“Alright, alright,” Zhao Bin surrendered, took out his phone, and transferred 200 yuan to him on the spot. “Is that okay now?”

Only then did Lin Shiyu follow him into the studio.

The studio was quite air-conditioned, and several people were busy setting up equipment. Photography lights were turned on, and there were scattered wires and devices on the floor. Zhao Bin called out, “Xiao Ran, come over and do the makeup!”

Lin Shiyu asked in confusion, “I thought you were only shooting my mouth?”

“Let’s put on some light makeup; otherwise, the lighting won’t look good. Don’t worry; we’ll clean it off for you after the shoot.”

A girl came running over after Zhao Bin’s call. Xiao Ran was not tall and appeared to be a student herself, but she had makeup on her face and dressed in a more mature manner, making her look slightly older. Although she appeared to be around Lin Shiyu’s age, after a brief chat, he learned that she was only 17 years old. She had started working at the photography studio after graduating from high school because she was good at makeup and fashion styling.

Xiao Ran led Lin Shiyu to a makeup table and said, “You have good skin, so we’ll just do light makeup.”

Her voice was soft and didn’t quite match her bright and attractive appearance. Lin Shiyu glanced at her again, noticing that she was very thin, with wrist bones visible beneath her sleeves, showing a faint bluish-white hue.

Lin Shiyu didn’t think much of it. He had taken the money, so he let them do as they pleased. He observed the entire photography studio through the mirror on the makeup table and felt that it seemed quite professional. There were rows of clothes hanging in the corner, and it didn’t look like some shady operation.

After finishing the makeup, they began trying on clothes. Zhao Bin had measured Lin Shiyu’s height and weight and gave him a new set of shirt and jeans. Lin Shiyu went to the dressing room to change.

When he came out, Zhao Bin nodded in satisfaction and said, “I knew this brand of clothing would suit you.”

The outfit was slim-fitting, and the shirt accentuated Lin Shiyu’s slender shoulders and waistline, while the jeans made his legs appear long and lean, radiating a youthful sense of strength.

All the equipment was ready. Lin Shiyu walked up to the backdrop and asked, “What pose should I do?”

“You can unbutton one button,” Zhao Bin said as he adjusted the aperture and distance on his camera. “Just listen to me and relax. No need to look into the camera.”

The shutter clicked continuously, and Zhao Bin commented, “This is great; you don’t need to smile, it’s very suitable.”

“Your hand can be in your pocket.”

“Spread your legs slightly apart, that’s it.”

“Looks very good; you have great camera presence.”

Following his instructions, Lin Shiyu turned to the side and casually placed his hand in his pocket, thinking to himself that apparently, having no expression was also considered having camera presence.

“Excellent,” Zhao Bin put down the camera and looked at the photos, murmuring to himself. “Much more natural than I expected. I thought you’d be shy. Is this really your first time doing a photoshoot?”

Someone nearby chimed in. “It must be talent, right? Good-looking people always look good in photos.”

Zhao Bin continued to flip through the photos, his gaze fixating on one of them as he said softly, “Your mouth looks really good.”

Lin Shiyu didn’t catch that and asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” Zhao Bin looked up and smiled at him. “Let’s continue.”

….

“Zhong Qi.”

Zhong Qi lifted his head from the sheet music and looked at the girl sitting beside him. Her beautiful eyes were filled with curiosity.

Tao Chen said, “You’re daydreaming.”

“Yeah,” Zhong Qi didn’t deny it or explain, he simply lowered his head to adjust the strings on his guitar. “Sorry, can we practice that part again?”

Tao Chen placed her violin in its case and stretched lazily. “Let’s take a break. My shoulders are a bit sore.”

Zhong Qi then picked up his phone from the side, thought for a moment, and opened his conversation with Lin Shiyu.

Tao Chen, propping her chin with her hand, watched Zhong Qi as he typed on his phone. She glanced at his face and suddenly asked, “Zhong Qi, why don’t you talk much?”

“Its normal.”

Tao Chen smiled and said, “Oh, I thought you didn’t want to practice with me because you rarely talk to me or even look at me.”

Zhong Qi sent a message to Lin Shiyu that said, “When will you be done?” After waiting for a while without a reply, he put his phone aside and looked at Tao Chen.

Tao Chen raised an eyebrow and looked at him, then she continued, “Zhong Qi, why don’t you like to talk?”

“It’s just how I am.”

Tao Chen smiled faintly, “Oh, I thought you were avoiding me. Because you don’t talk to me much and rarely look at me.”

