Chapter 117: I Will Always Be Here

The white rose petals under the glass dome were edged with gold dust, like snow kissed by moonlight.

Chen Mo suddenly reached out to brush away a stray strand of hair stuck to the back of her neck. "Whether the flowers wither or not, the person who gives them and the person who receives them will always remember what they looked like in full bloom."

The moment his fingertips brushed against her skin, Su Yuqing held her breath.

It seemed as though Chen Mo was talking about people.

People grow old, but two people who have spent their lives together can always remember the beautiful moments of their journey.

’A bouquet of preserved flowers would be a nice birthday gift for Yuanyuan, but I should probably sound him out first.’

Soon, Chen Mo took out his phone and started sending a message to Huang Mao.

He took his phone, snapped a photo of the preserved flowers in front of him, and a new message immediately appeared in his chat with Huang Mao—

[Old Mo]: Found a great birthday gift idea. What do you think? Want to buy a bouquet like this for Yuanyuan? Professional personal shopper services available. You can get it for just twice the price.

[Huang Mao]: I can’t believe I didn’t think of this. But we’re just classmates. Wouldn’t giving her this be a little inappropriate?

[Old Mo]: Really? Just classmates?

[Huang Mao]: What else would we be? I’ll keep this in mind. If I use this idea in the future, I’ll owe you one.

Su Yuqing saw him staring at his phone and smiling, and she tilted her head in confusion.

Seeing her expression, Chen Mo showed her the messages.

Seeing Huang Mao’s attempt to act aloof, Su Yuqing couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

’Anyone can see he’s interested in Zhao Yuanyuan, yet he still pretends they’re just classmates.’

’Still, watching them go back and forth like this is pretty amusing in its own way.’

Chen Mo didn’t press the issue.

At the same time, he also made a mental note of the preserved flowers.

’Maybe I can give a bouquet to a certain someone in the future.’

After they finished shopping there, Chen Mo felt it still wasn’t enough and decided to take Su Yuqing to browse the floor above.

"You’re not hungry yet, are you? Let’s go to the restaurant after we finish looking around upstairs. Since Huang Mao called us over so early, it’ll probably be at least another hour before we eat anyway," Chen Mo said with a smile.

Su Yuqing nodded and stayed by Chen Mo’s side.

As the two of them rode the escalator upstairs, Chen Mo suddenly took her hand and placed the hand cream he had just bought into her palm.

"You’re always working so much, which is tough on your hands. Use some hand cream to take care of them." Chen Mo smiled gently and said no more.

He left Su Yuqing clutching the hand cream, a warm feeling spreading through her chest.

Soon, the two of them arrived on the third floor.

The cheerful sound of an ocarina drifted from the third-floor workshop. Chen Mo looked at an ad on a promotional screen for "Couples’ DIY Ceramic Mugs" and raised an eyebrow. "This looks interesting. How about we go make one?"

"But we’re not..." Su Yuqing trailed off, biting her lip. Beside a pottery wheel, two couples snuggled close, their hands joined over a lump of clay.

"We can make one for Yuanyuan as a gift while we’re at it. Handmade gifts are more sincere."

Chen Mo paid no mind to Su Yuqing’s unfinished sentence and had already strode to a workbench. "Excuse me, two pottery wheels, please."

Soon, the two began their work under the owner’s guidance.

Just as Su Yuqing’s clay collapsed into a messy lump for the third time, Chen Mo, who had already finished shaping his piece, suddenly came up behind her. He reached around and covered her clay-stained hands with his own.

"Don’t let your wrists tremble. Keep your center steady." He pressed his palms against the backs of her hands, applying gentle pressure. The spinning clay gradually rose into a slender cup shape. "Who are you making this for? Me or Yuanyuan? If it’s for Yuanyuan, she always chews on the rim when she drinks, so you should make it a little thicker."

Chen Mo deliberately leaned close to Su Yuqing’s ear, the corners of his mouth lifting as he spoke.

Su Yuqing stared at their overlapping fingers. The cool slip of the clay and the warmth from his body intertwined, sending a strange tingle through her.

As the wheel spun, her own heartbeat thundered in her ears.

"For you," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

The spinning clay blossomed into an elegant curve beneath their hands, and Su Yuqing could clearly feel the muscles in Chen Mo’s forearms tensing slightly as he exerted pressure.

His chest was pressed against the nape of her neck. When he spoke, the vibration of his voice, mingled with the hum of the pottery wheel, tapped out a steady rhythm against her eardrum.

This moment reminded Su Yuqing of the iconic movie scene from *Ghost*, which she had once seen on the CCTV-6 movie channel.

The main characters’ fingers intertwined, the clay sliding slowly through their hands, an old-fashioned record player, dim and warm lighting, the gently spinning clay—all of it had transported the middle-school-aged Su Yuqing into a world of breathtaking romance.

That moment, back then, was just like... this moment, right now...

Looking at her and Chen Mo’s overlapping hands, Su Yuqing could feel her entire body flush with heat.

Even now, Su Yuqing could still recall the dialogue from that scene and the couple’s sensual, romantic pottery session.

"Close your eyes and feel the clay slide through your fingertips."

’She suddenly felt the process of making pottery was a lot like love: you had to be careful and nurturing, your breaths had to be in sync, your fingers intertwined... It was all so beautiful, so enchanting...’

"Tuck the rim in a little more." Chen Mo suddenly pressed his slip-covered thumb against the rim of the cup, the pad of his finger brushing intimately against the soft flesh between Su Yuqing’s thumb and forefinger as she was lost in her reverie. "Like this... yes..."

The intimate touch of their nearly-interlocked fingers jolted Su Yuqing from her dream. She suddenly noticed that the other people in the workshop were looking their way, all with fond, knowing smiles.

One moment she was lost in a beautiful romantic fantasy, the next she felt as if everyone could see right into her shy heart. She blushed and lowered her head, not daring to meet anyone’s gaze. Her fingertips trembled, and the freshly formed rim of the cup instantly warped to one side.

She scrambled to fix it, but in her flustered state, her hands trembled, and she accidentally applied too much force, ruining the piece they had just formed.

Grayish-white slip trickled down the edge of the workbench, splattering like muddy flowers on their shoes. Thankfully, they had put on plastic shoe covers and aprons beforehand, which kept them clean.

"It’s ruined!" Su Yuqing stared at the tragic-looking "masterpiece" on the floor, the tips of her ears so red they looked ready to bleed.

’I destroyed what Chen Mo and I made together.’ It felt symbolic, as if their love had been shattered. She was instantly filled with self-reproach and sadness.

Seeing the rims of her eyes turn red, Chen Mo suddenly chuckled. He scooped up a bit of the remaining clay and gently dabbed it on the tip of her nose. "That’s your punishment. It’s alright, let’s start over. Don’t panic, don’t be scared. No matter how many times you mess up, I’ll help you fix it."

The owner handed them a new lump of clay at just the right moment. Chen Mo took it, then gently took hold of Su Yuqing’s mud-speckled hand, his voice endlessly gentle. "Don’t be discouraged. We can do even better this time."

This time, he only held her wrist lightly, providing support and letting her shape the clay with her own hands as much as possible.

Chen Mo’s words, so full of indulgence they sounded like a heartfelt confession, instantly soothed the panic in Su Yuqing’s heart that had been caused by her overactive imagination.

Having learned from her first attempt, Su Yuqing took a few deep breaths to calm her racing thoughts. This time, with only a little help from Chen Mo, she quickly succeeded in shaping the clay.