Can I ask for a reward?
Su Yao still remembered what Mu Nanqiu had said last time—that if she learned to play the piano well enough to satisfy her, she would get a reward.
But this side quest was quite difficult and would take some time to complete.
Besides, Mu Nanqiu hadn’t specified what kind of reward it would be.
So, if this time she took the initiative to bring it up herself, could she specify what the reward should be?
Thinking of this, the corners of Su Yao’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up.
Now that Mu Nanqiu had said she could borrow the camera until next month’s first day, it meant Su Yao could agree to Zhang Li’s request.
That was good news for Zhang Li, and also somewhat good news for Su Yao.
Su Yao didn’t know what Mu Nanqiu’s criteria were for judging performance.
She definitely needed to go online to study Foundation Knowledge of Photography tonight.
At the same time, she understood that after Zhang Li contacted Mu Nanqiu, it was Mu Nanqiu who approached her, which meant there was some connection between her performance and Zhang Li’s request.
Thinking about taking photos of her classmates, Su Yao hesitated for a moment, but the temptation of specifying her reward finally gave her the determination to give it a try.
Only, as soon as she took the first step in her mind, doubts immediately crept in again.
How should she tell Zhang Li that she agreed?
That was a problem…
Luo Yu beside her had been watching Su Yao, amazed at the rapid and rich changes in her expression. It was rare to see someone express such varied emotions in such a short time.
No wonder she was my close friend—truly extraordinary!
Luo Yu couldn’t help but ask quietly.
“What’s wrong? Su Yao, tell me what’s going on?”
“Nothing… it’s none of your business!”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Su Yao first hesitated and wanted to say “nothing,” but felt that sounded too soft and too close to Luo Yu.
Since the senior might not like it, she added a “you,” making the tone a little more distant.
But Luo Yu was the kind who didn’t mind and kept pestering Su Yao for the truth.
No matter how she tried to pry, Su Yao never ignored her.
One group after another slowly entered the activity classroom.
It seemed almost seven o’clock—the time to start rehearsing for tonight’s performance.
Though repeating the same thing over and over was boring, they all seemed to enjoy it endlessly.
As the days left in the month dwindled and the weather dipped to its coldest point so far, the classroom remained lively—the heat here was the heat of passion.
Once everyone was present, Zhang Li came in as well, but unlike usual, she didn’t take attendance. Standing on the podium and glancing down, she already knew if anyone had tried to sneak away.
The atmosphere was such that hardly anyone dared to sneak out these days.
After all, most of the students had been admitted based on solid grades.
There were very few rogue troublemakers; most were well-behaved and disciplined, though a few were either overly lively or overly introverted.
After telling the students to organize themselves, Zhang Li left the classroom and sent Su Yao a message on her phone.
After a while, Su Yao came out, still looking a bit reserved.
The hallway was a bit chilly.
Although Su Yao took quite some time to come out, Zhang Li showed no sign of annoyance.
She looked at Su Yao and said,
“Su Yao, if I asked you the same question as before, what would your answer be?”
Su Yao glanced at Zhang Li, then lowered her head without speaking.
Zhang Li smiled helplessly and repeated the question once more.
This time, Su Yao nodded lightly and softly responded,
“Hmm.”
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
Zhang Li smiled cheerfully. She didn’t expect Su Yao to say much more—that wouldn’t be realistic.
She understood this was the furthest Su Yao could go in communicating with her.
After all, because of the little shim incident last time, Zhang Li knew Su Yao’s little secret.
Anyone who held such a secret over her would definitely cause tension and resistance.
Looking at Su Yao, Zhang Li couldn’t help but recall the meeting she had with Mu Nanqiu more than half an hour ago.
It was 6:21 p.m.
There was a knock on Zhang Li’s office door.
Since she was the only one who hadn’t gone to eat, she was the only one who could say, “Come in.”
At first, she thought it was a student.
But when she saw who opened the door, Zhang Li was a little surprised.
She had found Mu Nanqiu’s contact info and sent a message asking to find a time to talk, without specifying the exact time or place, thinking it would be arranged later.
She never expected Mu Nanqiu to come directly to her—that was unexpected.
Well, since she was here, she might as well say what needed to be said.
“Mu Nanqiu?”
“Teacher Zhang?”
They looked at each other; they weren’t that far apart in age anyway.
Mu Nanqiu broke the silence first with a smile.
“Call me Li Jie.”
“…Alright then.”
Mu Nanqiu’s attitude surprised Zhang Li.
Of course, Zhang Li never browsed the school forum’s goddess posts or anything like that.
From what her sister had said, Mu Nanqiu sounded like a cold and aloof young lady who didn’t smile much, but the Mu Nanqiu in front of her was calm and approachable.
