**19**

The college entrance exam was over, and although the results hadn’t come out yet, the wild summer was already unstoppable.

Chi Sheng and her classmates agreed to go to the countryside for sketching.

By the small river and fields, under the blazing sun, a group of high school seniors who had just graduated ran and played on the riverbank grass like wild monkeys breaking free.

Chi Sheng carried her backpack, held the easel in one hand, and hugged the drawing board in front of her. She observed the scenery on both sides of the river, found a good angle, then stopped and set up the easel.

“Chi Sheng!” Su Miaomiao ran over and jumped onto her back.

Chi Sheng was laying out the drawing paper. She steadied herself before turning to look at her.

“What have you been up to lately? I haven’t seen you at all,” Su Miaomiao said, her tone half complaining. Their homes were in neighboring buildings, and they used to go to and from school together often. But after Chi Sheng was pushed home by the teacher near the college entrance exam period, they rarely saw each other.

Chi Sheng finished spreading the paper and said calmly, “I have things to do.”

Su Miaomiao got down from her back and set up her own easel right by Chi Sheng’s side.

“What are you busy with?” she asked again.

Chi Sheng was looking at the surrounding scenery—the river was calm, the aquatic plants lush, and the sun reflected on the water. A gentle breeze caused ripples to spread out. She felt happy and was mentally planning the composition.

Su Miaomiao chattered noisily beside her, making it impossible to concentrate. Growing impatient, she casually pointed to a few classmates still rolling on the grass in the distance: “If you can’t be quiet, go paint somewhere else.”

Su Miaomiao was momentarily stunned, frowning.

“What’s wrong with talking? Why so fierce?” she muttered discontentedly, but didn’t walk away, bending down to adjust the easel’s support legs.

As she complained like this, Chi Sheng recalled that she used to be noisy like this before, but she rarely showed impatience like she did now.

She had been spending a lot of time with Ruan Yinmeng lately, and her temperament had become much calmer.

She smiled while holding the paintbrush and glanced at Su Miaomiao.

Just as Su Miaomiao steadied her footing, she straightened up. The girl was as tender as a magnolia bud about to bloom, her skin rosy, her voice crisp, exuding the essence of youth in every way.

But Ruan Yinmeng was different. In Chisheng’s mind, the image of Ruan Yinmeng appeared— the charm of a mature woman was worlds apart from that of an adolescent girl, like a peach that, when bitten, bursts with juice.

Chisheng’s brush brushed twice on the paper, yet what emerged was a noble and elegant narcissus.

Ruan Yinmeng still looked like a daffodil.

This sheet of drawing paper was discarded. Chisheng tore it off, casually crumpled it into a ball, then thought better of it, carefully smoothed it out, and tucked it in with the other drawings made in the past few days.

Those classmates had played enough and, after looking around, found that Chisheng’s spot had the best view, so they all gathered around.

Chisheng smelled a fresh scent of grass mixed with earth. Looking around, he saw a boy whose clothes had somehow been stained with a large patch of light green grass juice.

The boy named Zhang Lie had laid out the drawing paper and was looking around for a scene to capture. He turned to Chisheng beside him and said, “On the day we discuss filling out our college applications, we’re going to the amusement park. Are you coming?”

As soon as he said that, others nearby chimed in, “Come with us, you’ve been out of the group for too long.”

Su Miaomiao still remembered what had just happened and muttered in complaint, “She’s not going, she thinks I’m too noisy.”

Chisheng ignored her, thinking that it had indeed been too long since he’d hung out with friends. He readily agreed, “Alright, on the day we fill out the applications, I’ll go to school with you guys, and after we finish, we’ll head straight to the amusement park.”

As soon as she agreed, everyone was very happy.

A group of young boys were drawing by the pond until sunset. The river reflected a vast expanse of fiery evening glow, with a blazing red sun shimmering on the water’s surface—a beauty burning to the utmost in the twilight.

They stayed in the countryside for two days and took the rural-urban bus back.

While waiting for the bus, Chi Sheng saw a small mimosa plant by the roadside.

It should have been a single sprout newly grown from grass seeds, with tender stems and leaves, and a very beautiful and cute light green color.

Chi Sheng’s eyes lit up, he poured out the mineral water in his hand, cut the bottle in half, dug up some soil to fill it, then carefully dug out the mimosa plant with its roots and transplanted it into the bottle.

The bus pulled into the station, kicking up dust into the air.

“Chi Sheng, hurry up, the car is here,” someone shouted.

Chi Sheng stood up, but her eyes were still fixed on the small mimosa plant in her hand, her eyes full of joy. She jogged over and got on the bus at the very end of the line.

This scene was filmed at a tourist spot near Pingcheng.

The site is not fully developed yet, preserving some wild, overgrown plants, which just happened to catch Meilan’s eye.

The crew rented two large buses, along with several trucks for carrying filming equipment.

With great fanfare, they only filmed at this location for two days before heading back.

Ning Zhi, wanting to have more discussions with Meilan on the road, didn’t take her own nanny’s car but squeezed onto the bus with her.

On the way back, everyone was a bit tired. Meilan and the assistant director were discussing something at the back, so Ning Zhi found a seat by herself. When the bus started moving, the girl playing Su Miaomiao tried to sit next to Ning Zhi, but Yangyang stopped her just in time.

Yangyang went to the logistics department to get a box of motion sickness medicine and had Ning Zhi take it with water.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” Yangyang said, glancing at her face. When she looked down, she saw the mimosa plant cradled in her arms. “I’ll hold it for you.”

The mimosa was kept in a simple half-empty mineral water bottle. Mei Lan insisted on authenticity; the soil inside was dug up by Ning Zhi herself, and there were a few smudges of wet dirt on the bottle’s surface. It looked dirty, yet it had a vitality that plants grown in a garden didn’t possess.

Yangyang’s hand had already reached out, but Ning Zhi raised her hand to block it.

I want to bring it to her with my own hands. This sentence echoed in her heart, with a smile of pride in her voice.

It was clearly the tone unique to Chi Shengcai.

Ning Zhi was momentarily dazed, and the surrounding scene seemed to change instantly, turning into a rural-urban bus from seventeen years ago.

The classmates around were chattering nonstop.

Su Miaomiao kept calling her, asking what she had been doing all this time and why she was never seen around.

She was so annoyed, carefully holding the sensitive plant, and turned back with a smile: “Why do you care so much?”

“Azhi.” Yangyang called her worriedly; her face looked really bad.

Ning Zhi snapped out of the scene she had imagined and said, “I’ll take it myself.”

It was just past noon when they returned to the Pingcheng set, but everyone was tired, so Meilan simply gave them half a day off and decided to continue tomorrow.

Ning Zhi went back to the hotel and called Jiang Peng, asking him to arrange an art teacher for her.

“An art teacher? Did the director request that?” Jiang Peng asked in confusion.

It wasn’t the director’s request; Ning Zhi wanted to immerse herself more deeply into the role of Chi Sheng.

Jiang Peng didn’t ask further and quickly arranged it for her. That night, Ning Zhi attended an oil painting class.

The next day, she saw Shen Yizhi on the set.

She didn’t have any scenes in the outdoor shoot, so she didn’t go along.

Ning Zhi hadn’t seen her for two days.

In just two short days, Ning Zhi felt as if a very long time had passed.

She looked at Shen Yizhi, and Shen Yizhi noticed her gaze and looked over as well.

Their eyes met, but both remained silent.

At this moment, each group took their positions.

Ning Zhi’s heart suddenly felt like it was floating up on a fairy tale hot air balloon. It was about to begin filming, and all the longing and attachment she dared not say or couldn’t say could be expressed to her through Chi Sheng.

Chi Sheng returned from sketching, passed by the house without entering, and went straight up to the third floor to knock on Ruan Yinmeng’s door.

She was used to coming here, familiar with the route. After knocking on the door, she waited outside, her brows and eyes full of light and joyful anticipation.

The door opened quickly.

Chi Sheng walked straight in, and as he walked, he turned back and smiled at Ruan Yinmeng, saying, “Look, what did I bring back for you!”

A small, fragile mimosa was brought before Ruan Yinmeng. She raised her hand and touched the leaves, which shyly folded together.

Hmm.” Ruan Yinmeng smiled, “So cute.

Seeing that she liked it, Chi Sheng’s eyes brightened even more. He took out the enamel cup with the street lamp painting and transplanted the mimosa into it.

She left her easel, schoolbag, and water bottle all at the door.

Ruan Yin dreamed of not getting dirty and tidied up for her. Seeing that the bottom of the schoolbag was heavily stained with mud, she wanted to take a wet cloth to clean it. But when she turned her head, Chi Sheng was also dirty; his white short-sleeve shirt was covered in dust, and his hands were full of mud.

She placed one hand on her waist, enduring it. After finally waiting for Chi Sheng to finish playing with the mud, she urged, “Go take a shower quickly.”

Chi Sheng happily placed the enamel cup on the windowsill. After looking at it for a while, he turned back to face Ruan Yin.

“Did you miss me?” she asked, her clear eyes openly revealing a smile and anticipation, carrying the naive certainty of youth, naturally expecting to hear an affirmative answer.

So naturally, it was as if she were asking a close lover for sweet words.

Ruan Yinmeng’s expression froze for a moment; her gaze toward Chi Sheng deepened, as if she were contemplating something.

Chi Sheng received no response from her, and her usually delicate thoughts caused her smile to falter.

“What’s wrong?” she asked uncertainly.

Time seemed to stand still, probably only a few seconds, but in Chi Sheng’s heart, it felt like traversing countless rivers and mountains.

“Who would want a dirty, grimy kid?” Ruan Yinmeng said lazily, her eyes slightly lifted at the corners, gesturing towards the bathroom, signaling her to hurry.

Chi Sheng carefully observed her expression again, seeing that she was indeed just disgusted by her dirtiness, and immediately relaxed. She took a set of clean clothes from her bag and went to the bathroom.

The camera lingers on the tightly closed bathroom door, the frosted glass reflecting the orange light inside. The sound of water flows, and the glass is fogged up by the steam inside, becoming increasingly blurred.

Until the sound of water stops.

The camera cuts to Ruan Yinmeng leaning against the windowsill, looking at the mimosa plant that seems to have just sprouted. Her expression is hard to read. Hearing a noise behind her, she turns around.

Chi Sheng comes out, drying his hair.

“I’ve painted several pictures this time, do you want to see them?” she said as she leaned closer.

Her gaze remained fixed on Ruan Yinmeng’s face. She was very sensitive, and even though she didn’t understand why Ruan Yinmeng had been silent just now, she instinctively restrained herself.

Ruan Yinmeng nodded: “Sure.”

Chi Sheng let out a slight sigh of relief. She hung the towel on the back of the chair, took out a stack of sketches from her backpack, and showed them to Ruan Yinmeng.

Ruan Yinmeng flipped through them with great interest, page by page, until she reached the crumpled daffodil.

“Why is this one wrinkled?” She glanced up at Chi Sheng.

Seeing it was this one, Chi Sheng suddenly felt a bit guilty. A strong thought surfaced in her mind—she wanted to tell her that the narcissus was painted as her, but faintly, she had a premonition that she couldn’t say it.

Young people are shallow-minded and can’t keep things hidden, especially in front of someone they have feelings for.

After much inner struggle, she still couldn’t help but say, “This is you. In my heart, you are like a narcissus.”

After speaking, she looked at Ruan Yinmeng cautiously.

Ruan Yinmeng lowered her head, her fingertips slowly tracing the wrinkles on the drawing paper. She smiled faintly and said softly, “A person like me is more like a rotten flower in the soil, hardly worthy of such pure and elegant flowers.”