By the time she reacted, Sang Ning looked up to see that Shen Tingwan was already holding that photo. Her mind went blank for a moment—
Shen Tingwan looked at her silently, her gaze indicating that she was waiting for an explanation.
The two of them stared at each other in an abrupt silence.
“I…” Sang Ning endured the embarrassment and took the initiative to explain, “I thought this photo was really well taken, so I saved it. I like the composition and the lighting.”
Shen Tingwan didn’t respond right away.
Another one or two seconds of silence passed.
Sang Ning felt uneasy but pretended to be calm.
Shen Tingwan glanced at the photo in her hand, then back at Sang Ning. “You like it a lot?”
“Yeah… I really like the style.” Sang Ning replied flatly, though she was starting to not know what she was even saying anymore. It wasn’t exactly a lie—she did like the photo’s style.
Hiding someone else’s photo like this felt strange no matter how she looked at it. She awkwardly asked Shen Tingwan, “Is that not okay?”
Shen Tingwan softly replied, “No,” then looked down at the photo again. Besides the one of herself, there were a few others. “You save the ones you like?”
Sang Ning poured her a glass of water. “Yeah.”
Shen Tingwan took the glass and, from close range, looked into her eyes with a smile. “You like it so much that you even printed it out?”
Her guilt intensified under the direct gaze, but Sang Ning answered without showing it. “I have a habit of doing that.”
She regularly printed out photos to collect, only the ones she particularly liked. The one on the coffee table had been printed before her trip and hadn’t been put away in an album yet. She hadn’t noticed it when she first entered the room, or she definitely would have tucked it away immediately. She secretly felt relieved that her other album wasn’t out in the open, or she really would have been exposed.
Shen Tingwan kept staring at her face and nodded lightly.
Sang Ning felt her cheeks heating up and didn’t dare hold the gaze for too long. She turned to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water too, pretending to drink it casually.
Shen Tingwan continued looking at the photo.
Sang Ning drank half a glass of water. “Senior…”
Shen Tingwan heard that she had something to say and quickly looked over. “What?”
Sang Ning checked the time. “Shall we go eat?”
Shen Tingwan asked, “Don’t you want to rest a bit?”
Sang Ning’s mind was still a bit foggy. “I’m not tired.”
Shen Tingwan smiled. She wasn’t sure if it was stubbornness or if Sang Ning truly had endless energy. It was dinnertime anyway, so she set the photo aside.
The two of them didn’t have anything particular in mind, so they picked a nearby restaurant for convenience. The chain place had decent, predictable food that wouldn’t disappoint.
Still thinking about the photo, Sang Ning felt guilty and uneasy throughout the meal.
Shen Tingwan noticed she seemed more distracted than usual. “No appetite?”
Sang Ning glanced at her. “No.”
Shen Tingwan said, “Okay.”
They didn’t talk much during the meal, mostly eating in silence.
After the quiet dinner, they walked out of the restaurant side by side.
They strolled along the street for a short distance, where the maple leaves had turned red and carpeted the ground. Sang Ning stepped over the scattered leaves, walking silently.
The night temperature had dropped significantly from the day, with waves of chill in the air.
Shen Tingwan turned her head. “Any other plans for tonight?”
Sang Ning answered straightforwardly. “No.”
“Then head back and rest early.” Shen Tingwan said. Even someone with plenty of energy needed rest after a trip.
Sang Ning replied, “Okay.”
Shen Tingwan looked at her. “So… I’ll head out?”
Her tone lifted at the end, turning it into a question.
Sang Ning nodded simply. “Yeah.”
Shen Tingwan lightly pressed her lips together and gave a faint smile, saying nothing more.
The car was parked by the roadside. Sang Ning watched Shen Tingwan get in and disappear into the night. She stood alone in the cold wind, lost in thought. Was it her imagination, or had Shen Tingwan been quieter than usual tonight? Had she sensed something?
