My Youth:Chapter 5

 　　I turned around in surprise and saw a young woman in her early twenties. She was tall, with large, bright eyes, a delicate nose, and cherry-like lips. Wearing a light blue T-shirt and jeans, she exuded youthful energy.

　　"Are you... the owner of that drink shop?" After racking my brain for a thousand pieces of information, I finally found something useful.
　　"I didn't expect you to remember me!" she smiled, then asked Xia Meng behind me, "You bought drinks this morning, didn't you?"
　　Xia Meng nodded, seemingly understanding, while I, on the other hand, understood. So those two drinks were from this young woman's shop. No wonder it felt familiar. But why would the owner be attending a photography exhibition instead of running a business?
　　Seeing our puzzled expressions, the woman smiled and said, "Let's go sit in the drink shop, it's on me."
　　We nodded in agreement.
　　The young woman's drink shop was tucked away in a small corner not far away, decorated in a retro style with a touch of artistic flair. The tables and chairs were made of an unidentified brown wood. Bouquets of pink lilies adorned the tables in porcelain vases. The floor was covered in brown tiles resembling wood, and sunlight streamed in perfectly, creating a classic and warm atmosphere in the shop.
　　A young woman brought us three cups of lemon tea. The lemon tea was sweet and sour, thoughtfully topped with ice, making it refreshing and cooling.
　　There weren't many customers in the shop at the time. She also brought us a lemon tea, and the three of us began to chat.
　　"You must be wondering why I'm not busy with the shop but at the photography exhibition, right?" she asked with a smile.
　　I thought for a moment, exchanged a glance with Xia Meng, and answered with some certainty, "Is it because your entry was selected?"
　　"Good eye!" she said. She then asked, "Can you guess which one it is?"
　　I answered uncertainly, "If I had to guess, is it 'Lonely'?" The image of that autumn work flashed before my eyes; the girl in it resembled me, yet there were some differences.
　　"Great! You guessed right!"
　　"I don't know why, but I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw the girl in that painting, I can't quite explain it myself," I said.
　　"Hehe, that's you!" She winked at me.
　　"I knew it. But I don't think I've ever been to that maple forest, have I?" I looked at her, then suddenly realized, "I didn't expect you to be so good at editing photos, you almost fooled me, the 'model'."
　　Xia Meng, standing beside me, also immediately understood and said, "Amazing. It's so realistic."
　　She smiled and said, "It seems you two also like photography, no wonder you're interested in the photography exhibition."
　　I smiled and didn't say anything. It turned out that on the rainy day, she had also happened to pass by the holly forest and took a picture of my back when I was in a bad mood. Although she changed some colors in post-processing, the thought that someone was with me on my sad afternoon made her smile even brighter.
　　"When you're feeling down, think about what you have now, and don't dwell too much on what you've lost. Besides, what you've lost never truly belonged to you. We don't need to regret or feel sorry for it. Just do your best at something, and regardless of whether you succeed or fail, at least you've given yourself a satisfactory answer. Isn't that right?"
　　The three of them smiled at each other.
　　"Okay, let's go see the photography exhibition. See you sometime." She waved to us.
　　"Of course," Xia Meng and I replied.
　　Stepping out of the shop, the sunlight shone on me; the summer morning sun is always warm and pleasant.