The negotiation was very smooth this time.

...

Since it was on Huang Xiaoyang’s turf and he was helping with his work, naturally, he wouldn’t let Li Younan pay.

In the evening, Huang Xiaoyang arranged for a nice hotel for Li Younan to stay.

At this time, Dan Dan was already resting, and Huang Xiaoyang took Li Younan to the hotel.

In the car, he asked about the photography contest, his tone probing: "When did you win that photography contest, and what kind of prize was it?"

Li Younan casually said, "What kind of prize could it be? Just some insignificant award. The studio your uncle recommended had never seen much, and was fooled by this little award."

Huang Xiaoyang looked at Li Younan a bit speechlessly; of course, he didn’t believe it, but he was too lazy to press further.

As the car was about to reach the hotel, Huang Xiaoyang added, "Actually, I don’t have much planned for this bridal photography trip. I only intended to bring one outfit and rent some interesting clothes on site."

"Mm."

"You seem quite confident, which is good."

"Don’t try to put your responsibilities on me, I’m just on photo-taking duty, I’m not in charge of anything else!"

Huang Xiaoyang nodded and, with significant meaning, asked another question: "When do you plan to look for the next one?"

Hearing this, Li Younan was silent for a moment before he smiled.

"To be honest, since leaving Shanghai, I have met quite a few pretty girls. At certain moments, I even felt the urge to get to know them better or get a bit flirty, but I didn’t take it further."

Huang Xiaoyang raised an eyebrow: "Why is that?"

Li Younan lowered his head, speaking earnestly: "I’ve always been pretty clear about what I want. I like cute, pretty, or charming girls, even wild ones are fine... but to take it further, I need assurance that we won’t have to compromise for each other... and that’s difficult."

Li Younan looked up: "Deep down, I might have a bit of a player tendency."

Huang Xiaoyang chuckled: "What kind of player is as hesitant as you? Real players deceive first, and then only after tearing clothes and skirts... Deep down, you’re still a responsible good man."

"Heh..."

"Don’t look at me like that, if necessary, you could just be responsible for many women at the same time, couldn’t you?"

"I recorded that, I’ll play it for Dan Dan tomorrow."

"She doesn’t mind."

"Impressive..."

"Always has been."

...

She dreamt of running through a field.

Her feet trampled on dirt and grass stalks, the texture rough yet steady.

The wind wrapped around her, constantly pushing her forward.

She heard the rhythm of her breathing and her heartbeat, clear as if heard firsthand.

She ran, her feet leaving the ground each time before falling again.

When she woke up, the girl’s knees had bumped against the edge of the bed.

In the darkness, she curled up in the middle of the blanket, the echo of the wind and heartbeat lingering in her ears.

Then, she heard the sound of cars driving over the road outside the window.

The wind from the dream completely faded, leaving only her breathing, unusually heavy in the silent room.

The girl sat up, groped to turn on the bedside lamp.

The light was blinding.

She lifted the blanket, got out of bed, and walked to the window, pulling open a gap in the curtains.

Outside was the city’s nighttime lights, neatly and densely arranged, like a silent honeycomb.

She reached out to check if the window lock was secure, and after also checking the door lock, she returned to sit in the corner formed by the bed and the wall.

However, she left the gap in the curtain open.