The next morning, Li Younan didn't sleep until noon like he did the day before.
When he opened the curtains, the sun was just rising, and the chill of the morning was gradually being melted away by the sunlight.
Li Younan knew it would become very hot soon, but that didn't affect his mood.
He stretched comfortably. Ever since he put down his work and decided to use the benefits granted by the system to collect landscapes around the world, the main tone of each morning he woke up to was one of happiness, and even the occasional changes that occurred each day couldn't affect this base layer of joy.
Li Younan uploaded all of the important and memorable photos he took yesterday to the cloud, clearing the camera's memory.
Then, he took some time to wash up before finally going to the hotel's buffet restaurant for breakfast.
He had an appointment with Zhu Qingyue at 1 P.M., so it was still early, and Li Younan leisurely enjoyed his meal in the restaurant.
He spread butter on toast, sandwiching two slices together, pairing it with a cup of coffee with sugar, slowly savoring it.
In the past, there were very few opportunities to spend a long time having breakfast. Whether it was during his student years or after starting work, the morning time was extremely precious, and being able to leisurely enjoy breakfast was itself a luxury.
His mood was very content, not only because this meal was extremely satisfying, but also because he thought that every meal in the future would be so enjoyable. Even the plainest breakfast, as long as it's savored slowly, this kind of joy is something ingredients alone cannot replace.
After breakfast, Li Younan was ready to go out.
Today, he only carried his camera.
Among the skills he'd been rewarded with, the one that currently brought him the most joy was undoubtedly photography.
Li Younan certainly hoped to capture again some snapshots of someone's life today.
At 1 P.M., Li Younan met Zhu Qingyue on Yihe Road as agreed.
This was a place recommended by Zhu Qingyue.
Zhu Qingyue said she was writing a novel set in the Republican era.
Online, some say "one Yihe Road contains half of Republic of China history," with many important figures and events from that era linked to this place. Perhaps a visit here would inspire her.
Li Younan certainly didn't mind. He didn't have a specific destination in mind, so he agreed.
Today, Zhu Qingyue wore light makeup and a beige sun hat with a pink bow on it.
She looked radiant, and from afar, Zhu Qingyue seemed pristine and perfect.
But in the next moment, Li Younan was dumbfounded.
A gust of wind blew, and Zhu Qingyue's hat suddenly flew off, her hair and skirt dancing in the air.
Startled, Zhu Qingyue clutched her skirt, jumped to catch the hat, but could only watch as it landed on a nearby tree.
At that moment, Zhu Qingyue couldn't care less about Li Younan; the situation was too tricky... greeting Li wouldn't make things better, so it was better to focus on the hat to slightly ease the embarrassment.
She stood under the tree, looking up at the hat, with its pink bow fluttering in the wind, as if dancing a new kind of dance.
Zhu Qingyue slowly sighed, then turned back to look at Li Younan.
Then, she was also taken aback.
She saw Li Younan slowly putting down his camera. Who knew how many times he'd pressed the shutter during her moment of awkwardness?
The two exchanged a quiet glance and suddenly couldn't help but laugh together.
After they laughed, Zhu Qingyue said discontentedly, "Now it's your responsibility." She pointed upward at the hat.
It was a form of payback for Younan's actions.
A half-hour later, Li Younan and Zhu Qingyue aimlessly strolled along Yihe Road.
When they got tired of walking, they casually entered a nearby café, ordered two cups of coffee, and sat down for a short rest.
This café had a piano and was tastefully decorated, but there was no one playing.
Li Younan glanced at the piano, and the flamboyant spirit within him began to stir.
If he were to go up and play a piece now, it would definitely be super cool.
However, Li Younan restrained himself.
Sitting there playing the piano was indeed cool, but the act of going up himself felt a bit foolish, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.
However, it was clear that Zhu Qingyue hadn't noticed Li Younan's little internal struggle.
She quietly drank her coffee, soaking in the atmosphere, finally resting her gaze on Li Younan's face, suddenly asking, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
His gaze became deep and even a bit hazy. He then sighed lightly and said, "Just broke up."
Zhu Qingyue blinked and took another sip of coffee.
By right, the topic should end here. After all, regardless of how one looks at it, it's a sad matter... at least for most people.
But Zhu Qingyue was really curious. She wanted to know what someone like Li Younan's ex-girlfriend would be like.
To put it bluntly, she wanted to know what kind of girl could enter his heart.
Zhu Qingyue raised her head and casually remarked, "No wonder you're traveling alone."
Li Younan chuckled softly.
Zhu Qingyue asked again, "Were you together for a long time?"
Li Younan nodded, "Quite a while; we got together just after graduating from college, all the way in Binhai City. She's a local there."
Zhu Qingyue nodded, but for some reason felt a little disappointed in her heart... which meant it had been several years.
That curiosity only grew stronger. Zhu Qingyue couldn't help but wonder, what kind of girl could she be? Based on her experience, girls from Binhai City were typically gentle and soft, and she could easily imagine what their interactions must have been like.
Li Younan actually didn't want to keep talking about this topic, so he changed the subject and asked back, "And you? Are you dating anyone?"
Zhu Qingyue snapped back to reality and shook her head with a hint of helplessness, "No, I've never been in a relationship."
Just as Zhu Qingyue finished speaking, Li Younan's phone rang.
Looking at the caller ID showing an unfamiliar number from Binhai City, he hesitated for a moment but answered it.
The next moment, he heard that familiar voice from the earpiece, carrying a hint of hoarseness, its tone quite different from what Li Younan remembered: "Li Younan, I'm in Jinling City now. I want to see you, one last time. There are some things I want to say to you face to face. Don't rush to refuse; I won't take up much of your time, nor do you need to set a specific time or place. Just tell me where you are, and I'll come find you. No matter what you're doing, I'll only take a few minutes."
Upon hearing Yang Ting's voice and her words, Younan's first reaction was one of absurdity; he couldn't imagine it was Yang Ting speaking. For a moment, he even felt a twinge of softness, but soon his heart hardened again.
He paused and said, "Sorry, now isn't a good time."
Yang Ting paused too: "I saw your social media post yesterday through a friend and bought a train ticket overnight to rush over, just to see you for a few minutes. Is that okay?"
Li Younan glanced at Zhu Qingyue across from him and still said, "Sorry, it's not convenient."
Zhu Qingyue was extremely perceptive and had already guessed who was on the other line based on Younan's expression and words.
All of a sudden, she felt an emptiness inside, her mind involuntarily scripting a scene of the protagonists reuniting, and her mood sank to the lowest point.
But simultaneously, a strong desire burned inside her. She really wanted to see what Li Younan's ex-girlfriend looked like.
Li Younan looked at Zhu Qingyue, remained silent for a moment, then said to Yang Ting, "I'm on Yihe Road..."
Li Younan planned to meet Yang Ting outside in a while, just as a final farewell.