𝙋𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝 ➝ Zhuo Zhi

01: Afternoon Strolls

The weather and atmosphere were undeniably better for an afternoon stroll today. The usual sea of people bumping into each other wasn't visible; loud vehicles rarely passed by, but that didn't make Jia Li feel lonely. In fact, she preferred these rare tranquil surroundings rather than the obnoxious people constantly chattering everywhere partnered with the vehicles squeezing past with immense speed and noise. Gentle breeze embraced her, softly blowing her long waves. Its whispers and the occasional shutters of a camera accompanied her afternoon stroll. It had been two hours since Jia Li had started walking, trying to find a perfect spot for her leisure. So far, she hadn't succeeded. All she had been doing was walk, pause, capture, then walk again — the cycle repeated itself.

School had ended a month ago, so Jia Li decided to spend her break trapped in her own world, which was photography. She was supposed to spend time with her family like the usual, but since her brother couldn't make it this time due to his necessary trainings, Jia Li took this as an opportunity to do her own thing as well.

It had been so long since she had a stroll like this. The past months, her focus was mainly on her studies, drowning herself to perfectly pass with straight A's. Although there were a few breaks in the middle of the school year, she didn't allow herself to be distracted, even if it's related to her hobby. Somehow, she had a detailed schedule on how to efficiently manage her time dividing photography and studies.

Now, if Jia Li's an amazing straight A student, her brother begged to differ. Despite being siblings, their characteristics were drastically opposite. Her one-year older brother was an amazing tennis player — incredible in acrobatics and sports but flunked in academics. He's an extrovert — easily made friends and possessed a goofy behavior, whereas Jia Li couldn't complete a full sentence when talking to someone outside of their family. But nonetheless, both siblings equally adored each other, apart from Jia Le being an overprotective brother in the worst scenarios.

Yes, Tang Jia Le was her older brother. The Tang Jia Le of Yu Qing's Golden Partners.

Because of their opposite characteristics, Jia Li was enrolled in a different school from her brother's — away from the spotlight of Jia Le's famous life. It did crush her brother when their parents informed them of having Jia Li attend a different school, but he eventually got used to it in time.

Due to being students at different schools — or more like rival schools, Jia Le was forced to pretend that he didn't have a sister. It hurt him to do that, but in all honesty, Jia Li preferred being left out in the shadows rather than being constantly bombarded by people who only befriended her to get close with Jia Le. She rarely introduced herself in school with their surname, or else she'd be dead meat. But so far, her high school life was still living in peace.

Her feet eventually led her to settle on a bench in a nearby park. Glancing around, she noticed that the park was deserted until she heard faint thumps from the far-left side. Curiosity won her over, and she cautiously headed towards the direction of the sound. Her left hand gripped the sling of the camera bag slung over her shoulder, whilst her other hand held her precious camera close to her chest.

A wide tennis court greeted her view. In awe, her brown orbs zeroed at a particular person who was hitting the tennis balls back and forth from the machine. She noticed how the person flawlessly performed different techniques with his racket. She wanted to capture a photo of him, but hesitated because she might get caught like a stalker. So secretly, she hid herself behind a bush and discreetly took several photos of him and his skills. Jia Li mentally scolded herself as she realized that she indeed seemed like a stalker now.

Not wanting to get caught, Jia Li immediately walked away even if she didn't want to. She dragged her feet until she reached a river where wooden planks stood as a pathway for a bridge. It wasn't honestly a perfect spot, but the fairy lights displayed on its upper rails caught her attention. Her eyes gleamed in delight upon seeing the decoration she completely adored. She settled herself on one of its edges; her feet dangling above the water and her arms resting on the rails in front of her. Giddily, she took photos of the sun setting until the sky became dark. Jia Li wanted to stay longer but knowing how her brother would go Hulk when he found out she wasn't home at 8:00 pm, she sighed heavily, promising to herself to return next time.

Upon reaching the end of the bridge, Jia Li accidentally bumped into someone, causing her to immediately shield her camera. She was engrossed in viewing the photos that she didn't notice someone walking to her direction.

"I-I'm sorry," her cheeks tainted with red as she stuttered from embarrassment. She kept her eyes down, not wanting to see who would scold her for not looking where she was going.

A soft chuckle caused Jia Li to look up. Her cheeks turned a darker shade of red upon realizing that the person in front of her was the same person she secretly took photos of earlier.

Without thinking, she unconsciously gasped in a whisper, "It's you!"

"Me?" his brows furrowed in confusion between his parted straight hair. "You know me?"

Realizing her mistake, Jia Li pursed her lips and diverted her eyes everywhere but him. "Um, I-I mean..don't know...I-"

He chuckled at how flustered she was, "It's okay, just be careful next time." He gave her a smile before walking away, leaving Jia Li to succumb in embarrassment.

Stupid, you must have looked like a complete fool. Good thing the photo shown in the camera screen was the sunset. Jia Li pressed her warm cheeks as she scurried her way back home, hoping for the redness to disappear and to never encounter that person again or she'd die from humiliating herself.

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Author's Note

Hello, so this is my first fanfiction uploaded here in Wattpad — courtesy of a relative who introduced me here. It's not the best one, but I'll try to write it better since it's my first time publishing my work. But I hope you guys like this first chapter! And I think it's already obvious who the male lead is ;)

'Till next time!

- r