Chapter 21
Zhang Chaomei has been smiling more often recently. She often smiles when she looks at He Xi, which makes her feel uneasy.
"What's wrong?" He Xi frowned and asked in a reproachful tone.
Zhang Chaomei raised her chin, and a few smile lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. "I'm happy to see you get better."
"Oh." He Xi fell silent. No matter how nice the words were, no matter how many fancy words she used, they couldn't describe the ripples in her heart at that moment.
Zhang Chaomei suddenly said, "Let's go to the photo studio and take a picture."
He Xi subconsciously frowned again, "Why spend that money?"
"Let's go to the photo studio and take some pictures." Zhang Chaomei had already decided, "This is an important moment in your life, we should record it well."
"Because I finally gained some weight."
"No." Zhang Chaomei shook her head, "Because you've finally started to find a state that makes you comfortable."
"This is more difficult than whether you become fat or thin."
"You stop torturing your body and seek inner peace and stability."
He Xi took a deep breath, "Yes. I don't do that anymore."
"That's amazing." Zhang Chaomei never hesitated to praise He Xi. "Tell me, did someone help you, or did you do it all by yourself? That's amazing."
"Someone helped me." He Xi admitted truthfully.
"Then you're even more amazing." Zhang Chaomei was very good at giving surprising answers at such times. "When someone reaches out their hand to you, you can grab it firmly and use the strength of that hand to support your entire body to stand up."
"This just shows that you've been waiting for opportunities and never given up on yourself. That's even more impressive."
"You're always more capable than I thought."
"Yes." He Xi didn't want to deny it, "I will become more and more powerful."
"So we have to go to the photo studio and take pictures," Zhang Chaomei said earnestly. "Years from now, when you're lost, Mom hopes you'll have a photo like this to remind you that you never lacked the courage to make yourself better."
—
After training on Friday, Bai Shu took out two lunch boxes wrapped in ice packs from his bag and ran to heat them in the microwave.
When he came back, the lunch box in his hand was emitting the aroma of hot food. Although He Xi was not very hungry at the moment, he still couldn't help but take a deep breath and sighed, "Hmm~ It smells so good!"
Bai Shu sat down with a smile, and pushed one of the dishes along with the fork and spoon to He Xi.
"Thank you." He Xi opened it with surprise. "Auntie made it, right? She's such a good cook. You're so lucky."
"I did it." Bai Shu's smile widened. "My mom has a hard time just looking after little Bai Tang."
"You? Oh! Yes." He Xi not only remembered that he could cook, but also that he was quite good at it. "You kid, I really don't know which nice girl will be attracted to you in the future."
Bai Shu was unceremoniously ready to give He Xi a slap on the wrist: "You're already daydreaming at such a young age!"
"Hey, hey, hey, are you serious? What if I get knocked unconscious? I'll be like this... I'll be like this..." He Xi covered his head and refused to continue.
"What's wrong with you?" Bai Shu raised his eyebrows.
"I'm like this..." He Xi looked at Bai Shu's smiling eyes and blew a breath, lowered his head and quickly said two words, his cheeks visibly flushed.
"What? I didn't hear clearly." Bai Shu leaned over and tilted his ear to follow He Xi's head.
He Xi turned his head, his lips just brushing against Bai Shu's ear. He got a little angry, and simply closed his eyes and yelled at his head, "I'm so smart, what if you knock me stupid?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately shut up and looked around furtively. Fortunately, there were not many people in the lounge at that moment.
Bai Shu laughed out loud, "You... you blush even when you praise yourself."
He Xi retorted, "I'm not as narcissistic as you."
"Hey, if you're still not a bit narcissistic after being with me for so long, I should reflect on this." Bai Shu laughed again, "Don't worry, even if you get knocked stupid, I will still be responsible for you."
He Xi snorted, but didn't take it seriously. It was just something to listen to.
"Why don't you believe me?" Bai Shu took the handle of a disposable plastic fork and tapped it lightly on the solid wood table a few times to open the plastic packaging.
He Xi shook his head. "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that I think these words are too harsh. I won't say them to others easily."
