A Friend I've Loved for a Long Time - Chapter 8

To accommodate Yu Mingxia, Yun Zhi intentionally slowed her pace. A hike that usually took her thirty minutes was stretched into a full hour.

After ascending the 99 stone steps, the path opened up to a forest lining both sides of the trail, leading toward Yunsan Temple at the far end.

As it was near noon and the sun was blazing, visitors were walking along the edges of the path, seeking refuge in the shade of the trees to escape the scorching heat. Seeing this, Yun Zhi pulled Yu Mingxia toward the right side of the trail.

Under the trees, there were solid blocks of shade and dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, creating spots of light on the ground. As pedestrians stepped through the shadows, bits of sunlight danced on their hair.

This was true for the crowd, and it was true for Yu Mingxia.

“Click—”

Yu Mingxia was still feeling a sense of loss from the fading warmth on her wrist when she heard the camera shutter.

She looked up to see Yun Zhi’s face full of smiles. Her lips were curved upward, and her finger tapped the shutter button as she laughed. “I just took another beautiful photo of you.”

Yun Zhi didn’t notice anything unusual about Yu Mingxia. After speaking, she walked forward a few steps, searching for the right angle to capture an atmospheric shot of people moving through the woods. Once she was satisfied with the images, she turned back to look at Yu Mingxia.

She found that the other woman was still standing in the exact same spot, having not moved an inch.

“Click—”

Might as well, Yun Zhi thought, pressing the shutter again.

“I’ve realized you’re incredibly photogenic. No matter the angle, you look good,” Yun Zhi said, scrolling through the photos as she returned to Yu Mingxia’s side.

When she reached the photo from that morning, she held the camera out so Yu Mingxia could see the screen. “I forgot to tell you—I took this one earlier.”

Yu Mingxia looked down at the camera, paused, and then stated a fact: “You took a secret photo of me.”

“?” Yun Zhi looked up, blinking innocently. “How can you call it a secret photo? It was clearly you who barged into my world.”

Yun Zhi argued her case fervently. She didn’t “sneak” photos; she wasn’t that kind of person.

After hearing this, Yu Mingxia nodded and walked forward a few paces. It was hard to tell if she believed the excuse or not.

Yun Zhi caught up and grabbed her arm, looking into her eyes as she began her “persuasion” routine:

“Besides, we’re friends, right?”

Yu Mingxia, confused, nodded. “Right.”

“My profession is a photographer. Is there a crime in recording beauty?”

“No.”

“You’re so beautiful; are you afraid of being photographed?”

“No.”

“So, it wasn’t a secret photo. It was ‘discovering and recording beauty.’ You should actually be thanking me, shouldn’t you?”

“Mm-hmm, right.”

Yu Mingxia cooperated perfectly with the Q&A session. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she laughed during that last answer, Yun Zhi would have been even more touched.

“Pfft—”

For some reason, after the session ended, Yu Mingxia burst into laughter again.

Yun Zhi frowned. “What now?”

“Do you have a side job?” Yu Mingxia teased. “As a master con artist?”

Yun Zhi, who had been ready to seriously consider her first question: “…”

Seeing that Yu Mingxia couldn’t stop laughing, Yun Zhi gritted her teeth, raised her camera, and aggressively clicked the shutter several times, regardless of the composition.

“Just you wait. I’m going to send you ugly photos later.”

“I can’t possibly look ugly,” Yu Mingxia said leisurely.

A question mark popped up over Yun Zhi’s head again. Is she really this narcissistic?

Yu Mingxia smiled and asked, “We’re friends, right?”

Yun Zhi wanted to see what kind of twisted logic she was about to use and nodded. “Right.”

“Are you ugly?”

“No.”

“You took photos of me before because I’m good-looking, right?”

“Right.” Yun Zhi sensed she was falling into a trap.

“Is your aesthetic standard world-class?”

“Right… well, maybe not world-class.”

“As your friend, it’s impossible for someone like me to look ugly in a photo taken by you, since your aesthetics are ‘world-class,’ right?”

“…Ah, right.”

Yun Zhi felt like she was being “killed with kindness” (over-praised). Yet, the compliments seemed so genuine. Every word Yu Mingxia said—especially the exaggeration about her world-class aesthetics—was accompanied by a look of pure sincerity.

“Maybe we should start a class together,” Yun Zhi muttered after a pause. “On how to become master con artists.”

