PSMD – Chapter 4

Qiu Yang let it go and walked away, not uttering a single word.

Shen Ningruo watched the wind catch the ends of Qiu Yang’s hair, her upturned smile gradually fading. She gripped the umbrella handle, her emotions a bit complex.

No one had ever snubbed her like that before.

And it wasn’t the first time.

Shen Ningruo’s brows furrowed, and after a couple of seconds, she lifted her eyelids and started walking again.

The place they ate was a local restaurant in Xicheng, serving local cuisine. The two tour guides, Jin Yuan and Tu Xinxin, were in charge of communicating with the waiters to order.

They sat in a private room with two round tables, each seating about twelve people, leaving two empty seats at each table.

The waiter removed the extra chairs, making the space a bit emptier. Qiu Yang sat there.

She didn’t want to sit too close to the others; she just wanted to finish her meal quietly and return to the guesthouse to rest.

The table wasn’t big, with a short diameter.

Shen Ningruo sat directly across from her, chatting animatedly with the aunties on either side. Qiu Yang could see her face just by raising her eyes.

Putting everything else aside, Shen Ningruo was very pretty.

Qiu Yang pursed her lips, wondering if she had ever met Shen Ningruo before.

She kept feeling like something was off, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

By the time most of the dishes had been served, she still hadn’t found the answer, only confirming once again that she had definitely never met Shen Ningruo before.

And she was even more determined to keep her distance from Shen Ningruo.

Otherwise, she might get a “danger” sign plastered on her forehead.

The meal lasted for about half an hour, during which she and Shen Ningruo didn’t exchange a single glance. Qiu Yang felt relieved.

But she had to admit that Shen Ningruo’s appearance had shifted some of her attention away from Tao Sixian.

However, Tao Sixian popped back into her mind on the way back to the guesthouse.

Qiu Yang held her umbrella and silently followed the group.

Just as they were about to reach the guesthouse, Zhao Mingfen called out to her, “Xiao Qiu.”

Qiu Yang was starting to dread being called “Xiao Qiu.”

She had heard it so many times today.

Zhao Mingfen still had that friendly look on her face, holding up her phone. “Auntie wants to add you on WeChat.”

Qiu Yang was taken aback. Then Wu Xiaoqiong, Auntie Mingfen’s companion, came over and made the same gesture. “Xiao Qiu, add me too.”

Wu Xiaoqiong paused, leaned in slightly, and lowered her voice. “Later, if I find any nice old men looking for a partner, I’ll keep you in mind.”

Qiu Yang, “…Thank you for your kindness, Auntie, but these things depend on fate.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she didn’t show it, calmly scanning the two aunties’ WeChat QR codes.

“That’s true.” Wu Xiaoqiong sighed. “Everything comes down to ‘fate.'”

Zhao Mingfen nodded in agreement. “Yes, Xiao Qiu, I think we’re quite fated.”

Qiu Yang looked well-behaved, quiet, and had a gentle temperament, the kind that elders liked.

Qiu Yang didn’t say anything, just smiled.

She didn’t believe in fate.

Or rather, she used to, but Tao Sixian had personally destroyed that belief.

After adding the two aunties on WeChat, they arrived at the guesthouse.

Qiu Yang folded her umbrella, took her room card out of her bag, and entered the hallway.

Finally, it was quiet. Qiu Yang couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Jin Yuan had said that everyone would rest for two hours before visiting some attractions near the guesthouse.

Qiu Yang didn’t want to go and had already sent Jin Yuan a message.

It was true she had paid for it, and if she didn’t go, the money would be wasted.

Well…

Waste it, then.

Qiu Yang didn’t feel any regret. She had come to Xicheng to change her environment, and whether she played or not didn’t matter.

She opened the door.

This time, no one called out to her from behind.

When Qiu Yang turned to close the door, she glanced at the opposite room. If she remembered correctly, Shen Ningruo was staying there.

Shen Ningruo wasn’t there now, and there was no sign of her in the hallway. Qiu Yang didn’t know where she had gone.

Qiu Yang couldn’t be bothered to think about it and closed the door with a “bang.”

The room was quiet, with sunlight streaming through the window, creating patterns on the floor.

Qiu Yang didn’t remove her makeup, drew the curtains, washed her hands, and got into bed with her eye mask on.

Her eyelids had been fighting for a while, but when she actually tried to sleep, they refused to cooperate.

