There was not much to do in the park at this time. At least, it had none of the attractions Huo Baichuan remembered every park was supposed to have, like pirate ships or whitewater rides.
"There's nothing here!" Huo Baichuan sighed and said to Tao Yan, "Let's go boating on the lake."
Tao Yan had never been particularly interested in going out for fun. Wearing a straw hat to shield himself from the sun, he stood beneath the shade of a tree, watching the excited children racing around and the adults following close behind them. Indifferently, he said, "Take them to play."
"Come on!" Huo Baichuan grinned and grabbed Tao Yan's arm. "We hardly ever get the chance to come out and have fun. You need to participate a little."
"Come on, I'll take some pictures for you."
At those words, He Mei—who had claimed she needed to shoot news material but had actually come out to have fun with everyone—brightened immediately and raised her hand. "Take some pictures of me too. I know you're the best at taking photos."
Huo Baichuan turned around and looked at He Mei, who had specially changed into a red dress with a white collar for the outing. Grinning, he said, "Sure! Pick a spot and get your pose ready first. I'll come take your pictures in a bit."
He Mei agreed happily and led the children off to find somewhere with a nice view. When she turned around, she saw Huo Baichuan and Tao Yan tugging at each other. Huo Baichuan was enthusiastically dragging the languid-looking Tao Yan around, insisting on taking pictures of him. Unable to refuse, Tao Yan could only let Huo Baichuan arrange him as he pleased.
He Mei watched them for a while, and a faint sense of incongruity