Chi Shuo felt her relationship with He Lindi seemed to be warming up again.
Okay, not ‘seemed,’ it was already on the path to warming up. But it was limited to WeChat chats; the two basically never saw each other in the office building.
However, their WeChat conversations were mostly about drawing. Besides that, there was nothing else, not even casual greetings. They always got straight to the point.
But Chi Shuo had asked about other things, like when He Lindi started learning to draw.
He Lindi: 【I got interested watching anime in middle school and taught myself.】
She added: 【My family doesn’t know.】
Chi Shuo grew curious again: 【Why does Xiang Qingya know?】
He Lindi: 【We met because of drawing.】
Chi Shuo: …
What else could she say?
But actually, their WeChat chats weren’t frequent either. Only after work each evening, when Chi Shuo opened her iPad, would the learning begin.
He Lindi was a qualified teacher. When resolving Chi Shuo’s doubts, she would even provide examples to help Chi Shuo understand better.
Therefore, after a week, while Chi Shuo’s drawing skills hadn’t improved by leaps and bounds, they were indeed noticeably better than before. The most direct feedback came from Zeng Guai, because Chi Shuo had drawn her again.
And it still wasn’t Chi Shuo’s initiative; Zeng Guai had sent her the photo herself. But this time was a bit different from before, because it was a full-body drawing, including scenery.
Zeng Guai was surprised when she saw the picture: “Shuo Shuo, when did you learn to draw full bodies?”
Chi Shuo raised an eyebrow and replied, “Guess.”
It was Monday again. In the company break room at noon, Chi Shuo showed her newly completed work to Zeng Guai.
Zeng Guai gave her a thumbs-up: “You should start taking commissions quickly, become a rich woman, then you can support me.”
Chi Shuo glanced sideways at her. “Dream on.” She said, “I’m saving my money to buy a place in Yunshang Garden.”
Zeng Guai paused, then smiled. “In twenty years?”
Chi Shuo pretended she was going to hit her, but stopped her hand mid-air. “Twenty years is fine too. At least it’s better than telling the security guard ‘next lifetime’ like I did before.”
Zeng Guai sighed then. “I really want to buy an apartment in Yunshang Garden too.” She said, “But the reality is, I can’t even afford to rent there. Rent is 5000 to 8000 yuan a month. Might as well kill me; even selling my flesh wouldn’t fetch 5000 yuan.”
Chi Shuo curved the corners of her lips. She thought of He Lindi, who owned three properties in Yunshang Garden.
Damn, a real rich woman.
But this wasn’t unexpected for Chi Shuo. After all, He Lindi’s car didn’t look cheap, and she had been into photography since she was young. It would be strange if her family background wasn’t good.
Zeng Guai probably thought of this too. She remarked with emotion, “Speaking of which, doesn’t Didi’s family live in Yunshang Garden?”
Mentioning He Lindi in front of Chi Shuo now didn’t cause as much worry. Before, just saying her name in front of Chi Shuo would visibly make her expression change rapidly—happy one second, somber the next, as if she had specifically learned face-changing.
Zeng Guai could confirm without hesitation that although she didn’t know what had happened between Chi Shuo and He Lindi back then, Chi Shuo definitely disliked He Lindi during those days, even though there must have been some misunderstanding.
Chi Shuo replied, “Yes.”
“Ai.”
Chi Shuo recalled, “How did the topic shift back to her?”
Zeng Guai widened her eyes, looking innocent. “Weren’t you the one who mentioned Yunshang Garden first? What’s wrong with making a connection?”
Chi Shuo was speechless. She stood up and went to get a cup of coffee.
It was already mid-December, and the weather in Yun Cheng was getting colder. Ever since that time she almost got chilblains from not wearing gloves, Chi Shuo would put her warm gloves in her bag every night when she got home and check again before leaving in the morning.
Tuesday afternoon, Chi Shuo was called into her supervisor’s office and assigned a new task.
Chi Shuo listened to the task, bewildered. “What?” She needed to confirm again. “Mr. Lin said our company needs a photographer, and wants me to go upstairs to learn from Xiyu’s excellent photographers?”
Chi Shuo still found it hard to believe. “Supervisor, doesn’t our company have quite a few photographers? We even brought some along for interviews before. Why does it have to be me?”
Hearing this, the supervisor’s face darkened. “If you’re told to learn, then learn. Keep your questions to yourself, or go ask Mr. Lin.”
Ask Mr. Lin… Chi Shuo certainly didn’t have the guts. The only reason she could directly express her doubts to the supervisor was that she was now the department’s outstanding employee representative, just hadn’t received the award at the annual meeting yet.
After all, her performance regarding the Xiang Qingya matter had been truly outstanding.
Hearing the supervisor’s non-negotiable tone, Chi Shuo lowered her head slightly and replied, “Understood.” She asked again, “Am I supposed to start learning today?”
“That’s right.” The supervisor looked at her. “Do you have a camera?”
