**48**

“Not used to what?” she asked gloomily.

Shen Yizhi was stared at by her dark, moist eyes, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Ning Zhi waited a few seconds, and not receiving her answer, complained somewhat angrily, “You’re so moody.”

Shen Yizhi realized that in the past two days, because of Ruan Yinmeng, she had rarely spoken to Ning Zhi. From Ning Zhi’s perspective, it probably seemed like she had suddenly become cold and suddenly stopped paying attention to her.

Only then did Shen Yizhi realize that she had long lost control of herself. She clearly knew that as an actor, getting into character was a basic skill, yet she irrationally minded Ning Zhi’s affection for Ruan Yinmeng.

Ning Zhi felt a bit flustered by her silence, doubting whether she had said too much. She composed herself and smiled, “Did I do something wrong that upset you? Just tell me directly.”

Thinking about how Shen Yizhi had said “Don’t say anymore” just now, unwilling to talk further, she became even more convinced that she must have said something wrong.

“If you’re annoyed with me, you have to tell me.” Ning Zhi made himself look indifferent and said jokingly, “You know very well, if you find me annoying, I definitely won’t cling to you.”

“No, it’s my own problem. I won’t do this again in the future,” Shen Yizhi immediately said, assuring Ning Zhi, afraid that she might really misunderstand.

Ning Zhi habitually paid attention to Shen Yizhi’s expression to make sure she was telling the truth and not just being polite, then happily took the umbrella from Shen Yizhi’s hand, shielding both of them under the parasol.

Let’s go quickly, I’m exhausted.

Of course, she no longer mentioned going back to her own car.

She sat next to Shen Yizhi as usual.

“Next time, if you don’t have a scene, don’t stay up late following along.” Ning Zhi nagged again, as if she had endless worries.

Shen Yizhi agreed, and Ning Zhi smiled contentedly.

She relaxed her body, still saying, “Time is too tight, we’re leaving tomorrow, and I haven’t had a good chance to explore Pingcheng. Have you been here before?”

“But the filming location for Chisheng University is near my college, I can take you to see it, our school is really fun.”

Shen Yizhi watched as she spoke, her eyelids drooping, her head nodding little by little, and her voice growing faint.

She signaled the driver to raise the air conditioning temperature and adjusted the seat to make Ning Zhi more comfortable lying down.

Ning Zhi was very sleepy, drowsily letting Shen Yizhi handle her, but Shen Yizhi was very clear-headed, becoming even more alert.

She looked at Ning Zhi’s face; her eyelashes were long, obediently resting on her lower eyelids, with a dark bluish shadow beneath her eyes. The corners of her lips were slightly pursed, her breathing steady, and her soft hair lay smoothly and obediently. At a glance, she looked exactly the same as when she was a child—soft and completely unguarded toward her. But upon closer inspection, everything was entirely different. So many things had quietly changed over the years.

Ning Zhi said I definitely wouldn’t pester you. Shen Yizhi knew she was serious; as soon as she showed even the slightest sign of “you’re annoying me,” Ning Zhi would disappear completely, just like six years ago.

Shen Yizhi gently stroked Ning Zhi’s hair. Ning Zhi was sleeping soundly, not disturbed at all.

Their relationship was gradually easing. She had many times noticed Ning Zhi looking at her with soft eyes, and the little gestures like casually tugging her clothes or holding her arm were just like before. She was overjoyed, thinking that perhaps soon, they could fully let go of past grievances.

However, Ning Zhi also showed caution, quickly pulling away when she sensed someone getting too close, and the earlier remark about not clinging to her clearly told Shen Yizhi that the barrier wouldn’t disappear so easily; the wound may have healed, but the scar remained.

Shen Yizhi was anxious but had to repeatedly remind herself to be patient.

The new filming location was a bit north of Pingcheng, and it took two days to move and settle in again.

This time, the crew arranged rooms for them right next door, even closer than before.

The director had a change of heart and gave them a day off to rest, and also arranged a dinner gathering in the evening.

Ning Zhi and Shen Yizhi didn’t go out during the day; it wasn’t convenient for them to go anywhere even if they wanted to. However, they did attend the dinner, and Shen Yizhi didn’t touch any alcohol the entire time.

The shooting locations here were more numerous than those in Pingcheng. The scenes in Pingcheng were mainly inside that old house, but here, besides the house and the school, there were some other outdoor locations, so they spent more time running around outside.

Ruan Yinmeng stood outside the school gate waiting for Chi Sheng to come out.

She picked a conspicuous spot, with dense tree shade nearby for cover.

There were many people coming in and out of the school gate, but by this time most parents who had brought their children to school had already left. Inside and outside the gate were energetic students.

Ruan Yinmeng watched for a while and noticed the obvious differences between the students.

Those who were excitedly looking around in groups of three or five, occasionally chatting with bursts of excitement, their faces still bearing the lingering traces of youth, were definitely freshmen who had just enrolled today.

The rest were more composed, mostly returning students who didn’t wander around the campus as much.

But they shared a similar trait: when sunlight shone on them, it seemed to wrap them in a layer of golden light.

Ruan Yinmeng remembered reading a sentence in that book, saying that young people are like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. She couldn’t understand it at the time, but now she did.