"In my opinion, this is not a joke."
"How do you know I'm not serious?" Bai Shu asked the question lightly.
"I'm a little sad. In your eyes, I'm such a frivolous guy."
He Xi laughed, "Hurry up and eat. We still have to catch the last bus home."
"It's early. There are still forty minutes left." Bai Shu raised his hand to check the time, picked up a piece of milky white mashed potato and stuffed it into his mouth, then picked up two or three pieces of chicken breast with thick sauce and even thickness, wrapped in a piece of baby cabbage that looked crispy and juicy, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it in big mouthfuls, and a long-lost relaxation appeared on his face.
His shoulders sank slightly, as if all the fatigue from rolling around had been lifted off.
He Xi forked a piece of baby pumpkin with bell peppers and popped it into her mouth. The sweet, tender, and crispy bell peppers melted in the soft, fragrant pumpkin, complementing each other perfectly. He Xi's portion was beef. She then forked a thick, attractively colored beef strip coated in black pepper and sea salt, and popped it into her mouth. It was firm, plump, tender, tender, and salty, a satisfying bite.
"Is it delicious?" Bai Shu felt that he had already figured out the answer from the expression on He Xi's face without asking.
"You're really good at it!" He Xi praised sincerely, "Do more of it in the future."
Bai Shu: "It depends on your performance."
"Okay." He Xi unscrewed the bottle cap, tilted his head back and took a sip of water. "By the way, I can't practice extra tomorrow."
"Do you have anything to do tomorrow?" Bai Shu finished eating first and wiped the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah." He Xi paused, "Tomorrow I'm going to take a photo with my mom."
She had a look of anticipation on her face. "It's been a long time since Ms. Zhang Chaomei and I took a photo together."
"Go ahead."
-
Zhang Chaomei made an appointment at 10 o'clock in the morning.
The night before, He Xi had gone to bed an hour earlier than usual and, for the first time ever, applied a moisturizing face mask. Before going to bed, she waited for tomorrow with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation.
When they arrived at the photo studio, Zhang Chaomei had already communicated the shooting style with the staff in advance.
They chose a traditional Chinese cheongsam style. In front of a beige background wall, a pear blossom branch slants out from the upper left, with three staggered bamboo screens hanging behind it. The interplay of reality and illusion creates a subtle classical beauty.
He Xi wore a light pink embroidered lace cheongsam, which was gentle and generous with a touch of playfulness. Zhang Chaomei wore a white lace and pearl embroidered cheongsam with a double round collar on the chest, which was dignified and graceful.
After changing clothes, they can go to the dressing room. The makeup artist asked them some instructions and started to put on makeup.
Moisturizing, preparing liquid foundation, contouring, highlighting, applying false eyelashes... After completing the whole process, plus doing the hair, a simple makeup look took less than 3 hours.
He Xi looked at the face in the mirror and felt it was a little unfamiliar. Turning around, she saw Zhang Chaomei had also completed her transformation. The mother and daughter looked at each other from a distance and couldn't help but smile.
"nice."
"It's pretty." Zhang Chaomei adjusted her hair in front of the mirror. "I haven't seen my hair long in years, so I'm still a little used to it."
The makeup artist found two fans for the two of them as props. He Xi's was a pink flower-embroidered peach branch with a light green border; Zhang Chaomei's was a small white lace fan with pearls embellished on the outside and a yellow flower and green leaves embroidered in the center. There were also simulated peach blossoms with graceful branches, which also looked very photogenic.
After entering the studio, the photographer adjusted the lighting and took the test shots before the official shoot began, first shooting the individual shots, then the mother and daughter shots together.
Zhang Chaomei sat on a chair, fan in hand, while He Xi stood sideways behind her, either standing, bending over, or with their arms folded around their necks. Both were visibly nervous and unaccustomed to the situation, but the photographer had a good sense of humor and managed to capture their laughter.
Finally, the photoshoot was complete. He Xi selected the photos, returned the wig, and prepared to take Zhang Chaomei away. Strangely, she was still in the dressing room.
