge of her bed, blinking his eyes continuously.

"Just say what you want to say." Chang Xile tapped her forehead with his index finger.

"Hehe...accompany me to eat at that newly opened Sichuan restaurant near the school. I heard it's super super delicious! So delicious that you wouldn't even know if someone died next to you!" Fang Xinai smiled with his eyes curved, making it difficult for Chang Xile to refuse.

Chang Xile can't eat spicy food very well.

But she likes spicy food very much.

Under the gaze of the beauty, she made up her mind, closed her eyes, took Fang Xinai's flattering hand, and said loudly: "Get going——"

"Okay!"

Ren Qing didn't come because she gets a sore throat when eating spicy food.

Chang Xile had to admit that Ren Qing was rational. By the time she finished the third large glass of ice milk and was still breathing out slightly to relieve the spiciness, she could no longer eat another bite.

"Are you really full?" Fang Xinai suspected Chang Xile was full from the milk, but she wasn't much better. He held a tissue in his left hand and chopsticks in his right, wiping his sweat as he ate. He didn't put down his chopsticks until the food on the table was almost gone, feeling unsatisfied.

She held her stomach, waved her hands and said, "I can't take it anymore... I'm too full."

"Let's go for a walk on the street to help digest the food." Fang Xin'ai suggested, and Chang Xile readily agreed. She went out this time to develop all the photos she had taken some time ago, so she had already imported the photos on her mobile phone in advance.

"Wow, I looked so heroic dancing at the art performance!" Fang Xinai leaned against the transparent glass cabinet, flipping through the printed photos while waiting for Chang Xile. "In this one, Ren Mei is yawning. She's so cute! Hehe, can you send me these photos? I want to look at them often!"

Occasionally, you can also come across a few photos taken by Fang Xinai with his camera, including one of Chang Xile losing his shoes while running, and one of the whole class sitting in a circle playing Drop the Handkerchief.

Chang Xile held up her face with a smile, watching Fang Xinai marvel at these memories that had already been somewhat forgotten. She waited until the last photo was printed before picking it up and looking at it carefully.

There are always so many details in this photo that it never ceases to amaze me. For example, just now, I've discovered that the half-finished painting is illuminated by a beam of sunlight from above, making the entire painting shimmer like the rising sun, a beauty as beautiful as a dream.

Chang Xile was so focused on watching that she didn't even hear Fang Xinai talking. She came closer to Chang Xile to take a look and exclaimed, "How beautiful."

"Hmm!" Chang Xile raised her head slightly and accepted the compliment. She could say without hesitation that this photo was the best one she had taken so far, both in terms of color and composition.

"Although I can't see his face clearly, I feel..." Fang Xinai's praise had nothing to do with professional aspects like composition or color. She pinched her chin and thought hard, and finally said affirmatively, "She is definitely a beauty!"

"...Is this important?" Chang Xile looked left and right. The photo only captured one-third of Anping's profile. With the fog blocking it, what could he see?

Fang Xinai, a vulgar man, did not appreciate the part that Chang Xile was proud of. He was really throwing a wink to a blind man.

However, truly good works should be appreciated by both the elite and the masses. Thinking of the young man's stunning appearance, Chang Xile nodded in relief and said sincerely, "She is indeed a beauty."

"When was this photo taken? I've never seen this place before..." Fang Xinai pondered for a moment, staring at the photo. Before Chang Xile could reply, she was drawn to a mobile vendor selling lean meatballs on a tricycle. She shouted, "Brother, please stay!" and rushed out to buy another bowl.

Didn't she just eat a lot at lunch? Chang Xile was surprised for a moment, then packed up the photos and followed him out.

"See you next time, big brother." Fang Xinai carried the plastic bowl and walked towards the dormitory with Chang Xile contentedly.

When they passed a supermarket on the way, Ni was caught by a sausage machine and bought a sausage without hesitation.

"Xiao Ai, you still have to do things within your means." Chang Xile couldn't help but remind her when he saw that she was obviously too full to eat, but she was still buying food.

Fang Xinai touched his stomach with a bitter face and said distressedly: "I don't know why... I always feel very hungry recently. Even though my stomach is full, my heart always feels empty."

As they were talking, they spotted a white cat lying on its side on the steps outside the supermarket, taking a nap. Its body rose and fell with its breathing, looking particularly adorable.

