Chapter 218: Send Me a Copy
The scene was frozen clearly on Zhao Yuanyuan’s phone screen—in the small cabin, sunlight streamed through the glass as she nestled in Chen Mo’s embrace, held securely by his strong arms. As Su Yuqing saw it, she felt a searing heat WHOOSH from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head.
"Yuanyuan!" Her cheeks instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato, almost looking as if they could bleed.
On instinct, Chen Mo lunged for Zhao Yuanyuan’s phone, his movements swift and urgent.
But Zhao Yuanyuan was ready for him. She deftly leaped back, holding the phone high like a victory flag, her face lit with the radiant smile of a successful prank. "Hehehe, you can’t get it, you can’t get it! Just look at you two. Tsk, tsk, tsk. This composition, this vibe... it’s perfect! I’m practically a genius photographer!"
She triumphantly waved the phone, the sweet photo on its screen exceptionally blush-inducing.
They had only caught a flustered glimpse before, but a closer look revealed the photo was actually quite good. That girl had definitely staked out a spot and set up her phone in advance, just waiting to snap a picture as they got off.
In the photo, Chen Mo’s head was slightly bowed, his gentle gaze resting on the crown of the girl’s head in his arms. Su Yuqing, meanwhile, had her head buried shyly, her body leaning against him in complete trust. The sunlight outlined their nestled forms, creating an ineffable sense of tranquility and beauty.
Though Chen Mo rolled his eyes at Zhao Yuanyuan, his heart gave an undeniable, heavy thump when his gaze swept over the photo.
The captured moment was even more... intimate and beautiful than he remembered it feeling.
He could clearly see the focus and protectiveness in his own eyes, as well as Su Yuqing’s unconditional trust in him.
This evidence, frozen by the camera’s lens, made the heart-fluttering, boundary-pushing atmosphere from the Ferris wheel feel incredibly tangible.
The composure he was struggling to maintain nearly cracked, and the tips of his ears quietly flushed a barely perceptible shade of red.
He cleared his throat, trying to mask his inner turmoil with an exasperated tone. "Zhao Yuanyuan, with candid photo skills like yours, it’s a real shame you’re not a paparazzo. Delete it!"
He held out his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument, but his eyes involuntarily flickered back to the photo.
"Delete it?" Zhao Yuanyuan’s eyes widened dramatically as she clutched the phone to her chest like a treasure. "Don’t even think about it! This is a precious historical document! Ironclad proof of the budding romance between our class belle and our class heartthrob! I have to treasure this. When you two get married and play your wedding video, this will be the bombshell highlight!"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, already lost in fantasies of the future.
At the mere mention of marriage, Su Yuqing’s mind unconsciously conjured images of what that day might look like.
In an instant, her words made Su Yuqing so unbearably shy that even her fair neck flushed pink. She instinctively shrank behind Chen Mo, as if trying to hide herself away.
Huang Mao sidled over as well. Looking at the photo, he clicked his tongue in amazement. "Whoa! Old Mo, not bad! That pose, that look in your eyes... damn, that’s some deep affection! No wonder Yuqing’s face was as red as a cooked lobster when you got off. So this is what you were up to at the top!"
He waggled his eyebrows and nudged Chen Mo with his elbow, a teasing grin plastered on his face.
"Huang Mao! You’re ganging up on me too!" Su Yuqing, both mortified and annoyed, peeked out from behind Chen Mo to protest, her voice carrying a soft, trembling quality.
Feeling the girl behind him depending on him, the exasperation Chen Mo felt from being teased was instantly replaced by a peculiar sense of satisfaction.
He turned slightly, naturally shielding Su Yuqing more completely from view, blocking Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao’s overly "enthusiastic" gazes.
He looked at Zhao Yuanyuan, who was still triumphantly showing off the photo. His tone softened, carrying a hint of negotiation but also a deeper meaning that only the two of them would understand. "Yuanyuan, stop messing around. The photo... send me a copy."
He lowered his voice for the last few words, but they still reached Su Yuqing’s ears with perfect clarity.
Su Yuqing’s head snapped up to look at Chen Mo’s profile. He was focused on Zhao Yuanyuan, the lines of his face appearing exceptionally soft in the sunlight.
’He... wants the photo too? Does he really plan on using it at our wedding? No, no, what am I thinking? I could just die of embarrassment.’
’We aren’t even a couple yet.’
Even as she had that thought, the realization was like a tiny drop of honey, instantly dissolving in the lake of her heart. It washed away most of her shyness, replacing it with a secret, fulfilling sweetness.
Zhao Yuanyuan caught the hidden meaning in Chen Mo’s words and, noticing the unmistakable tenderness in his eyes directed toward Su Yuqing, her own eyes lit up in immediate understanding.
She dropped her exaggerated, playful expression, a knowing, "I get it, I get it" smile spreading across her face. "Ooooh~ so you want a copy, is that it? No problem! Since Brother Mo is asking, I have to make it happen! However..."
She deliberately drew out her words and winked slyly. "For the hush money and copyright fee, as for afternoon tea and snacks later... Brother Mo, I’ll let you figure it out, okay?"
Chen Mo gave a resigned smile. He knew this girl was taking the opportunity to shake him down, but he still nodded readily. "Fine. You’ll have more than enough."
"Yay! Deal!" Zhao Yuanyuan cheered and immediately looked down to fiddle with her phone. "I’m sending it to you right now! Yuqing, do you want one? I can send you a copy to treasure, too."
"N-No, that’s okay!" Su Yuqing hastily waved her hands, the blush that had just started to fade creeping back up her cheeks.
’Saving that photo for myself? The mere thought makes me feel like my heart is going to explode.’
But deep down, a tiny voice whispered, ’Then again... would it really be so bad?’
A moment later, a soft notification sound chimed from Chen Mo’s phone.
He took it out and glanced at it. On the screen was the photo from Zhao Yuanyuan.
His fingertip paused on the screen for a moment, then he immediately tapped to save it. It even looked as if he set it as his phone’s wallpaper.
Only Su Yuqing, who had been secretly watching him this whole time, noticed the subtle action.
Watching the corners of Chen Mo’s lips curl into a faint yet gentle smile as he carefully tucked his phone back into his pocket, Su Yuqing felt as if a giant stone had been dropped into the lake of her heart. Sweet ripples spread out in circles, yet the sheer weight of her feelings also stirred up deeper, more profound waves.
The feelings between them, truly, needed almost no words to be confirmed.
In the cramped space of the Ferris wheel, in that heart-pounding moment when it paused at the top, in the trust and protectiveness captured by the photo—the budding affection between them was already perfectly clear.
A feeling deeper and more enduring than a simple, mutual crush enveloped them like the air itself—real and tangible.
Yet, it was precisely because this feeling was so pure, so cherished by them both, that taking the final step—the "confession"—seemed particularly difficult.
Romance during your school days could be very simple, really.
A brush of shoulders in the hallway, a line of script on a passed note, a whisper on the athletic field—"I like you," "Let’s be a couple"—impulsive and pure, like a sudden summer downpour, intense yet fleeting.