Chapter 155: Selfie

Listening to the man's amused laughter, Shen Qing’s eyes simmered with a faint anger. She cursed under her breath, "Shameless old man."

Old? Shameless?

Gu Ting’s temple twitched violently. Was he really that old?

"Let go," Shen Qing said coldly.

"Alright." Gu Ting released his grip, and Shen Qing quickly stood up. Gu Ting scrambled to a sitting position just as fast; the little one was fierce, and staying reclined made him an easy target for a sneak attack.

Shen Qing shot him a sullen glare but remained silent.

Gu Ting chuckled and fished a "Jujube-Birth-Precious-Seed" charm from his pocket. "I was clumsy and fell earlier; it ended up involving you."

Shen Qing glanced at it, sat down on a stool, and didn't take it.

Gu Ting rubbed his nose and pulled two chocolates from his pocket. "That's all I've got."

The girl kept her head down, busy with her phone, and ignored him.

Gu Ting paused, then crouched down, looked up at her, and said with complete sincerity, "Then you can touch me instead."

As he spoke, he stood up and lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing a sliver of pale skin at his waist.

Shen Qing’s thumb, which had been scrolling through her phone, froze. What did he mean by "touch"?

"Get lost."

"You can touch as much as you like."

"Harassment?" Shen Qing narrowed her eyes at him.

Gu Ting shook his head solemnly. "Atonement."

"Oh." Shen Qing put down her phone, rose slowly, and raised her leg to kick him in the waist.

Gu Ting’s eyes flickered, and he blocked her with his hand, then said pitifully, "You said I could let you touch."

"Close enough." Shen Qing curled her lips and, seemingly offhandedly, punched him in the chest.

Gu Ting let out a muffled groan, rubbed his chest, and looked at Shen Qing. The little one really didn't hold back at all.

"Do you still want to watch the fireworks?" Gu Ting steered the conversation back.

"Get lost."

"It’s fine, I brought some small ones." Gu Ting pulled three thin, short sparklers from his trench coat pocket. One of them was bent and couldn't be used.

"..." Shen Qing looked at Gu Ting as if he were mentally deficient.

"To the balcony." Gu Ting took Shen Qing’s hand and led her over.

Shen Qing hesitated for a moment, then lowered her eyes and said nothing.

Once on the balcony, Gu Ting lit one first. The sparkler ignited instantly. "You hold this one."

Shen Qing stared at the sparkler for a second before slowly taking it. Gu Ting smiled and quickly pulled out another, lighting it from the flame of the one in Shen Qing’s hand.

"Hold this one too."

"Oh." Shen Qing took the one from Gu Ting’s hand.

Gu Ting pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo of the girl.

Hearing the shutter sound, Shen Qing looked up instinctively, and another click followed.

"You should go back to sleep," Shen Qing said coldly, looking at the man holding the phone. The sparklers in her hands had already burned out.

"I'm not sleepy." Gu Ting took the spent sticks from her, tilted his phone at a forty-five-degree angle, and framed the girl who was looking down beside him.

"Qingqing," Gu Ting called out softly. No one answered.

"Shen Qing," he called again. The girl still kept her head down, ignoring him.

Gu Ting chuckled, calling her a third time with a mixture of helplessness and doting, "Shen Qing."

Shen Qing was playing Snake and looked up impatiently. "What?"

Click.

Gu Ting hit the shutter button just in time, capturing the profiles of both of them.

The boy was smiling with gentle affection, while the girl’s features and expression were slightly blurred—if one looked closely, they could see the impatience, but at a glance, it looked quite romantic.

"Boring." Shen Qing glanced at the photo and turned back into the room.

Gu Ting studied the photo carefully, the curve of his smile growing wider and wider.

"Get out." Shen Qing opened the door and leaned against the frame, waiting for Gu Ting to take the hint and leave.

"Alright." Gu Ting smiled and this time walked out obediently.

***

The next day, when Shen Qing opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.

She checked her phone; it was ten o'clock. Both Gu Ting and Lu Xuanyou had sent her messages. Shen Qing turned off her phone without replying to either.

She got out of bed and couldn't help but glance at the bronze censer in the room. The incense inside had burned out, but a faint, lingering scent remained.

Shen Qing changed her clothes and, after washing up, received a call from Lu Xuanyou.

"Shall we have lunch together?"

"No." Shen Qing stretched and picked up the tray holding the bronze censer, preparing to head out.

"I specifically ordered Chinese food," Lu Xuanyou continued.

Shen Qing paused. "We'll talk after the grave sweeping."

"Alright."

Shen Qing hung up, opened her door, walked out, and knocked on Gu Ting’s door across the hall.