"Kitten~ sniff, sniff." Fang Xinai trotted over and squatted aside to observe the cat, but no matter how softly she called, the cat remained unmoved and closed its eyes to sleep.

When Chang Xile slowly caught up and stood next to Fang Xinai, the cat opened its eyes slightly, as if feeling very sleepy.

"It's a blue-eyed kitten." Fang Xinai hugged his knees and observed it for a while, then suddenly remembered where he had seen it before. "Isn't this the cat senior mentioned on the campus wall?"

"Senior Cat?" Chang Xile found the word very fresh and squatted down to observe the white cat.

The cat seemed to be accustomed to being watched. It just stared at them silently, without any reaction and without any intention of running away.

"Yes, they say students come and go, but the cat remains. This blue-eyed, long-haired cat is our school's mascot. As the saying goes, one cat perpetuates three generations; even if people leave, the cat remains." Fang Xinai said seriously, "When freshmen see it, they have to call it senior."

"Senior, why don't you prepare some welcome gifts for the freshmen?" Chang Xile found it amusing and started joking, reaching out to touch the kitten's head. The kitten squinted its eyes but didn't struggle.

"Hey, it's clearly written on the campus wall that the senior's authority is sacred and inviolable, and no one is allowed to touch it. Be careful not to get scratched... Could the rumor be wrong?" Fang Xinai was surprised for a moment, thought about it, and decided to reluctantly contribute his grilled sausage.

However, just as she stretched out her hand, before she could touch him, Senior Cat stood up, flicked his tail, jumped onto the stairs, and disappeared in a moment.

"You're so cool." Fang Xinai wasn't too annoyed. It was just a chance to save a sausage, so she stood up and calmly took a big bite of it.

She reached out and put her arm around Chang Xile's shoulders again, holding up a sausage like a sacred scepter: "Let's go back to the palace—"

The next day, Chang Xile woke up very early, but it was not because of insomnia, but because she knew she still had something to do.

She quietly packed her things, grabbed the sealed photos, and headed out. This time, she got a school map from the reliable Ren Qing, and while looking at her phone, she finally reached the lake again.

While strolling in the woods, Chang Xile was still wondering: Will he really be there?

After all, getting up so early is not an easy thing.

Soon, she realized her worries were unnecessary. From a distance, at the edge of the woods, she spotted the man sitting on the steps again. Anping had an easel beside him, as usual, but he wasn't painting. Instead, he rested his hands on the ground, gazing up at the large banyan tree.

As Chang Xile approached, he turned around and gently patted the steps beside him, motioning her to come over.

"What time did you arrive?" This time, she sat next to him, marveling at how early he arrived.

Anping tilted his head slightly, raised his hand and pointed in a direction to the side and front, saying, "When the sun rises here."

What a unique way to describe time! Chang Xile blinked.

She quickly remembered her main task for the day and took out the photo from her canvas bag and handed it to Anping. "I was a bit confused last night. I could have gone with you to print the photo, so we wouldn't have to make another trip today."

Anping took the photo with both hands and looked at it for a long time. He carefully stroked the lotus in the photo with his hand, seeming to like it very much. After a long while, he asked Chang Xile, "Wouldn't it be nice to see you again?"

"What?" Chang Xile hadn't reacted yet.

"I'm very happy to see you again today." When Anping said this, it seemed as natural as saying the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Chang Xile smiled so hard that her teeth showed and her eyes could not be seen - Anping is really a very interesting person: "Me too!" I am very happy to see you!

An Ping then raised his head and looked at her. He raised his chin slightly and said to her, "I have something for you too."

"What is it?" Chang Xile asked.

Anping gestured for her to look behind her. Chang Xile turned around and found a new painting on the drawing board.

Beneath a massive banyan tree, a short-haired girl in a white T-shirt and shorts held her camera out of the frame. She remained motionless, so absorbed in her photography that even passing birds let down their guard, mistaking her for a blade of grass and perching on her shoulders.

This painting clearly depicts constant joy.

"How beautiful!" Chang Xile exclaimed, "Will you give this to me?"

"You said you liked my paintings." Anping curled his lips slightly, seeming very satisfied with Chang Xile's reaction.

"Yes, thank you! I really like it!" Chang Xile couldn't help staring at the painting. She had never received such a gift before and was so surprised that she was a little incoherent.

Therefore, she did not notice An Ping, who was watching her quietly and whispering:

"You said it was a meeting gift."