Zhu Qingyue eventually spilled the beans.
"You... you actually took the initiative to ask him out for tomorrow?"
When Sweetness heard Zhu Qingyue's fantastical story, she kept imagining the scene in her head. She unconsciously opened her small mouth slightly, her eyes glazed over; this look was utterly endearing. Zhu Qingyue felt an impulse to pinch her cheek and chuckled, saying, "Everything I said is true."
Sweetness didn't respond to Zhu Qingyue, she sat on the bed, deep in thought.
It really doesn't make sense, this whole thing is too bizarre. Just met once without even knowing his name, and a few days later, coincidentally met again in another city, and in such a romantic form of reunion. It's too improbable.
Sweetness looked at Zhu Qingyue and asked, "What does that guy look like?"
Zhu Qingyue thought for a moment and said, "Well, he's tall, maybe about one-point-eight meters, with long hair—not girly long, more like Jin Chengwu's hairstyle in the movie 'Perhaps Love'. He speaks gently, not like those noisy guys."
Listening to Zhu Qingyue's description, Sweetness suddenly felt like she was going to lose her best friend.
She couldn't help but think that Zhu Qingyue might end up secretly with a guy, holding hands, hugging, maybe even kissing. Judging by Zhu Qingyue's description, he must be a handsome, roguish, seductive devil.
Sweetness said with utmost seriousness, "Since we're traveling together, does your family know?"
Zhu Qingyue blinked and nodded.
Sweetness continued, "Look, since uncle and aunt know, is there a possibility they deliberately arranged for a guy to meet you and win your favor?"
Zhu Qingyue's expression turned strange, saying, "Impossible, that sounds too ridiculous. I wouldn't even dare write that in my novels. My parents are not control freaks."
Even Sweetness thought it sounded absurd after she said it; it was just a wild guess. She pondered again and said, "Did you ask him where he's from?"
Zhu Qingyue shook her head and recalled, "I met him in Binhai City, but he doesn't seem to be from Binhai City."
Sweetness let out a sigh of relief and said earnestly, "Then uncle and aunt definitely wouldn't agree, and I wouldn't either."
"Finding someone from a different city, how's that going to work? Uncle and aunt would be furious with you, and so would I."
"Of course, if you're just looking for a taste of sweet love, I'm sure uncle and aunt will turn a blind eye, and so will I."
Sweetness prattled on, cheekily, getting a playful smack on the head from Zhu Qingyue.
Sweetness indignantly brushed Zhu Qingyue's hand away and said, "Truth is hard to hear!"
Zhu Qingyue said irritably, "You're being more and more exaggerated. It's just a passerby met during travel, not as complicated as you make it sound." She paused, then seriously added, "But even if I do want to date, my parents don't get a say, nor do you."
Sweetness scratched her head, full of sorrow, feeling like the saddest person at that moment, she cared so intensely for her friend, only to be treated so heartlessly. She pulled out a strand of hair, her head aching with fiery pain, overpowering the artistic melancholy inside.
Looking up, Zhu Qingyue was already putting on her shoes, preparing to go out, saying, "Let's go, out for late-night snacks."
Sweetness quickly turned over, got out of bed to find her shoes, one beneath the sofa, another under the bed, calling, "Wait for me, Qingyue!"
...
In truth, Zhu Qingyue herself didn't know what she was anticipating.
After having snacks, on the way to the hotel, Sweetness, as always, ran into some situations.
She needed to use the bathroom and insisted Zhu Qingyue go with her.
But Zhu Qingyue refused.
She found it perplexing that girls always need to team up for the bathroom.
And she especially couldn't understand Sweetness's digestive system.
Even though everyone ate the same things, and she ate more than Sweetness, Sweetness always needed the bathroom.
Once Sweetness headed to the mall restroom, Zhu Qingyue stayed at the mall entrance.
She looked through the mall's glass doors to the outside, thinking of the bright lights.
She suddenly remembered the artsy movie starring Jin Chengwu and Zhou Xun.
Actually, Li Younan didn't look like Jin Chengwu at all, he was taller than Jin Chengwu, they just had similar hairstyles.
She never thought, or hoped, to have something happen with Li Younan.
Just like Sweetness said, picking up a random stranger on the road who isn't even from the capital; parents wouldn't pass that.
She thought the reason she had rushed out alone to travel was because both her parents were university professors, they were stringent in their upbringing.
From childhood till now, she'd never dated, and Sweetness was her only good friend.
She never felt there was anything wrong with it before, nor had she anticipated anything.
Yet, in her long girlhood, she naturally had pink dreams about particularly outstanding boys.
Unfortunately, she was too timid.
She simply watched from a distance, quietly reading books, waiting for those excellent boys to come and take notice.
Kept waiting till she's no longer a girl, yet never saw that dreamy scene before her.
So, today quite unusually, she took initiative once...
What was she thinking?
Suddenly, Zhu Qingyue smiled silently.
She thought of Li Younan's eyes and suddenly realized something.
At that time, she felt those eyes looked so lonely.
Thinking of this, Zhu Qingyue felt somewhat cheerful.
She understood why she had sent the invitation without hesitation; it was a loner sympathizing with another loner.
Thinking of this line, Zhu Qingyue felt quite satisfied.
She took out her phone and quietly recorded it.
Being an online writer, for her, traveling while writing novels is an exceedingly pleasurable thing.
Just recently she encountered a writing block, hadn't updated for over half a month, her inbox was bombarded by readers.
But at this moment, she felt inspired.
Finally, Sweetness came out.
She seriously said, "While using the bathroom, I thought something through. I believe I need to stay close to you..."
Zhu Qingyue tapped her on the head again with irritation, saying, "Told you, just a passerby, he has his own travel plans, whether we'll ever meet again after leaving Jinling City is uncertain."
Sweetness said, "It'd be best if that were the case."