Chapter 67, the look in his eyes during the photo of the two of them...
“Then you should start preparing now,” Xie Xingzhi said softly. “I can’t help you with your studies, but if you need any other assistance, be sure to let me know.”
“Okay.” Yu Kui’s eyes curved slightly. “When I become a lawyer in the future, you can still consult me if there are any problems with the company.”
Xie Xingzhi smiled at her, "After you graduate, I will definitely be your most loyal customer."
Before long, the two arrived at the location Shu Jia had located.
It was at the foot of a mountain.
It was the height of summer, but the mountains were lush and green, and a cool breeze blew by, dispelling the heat without anyone noticing.
Sun Lin and Zhou Chu were already setting up tents, while several girls were enjoying watermelon and drinks by the stream under the shade of trees.
Hearing the engine, Zhang Jing stood up and waved, "It's really cool here, come on over!"
Yu Kui was about to get out of the car when her gaze fell on Xie Xingzhi, and she stopped, hesitatingly asking, "Do I have to work today?"
Her original plan was to send Xie Xingzhi back after they arrived, but when she saw his eyes, she wanted him to stay.
At least you can't spend all day in the office.
He was very busy, and even though they contacted each other only every few days, she could sense his urgency to make something of himself.
It felt like something was pushing him forward from behind, refusing to give him a chance to stop and catch his breath.
It was completely different from the scene when we first met in middle school.
Such a change is clearly a good thing.
But sometimes when Yu Kui sees him, she feels very tired, not only because of the influence of the novel's content, but also because the unruly aura on him has faded, and he has inexplicably become lonely.
The mundane realities of life seemed far removed from him.
"You want me to stay?" Xie Xingzhi paused for a moment, then a clear smile appeared in his eyes.
Yu Kui nodded, but still said, "If you're in a hurry with work, you can go back first, and we can make an appointment next time."
“It’s not too urgent,” Xie Xingzhi opened the car door and walked to her side. “I have some free time today.”
"Then come with me." Yu Kui told him to get the handbag from the trunk, which contained food and a picnic blanket, so they could find a place to sit and rest later.
Seeing the two of them approaching one after the other, Zhang Jing and Xu Siyue exchanged a glance, both seeing smiles in each other's eyes.
"Aren't you going back to work?" Shu Jia asked Xie Xingzhi in confusion.
The latter nodded slightly, "I celebrated my birthday with you all, but I didn't bring any gifts. Here's a red envelope for you."
Shu Jia's eyes lit up immediately, but she said, "I'm so sorry."
The next sentence is: "Just send it to my WeChat."
Yu Kui washed her hands by the river, glanced at the lush forest, and asked him, "Want to go for a walk in the mountains?"
“I was saying this before,” Zhang Jing said, “it rained the day before yesterday, there should be mushrooms growing on the mountain, maybe we can try our luck.”
As they were talking, Zhou Chu walked over and said to Zhang Jing, "I'm going back first. Be careful outside. I'll come back to pick you up later."
"Okay, drive carefully."
Zhou Chu smiled, greeted Yu Kui and the others, and then left.
Shu Jia took two small red buckets out of the car. "They were originally for catching fish, but we'll use them to hold wild vegetables and mushrooms for now."
Seeing this, Sun Lin and Xu Siyue's boyfriend, Qiao Yan, told them to wait while they set up their tents and went together.
The sun was already high in the sky. Yu Kui found a shady spot under a tree, laid out a picnic blanket, and invited Xie Xingzhi to sit down and listen to their conversation.
The lush vegetation in the mountains and the fresh fragrance of the plants put people in a good mood.
Xie Xingzhi looked at her profile. Compared to her student days, her face was more delicate and beautiful. The baby fat on her cheeks had faded, and her features had become more relaxed, making her look exceptionally pretty.
"Let's go, let's go," Shu Jia strode forward, "Let's go for a walk halfway up the mountain and come back before dinner."
"Do you want to go?" Xie Xingzhi asked Yu Kui. "If you're tired, we can stay by the river for a while."
“Let’s go,” Yu Kui said, showing considerable interest in the mountains. “It’s not easy to come all this way.”
The two followed behind the group, listening to Zhang Jing and Shu Jia's conversations and enjoying the scenery along the way, feeling particularly relaxed.
Before long, they found mushrooms growing on the moss. Most of them were unidentifiable, but there were a few common ones. As long as they weren't badly damaged, they put them all into the bucket.
Yu Kui also discovered many protected plants, including orchids and ferns, and took many photos with her phone.
Summer is the season when plants grow vigorously. Several clumps of wild roses bloom freely in the mountains, resembling clusters of brocade and auspicious snow, much to everyone's delight.
Xu Siyue suggested taking a photo with Qiangwei and told Yu Kui and Xie Xingzhi to hurry up and follow.
After taking the group photo, they took some lovey-dovey couple photos.
"Yu Kui, why don't you and Xie Xingzhi take a picture too?" Zhang Jing looked at the two of them with a smile. "We've come all this way, let's take a few pictures as a memento."
If it were any other guy, Yu Kui would definitely refuse without hesitation, but the person next to her was Xie Xingzhi, a friend she had known for several years, and they rarely went out together like this.
