Chapter 67 Couple Photo The Look in Her Eyes Was Different…

Chapter 67: A Photo of the Two of Them

The look in her eyes as she gazed at him was...

"Then you should start preparing now," Xie Xingzhi said softly. "I can’t help much with your studies, but if there’s anything else you need, be sure to tell me promptly."

"Okay," Yu Kui replied, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "When I become a lawyer, if your company has any problems, you can always consult me."

Xie Xingzhi smiled at her. "By the time you graduate, I’ll have to be your most loyal client."

Soon, the two arrived at the location Shu Jia had pinned.

It was at the foot of a mountain.

In the heat of midsummer, the mountains were lush and green, and a cool breeze swept away the summer heat without them even noticing.

Sun Lin and Zhou Chu were already setting up the tent, while several girls were cooling watermelons and drinks by the small stream under the shade of the trees.

Hearing the engine, Zhang Jing stood up and waved. "It’s especially cool over here—come quickly!"

Yu Kui was about to get out of the car when her eyes landed on Xie Xingzhi. She paused and asked hesitantly, "Do you have to work today?"

Her original plan was to let Xie Xingzhi leave once they arrived, but when she saw his eyes, she wanted him to stay.

At the very least, he shouldn’t spend the whole day cooped up in the office.

He was busy. Even though they kept in touch regularly, she could sense the urgency in him to make something of himself.

It was as if something was pushing him relentlessly forward, never allowing him a moment to catch his breath.

It was a world apart from when they first met in middle school.

This change was clearly for the better.

But sometimes, seeing him like this left Yu Kui feeling weary—not just because of the influence of the novel’s plot, but also because the rebellious aura he once had had faded, replaced by an unexplained loneliness.

It was as if the warmth of ordinary life felt distant to him.

"You want me to stay?" Xie Xingzhi was taken aback for a moment, a clear smile appearing in his eyes.

Yu Kui nodded but added, "If your work is urgent, you should go back. We can always meet another time."

"It’s not too urgent," Xie Xingzhi said, getting out of the car and walking to her side. "I can clear my schedule today."

"Then come with me," Yu Kui said, asking him to grab the tote bag from the trunk, which contained food and a picnic blanket. They could find a spot to sit and rest later.

Watching the two approach one after the other, Zhang Jing and Xu Siyue exchanged a glance, both seeing amusement in each other’s eyes.

"You’re not going back to work?" Shu Jia asked, looking curiously at Xie Xingzhi.

The latter nodded slightly. "I’ll celebrate your birthday with you. I didn’t bring a gift, so I’ll send you a red packet instead."

Shu Jia’s eyes instantly lit up, though she said, "Oh, you really shouldn’t have."

Her next sentence was: "Just send it to my WeChat."

Yu Kui washed her hands by the stream and glanced at the lush forest. "Do you want to explore the mountains?" she asked him.

"I was just saying earlier," Zhang Jing chimed in, "It rained the day before yesterday, so there should be mushrooms growing on the mountain. Maybe we’ll have some luck."

As they were talking, Zhou Chu walked over and said to Zhang Jing, "I’ll head back first. Be careful out here, and I’ll come pick you up later."

"Alright, drive safely," Zhang Jing replied.

Zhou Chu smiled, waved to Yu Kui and the others, and left.

Shu Jia fetched two small red buckets from the car. "These were originally for catching fish, but let’s use them for wild vegetables and mushrooms for now."

Seeing this, Sun Lin and Xu Siyue’s boyfriend, Qiao Yan, asked them to wait while they finished setting up the tent so they could all go together.

By then, the sun was high in the sky. Yu Kui found a shady spot, laid out the picnic blanket, and invited Xie Xingzhi to sit down while they listened to the others chat.

The mountain was lush with vegetation, and the fresh scent of plants lifted everyone’s spirits.

Xie Xingzhi watched her profile. Compared to her school days, her features had become more refined and striking. The baby fat on her cheeks had faded, and her facial features had matured, making her look exceptionally beautiful.

"Let’s go, let’s go," Shu Jia called out, striding ahead. "We’ll take a walk to the mountainside and come back before mealtime."

"Do you want to go?" Xie Xingzhi asked Yu Kui. "If you’re tired, we can just stay by the stream."

"Let’s go," Yu Kui said, quite interested in exploring the mountains. "We’re here already, after all."

The two followed at the back of the group, listening to Zhang Jing and Shu Jia chatting and enjoying the scenery along the way, feeling perfectly relaxed.

Before long, they discovered mushrooms growing on the moss. Most were unidentifiable, but they recognized a few common varieties. As long as they looked fresh, they collected them in the buckets.

Yu Kui also found several protected plant species, including orchids and ferns, and took plenty of photos with her phone.

Summer was a season of vigorous growth, and clusters of wild roses bloomed freely across the mountainside, like bursts of delicate snow, delighting everyone.

Xu Siyue suggested taking photos with the roses and urged Yu Kui and Xie Xingzhi to join them.

After a group photo, they took affectionate couple photos.

"Yu Kui, why don’t you and Xie Xingzhi take a photo together?" Zhang Jing said with a smile. "Since we’re here, let’s take a few as keepsakes."