Qiu Yang couldn’t see anything; all she saw was darkness.

She tossed and turned for a long time, and then, as if watching a movie, her memories with Tao Sixian, starting from their first meeting, played back at ten times the speed.

Qiu Yang was tired.

Finally, sleep found her.

When she woke up, it was already dusk. Her room had a great view, and she could see the colorful sunset through the window.

She took her DSLR camera out of her bag and took a few photos of the scenery.

She had been into photography for several years, so it was normal that she could take photos that Zhao Mingfen and Wu Xiaoqiong praised.

The memory card in the DSLR was new; she had replaced the old one because it was mostly filled with photos of Tao Sixian.

The group hadn’t returned from the nearby attractions yet. Qiu Yang thought for a few seconds, put on her shoes, and left the room.

Taking photos could help her focus and temporarily stop thinking about things.

The guesthouse owner was sitting at the front desk. Seeing Qiu Yang come out, he smiled at her. “Miss, are you a photographer?”

“No.” Qiu Yang shook her head. Her expression didn’t reveal any emotion.

The owner touched his nose, giving up on the idea of chatting with Qiu Yang.

This customer was too aloof.

Qiu Yang didn’t know what he was thinking, nor did she care.

She left the guesthouse with her DSLR.

Indeed, the view was much better here.

The sun was setting, but the breeze still carried a hint of warmth, which felt nice on her face.

Qiu Yang had just stepped out when she stopped.

She saw Shen Ningruo standing in front of a toy store about ten meters away.

The toy store had set up a game, the common ring toss.

Perhaps it was getting close to evening, and the area was starting to liven up. She hadn’t seen the game when they ate lunch.

Some toys were neatly arranged on the flat ground: gyroscopes, yo-yos, Ultraman figures, and dolls.

All toys that children liked.

Shen Ningruo stood outside the line, holding the remaining rings in her left hand and one ring in her right, intently looking at the toy area in front of her.

She hadn’t gone to the attractions with the group, Qiu Yang realized.

Several children were watching Shen Ningruo’s actions. Qiu Yang blinked and thought the scene was quite nice.

She raised her DSLR, aimed the lens at Shen Ningruo, adjusted the angle, and pressed the shutter.

Shen Ningruo had already thrown the ring in her right hand and, luckily, had circled a doll.

The doll was the farthest away, yet it was caught by a small ring.

The watching children cheered, and Shen Ningruo looked pleased.

Qiu Yang was still holding the camera, capturing this moment as well.

The moment the shutter clicked, Shen Ningruo in the lens stopped looking at the toy area and looked at Qiu Yang’s lens instead.

The lens, like Qiu Yang’s eyes, met Shen Ningruo’s gaze.

Qiu Yang was caught red-handed again.

She nervously swallowed, and then she saw Shen Ningruo pat a child’s head, saying something to them. The child hopped and skipped over to Qiu Yang.

Qiu Yang had already lowered her DSLR. She looked down at the little girl, who was only waist-high, without saying anything or smiling.

The little girl touched her braids. She was clearly local to Xicheng, with slightly dark skin and distinctly black pupils. She was a very pretty and lively little girl.

She looked up at Qiu Yang and called out, “Sister.”

Then she pointed at Shen Ningruo. “That sister invites you to play together.”

The child’s eyes were very innocent and clear, like the sky in Xicheng.

Qiu Yang wanted to refuse. “I…”

Before she could say “won’t go,” the little girl blinked her big eyes and cut her off. “Sister, if you come, I can have that doll.”

The little girl added pitifully, “I’ve never had a doll before.”

This was basically emotional blackmail.

But Qiu Yang couldn’t resist.

So, the words that came out were, “Okay.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Ten meters wasn’t a long distance to walk.

But Qiu Yang felt it was very long.

The little girl had already run to Shen Ningruo’s side and soon had the doll that Shen Ningruo had won in her arms.

The surrounding children clamored, exclaiming “wow” repeatedly.

Qiu Yang walked over, and before Shen Ningruo could speak, she said, “I wasn’t secretly photographing you.”

She seemed to have figured out this person’s speaking pattern.

“I didn’t say you were,” Shen Ningruo handed her a ring. “Want to toss some?”

Qiu Yang didn’t move, replying, “I’m not interested.”

“How about this, let’s play a game.” Shen Ningruo’s eyes curved slightly. “If I win more things than you, you’ll come to my room tonight.”

“If not, I’ll go to your room.”