"Ah, right!"
Tang Keke suddenly seemed to remember something. She rummaged through the desk drawers before bending down and crawling under the table—from Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou's perspective, only the lower half of her body was visible, wriggling outside.
"Mmm... mmm... that's weird... Mom should've put it here... mmm... found it!" Just as Tang Keke let out an excited cry, a loud thud echoed from under the desk, followed by the girl's yelp of pain—clearly, she'd bumped her head.
"You okay?" Ye Shuang asked.
"I'm fine." Tang Keke tried to push herself out with her legs but realized she was stuck, likely due to the sudden jolt earlier.
"......"
"......"
After a brief silence, Tang Keke whispered timidly, "I'm stuck..."
"Huh?"
"Brother, I'm stuck!" Tang Keke repeated.
Stuck?
How could she get stuck here?
Ye Shuang bent down to look and saw that Tang Keke's chest was wedged against the desk's crossbar. She'd squeezed in too eagerly, and now, like a latch mechanism, she could go in but not come out.
Bai Yuyou, curious, knelt beside them and peered underneath. After a few seconds, she reached out and grabbed Tang Keke's thigh, instinctively giving it a little rub.
"Ahahaha! S-stop! Brother, don't tickle my thigh!" Tang Keke, extremely ticklish, clamped her knees together, her voice trembling.
Ye Shuang: "......"
Why do you assume it's me?
"Alright, Yuyou, stop teasing her. Keke's ticklish." Ye Shuang examined the situation and said, "Keke, arch your back up, and I'll pull you out."
"Okay," Keke replied.
A few seconds later, Ye Shuang clarified, "Arch your back, not your butt."
"Mmm..."
Once Keke arched properly, Ye Shuang gripped her waist and gently tugged, finally freeing her.
"Oww..." Tang Keke inhaled sharply, rubbing her chest. "Hurts hurts hurts hurts... I swear I'll chop these things in half one day."
That’s... harsh.
"You're all dusty. What were you looking for in there so suddenly?" Ye Shuang pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, poured a bit of water from a nearby cup onto it, and handed it to Keke. "Wipe your face first."
"Thanks."
Before her lay a wooden box. After cleaning up, Keke opened it to reveal a Polaroid camera and a stack of tiny photos, even smaller than a bank card.
"Ta-da! A Polaroid!" Tang Keke proudly held up the lilac-colored camera.
"Polaroid... what is that?" Bai Yuyou tilted her head.
"An instant camera. Lots of people played with these when I was a student," Ye Shuang explained with a smile. "Just like its name, it gives you a photo right after you take it—hence 'Polaroid.'"
Though the image quality paled compared to regular cameras or phones, the soft, dreamy blur gave it a unique charm, making it a favorite among young girls.
Ye Shuang noticed the box was filled with Polaroid selfies—Keke puckering at the lens, posing in cosplay outfits in front of a mirror, even some in swimwear.
"Hehe, don’t look at those!" Embarrassed, Tang Keke shut the box and raised the camera. "Come on, let’s take a picture together—all three of us!"
They huddled close. "Yuyou, when I count to one, say 'cheese,' okay?"
"Okay," Bai Yuyou nodded.
"3... 2... 1..."
"Cheese," Bai Yuyou murmured softly.
Keke pressed the shutter. A flash burst, and a photo slid out.
"Here."
"Nothing’s there..." Bai Yuyou stared at the blank photo, puzzled.
"Just wait a bit—it’ll develop."
Soon, under the girls' watchful eyes, the image slowly emerged, capturing the three of them gazing at the lens, as if freezing that moment of warmth forever.
"Magic..." Bai Yuyou cradled the photo like a treasure. "Like... a photo booth picture."
"Photo booths give instant photos too, so they’re similar," Ye Shuang chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Do you like it?"
"Mhm."
"Then let’s take more. Yuyou, strike a cute pose."
"Cheese..."
"Yuyou, look at the camera, not at brother..."
......
......
Time slipped by unnoticed. The sky deepened to indigo, the neon glow of skyscrapers washing out the stars, leaving the night less dark.
"It’s getting late. We should head back—thank you for your hospitality today." At the Tangs' doorstep, Ye Shuang bid farewell politely.
"No, no, we should thank you, Ye Shuang. Thanks to your cooking tips tonight, Keke might actually eat more of our home-cooked meals," Tang's mother replied warmly.
"Bai Yuyou," Tang's father turned to her.
"Yes."
"Please take care of Keke from now on. I hope you two get along well." His voice was earnest. "Distance means little between true friends... Even if life takes you apart someday, may your friendship endure."
"It will. Keke is my important... friend." Bai Yuyou nodded slowly, her words deliberate but brimming with sincerity.
Tang's father smiled, his expression softening. "Then I entrust my daughter to you."
"Dad, why does this sound like a deathbed request?!" Keke interjected.
"You brat, are you cursing your old man?"
"Of course not!"
After their goodbyes, Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou left hand-in-hand, crossing the bustling plaza—
The entire way, Bai Yuyou kept her eyes glued to the photo in her hands.
"We can stick this on the fridge too," Ye Shuang suggested gently.
Suddenly, Bai Yuyou spoke up. "Ye Shuang..."
"What is it?"
She raised the photo high, murmuring, "I think... I understand what friends are now."
Ye Shuang paused mid-step, his gaze settling on her face.
"Will Keke and I... always be okay?" she asked.
Ye Shuang tousled her hair.
"You will."
"Then... let’s always be okay. You too, Ye Shuang."
He smiled, leading her forward again. "Deal."
Under the streetlights, their figures melted into the bright apartment entrance, the world around them shifting from shadows to light.
"Oh, let’s get you a Polaroid too," his voice carried into the distance.
"Okay... Can I use it in the bath?"
"No."
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
