A Young Woman's Heart

"Probably, I don't know where this is, it doesn't feel like China."

"It shouldn't be." Mo Xueyao had already seen some advertising signs with some kind of writing, but she couldn't tell if it was in English or something else.

They continued watching, filled with curiosity.

Interestingly, there isn't a single photo of the principal in the album, but upon closer inspection, he is actually everywhere—he's just always the one taking pictures with the camera.

Most of the previous photos are landscapes, some in China and some abroad.

Moreover, many of the photos were taken at dusk or night, or at dawn when the sky was just beginning to brighten; there wasn't even a single photo taken during the daytime.

People rarely appear in the photos, and when they do, they are usually just insignificant background figures.

Most of the time, they were photographing landscapes.

It's clear that his camera is very good; even at night, it can take very clear pictures.

As you flip further down the page, some unusual things start to appear.

“There’s a year written next to this photo…” Mo Xueyao said, pointing to the first photo on another page. “Yinyin, look.”

"I see her... Hmm, she's a bit far away. Does she look like a little girl? Uh... a little boy? I can't tell the gender."

The photo was taken under an overpass or highway, with a few streetlights dotting the dark road. In the area not covered by the bridge, it appears to be raining heavily.

The subject of the photo is in the distance, wearing a baseball cap and dragging a suitcase almost the same size as herself. Although her expression is not visible, one can sense her confusion and helplessness.

Even here, it feels similar to the other photos; the passerby in the picture is just part of the background.

It's just that the number next to it makes it stand out.

——"1985".

A number that is neither too far nor too close to Mo Xueyao and the others.

At that time, she and Hua Yinyin were only a few days old.

The next photo showed a group of people driving by in an old-fashioned car.

Moreover, these cars weren't cheap; even after many years, you could still feel their expensive aura.

Then, the cars stopped beside the girl, and a large group of young people dressed in a hip-hop style surrounded her.

There don't seem to be any more photos that follow in a continuous sequence.

These photos are quite large, basically three or four on each side. After looking at this side, Mo Xueyao couldn't wait to look at the other side, as if she were looking at a picture book with a mystery element.

But what actually happened is not shown in the photo.

Because afterwards, the scene changed drastically, from under the overpass to a small apartment with a strong 1980s style.

On the wire bed in the picture, the girl is lying quietly. Her baseball cap has been taken off, and her short hair, which is about the length of her ears, looks a little messy.

There was a towel on her forehead, and she looked like she had a fever.

"Wow, this must be Teacher Su when she was only twelve or thirteen years old, right?"

"Really?" Mo Xueyao looked at it more closely. Because of the dim lighting, the face appeared somewhat blurry, but upon closer inspection, some features could still be discerned. "It seems to really be her?"

"Definitely, look at the later parts."

The next photo is a close-up, showing only one face – the sleeping girl's face.

At this point, it can be confirmed that this must be Teacher Su without a doubt.

"Wow—did the principal save the damsel in distress and then take Teacher Su home?" With her rich imagination, Hua Yinyin probably already had a hundred-episode TV series in her mind at this moment.

"But why is Teacher Su out alone?"

"Perhaps they came out to find work?"

"That can't be...isn't she from some family business?"

"Maybe it's a member of a collateral branch? Or maybe they ran away from home?"

"Hmm..." Mo Xueyao pinched her chin. Just looking at the photo, she really couldn't deduce anything.

Scrolling further down, you'll find that there are more photos of Su Yuqing, a teacher from the medical department.

The following pages were mostly taken inside the cabin.

There was Su Yuqing asleep on the table, someone with the TV on but looking out the window, and someone sitting in front of the electric heater looking completely relaxed...

One of the photos is one she took herself with the camera, her eyes wide open, looking somewhat surprised.

This wasn't the surprise of never having seen a camera before, but the surprise of others having such expensive cameras.

It's probably like the feeling of a multi-millionaire seeing a beggar pull out hundreds of thousands from his pocket.

This small room contains a washroom and a kitchen, and the black-and-white television with its protruding screen seems to be photographed quite often.

In several photos, the round-headed alarm clock on the table has the hour and minute hands in the same position, seemingly broken, but it's still there and hasn't been thrown away.

The floor was painted green, and part of the walls were also painted green. This color feels a bit strange in the house.

Mo Xueyao thought this was not as nice as the red paint she used at home.

Most of the time, Su Yuqing is photographed from behind or from the side; there are very few photos of her from the front.

"Wow, I feel like we're digging into the love story of Principal and Teacher Su!" Hua Yinyin exclaimed excitedly. "We definitely came to the right place, we've found something great!"

"Keep your voice down, don't attract other people." Mo Xueyao was startled by her suddenly raised voice. She walked to the door to check, and after confirming that no one was in the corridor, she carefully closed the door before continuing to watch with Hua Yinyin.

