Chapter 20

Chapter 20

By the time we finished eating, it was already dark.

The scenic area was crowded, and lights were on everywhere, making Leifeng Pagoda look colorful.

The weather is hot, and tourists and locals alike are flocking to West Lake for a nighttime stroll to digest their food and cool off.

The busiest section was the Su Causeway, packed with people. Xiao Chao pushed the wheelchair, while Shen Qingyuan walked alongside, the three of them strolling slowly with the flow of people.

Hangzhou is known for its sweltering heat in the summer.

The sun had set, but the heat lingered. However, this area was a body of water, and a gentle night breeze, carrying refreshing moisture, caressed one's face, instantly invigorating and quite pleasant.

During her student days, Shen Qingyuan traveled to Hangzhou with her classmates. It was springtime, and the bright red peach blossoms on both sides of the Su Causeway were nestled among the newly green willow branches. The scene of peach blossoms and willows in full bloom was incredibly refreshing and delightful.

They've been popular and popular for many years, but they don't feel repetitive or tacky. Every year they feel fresh.

Every year, the people who come to enjoy the scenery are different, and their companions are also quite different. The last time Shen Qingyuan came, her companion was Sun Zhi.

The peach blossoms have all fallen. Now only the lush peach leaves and the swaying willows remain.

Ye Chuyang reached out and broke off a long willow branch, swinging it back and forth in his hand. His excitement was like that of a primary school student on a spring outing.

The phrase "breaking willow branches as a farewell" came to Shen Qingyuan's mind. She had memorized many farewell poems during her student days, and it had become a conditioned reflex; as soon as she saw the phrase "breaking willow branches," she knew it meant a farewell.

Poets are always so sincere and tearful, fearing that each meeting will be the last, and that they don't know when they will meet again.

With advanced communication, modern people rarely experience anxiety and sadness about separation.

As the scenery changed, Shen Qingyuan drifted into thought, reminiscing about her student days and silently reciting a few farewell poems.

Being a top student is actually quite boring; all they can think about is knowledge points.

Halfway down the Su Causeway, Xiao Chao suddenly clutched his stomach, looking pained, and said, "Brother Yang, my stomach hurts. You guys go ahead, I need to go to the restroom."

As Xiao Chao spoke, he walked back the way he came, intending to go back and use the restroom at that private restaurant.

"Wait a minute. There's a restroom up ahead, we're almost there." There's a restroom on Su Causeway between Suolan Bridge and Wangshan Bridge. When she came over, Shen Qingyuan glanced at the West Lake map and memorized it.

"Really? Sister Chen, don't try to trick me." Xiao Chao was holding his stomach with his legs tucked together, already having some difficulty walking.

Shen Qingyuan suppressed a laugh, "I looked at the floor plan, and there really is a restroom up ahead, but with so many tourists now, there might be a queue. It's up to you."

Xiao Chao looked ahead and then behind, feeling like crying.

Ye Chuyang said with a mischievous smile, "Go to the front. Even if you have to queue, just talk to them nicely and ask to cut in line."

Xiao Chao ran ahead, not even having time to say goodbye to them.

The two of them looked away, both feeling a little amused. It was strange; everyone was eating at the same table, but only Xiao Chao had an upset stomach.

Shen Qingyuan thought back for a moment and realized that the problem might be with the shrimp.

She'd never eaten much seafood since she was little, and rarely touched shrimp. Ye Chuyang didn't eat any either. Traditional Chinese medicine believes seafood is a "trigger food," and shouldn't be eaten as it can damage bones and tendons; Su Qin had previously warned Ye Chuyang to avoid it.

However, it's also possible that Xiao Chao eats too much and too many different kinds of food. That's not a healthy way to live.

Ye Chuyang turned on the electric mode of the wheelchair. "Dr. Chen, let's keep going!"

“Okay.” Shen Qingyuan followed.

Suddenly, only the two of them were left, and the atmosphere became subtly different, even a little awkward.

