Delivering Photos

Su Cheng turned around to find a beautiful girl in a white middle school uniform standing beside him, her hair cascading like a waterfall as she gazed with interest at the photo in his hand.

Aino Marui?

The young lady of the Rikuryo Group!

The girl who used to imitate Ji Qingyi in middle school.

However, the icy demeanor she once shared with Ji Qingyi was gone, replaced instead by a playful charm. Her dark eyes sparkled with mischief and mischief, making her appear much more lively.

Su Cheng was slightly surprised—he hadn’t expected to run into her.

There was no trace of Ji Qingyi in her now. Clearly, she had undergone significant changes during this time.

Suppressing his astonishment, Su Cheng tucked the photo away and said, "It’s nothing."

"What? Surprised?"

Aino Marui’s dimples deepened as she smiled at him, taking a step closer.

Su Cheng subtly retreated a few steps.

"Do you still remember me?"

Aino Marui asked, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Yeah, ‘Little Ji Qingyi.’"

The moment Su Cheng uttered the name, the girl’s expression froze before she put on a wounded look.

But soon, she straightened up, patted her chest, and declared, "Then let me introduce myself properly—I’m Aino Marui."

"Alright, Aino Marui. Is there something you need?"

Su Cheng asked politely.

"Do you remember what you said to me before?"

"What exactly?"

Frowning in confusion at her mention of the past, Su Cheng couldn’t recall anything.

Her face fell, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes. "About becoming friends with me. Did you forget? I remember it clearly!"

With that, she suddenly closed the distance between them, looking indignant, and whispered in his ear, "Are you trying to back out? Let me tell you, that’s not happening."

"Oh, now I remember."

Su Cheng finally recalled—back then, he had promised to be her friend if she stopped imitating Ji Qingyi. He’d forgotten, but she hadn’t.

The moment he spoke, Aino Marui’s face lit up with a radiant smile, her cheeks dimpling adorably.

"In that case, let’s get along from now on!"

She extended her slender, fair hand.

Su Cheng didn’t immediately take it. Instead, he studied the girl before him with a probing gaze.

Though she no longer clumsily mimicked Ji Qingyi, that didn’t necessarily mean she had found her true self.

"What’s wrong?"

Aino Marui seemed to read his thoughts, smiling sweetly as she murmured, "Are you unhappy about becoming my friend?"

"No. I just don’t know if you’re imitating someone else again."

Su Cheng shook his head.

Her smile vanished, replaced by a displeased glare. "But I’ve already returned to being myself. This is who I am!"

Su Cheng shrugged. "If you think you’re qualified to be my friend, then evaluate yourself. What’s your take on who you are now?"

Aino Marui’s expression stiffened.

After a long pause, she lowered her head shyly. "This is kind of embarrassing… How about this instead?"

She snapped her fingers.

Snap!

At the sound, a towering figure in a school uniform emerged from behind a nearby tree.

He stood over 190 cm tall, his muscles bulging like steel hammers, his arms thick and powerful. His imposing frame and fierce expression carried an unmistakable military aura.

This was one of Aino Marui’s personal bodyguards—who also worked part-time as a P.E. teacher.

Bodyguarding was his main job; teaching was just a side gig.

Oh, and he’d once been beaten up by Yaya Yao.

"If I had to describe our young lady, the words ‘pure,’ ‘lively,’ ‘kind,’ and ‘adorable’ would be the most fitting."

The bodyguard delivered his assessment without hesitation.

Su Cheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Having said his piece, the bodyguard turned and walked away, disappearing as quickly as he’d appeared.

"So this is your current character setting?"

Su Cheng was speechless.

Aino Marui blinked innocently. "That’s the bodyguard’s opinion. If you want to know for sure, you’ll have to become my friend and see for yourself."

"Is that so?"

Su Cheng pretended to think it over before finally nodding.

Just as Aino Marui thought he’d agreed, her face brightening with joy—

"I have things to do. I’m leaving."

Su Cheng turned and walked toward the Archery Club without another word.

"Hey! Wait!"

Aino Marui called out, hurrying after him.

She was fuming inside. Very few people in the world had the privilege of being her friend, let alone receiving such a deliberate invitation.

