[Picking Boat and Accompanying the Moon] We Will Meet Again Later - Chapter 29

The fragrance of flowers drifted lightly, tangling in the air as if to numb one’s nerves. His words, neither too harsh nor too gentle, once again wore away at her peace of mind.

Ning Xu snapped out of her daze and, noticing the serious tone in his voice, quickly said, “I was just saying that offhandedly. Don’t take it seriously.”

Jiang Feng gave a noncommittal hum and didn’t offer any further explanation.

Ning Xu was distracted, and Jiang Feng’s attention was entirely focused on her. Naturally, neither of them noticed the gap that had been opened in the doorway curtain, nor that their every expression and word had fallen into the ears and eyes of another.

They were equally unaware that this person had turned and left, dejected.

After the shoot wrapped up, the team gathered for a small meal. Ning Xu had expected Xu Qiaohan to seize the opportunity to make things difficult, but she didn’t. Her demeanour was as calm as still water, as if the drunken woman on the balcony that night had been someone else entirely.

Then again, adults tend to learn to be more rational, more restrained. There aren’t that many impulses to be recklessly passionate, to live and die for love.

During the meal, neither Ning Xu nor Xu Qiaohan spoke much. Most of the conversation came from others—those with families talked about their partners and children, while those not yet married chatted about travel, daily trivialities, or their favorite celebrities.

Ning Xu wasn’t paying much attention, only perking up when the conversation touched upon Jiang Feng.

Now, she could only piece together what Jiang Feng had been like during those years from the fragments of others’ words.

Those years she and he had missed.

“This one is spicy,” Jiang Feng remarked after tasting a dish of five-spice pork with green peppers. “You can’t sneak any.”

Ning Xu had just recovered from a serious illness and was supposed to avoid spicy food, eggs, and fish, but she often took quiet bites when she thought he wasn’t looking.

“Of course, I wouldn’t sneak any,” she said, even as she picked up a piece of the five-spice pork covered in chili seeds. Before it could reach her mouth, however, Jiang Feng grasped her hand.

He had probably smelled the spiciness.

Ning Xu had no choice but to give up.

The meal concluded, and they prepared to return home the next day.

This time, Jiang Feng finished packing first and waited outside.

The day was cold, but thankfully the clouds had dispersed, revealing a pale sun. The sky was a light blue, and visibility was much clearer.

Thinking that Ning Xu might be wearing her white down jacket, Jiang Feng had also put on a long white down jacket. He stood by the roadside like a snowman, even though it never snowed in that area.

Xu Qiaohan had come out early and watched him from nearby for a long time before finally speaking. “Jiang Feng.”

Recognizing her voice, he replied evenly, “What is it?”

Her long boots trod on the thin sunlight coating the ground as she walked toward him.

He stood in the sunlight, the light haloing his features and softening his contour in warm tones.

A bitter feeling spread through Xu Qiaohan. Unwilling to look up at him any longer, she said, “You wouldn’t accept the local specialty I offered, but surely you can accept this photo?”

Considering her profession, accepting a photo as a token of regard seemed reasonable. Jiang Feng took it. “Alright, thank you.”

Emotion welled up in Xu Qiaohan, her facial muscles trembling slightly. Her eyes ultimately reddened. “I just remembered there’s something I forgot to grab. I… I’ll go get it first.”

Listening to the sound of her hurried footsteps fading away, Jiang Feng was thoughtful for a moment, then understood.

Soon, the others began to trickle out.

Ning Xu had mostly recovered. She had put on makeup that morning and was in good spirits.

Amidst the sound of many footsteps, Jiang Feng listened carefully, then turned his head in a specific direction.

“Hey, you recognized me just like that?” Ning Xu said. “I was planning to stand nearby and not say a word, to see what you’d do.”

Jiang Feng chuckled softly. “Should I pretend I didn’t recognize you, then?”

“Don’t you dare. Your acting skills wouldn’t fool me,” Ning Xu retorted, eyeing him. “We’re both in white. How good of a tactic agreement for both of us.” Then she noticed the item in his hand. “That photo…?”

Jiang Feng didn’t hide it. “From Xu Qiaohan.”

“Oh.” Ning Xu restrained her itching curiosity, pretending to be indifferent.

Jiang Feng, however, had a clear conscience and proactively handed it to her to see.

Ning Xu took it and glanced. It was a picture of Jiang Feng from his university days. His features had already matured by then, yet he still retained a clean, youthful air. He was shown wearing headphones, taking a light nap under a tree, with light and shadow falling upon him.

It was the first photo Xu Qiaohan had ever taken of him.

The back of the photo felt uneven. Ning Xu turned it over and found a small strip of paper with Braille glued onto it.

“What does it mean?” Ning Xu asked.

Jiang Feng replied, “The Braille says ‘First Sight’.”

Actually, there was another handwritten note tucked just beneath the Braille paper.

It bore two words: ‘Goodbye’.

It was clear that these handwritten words weren’t meant for Jiang Feng to know, so Ning Xu didn’t mention them.

An unspoken affection had reached its conclusion in this manner. Ning Xu didn’t feel awkward about it; in fact, she felt a certain admiration for Xu Qiaohan’s open-mindedness. She also, as a fellow creative artist, understood the sentiment—preserving a touch of romance in one’s own preferred way.

With the work completed, everyone’s spirits were high. The two carloads of people laughed and joked all the way. Unless they were close friends or had work connections, meeting again wouldn’t be easy. By the time they reached the airport, there was a palpable sense of reluctance to part. They made vague plans to meet for meals someday, unsure when they’d be fulfilled, using them only to soften the mood of farewell.

Of course, human joys and sorrows are not interconnected. People like Ning Xu, Jiang Feng, and Gao Jinfei weren’t really part of this sentimental atmosphere, happily preparing to board their flight.