If Shen Tingwan had guessed her secret, what would her reaction be? She would probably pull away politely, keep her distance, and stop paying attention to her.
The thought of Shen Tingwan ignoring her made Sang Ning suddenly feel sad. She looked up at the night sky until the cold wind made her sniffle, realizing then how cold it was and that she should go upstairs.
The indoor temperature was several degrees warmer. Once inside, Sang Ning warmed up a bit. She decided to tidy the room, picked up the photo from the coffee table, and looked at Shen Tingwan in the picture. She felt embarrassed again and closed her eyes briefly.
While unpacking her suitcase, Sang Ning spotted a gift box and suddenly remembered she had forgotten to give Shen Tingwan the souvenir from her trip.
…
Shen Tingwan returned home with a chill on her. She took a quick shower first, then soaked in the bathtub to relax with hot water.
As she soaked, her mind wandered—to the photo that evening, Sang Ning’s repeated thoughtfulness, and those occasional improper glances…
The rose essential oil didn’t soothe her mood. After ten minutes or so, her body grew hot, fine sweat beading on her skin. The stuffy heat became uncomfortable.
Shen Tingwan stood up from the tub and rinsed off under the shower, washing away the sticky oil foam.
It was still early, so she sat on the bed flipping through a book to pass the time.
Shen Tingwan didn’t feel very warm. The hot bath had helped some, unlike some people who got cozy in bed after just lying down for a bit.
After resting for a day, Sang Ning returned to work and brought small gifts to the studio.
Yu Shuang was thrilled at the snacks and souvenirs. “Wow, so cute! My gift is the best, right?”
Sang Ning smiled vaguely without responding.
She still hadn’t given Shen Tingwan her gift and wasn’t sure if she should… After the photo was discovered, she kept worrying that Shen Tingwan might overthink things and didn’t dare get too close.
On Thursday afternoon, the long-dormant university club group chat suddenly lit up.
Sang Ning scrolled through the messages. A few people were talking about the school anniversary. This Saturday was Birch City University’s open day celebration, and everyone planned to meet up on campus.
She wasn’t sure if Shen Tingwan would go—Shen Tingwan rarely attended gatherings, so even in the same club, they had only crossed paths a handful of times.
She wanted to message Shen Tingwan to ask but hesitated and ultimately didn’t send it.
The week had tight shooting schedules, plus an urgent rush job. Sang Ning finished shooting in the afternoon and stayed late into the evening for post-production.
Shen Tingwan got off work early that day. She sat in her car and made a phone call.
Sang Ning was focused on her computer screen when her phone vibrated. Seeing it was Shen Tingwan, she picked up. “Senior.”
Shen Tingwan waited until she finished the greeting. “Off work yet?”
Sang Ning replied, “Not yet.”
Shen Tingwan asked, “When will you be done? Want to grab dinner together?”
Sang Ning paused briefly. “Not today, I have to work overtime.”
Shen Tingwan said, “At the studio?”
Sang Ning confirmed, “Yeah.”
Shen Tingwan glanced at the gift bag beside her. “I’ll come find you.”
…
At a quarter to eight, Sang Ning saw the studio’s glass door open as Shen Tingwan walked in carrying bags big and small. She stood up to greet her.
On the way, Shen Tingwan had picked up dishes from a restaurant they’d eaten at before. “Eat first. The food here’s pretty good.”
Sang Ning saw that she’d come specially. “What’s up?”
Shen Tingwan asked, “What do you mean?”
“Bad mood?” That was what Sang Ning had wanted to ask when she picked up the phone.
Shen Tingwan laughed, caught off guard. “Can’t I just come find you normally?”
Sang Ning explained seriously, “That’s not what I meant.”
Shen Tingwan teased, “Worried about me?”
Sang Ning smiled faintly. “…Let’s eat.”
Shen Tingwan handed over another gift bag nearby. “For you.”
Sang Ning asked, “What is it?”
