Chapter 192: We Clearly Look Better Than the Crane
“Wan Ning’s over here!” Li Qing Xue waved cheerfully at the newcomer.
Hearing the voice, Lin Wan Ning hurried over with a bright smile. “First time here, I thought I came to the wrong place.”
She then handed the fruit tea in her hand to Hu Yu Ying and Li Qing Xue. “Brought these from earlier.”
“Thanks x2!”
“You’re too polite,” Lin Wan Ning said with a cool but smiling face. “Try it and see if you like this flavor.”
The three strolled through the park, forming a lovely and striking little scene.
“This park is huge!”
“There are benches up ahead. Let’s sit for a bit.”
Under the shade of trees, on the benches, the trio sipped their fruit teas, appreciating the scenery and chatting happily.
Li Qing Xue, using their online store’s design style, sent a penguin emoji to her friends.
“Alright, now we just have to wait,” Li Qing Xue said, swinging her phone. The screen showed Wang Rui’s OK emoji sticker.
“Shall we practice taking pictures now? The surroundings are pretty good,” Lin Wan Ning said, feeling a bit excited.
This was her first time trying her hand at business, and she was taking it seriously.
“Want to give it a shot?” Li Qing Xue exited the penguin app and opened her camera.
Hu Yu Ying looked around, glad there weren’t many people here, and nodded eagerly.
“Who goes first?”
They looked at each other, then decided to settle who would go first with a quick game of rock-paper-scissors. The loser would go first to set an example.
“Wan Ning, that’s not okay,” Li Qing Xue paused the video recording on her phone. “You gotta move.”
“How should I move?”
Lin Wan Ning looked a bit uncertain herself.
She’d participated in competitions before; she was comfortable in front of the camera, not shy at all.
But she usually stood in the center of the stage and sang. Moving around was something new for her.
Li Qing Xue tapped her chin, suddenly brightening. Her mischievous ideas flowed freely: “We can turn our backs to the camera, walk forward, then turn around and smile…”
“Huh?” Li Qing Xue froze for a moment, then turned around and looked back at herself on the screen. “Like this?”
Hu Yu Ying quietly added, “Qing Xue, why don’t you show us how it’s done?”
“Okay,” Li Qing Xue handed her phone to Hu Yu Ying and stepped in front of her. “Ready?”
“Ready.” Hu Yu Ying held the phone, filming, while Lin Wan Ning joined her, both watching the video.
On the screen, Li Qing Xue took light steps forward, then happily spun around, a few strands of her hair brushing her fair face. Her bright eyes sparkled with a smile, and she made a cheerful “Yay” with her face, blooming like a flower.
Seeing Qing Xue’s movements, Hu Yu Ying and Lin Wan Ning couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
When Li Qing Xue saw them smile at her, she refused to be left out: “Hey, hey, hey! I’m practicing for you guys! You can’t laugh at me.”
She then went over to tickle Hu Yu Ying and Lin Wan Ning, playing around for a bit before sitting together to watch the videos on her phone again.
The clips played back Li Qing Xue’s movements.
So pretty, so youthful, so lively—like all the best things in the world all gathered in that moment.
Li Qing Xue watched herself on the screen, a smile spreading across her face. She suddenly noticed the two pairs of eyes fixed on her. Startled, she looked up and saw Hu Yu Ying and Lin Wan Ning smiling at her.
Ah, so she got it—she was pretending to be mad, but knew they were teasing her.
Fake annoyed, she glared at them. “All right, you two, I see what you’re doing.”
“Next up is Wan Ning. I wanna tease you guys too,” she said, still joking.
They all knew it was all in good fun; nobody was truly angry.
Lin Wan Ning stood up, mimicking Li Qing Xue’s planned moves—she turned gracefully, a gentle sunlight casting a glow on her delicate face, which seemed to soften her usual coolness, making her look even more charming. She lifted her eyelids softly, her eyes holding a gentle autumn water look, a slight smile lifting her lips—so elegant, so enchanting.
After watching the footage, she turned her gaze to Hu Yu Ying.
“Okay, it’s my turn,” Hu Yu Ying said softly, taking a deep breath. Fortunately, no one else was around; otherwise, she might freeze up.
She stepped back at a safe distance, slowly turned around, her slender fingertips brushing aside her wind-tousled hair, her lips pressed into a faint smile, full of alluring softness.
They filmed three takes, each with a different vibe. All stunning.
If she had on nice clothes, the effect would definitely be even better.
The phone rested on the bench as the three of them repeated the dance move together.
But still, nothing beat the magic of real filming.
“If only Long Ao Tian were here,” Li Qing Xue blurted out while looking at her phone, then immediately paused, stunned. She secretly looked at Hu Yu Ying and Lin Wan Ning.
They didn’t react much, seeming to think, If Long Ao Tian was here, everything would be perfect.
“What’s wrong, Qing Xue?” Hu Yu Ying asked with a gentle laugh, noticing her absent-mindedness.
Seeing Qing Xue’s smile, Li Qing Xue shook her head with a small laugh. “Nothing.”
“Should we go find brother?” Lin Wan Ning suggested; she hadn’t seen her brother all day.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Hu Yu Ying nodded.
Seeing they were all in agreement, Li Qing Xue had no reason to stay. Of course, she went along.
In the distance, a crowd was gathered by the roadside, watching a crane operation in the alley.
The lead person stood with arms crossed, back straight, intently watching the crane work, whispering to someone beside him.
Though they didn’t hear exactly what was said, the look on his face seemed to be saying: “See that? That crane? I pulled it out of my own pocket…”
If it wasn’t Long Ao Tian, who would it be?
“Qing Xue, do you really think Wan Ning’s crane looks that good?” Hu Yu Ying whispered. Back in Bay City, she often saw Long Ge eyeing bulldozers and excavators.
Sometimes, walking down the street, she’d stop dead in her tracks just to stare at those diggers, wondering where they’d be digging next—step by step, head turning like she was trying to decipher the mysterious destination.
Li Qing Xue and Lin Wan Ning shook their heads. They honestly didn’t understand either. They believed they should look better than the excavators, but they’d never seen Long Ao Tian stare at them like he did those machines.
Hu Yu Ying took out her phone, snapped a picture of Long Ge, then clicked send.
Her gaze stayed fixed on him.
He touched his phone, scrolling across the screen, glancing at it roughly before going back to watch the crane again.
Seeming to suddenly realize something, he looked at his phone again, then looked around the area, helplessly glanced at the three little ones and the crane, then finally strode towards them.
