Ruan Nianxi certainly wouldn't refuse, and in fact, she was quite happy about it.
The two of them stood very close to each other.
Xie Shu held up his phone towards the full-length mirror in front of them, capturing both their reflections, while the store clerk discreetly stepped back a bit.
He lowered the phone slightly; otherwise, his face in the mirror would be obscured by the device.
Before pressing the shutter button, he stepped back a little, dissatisfied, and then moved slightly behind Ruan Nianxi.
Compared to their previous side-by-side stance, they now seemed even closer.
Their poses were a bit stiff, with no interaction between their bodies, each standing on their own, the only thing in common was their proximity.
The hand that Xie Shu wasn't using to hold the phone really wanted to interact with Ruan Nianxi, but after hesitating for a while, he eventually let it hang silently by his thigh.
He moved the phone forward a bit to ensure Ruan Nianxi, standing in front of him, could see the screen.
"Ruan Nianxi, could you press the shutter for me?"
The phone was just in front of her head, a slight glance would allow her to see it.
She hummed softly in acknowledgment and reached out to press the shutter button.
"Remember to look forward."
"Mhm."
Click—
The photo was taken.
Xie Shu retrieved his phone to check the photo, curious about how it turned out.
In the picture, although their hands didn't touch, there was a hint of interaction that softened their otherwise rigid stances, making the overall effect harmonious.
He really wanted to hold her for the photo just now.
…He needed to confess soon so he could embrace her openly.
He had to prepare in advance.
Ruan Nianxi stood quietly beside Xie Shu, looking up at him. He was too tall, and she couldn't see the phone screen, unsure if the photo turned out well.
She was so nervous at the time; what if the photo didn't look good?
This thought made her even more anxious.
Xie Shu noticed Ruan Nianxi looking at him from the corner of his eye and immediately lowered his phone, moving a bit closer to her.
They both saw the photo and thought it was quite good.
Afterward, Xie Shu sent the photo to Ruan Nianxi and then opened his Moments.
He added the photo and began editing the caption.
Ruan Nianxi was about to return to the fitting room to change out of the dress, but before entering, she asked Xie Shu uneasily, "Could you blur the photo for me?"
Xie Shu, who was about to post, was puzzled: "???"
"Why?"
"I…" Ruan Nianxi stammered, avoiding eye contact.
"Are you not satisfied with the photo? Shall we take another one?"
Thinking that girls care about looking pretty in photos, Xie Shu assumed she was dissatisfied.
But… she's beautiful and photogenic, even by entertainment industry standards.
"It's not that, I really like it…" but she trailed off.
She liked it, was satisfied, but still wanted it blurred.
Xie Shu fell silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded: "Alright."
Although he didn't quite understand why she wanted to do that, since she asked, he would comply.
Xie Shu had no choice but to edit the photo, placing a sticker over Ruan Nianxi's head, showing it to her for approval. Only after she nodded contentedly did she finally return to the fitting room.
Inside the fitting room, Ruan Nianxi was both excited and troubled.
She had finally made it into his Moments, and it was even a photo together…
But she remembered that her mother was on his WeChat friend list.
In the past, when she visited Xie Shu's house, she often missed messages and calls from her parents because she disliked looking at her phone.
Later, she didn't know when her mother had added Xie Shu on WeChat. Whenever they couldn't reach her, they would message Xie Shu to confirm she was at his place before they would be at ease. He had told her all this before.
Of course, this was back in middle school when it was common for students to have mobile phones.
Although she had less contact with Xie Shu after high school and hardly visited his home, and they barely saw each other in university, she couldn't be sure if Xie Shu and her mother were still on each other's friend lists.
In any case, it was better to be cautious.
Her parents had always been against her being with Xie Shu. If her mother saw the photo, she would surely take her abroad again, just like before.
She didn't want to be separated from Xie Shu, so she had to ask him to blur the photo.
She didn't want to, but she couldn't defy her parents now.
Ruan Nianxi changed back into her original clothes and left the fitting room. Xie Shu was waiting outside, he paid for the clothes, and they left the store together.
***
In a high-end office building.
After leaving the meeting room, Jian Qing wanted to check the time. She opened her phone but saw an unread WeChat message instead.
She clicked to read it.
Little Xi: [Mom, I'll leave it at that for today. I'm heading out now and won't join you for dinner. I've left the relevant documents on your desk so as not to disturb your meeting.]
The message was sent an hour ago.
An hour ago?
Why did she leave so early this time?
Thinking about yesterday's incident, her brows furrowed. She couldn't be going to see Xie Shu again, could she?
Yesterday, Secretary Lin reported seeing her and Xie Shu at the same place, but after being spotted, it was unclear if they spent a long time together last night.
Thinking of Xie Shu, Jian Qing's brows remained knitted.
But whether they were actually together now, she didn't know; it was just speculation.
However, it seemed unlikely. From what she knew over the past few years, Xie Shu had always been with a girl surnamed Su, and he was very fond of her. His Moments over the past few years were all related to that girl.
He hadn't been in contact with Little Xi for many years, and it should be normal for them to occasionally bump into each other now that they were at the same school.
Jian Qing tried to convince herself.
Little Xi probably just finished the tasks they had arranged for her early and wanted to go back.
With these thoughts, Jian Qing walked towards her office, with Secretary Lin closely following, reminding her of the upcoming schedule.
As they passed a room, a cleaning lady happened to come out.
Jian Qing was looking down at documents while speaking, and Secretary Lin was focused on listening, so neither noticed the cleaning lady immediately, almost colliding with her. Fortunately, the cleaning lady reacted quickly and stepped back into the room.
In her haste, the cleaning lady's hand accidentally hit the door frame, the pain causing her to involuntarily drop the trash bag she was holding.
The trash bag hit the floor, making a clattering sound, and some bottles bounced out.
The cleaning lady, who regularly cleaned this floor, recognized Jian Qing and quickly apologized for her clumsiness.
Jian Qing gave a slight nod to indicate it was fine, but her gaze stayed on the bottles on the floor.
Thinking she was upset, the cleaning lady hurried to pick them up, but Jian Qing stopped her.
Jian Qing bent down, picked up a bottle at random to look at it, and then turned her attention to the trash bag, which clearly still contained items.
Compelled, she stepped towards the trash bag.
She crouched down and opened it.
What she saw were familiar bottles and medicine boxes.
Moreover, the oral medications were clearly unopened, with many of the boxes still sealed.
Her face stern, she stood up and looked towards the room behind the cleaning lady.
This room was where Little Xi usually stayed, as she didn't like interacting with others, so Jian Qing had arranged a separate room for her.
So… Were these medicines thrown away by her?
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan