Hearing the voice from behind her, Ju Jingyi continued walking without looking back, completely disregarding whether the direction was right or not; she figured just keep walking forward and it would be fine.
"I'm talking to you, don't pretend you can't hear me." Yi Xing quickly walked to her side and said, lowering his head.
"I heard you, but I'm not waiting!"
"You don't have to wait, but the hotel is at the fork behind us, turn left. Where are you planning to go now?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the girl in front of him gradually stopped, then silently turned around, pretending nothing had happened and maintaining her previous demeanor.
This made it a little hard for him to keep a straight face, and he accidentally chuckled. What awaited him was a death glare from the person in front, and he immediately covered his mouth, following silently behind her.
Ju Jingyi turned her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. In reality, she wasn't actually throwing a tantrum; she was just feigning anger to tease Yi Xing. Seeing his expression, so afraid to speak out, was simply too amusing!
The two continued walking towards the hotel. The closer they got to the hotel, the more pedestrians appeared on the street. Under the glow of the streetlights, their shadows gradually overlapped.
They both enjoyed this quiet time, walking in silence for a while longer. Only then did Yi Xing slowly quicken his pace, once again walking shoulder to shoulder with the person in front, as if suddenly remembering something, he began to speak.
Indeed, his phone had almost no photos of Ju Jingyi. If there were any, they were just group photos taken together after the show's recording ended; there wasn't a single photo of just the two of them.
"We've known each other for so long, and it seems we haven't even taken a single photo together, have we?"
"It seems so!" Ju Jingyi thought for a moment in contemplation, then her eyes lit up, and she excitedly responded, "How about we take a few right now?"
As she spoke, she took out her phone from her pocket, just about to open the camera to take a picture, when she was stopped.
"Wait, wait, that's too sudden. Let me get ready first."
Yi Xing said as he took out his phone, using the screen as a mirror to check his hairstyle, lightly adjusting the bangs on his forehead, and straightening his collar, trying to look more energetic. This was the first photo with her, so of course, he had to take it seriously.
Standing beside him, Ju Jingyi saw his actions and couldn't help but also pay attention to her own appearance, subconsciously smoothing her hair by her ear and so on, finishing almost at the same time as him.
"I'm ready."
She held her phone high, constantly adjusting the angle, trying to find a perfect perspective that could showcase both of their individual charms. Seeing this, Yi Xing slowly bent his knees, trying to get on the same level as her so she wouldn't have to exert so much effort, then kindly asked,
"How about I take it? It'd be easier for me."
"No!" Unexpectedly, she refused him sternly.
"Why?"
"I don't trust your photography skills."
For someone who knows how to take pictures, the camera must always be in their own hands and absolutely, positively must not be handed over, otherwise, who knows what they might be photographed as.
Yi Xing clutched his heart, feigning a wounded expression: "You don't trust me at all, do you? I consider my photography skills to be quite good."
"Mhm, I believe you." Ju Jingyi replied perfunctorily. She certainly didn't want to look like a dwarf when she saw the photos later. Her height was already a sensitive point, and if he made her look even shorter, who would she complain to?
Seeing that he couldn't get the camera from her, he no longer tried to, and put his head on the same level as hers, flashing a brilliant smile.
"Alright then, I'll leave it all to you, the great photographer. Remember to try and make me look handsome, okay?"
"No problem, you can trust my skills..." Ju Jingyi said as she turned her head, and in that very turn, their noses touched.
Instantly, the air seemed to solidify, and time froze at that moment. The chatter of the surrounding crowd gradually faded, leaving only the sound of their breathing. Her face flushed crimson in a flash, and she quickly stepped back a few paces, lowering her head, lost in thought, her eyes filled with shyness.
And Yi Xing was also stunned, his heart beating uncontrollably faster, as if it was about to jump out of his throat, and an unnatural blush appeared on his face. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
After a long while, he finally found his voice, attempting to break the awkward atmosphere, and stammered, "Uh... this... this is quite a coincidence, huh? That, I... I didn't do it on purpose."
Ju Jingyi softly hummed, her voice as faint as a mosquito, still not looking up.
"We haven't taken the picture yet. Shall we continue?"
"Okay." Only then did she lift her head and raise her phone again, searching for a suitable angle.
Due to the little incident just now, there was a gap between the two of them, as if a person was missing, and they were not as close as before. Moreover, Yi Xing no longer bent his knees but stood up straight, and his smile was not as natural.
With a 'click', the photo was taken. Ju Jingyi lowered her head to check the result. From the image, she could sense the awkward atmosphere, especially the empty space in the middle, like a barrier separating them. She felt a little disappointed.
So she took a deep breath, turned her head, and said to Yi Xing, who dared not approach her, "I'm not very satisfied with the picture we just took. How about we take another one? This time, you need to be closer to me. Don't stand so far away."
"Okay!" he said, actively moving closer, returning to their previous intimacy.
This time, the photo turned out much better. Although it wasn't as good as the very first one, it was sufficient, at least there was no awkwardness to be felt from it anymore.
"How does this one look to you?" She opened the picture and handed him her phone.
"Excellent! You truly are the great photographer, Ju! So talented!"
"Of course, I've practiced a lot." Ju Jingyi said proudly. When she didn't have any announcements, she spent every day with a large group of girls, and her photography skills naturally developed.
"Amazing, amazing."
After this conversation, the unexpected incident that had occurred earlier was completely forgotten by both of them. They began a frantic photo session, constantly changing poses and scenes, one picture after another.
They finally stopped only when they couldn't think of any new poses, returning to the hotel for a good rest, ready to welcome a new day.