And yet, after going along with his method of making friends, he had the audacity to act so ungrateful!

"Kind people don’t chase others down like this."

Su Cheng glanced back at her.

Aino Marui froze, then put on an aggrieved look. "You’re the one who walked away without reason! You promised to be my friend, and now you’re going back on your word. How tragic!"

"Oh?"

Su Cheng turned fully, raising an eyebrow. "Then let’s go over there and discuss it."

He pointed to a secluded pavilion in the woods.

"Fine."

Aino Marui nodded.

Following him, the two soon settled into the pavilion.

"I’m thirsty, and I didn’t bring any money. Go buy me a drink from the vending machine over there."

The moment they sat down, Su Cheng ordered Aino Marui without hesitation.

"Huh?"

She stared at him in disbelief, as if she’d misheard.

He was making her run an errand?!

If anyone saw this—someone daring to order the heiress of a financial empire to fetch a drink—their jaws would hit the floor.

"Someone as kind as you wouldn’t refuse, right?"

Su Cheng teased with a smirk.

Though Aino Marui’s face remained sweetly blank, inside she was itching to bite this guy’s head off.

No one in her life had ever dared to order her around like this!

Seeing her silence, Su Cheng added, "Never mind, I have things to—"

"Wait!"

Suppressing her anger, Aino Marui reluctantly agreed.

"I’ll get your drink. Stay here—don’t go anywhere."

"Mm."

Su Cheng nodded, watching her leave with growing amusement.

Soon, she returned with a bottle in hand.

"Here."

She placed it on the table and sat back down.

"I wanted cola, not this."

Su Cheng shook his head.

Aino Marui’s temper flared, but she quickly composed herself, forcing a gentle smile.

"Alright, I’ll go get you another one."

...

A few minutes later,

She returned to the pavilion with a bottle of cola and handed it to Su Cheng.

"I wanted Pepsi, not this!"

Su Cheng shot a disdainful glance at the cola in her hand.

Hearing this, Aino Marui's grip on the bottle tightened slightly, and her smile stiffened.

"Alright… I’ll go exchange it for you."

After saying this, she placed the cola back on the table and walked out of the pavilion, heading toward the vending machine again.

"Miss, your status is far too noble for such trivial tasks. Besides, Su Cheng is clearly just trying to make things difficult for you."

A bodyguard stepped forward, his tone indignant.

At that moment, Aino Marui, who had just retrieved the cola, paused.

She turned around, her expression icy.

"Silence. This is my decision."

The bodyguard immediately fell quiet, not daring to utter another word.

Then, she picked up the cola and switched back to her usual cheerful and adorable demeanor, approaching Su Cheng with a bright smile as she placed the bottle on the table. "Here, what you asked for!"

Su Cheng glanced at the cola and muttered to himself, "Shaking it makes it taste better."

Hearing this, Aino Marui actually grabbed the bottle with both hands and shook it vigorously.

"Open it for me."

"Okay."

Pfft!

The moment the bottle was opened, foam erupted violently, splashing all over her face. Her beautiful, jet-black hair was left in a particularly pitiful state.

"……"

Aino Marui froze for a long moment before finally snapping out of it.

She looked down at the mess on her clothes, then at the smug grin on Su Cheng’s face, and her anger flared.

Wiping the stains from her face, she could no longer maintain her gentle and obedient facade.

Instead, she glared at him with a murderous gaze, her voice frigid. "Su Cheng, this behavior of yours is utterly unacceptable! If you didn’t want to, you could have just said so. Was there any need to humiliate me like this?!"

Yet, Su Cheng simply pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her, his expression calm. "Here, wipe yourself off."

To Aino Marui, this only felt like further mockery.

After playing such a cruel trick, now he was pretending to be considerate?

"You were possessed earlier. I just chased the ghost away."

Su Cheng explained with complete seriousness.

And he wasn’t wrong—Aino Marui had been deliberately mimicking someone else’s personality earlier. Now, she had returned to her true self.

What's with this act, Miss? Playing the sweet, innocent little sister?

Su Cheng couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.

Hearing his words, Aino Marui actually calmed down, realizing why he had done this.