"Look, Yao Yao, this looks like the principal took this picture without permission and got caught."

"Pfft, what do you mean by 'secretly filming'? That sounds weird."

"But look, Teacher Su seems a little shy, she's covering her face."

"Tsk tsk... It really is a love story..."

Actually, there are many more photos that are just scenery, but after having a character, Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin basically only look at the photos that feature Teacher Su.

Although there aren't many photos on each page, the album is thick enough to keep the reader entertained.

"Ah, we've finally gone to buy clothes here, Xiao Yaoyao. Look, Teacher Su's clothes have changed. Before, she just wore the same two sets over and over."

“That’s true. I feel like we’re detectives right now, looking for all sorts of little details.”

“Finding these details is quite interesting~” Hua Yinyin hummed an unknown tune. “From this perspective, Teacher Su should be walking in front of the principal, not more than a few steps away.”

“This photo is blurry,” Mo Xueyao said, pointing to the photo below, which showed Su Yuqing running away and then turning back to wave.

"Yes, it does, but once it's blurred, the halo is stretched out, which actually makes it feel more artistic."

The later the photos are, the closer they are to the present, and the more vibrant the colors become.

Firstly, it's due to technological advancements; secondly, it's due to less aging; and thirdly... it's because Mo Kong started taking daytime photos.

During the day, the colors will naturally be more vibrant, but at night, no matter how you take the picture, it will always feel somewhat black and white.

—After all, the lighting was insufficient.

There are also various photos of Teacher Su taking buses, trains, and bicycles.

After flipping through most of them, there were finally no more photos. The latest one must be from recent years. It shows Teacher Su half-squatting in front of the tombstone, just as she put down a bouquet of flowers.

"Phew, it seems there really aren't any more." Hua Yinyin flipped through the pages again, unwilling to give up. "Looks like the principal is planning to keep stuffing photos in here."

"Phew, I've finished looking at it. Put it away quickly. This should be a very precious memento for the principal. Don't damage it."

"Yes, of course. But looking at all this, I've noticed that Teacher Su hasn't aged much at all. She's still so young," Hua Yinyin said, resting her chin on her hand. "I wish I could stay young forever."

"You need to have the money to maintain it, right?" Mo Xueyao muttered, closing the photo album and stuffing it back into the bookshelf, urging, "Alright, alright, hurry up and get out of here."

"What's the rush? We haven't seen the others yet!"

"..." Before Mo Xueyao could even come up with a reason, she suddenly pointed out the window in surprise, "That's the principal's car, isn't it?!"

"Eh—? It really is…!" Hua Yinyin finally couldn't stay calm anymore. She hurriedly stood up, grabbed Mo Xueyao's wrist, and ran out of the office.

"Wait, lock the door, lock the door. The door was locked just now." Mo Xueyao glanced back to make sure the office was the same as before before leaving.

"I'll go in again and check if there's anything wrong," Hua Yinyin said cautiously.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Mo Xueyao said nervously.

After Hua Yinyin was finally sure that she had returned to her previous state, the two of them finally locked the wooden door to the office.

When the two of them reached the third floor, they suddenly heard footsteps coming from downstairs.

“Over here, over here—” Hua Yinyin dragged Mo Xueyao into the women’s restroom next door.

Even if the two of them see the principal now, they don't need to panic, since this set of keys can also open the Flower Silver Club.

But at this moment, not to mention Mo Xueyao, even the seemingly bold Hua Yinyin was very guilty and just wanted to hide. How could she dare to meet the other party head-on? It would be bad if she were exposed.

The two of them waited until the footsteps faded into the distance before they breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Xueyao glanced at Hua Yinyin sideways: "So, what did you want to do when you first came to the school?"

……

Chapter 89 Hua Yinyin, who came out to take pictures

"Originally... I just wanted to come out and take pictures, because I wanted to paint a campus without anyone." Although she had never been to the toilet before, Hua Yinyin still washed her hands in front of the sink. Washing her hands before entering the toilet had become a habit for her.

Mo Xueyao glanced at the backpack on her back: "Are all your drawing supplies in your backpack?"

"Of course! If inspiration strikes, I can paint right here!"

"Where are you going to paint in this hot weather...?" Mo Xueyao wiped the sweat from her forehead and stuck out her tongue as she spoke.

"What's the view like from my club room?"

"Not very good... Doesn't your club only have one electric fan?"

"It's better than nothing, right?" Hua Yinyin took Mo Xueyao's arm again. "Come on, let's go for a walk on the playground first."

"Don't hug me, it's so hot..." Mo Xueyao stuck out her tongue and mumbled weakly.

"I heard it's going to rain today, so it might cool down later."

"If you're going to get off, hurry up..." As soon as she stepped out of the teaching building, Mo Xueyao hid under the parasol that Hua Yinyin had set up. "Walking outside in this heat, you really are something."