CH 10.2

“Let’s go. After walking along this path for a while, you’ll arrive at the main road.” Qiao Mu began leading the way. 

“Okay.” Xu Youyou hastened her steps to catch up. Suddenly her phone sounded and Qiao Mu’s eyes blinked, her expression changing. 

“I’m going to take this call.” Xu Youyou waited for Qiao Mu’s response before answering. 

“Mr. Xu, why are you calling me?” Xu Youyou asked. 

The person who was calling was Xu Youyou’s father, Xu Wenguang. Listening to his daughter call him Mr. Xu, he froze before responding: “I’m your father.”

“Oh.” Xu Youyou was indifferent. It was as if she was a completely different person from the one who was so narcissistic that they got others to praise her. 

The alley was quiet at night. Qiao Mu could even hear the sounds of the microphone. He unconsciously wanted to move away but the alley was only so big and so he didn’t dare move too far away. He could only awkwardly stand in place and pretend he could not hear. 

“Did you receive the camera?” 

“Yes.” Xu Youyou said. 

“I heard from your mom that you have gotten a bit better.” 

“It’s okay.” 

“Be good and listen to your mom. If you need anything, call me.”

“I still need a computer to photoshop my pictures.” Xu Youyou took the opportunity to make the demand. 

“Okay, got it. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone buy it for you.” After talking, Xu Wenguang hung up. 

Xu Youyou turned off her phone and saw Qiao Mu standing not far from her by himself. She explained in a sentence: “It was my dad, asking if I was better.” 

Qiao Mu was surprised. When it came to children of divorced parents, often this topic was something that they wouldn’t want to mention or talk about, but Xu Youyou on the other hand, already did not care at all. 

“Him and my mom both think that their divorce triggered me. And both want to make it up to me, so I take the opportunity to get everything that I want to buy.” Xu Youyou, laughed as she looked quite pleased with herself. 

Qiao Mu was suddenly a bit envious: “I believe you.”

“What?”

“That you weren’t triggered by your parent’s divorce.” Qiao Mu said. 

While talking, the two already arrived at the Town’s main street. It was only past 8:00 and the main road was already bustling with people. Because it was almost mid-autumn, the road was lined with rows of red lanterns on both sides making the ancient town’s scenery look particularly beautiful 

Xu Youyou could not help but raise her camera, face the street and take a photo. 

“Look, is there anything in common with all the people in the photo?” Xu Youyou raised the camera to Qiao Mu’s eyes. 

“They’re all happy.” Qiao Mu said. 

Xu Youyou used her right hand and brought out her phone. She faced Qiao Mu and “ka cha” took a photo. She raised it to show Qiao Mu a picture of himself: “But what about you?”

Qiao Mu looked at himself in the photo and was silent. 

“Student, your current dejected appearance won’t give you extra points. Unless you grow up to look like that.” Xu Youyou raised her finger towards the main road’s advertising board. The advertisement had a youth playing the violin with his eyes closed. The youth was exquisite with slightly knit eyebrows. His face showed a melancholy dispirited beauty. 

Qiao Mu looked over his eyes, wavering slightly. 

“You can just drop me off here. I know the road up ahead. You can go back and accompany Grandmother.” Xu Youyou waved at Qiao Mu and turned to walk into the crowd of people,

Qiao Mu waited until he could not see Xu Youyou’s figure before walking back. Just before he reached his house, his phone suddenly rang. 

Qiao Mu looked at the incoming call, smiling as he answered: “I just saw your advertisement board.” 

The incoming call just happened to be the youth on the advertisement board. His name was Lu Shi, it was Qiao Mu’s Uncle’s son. He was older than Qiao Mu by 3 months and was a youth actor. 

“The one of me playing the violin?” Lu Shi asked. 

“Yes, your acting has improved. I almost didn’t recognize you.” Qiao Mu praised. 

“Don’t you feel it was a bit familiar?” the other person asked. 

“It was completely different from how you are in person.” Qiao Mu confirmed the other’s acting.  

“I was acting as you.” Lu Shi said. 

Qiao Mu froze.

“Was it not like you?” Lu Shi asked.

“Someone just said my melancholy appearance won’t give me any points.”

“Hahaha~~~” A string of laughter rang through the phone. “Now you finally understand how handsome I am. When I go back I can help you diet. We are brothers, if you skim down you can at least have 5% of my handsomeness.”

“Get lost.” Qiao Mu scolded with a smile.