Chapter 41: Taking Photos of Each Other

Ning Mu tossed the shuttlecock high into the air and swung her racket with a light smash.

Bai Yurou gripped her racket tightly, took two small running steps to meet it, yet only swung at empty air.

Bai Yurou picked the shuttlecock up from the ground and hit it out.

It went out of bounds.

Ning Mu could tell the landing spot of this shot at a glance, but she still ran over to receive it.

Seeing Ning Mu hit it back, Bai Yurou hurriedly went to receive it. 

This time her racket did touch the shuttlecock, but it only touched it. In the end it didn’t cross the net and hit the net instead.

Bai Yurou’s sports ability really was—in great need of practice.

Ning Mu, whose sports in high school had been pretty good, tactfully reached this conclusion after these two shots.

If she just played normally, there were many shots Bai Yurou wouldn’t be able to receive.

In order to let Bai Yurou have more of a sense of participation, Ning Mu could only deliberately hit the shuttlecock toward the direction of Bai Yurou’s racket when returning it, making it easier for her to receive.

If every rally only lasted two or three shots before she couldn’t receive it and ended, then neither side would have much of a game experience, which wasn’t good either.

The two of them had originally come to play, not to compete. 

There was no need for Ning Mu to take it that seriously.

And so, under Ning Mu’s “careful care,” the following matches actually gained a feeling of being “evenly matched.” 

Quite a few times both sides hit back and forth many times before the shuttlecock landed.

Going back and forth, the two of them actually hit many times before it landed.

Young Miss Bai watched herself and Ning Mu gradually playing “evenly matched,” and occasionally even winning a couple of points. Her heart couldn’t help leaping with joy.

See? I said so. Lin Ye’s sports ability used to be pretty good. 

Although I’m Bai Yurou now, I definitely inherited Lin Ye’s consciousness. 

How could I not even receive two or three shots?

Looks like just now I was only rusty. Now this is my real technique.

Bai Yurou put extra heart into this game of badminton mainly because the one opposite her was Ning Mu. She wanted to show herself in front of Ning Mu.

“Still playing?” 

Half an hour had passed. 

Even without vigorous running, Bai Yurou was still so tired she was gasping for breath.

It was Ning Mu’s turn to serve this time. She gripped the racket, saw Bai Yurou’s appearance, and asked with concern.

“Then let’s not play anymore. I’m a bit tired.”

Bai Yurou also felt she couldn’t keep playing and decisively gave up.

“Alright.”

Ning Mu smiled faintly, walked to the edge of the grass, and put the racket back into the bag.

Bai Yurou did the same action, then sat on the grass, picked up the mineral water Ning Mu had bought for her—it had already been opened so she could twist it open—brought it to her mouth, and wanted to gulp it down in big mouthfuls.

“Don’t drink water vigorously right after exercising.”

Ning Mu reminded from over there.

Bai Yurou instantly listened to Ning Mu’s suggestion. 

The action of bringing the bottle mouth to her lips became much smaller.

“Want me to go return the equipment first?”

Seeing Bai Yurou still resting on the grass, Ning Mu walked over and asked.

“No need.”

Bai Yurou stood up from the ground at this time as well. She had already recovered about enough by now.

“Then let’s go.”

Ning Mu carried the rackets in one hand and held Bai Yurou’s hand with the other. 

The two of them walked side by side toward the equipment room.

“Little girl, did you have fun? Come borrow again next time.”

The auntie in the equipment room clearly still remembered Bai Yurou. 

She smiled as she took the rackets and shuttlecock from their hands.

“Mm, thank you, Auntie.” Bai Yurou obediently nodded.

“Heading back now?” 

After returning the equipment, the two of them found a restroom and washed their hands.

“Mm, heading back. But… want to try walking a path we haven’t walked before?”

“A path we haven’t walked?” Bai Yurou blinked curiously.

Ning Mu took out her phone, opened the Moon City University campus map that had been sent in the freshman group, and pointed at an area beside the sports field for her to see. 