They had again booked three seats in first class, two together and one across the aisle.

This time, they let Ning Xu walk ahead. She sat down, and Jiang Feng took the seat beside her.

Gao Jinfei, “?”

They say brotherhood is like limbs, but damn, these limbs must be prosthetics.

Gao Jinfei scoffed, wearing an expression that said “like I give a damn,” and sat in the seat across the aisle.

Several hours later, they finally arrived in Yanlin.

Shan Yuqing had driven to pick them up. Seeing Ning Xu, she smiled brightly. “Sis, you’re back.”

Ning Xu stuffed her things into the trunk. “So eager for me to return, anxious to get back to work? Wouldn’t it be better for you to take a few more days off? You won’t get docked pay. Go do something you enjoy.”

Shan Yuqing had cut her hair a bit shorter, now sporting a cute mushroom cut. She scratched her head and said, “I don’t really know what to do, though.”

Ning Xu and Jiang Feng sat together in the back. The esteemed Young Master Gao, with an air of noble aloofness, took the passenger seat. The car door slammed shut with a thud that seemed to make the whole vehicle shudder.

Shan Yuqing hunched her shoulders slightly, as if startled.

Gao Jinfei glanced at her. “What?”

Shan Yuqing said timidly and honestly, “You’re… very fierce.”

“…”

Gao Jinfei fell silent. He hadn’t done anything. He barely remembered speaking to her much before. The wind was just strong earlier, and he hadn’t controlled his strength properly, that was all.

“Don’t bully my girl,” Ning Xu warned, punching the back of Gao Jinfei’s seat.

Gao Jinfei, “For God’s sake, is there no justice?”

Jiang Feng added gently, “That’s right, you can’t bully people.”

“…”

Gao Jinfei was left speechless. One car, four people, and the other three had already formed a clique.

His expression darkened, making Shan Yuqing even more nervous. She hunched her neck and drove with extreme caution, managing to make the four-wheeled car feel like a two-wheeled bicycle.

Gao Jinfei lost his temper. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Ning Xu asked, “Do you have more shoots scheduled later?”

Jiang Feng replied, “No more shoots. I’ll be doing some other things.”

Ning Xu had thought that without photography, his schedule would be more flexible. Unexpectedly, he became even busier, disappearing for days on end, often traveling back and forth between Yanlin and Haiyou.

She didn’t press for details. With the New Year approaching, she was busy with her own matters.

One day, while Ning Xu was out exploring new shops, she unexpectedly ran into Ding Fuxue on the street.

The coincidence was so striking it needed no guesswork. Ning Xu asked, “Do you live around here?”

Ding Fuxue smiled. “Yes.”

“Where are you headed?”

“I’m going to work.”

“Weren’t you doing voice-over work before?”

“Yes, I’m still doing that. This is a new part-time job I found.”

Seeing her so happy, Ning Xu couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Is it okay to ask what kind of work it is?”

“It’s at a Blindness Experience Hall,” Ding Fuxue said, her tone light and upbeat. “I was inspired by you before. I wanted to get out more and do something.”

“Blindness Experience Hall?” It was Ning Xu’s first time hearing of such a place. She instinctively thought of something like a blind massage parlor.

“Do you have time now? I’d like to take you to see it.”

Ning Xu couldn’t refuse her warm, radiant smile. It was the first time she’d seen someone so genuinely happy about going to work, as if carrying strands of sunshine with her.

Ding Fuxue’s usual route involved taking the subway. Since Ning Xu had driven, she asked her to wait by the roadside while she fetched the car.

Ning Xu entered the address Ding Fuxue gave into the GPS. As she drove, she chatted with her. “By the way, how’s Xiaoqi? Why didn’t you bring him out today?”

“His stomach is still a bit upset. I gave him some medicine today. He seemed a bit listless, so I let him rest at home.”

They drove to the vicinity of the Blindness Experience Hall. Ning Xu found a parking spot and parked the car.

The hall was also called “Stars of the Blind Night.” The storefront was decorated with black lacquered wood, the shop name in silver-white font, with an eye painted next to it.

Ning Xu was immediately drawn to the style.

Walking inside, Ding Fuxue went to the front desk to find the time clock and punched in with her fingerprint.

The guy at the front desk was young and lively. “Sister Fuxue, you’re here! It’s quite a long way, must be tiring. Put your stuff down and rest a bit before starting.”

Ding Fuxue said, “Xiao Xin, this is a friend I brought. I’ll take her for an experience later.”

Xiao Xin said, “Sure.”

Ding Fuxue asked, “Is the boss in today?”

Xiao Xin, “Brother Feng is here. I think he went to make a phone call.”

Ding Fuxue went to the break room to put her bag away. Ning Xu stood by the counter, surveying the place. Behind the front desk seemed to be the staff break room. To the left of the desk were two black doors. To the right was a rest area for guests, equipped with water, snacks, and a restroom.

In the guest rest area, a large screen was playing something related to blindness: guide techniques, white cane usage, how the blind use electronic devices, guide dogs, etc.

Many guests in the rest area watched the screen, unintentionally learning quite a bit. Some children were subtly influenced.

A little girl said in a childish voice, “Mom, so you can’t just pet a guide dog when it’s leading someone.”

Ning Xu felt a warmth in her heart.

As she stared at the screen, she noticed a black cane tapping its way into her peripheral vision. She instinctively turned her head slightly and unexpectedly saw someone she hadn’t seen in two days.

Huh? Before Ning Xu could voice her question, the front desk guy, Xiao Xin, spoke first, “Brother Feng, I thought you had left after your call.”

Ning Xu asked deliberately, “So, who’s the boss here anyway?”

“There,” Xiao Xin pointed. “Our boss is right beside you.”