Winter, in the hands of someone a bit gloomy like her, was probably just like this.
Last night, she’d been playing on her phone under the covers, learning some basic composition techniques to make photos look more artistic.
Now, looking at the latest photo on her phone,she thought, this should be good enough, right?
Gazing at the plants in the community square, covered by a thin layer of snow like a delicate quilt, Su Yao wondered if it would snow during the day.
But she figured probably not—the temperature was low at night, and there was sunlight during the day.
If the cold air wasn’t strong enough, it wouldn’t snow.
Still, this year was colder than usual.
Maybe before the New Year, there’d be a heavy snowfall, heavier than in past years.
She found herself strangely looking forward to it.
She went downstairs and saw children already out playing in the snow.
The snow on the ground had been trampled into a mess, so she grabbed some from the green bushes, formed it into a ball, and tossed it at her friends.
After throwing the snowball, she ran ahead a bit, then prepared a second one.
Some made several at a time, chasing after others and throwing them.
Snap.
Su Yao took a picture of this moment.
The photo had no composition—just pure, everyday life.
Then she took another shot of a low shrub dusted with snow beside it.
Watching the scene, Su Yao felt the urge to join in.
She glanced down at her gloves.
Though they were wool knit with a fleece lining inside, she didn’t want to dirty them playing in the snow.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to take them off.
But touching the already somewhat frozen snow, she felt a little disappointed.
“Maybe next time.”
Putting her gloves back on, she headed toward the community gate.
Passing the security booth, she took another photo.
The old man was drinking the hot soup his wife had brought him, a constant smile creasing his wrinkled face.
Even though the old woman was nagging him to cut down on smoking, he just grinned.
Coincidentally, a neighbor from downstairs was nearby, but Su Yao pretended not to notice and quickly walked away.
She planned to walk to school, snapping photos of anything worth recording along the way.
But just a few steps out, she saw Mu Nanqiu’s car parked ahead.
Su Yao hurried over and climbed into the passenger seat without saying a word.
The heater was on inside the car, making it cozy.
Su Yao loosened her scarf and unzipped her jacket, then looked at Mu Nanqiu, who was behind the wheel.
“Senior, what are you doing here?”
“Just passing by.”
“You’re in the dance club, right?” Su Yao finally voiced the question that had been on her mind.
Mu Nanqiu turned to look at her, squinting slightly.
She leaned in close—less than ten centimeters from Su Yao’s cheek—and teased in a soft voice.
“Yao Yao, are you wanting to watch me dance?”
“Uh…”
Thinking of Mu Nanqiu dancing, Su Yao’s face flushed bright red.
She didn’t deny it—if anything, it was tacit acceptance.
Mu Nanqiu smiled and said,
“Maybe next time, then.”
“Huh?”
Su Yao hadn’t expected such generosity.
She didn’t really want to watch that much, just a little bit—absolutely just a little bit!
The performance’s directing team had asked the school for an indoor badminton court to use as the judging venue.
Su Yao’s class had passed the first round of auditions and was now facing the second.
Passing this round meant they qualified to perform on stage, and their program would be added to the lineup.
This also meant that someone was about to hit the jackpot again!
Su Yao was overjoyed.
This was the easiest money she’d ever earned.
Recently, Yun Qing had been quite flashy.
Usually quiet, now he was bragging a bit thanks to his script credits and kept pacing in front of Su Yao, which annoyed her to no end.
These past two days, Zhang Li had been taking photos with her, and Yun Qing was always sneakily photobombing, much to Su Yao’s irritation.
After getting out of the car, Su Yao waved goodbye to Mu Nanqiu.
Only after Mu Nanqiu’s car drove off did she head toward the activity classroom.
They were supposed to gather there and move their things together.
This was both an inspection and a rehearsal with other audience members present.
Along the way, Su Yao didn’t stop to take any more photos but quickened her pace.
Just as she neared the door, she heard someone call her name.
She hesitated for a moment but pretended not to hear and kept walking into the building.
Almost immediately, a group of people surrounded her.
“Su Yao, wait up!”
They were a few girls who had just come out of the dorms and were heading inside.
Spotting Su Yao, someone suggested asking her to take some photos for them.
And so, they blocked her path.
Su Yao looked at the girls around her, feeling a bit nervous.
She didn’t quite remember all their names, but knew they were from her class.
Not daring to meet their eyes, she stared at the empty space and weakly asked,
“Um… is there something you need?”