Zhong Qi smiled, a mischievous glint in the corner of his mouth. “Why are you looking at the sheet music? What are you doing?”

Lin Shiyu checked his phone when he had a moment and saw the message from Zhong Qi. 

He replied: [11 AM]

After having some water, they continued with the photoshoot.

For the entire morning, Lin Shiyu changed into over a dozen outfits, and eventually, everyone became a bit numb to it, no matter how Zhao Bin positioned him. Strangely, Zhao Bin seemed to enjoy Lin Shiyu’s impatient attitude. He acted as if the high school student in front of him, who was doing a photoshoot for the first time, was an international superstar. This made Lin Shiyu very uncomfortable.

After three hours, Lin Shiyu changed back into his regular clothes and prepared to leave. Zhao Bin still seemed like he wanted to take more photos and asked, “How about a couple more outfits?”

Lin Shiyu reached for his phone and replied, “Pay extra.”

“Hey, you little kid…”

“Forget it if you don’t want to pay extra.” Lin Shiyu withdrew his hand and put it in his pocket, then stretched his shoulders lazily and walked away.

Zhao Bin chased after him and asked, “Are you coming back tomorrow?”

As Lin Shiyu turned the corner of the corridor, he shouted back, “Yes.”

Once he stepped out of the photo studio, Lin Shiyu felt the heat, so he grabbed his collar and shook it. When he looked up, he saw Zhong Qi riding his bicycle to the side of the road, one foot resting on the curb.

Zhong Qi turned his head when he noticed Lin Shiyu. However, as Lin Shiyu approached, Zhong Qi’s gaze seemed to fixate on him.

Thinking that Zhong Qi was just passing by on his way home, Lin Shiyu walked up to him and asked, “Are you done with rehearsal? Why are you staring at me like that?”

Zhong Qi looked at Lin Shiyu’s face, and his gaze eventually settled on his lips. “The lipstick color looks nice.”

Lin Shiyu’s brain was slow to react, and only then did he remember that he still had makeup on his face.

He felt extremely regretful for forgetting to remove the makeup and exposing himself to Zhong Qi in this state. He instinctively lowered his head and used the back of his hand to hastily wipe his lips.

“Wait.” Zhong Qi quickly grabbed his wrist but couldn’t stop him from smearing the lipstick all over his mouth and chin. “Didn’t you know that wiping lipstick like this would make it smudge?”

He forgot.

After feeling around on his body for a while, Zhong Qi miraculously pulled out half a packet of tissue paper from his pants pocket. He took out a sheet of tissue and looked at Lin Shiyu with a subtle expression of disdain.

Lin Shiyu probably realized how terrible he looked at the moment. He reached out to take the tissue and said, “I’ll do it myself.”

Zhong Qi blocked his hand. “Don’t make a mess.”

He pulled Lin Shiyu closer, held his chin to prevent him from moving, and used the tissue to wipe off the lipstick stains from his face.

Lin Shiyu was not used to someone touching him like this, and his body instinctively wanted to move away. Zhong Qi held his face firmly, his voice carrying a warning tone. “Don’t move.”

Lin Shiyu couldn’t move, and his cheeks were puffed up by the strong grip of Zhong Qi’s hand. His lips pouted slightly, and his amber eyes stared at Zhong Qi with displeasure. His fists were clenched at his sides, and he stood rigidly on the roadside.

Zhong Qi wiped away the lipstick from Lin Shiyu’s face, then released him. Lin Shiyu immediately stepped back. Zhong Qi’s grip had been strong, and his face felt sore. The area around his mouth was now bright red, as if he hadn’t wiped the lipstick off at all.

Zhong Qi cleared his throat, took the guitar from his back, and handed it to Lin Shiyu. “Get on the bike.”

Lin Shiyu, still irritated, wiped the burning corner of his mouth and complained, “Did you do that on purpose?”

“No,” Zhong Qi replied flatly, facing away from him to steady the bike. “Hurry up.”

Lin Shiyu put the guitar on his back and moved to the rear seat, warning Zhong Qi, “Don’t suddenly accelerate–!”

Zhong Qi pushed the bike forward forcefully, and the bicycle shot out like a rocket. Lin Shiyu was immediately frightened and grabbed Zhong Qi’s waist to stabilize himself.

“Zhong Qi, are you crazy?”

“The wind is too loud; I can’t hear you.”

Amidst the cacophony of noise, their voices faded into the distance as the bicycle’s wheels spun, leaving behind scattered fragments of light and shadows.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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