Fire Trees and Silver Flowers of the Sky, and on the ground, camera flashes kept going off relentlessly.
The quiet appreciation of the fireworks’ beauty lasted only a few seconds before it was shattered by the noisy chatter of the crowd.
The mountaintop was bustling with activity.
“Tsk, lively isn’t a bad thing, just a bit noisy,” Xie Zhuran complained with a dissatisfied sigh.
“They’ll probably head down the mountain once the fireworks are over,” Song Qiuyu added, picking up her phone and adjusting the angle to capture both the fireworks blooming high in the sky and the waning moon in the frame.
Click.
She snapped a photo she was quite satisfied with.
At the same moment, another shutter sound echoed—it was Sang Tian taking a picture.
Sang Tian looked at her photo with great satisfaction.
In the photo, Song Qiuyu was focused on capturing the fireworks and the moon, while Jiang Xiao stood nearby, gazing at her with deep affection.
Although Jiang Xiao only glanced at Song Qiuyu once before averting his eyes, Sang Tian had accurately caught that single look.
(Of course, in reality, Jiang Xiao probably just noticed Song Qiuyu taking pictures and looked over absentmindedly, but in Sang Tian’s eyes, that glance naturally carried a different meaning.)
Admiring the composition, Sang Tian thought, This framing is spot on.
If Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao end up together, she would definitely send this picture to them.
“Jiang Xiao, aren’t you taking photos?” Song Qiuyu tilted her head to look at him, blinking.
“I will,” Jiang Xiao said, a bit startled.
He suddenly remembered and picked up his phone, ready to just quickly snap a shot.
“Wait, photos taken like that won’t look good!” Song Qiuyu shook her head and said.
“Jiang Xiao’s scriptwriting might be okay, but his photography can only be described as ‘just a photo’,” Lin An sighed.
Hearing that, Jiang Xiao felt a little embarrassed, and the worst part was, he couldn’t refute them.
If Xi’er were here, she might have also criticized the photos he took…
“This won’t do. As a student of the Director Department, how can you not be able to take a good photo?” Xie Zhuran stroked his chin.
“Oh, right. There’s something I wanted to discuss with you all. For this short video shoot, why don’t we let Jiang Xiao handle the filming?” Song Qiuyu mentioned casually.
“Hm, actually, whenever Jiang Xiao doesn’t have a role, he should take charge of filming. If he does have a role, then whoever is free can step in!”
Three heads filled with question marks.
“You have to practice, so if you ever have to go on a solo assignment, you can handle it on your own,” Song Qiuyu winked at Jiang Xiao.
“Don’t be afraid, Jiang Xiao. The beginning is always the hardest. We’ll all help you! First, let’s get this night scene shot properly!”
She moved slightly closer to him and began teaching him hand by hand how to take good photos.
Jiang Xiao listened intently, his mouth pulled into a straight line and his body a bit stiff.
After she finished explaining, he stood up and stepped back a few paces.
Purpose one: to create distance from Song Qiuyu.
Purpose two: to find the right shooting angle.
Click.
He took a photo.
“Hmm, not bad. After just a few tips from Song Qiuyu, Jiang Xiao has made progress, though there’s still room for improvement,” Xie Zhuran said, getting up from the ground and rushing over to examine the photo.
Jiang Xiao’s lips twitched into a slight smile.
Seeing Jiang Xiao smile, Song Qiuyu smiled too. She could already imagine the little essay he’d write tomorrow.
Speaking of which, she hadn’t checked Jiang Xiao’s messages today.
She didn’t know what he had sent, and tonight they wouldn’t be able to return to the dormitory.
Switching accounts to check messages might be a hassle.
Sure enough, once the fireworks ended, the crowd on the mountaintop dispersed quickly, leaving only a sparse few behind.
“Cheers!”
Under the moonlight on the grass, a group of young people smiled, clinking Pepsi and Coca-Cola bottles lightly.
“Ah, the alcohol’s out.”
“You spilled because you drank Pepsi, but our noble Coca-Cola wouldn’t spill, cough cough…”
“But noble Coca-Cola chokes you, doesn’t it?”
Xie Zhuran and Lin An bickered, and Sang Tian joined in with a few remarks.
Listening to their banter, Song Qiuyu chuckled softly, her smile blooming like a flower.
The bright moonlight and streetlamps shone down on Song Qiuyu, constantly drawing Jiang Xiao’s gaze.
Looking at Song Qiuyu’s smiling face, for some reason Jiang Xiao’s heart began to race.
