It was her first time in the city but Jiang Yue acted like a local. She had a tangyuan in one hand and carried a small camera in the other.
She had already taken photos of a bunch of food stalls and several with the locals. In the center of the plaza, there was a sign that said that there would be a fireworks show at 6 in the evening.
Right now it's a quarter past 10 in the morning, which meant a lot of time for sightseeing. The downtown area had a canal that flowed right out of the city and into the farmlands, the clean water had a bunch of paper boats floating around that had been put in by children.
Jiang Yue had already been walking for almost an hour and sat on a nearby bench next to the river canal.
The snow softly fell from the grey sky, covering the ground in a thin sheet. She shivered slightly in her coat. Having forgotten to wear gloves, she felt. a lot colder than usual.
Not to mention how it's very different from her hometown in the south, the north isn't so forgiving with the weather. She thought about her parents and how they were celebrating the festival.
Although her family did call her briefly on the phone, it had been a mere exchange of greetings. She felt a little melancholic.
After resting, Jiang Yue finished up the last of her tangyuan and resumed to walk around the block. The plaza, still full of the bustling crowd, seemed even livelier than earlier as people pushed and pulled.
Owing to her two left foot, Jiang Yue tripped and almost fell.
Fortunately, she had caught herself in time by holding on to the person in front of her, who didn't seem too happy to have been grabbed happily.
"Ah!" she realized her mistake and removed her hand. She sheepishly smiled and said, "Sorry! I almost tripped because of the crowd. I had grabbed the closest next to me out of reflex."
The person turned around and familiar eyes met hers.
"Ah!" she yelled again. "You're the guy from the hotpot restaurant."
It suddenly became a lot more embarrassing. She didn't know if it's meant to be a funny coincidence or not, but both times she had almost fell in front of him.
Well, behind him since she faced his back.
The tall man also seemed a little speechless. He looked at her quite intently, observing every aspect of her. Jiang Yue smiled uncomfortably.
He did not speak. So she didn't know if he was mad or not.
'Is he inspecting me thinking I'm a stalker?' she thought. But tossed the idea out her mind. Surely he wouldn't?
Only then did he part his lips and said, "It's okay."
Jiang Yue released a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he didn't misunderstood. She wasn't exactly at fault, but something about him made her afraid of being misunderstood.
Maybe it was because he looked like a male god? Or the fact that he looked rich? Those men were usually scary to associate with.
After that, the tall man walked away. Jiang Yue stood in the same place and watched him leave. But he halted in his steps a few meters away.
He looked around. She saw the lost look on his face and tilted her head. Is he not familiar with the area? Afraid of getting lost?
But he's a grown man. Roughly around her age. And compared to her, he didn't seem like the kind of man who had no sense of direction. Even if he did, surely it wasn't worse than hers?
Just when things couldn't get any worse, he backtracked to her.
Standing in front of her, Jiang Yue had been made aware of the height difference between them. They were roughly of the same height, only because of her boots, and the fact that he looked oddly familiar?
But she couldn't place where she had seen him. Deja vu perhaps?
"Hm? Can I help you?"
"Can you accompany me?" he muttered in a low voice, barely audible, but could still be understood by her.
"Are you also new to the city?"
Jiang Yue found it peculiar, after all. She was quite sure that a local in this city would be able to easily navigate the entire city with no problems. He looked like a local, but could it be he isn't?
The tall man did not reply, so Jiang Yue could only assume he had been shy to admit it.
In actuality, Qing Shan was born and grew up in this very city. He would be a fo not to recognize every inch of the place. Had it not been for his fruitful job, his family might've continued to live downtown.
His refusal to admit it had only been a ruse to get Jiang Yue to accompany him. His straight face only helped his lie.
"Oh okay okay, I understand." Jiang Yue did not mind the company and they began to walk. "It's lunchtime now. Do you want to eat?"
"Okay."
Outwardly, Qing Shan continued to act with straight face as he continued to be led by Jiang Yue. Upon further notice though, the slight pink hue to his ears gave everything away. Too bad it could not be seen much under his hat.
"Ah, I forgot." She turned around and held out her hand. "My name is Jiang Yue."
Her introduction only served to aggravate the emotions boiling within him. He struggled not to let his expression falter, shaking her fair hand.
"Qing Shan."
Jiang Yue nodded approvingly. "Cool name."
"Thank you."
Releasing his hand, Qing Shan tucked them back in the pockets his coat and curled them into fists. Of course it was her. He couldn't mistake her for anyone else, after all.
Jiang Yue happily led him into a restaurant and chatted over lamb dumplings. Over the next hour, they surprisingly got along well and had a few similar interests.
Once the meal was over, Jiang Yue proposed resting next to a photo booth near the plaza as she bought them another serving of tangyuan.
Qing Shan gratefully nodded as they shared the tangyuan between them.
Only then did he notice that her hand had turned red. When they were teenagers, he remembered that a certain girl was weak to the cold.