Slight NSFW scenes ahead. Don’t read ahead if you’re not comfortable! (Scroll down to another warning message like this one to continue the story without NSFW scenes.)
The air conditioner in the room was fully turned on. The arm that was stretched outside the blanket was a bit cold, but the body under the blanket was extremely warm.
He held Cen Ning in his arms, and she turned to face him with difficulty.
“I’m getting up.”
“Yeah, I heard it.” Yan Xingzhi had his eyes closed, his nasally voice was magnetic. It fell low on her eardrums, like a feather passing by.
Cen Ning stretched out her hand and pushed him. “Then why don’t you let me get up?”
Yan Xingzhi languidly opened his eyes, and his chin rested on her forehead. “Let’s sleep for a little more.”
“No…” Cen Ning struggled, “I want to get up.”
Yan Xingzhi hugged her. “Half an hour.”
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Uld Lkdt: “Ls.”
“Mld xkdwvlp.”
“R yx zyvl.”
“Wkhl xkdwvlp.”
“…”
“Xdl xkdwvl?”
Uld Lkdt rwaple bla zkrp. Fbl nswzed’v blzr zywtbkdt. Zyd Dkdtgbk zsolale bkp lulp vs zssj yv bla yde qasodle. “Xb, lhld sdl xkdwvl eslpd’v osaj.”
Uld Lkdt: “Zsw byhld’v pzlrv kd qsa y zsdt vkxl, pszekla. Fwnb pvaknv ekpnkrzkdl.”
“Soldiers are human too, and sometimes they don’t want to obey the rules.” As he spoke, Yan Xingzhi’s hand stroked her waist and then patted her delicate buttocks.
The crisp sound was quite loud.
Cen Ning snorted and suddenly lifted the quilt. “I won’t speak to you anymore. I’m leaving!”
Yan Xingzhi propped up his body lazily. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”
Cen Ning didn’t agree with him. She just got out of bed and randomly picked up a small blanket beside the bed, wrapped it around her body, and ran out of the room.
NSFW scenes are over.
In the end, Yan Xingzhi and Cen Ning went to the film festival together. Cen Ning brought Yan Xingzhi to look around, but Yan Xingzhi ended up leaving a bit earlier as he had a matter to attend to. After he left, Cen Ning went to find Da Bei and the others.
The small group of people were quite free today. They chatted and admired pictures. The time passed quickly.
When the event was about to end, a staff member came over.
“Cen Ning.”
“Yeah.”
“Mr Yin Li asked for you.”
“Oh okay.” Cen Ning asked, “Where?”
“Over there in your photo gallery.”
“OK.”
When Cen Ning walked to her exhibition area, she saw Yin Li talking to a man. As she got closer, she overheard them talking about her work.
“Hey, Cen Ning, you’re here.” Yin Li turned around and introduced her to the man, “Xiaoquan, this is the author of the work, Cen Ning.”
The man was slightly surprised. “I didn’t believe you when you said she was a little girl, but now it seems that the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead.” (TLN: saying that means that the younger generation excels even past the older generation)
Cen Ning greeted politely, “Hello.”
“Hello.” The man stretched out his hand, “Duan Xiaoquan.”
Cen Ning paused for a moment. “My name is Cen Ning.”
Duan Xiaoquan… If she recalled correctly, this year’s Asian Best Photography Awards Macro World Champion was Duan Xiaoquan. She heard that this person was once a top student at the New York School of Visual Arts, and he was very talented and had individuality in the field of photography.
It’s just that he seems to be very low-key. Although he has won numerous awards, he rarely appears in front of the public, so even a photographer-lover like Cen Ning couldn’t recognize him.
She didn’t expect Duan Xiaoquan to be so young. He looked less than thirty.
“Are the photos in this series taken from various places in Tibet?” Duan Xiaoquan asked.
Cen Ning nodded. “Yes, most of them are in a place called Baga Township. That place is very special, with few people and many scenes.”
“Your photos are also processed specially,” Duan Xiaoquan smiled faintly, “There is a sense of imbalance visually, but it doesn’t feel out of harmony. The sky is so vast and cloudy, but looking at it… there is a feeling of loneliness.”
Cen Ning: “Teacher Duan thinks looking at space is too lonely?”
Duan Xiaoquan looked at her: “It doesn’t look like the work of a little girl your age.”
Cen Ning pondered for a moment: “Can I take it as Teacher Duan praising me?”
Duan Xiaoquan smiled loudly. “Of course, I’m praising you.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, by the way, which school are you studying in now?”
