Chapter 28: There is Someone Else Coming Later

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Fu Xiaotao smiled and waved at Fu Siqiao. “Don’t give Jiang Chaozhou such a hard time. He’s just a handsome blockhead who doesn’t say much.”

Fu Siqiao mischievously blinked. She had no intention of letting Jiang Chaozhou off so easily. Bouncing over to him, she began circling him like a curious child, talking as she went.

“Handsome Jiang, you can’t just refuse to speak. It’s one thing to stay silent in class, but are you always this stingy with words in private too?”

Jiang Chaozhou was so flustered that his face turned bright red, like a ripe tomato.

His eyes darted from side to side, never daring to meet Fu Siqiao’s gaze, while his hands seemed to have no idea where to go. One moment he scratched his head, the next he tugged at the hem of his clothes. He opened his mouth several times, but all that came out were hesitant sounds—“Um… ah…”—and he could not manage to get out a single complete sentence.

Seeing how embarrassed Jiang Chaozhou was, Xu Zhixing gently tugged at Fu Siqiao’s arm and said with a smile, “Fu Siqiao, stop teasing him. Look how flustered you’ve made him.”

Only then did Fu Siqiao stop, though a mischievous grin still lingered on her face.

Looking at them, Fu Xiaotao could not help but feel deeply moved. She raised her head slightly, a glimmer of reminiscence in her eyes, and said, “Our Qiaoqiao has changed so much since coming to Nantong. When she first arrived, she was as timid as a little mouse. You could tell at a glance that she was afraid of strangers.”

As she spoke, Fu Xiaotao imitated Fu Siqiao as she had been back then, hunching her shoulders, casting timid glances around, and inching forward with cautious little steps.

“She even walked softly, and when she spoke to people, her voice was no louder than a mosquito’s hum. But look at her now—she’s practically a little firecracker. She’s afraid of no one, her tongue has grown sharp, and she even knows how to tease people.”

Fu Siqiao felt a little embarrassed by her words. She lowered her head slightly, tracing aimless lines on the ground with her toes as a flush spread across her face. “It’s not as exaggerated as you make it sound. I just gradually got used to things.”

Fu Xiaotao walked over and affectionately pinched Fu Siqiao’s nose. “Still denying it? Look at you now. You can perform onstage without the slightest embarrassment, and you even dare joke around with a handsome guy like Jiang Chaozhou. If this had been before, you would have run as far away as possible.”

Fu Siqiao lifted her head, a hint of defiance flickering in her eyes. “People grow, you know. I can’t stay that timid, fearful Fu Siqiao forever.”

Zhang Chenxi chimed in with a laugh, “That’s right. The Fu Siqiao of today is completely different. Who knows? Perhaps one day she’ll become a prominent figure in Nantong.”

Fu Siqiao rolled her eyes at him. “Stop flattering me. I don’t have ambitions like that. As long as I can spend each day happily in Nantong, I’ll be satisfied.”

Xu Zhixing smiled and nodded. “That sounds good too. But Qiaoqiao, your transformation really is a pleasant surprise.”

Fu Siqiao looked at everyone, a sincere smile spreading across her face. “It’s all because of you. You made me feel warmth here in Nantong, and that’s why I’ve been able to open up more and more.”

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Fu Xiaotao excitedly raised the camera in her hands, her eyes shining as she suggested, “Let’s take a picture together! I happened to bring my camera today.”

Her voice was filled with anticipation. She clutched the camera tightly in both hands, her eyes sparkling with a brilliant smile.

Zhang Chenxi’s eyes shifted, and a mysterious smile appeared on his face. “Wait a moment. I’ll bring someone over.”

With that, he hurried away.

Before long, Lin Siqing appeared, being dragged over by Zhang Chenxi with obvious reluctance.

Lin Siqing’s brows were tightly knitted together like two caterpillars fighting. Impatience showed in his eyes, and his lips were slightly pursed. His sour expression made him look as though someone owed him millions, rendering him thoroughly unapproachable.