Fortunately, there was a constant flow of people around them, and the lively chatter made it difficult for them to communicate, one standing and one sitting. Neither of them spoke; they simply walked slowly with the crowd.

It was hot, so Ye Chuyang wasn't wearing a mask, only a hat and a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Under the cover of darkness, he wasn't easily recognized by passersby.

When Xiao Chao was around, Ye Chuyang found him noisy. When Xiao Chao wasn't around, Ye Chuyang found it difficult to find a topic of conversation.

Ye Chuyang cleared his throat and turned to look at Shen Qingyuan. "Dr. Shen, you've worked hard these past few days."

After saying it, I regretted it a little; the words sounded like the clichés of a boss.

"What?" Shen Qingyuan leaned closer to the wheelchair, tilting her head slightly. Her long hair was spread out beside Ye Chuyang's face, with a few strands almost brushing against his face.

Ye Chuyang smelled a faint scent of rose essential oil mixed with a little moisture.

He also likes things that smell like roses.

"What did you just say?" Shen Qingyuan asked again.

“Well,” Ye Chuyang stammered, his Adam’s apple bobbing, “the night view of West Lake is quite beautiful, huh?” He changed his sentence.

“Hmm,” Shen Qingyuan nodded, “Although the scenery is beautiful, it might not be very convenient to live nearby with so many people around every day. Besides, there are quite a few mosquitoes.” Shen Qingyuan raised her hand and scratched her bare arm.

The Su Causeway they are walking on now was built by Su Dongpo when he was the governor of Hangzhou, using the silt he dredged from West Lake.

Su Shi once praised West Lake, saying, "If I were to compare West Lake to Xi Shi, she would be beautiful whether adorned or plain." A thousand years later, modern people can only offer a few platitudes like "the scenery is nice."

This is an era devoid of poetry.

"Mosquitoes..." Ye Chuyang, wearing a long shirt and trousers, didn't feel the power of the mosquitoes, but when it came to mosquitoes, he had something to say, "The mosquitoes at Lingyin Temple are really fierce. I went there once a few years ago, also in the summer, and both my legs were covered with mosquito bite scars, which were shocking. It took more than half a year for them to fade. They say that the mosquitoes at Lingyin Temple are blessed and are exceptionally fierce."

Shen Qingyuan chuckled and shook her head helplessly, "After what you said, I dare not go. I was originally planning to visit Lingyin Temple to burn incense while I was there, but since I'm already here..."

Because of the conversation, Shen Qingyuan stood very close to the wheelchair so that they could hear each other clearly. The faint scent of roses lingered around Ye Chuyang's nose.

"It's okay," Ye Chuyang thought for a moment, "You should wear more clothes, long shirts and trousers, and bring a bottle of floral water, spray it on a lot."

Shen Qingyuan smiled but remained silent.

Ye Chuyang then remembered something funny, “Actually, the mosquitoes at Lingyin Temple are nothing compared to the place I went to where the mosquitoes were really fierce! Guess what, you’ll never guess.”

"Africa?"

"In Xinjiang, in the desert."

Shen Qingyuan didn't ask how there could be mosquitoes in the desert. Mosquitoes need water to hatch. Theoretically, mosquitoes could indeed exist where there is water in the desert.

That place was where Ye Chuyang went to film a movie; it was a marshland in the desert. They were filming night scenes, and there were a few shots in the water.

"As soon as I entered the water, a dark mass of things rose up, accompanied by a buzzing sound like an airplane propeller. I was really startled at the time, but later I found out it was a swarm of mosquitoes."

Shen Qingyuan asked curiously, "Are the mosquitoes in the desert very biting?"

"Luckily, we were filming a period drama, so we wore several layers of clothing," Ye Chuyang recalled. "But the exposed skin areas—my neck, hands, and scalp—were covered in bites. We couldn't scratch them while filming, so it was quite painful. Since we were wearing makeup, they probably didn't like the smell of cosmetics and didn't bite my face as much."