Chi Shuo paused at this, then slowly nodded and replied, “…Yes.”
The mirrorless camera He Lindi had given her was still at her place, untouched for two or three months.
The supervisor waved his hand. “Then starting tomorrow, spend every afternoon learning at Xiyu. When Xiyu’s professional photographers think you’re shooting well enough, that’s when you’ve succeeded.”
Chi Shuo was still reeling from shock. She sighed countless times inwardly, but outwardly remained calm. “Okay.”
Back at her desk, Chi Shuo still felt somewhat dazed. She felt like she had completely become an odd-job worker at the company.
Called for interviews, called for negotiations, and now being trained as a photographer. Her original role was clearly just a junior clerk, just commuting on time and registering celebrity schedules every day.
But now she was being forced to become… a photographer?
Chi Shuo suddenly remembered what she had once said to He Lindi—the day she was assigned to make He Lindi happy, she had told He Lindi at the door, “I’m switching careers to become a photographer.”
What was this? She was the real prophet; Zeng Guai, that jinx, could step aside.
Chi Shuo’s mood grew heavy because of this. She swore she had just said it casually back then, with absolutely no intention of stealing He Lindi’s job.
But after calming down and thinking it over, Chi Shuo felt she was really overthinking things.
Her, steal someone’s job? Dream on. It would already be huge progress if she could just take photos that didn’t make people look vastly different from how they actually looked.
Fang Xiuxiu, seeing Chi Shuo sitting silently to the side, asked out of worry, “Shuo Shuo, did you get scolded?”
Chi Shuo snapped back, turned to look at her, and replied in an equally low voice, “Can’t you wish for something better?” She said, “Do I look like I got scolded?”
Fang Xiuxiu nodded. “You do.”
Chi Shuo covered her face with her hands, closed her eyes, her voice escaping through the gaps. “I’ve been assigned to learn photography.”
Fang Xiuxiu’s eyes lit up. “Isn’t that great? Seeing your expression, I thought you got criticized for slacking off at work.”
Chi Shuo: …
This matter couldn’t possibly be hidden from her two friends at the company. When it was time to leave work, Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai walked over and started their crosstalk routine again.
“Damn, Shuo Shuo, you’re going to be a photographer?”
“Oh my god, an artist and now a photographer, how are you so capable?”
“Doesn’t that mean the plan to buy a place in Yunshang Garden will be moved up, from twenty years later to ten years later?”
“So, did the company arrange for you to learn from someone specific? Or let you choose? Or can anyone be your teacher?”
“Then I wouldn’t recommend the bearded photographer. That bastard, he’s trying to hit on another pretty girl from our company again.”
Chi Shuo listened while packing her bag, her head starting to ache. She made a “pause” gesture. “You two, stop talking for a sec. It’s winter, even the birds have migrated, yet you two are still chirping away.”
Zeng Guai “hmphed.” “We’re just concerned about you.”
Xia Zhou spat, “Good intentions being repaid with ill will.”
Chi Shuo stood up. “Woof.”
“…” The two were instantly speechless. Sometimes Chi Shuo could be completely shameless.
Yue Ke recently started preparing for his final exams, so he and Xia Zhou weren’t as clingy. Most university students are busiest during finals, and it’s possible that while surrounding classmates are reviewing and preparing, you’re still just previewing the material.
Chi Shuo wore a down jacket again today, even adding a beret, giving her a more wintery look.
She didn’t run into He Lindi in the elevator today either. Chi Shuo couldn’t say if she felt disappointed or not, because she was thinking about the new task.
The supervisor hadn’t explicitly told her who to learn photography from at Xiyu, nor did he require her to stick to one teacher. This kind of situation tested one’s flexibility, and Chi Shuo was still a bit confused.
Chi Shuo had no idea which photographer to learn from. Xiyu had many excellent photographers; it was just that He Lindi was the most famous, due to her looks, fan bonus, and the fact that she hadn’t messed up a single time yet. Therefore, He Lindi gradually became Xiyu’s representative photographer.
Learning from He Lindi wasn’t out of the question either, especially since they had had one lesson before.
But Chi Shuo didn’t know how to bring it up. After He Lindi replied last week saying they’d go to Lu Cheng once Chi Shuo mastered photography, she hadn’t mentioned ‘learning’ again. Chi Shuo naturally assumed she had forgotten.
Otherwise, it had already been a week, and the arrangement for the next lesson hadn’t come out yet.
Thinking of these things, Chi Shuo lowered her eyelids again. If He Lindi had really forgotten, wouldn’t it be awkward for her to ask proactively?
Thus, after weighing things for a long time, Chi Shuo sent a message to Q Ge.
Q Ge replied: 【OK, teaching you photography is no problem, but there’s one condition.】
Chi Shuo: 【What condition?】
Q Ge: 【That is, buy me a cup of milk tea once a week, as the apprenticeship fee.】
Chi Shuo agreed readily: 【Okay.】
Q Ge wasn’t without fame in the industry, just slightly less than He Lindi. Although he was older than He Lindi, he hadn’t been using DSLRs as long as her.
