Li Shuci, burdened with worries, wandered aimlessly through the ancient town alone. The bustling liveliness had nothing to do with her.
After walking for a while, she passed by a small alley and caught a fleeting glimpse of Wang Yan squatting inside, smoking.
The moment she looked over, there was a click as Wang Yan pressed the shutter. He smiled and nodded at her, then went back to holding up his camera, ready to capture candid shots.
Li Shuci froze for a moment. By the time she came back to herself, she had already passed the alley.
She stopped and hesitated briefly, but ultimately turned back and walked into the alley, stopping behind Wang Yan. Courteously, she made sure not to block his camera's view.
She fidgeted for a while. Only when Wang Yan turned to look at her did she nervously say, "Wang Yan, I... I have something I want to ask you."
Of course Wang Yan knew what Li Shuci wanted to ask, so he did not play dumb.
"Just as you think, Lin Luoxue and I really are very close. We've gotten very intimate. Fine, I've slept with her."
Looking at Li Shuci's innocent, wide eyes, Wang Yan told her the truth. "But we aren't really together. You know how quickly she changes boyfriends, so we're only physical partners and have maintained a good relationship.
So, just as you've seen, we haven't made our relationship public. It's just that in our daily interactions, because we're so familiar with each other, it's hard not to be intimate."
"But... Lin Luoxue hasn't had a new boyfriend in a long time."
"But I don't want to be her boyfriend, and she doesn't really want to be my girlfriend either. It's all been muddled and confused."
Some of Li Shuci's beliefs