The Snail

Bai Yuyou changed into a simple white dress, wearing no jewelry or makeup—her flawless beauty was more than enough without them.

"Let's go." Ye Shuang was also dressed casually, as this was a city free from the anxiety of dressing up. Sometimes, being laid-back was just fine.

Choosing to live under the gaze of others would only lead to exhaustion, turning one into a mere performer.

When they reached the first floor, Ye Shuang had just gotten into the car when he noticed Bai Yuyou standing motionless by the door, as if staring at something.

"What's wrong?"

Ye Shuang stepped out again and circled to the other side of the car to see what had caught her attention—a snail slowly crawling on the window, leaving a glistening trail on the rain-speckled glass.

"Snail," Bai Yuyou murmured, her gaze fixed on it.

"Yeah, let's move it off."

At his words, Bai Yuyou reached out and gently plucked the snail from the window. She walked to the grassy area behind the car and placed it on a dew-laden leaf.

Watching her crouch there, engrossed in the snail, Ye Shuang found it amusing. Since a light drizzle was still falling, he held an umbrella over her, silently standing guard.

"Ye Shuang."

"Yeah?"

"Where is the snail going?" The sudden question caught him off guard, but he chuckled and replied, "I don’t know. Maybe it’s looking for food?"

"And after it finds food?"

"Uh… looking for friends?"

"Will it find any?"

Ye Shuang thought for a moment. "Yes. Even though it moves very, very slowly, as long as it keeps going, it’ll eventually meet another snail waiting for it."

"I’m also very, very slow… Will you wait for me, Ye Shuang?"

Bai Yuyou turned her head abruptly, her face so striking that Ye Shuang froze for a few seconds. After a pause, he smiled.

"Of course I’ll wait for you."

"Then I’ll try my best to crawl to you…"

Ye Shuang reached out and lightly tapped her forehead. "Silly, don’t overthink it. Get in the car."

"Okay."

But before getting in, Bai Yuyou couldn’t help glancing back at the snail. On the other end of the leaf, another snail had appeared. They inched toward each other until they finally touched.

Inside the car, Ye Shuang watched Bai Yuyou through the rearview mirror and murmured to himself,

"After the rain stops, you won’t see snails anymore."

The windshield wipers slid slowly, and behind the glass, Ye Shuang’s pensive face gradually came into focus.

---

Aquarium.

"Yuyou, have you ever been to an aquarium before?" Ye Shuang asked after parking the car.

The answer, naturally, was a shake of her head.

"Do you know what an aquarium is for?" he asked with a smile.

Bai Yuyou replied, "I don’t know. But… I just want to be with you."

With that, she reached out and clasped Ye Shuang’s hand.

"You should learn to look at more things around you. The world is much bigger than you imagine," Ye Shuang said. "There will be many more sights you’ll have to face alone someday."

Even so, he still held her delicate hand firmly in his.

Bai Yuyou suddenly asked, "Ye Shuang… won’t you be with me?"

Ye Shuang was taken aback, realizing his slip of the tongue. He laughed. "Of course I’ll be with you. But some things, in the end, you’ll have to face by yourself."

Bai Yuyou nodded softly, though it was unclear whether she truly understood.

After scanning their tickets, they finally entered the aquarium—a must-visit attraction in the city. Even though it wasn’t a major holiday, the weekend crowd was already thick.

Perhaps because of the bustling crowd, Ye Shuang shifted from holding Bai Yuyou’s hand to wrapping an arm around her waist, using his taller frame to carve out a small space for the two of them. Nestled against his chest, Bai Yuyou tuned out the surrounding noise, hearing only Ye Shuang’s faint breaths and steady heartbeat.

"So many people. Good thing they’re starting to split the crowd," Ye Shuang muttered as he guided her through the throng. He looked down, meeting her beautiful eyes. "You okay?"

"Mm."

Noticing her unwavering gaze, Ye Shuang tapped her nose and turned slightly. "Here, look at this."

Bai Yuyou followed his direction and froze—

Before her was a glass tunnel, entirely transparent, with the aquarium’s lights casting a blue glow into the crystal-clear water. Schools of fish darted past, seaweed swayed gently—it was an underwater world, a symphony composed by the ocean’s inhabitants.

"Come with me." Seeing her captivated expression, Ye Shuang grinned and took her hand, leading her to the glass.

Bai Yuyou, who had never been to an aquarium before, instinctively pressed her palm against the glass. A few fish immediately swam over. Standing there, it felt as if she were submerged in the sea itself.

Click.

Ye Shuang pulled out his phone and captured the moment.

Bai Yuyou noticed him taking her picture.

"Want to take a selfie together?" he asked when their eyes met.

She nodded.

"Let’s use your phone. Yours is more expensive and has a better camera," Ye Shuang said, accepting the device she handed him.

When the screen lit up, the wallpaper was a photo of the two of them—a candid shot Bai Yuyou had taken last time, where neither was looking at the camera, yet both fit perfectly within the frame.

"You like this photo?" Ye Shuang studied the wallpaper, rubbing his chin. "We’re not even looking at the camera. It’s not that good. Want to delete it?"

"Like it," Bai Yuyou said.

But she didn’t explain why—

Because Ye Shuang was in it.

"Alright." Though he didn’t quite get it, he raised her phone and snapped a picture of them together.

The moment the image froze, Ye Shuang tapped the screen and realized Bai Yuyou had turned to look at him just as the photo was taken.

"Actually, this one’s pretty nice." Though it wasn’t what he’d envisioned, it had an unexpectedly pleasant charm.

Returning the phone, he watched as Bai Yuyou immediately set the new photo as her wallpaper.

"Next time, we can bring Keke here. A selfie of you two would make a better wallpaper," Ye Shuang suggested.

"No," Bai Yuyou said firmly.

She hugged the phone to her chest like a treasure and repeated, "Don’t want to."

Ye Shuang chuckled at her rare defiance but didn’t press further.

"Let’s go. There’s still a lot more to see," he said. "This aquarium even has a dolphin show."

"Dolphin."

"Yeah."

"What’s a dolphin?"

"Uh…"