"Would you like to take a picture with me?" She looked at the boy beside her, a faint smile on her upturned face.
Xie Xingzhi agreed almost without hesitation, "Okay, let's take a few pictures."
“I’ll take your picture,” Zhang Jing said, taking the camera from Sun Lin’s hand and directing them to stand by the bushes. “You two stand close together, smile a little, and don’t be too stiff.”
Yu Kui had hosted school programs before and was very natural in front of the camera. Xie Xingzhi also looked very composed. When Zhang Jing pressed the shutter, she exclaimed in amazement, "It's such a pity that you two aren't actors."
She then eagerly asked them to change positions and poses, taking more than a dozen photos in a row, saying, "If I were a photo studio owner, I would definitely hire you as models."
"Alright, alright," Yu Kui interrupted her, "Let me take a look at the final cut first."
She moved closer to Zhang Jing and paused, stunned when she saw herself and Xie Xingzhi in the photo.
They stood very close. She smiled happily, her eyebrows curved, and Xie Xingzhi's lips also turned up, his gaze fixed on the camera, his eyes deep and gentle.
Although they didn't do anything out of line, their movements and expressions were extremely synchronized, very...
Yu Kui couldn't describe the feeling; it was as if she saw something through her own eyes, or perhaps Xie Xingzhi's eyes.
"And another one," Zhang Jing said, oblivious to her unease, as she flipped through the photos she had taken, showing her one of the snapshots she had snapped. "I think this one is also very nice!"
That was the moment Xie Xingzhi rushed to her side when her hair got caught on a flower branch.
What's beautiful isn't the sea of flowers behind them, but Xie Xingzhi's slightly lowered eyes, as if a dark river flows within them.
And her expression—she tilted her head, her gaze towards Xie Xingzhi focused and trusting, as if she knew he would come to her side immediately.
Was that how she looked at Xie Xingzhi? She hadn't even noticed before.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Zhang Jing said proudly, “With my skill level, I could be a photographer.”
Yu Kui didn't reply, but turned to look at Xie Xingzhi. He had also seen the photos, his expression calm and composed, as if he hadn't noticed anything amiss.
"Could you send me all these photos?" he asked Zhang Jing. "They're all very well taken."
“Of course,” Zhang Jing replied without hesitation. “I’ll send it to you later.”
"Thanks."
After taking photos, the group continued up the mountain, picking mushrooms and digging for wild vegetables. They worked for half a day until their stomachs were growling with hunger, then they laughed and joked as they headed back down the mountain.
Yu Kui and Xie Xingzhi continued to walk at the very back. Neither of them spoke, but they didn't seem embarrassed.
It was a tacit understanding built over many years, yet it also carried a meaning that even she herself couldn't quite articulate.
"What are you thinking about?" Xie Xingzhi's voice came softly.
"I'm wondering how long we'll be friends," Yu Kui said subconsciously.
Xie Xingzhi didn't answer but instead asked, "How long do you want to be friends?"
After hearing this, Yu Kui thought about it seriously for a moment, "I think it would be great to be friends with you, but I'm not sure about the time or the duration."
Although she wanted to be friends with Xie Xingzhi for a long time.
But once they enter society, meet more people, experience more things, fall in love, and get married, more important people will inevitably appear.
At that time, the bonds of friendship will weaken.
"Aren't you afraid of hurting me by saying such things?" Xie Xingzhi stood behind her. "I consider you the most important person to me."
Yu Kui paused, "You..."
“I’m your best friend,” Xie Xingzhi added, “Even if time is limited, I will make sure you remember me within that limited time.”
“I remember,” Yu Kui said, both amused and exasperated. “You are also an important friend of mine.”
Is it the most important thing?
“I don’t know if it’s the most important,” Yu Kui didn’t have a specific concept of the most important thing in her mind, “but it’s very important.”
"That's enough," Xie Xingzhi said softly. "This is fine too."
Yu Kui stood on a protruding rock, looking down at the view below the mountain. She called Xie Xingzhi over to come and see, "Isn't it beautiful?"
When she was with him, she would always say things that even she herself thought were meaningless, but Xie Xingzhi would always listen in and say things like, "There seems to be a lotus pond in the south. I'll take you there this afternoon."
“Okay.” Yu Kui continued walking down the path. “I’ll buy some lotus pods from the villagers later.”
Back at the foot of the mountain, Yu Kui and Shu Jia washed vegetables by the river, while Xie Xingzhi and Sun Lin took out a stove to prepare a meal.
We had mushroom and wild vegetable soup and a few simple stir-fried dishes for lunch; the main meal will be a barbecue in the afternoon.
With nothing much to do in the afternoon, Shujia suggested playing a game, Truth or Dare.
She was the birthday girl today, and everyone gave her face and agreed to her suggestion.
“There are seven of us. I’ve prepared seven playing cards, each one different. The person who gets the Joker card can punish the person who gets the '2'. How does that rule sound?”
"Sure," Zhang Jing said with a smile, "Truth or Dare, no cheating allowed!"
The group gathered around the folding dining table, and Shu Jia placed the shuffled cards in front of each person.
Yu Kui turned over her card; it wasn't the Joker, and she didn't need to be punished.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
