That Nameless Summer Chapter 64

Arashiyama

The morning fog in Arashiyama dissipates slowly, and there is still a thin layer of moisture floating in the bamboo forest. When you step on the stone road, the soles of your shoes are covered with cool moisture, and even the wind carries the bitter smell of bamboo leaves.Song Li walked in front, not too fast, but always half a step ahead of Ling Qingye. His hands were in the pockets of his windbreaker, and the brim of his hat was lowered slightly, revealing only a clean jawline.The matte ring on his ring finger swayed gently with his movements. It was inconspicuous, but like a fixed mark, it followed him wherever he went.

This trip had no purpose. It wasn’t a vacation or a break. It was more like Ling Qingye forcibly dragging him out of the training room, throwing him on the plane, landing in Kyoto, and taking a ride all the way to Arashiyama.Song Li kept complaining about delaying training, wasting time, and not being used to eating, but he still followed along obediently, without really losing his temper or turning around and leaving halfway.He has always been like this, his words are as tough as a rock, but his actions are always honest.

The bamboo forest is so long that you can’t see the end at a glance. The bamboo poles on both sides go straight up, and the leaf tips are staggered, cutting the sky into fine pieces of blue.Sunlight leaks through the gaps, casting mottled and swaying light and shadow on the ground. Occasionally, the wind blows and the bamboo leaves rustle, the sound is as light as breathing.There were not many pedestrians on the road, most of them were tourists taking a leisurely stroll. Their voices were kept low, and the entire mountain road seemed quiet and relaxing.

Song Li suddenly stopped and stood beside a stone step with a slightly wider view. He leaned forward and looked at the light and shadow deep in the bamboo forest.He did not speak, but squinted his eyes slightly, took out his fingertips from his pocket, raised his phone, pointed it at the layers of bamboo shadows and the translucent sky in front of him, adjusted the angle twice, and hung his fingertips on the shooting button, obviously wanting to take a clean landscape photo.

He looked very focused when taking pictures, with his brows slightly furrowed and his lips slightly pursed. He had restrained his usual impatient energy and looked extraordinarily calm.Ling Qingye stopped a few steps behind him, and did not come forward to disturb him. He just stood quietly, his eyes falling on his back, from the top of his hair to his shoulders, to the hands hanging by his side, looking at him bit by bit, as if collecting an uninterrupted moment.

Song Li didn’t pay attention to the eyes behind him at all. The picture on the screen was adjusted to a satisfactory angle, with even light and shadow, scattered bamboo branches, no extra people, and no messy color blocks. It was just the clean feeling he wanted.He exerted a little force on his fingertips and was about to press the shutter when a soft call suddenly came from behind him.

“Song Li.”

The sound was not high, just passing through the sound of wind and bamboo leaves, reaching his ears clearly.

Song Li paused and turned around subconsciously. The phone was still held in the air. There was a daze on his face that he had not recovered from. His brows were still slightly wrinkled, and he was a little unhappy at being interrupted: “What are you doing?”

The moment he finished speaking, he saw clearly that there was a camera in Ling Qingye’s hand.

It’s not a mobile phone, it’s a small mirrorless camera. The camera is pointed at him, and the body is stable without any shaking. It’s obvious that it has been raised long ago, just waiting for him to turn around.

Ling Qingye stood relaxed, but maintained the shooting posture, with his fingers on the shutter button, and a faint smile in his eyes, not obvious, but gentle enough.

He didn’t explain, didn’t pave the way, and didn’t say hello in advance. He just waited quietly for him to turn around, waiting for the most natural moment.

Song Li immediately realized what this man wanted to do.

Shoot him.

Take a so-called beautiful, natural and casual photo of him standing in the bamboo forest, surrounded by the sun and wind.

If it had been anyone else, Song Li would have walked away with a sullen face, or simply raised his hand to cover his face and told the other person in a bad tone not to take pictures.