If it were any other guy, Yu Kui would have refused without hesitation. But Xie Xingzhi was someone she had known for years, and they rarely had chances to hang out like this.

"Do you want to take a photo with me?" she asked the boy beside her, tilting her face up with a faint smile.

Xie Xingzhi answered without hesitation, "Sure, let’s take a few."

"I’ll take the photo for you," Zhang Jing said, taking the camera from Sun Lin. She directed them to stand near the bushes. "Get a little closer, both of you. Smile a bit, and try not to look too stiff."

Yu Kui, having hosted school events before, was natural in front of the camera. Xie Xingzhi also seemed comfortable. When Zhang Jing pressed the shutter, she couldn’t help but exclaim, "It’s a shame you two aren’t actors."

She then eagerly had them change poses and positions, taking over a dozen photos in a row. "If I owned a photo studio, I’d definitely hire you as models."

"Alright, alright," Yu Kui interrupted. "Let me see how they turned out first."

She leaned in beside Zhang Jing and paused when she saw the photos of herself and Xie Xingzhi.

They stood close together. She was smiling happily, her eyes curved, while Xie Xingzhi also had a slight smile, his gaze fixed on the camera—deep and gentle.

There was nothing inappropriate about their poses, yet their expressions and posture seemed incredibly in sync, almost...

Yu Kui couldn’t put into words what that feeling was. It was as if she saw something in her own eyes, or perhaps in Xie Xingzhi’s.

"There’s more," Zhang Jing said, not noticing her reaction, flipping to a candid shot she had taken. "I think this one is really nice too!"

It was the moment her hair got caught on a flower branch, and Xie Xingzhi hurried to her side.

What was beautiful wasn’t the sea of flowers behind them, but Xie Xingzhi’s slightly lowered eyes, through which seemed to flow a shadowy, mysterious river.

And her expression—tilting her head, her gaze fixed on Xie Xingzhi with focus and trust, as if she knew he would come to her side at once.

Was that how she looked at Xie Xingzhi? She usually never even noticed.

"Isn’t it beautiful?" Zhang Jing said proudly. "With my skills, I could go pro as a photographer."

Yu Kui didn’t respond, turning instead to look at Xie Xingzhi. He had also seen those photos, his expression calm and composed, as if he found nothing amiss.

"Can you send all these photos to me?" he said to Zhang Jing. "You did a great job on these."

"Of course," Zhang Jing replied without hesitation. "I’ll send them to you later."

"Thank you."

After taking photos, the group continued up the mountain, picking mushrooms and digging up wild greens. They worked for quite a while until their stomachs growled with hunger, then headed back down, laughing and joking.

Yu Kui and Xie Xingzhi still walked at the back. Neither spoke, but there was no sense of awkwardness.

It was the tacit understanding of years of companionship, yet tinged with a feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"What are you thinking about?" Xie Xingzhi’s voice came softly.

"Thinking about how long we’ll be friends," Yu Kui blurted out.

Instead of answering, Xie Xingzhi asked, "How long do you want to be friends?"

Yu Kui thought seriously for a moment. "I think being friends with you is great, but I'm not sure for how long."

Although she wanted to be friends with Xie Xingzhi for a long time, once they started their adult lives, met more people, encountered more experiences, fell in love, and got married, there would inevitably be other, more important people.

By then, the ties of friendship are bound to loosen.

"Aren’t you afraid of hurting my feelings by saying that?" Xie Xingzhi said from behind her. "I consider you the most important person to me."

Yu Kui paused mid-step. "You—"

"My best friend," Xie Xingzhi added. "Even if time is limited, I want to make sure you remember me firmly within that time."

"I remember," Yu Kui said, both amused and exasperated. "You’re an important friend to me too."

"The most important?"

"I don’t know if you’re the most important," Yu Kui said, as she had no clear idea of what "most important" meant. "But you’re very important."

"That’s enough," Xie Xingzhi said softly. "That works for me."

Yu Kui stood on a protruding rock, looking down at the view below, and invited Xie Xingzhi to join her. "Isn’t it beautiful?"

When she was with him, she often said things that even she felt were meaningless small talk, but Xie Xingzhi was always an enthusiastic audience. "There seems to be a lotus pond to the south. I’ll take you there for a walk this afternoon."

"Sure," Yu Kui said as she continued downhill. "Let's buy some lotus seed pods from the villagers then."

Back at the foot of the mountain, Yu Kui and Shu Jia washed vegetables by the river, while Xie Xingzhi and Sun Lin got out the stove to prepare lunch.

For lunch, they had wild mushroom and vegetable soup along with a few simple stir-fried dishes, with the big barbecue feast saved for later in the afternoon.

With time to kill after lunch, Shu Jia suggested playing a game—Truth or Dare.

As the birthday girl, everyone was happy to indulge her, and they all agreed to her proposal.

"There are seven of us in total. I’ve prepared seven playing cards, each card is unique. The person who draws the joker gets to punish the one who draws the ‘2.’ How does that sound?"

"Sounds good," Zhang Jing said with a laugh. "Truth or Dare—no chickening out, okay?"

Everyone gathered around the foldable dining table as Shu Jia dealt the shuffled cards face down in front of each person.

Yu Kui turned over her card—it wasn’t the joker, and she was in the clear.