Yu Mingxia nodded with a light chuckle. “Sure, sounds good.”

Yun Zhi clutched her camera and walked ahead, whispering to herself, “I really didn’t expect this side of you, Yu Mingxia.”

Silver-tongued, quick-witted, and uses your own momentum against you.

Despite her grumbling, Yun Zhi’s face showed no sign of unhappiness or annoyance. Even as they walked, she maintained the same proximity as before, their dresses occasionally brushing against each other.

Yu Mingxia pursed her lips. In truth, she hadn’t expected that being friends with Yun Zhi would be this wonderful. She could only imagine how happy anyone who had been her friend over the years must be.

Leaving the woods, the two reached the stone steps in front of the main gate of Yunsan Temple.

“Let me take a photo for you,” Yu Mingxia said, stopping suddenly.

Yun Zhi looked up at the temple’s plaque. It looked weathered, carrying the weight of history. “Do you know how to use a camera?” she asked.

“I studied it a bit before. I should be able to.” Yu Mingxia reached out and took the camera Yun Zhi handed over.

As she adjusted the focus, Yu Mingxia’s fingers paused. She asked as if casually, “Don’t photographers usually hate it when other people touch their equipment?”

There were a few green leaves on the steps that had been blown over from the nearby woods. Yun Zhi crouched to pick one up and replied noncommittally, “People usually have that habit, but you aren’t ‘other people’.”

Yu Mingxia looked up, her gaze freezing.

Yun Zhi stood up, using the leaf to experiment with poses, covering her left eye. She added, “You’re my friend.”

Yun Zhi was always generous with friends. It was just a camera; she didn’t mind her using it, especially since Yu Mingxia wasn’t leaving her sight.

What was a casual sentence for Yun Zhi was like honey to Yu Mingxia, giving her a sense of reality. She and Yun Zhi truly were friends.

“Take the shot.”

In the lens, Yun Zhi looked fresh, vibrant, and beautiful. It would be a stunning photo.

Lost in thought, Yu Mingxia pressed the shutter.

“I’m not very good with a camera. Can I use my phone to take some for you?” Yu Mingxia asked softly. A camera required finding angles and managing light, which was much more troublesome than a phone and didn’t guarantee a good result.

Yun Zhi saw her hesitation and nodded with a smile. “Just use the native camera app. It’s easier for me to edit later.”

It wasn’t until Yu Mingxia had taken several photos that Yun Zhi realized she hadn’t given Yu Mingxia her own phone; Yu Mingxia was using her own.

“How about you crouch down for one more?” Yu Mingxia asked.

Yun Zhi nodded, thinking they could settle the photo transfer later.

After the shoot, Yun Zhi was about to bring up the photos when Yu Mingxia spoke first: “Should I send you the raw files or wait until I’ve edited them?”

“You know how to edit?” Yun Zhi hadn’t asked about her job yet, so she was curious.

“I forgot to mention, I’m a designer. I know how to use basic editing software. I might not be as good as you, but I’ll do my best.”

Yu Mingxia spoke so sincerely that Yun Zhi smiled. “Then I’ll have to trouble you to edit them for me.”

“It’s no trouble. You’re already very beautiful; I’ll just adjust the colors a bit.”

Yun Zhi found the phrase familiar. She remembered that’s exactly what she had said to Yu Mingxia when they met in the suburbs. She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“I guessed right, though.”

“What?”

“You really are the type to hold a ‘brush’.”

“How did you guess?”

“I have a friend…” Yun Zhi stopped abruptly. The thought of Nan Qiao caused her mood to cool instantly. But seeing Yu Mingxia’s attentive gaze, she forced herself to continue. “…who is a painter. While we were hiking, I suddenly felt like you two were the same type of person.”

Yu Mingxia saw the shift in her expression. The only person who could cause such a drastic emotional change was Nan Qiao.

So, Yun Zhi really isn’t happy.

She had always assumed the two were already together—childhood companions, mutual affection, naturally ending up as a couple in adulthood. It wasn’t until she heard others saying they were never together and that it was a one-sided crush on Yun Zhi’s part.

How ridiculous. And if that were the case, what right did Nan Qiao have to warn her back in high school?

“I majored in Finance and minored in Design.” I’m not the same type as your friend.