But the other party was Ling Qingye, and he couldn’t curse or get rid of him. He could only feel the sudden feeling of being watched seriously for a moment, which made the tips of his ears slightly warm. He was embarrassed and annoyed, and felt awkward instantly.

He didn’t want to be photographed looking cute, gentle, or like a decoration at the mercy of others, and he didn’t want to leave a photo that looked docile and easy to bully.

He is Song Li.

She is tough-tongued and awkward. She doesn’t like to be sensational, and she doesn’t like to be regarded as a gentle protagonist.

It was almost an instinctive reaction. The moment Ling Qingye pressed the shutter with his fingertips and the lens vibrated slightly, the confusion on Song Li’s face instantly disappeared, replaced by his usual anger and impatience.

He didn’t hide, didn’t block, didn’t smile, and didn’t deliberately pose to look good. He just raised his chin slightly, looked at the camera with cold eyes, and at the same time acted very naturally and smoothly –

He pointed his middle finger straight at the camera.

His movements were crisp and unambiguous, and his expression was cold and fierce, with a bit of blatant provocation. It wasn’t fierce at all, but it was enough to be his style.

The shutter clicked softly.

That second was firmly frozen.

Ling Qingye didn’t stop pressing the shutter. He didn’t even feel surprised or frowned because of his outrageous posture. The slight smile in his eyes only deepened, as if he had known he would do this for a long time, as if he was waiting for this moment that belonged to Song Li.He slowly put down the camera, tapped his fingertips on the screen, and looked back at the photos he had just taken.

Song Li had already retracted his hand and put it back in his pocket. His face returned to its usual calm look, but there was still a little bit of redness on the tips of his ears that had not faded away.He turned his face away, no longer looking at Ling Qingye, and pretended to continue looking at the scenery. His tone was firm, with a bit of awkwardness about feeling guilty but trying to hold on afterward: “I took a picture of something, delete it.”

“Don’t delete it.” Ling Qingye was very direct, his tone was calm, and there was no room for negotiation. “It looks good.”

“Where does it look good?” Song Li immediately turned around and glared at him, “I gave you the middle finger, do you think it looks good? Do you have a problem with your aesthetics?”

“It’s you, you look good.” Ling Qingye looked at him with a magnanimous look. There was no joke or ridicule, he just stated a fact that he believed to be true. “Others take pictures like this, which is provocation. You take pictures like this, it’s Song Li.”

Song Li was speechless for a moment by his words. His throat moved. He wanted to refute, but couldn’t find the right words. He could only turn his face away again and took two steps up the stone steps. He pretended to look at the sky and the ground and looked at the bamboos, but not at Ling Qingye.The wind blew again, and the bamboo leaves fell on his shoulders. He raised his hand to brush them away, moving a little quickly, as if he was hiding something.

Ling Qingye stopped chasing and teasing him, and just slowly followed him, walked to him, stood side by side, and looked into the depths of the bamboo forest together.He held the camera casually in his hand and did not close the lens cap immediately. He obviously wanted to take more pictures, but he did not raise it rashly and just stayed with him quietly.

There was no unnecessary conversation between the two, but it was not awkward.Song Li was used to Ling Qingye’s silent and stable company. He didn’t have to deliberately find topics or force himself to be lively. Even if he didn’t say a word, he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

He looked down at his left hand. The ring on his ring finger was against his skin, slightly cold, but reassuring.

From the moment you put on that ring, many things have quietly taken shape. You don’t need to declare it verbally, but it is more real than any promise.

“The picture just now is not allowed to be shown to others.” Song Li suddenly spoke, his voice was a little low, it was still a command tone, but it was a little less aggressive and a little more embarrassed.

“Yeah.” Ling Qingye responded quickly, “Just show it to me.”

“They are not allowed to be washed out, kept in public photo albums, or set up as wallpapers.”

“It’s all up to you.”

“…Don’t laugh secretly.”

Ling Qingye glanced sideways at him and finally laughed softly, very low and soft, falling in the wind: “I’m not smiling.”

“You laughed.” Song Li insisted.

“I feel happy.” Ling Qingye corrected him.

