Song Qingchun's table was far away from Su Zhinian's table. That, combined with the jolly atmosphere of the party, allowed Song Qingchun to hide her uncomfortableness well.
After the party was over, the Student Council President opened a few tables in the mah-jongg room at the building's top floor.
Before they went upstairs, someone suggested they take a group picture for memory.
For his son's 100th day celebration, the president had employed a professional photographer. Since the equipment was all there, everyone abided by the suggestion. With the president leading, everyone was arranged into two rows, sorted by height.
Song Qingchun was of middle height among the group of women. but since she had selected a pair of ten-centimeter-tall heels that night, she had to stand in the back row.The person standing beside her was Song Cheng's friend. She knew him well enough that they managed to share a few in jokes. After a lot of complaining and joking, the group was finally positioned and ready.
After the photographer set up everything and had everyone settle down, the person beside Song Qingchun was suddenly pulled away and another person stood in his place.
Song Qingchun turned to look with a frown, and she realized with a start that it was Su Zhinian.
The man had not much of an expression as he stared ahead. He did not even look at her, but even so, Song Qingchun could feel her body freezing up. She instinctively moved deeper into the crowd, trying to get as far away from Su Zhinian as possible.
"Three, two…"
As the photographer finished the countdown, everyone said, "Cheese!"
Su Zhinian, who stood beside Song Qingchun, did not say a word but helplessly curved his lips up to a certain degree.Just as the photographer said "one", Su Zhinian was suddenly shoved from behind by an unknown person. He faltered and knocked into Song Qingchun. He was afraid that he would topple her over, so he extended his hands to grab her shoulder to steady her without thinking. Her body shook and then she raised her head to look into his eyes that just so happened to be looking down. Just as the two pairs of eyes met, the camera snapped.
After the picture session was over, everyone dispersed like a flock of doves. Song Qingchun recovered from her shock and quickly averted her eyes. She struggled loose from Su Zhinian's grasp on her shoulders and escaped in a hurry.
Due to the free flow of alcohol during the party, the atmosphere was relaxed while they were playing mah-jongg. There were occasional cheers throughout the room; the overall mood was celebratory.
Song Qingchun did not play in the beginning. She stood in the corner between Qin Yinan and Song Cheng's friend, watching them playing. When one of the female players had to get up to use the bathroom, Song Qingchun was called by her friend to join in. "Qingchun, I have to go attend to something, please play for me."
Without waiting for her answer, she pulled Song Qingchun toward her table beside the window. Then she sat her down on one of the empty seats.
"This round I'm the banker, and those are my chips. Here, the dice…" The friend explained in broad strokes as she pushed the dice into Song Qingchun's palm. She patted her on her shoulders, and before Song Qingchun could say anything, she ran away.
Song Qingchun looked at the dice in her hand and the players sharing the table. Her eyes eventually fell on the one person she had been most scared to meet for the past few days.
Su Zhinian.
