196: Chapter 196 At worst, we can borrow some people from the organizers.

Time passed bit by bit, and the light outside the window shifted from bright to a warm yellow.

Lu Li put down his pen, leaned back against the sofa, and let out a long breath.

"It should be about done, right?"

Shen Qingxue lowered her head to look at the pages filled with revision marks, then raised her head.

"Yeah, it's basically settled."

Lu Li glanced at the time; it was past five.

"Shall we go eat first, or sit for a while longer?"

Shen Qingxue thought for a moment.

"Let's eat first. After we eat, we can go through it one more time when we get back, and then we can go straight into the recording studio to record it."

Lu Li nodded and stood up.

Shen Qingxue also stood up, tidied up the manuscript paper scattered on the coffee table, folded it neatly, and placed it next to the sofa cushion.

The two of them walked out of the room side by side and took the elevator downstairs.

The hotel's restaurant was on the second floor, with a somewhat Chinese-style decoration.

At this time, there weren't many people in the restaurant.

But this was also a good thing, at least they wouldn't be disturbed.

The two ordered a few dishes—not any exotic delicacies, just local home-style dishes.

While waiting for the food, Lu Li picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea for Shen Qingxue, and then poured one for himself.

Shen Qingxue picked up her cup and took a small sip.

"Actually... I was thinking about something just now."

Lu Li put down the teapot and looked up at her.

"What is it?"

"Now, besides preparing for the Semifinals, shouldn't we also start thinking about blue and white porcelain?"

She paused.

"Conditions are just right now. Do you think... if we record the accompaniment of blue and white porcelain with live instruments, the effect would jump up by several levels?"

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then thought about it carefully.

"That seems to be true. In that case, should the accompaniment for the song blue and white porcelain be entirely live-recorded?"

"However, we'll probably need to borrow some people from the organizer for this, right? I don't know how to play the guzheng or erhu or anything like that."

Shen Qingxue nodded.

"It's fine, I don't know either. We'll definitely need to borrow some people then, but once the organizer knows the quality of blue and white porcelain, they'll definitely be even more invested than us."

Lu Li nodded, and he thought so too.

Since they could present a better effect, they definitely had to go in that direction.

If they only used synthesizers, it would still lack a bit of soul.

Not long after, the dishes were served.

The two didn't continue chatting and ate quietly.

After finishing dinner, the two came out of the restaurant.

In late summer, the sky darkened very slowly, and a layer of faint orange-red afterglow still hung on the clouds in the west.

Lu Li stood on the steps at the hotel entrance, touched his slightly bulging belly, and sighed with satisfaction.

"The food here tastes pretty good."

Shen Qingxue stood beside him, holding her phone. She glanced at the time, then looked up at the trace of orange-red that had just appeared at the edge of the sky.

"It's still early. Do you want to... go out for a walk?"

Lu Li turned his head to look at her, somewhat surprised.

"Yo, how rare. You're taking the initiative to suggest a walk."

Shen Qingxue put away her phone, glanced at him sideways, and her tone was calm.

"Never mind then, pretend I didn't say anything."

"No, no, no, let's go, walk, it's just right to help digest the food."

Lu Li quickly changed his tune, took the lead before she could turn around, picked a direction at random, and walked forward first.

Watching his eager expression, the corners of Shen Qingxue's mouth twitched slightly, and then she followed him.

By the roadside, one or two food delivery riders occasionally rode past them on electric bikes, blasting extremely loud DJ music.

Lu Li walked with his hands in his pockets, his pace very slow, his gaze occasionally sweeping aimlessly over the shop signs along the roadside.

Shen Qingxue walked beside him, with a distance of about half an arm's length between them.

After walking for a few minutes, when passing by a small shop selling handmade candies, Shen Qingxue's footsteps paused slightly.

Lu Li noticed it, stopped as well, and glanced sideways at the shop.

The storefront wasn't big. In the glass cabinet at the entrance were several rows of simply packaged handmade candies: osmanthus-flavored, mint-flavored, and malt candy.

"Want to eat some?"

Lu Li asked casually.

Shen Qingxue withdrew her gaze and shook her head.

"No, just looking."

Lu Li didn't press further, nor did he continue walking forward. Instead, he stopped in place and glanced into the shop.

The owner was an old woman with gray hair, dozing off behind the counter.

He thought for a moment, then stepped inside.

Shen Qingxue was startled and instinctively followed.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Without looking back, Lu Li walked straight to the counter, bent down to look at the varieties of handmade candies, and then pointed at one of the boxes.

"Excuse me, Granny, please get me a box of this osmanthus-flavored one, and a box of that malt candy as well."

The old woman was startled awake and raised her head.

Seeing him, she was stunned for a moment, then smiled and stood up, nimbly taking two boxes of candies, packing them in a paper bag, and handing it over.

Lu Li took the paper bag, paid the money, turned around, walked back to the entrance, and shoved the paper bag into Shen Qingxue's hands.

"Here, hold this."

Shen Qingxue lowered her head to look at the paper bag in her hand, then looked up at him.

"I said I didn't want to eat any."

"I know, but you wanted to look at them."

Lu Li's tone was very casual, as if he were talking about the most normal thing in the world.

"You looked at that shop for several seconds just now, which means you were interested in it. Since you're interested, you might as well buy some to try. You won't lose out."

Shen Qingxue stared at him for two seconds, then lowered her head, her fingers gently pinching the edge of the paper bag.

She didn't say anything more, just put away the box of handmade candies, and then took steps to continue walking forward.

Lu Li followed, and the two continued walking slowly.

After walking for a stretch of road, Shen Qingxue suddenly spoke up.

"Lu Li."

"Hmm?"

"Are you usually like this with everyone?"

Lu Li was taken aback for a moment and turned to look at her.

"Like what?"

"Like... noticing what others are looking at and then buying it."

Shen Qingxue's tone was calm, but she asked very seriously.

Lu Li thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Not really, it depends on the person."

"Then what kind of person does it depend on?"

Lu Li stopped in his tracks, turned his head to look at her, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

"It depends on... people who are important to me."

After saying this, he felt a bit cheesy himself, so he quickly turned back, continued walking forward, and pretended not to care.

Shen Qingxue's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.

She didn't reply, but her walking pace was obviously a bit lighter than before.

The two walked along this road for about ten minutes. When passing by a stone bridge, Shen Qingxue stopped in the middle of the bridge.

The moat beneath the bridge gently rippled with the water waves under the setting sun, dyed in a golden hue.

A boat slowly sailed past.

Shen Qingxue leaned against the bridge railing, lowering her head to look at the reflection on the water surface, remaining quiet for quite a while.

Lu Li stood beside her without making a sound, just keeping her company as they stood there.

The evening breeze blew across the river surface, feeling very comfortable.