Chi Shuo didn’t know exactly when He Lindi started getting into photography, but she subconsciously felt it must have been many years.
The next day, Chi Shuo specifically brought her equipment to work—the mirrorless camera He Lindi had given her.
She had charged it last night and even tried taking a picture of her room. Only after confirming the camera functions weren’t damaged after two or three months of disuse did she feel relieved.
Chi Shuo was tense all morning. After lunch, she even specifically went downstairs to buy Q Ge a hot bubble milk tea before heading upstairs.
The supervisor told Chi Shuo he had already informed the people at Xiyu; she just needed to tell the receptionist when she went up.
As soon as it struck two o’clock, under the watchful eyes of Xia Zhou and the others, Chi Shuo took determined steps out of Xinyue Company’s main door.
Carrying her camera bag on her shoulder and a milk tea bag in her hand, she arrived at the Xiyu reception desk with a solemn expression.
The air conditioning here was strong; wearing too much would be hot. So when Chi Shuo came up, she didn’t even wear her jacket, just a loose-looking round-neck sweater.
The receptionist girl saw her like this and smiled. “Shuo Shuo, are you heading into battle?”
Chi Shuo immediately snapped out of her tense state. Her voice already carried a hint of sexiness, and now she deliberately lowered it slightly. “I’d rather be heading into battle.”
The receptionist girl’s eyes curved. “Go on in.” She asked curiously, “Which photographer are you looking for?”
“Q Ge.”
“I thought you were looking for Teacher He.”
Chi Shuo paused. “Why would you think that?”
“Intuition.”
Chi Shuo waved her hand. Before going in, she said, “Intuition isn’t accurate.”
After entering, she didn’t disturb the friends she knew who were working, heading straight towards the photographers’ area.
Q Ge was sitting at his workstation, his right hand occasionally sliding and clicking the mouse.
He was editing photos. Photoshop was open on his computer, and he was adjusting a celebrity’s body proportions.
Chi Shuo didn’t recognize this celebrity and wasn’t interested. She handed over the milk tea bag. “Q Ge, I’m here.”
Q Ge didn’t turn his head, continuing to operate the mouse. “Just put it on the desk first.” He said, “Sit in He Lindi’s chair for a bit. She’s been out shooting these past two days, won’t be back until three or four.”
Chi Shuo shook her head. “No.” She said, “I should at least get her permission.”
Hearing this, Q Ge finally turned his head to glance at Chi Shuo. He chuckled. “Don’t you know it’s fine if it’s you?”
Chi Shuo was a bit bewildered. “Huh?”
Q Ge sighed deeply. “Teacher He specifically told us that if you come, just sit in her chair. No need to message her specifically to ask.”
Chi Shuo froze for two seconds, feeling dazed again. “Is that so…”
Q Ge took the milk tea, inserted the straw, took a deep drink, then tossed a notebook towards Chi Shuo, who had already sat down beside him. He said, “Take a look at the notes in here first yourself. It’s all gold; seeing it is earning it. I need to keep working; I still have about ten pictures to edit.” He sighed. “Too difficult. I shouldn’t have taken on this private job; the workload is too much.”
Private job? Doesn’t that mean this person isn’t in the entertainment circle?
No wonder Chi Shuo had no impression at all.
Chi Shuo took the notebook and nodded. “Okay.”
This notebook was a bit thick. If it were organized a bit better, it would practically be a book.
Chi Shuo’s back was very straight. She lowered her head slightly, looking at the contents inside.
Q Ge wasn’t wrong; seeing it was earning it. This notebook didn’t just contain text; it also had pictures pasted in as examples, and the explanations were very easy to understand. Chi Shuo flipped through it for a while, feeling like she could become a qualified photographer in the next second.
There was just one thing Chi Shuo found hard to understand. Only after Q Ge finished editing this batch of pictures did she ask Q Ge, who was resting, “Q Ge, is your handwriting this elegant?”
Q Ge looked up at her and chuckled again. “Haven’t you seen He Lindi’s handwriting?”
Chi Shuo: “…OK.”
Q Ge rubbed his brow. After a moment, he asked Chi Shuo, “Little Sister Chi, why did you want to learn photography from me?”
Chi Shuo said, “Q Ge, you’re great.”
“Hai.”
“Your decision almost cost me half my life.”
Chi Shuo was puzzled. “What?” She was even more confused. “Bro, it’s not that serious, right? I’m not some fierce beast; my photography skills are just a bit bad.”
Q Ge looked miserable. He opened his mouth to say, “You’re not a fierce beast, but He…”
He stopped himself there, coughed lightly, pretending nothing happened.
He Lindi stood to the side, DSLR slung over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “Q Ge, what are you talking about? So happy.”
Help me decide what to translate next by voting for the novels you’re most interested in reading or suggesting ones you’d like to see translated.
If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.
