Chapter 48: The Appearance

Monica had spent carefree four days in Lake George.
The boundless sky, undulating fields stretching into the distance.
Sharp and layered mountains were hidden under a thick fog-like layer of clouds. The lake surface was as blue as a mirror, reflecting the warm sunlight overhead and sparkling with golden light.
Although she had seen similar scenery before, no matter where she was, being immersed in pure nature always brought a different kind of shock.
Before coming, she had prepared herself for the difficulty of shooting, even considering the possibility of being asked to continuously pose until satisfactory results were achieved.
But Lawrence was not like that.
He held the camera, always smiling as he followed behind her, never asking her to do anything, just quietly and quickly capturing moments from her journey, and selecting them one by one after settling down for the night.
Monica asked him why he didn't let her pose and instead chose to do it this way, resulting in so many wasted shots.
Lawrence thought for a moment, "When I was shooting animals in Africa, it was the same. Animals won't listen to your commands and let you photograph them obediently."
She was stunned for a moment and became angry, "You... you actually compare me to those wild animals?!"
As soon as the words came out, she realized her emotions were a bit off and quickly shut her mouth, turning her head to look at Lawrence, only to find him still smiling at her.
"Sorry, I got a bit carried away." She coughed lightly twice, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"No problem." Lawrence shook his head and smiled, "I'm actually glad to see you like this in front of me."
"While I was away, I could feel the distance between us. Your true nature is not like this, but in front of me, you've always been reserved." Lawrence looked at her seriously, "You can try to let your guard down with me, Monica."
She felt uneasy and averted her gaze, "Our relationship is so good, and why would I have my guard up against you?"
He shook his head again, "It's different. You have a bit of a temper, occasionally quite willful, and you also like to act cute and get angry. But you never show this side to outsiders, always making an effort to maintain a dignified appearance and never revealing your true emotions."
Lawrence stood up from the chair and reached out to support her shoulder, gently saying, "Monica, it's okay to be a little willful in front of me. I want to touch the real you."
Monica didn't know how to respond and pursed her lips.
Seeing her hesitation, Lawrence felt a little disappointed in his heart, but he didn't force her, gently rubbing her head.
"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Go back to your room quickly, goodnight."
Monica returned to her room with a lot on her mind. As soon as she opened the door, she was startled by rose petals falling on her head, causing her to jump back.
Lily leaned out of the room and said, "Hey, you're finally back? What were you talking about with the photographer, Lawrence, under the moonlight? We all saw it clearly from the balcony."
"Nothing, we just talked about photography."
Lisa, sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, teased intentionally, "Just talking about photography? I saw you two almost getting intimate."
Monica widened her eyes and exclaimed, "What are you talking about? How could I do something like that with Lawrence?"
"Oh?" Lily leaned closer to her, a hint of cunning in her eyes. "Then who would you do that with?"
Steven's face suddenly appeared in Monica's mind.
Those lingering kisses, hurried breaths, and the sound of wetness filled her thoughts like waves.
Monica's ears turned red and she pushed Lily away in a fluster, furrowing her brows, "Why are you all in my room?"
Upon hearing this, Lily snorted, "We had to surprise you, Monica. I can't believe you betrayed your friends!"
She was puzzled, "What betrayal?"
"Isn't this the evidence?" Lisa jumped off the bed and pointed inside the room.
"Take a look, sleep therapy incense, insect repellent, essential oils for fatigue relief, sunscreen, medicine for altitude sickness, a complete set of brand-name mountaineering equipment... There are even roses - which just showered over your head. What is all of this! You didn't have these when you first arrived, so where did they come from?"
Monica paused for a moment, "...The hotel sent them to me. They said it was a VIP room service. Don't you, have it?"
Lily rolled her eyes, "My dear friend, this is not a five-star hotel in Siena. Look at the surroundings, does it seem like a place that can provide such high-quality services?"
Saying that, she took a few steps back and picked up a mountaineering suit, "Just this windbreaker alone costs more than all of our room fees. Did the hotel really lose money to give you this?"
Lisa rummaged through the pile of things, tutting, and “This is too thoughtful. If I remember correctly, this fragrance is your favorite, right?"
"Stop talking and let's divide it. My insect repellent is almost used up, there are really too many bugs out here in the wild, and there's no shopping mall in the wilderness. You can't buy these things at all."
Monica looked at their searching actions, lowered her head slightly, and a rose petal slowly fell from her hair.
She picked it up, the vibrant red blooming on her fingertips.
Room service, roses.
Only him, it could only be him.
It was exactly the same as the night Steven had in F City, on a business trip.
She took out her phone, opened Facebook, and went to the conversation interface.
Stated four days ago, she told Steven that she was going to Lake George, and he replied indifferently, "Have fun."
He must be unhappy.
After all, they had agreed to play the game for a month, but she wasted over a week without any reason, deliberately not contacting him, trying to annoy him.
Unexpectedly, he still considered everything so thoughtfully. If it weren't for Mandy and Lily, she probably wouldn't have noticed that it was him.
Her palm tightened slowly, and the frame of her phone left a faint circle of red marks on her delicate fingers. He made her miss him, and he succeeded.
The next day, after playing and shooting for a day, they had a party in the evening. The campfire flickered as the firewood crackled and countless small sparks fell and extinguished silently on the cold ground.
A large group of tourists and local residents gathered around the bonfire, drinking, singing, and dancing in Tibetan costumes.
Lily and Mandy also got carried away playing. They came up with an idea and held hands to form a circle, chasing after Monica and trying to trap her, leading her to the center of the crowd.
Monica was originally sitting aside drinking, but when she saw them approaching aggressively, she ran away, and several girls chased after her, mingling their teasing voices with the noisy feast, making the atmosphere even livelier.
She ran left and right in the crowd of dancers, panting heavily. After taking a quick look at the chasing figures of the two people, she turned her head back and accidentally bumped into someone.
It was a tall man, with a faint woody scent on him, a very familiar fragrance.
"Sorry," she didn't react for a moment, didn't raise her head, and retreated a few steps unsteadily.
A pair of strong hands gently held her shoulders, stabilizing her swaying body, and then politely let go.
"It's okay."
The pleasant voice spread in the night, blurred by the noise from the nearby bonfire, with a faint sense of unreality.
Monica looked up in surprise, meeting a pair of familiar, deep eyes that were smiling at her.