Like a professional director, Fu Xiaotao began organizing everyone and choosing the perfect setting.

She looked around, carefully surveying the surroundings, and eventually selected a patch of grass decorated by several blooming flowers.

“This is the perfect spot! Everyone, take your places.”

As she directed the others, Fu Xiaotao moved behind the camera and began adjusting the angle.

“Everyone, get ready. When I say so, we’ll all shout ‘cheese’ and take the picture together.”

At that, Lin Siqing immediately bristled like an angry hedgehog. “I’m not doing it!”

His voice carried a trace of anger, and his body trembled faintly. His hands clenched into fists as though he were struggling with all his might to restrain his emotions.

Zhang Chenxi sighed helplessly, walked over to Lin Siqing, and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s not up to you. Go ahead and take the picture, Fu Xiaotao. I’ll keep an eye on this guy.”

As he spoke, he firmly pressed down on Lin Siqing’s shoulder to stop him from escaping.

Fu Siqiao looked at Lin Siqing with a hint of concern in her eyes and said softly, “Lin Siqing, it’s only one picture. It would be nice for everyone to have a keepsake.”

Lin Siqing glared fiercely at her, his eyes seeming sharp enough to shoot knives. Fu Siqiao shrank her neck in fright.

Nearby, Xu Zhixing stood gracefully with a faint smile on her face, as though she were watching an amusing farce.

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Her hands were lightly folded in front of her, and her posture was straight and elegant. A gentle breeze swept past, lifting her hair and adding to her captivating charm.

Fu Xiaotao urged them again, “Come on, everyone, get ready. Don’t let one person ruin the mood.”

Her fingers tapped lightly at the camera as she checked the settings, eagerness filling her eyes.

Zhang Chenxi leaned close to Lin Siqing’s ear and whispered, “Just cooperate for once. Don’t be so antisocial, or everyone will think you’re impossible to get along with.”

Lin Siqing snorted. He still looked unwilling, but he stopped struggling. His sour expression remained unchanged, as though someone had forced him to do something unbearably painful.

Fu Xiaotao waved her arms excitedly, like a circus clown directing the entire show, and shouted, “Everyone, don’t move! Hold those gorgeous faces exactly as they are, as if you’ve been sealed in place!”

Meanwhile, she herself knelt on one knee like a professional photographer, pressing her eye tightly to the viewfinder. She continued muttering, “Come on, handsome, lift the corners of your mouth a little higher. Don’t look as though someone owes you a couple of pounds of meat. Yes, I’m talking to you, Lin Siqing!”

Lin Siqing looked utterly resigned to his fate. Standing there like a wooden post, he reluctantly tugged the corners of his mouth upward after Fu Xiaotao’s shout. The resulting smile looked worse than tears, as though someone had glued it onto his face with industrial-strength adhesive. He muttered under his breath, “What kind of nonsense picture is this? This is torture.”

Fu Siqiao did her best to produce a sweet smile, her eyes narrowing into curved crescents. Every now and then, she stole a glance at Xu Zhixing beside her, thinking, I can’t let the campus beauty outshine me.

She held her hands elegantly in front of her and tilted her head slightly, looking like a delicate porcelain doll.

As for Xu Zhixing, her grace was utterly extraordinary. She simply stood there in silence, a faint smile on her face, as though none of the commotion around her had anything to do with her.

The breeze drifted past, gently stirring her hair as if dancing in accompaniment to her beauty. She looked like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting, making everyone around her feel unworthy by comparison.

Standing at the very back, Zhang Chenxi stretched his neck as far as he could, trying to squeeze his entire face into the frame. At the same time, he shouted, “Everyone, move a little closer to the middle! Don’t leave this handsome guy out. I’m the group’s designated heartthrob!”

His shout threw the others, who had been standing perfectly well, into disarray once more. Like a flock of startled quail, they shuffled in different directions, and the scene descended into chaos. Fu Xiaotao stamped her feet anxiously and cried, “Oh, come on! Are you playing hawk and chicks? Hold still!”