He Xi waited and waited, somewhat puzzled, then walked into the dressing room. The makeup artist was retouching Zhang Chaomei, and next to her was a man in a suit. Zhang Chaomei was chatting with the square-faced man, smiling brightly. She caught a glimpse of He Xi, but she didn't panic. She smiled and said to the man, "Wu Tao, this is my daughter. You haven't met her yet, have you?"
He raised his eyes to look at He Xi again, wondering if he was going to smile or not, "Xi Xi, call someone." It was a nickname that gave people goosebumps.
He Xi: "Uncle."
The man named Wu Tao responded and touched Zhang Chaomei's face. "What's wrong with you? The child doesn't even know about our relationship."
"There'll be plenty of time later." Zhang Chaomei scolded him, and went to look at He Xi. "Xixi, there's an event at the studio today."
"Stay, let's take a family photo of the three of us."
He Xi looked into Zhang Chaomei's eyes, and the words of rejection came to his lips, but he swallowed them back.
In the family photo with three people on it, He Xi and Wu Tao stood on both sides of Zhang Chaomei, each taking up half of her.
He Xi looked at the sample film, and she felt even stranger. Not sad, not angry, but uncomfortable. She wasn't used to a strange man suddenly breaking into her and Zhang Chaomei's lives. But the funny thing was, he might have already existed in their lives, but she just didn't realize it.
At this moment, she had to completely accept the reality that her father had died and was truly gone. When her father died, she only pretended to shed a few tears, but now, she wanted to cry loudly.
She had no way of showing this strange side of herself to Zhang Chaomei and Wu Tao, who were immersed in happiness. She was even the one with the least reason to question Zhang Chaomei.
He Xi felt like something in her heart had been broken, and it couldn't be mended. When Zhang Chaomei suggested going to a high-end restaurant to celebrate, she hurriedly left, making the excuse that she had homework to do.
But after escaping from one place, where should she go next? She didn't know.
He Xi found a curb and squatted, flipping through her phone contacts. Finally, with a courage she couldn't quite explain, she called Bai Shu. She couldn't even explain why.
"Hello." A pleasant male voice answered the phone, which made people feel safe. He Xi broke down and burst into tears.
The call time passed quickly, and when she realized it, she had been crying for half an hour.
She was immersed in her own world, and the other end of the phone gave her the quiet she needed. She didn't notice the change in the ambient sound until a commanding voice came from the phone, "He Xi," directing her to "look up."
He Xi did as she was told. The boy was already standing in front of her, phone in hand. Looking up from below, she saw a pair of long legs wrapped in sweatpants, then his abs, which showed through his short-sleeved shirt, and finally the boy's angular face, pressed against a dark baseball cap.
He lowered his eyelids, his eyes filled with her current embarrassment, and his slightly furrowed brows hid concern.
"I..." He Xi sniffed, "Ask whatever you want."
"I'm not that gossipy." Bai Shu pulled his trouser legs and squatted down with her, filling the empty space next to He Xi.
"Nonsense, you just don't care about me..." He Xi found an excuse and started crying again. When her eyes were red as walnuts, a bottle of opened water appeared in front of her. Bai Shu said helplessly, "Drink some to moisten your throat."
"I'm not afraid of hurting my voice from crying."
He Xi didn't bother to be polite with him and just started drinking. Bai Shu laughed and turned his head away. Suddenly, he patted her shoulder gently with his hand and said, "Look, the stars are so bright tonight."
He Xi glanced at it and turned away without interest, "Not as much as when I was little."
"Then it can also light up the night sky, okay?" Bai Shu fell into reminiscence, "When I was a child, when I couldn't sleep at night, I would take myself downstairs to count the stars. One, two, three..."
Bai Shu pointed at the stars above his head and counted them in a low, stiff voice, "Four, five, six..." He took a breath and continued to count in a tense voice, "Seven, eight, nine..." He sounded as if he was terminally ill.
"Ha...ha...hahahahahahahaha!" He Xi couldn't hold back any longer and laughed heartily.
"That's right." Bai Shu also laughed with her. "Even if we are not illuminated by the sun where we are now, there are still stars above our heads."
"So... be happy, He Xi."
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