“Look, there’s a park over here, and also a small lake called Moon Lake. We can cut through the park to go back.”

Bai Yurou instantly understood. It just meant not taking the main road.

She had no objections and let Ning Mu hold her hand as they turned onto the small path leading to the park.

Both sides of the park were planted full of trees. The branches and leaves layered one over another, perfectly blocking the sunlight above the small path. 

Walking under the trees, the two of them actually felt a bit cool. 

The wind blowing over from the lake surface carried a faint moisture.

“Want to go over there and take a look?”

Ning Mu pointed at the fork in the small path. One path extended out, ending at a wooden platform hanging by the lakeside.

“Alright.”

Bai Yurou said lightly.

Walking this path was originally for exploring more of the campus. Going to take a look was fine too.

The wooden platform hung over the water surface, supported by several wooden stakes. 

The handrails had some rust, but overall it was still pretty solid. 

The lake water gently swayed beneath their feet, reflecting the tree shadows and fragmented light.

Ning Mu leaned on the railing and looked down. Bai Yurou quietly stood beside her.

“Let’s take a photo.” As Ning Mu spoke, she walked around behind Bai Yurou and raised her phone.

Bai Yurou habitually made a ✌ sign.

“So cringy.”

Ning Mu complained with her mouth, but her hands didn’t stop. With a click she pressed the shutter. 

After taking it she ran over and handed the photo to Bai Yurou to look at.

Under the sunlight, the frail young girl stood by the lake, expressionlessly making a peace sign, with the sparkling reflection of Moon Lake behind her.

“How is it?”

“Very pretty.”

Bai Yurou nodded.

“Then take one for me.” 

Ning Mu handed the phone to her and walked back to the lakeside herself, changing to a different pose to stand. 

Bai Yurou raised the phone and aimed at Ning Mu in the lens.

No matter how she took it, it looked good.

Mainly because Ning Mu looked good.

She secretly praised in her heart.

Young Miss Bai’s photography skills were still online and didn’t make Ning Mu wait long.

Ning Mu took the phone and looked at the results, nodding in satisfaction.

After taking the photos, the two of them discovered there wasn’t anything particularly worth staying longer for on this platform either, so they walked back along the small path.

“Send me the photos when we get back.” Bai Yurou said.

“Of course.”

Ning Mu responded. The phone was hers, so naturally she had to be the one to send them.

“Not just mine… I also want… that one of you.”

Young Miss Bai’s voice suddenly lowered, the tips of her ears slightly reddening.

That photo was really too good-looking. 

Moreover, this was the first photo she had taken of Ning Mu after waking up. 

She wanted to save it into the album on her own phone.

Although Lin Ye had also taken photos of Ning Mu in the past, Lin Ye’s photography skills hadn’t been as good as Bai Yurou’s. 

They had always been ordinary.

Ning Mu turned her head and glanced at her, then smiled. 

“Alright. These photos were all taken by you, so of course I’ll send them to you.”

As she spoke, Ning Mu opened her phone in front of Bai Yurou, entered the chat interface with Bai Yurou on WeChat, lightly tapped her fingers a few times, and sent both of those photos over together.

Before long, the two of them followed the small path to the dorm building and returned to the dorm.

Looking at the shoe cabinet in front of the door, Cai Xiaotong should have returned. 

But there was no one in the living room. She was probably in her own room.

The two of them also couldn’t be bothered to disturb Cai Xiaotong and returned to their own rooms.

The moment Bai Yurou entered the door she habitually turned on the air conditioner, then impatiently took out her phone and saved those two lakeside photos into her album.

She opened the album, flipped to the one of Ning Mu, and gently added a tiny little heart in the corner of the photo before finally locking the screen in satisfaction.

Then Bai Yurou covered herself with the air-conditioning blanket, hugged the little bear that had been accompanying her since the hospital by the bedside, and fell asleep—it was her nap time.