Yang Qingyin didn't expect Luo Ziling to dare to put his arm around her shoulders when he pulled her in for a joint photo.

She instinctively wanted to struggle free, but the photo was already being taken.

Luo Ziling also felt embarrassed and quickly released her shoulders, then giggled and ran to grab his phone.

"Wow, it actually turned out quite nicely," Luo Ziling was stunned after seeing the automatically taken photo.

In the photo, the two were intimately embracing each other, with Yang Qingyin's slightly stunned and shy expression carrying an indescribable charm, even more splendid than a snap taken with a camera. His expression, silly with a hint of pride. The two of them looked like young teenagers experiencing the thrill and shyness of holding hands for the first time, with the boy excited and bashful, and the girl mixing shyness with surprise—both incredibly innocent and lively.

Yang Qingyin also ran over to see the photo, and she too was shocked by the vivid expressions of the two in the picture.

"I'm going to keep this photo forever," Luo Ziling hurriedly snatched the phone away, as if afraid Yang Qingyin would delete it, and prepared to put it in his pocket.

"Let me take a look?" Yang Qingyin asked, blushing slightly as she extended her hand towards Luo Ziling, "May I?"

Luo Ziling thought for a moment but then took the phone out and showed her the photo.

Yang Qingyin took the phone, zoomed in on the photo, and looked at it carefully for a while before a smile bloomed on her face, "It is indeed a great shot, send me a copy later."

Luo Ziling was instantly delighted and readily agreed, "No problem, I'll send it to you right now, the original file!"

With that said, he opened WeChat and sent the photo over.

The notification sound from WeChat was heard on Yang Qingyin's phone, but she didn't open it to look.

"Let's go, the Western-style Mansions area is just ahead," Yang Qingyin tucked her hair behind her forehead and smiled at Luo Ziling.

The two continued walking forward.

They quickly arrived at the Western-style Mansions area, coming upon the familiar ruins that the people of Huaxia knew so well.

"What a pity," Luo Ziling sighed upon seeing the actual scene, "I've watched 'The Burning of the Summer Palace,' such a beautiful garden to be destroyed by fire, it's really too tragic."

"The fire actually couldn't consume all of the buildings inside. But when a nation declines and cannot withstand the invasion of foreign enemies, no matter how beautiful a homeland is, there's nobody to defend it. After the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion, there were many who looted amidst the chaos, and ultimately, the Summer Palace was completely destroyed," Yang Qingyin's voice was also heavy, "However, history has seen many majestic buildings destroyed, mostly during wars. The Epang Palace of the Qin, Weiyang Palace of the Han, Daming Palace of the Tang—I think those buildings must have been even more beautiful and imposing than the Forbidden City, but it's a pity they were all destroyed in the wars."

Speaking of historical matters, Luo Ziling suddenly became interested and couldn't resist showing off his knowledge to Yang Qingyin, "Textbooks say it was a peasant uprising, but historical records call it a rebellion. I believe that whether it is an uprising or a rebellion, the damage to human society is immeasurable. Social turmoil brings enormous suffering to the people and sets society back many years. After major disruptions, the economy and population need decades or even centuries to recover to pre-disruption levels. Personally, I don't agree with today's mainstream belief that peasant uprisings promote social progress. I think they lead to societal decline. A large decline in population, economic collapse, and people living in misery."

"You seem to make some sense," Yang Qingyin nodded, "I also think that civil strife sometimes causes more destruction than invasions by foreign enemies, with the exception of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and Manchu Qing conquering the Central Plains."

"Exactly," Luo Ziling agreed with Yang Qingyin's view, "The An Lushan Rebellion caused much more damage to the Prosperous Tang than invasions by the Tujue. The occupation of Chang'an by the Tubo didn't bring as much loss as the An Lushan Rebellion. The turmoil caused by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong at the end of the Ming Dynasty was the primary reason for the collapse of the Ming, leading to the Huaxia falling into the hands of foreign tribes. Without these peasant uprisings, how could the Manchu Qing have possibly entered through the gates?"

"It sounds like we're history students discussing historical issues," Yang Qingyin tilted her head to look at Luo Ziling, "It seems you have a diverse education, and your insights are different from the ordinary."

"Senior Sister, I must say I'm a man of considerable learning, towering talent. Even my grandfather says I'm a well-read scholar, so you really shouldn't underestimate me!" Luo Ziling couldn't help but boast a little, "From now on, call me Talented Luo!"

Yang Qingyin laughed again, "Do all men like to brag?"

"Alright, I admit it," seeing Yang Qingyin ask him questions with those big eyes staring intently at him without blinking made Luo Ziling feel very comfortable. He didn't deny it, "I suppose men like to show off their best side in front of women. It's probably an instinct of male animals, aiming only to attract the attention of females."

"It seems you've studied biology too?" Curiosity sparkled in Yang Qingyin's eyes.

"I just like to talk nonsense, really. I haven't studied anything." As Luo Ziling spoke, he lowered his voice and mysteriously confided to Yang Qingyin, "Let me tell you a secret—I didn't even graduate from elementary school."

Yang Qingyin naturally thought that Luo Ziling was just joking, and she couldn't help but giggle, "You're not going to say you've never been to kindergarten either, are you?"

"That's actually true," Luo Ziling said, scratching his head embarrassingly, "I haven't attended a single day of school."

"You're too funny, junior," Yang Qingyin chuckled, her laughter making her shake like a branch in the breeze, "It looks like you're a self-taught genius, right?"

"You could really say that," Luo Ziling nodded earnestly once more.

Thinking that Luo Ziling was just playing with her, Yang Qingyin laughed even more joyfully, "It seems I need to look at you with newfound respect."

Luo Ziling knew Yang Qingyin didn't believe what he said and didn't elaborate further. After smiling, he urged her to continue their stroll.

Before, you could walk inside the Western-style Mansions area, and visitors could stand directly on the ruins, but now those relics are enclosed, and you can't go in anymore.

When Luo Ziling heard Yang Qingyin mention this, he felt quite regretful, "I wanted to take a photo with the remains of the Great Fountain!"

"I'll take a picture for you," Yang Qingyin offered, taking out her phone to take a photo of Luo Ziling.

"Let's take a photo together instead," after Yang Qingyin took his picture, Luo Ziling took out his own phone, and called over a guy who looked like a student and who glanced over at them from time to time, "Buddy, could you take a picture for us?"

"Sure," the man readily agreed and even complimented Luo Ziling and Yang Qingyin, "You two are really good-looking, are you movie stars? Can you give me an autograph later?"

"We're students, not actors," Luo Ziling quickly denied.

The man seemed not quite convinced and looked at them intently for a moment, but ultimately didn't ask for an autograph again.

"You two get a bit closer. Buddy, put your arm around your girlfriend's shoulder or waist. That's much more intimate," the man helping to take the photo, seeing that they were a little stiff and not very close, thought their relationship hadn't progressed to that stage and so enthusiastically tried to spur them on to get closer and more affectionate.

Both of them felt awkward, Yang Qingyin rarely blushed but didn't move away.

Luo Ziling also felt embarrassed, but likewise didn't explain anything to the man taking the photo; in the end, he steeled himself and wrapped his arm around Yang Qingyin's waist, pulling her into his embrace.

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