Cen Ning: “I’m not a photography major, I’m studying English, and I’m in A University.”
Duan Xiaoquan was a little surprised. “Do you want to do further studies in the future?”
Cen Ning paused for a moment. “Huh?”
“You must have thought about it, right?” Duan Xiaoquan said, “I think you can consider the New York School of Visual Arts.”
After hearing this, Yin Li laughed and said, “Xiaoquan, are you recruiting talents for your alma mater?” (TLN: alma mater is the college that he used to attend)
Duan Xiaoquan: “Haha, Teacher Yin even picked up on it.”
Yin Li had an expression of “Of course I understand you”: New York School of Visual Arts is a great place, Cen Ning, you can choose to do further studies after college. After all, your qualifications can’t be wasted. Go outside and learn more useful things.”
Going abroad… For further study?
Cen Ning envied the people who studied photography in those places in the past, but before now, she never imagined that she could go there one day.
For some reason, seeing people like Duan Xiaoquan and Yin Li, and hearing their words of encouragement and support, her heart suddenly started to move. Maybe one day… She could learn what she wanted to learn, do what she wanted to do, and walk to the position she wanted, as she imagined in her fantasy.
**
After the film festival ended, Yan Xingzhi came to pick Cen Ning up, but he didn’t drive to the apartment.
“Where are we going?”
Yan Xingzhi looked straight ahead and said, “Tang Zheng suddenly said that he wants to invite everyone to have a meal together. Why, didn’t Zhang Ziyi send you a message?”
Cen Ning frowned, took out her phone and looked at it.
Ah… really.
“I didn’t look at my phone.”
“It’s okay, let’s go there directly, everyone is there.”
“Mhm.”
Today was not a special day, but Tang Zheng suddenly organized a gathering to bring everyone together.
Yan Xingzhi and Cen Ning arrived at the place, and sure enough, they saw a lot of familiar faces.
“Brother Yan, Cen Ning, you two are here!” Tang Zheng had booked the entire top floor of the hotel. This lavish action, it was as if they were celebrating a great birthday.
Yan Xingzhi looked around, and asked, confused, “What are you doing?”
Tang Zheng coughed softly and scratched his head. “I just… have something important to say.”
“Tang Zheng, don’t be a jerk!” Someone shouted from behind, “Gathering all of us together, what do you want to say?”
“Why are you in a hurry!” Tang Zheng pulled Yan Xingzhi and Cen Ning inside, “Everyone is here now, so of course I will say it right away.”
Cen Ning came in and saw Zhang Ziyi. She sat next to her naturally, but Tang Zheng pulled her up as soon as she sat down. “Hey little girl, give me this seat today, go and sit next to brother Yan to play.”
Cen Ning blinked and looked at Tang Zheng, who had an unnatural expression, and then Zhang Ziyi, who was also silent and shy for no reason…
A thought flashed by, but before there was enough time to catch the thought, she was led away by Yan Xingzhi.
“Sit here.”
When everyone was seated, Tang Zheng cleared his throat and stood up from his seat.
“Actually, I have nothing serious.”
Xin Zechuan: “If you need to say something, say it quickly.”
Tang Zheng: “Uh… I just want to inform everyone today, after all, this is also a happy event for me…”
“Tang Zheng! If you need to fart, fart, hurry up, what are you doing with so much foreshadowing?!” (TLN: in Chinese, when “fart” is used instead of “say”, it means to hurry up and speak)
“That’s right, what the hell do you want to say? You’re gay?”
“Hahahahahaha–“
“Don’t make trouble, don’t make trouble!” Tang Zheng rolled his eyes. “I just want to say, I’m with Zhang Ziyi now.”
“???”
“…”
Tang Zheng: “So don’t f*cking introduce me to girls in the future, it’s really annoying me to death.”
This “annoying to death” was 20% disgust and 80% dramatic, and it sounded like “Daddy has a girlfriend now, I’m awesome”.
Everyone was silent for a moment, looking at each other.
“Tang Zheng, the hell, you’re going for the little sister in our courtyard?” One person broke the silence first, “What is this called? The rabbit ate the nest-side grass?”
“That’s right, plus if you liked her before, why didn’t you get with her before? You only got together after a long time. Oh, did you bully our Ziyi!?”
Tang Zheng: “Bah, bah, bah! What are you thinking, and what’s wrong with me eating nest-side grass? Shouldn’t you talk about Brother Yan first, why are you only attacking me?”
Yan Xingzhi, who was shot for no reason, raised his eyes and retorted coldly. “She is the grass in my nest, not nest-side grass.”