Yu Mingxia swallowed the rest of the words. She knew clearly that, currently, she couldn’t compete with Nan Qiao in Yun Zhi’s heart.

Yun Zhi was stunned, immediately forgetting about Nan Qiao. “That’s impressive!”

“Mm. Initially, my university didn’t allow those two majors to be taken together, but I’m quite capable.”

Seeing the topic change, Yu Mingxia’s mood brightened as well. Yun Zhi felt like she had inadvertently befriended a very formidable person. Double majors aren’t unheard of, but when applied to Yu Mingxia, Yun Zhi felt she must be even more talented than she let on.

However…

“I won a gold award for photography right after graduating high school, and I’ve won international awards. I’m quite capable too.”

Yu Mingxia smiled and nodded in agreement, praising her.

“So you didn’t lose out by making me your friend. This is what you’d call…” Yun Zhi bit her lip, searching for an idiom that roughly expressed her meaning. “Mendang Hudui (A Perfect Match)…?”

“Pfft—” Yu Mingxia really couldn’t hold it back this time.

In that instant, Yun Zhi felt the weather get even hotter. Her face burned. What kind of idiom did I just use? She couldn’t take it back, so she mumbled an explanation: “You get what I mean, don’t you? Why are you laughing?”

“How can you be this cute?” Yu Mingxia couldn’t resist. Forgetting her previous shyness, she reached out and ruffled Yun Zhi’s hair. The smooth strands became slightly messy under her palm.

Yun Zhi stood there dazed, raising a hand to touch her head. By the time she smoothed her hair and looked back, Yu Mingxia had already run into Yunsan Temple.

Belatedly, she realized she might have been deceived by Yu Mingxia’s “gentle” exterior.

When Yun Zhi caught up, Yu Mingxia was standing under the century-old tree in the center of the temple, looking up at the red ribbons covered in wishes.

The area was packed. People with palms pressed together in prayer, people hanging ribbons—it was a cacophony of sound mixed with the distant, rhythmic thumping of a wooden fish and the natural chirps of birds and insects.

The people under the tree looked incredibly devout, all making the wishes they hoped would come true.

Does Yu Mingxia… have a wish she wants to realize?

Yun Zhi lowered her head to adjust her camera and captured the moment. After the shot, she realized that no matter the angle, Yu Mingxia was always the most prominent, eye-catching presence in the frame.

“What are you smiling at?” At some point, Yu Mingxia had walked back to her side.

Yun Zhi put away her camera and smiled. “Nothing.”

“Are you making a wish?” Yu Mingxia opened her palm to show two red ribbons. They were made of silk with gold thread along the edges, looking quite exquisite.

Yun Zhi thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, I don’t really have any wishes I want to make.”

“Think again?”

Yun Zhi still shook her head, unwilling to say more. “You make yours.”

Yu Mingxia looked down. “I don’t believe in this stuff.”

As she spoke, she wound a red ribbon around her fingers. She looked up and said, “I’ll give it to you. It looks nice.”

Yun Zhi let out a soft “Ah,” and before she knew it, Yu Mingxia had brought the ribbon to her wrist.

As Yu Mingxia looked down to tie the ribbon, her expression was tender, her lashes long and curled, her skin as fair and smooth as the boiled egg Yun Zhi had eaten that morning.

Yun Zhi’s wrist was very slender; the ribbon had to be wrapped twice to tie a proper bow.

“It looks good.”

When Yu Mingxia let go of her wrist, Yun Zhi raised her hand against the sunlight to look at it. The gold thread shimmered in the light.

“You tie yours on, too,” Yun Zhi urged. She couldn’t allow her friend to go without such a pretty ribbon.

Yu Mingxia hesitated, raising her hand as if in difficulty.

“Ah, it’s hard to tie it yourself, isn’t it? Let me help.” Yun Zhi understood, handed her the camera, took the ribbon, and tied a beautiful bow on Yu Mingxia’s wrist.

Yun Zhi didn’t think much of it; she often exchanged similar trinkets with friends during trips. She was always sincere toward friends she felt a connection with.

Only Yu Mingxia clutched her wrist, her heart filled with secret joy.

“Wait a minute,” Yun Zhi said, playing with her ribbon as a thought occurred to her. “If you don’t believe in this stuff, why did you come to Yunsan Temple?”

As far as she knew, almost everyone who came here came to make a wish. Since Yu Mingxia didn’t believe in it, why was she here?