PSMD – Chapter 171

After the New Year, they returned to work, but in early March, Qiu Yang and Shen Ningruo both took leave.

With White Day approaching, they decided to go to Xicheng again.

They had been there last year during the May Day holiday, but it was too crowded then, and they had also run into Guo Ming’an, which inevitably dampened their spirits.

This time was different.

This time marked the one-year anniversary of their meeting, and they wouldn’t encounter Guo Ming’an again.

March 14th was a Monday. They spent the weekend in Yuncheng and took the flight to Xicheng on Monday morning.

A year later, it was the same flight, but their state of mind had undergone a world of change.

Qiu Yang put on her eye mask, a smile constantly playing on her lips.

Last year, she had put on her eye mask after only a few words with Auntie Zhao Mingfen and the others on the plane.

“So, did you notice me on the plane last year?” Qiu Yang tilted her head.

Shen Ningruo nodded, “Yes.”

“I came specifically for you, but you didn’t notice me.”

Qiu Yang touched her nose. At that time, she was still immersed in the sadness of her breakup; how could she have noticed anyone else?

Seeing Qiu Yang like this, Shen Ningruo found it amusing. “I didn’t mean to blame you, don’t overthink it.”

“I didn’t say I would overthink it,” Qiu Yang held her hand. Although her eyes were covered, she felt as if she could see everything.

This trip was essentially a repeat of last year. They used the same suitcases as last year and booked the same guesthouse.

The only difference was that this time they only booked one room.

It was peak tourist season, so Shen Ningruo called the guesthouse owner in advance and asked him to keep the room she stayed in before.

Luckily, she still remembered the room number.

The owner said it was no problem, so after checking in, they entered the room.

The layout inside hadn’t changed much, and memories flooded back little by little.

After the door closed, Shen Ningruo pulled Qiu Yang to sit on the sofa.

However, she had Qiu Yang sit on her lap.

“What’s the plan for today, Tour Guide Xiao Yang?” Shen Ningruo’s hands rested on Qiu Yang’s waist.

Qiu Yang cupped her face, “Aren’t you hungry?”

“Hungry.”

“Then let’s go eat first.”

Just like last year, they planned to stay in Xicheng for a week, returning on Sunday, which was perfect.

But Shen Ningruo didn’t let go of her hands. She leaned her head forward slightly until it rested completely against Qiu Yang, then took a deep breath. “Xiao Yang…”

“Hmm?”

“How does that lyric go again?”

“Meeting you was so lucky.”

She didn’t sing the lyric but spoke it, as Shen Ningruo was tone-deaf and wasn’t about to embarrass herself.

Qiu Yang placed her palm on the back of Shen Ningruo’s head. “I feel that way too.”

“Then how about we go check out that bar today? If it’s possible, I’ll go on stage and sing this song for you.”

Shen Ningruo’s eyes immediately lit up. “Okay!”

“Then let’s hurry and eat.”

The weather in Xicheng was as usual. It was March, but the sun was shining brightly. They opened their umbrellas and left the guesthouse.

They ate, then took a nap.

It wasn’t until dusk that they left to go to the bar.

But as they walked out of the guesthouse, they saw the toy store, and the owner had set up the ring toss game again.

Shen Ningruo’s steps stopped abruptly. She looked at Qiu Yang and issued an invitation, “Want to compete with me?”

“Okay,” Qiu Yang readily agreed.

Elementary school students finished school quite early now, and there were already children watching the ring toss game. However, no passing tourists had stepped forward yet. Seeing Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang walking towards it, their eyes lit up.

The owner set up this game almost every day and had encountered many customers. He didn’t recognize the two of them and was about to ask how many rings they needed when Shen Ningruo quickly said, “Boss, twenty rings.”

“Alright!”

The toys on the ground were similar to last year’s.

Shen Ningruo and Qiu Yang exchanged glances, both raising an eyebrow, looking determined to win.

Last time they competed at this, it was a tie.

Shen Ningruo cleared her throat, pretending not to be familiar with Qiu Yang. “Me first?”

“Go ahead.”

Shen Ningruo stood up straight and tossed the first ring.

Missed.

The watching elementary school students sighed, as if disappointed.

Qiu Yang laughed. “Oh dear, Director Shen, haven’t played for a year, are you rusty?”

“Your turn.”

Qiu Yang also stood up straight, held her breath, and tossed a ring forward.

She ringed a small bubble machine.

The children gasped “Wow!” and looked on with envy. The toy store owner happily picked up the toy and placed it on the barrier in front of Qiu Yang.

Shen Ningruo pursed her lips. After seeing Qiu Yang’s smug expression, she snorted lightly and tossed out the second ring.

After the entire game, the result was different from last year.

Qiu Yang won this year.

Shen Ningruo only ringed three toys, while Qiu Yang ringed five.

There were six children watching. They distributed the toys among them, keeping two for themselves.

The children immediately cheered, saying “Thank you, Jie jie” repeatedly, their smiles even brighter than the sunshine.

Leaving the toy stall, Shen Ningruo sighed, “How did my skill get worse?”

Qiu Yang shrugged. “Why didn’t mine?”

“Did you secretly practice behind my back?”

“Director Shen, I’m with you every day. How could I secretly practice?” Qiu Yang played with the bubble machine, sending circles of bubbles into the sky, accompanied by a loud tune.

Seeing her having so much fun, Shen Ningruo raised an eyebrow. “Then I understand.”

“Understand what?”

“I’ve been the ‘1’ too many times this year, my right arm doesn’t have enough strength,” Shen Ningruo walked along, talking nonsense with a straight face.

“Ah, is that how it is?” Qiu Yang’s eyes and expression were exaggerated, her smile reaching its fullest.

Shen Ningruo nodded. “Mm-hmm, that’s exactly it.”

“Then how about this, Ruoruo.”

“For the next year, you don’t be the ‘1’ even once. Let me do it. Then next year at this time, we’ll come back to Xicheng and compete again.”

“Let’s see if I’ll lose then?”

Shen Ningruo: “I was wrong, boohoohoo.”