What do you like?
On that evening, fireworks lit up the film and television city for at least two hours. Beneath a sky filled with fireworks, the crowd gathered around and took a group photo with Director Zuo Jingyou. They happily enjoyed a late-night snack together.
Taking advantage of the crowd, Zhang Yu quickly pulled Zuo Jingyou and Yin Bai together, positioning them with their backs to the fireworks. Holding a camera, Zhang Yu said, “Come on, BOSS, Teacher Zuo, I’ll take a photo of you two!”
Yin Bai had no objections and stood in the snow-covered ground, leaning on her cane. She smiled at the camera and said, “Make sure it looks good!”
Zhang Yu made an OK gesture and replied, “Trust me, I’ll take a great shot. I’m a professional!” Indeed, Zhang Yu’s photography skills were decent, which was why Yin Bai often took her on outings.
Yin Bai cleared her throat, adjusted her coat, and turned to look at Zuo Jingyou. “Is it okay, Teacher Zuo?”
Zuo Jingyou held a bouquet of flowers and nodded, saying, “Of course, it’s fine.”
The two of them stood together, with only a few centimeters of space between them, both looking at the camera. Against the backdrop of the fireworks and falling snowflakes, Zuo Jingyou held the flowers and leaned against Yin Bai, creating a captured moment of smiles.
Zhang Yu snapped several photos in quick succession and then called Yin Bai and Zuo Jingyou over to look at them. “How’s that? I captured some great shots!”
Yin Bai gave a cold snort and reluctantly replied, “It’s not bad.” Although she secretly thought Zhang Yu had captured them quite beautifully, she didn’t want to admit it. Because if she praised Zhang Yu, her ego might get even bigger.
Zuo Jingyou, looking at the radiant image of the two in the camera, gave a genuinely candid appraisal, “Very nice, you have a better sense of composition than some magazine photographers.”
Zhang Yu was quite pleased, saying, “I told you, I’m a pro.” After all, she had been into photography for over a decade!
Zuo Jingyou tilted her head back and looked at Yin Bai beside her, raising her eyebrows as she asked, “By the way, can I take photos with this bouquet?”
Yin Bai nodded, saying, “Of course, it’s yours now.”
Zuo Jingyou had Zhang Yu help her and stood back in front of the camera, taking another solo shot. After the photo, she said to Zhang Yu, “Could you please send the photos to my assistant later?”
Zhang Yu readily agreed with a “Sure.”
Everyone had a lively evening. The next day at noon, Yin Bai and Zuo Jingyou bid farewell and headed to the airport with Zhang Yu. On the way, Zhang Yu was browsing Weibo on Yin Bai’s side and happened to see a photo that Zuo Jingyou had posted last night. Apart from the group photo marking the end of the shoot, there was another separate Weibo post.
This Weibo post only had one photo attached, the same one Zhang Yu had taken of Zuo Jingyou yesterday.
Zhang Yu was ecstatic and nudged Yin Bai’s waist with her hand, saying, “Boss, Boss, Teacher Zuo used my photo!”
“Is that so?” Yin Bai leaned over and looked at Zhang Yu’s phone. On the screen, Zuo Jingyou was holding a bouquet of flowers, standing beneath the fireworks and amidst the falling snowflakes, with a smile on her face.
In the photo, even though Zuo Jingyou was wearing just a black down jacket and her hair was slightly disheveled, she had a uniquely captivating charm.
Yin Bai carefully examined the photo without any accompanying text, then beckoned to Zhang Yu, saying, “Give me your phone.”
Zhang Yu, puzzled, handed over her phone and asked, “What’s up, Boss?”
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Yin Bai took the phone, pressed the forward button, and entered a comment: “Amidst the newly cleared snow, under the full moon in the sky; below, a carpet of pure white, above, the shimmering silver. With a smile, you approach me; between moonlight and snow, you are a third kind of beauty.”
After writing this comment, she handed the phone back to Zhang Yu and said, “Forward it.”
