CH 13.2

Looking down at the overcrowded sea of people, Qiao Mu was overcome with boredom when a phone call suddenly came through. 

“Grandmother said you went to the lantern festival?” A joyful and youthful voice rang from the phone, it was Qiao Mu’s elder cousin Lu Shi.

“Yes” 

“What is different about this year?”

“Nothing’s different. It is still just filled with people.” Qiao Mu said. 

“Ai, filled with people is fine. It’s lively. At least you’re not like me spending the Mid-Autumn festival with the filming staff. 

Qiao Mu was about to say something when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate. He opened it and saw that Lu Shi had sent him a photo. The photo was of a bitten mooncake

“The filming staff just sent it. It tastes terrible, I want to have some of Grandmother’s Mid-Autumn snacks.” Lu Shi complained.

“When you come, Grandmother can make some for you.” 

“If I wait till when I go back, the Mid-Autumn Festival would be over. The feeling won’t be the same.”

“I can’t understand.” Wasn’t it all just Grandmother’s snacks? What was the different? Qiao Mu conveyed that he didn’t understand. 

“Us artists feel more rich and abundant emotions. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. Oh right, take some photos of the hometown delicacies. Console my homesickness.” Lu Shi requested. 

Qiao Mu wouldn’t go out of his way to take a picture for him so he just opened his camera and randomly took a photo of the crowd of people below and sent it. 

“This will do. There are lots of people and it’s lively.” It was all the hometown anyway. 

The otherside of the phone had quieted, Lu Shi was probably examining the photo. After a pit he exclaimed: “Yo, this photo is pretty artistic.” 

Artistic? He had randomly taken the picture. 

Qiao Mu wanted to see what was artistic about it and so he curiously opened up the photo. He had indeed taken a photo of the interactions between people below at the lantern festival, but right in the middle of the photo was a girl in a lake blue jacket staring up at the sky as if she were looking for something. The camera had self-focused and the background was blurred. When looking upon it, it gave an artistic sense that while there was a sea of people, I only see you. 

“Do you know her? She seems quite beautiful…Ai, why did you unsend it?” Lu Shi hadn’t finished talking before the picture in WeChat was unsent. 

“You have infringed upon picture privilege” Qiao Mu said stiffly. 

“Brother, are you joking?”

“I’m hanging up.” Qiao Mu could not be bothered to talk to Lu Shi and immediately hung up the phone. He then stared at the photo on his phone. 

Qiao Mu once more looked down at the sea of people, turning his gaze he very easily found Xu Youyou among the crowd. 

That’s right, he was waiting for her to finish taking the pictures. So naturally his gaze would draw towards her direction and accidentally take a photo of her.

Right then, Xu Youyou felt as if someone was watching her and not long after her eyes settled on Qiao Mu’s location. Her pitch black eyes suddenly lit up for a few moments and from afar she gestured to him wanting him to come over. 

Qiao Mu rose and ran over, by the time he got through the crowd to Xu Youyou’s side the girls gathered under the wishing tree trying to look at the photos on the camera. No long after sounds of surprise were heard. 

“Wow, this looks so good. It doesn’t need any editing.”

“This photo is so artistic. It is as if it was taken out of a movie. Youyou, are you able to transfer them to us now?” Some of the girls could not wait to post them to their WeChat moments and Weibo. 

“Are you guys not going to check out the lantern festival?” Xu Youyou asked. 

“No, no. We want to go back and look through the photos.” 

Xu Youyou saw that Qiao Mu have arrived and grabbed the bag in Qiao Mu’s hand and handed it to the girls: “The cord is in here. You guys can transfer the photos yourself. Just return the camera to me tomorrow.” 

Then the girls heard, they carried the camera and excitedly left. 

Qiao Mu was stunned and unconsciously said: “You just gave the camera to them just like that?”

“If I don’t give it to them, how can I free myself from them?”

“Isn’t a single lens worth 50,000? What happens if it breaks…” Shen Lili and the rest did not know the value of the camera, if they accidentally broke it, well everyone was still students…

“Don’t worry. The camera won’t break so easily. Besides, the warranty period is not yet over.” Xu Youyou pinched her arm and shook it twice, “Let’s go check out the lantern festival.” 

“What do you want to check out?” Qiao Mu asked.

“What is fun?” Xu Youyou asked. 

“The ancient town’s lantern festival is basically the same every year. When you play a game, you win a lantern or if you guess the lantern riddle, you win a lantern.” 

“How come the only prize is a lantern?” Xu Youyou was surprised.

“Lanterns are not the only prize. It is just that the lantern is the most popular one.” Qiao Mu saw Xu Youyou’s questioning gaze and pointed to the wishing tree that Xu Youyou had spent so long taking photos. He explained, “That is the ancient town’s wishing tree, typically you can hang colored ribbons to represent wishes but during the Mid-Autumn Festival, you are only allowed to hang lanterns. To be honest, it is just a marketing trick.” 

“I understand.” Xu Youyou nodded her head, “I also want a lantern.”

Qiao Mu was dumbfounded: “I already said it was a marketing trick.”

“But its marketing is very successful.” 

“……” Qiao Mu. 

“Anyway, today’s lantern can make me happy. Let’s go win one……” Xu Youyou raised her hand and pointed to the tree top, her eyes reflected countless lights as if it were the flowing Milky Way.