“The moonlight is really beautiful,” Song Qiuyu said softly, turning to look at the city’s night view bathed in silver moonlight.
“Yes, it’s beautiful,” Jiang Xiao replied, staring at Song Qiuyu’s smooth profile.
He only realized what he said a moment later and quickly shifted his gaze to the direction she was looking.
Just as Jiang Xiao looked away, Song Qiuyu happened to turn her head back to him.
The evening breeze lifted Jiang Xiao’s hair, and his face, curved into a smile, looked especially handsome under the light, with none of the former gloominess.
Everything was getting better.
All he had done was worth it.
Song Qiuyu smiled knowingly.
They then spent the night snacking and chatting about trivial things under the moonlight, playing until midnight before tidying their trash, grabbing their things, and heading down the mountain together.
“They say climbing up the mountain is hard, going down is easy.”
Xie Zhuran glanced down and gasped, “Why does it feel like going down is more dangerous?”
Song Qiuyu agreed, her legs trembling. How had she had the courage that day to support a drunk all the way down such a high mountain?
Just thinking about it gave her chills.
“There’s a cable car over there, single ride is fifteen yuan each. Want to check it out?” Jiang Xiao pointed to the nearby cable car station.
Song Qiuyu paused in surprise. So there was a cable car! Of course there had to be one.
She had been completely out of her mind that day!
If she had known about the cable car, she wouldn’t have been so miserable, wouldn’t have ruined her stockings and had to pay for them. Hmm, come to think of it, she had already ruined the stockings before…
At least she wouldn’t have been completely exhausted, pushed onto the bed by Jiang Xiao, and had that thing pulled off…
But fifteen yuan for a single trip ticket? That was way too expensive.
The others looked excited and were already ready to rush over.
“Song Qiuyu, everyone seems eager to go. What about you?” Jiang Xiao asked her.
“Hm,” Song Qiuyu considered carefully. “Let’s go! But a cable car is still a vehicle—Jiang Xiao, do you get motion sick on cable cars?”
“You tell me…”
Jiang Xiao gave her a side-eye.
After a moment, the cable car smoothly started moving. Song Qiuyu sat facing the door, and since the cable car was large and needed to wait for more passengers, they had to wait.
So, they waited.
After a short while, Song Qiuyu’s eyelids grew heavy as lead, almost unable to lift.
Jiang Xiao didn’t seem motion sick but looked a little pale and uncomfortable sitting next to her.
“Jiang Xiao, Song looks like she’s about to fall asleep, her head’s going to hit the door!” Sang Tian whispered urgently.
“She’s probably just tired. After all, she’s been on her feet all day, constantly interacting with tourists,” Lin An said softly as he looked at Song Qiuyu. “Let’s keep our voices down and let her sleep a bit more. We can wake her when we get to the sunrise viewing spot.”
Xie Zhuran agreed.
He muttered quietly, “We should take the cable car back up later too. Getting up at three or four in the morning to hike is terrifying! If Song Qiuyu were awake and trying to save money, she might prefer hiking and not paying the ten or so yuan.”
Hearing this, Sang Tian nodded in agreement.
Song Qiuyu was too sleepy to hear their voices clearly.
Her head nodded like a chicken pecking, dipping several times before suddenly tilting sharply toward the door and about to hit it.
“Song, be careful!” Sang Tian cried out.
At that moment, Jiang Xiao sighed softly and stretched out an arm to catch her.
But rather than moving her head to rest on his shoulder as Sang Tian hoped, he simply let her head rest gently in the palm of his hand.
Jiang Xiao’s open palm wasn’t too big or small, perfectly cradling half of Song Qiuyu’s small head. Because it was soft, she didn’t feel any impact or pain.
“Umm…”
Feeling the warm pressure on her head, Song Qiuyu unconsciously mistook it for a pillow and lightly nuzzled it twice before falling into a deeper sleep.
Jiang Xiao’s fingers curled slightly from the gentle nuzzling, making him feel a bit awkward.
“Well done, Jiang Xiao!” Xie Zhuran and Lin An both gave him thumbs up.
Sang Tian smiled broadly.
Slowly, once all the tourists had boarded, the cable car started moving.
Many people cast glances at Jiang Xiao and Song Qiuyu, but they only saw a very affectionate couple.
They maintained that position until the cable car arrived at the station, where they had to get off.
“Jiang Xiao, how about you carry Song down?” Sang Tian tentatively suggested, noticing the slightly troubled look on Jiang Xiao’s face.