52: Coward?

The weekend was only two days away for Yu Heng.

He had classes in the morning but was free in the afternoon.

He planned to head over to the University Town Commercial Street; he hadn't used his camera since buying it.

He wanted to take some outdoor shots to get a feel for things.

In his previous life, he worked in operations and hadn't really looked into cameras much.

He went back to the Villa first to pick up the camera.

The University Town Commercial Street was about the same distance from the school as it was from the residential area—only a ten-minute walk.

Yu Heng arrived at the street; he hadn't actually explored this place properly since his rebirth.

He had only brought Qin Ya here once for fun.

This place was truly massive. With nearly 200,000 students and teachers in the University Town, the consumer base was enormous.

The commercial street had almost everything. Besides dining, the entertainment options were also very comprehensive.

There was even a newly opened nightclub, and he remembered there being a very nicely decorated Foot Massage Parlor as well.

The foot traffic was high in the afternoon, with students strolling through the streets in small groups.

Yu Heng took out his camera, adjusted the settings, and began filming the street scenes.

The few video clips he took turned out quite well; Sony cameras were pretty much "point-and-shoot" for video.

Yu Heng put away his camera and walked into a milk tea shop, sitting by the window to review the footage he had just captured.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and the wind chimes jingled.

Yu Heng instinctively looked up and saw Qin Lu and her daughter walking in.

Qin Lu was dressed in professional attire, and she had changed into a different pair of stockings under her skirt suit.

Qin Ya followed behind her, carrying a backpack.

"Yu Heng?" Qin Lu spotted him too, looking a bit surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying out my camera," Yu Heng said, gesturing with the device in his hand. "Counselor, you're..."

"Taking Qin Ya for a stroll," Qin Lu said as she walked to the counter and glanced at the menu. "What do you want to drink?"

"I'll just have a lemon water," Yu Heng replied without standing on ceremony. "Thanks, Counselor!"

"Then add two milk teas," Qin Lu said to the clerk. "One pearl milk tea and one taro ball milk tea, both hot."

Qin Ya had already sat down in the chair opposite Yu Heng, her eyes darting toward his camera. "What were you filming?"

"Street scenes," Yu Heng said, handing the camera over. "Just some casual shots."

Qin Ya took the camera and scrolled through the photos on the screen.

This girl didn't call him "brother" today. It seemed she was only well-behaved when she was feeling vulnerable; over the last two days, she had returned to her usual self.

"Boring," Qin Ya said with a curl of her lip. "I thought you were here to take upskirt photos of girls."

"Tsk!" Yu Heng nearly choked on his lemon water. "Am I that kind of person? Besides, it's autumn; how many people are even wearing skirts?"

"What do you mean 'how many'?" Qin Ya shrugged and looked toward Qin Lu at the counter. "Isn't there one right there?"

As soon as she said that, Yu Heng instinctively looked up at Qin Lu in front of the counter.

Qin Lu was looking down, scanning a code to pay, and she had heard the remark as well.

Her hand holding the phone paused for a moment, but she didn't look back; she simply pressed her legs together under her skirt.

What are these two kids talking about!

"You little brat, what's going on in that head of yours all day?" Yu Heng lowered his voice and glared at Qin Ya.

"Just the truth," Qin Ya said, handing the camera back with an innocent look. "Don't you men love looking at that? I think my mom is pretty good-looking, right?"

"Tsk, where did you learn all this?" Yu Heng narrowed his eyes at her. Kids nowadays were truly precocious.

"Don't you think my mom is pretty?" Qin Ya asked again.

Qin Lu, who had just received the milk teas and was about to turn around, froze in place holding the tray after hearing Qin Ya's question.

"Of course your mom is pretty!" Yu Heng said instinctively.

"Then there you go," Qin Ya said, raising an eyebrow. "You can just take photos of her then!"

"What are you two chatting about?" Qin Lu came over with the tray at that moment.

"Haha, nothing," Yu Heng said, narrowing his eyes at Qin Ya to warn her not to talk nonsense. "We were just talking about where to take her this weekend."

"Coward!" Qin Ya said, pursing her lips. She picked up a cup of milk tea and stood up. "I'm going to the Cat Cafe next door for a bit."

???

She called him a coward?

Dammit, talking is one thing, but doing is another. If I actually made a move, you'd probably be the first one to get upset.

After Qin Ya left, Qin Lu and Yu Heng sat facing each other.

"That child..." Qin Lu shook her head helplessly. "She's always so impulsive."

"She's just a kid, it's normal." Yu Heng took a sip of lemon water, his eyes unconsciously drifting toward Qin Lu's legs again.

After a few seconds, she spoke again. "Qin Ya has become much more cheerful lately. Thank you."

"She was just bored being by herself all the time," Yu Heng said with a wave of his hand. "Now that she's streaming, she has a way to pass the time, so she's better."

"Yes, she just stays at home by herself since we moved here," Qin Lu said softly. "It's not just because of the streaming."

She paused and looked up at Yu Heng. "You play with her and listen to her. She really likes you."

"I like her too," Yu Heng said honestly. "Even though she has a bit of a temper, haha, she's a good kid at heart."

Qin Lu smiled, but then her expression turned a bit lonely. "Her... when she first dropped out last year, she spent every day hanging out with a bunch of kids who weren't in school. That's how her personality became like this. I saw it wasn't working and wanted her to repeat the year, but she absolutely refused, so I brought her here."

"Like Mencius' mother moving three times!" Yu Heng agreed. "But it really is lonely coming here; there are basically no children her age."

"This child actually takes after me." Having become quite familiar over the past few days, Qin Lu was a bit talkative today. "She has a soft personality. If she didn't act tough while hanging out with those kids, she would have been bullied."

"You have a soft personality?" Yu Heng raised an eyebrow. "You're so authoritative."

"That's an act," Qin Lu said with a smile. "I have to keep up appearances in front of the students."

"And now?" Yu Heng looked at her. "No need to act now?"

Qin Lu was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "I suppose it's after-work hours now."

"So what is Teacher Qin like after work?" Yu Heng leaned forward slightly.

Qin Lu felt a bit self-conscious under his gaze. "Just an ordinary person—eating, sleeping, taking care of my child."

"No other hobbies?"

"Like what?"

"Like shopping, watching movies, things like that," Yu Heng said casually.

Qin Lu was silent for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No, I don't have the peace of mind for that."

"Raising a child alone is quite exhausting," Yu Heng said understandingly. "But you should still have a life of your own."

Qin Lu glanced at him, her gaze somewhat complex. "You're right."

"It's about time; Qin Ya should be starting her stream soon," Yu Heng said, checking his phone. "Want to head over to my place together in a bit?"

"Okay," Qin Lu nodded. "She's been quite dedicated to it lately."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, mostly about Qin Ya's streaming.

Yu Heng realized that Qin Lu actually knew nothing about the streaming industry.

But for her daughter's sake, she was willing to learn about it and support her.

As a mother, she was actually quite responsible.

She wasn't as neglectful as Qin Ya had made her out to be.

Perhaps some irreconcilable conflict had occurred between her and her husband?

Bankruptcy? An affair?