She took the tissue and sat down, wiping herself off as she spoke in a detached tone. "After we last parted… I couldn’t even recognize myself anymore. Every day, it felt like I was just watching someone else live my life."

"So you pretended to have found yourself and came looking for me? But… being able to observe yourself like an outsider means you’ve taken a crucial step toward maturity."

Aino Marui looked up at him, her gaze complicated.

"What do you want most right now?"

Su Cheng pressed further.

"I want to be your friend."

She answered without hesitation.

"Alright, then we’re friends now."

Su Cheng extended his right hand and clasped hers.

The moment their hands touched, Aino Marui felt an electric jolt run through her, leaving her both stunned and bewildered.

"Come with me!"

Su Cheng released her hand and stood up.

Aino Marui hesitated for a few seconds before asking uncertainly, "Where to?"

"To find Ji Qingyi!"

Su Cheng replied.

"N-no… I can’t go."

Aino Marui immediately shook her head, her resistance clear.

"Isn’t this what you truly want? If so, then do it. Stop holding yourself back."

Su Cheng reasoned with her.

Aino Marui’s face paled, then flushed, her emotions in turmoil.

"I… I don’t know how to face Sister Ji."

Her words came out haltingly, her nervousness obvious.

All traces of her usual princess-like demeanor and arrogance had vanished.

"Just like when you were kids—start with sincerity and courage, and take the first step toward her."

Su Cheng spoke earnestly.

In his eyes, Aino Marui’s imitation of Ji Qingyi likely stemmed from something that had happened between them in the past.

To untie the knot, they needed to meet again and resolve their issues head-on.

But he overlooked one critical problem—even Ji Qingyi had been powerless to fix this. Aino Marui simply couldn’t bring herself to face her.

"I have things to do. I should go."

With that, Aino Marui turned to leave.

"Wait! I can call her here instead!"

Su Cheng quickly offered.

But Aino Marui only quickened her pace, nearly breaking into a sprint as she vanished from sight in seconds.

"Guess it’s not that simple after all."

Su Cheng sighed and shook his head.

Honestly, he didn’t understand. If they just talked things out, they could easily reconcile—so why keep running away?

She’d been avoiding this for nearly a decade now.

Is this how two high-maintenance princesses interact?

Shaking his head again, he made his way to the Archery Club.

At noon, the Archery Club was quiet, with few members around.

After exchanging a few words with some of them, he headed toward Ji Qingyi’s private training area.

Before he even reached the door, the distant, melancholic notes of a guzheng drifted out—High Mountains, Flowing Water.

It reminded him of their weekend trip to the waterfall with the three of them.

He paused, listening closely, as if the music carried traces of longing and sorrow.

When the song ended,

Knock, knock—

The door, untouched for so long, sounded again under his hand.

Ji Qingyi’s voice came from inside, as composed as ever. "Enter."

Though her tone gave nothing away, he knew she had already recognized it was him.

Su Cheng pushed the door open and saw her sitting on a stone bench by the edge, her back to him. One hand rested on the guzheng, while the other held a weathered book, her attention fully absorbed in its pages.

"You’re here."

Ji Qingyi turned slightly, her voice indifferent.

She wasn’t surprised—she had memorized everyone’s knocking patterns long ago.

Su Cheng stepped forward.

"What brings you here today?"

Ji Qingyi set the book aside and stood, moving to the nearby table to pour him a cup of tea.

Su Cheng took a seat without ceremony, accepting the tea and taking a sip before smiling.

"The photos from the weekend are ready. I came to deliver them."

He pulled out a brown envelope and handed it to Ji Qingyi.

But he had already removed one particular photo—the group shot where his expression had been hilariously distorted.

He wondered if the president would notice its absence.

Ji Qingyi reached out to take the package, unwrapped the paper envelope, and carefully examined the photos inside one by one. After finishing, her deep, abyss-like eyes flickered briefly.

"There really is a noticeable difference between photos taken with a camera and those shot on a phone," she remarked.

Then, her gaze—still as calm as stagnant water—fixed on Su Cheng as she asked in an even tone, "Is there a photo missing from this set?"