Taking a closer look, from makeup to clothing and bearing, Mu Nanqiu was fresh and poised.
Zhang Li returned a polite smile.
“You’re a little different from what others say.”
“It’s hard to describe a person accurately with words alone. Li Jie, you didn’t just come for small talk, did you?”
“No, I’m Su Yao’s teacher. There are some questions about her.”
“Alright, please speak freely.”
Zhang Li found a wheeled chair with a backrest from the neighboring workstation and pushed it to Mu Nanqiu.
They sat down about a meter apart.
Then Zhang Li retrieved a file that had been placed at the bottom of a stack.
But before asking specific questions, Zhang Li wanted to understand Mu Nanqiu’s relationship with Su Yao, which was very important.
Looking at the two sheets of paper in her hand, she then asked Mu Nanqiu,
“I want to ask first—what kind of relationship do you have with Su Yao?”
Mu Nanqiu pondered for a long time before answering.
Zhang Li was shocked but also relieved by the reply.
Click.
Some faces turned red as they shouted instructions.
Others draped arms around each other, laughing and joking.
Some whispered quietly on the side.
Some shyly turned their faces and covered themselves when the camera appeared.
Others just watched silently…
Su Yao bit her lip as she looked at the photo just taken, filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
That night, Mu Nanqiu, as usual, gave Su Yao a ride home.
Once inside the car, Su Yao looked at the camera in her hands and whispered,
“I took photos of my classmates.”
“Hmm, let me see.”
Mu Nanqiu took the camera and flipped through Su Yao’s shots from the evening.
Her expression remained calm, which made Su Yao a little nervous.
After looking, Mu Nanqiu gently pinched Su Yao’s cheek and smiled,
“Average. Yao Yao, you have to keep trying.”
“Ugh…”
Su Yao felt her ears warm and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Mu Nanqiu’s deep gaze softened as she reached out to gently stroke Su Yao’s head.
Then she placed a pair of gray gloves on Su Yao’s hands.
A small white rabbit was printed on them, quite pretty.
“For my Yao Yao, it’s a gift.”
Another Saturday.
Unfortunately, it meant getting up early.
Su Yao opened her eyes, then closed them again.
She hadn’t slept enough, yawned, and dozed a little before finally getting up.
Since she had to go to school to take photos and time was tight, Su Yao had no choice but to escape from her warm, comfortable bed.
She took off her nightdress and tossed it aside, then opened her wardrobe to pick the color that would accompany her today.
Which one to choose depended on which caught her eye.
Black?
Purple?
She decided… red it is!
Looking at the rabbit-covered outfit wrapped snugly around her, Su Yao felt the pressure—not just mentally, but physically, from the shoulder straps.
She lifted and adjusted them to a comfortable position, then put on the thick, warm daytime clothes before sitting down in front of the mirror to comb her hair.
This was the part she dreaded most every day.
To get her hair right, she had to get up ten minutes early and sit gently in front of the full-length mirror, carefully smoothing out her messy hair.
After taming her soft black strands, Su Yao stared at the reflection of the gentle young girl in the mirror.
The girl had a curvy figure that caught the eye.
On her delicate, pretty face was the sleepy confusion of someone just waking up.
Her watery eyes were half-closed, and her thin lips pouted slightly in that groggy, unwilling expression.
Su Yao tried making several faces, but in the end, they all turned into the classic “scissor hands” gesture, which made her laugh quietly.
She thought she looked pretty good, right?
Just… a little clueless?
Like she hadn’t quite outgrown her childishness?
Thinking that she was already eighteen this year, Su Yao wondered if she should act more mature.
But then she cupped the rise of her chest with her hands…
Thinking, I’m dressed mature enough on the inside, right?
She put on her thick knitted sweater, fleece-lined jeans, and turned off the heater.
Stepping out of the comfortably warm but stuffy bedroom, she was hit by a chill in the hallway that made her shiver.
She hugged herself tightly to adjust her loose clothes and hurried into the bathroom to freshen up.
Finally, she put on her down jacket, wrapped a scarf around her neck, changed her shoes, and checked to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.
She opened the door and stepped outside—Su Yao, freshly ready.
Looking out the window in the stairwell, Su Yao saw the snowy scene outside.
Her mouth opened and closed in surprise.
She knew it had been cold last night, but hadn’t expected it to snow.
This meant the cold air this year was even fiercer.
Winter would be colder, summer hotter—it was an unstoppable trend.
Click.
She hurriedly took a photo.
The window frame was old, its black paint peeling, dust gathered on the sill, and the glass was covered in a faint layer of grime.
From this height, looking down, the outside world was bathed in silver light—a cold color tone filled with a gray, oppressive atmosphere.
The window was like a picture frame; the scene outside, like an old painting.
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