Zhang Yu glanced at the comment, then gave Yin Bai a thumbs-up, saying, “Impressive, Boss, quite the wordsmith.” She immediately hit the forward button and also followed Zuo Jingyou’s Weibo account.
Yin Bai felt quite proud and said, “Indeed, I didn’t study for nothing!” Afterward, she thought for a moment and instructed Zhang Yu, “When you get back, develop all the photos you’ve taken these past few days in the usual size and hang them in the usual place. Oh, and also develop the photo of Zuo Jingyou from earlier.”
Zhang Yu, delighted, replied, “No problem, Boss.”
After a brief conversation, Yin Bai started to feel car sick, so Zhang Yu quickly suggested she rest and refrained from bothering her further.
By the time they arrived back in Haicheng, it was already past four in the afternoon. During the car ride home, Zhang Yu took out her phone to check Weibo and realized that Zuo Jingyou had sent her a message: “Zhang Yu?”
This excited Zhang Yu greatly, and she quickly replied, “Yes.”
Zuo Jingyou, possibly playing on her phone, replied quickly, “Did you write that comment?”
Zhang Yu didn’t dare to take credit and hurriedly explained, “No, it was Boss! She’s the cultured one, not me!”
Oh… cultured one…
On the other end of the phone, Zuo Jingyou carefully read the poem again and bit her fingertip. So… what does Yin Bai mean by this?
After a moment’s thought, Zuo Jingyou didn’t dwell on it further. She switched back to WeChat and sent Zhang Yu a message, “Are you almost home?”
Zhang Yu replied promptly, “We just got off the plane and are on our way home. Boss is feeling a bit car sick and resting her eyes. Does Teacher Zuo have something to tell her?”
Zuo Jingyou paused, surprised at how clever Zhang Yu was. After thinking for a while, she told Zhang Yu, “Nothing much, I just wanted to thank her, so I wanted to ask you what she likes. I’d like to get her a gift. Of course, can you keep this confidential?”
Seeing the word “confidential,” Zhang Yu couldn’t help but smile. She quickly typed her response, “Of course! In principle, I can’t reveal Boss’s preferences, but if it’s Teacher Zuo asking, then there’s no problem.”
After all, based on her observations during this period, Yin Bai really liked Zuo Jingyou. At least in Yin Bai’s categorization, Zuo Jingyou was now considered “one of us.”
Zhang Yu answered rapidly, “Regarding food, Boss doesn’t have any specific preferences, except that she dislikes onions and scallions. Oh, and she really loves Teacher Zuo’s cakes; she’s only had plenty of them before.”
“She usually enjoys reading books, all sorts of books, and she has a home library. However, she also likes it when others give her books, even if she already has that set of books. Receiving books always makes her very happy.”
“She has a habit of collecting things. She likes to buy watches, especially those glamorous, dazzling ones. She also enjoys collecting gold and gemstones, especially the ones with beautiful colors; those are her favorites. She has a habit of collecting brooches and ties as well because she’s quite tall and not particularly fond of wearing dresses.”
“She’s not particularly keen on buying cars or other luxury items; she doesn’t see the need for them…”
“Her favorite color is blue, like the sky, and she likes light shades as well. There was a period when she really liked green, but she’s not into it this year.”
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“Every month, she flies to theaters abroad to watch operas or musicals. She goes when she’s feeling down, and she also goes when she’s in a good mood.”
Zhang Yu rattled on, almost selling Yin Bai in great detail. Zuo Jingyou looked at this long string of descriptions and could only respond with a simple, “……”
She pursed her lips and took a while before replying, “Thank you.”
Zhang Yu replied quickly, “You’re welcome.”
After sending her message, Zhang Yu turned to look at Yin Bai, who was wearing a sleep mask and resting with her eyes closed beside her. She swiftly typed another line, “Because Boss doesn’t usually like to carry her phone, there are times when she uses mine. To avoid her discovering that I’ve spilled the beans, I’ll delete today’s chat history. Teacher Zuo, I suggest you do the same.”