They are all like the sun at eight or nine in the morning—young, lively, confident. They don’t need to walk under the sunlight; they themselves are the sun, full of infinite possibilities and countless hopes.

Ruan Yinmeng suddenly felt a wave of inadequacy. She stood in the shadows, as if unable to bear the light, feeling completely uncomfortable.

“Ruan Yinmeng!” a familiar voice called out.

Ruan Yinmeng looked up in confusion. Chisheng ran over, bringing with him the warm sunlight and a smile in his eyes that only saw her, dispelling the shadows and driving away misfortune.

“Sorry, have you been waiting long?” She panted slightly, explaining to her, “I took the wrong path and went to another gate. The school is so big, it takes forever to walk.”

She half complained as she spoke, but noticed Ruan Yinmeng staring at her intently.

Chisheng scratched her head, feeling a bit shy. She took a deep breath and realized that Ruan Yinmeng’s outfit today was more conservative than usual, but her makeup was very delicate, completely unlike the words “worldly” or “vulgar,” resembling a gentle wife waiting for a traveler to return home.

She felt immense joy, every cell in her body restlessly shouting.

“I miss you.” She said softly, her bright eyes filled with happiness, and a hint of youthful shyness at the bottom.

Ruan Yinmeng looked at her with understanding eyes. Although it had only been a week apart, it felt like countless days and nights had passed. She thought of her the same way, counting the time, waiting for her to come.

She was about to speak when suddenly someone called out, “Chi Sheng.”

She was a female student and walked over.

Chi Sheng called out, “Senior.” Then he turned around and introduced her to Ruan Yinmeng, “This is our junior from the third year of our major, responsible for welcoming new students.”

As he spoke, he also introduced to the senior, “She is…”

Before Chi Sheng could finish, Ruan Yinmeng took over, “I am her sister.”

After she finished speaking, she noticed Chi Sheng glance at her.

“Hello, sister.” The senior warmly greeted her, said a few more words, and then left.

“Are you worried that I’ll reveal our relationship?” Chi Sheng asked only after the senior had walked away.

Ruan Yin had always seen Chi Sheng’s straightforward side; that moment just now was indeed quite frightening, but she also knew that Chi Sheng wouldn’t be so scheming.

“Not happy?” she asked with a smile.

Chi Sheng didn’t answer, but her entire expression was filled with displeasure: “I know I can’t say it.”

She walked forward, and just as Ruan Yinmeng thought the topic was over, she said again, “It doesn’t matter how others see us or what they think. I like you, we should be together, and that’s what matters most.”

Ruan Yinmeng looked at her, the corners of her lips slowly curling up. She lowered her head and gently squeezed Chi Sheng’s hand.

Mm.

With so many people on the street, Chi Sheng really wanted to hold her tightly, but he could only restrain himself. Their eyes met, as if stuck together, saying nothing, yet both unconsciously quickened their pace.

The new place Ruan Yinmeng found was not far away, an old residential area. At the entrance stood a tall pine tree, and most of the people coming and going were elderly.

The house was very old, even older than the one in Pingcheng. The staircase was so narrow that two people couldn’t walk side by side. If someone was going up while another was going down, both had to turn sideways to pass.

Ruan Yinmeng walked ahead, occasionally looking back at Chi Sheng, afraid she would fall, afraid she wouldn’t adapt.

But Chi Sheng obviously didn’t mind the old and worn conditions here, closely following behind Ruan Yinmeng, with a look of anticipation on his face, which gradually put Ruan Yinmeng at ease.

As soon as they entered, they embraced each other tightly.

A week of longing did not explode the moment they met, but it reached its peak at this moment.

“Ruan Yinmeng, Ruan Yinmeng.” Chi Sheng seemed unable to call enough; this name, at some unknown time, had been engraved on her heart, leaving an indelible mark for life.

Ruan Yinmeng’s soft body was in her arms, and she leaned on her obediently.

“Chi Sheng, I miss you so much too.” The words she hadn’t had time to say at the school gate were finally spoken now.

They embraced for a long time before Ruan Yinmeng gently pushed Chi Sheng away. Her cheeks were tinged with a flush, making her look much softer. She looked at Chi Sheng and said softly, “Let’s take a look at our new home first.”

The newly rented house was a small suite, about the same size as the one in Pingcheng.

Ruan Yinmeng was very good at tidying up; every corner had long been cleaned spotless.

The furnishings were very simple but never sparse. Compared to the house in Pingcheng, this one had a much stronger sense of home. The firewood, rice, oil, and salt in the kitchen added a touch of everyday life to the place.

Chi Sheng didn’t need to look; just being here was already something he liked very much.

She stopped in front of the round table, on which there was a vase holding a few fresh flowers.

“The flowers are grown by the old lady downstairs. She picks a few branches and gives them to me when she passes by in the morning.” Ruan Yinmeng introduced the origin of the flowers to Chi Sheng, clearly showing how much she liked them.

But Chi Sheng felt that what she liked even more might be the kindness of the neighbor; she had rarely received such kindness before.

Moving to a different city was the right choice. Here, no one knew Ruan Yinmeng, and no one knew her past.

Chi Sheng leaned over, smelled the flower, and praised, “Really beautiful.”