"Huh?" Ye Chuyang suddenly realized that the atmosphere tonight was supposed to be romantic and idyllic, and Xiao Chao had even unusually disappeared on his own, leaving only the two of them. But why were they talking about mosquitoes the whole time? If they kept talking, they might end up discussing dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis.

That's a bit awkward.

Shen Qingyuan said with emotion, "It sounds like being an actor is not easy."

Fortunately, Dr. Shen didn't steer the conversation towards professional matters.

"It's nothing, just hang in there and finish filming. Filming isn't a vacation, it's supposed to be tough, just bear with it and it'll pass," Ye Chuyang said casually. He possessed the admirable qualities of a high-quality human being who is submissive and hardworking.

Actually, the hardest time is over. The most difficult time was when you were unknown, unseen and unappreciated, and didn't know where your future lay.

If we're talking about his low points, his low points were extremely long. He only really gained some fame in the last two or three years.

Shen Qingyuan suddenly realized that Ye Chuyang now was quite different from the carefree, mischievous, and clever high school boy she remembered.

He is mature and fully understands the harsh realities of society. He has worked his way up and achieved great success, but he has not become arrogant because of his success. He remains humble, gentle, and polite.

Ye Chuyang, in this way, truly exudes a dazzling charm. Not as intense as the sun, but like moonlight, gentle, peaceful, unassuming, and quietly illuminating the path for passersby.

No wonder so many fans like him.

Shen Qingyuan was momentarily lost in thought.

Shen Qingyuan was suddenly struck hard on the left shoulder. She cried out in surprise and lost her balance.

Someone strode quickly through them with great force, without regard for anything else.

An arm reached out and firmly grasped her wrist, relieving her tension.

"Shen Qingyuan, are you alright?"

Ye Chuyang reacted quickly and pulled her back.

Shen Qingyuan was startled, her mind was still a little dazed, and her heart was pounding.

The man in front of him said, "Sorry."

Ye Chuyang's hand remained on her wrist, maintaining the same grip.

The warmth of the hand reached Shen Qingyuan's skin. It was a warm touch, and the hand's temperature was slightly higher than hers. It was a very strong and powerful hand, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles.

Ye Chuyang looked up at her, the warm light of the streetlamp reflected in his dark pupils, like two small flames, gently flickering.

Their eyes met, and they both paused for a moment.

"I'm fine." Shen Qingyuan was inexplicably a little nervous, probably because she had just been frightened and was still shaken.

Within ten seconds, Shen Qingyuan's wrist already felt slightly numb.

She gently rotated her wrist, and Ye Chuyang immediately noticed. He loosened his grip. The slightly slippery, soft touch lingered on his fingertips, quickly fading away.

"Thank you, Ye Chuyang." Shen Qingyuan smiled.

The frail wheelchair-bound teenager unexpectedly proved quite useful in a critical moment.

"Be careful, if you fall into the lake, I won't be able to save you." Ye Chuyang started the electric wheelchair and continued forward.

Shen Qingyuan followed, "It's okay, I can swim."

A girl who understands romance wouldn't answer like that.

Ye Chuyang tilted his head and said half-jokingly, "I've heard that there are a lot of water plants in West Lake, and if someone falls in, they can easily get tangled in them. But if you ask me, it might not be water plants, it could be a water ghost."

Shen Qingyuan subconsciously turned her head to look at the water, and unconsciously moved a little closer to it. There were no railings along the West Lake.

Actually, there are trees on both sides of the dam, and their location is several meters away from the water. It's not that dangerous.

You may not actually believe in ghosts, but once you start imagining, fragments of terrifying images will appear in your mind. Terror doesn't come from grotesque images, but from people's imagination.

Ye Chuyang raised an eyebrow, a hint of smug satisfaction in her eyes. "Alright, you can walk on my left."

Shen Qingyuan wanted to say no, she was always stubborn, but this time she silently walked over from behind the wheelchair and moved to Ye Chuyang's left.

Someone smiled with satisfaction.

She's still a little girl at heart. Actually, she's just better at her studies. No one can have all the advantages, and she's developed an impenetrable defense at such a young age.