186: Chapter 186 This kind of life doesn't seem so bad

The two of them sat and chatted for a bit longer, sorting out most of the subsequent arrangements.

By the time everything was more or less finalized, the light outside the window had already begun to slant westward.

Lu Li tilted his head and glanced out the window.

It should be about time.

He withdrew his gaze and glanced at Shen Qingxue beside him, who was looking down at her phone.

"Hey, we still have a bit of time right now. Do you want to go take a stroll around a classical garden now?"

Shen Qingxue raised her head, looked at him with some surprise, and then looked down at the time on her phone—it was pushing past four o'clock.

"Go now? Wouldn't it be too late?"

"Too late for what? Four-something is just right; the lighting is nice, and there are fewer people."

Lu Li had already stood up from his chair, hands in his pockets, and jerked his chin at her.

"Besides, didn't you say that coming to Suzhou without taking a stroll through a garden would mean you came for nothing?"

Shen Qingxue stared at him for two seconds, thought about it, then put her phone into her bag and stood up as well.

"Fine, then let's go take a look."

When the two of them came out from the competition venue, the sky outside was faintly beginning to shift toward an orange hue.

Lu Li stood on the steps by the roadside, took a deep breath, and then tilted his head to look at Shen Qingxue.

"The Humble Administrator's Garden or the Lingering Garden?"

Shen Qingxue thought for a moment, then spoke, "Let's go to the Lingering Garden. It's closer, and I heard the layout there is more exquisite and there are fewer people."

"Alright, then the Lingering Garden it is."

Lu Li nodded, raised a hand to hail a taxi, pulled open the door, and let Shen Qingxue get in first.

The car wove through the small alleys of Suzhou, the scenery outside the window slowly transitioning from modern architecture to old streets with blue bricks and dark tiles.

Shen Qingxue leaned against the seat, her gaze falling on the flashing white walls and flying eaves outside the window, finally relaxing for once.

Lu Li sat beside her without disturbing her.

He could sense that Shen Qingxue had indeed been tired these past few days; whether it was recording songs or dealing with various matters, she had been keeping herself tightly strung.

Now that she finally had a little time to catch her breath, letting her quietly look at the scenery for a while was also quite nice.

The taxi stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley.

The two got out of the car and walked along a path paved with bluestone slabs for about two minutes before seeing the entrance of the Lingering Garden.

This time slot happened to be the off-season, so there indeed weren't many tourists—just a scattered handful of people.

Furthermore, most of them were elderly folks, entirely made up of senior tour groups.

Lu Li bought two admission tickets, casually grabbed a tour guide pamphlet from the entrance, and then walked in side by side with Shen Qingxue.

As soon as they passed through the porch, the scenery before their eyes suddenly opened up.

Shen Qingxue's walking pace subconsciously slowed down.

She stopped in front of a stone railing by a pond, her gaze falling on the reflection in the pool, quietly watching for a moment.

Lu Li stood beside her, hands in his pockets, without rushing her, just quietly keeping her company like that.

After a while, Shen Qingxue turned her head to look at him.

"This place is wonderful."

Her voice was a bit lighter than usual, carrying a rare sense of relaxation.

"Without so many noises, without so many matters, it's just... quiet and peaceful."

Lu Li nodded.

"Yeah, that's why we have to take advantage of this break to come take a look. Otherwise, once the competition ends, who knows how busy we'll be again."

Shen Qingxue nodded without responding, then turned and slowly walked forward along the winding corridor by the pond.

Lu Li followed behind her, maintaining a distance of about two steps between the two of them.

Looking at Shen Qingxue's slightly swaying small hand, he really wanted to reach out and hold it, but alas, he still lacked the courage, so he could only give up on the idea.

Shen Qingxue walked very slowly, occasionally stopping in front of a certain window to turn her head and look at the scenery outside.

Lu Li wasn't anxious either; when she stopped, he stopped, and when she walked, he walked, his attention entirely focused on her.

"Actually... this place really feels quite different."

As they walked, Lu Li suddenly remarked casually.

"What's different?"

Shen Qingxue stopped in her tracks and looked at him curiously.

"It's just..."

Lu Li thought for a moment and made a gesturing motion.

"The pace in Shanghai is very fast, making it easy to feel breathless, but here in the old district of Suzhou, there's instead a leisurely feeling, very relaxed."

Shen Qingxue curved the corners of her mouth slightly and walked forward again.

The two walked leisurely along a long corridor by the water.

On one side of the corridor were half-open lattice windows, through which one could see the corners of the garden crafted with rockeries and landscapes.

When they walked to a pavilion by the water, Lu Li suddenly stopped and tilted his head to glance into the water.

"Look at these fish."

Shen Qingxue looked over following his gaze.

The water under the pavilion was very clear, and a few red koi fish were leisurely flicking their tails, swimming back and forth without vying or competing.

"What about them?"

"Do you feel..."

Lu Li thought for a moment.

"These fish live much more leisurely lives than we do. Swimming around without needing to think about anything, just eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating."

Shen Qingxue stood beside him, fell silent for two seconds, and then softly spoke.

"But fish only have a memory of seven seconds."

"Huh?"

"Every single second might be the first time they swim through this patch of water for them, so they will never feel tired of it."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Your explanation is quite interesting."

Shen Qingxue withdrew her gaze, looked at the koi in the water, her tone faint.

"Then what about you? Would you feel tired of it?"

Lu Li knew what she was asking.

She wasn't asking about the fish, nor was she asking about the water.

He thought about it and spoke the truth.

"Actually, it's a bit tiring, but I really don't feel tired of it, because a wonderful life is mixed with various emotions."

Shen Qingxue turned her head to look at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Aiya, how should I put it..."

Lu Li leaned against the pavilion pillar, thought for a moment, and continued speaking.

"It's just that I used to think lying flat and doing nothing was the most comfortable thing—lying in bed playing on my phone, having food and drink, and feeling that life was at its best."

"But... now I feel that being able to write and sing songs with you, filling every corner of life, doesn't seem half bad either."

After finishing, Lu Li couldn't help laughing first.

"Do you think I count as having swam for seven seconds too?"

Shen Qingxue didn't reply, but she didn't look away either.

She stood there, the light filtering through the leaves falling upon her shoulders, so beautiful it seemed as though she should naturally be part of the scenery in this garden.

After a moment, she finally spoke, her voice very soft.

"Since you won't get tired of it, then you can swim for a while longer."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then let out a low chuckle.

"Alright then, I've got this patch of water covered."

The two stood in the pavilion for a while longer.

Until the wind ruffled the water's surface and slanted the willow branches, they turned around and continued walking forward.