Shen Tingwan said, “You’ll see when you open it.”
Sang Ning saw it was from a perfume brand. She opened it to find perfume inside. “Why give this to me all of a sudden…”
Shen Tingwan felt the gift was a bit abrupt too and smiled. “Won it in a company raffle. I thought the scent would suit you.”
Sang Ning hesitated but, knowing Shen Tingwan’s personality, accepted it graciously. With the dinner invite and now a gift, she finally felt relieved. Shen Tingwan hadn’t overthought it; she’d been too sensitive.
During dinner, Sang Ning casually mentioned the school anniversary. “Senior, are you going?”
“I have time on Saturday and can go back for a stroll,” Shen Tingwan replied, then asked, “You?”
Sang Ning felt secretly happy. “Me too.”
Shen Tingwan said, “I’ll pick you up then, and we can go together.”
Sang Ning smiled and agreed. As long as Shen Tingwan still saw her as a friend, she was at ease. She’d overthought things these past few days.
On Saturday afternoon, they returned to their alma mater together. Birch University was holding its open day, drawing many alumni back to campus in a lively atmosphere.
There was an event in front of the library where they could get souvenirs and stickers. Sang Ning and Shen Tingwan joined in, queued up for some memorabilia, then strolled around campus.
Shen Tingwan looked at the familiar scenery. “I think it’s been five years since I was last back.”
“I came once last year,” Sang Ning said. “Was shooting nearby and stopped by.”
“Not much has changed.”
“Same old, but the night market at the gate is gone.”
Walking along the familiar tree-lined path, Sang Ning zoned out briefly, remembering when she first ran into Shen Tingwan here—
Back then, all the clubs were in full swing with recruitment. Sang Ning had been dragged along by her roommate for fun. After browsing for a long time, she spotted the person she wanted to see under the shade of the trees.
Gathering courage from who-knows-where, she walked straight up to Shen Tingwan and asked for a sign-up form. Only after getting it did she realize it was for the Photography Society. Shy and stubborn as she was, standing before Shen Tingwan made her feel unprecedentedly awkward and nervous. After a long pause, her face red, she stammered, “I don’t… have a camera…”
Shen Tingwan had looked up at her slightly then, smiling warmly. “That’s okay. As long as you’re interested, you’re welcome.”
She remembered that day the sun shone brightly, sunlight filtering through the leaves in sparkling fragments, as if all landing in the depths of her senior’s smiling eyes.
“Hang on.”
Shen Tingwan’s voice pulled Sang Ning from her thoughts. “Hm?”
“Your hair.” Shen Tingwan said softly, stopping to step closer. She reached out carefully to smooth a strand tucked into Sang Ning’s sweater collar.
Face-to-face, Sang Ning felt it all seemed unreal. She’d never imagined getting this close to Shen Tingwan—usually, silently watching her back from afar on campus was the norm.
Shen Tingwan smiled. “Why stare at your senior like that?”
Sang Ning didn’t know what to say, her heart pounding.
“Senior—”
Someone called from behind—a familiar face from the club.
Soon, they met up with the others from the club.
“Nice to see you, Senior.”
“Wow, Senior Shen’s here too!”
“My goddess is here!”
Shen Tingwan smiled politely in response.
Sang Ning was introverted and not very social, so she wasn’t close with most people—not even Shen Tingwan, really—but everyone knew Shen Tingwan and greeted her enthusiastically.
After meeting up, Shen Tingwan was surrounded by people catching up and chatting. Sang Ning didn’t try to join the lively conversation. She took a few photos from the side, posted a Moments update with location tagging to wish the alma mater a happy birthday.
That evening, everyone planned to head to a small off-campus diner for a nostalgic meal.
At dusk, Sang Ning got a phone call.
Shen Tingwan glimpsed the caller ID “Liu Yang Jie.” She watched as Sang Ning answered eagerly, calling out sweetly, “Liu Yang Jie.”