“I hope this can remain our little secret, okay?”
Zuo Jingyou chuckled softly, “Alright, sure.” After replying to Zhang Yu, she deleted all their chat records.
Zhang Yu cleared the chat history and then turned to look at Yin Bai, who was leaning on the car chair, and sighed deeply.
Finally, their Boss had someone else to care about besides Xiao Nian! Although it was a different kind of concern, it came from the maternal care and affection of a friend! In the future, their Boss wouldn’t be a solitary figure who could only go out with her every day!
She hoped that Teacher Zuo’s care would become even stronger in the future!
After a long journey, in the evening, Yin Bai and Zhang Yu finally returned home. As was her custom when traveling, Yin Bai had brought gifts for her close subordinates.
Even the hardworking Gold and Jade team at the company, Yin Bai had instructed Xiang Qiu to send them a gift.
In addition to these gifts for her team, Yin Bai also brought souvenirs for her two little friends.
Tong Tong and Wen Wen were thrilled to hear that Yin Bai had gone to see the snow. On the day after receiving their gifts, the two little friends gathered around her, chattering away, asking if Yin Bai had gone skiing and if she had built snowmen.
Yin Bai replied that she hadn’t because she was afraid of the cold.
Wen Wen patted her chest and confidently said, “Then you should have gone with me; I’m not afraid of the cold at all! I could have helped you build a snowman!”
Yin Bai agreed wholeheartedly, “You’re right, so if you have time next year, shall we go together?”
Wen Wen jumped up in excitement, “Yay!”
Tong Tong was also thrilled and pulled on Yin Bai’s sleeve, saying, “Then count me in too! I can’t build snowmen, but I can warm your hands for you!”
“Wow!” Yin Bai held her hand over her heart, deeply moved. “Cuties, you’re warming my heart.”
Feeling quite touched, Yin Bai made a rather impulsive decision on the spot. That evening, she sent an invitation to Zuo Jingyou, “My dear friend, do you have any plans for the New Year? Are you going to spend it in Haicheng with your mother?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could I bring my two little friends and join you for skiing?”
“I sincerely hope we can have a wonderful winter together.”
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When Zuo Jingyou received Yin Bai’s email, she was surprised by her elaborate gesture. She remained silent for a while before replying to the email, “My dear friend, don’t you need to spend the New Year with your family?”
Seeing the email, Yin Bai switched to WeChat and replied directly to Zuo Jingyou, “I don’t have any family left. Both my parents and my grandmother have passed away, and I don’t have much contact with some distant relatives, so I’m a free agent.”
“If you’re concerned about the older folks not being able to move around easily, don’t worry about that. Because I also have mobility issues and can’t ski, but I’ve chosen a ski resort with hot springs. I’m sure it will be a fun trip for all of us!”
Her tone was enthusiastic, and she seemed very excited about the trip. Zuo Jingyou thought for a while before replying, “I’m actually quite willing to accept your invitation, but Tong Tong’s father had hoped to take her to the seaside during the winter vacation. So…”
When Yin Bai saw this response, she couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. After thinking for a moment, she said somewhat regretfully, “Well, that can’t be helped. Since it’s Tong Tong who wants to reunite with her father, I’ll make plans to meet you next year.”
She had given up rather quickly, which left Zuo Jingyou with mixed feelings. She pursed her lips, thought for a while, and then replied, “Actually, I don’t really want them to meet, so I might be able to talk to Tong Tong and see if she’s willing to go to the seaside with her dad or come skiing with us.”
Yin Bai’s eyes instantly lit up, and she cheered, “Yay!”
On the other end of the screen, Zuo Jingyou, upon seeing those word, seemed to feel that Yin Bai’s joy was contagious enough to make her want to jump up. Such emotional openness made her seem like a child.
But… a grown-up who acts like a child can also be quite endearing. Compared to her unfaithful ex-husband, Zuo Jingyou felt that accepting Yin Bai’s invitation would be a wiser choice.