Seeing Su Yao’s small, helpless, scared expression, the girls laughed.
One even joked, “Don’t worry, we’re not going to eat you, haha.”
“Yeah, we just need a little help from you.”
Su Yao wasn’t built for this kind of crowd—six girls surrounding her.
Luckily, they weren’t in a cramped space; otherwise, it would have felt like the Pan Silk Cave.
Though she wasn’t sweating profusely, she was close.
Some of the girls wanted to tease her a bit more, but a taller one stepped in to explain why they’d stopped Su Yao.
“We want you to take a photo for us. Is that okay?”
“Sure, sure, taking photos is fine.”
Hearing it was just a photo, Su Yao’s anxiety eased instantly.
She forced a smile, picked up her camera, and prepared to shoot.
The girls, seeing she was ready, got into position.
They found a nice background, six of them huddled together, and took several pictures.
Until now, Su Yao had mostly taken official-style shots.
Zhang Li had been standing nearby, so they hadn’t dared get close.
Now, spontaneously, they wanted Su Yao to take a dorm photo for them.
They were freshmen after all, the perfect time to leave some memories behind.
The girls were lively.
Even in the chilly winter, their enthusiasm for photos didn’t wane.
One photo wasn’t enough.
They started with a group shot, then changed backgrounds and poses several times, frequently switching positions.
After finishing, they crowded around Su Yao.
To get them to finish quickly, Su Yao showed them the photos.
Since she couldn’t give them the originals immediately, she promised to send the full-resolution versions through QQ after getting home, finally freeing herself.
Up to this point, everything was normal.
Though surrounded by the girls, Su Yao was only a bit nervous and reserved, not physically uncomfortable.
But when more people arrived saying they also wanted photos, Su Yao couldn’t hold it in anymore.
They could use their phones for photos—why insist on the camera?
Was it for some damn sense of ritual?
Su Yao was frustrated and a little angry, softly saying,
“It’s almost time to gather. Let’s hurry up and go.”
“Uh, okay. If there’s time later, could you take a few photos for us, Su Yao?”
Glancing at the time, the girls knew the gathering was just minutes away.
They stopped pressing the issue and arranged to meet later.
Just as they were about to suggest going up together, Su Yao had already walked off quickly.
They exchanged looks and laughed, strolling slowly while chatting about Su Yao.
In their eyes, Su Yao was a reclusive, gloomy boy who rarely spoke or socialized.
But up close, they saw she was just a timid girl.
Soft-spoken, with a face even more delicate than theirs.
“Hey, do you think Su Yao is a girl?”
“She’s a day student, right?”
“Why would she pretend to be a boy?”
“Whoa, how can you assume someone’s gender like that?”
That comment made everyone glare at the speaker.
She had been waiting for a response but wilted under their stares, and the topic died there.
While they whispered, Su Yao had already rushed up to the second floor, oblivious to their chatter behind her.
Breaking free from the girls’ blockade, Su Yao finally entered the activity classroom.
Her mind blank, she pushed the door open.
The gazes cast at her instantly stiffened her whole body.
Fortunately, it was only for a moment.
Once the stares shifted away, Su Yao lowered her head, hunched over, and slipped inside quietly.
She picked a random seat and sat down.
Quite a few people had already arrived, though not everyone.
About half were still on their way, expected within the next minute or two.
Su Yao was glad she hadn’t taken any solo or duo photos earlier; otherwise, she’d be facing thirty or more pairs of eyes now.
The moment she entered, Luo Yu noticed her and fixed her gaze on Su Yao.
As soon as Su Yao sat down, Luo Yu quietly pulled up a chair beside her.
When Su Yao glanced over, Luo Yu smiled, but Su Yao ignored her.
Luo Yu smiled again and poked Su Yao’s arm, whispering,
“Su Yao, how is it? That book I mentioned yesterday?”
“…”
That question nearly made Su Yao spit out a mouthful of old blood.
Why did Luo Yu remember that so clearly?
When she’d spoken to Luo Yu before, she’d said she’d read it when she got home, implying no interest.
Su Yao felt a headache coming on.
Teacher Mantou’s novel account was full of dark history; she definitely didn’t want any of it to be associated with her real self.
She had brushed it off lightly before but hadn’t expected Luo Yu to be so serious.
Looks like she really liked it…
No, wait—wasn’t Luo Yu supposed to be a fangirl of the senior?!
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