Song Li was speechless again, so he could only hum and continue walking forward.The stone road gradually widens, and a small viewing platform appears in front of it. You can see the Japanese-style roofs at the bottom of the mountain, with gray tiles. There are undulating mountain shadows in the distance, and the sky is so clean that there is no cloud.He raised his phone again, wanting to take a shot of a distant view. As he adjusted the angle with his fingertips, he suddenly remembered something and asked without looking back, “When did you bring the camera? Why didn’t I see it?”

“I always have it in my bag.” Ling Qingye replied, “I didn’t want to take a photo because the light was good just now.”

“Are you specifically filming me to embarrass me?”

“It’s not an embarrassment.” Ling Qingye paused and said in a serious tone, “This is your truest self.”

Song Li paused with his fingertips and didn’t answer any more.It’s not that he doesn’t understand, it’s just that he’s not used to expressing such straightforward feelings, let alone accepting them calmly.Over the years, he has long been accustomed to wrapping himself in a hard shell, accustomed to speaking harshly, refuting, and blowing up, and hiding all his softness where others can’t see him. But in front of Ling Qingye, that shell would always become thinner unknowingly, and even reveal some flaws.

There was a local old couple on the observation deck, taking a small Shiba Inu for a leisurely walk. The puppy lay obediently at their feet, basking in the sunlight that filtered through the leaves.The old man also held an old-fashioned camera in his hand, and occasionally took two pictures of the old lady. The old lady smiled and waved, but she still stood still and cooperated, her movements gentle and natural.

Song Li leaned on the railing and looked at the scenery below the mountain. The screen of his mobile phone was on, but he had not pressed the shooting button.He suddenly felt that compared to the scenery, the moment when someone was holding the camera seriously and waiting for it, and was firmly remembered, seemed to be more worthy of being remembered.

Even if his posture is not gentle at all, not beautiful at all, even a little arrogant, a little needy, it is completely his, without any pretense.

Ling Qingye stood beside him. He didn’t mention taking pictures, nor did he raise the camera. He only occasionally raised his hand to gently brush the broken leaves that fell on his shoulders. His movements were slow, measured and clean, without unnecessary touches, but careful enough.Song Li noticed it and did not hide away or say thank you. He just relaxed his shoulders slightly and his whole body was no longer as tense as at the beginning.

The sun gradually rose, the fog completely dissipated, the light in the bamboo forest became bright and transparent, and the wind became warmer.There are a little more pedestrians on the road, and the sounds of voices, footsteps, and shutters are mixed together, but it is still not noisy. The tranquility of Lanshan seems to be engraved in the bones. No matter how many people come, it will not seem noisy.

Song Li finally took the landscape photo. The distant mountains, rooftops, and blue sky on the screen were clearly layered and clean, which was exactly the effect he wanted.He put away his phone with satisfaction, put it back in his pocket, turned around and walked back: “Let’s go, go ahead and see if there is anything to eat. I’m hungry.”

“Okay.” Ling Qingye followed him, still walking outside, holding the camera in his hand, occasionally looking down at the photo he just took on the screen –

The young man stood among the bamboo shadows, with the sun shining on his side face. His eyes were cold and drawn, and he pointed his middle finger straight at the camera. The ring was faintly visible on his fingertip. It was real, vivid, and unique. It was the most beautiful scene he had ever seen in his life.

The two of them walked slowly down the stone road and passed by a small tea house with a curtain hanging at the door that said matcha and wagashi in Japanese.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged woman, who was arranging bamboo baskets with her head down. When she saw them walking by, she raised her head with a gentle smile and said hello softly in simple English. Her eyes briefly glanced at the hands of the two of them, and then quickly looked away, polite and gentle.

When they reached the corner of the intersection, the old couple just happened to be walking this way. The old man saw the camera in Ling Qingye’s hand, looked at Song Li again, and suddenly smiled and said in less fluent English:

“Good photo, very real, very you.”

The photo must be beautiful, very real, and very much like you.