Cen Ning: “…”
Xin Zechuan: “They have been fiancé and fiancée since they were young, who dares to say anything, but you two, why suddenly…”
“Being together is being together. Why does there have to be so many reasons?” Zhang Ziyi, who had been silent the entire time suddenly blushed, which was very rare. But even if she was blushing, she bluffed when she spoke, “Anyway, we are just treating you all to a meal in honour of us being together, eat whatever you want, don’t be shy, Tang Zheng is paying.”
The antonym of breaking up became together. Only Zhang Ziyi could say such a thing. (TLN: In Chinese, breaking up is 分手 which literally means separate hands. Usually, people don’t say 合手 because it means put hands together, but Zhang Ziyi would say 合手 because she’s… let’s say not so skilful in her vocab haha)
However, everyone enjoyed the meal. After all, they were sincere and close friends. If someone had a happy matter, they would naturally bless them.
But Cen Ning was a little dazed. She didn’t know how the two people who would argue one second got together the next second. Zhang Ziyi was still yelling that Tang Zheng wasn’t a human in front of her two days ago.
“Ningning! Come! I’ll have a drink with you.” Zhang Ziyi and Tang Zheng’s meal was like a wedding banquet. They paid respects one after another, the two were proud.
Cen Ning looked at her with a smile. “Don’t drink too much.”
Zhang Ziyi: “No, I just want to drink more today. Let’s drink, let’s drink.”
Cen Ning was so troubled by her that she had no choice but to reach for the wine glass on the table, but before she could even touch the glass, Yan Xingzhi took it away.
“I’ll drink it for her.”
Zhang Ziyi blinked her big eyes and watched Yan Xingzhi drink it all. “Um…”
Yan Xingzi: “She has serious business tomorrow, so she can’t drink.”
Zhang Ziyi: “Ah! It’s the film festival, isn’t it!”
Cen Ning: “It’s actually fine, I’m it?”
As she spoke, she poured another glass and drank it regardless of the disapproving eyes from Yan Xingzhi.
Zhang Ziyi smiled very proudly. “Sure enough, we are it, sisters!”
It was already completely dark after the meal, so Yan Xingzhi took Cen Ning downstairs, ready to get the car.
“Let’s go for a walk by the river, shall we?” Cen Ning wrapped her arms around his arm, with her small face buried in his clothes, looking up at him.
Yan Xingzhi couldn’t help reaching out and pinching her face. “Walking, now? Are you sure?”
Cen Ning hiccupped. “I smell like alcohol! I want to feel the wind. I don’t want to go home yet.”
Yan Xingzhi also indulged in her wishes. “Okay, let’s go home after walking a while.”
“Mhm!”
They said it was a walk, and they said they would take a long walk, but within a few steps, Cen Ning leaned against him weakly.
Yan Xingzhi knew that she would be limp after she was drunk, and lectured helplessly, “No more walking, let’s go back.”
“No, I want to feel the wind.”
After thinking about it, Yan Xingzhi bent down in front of her. “Okay, I’ll carry you on my back.”
Cen Ning looked at the back in front of her. It was swaying, and she didn’t dare to get on.
Yan Xingzhi saw that the person behind him didn’t move for a long time, he turned his head and said, “What are you doing in a daze, I will take you back if you don’t get on.”
“Don’t…”
Cen Ning was anxious and rushed up.
Yan Xingzhi lifted her with ease, and Cen Ning leaned on his shoulder. She felt extremely happy in her heart, and boldly pinched his face.
Yan Xingzhi froze for a moment. “Let go.”
“No.”
“Hiss…you’re in high spirits.”
Cen Ning giggled, and suddenly put her mouth close to his face. “Xingzhi Gege, kiss me. Once you kiss me, I will let go.”
Yan Xingzhi raised his eyebrows. It fits the saying “people get courageous when they are drunk”.
He suppressed a little smile on his lips, and said seriously, “Come here.”
“Okay!”
On the sidewalk by the river, several people were walking shoulder to shoulder.
“Hey, let me tell you, why are you walking along the riverside like the other young couples?”
“It’s boring. I came over since Brother Yan came here.”
“He has a little cute wife with him. What do you have?”
“F*ck…”
“Speaking of which, I always feel that Brother Yan has changed after getting together with Cen Ning.”
“Yes, I think so too, but this is also pretty good. He’s more humane now.”
“But don’t you think Brother Yan spoils this little girl too much? Fortunately, this girl has a gentle personality. If it was changed to someone with a domineering personality, she will surely go to heaven.” (TLN: the saying “go to heaven” means to do anything, even crazy things)
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