“Why should I go with you?” Lu Xiaoxiao finally caught on, hugging the milk tea on the table and taking a sip.
She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs under the table, her eyes fixed intently on Lin Cheng sitting across from her.
Lin Cheng couldn’t shake the feeling that her gaze was utterly disdainful right now.
“Because… it’s boring,” Lin Cheng answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
That matter-of-fact, brazen tone stunned Lu Xiaoxiao for a moment. She tilted her head, looking at him with amusement. “Boring?”
“Yeah, you came out to play because you were bored on your own anyway. Wouldn’t two people be even more fun than one?”
“Where do you want to go?” Lu Xiaoxiao asked indifferently.
“Park, amusement park, library, zoo, botanical garden, science museum, youth palace, shopping mall, escape room, scripted murder mystery, cruising the streets, arts and crafts, DIY perfume, boxing gym, live-action CS, off-road racing, DIY barbecue, badminton, fishing, massage and ear cleaning, hot springs, private cinema—which one interests you?”
A string of options poured out of Lin Cheng’s mouth, leaving Lu Xiaoxiao dumbfounded for a full five seconds. “Where do you even get all these ideas?”
“Sigh, when you’re hanging out with a rich babe, you’ve got to sharpen your skills. Even a forty-year-old auntie has a young girl’s heart and wants to try the stuff kids these days are into.”
“None of them interest me.”
Lu Xiaoxiao eyed Lin Cheng playfully. He lifted his head, racking his brains for a good while. “How about I do a portrait shoot for you instead?”
“You know photography?”
“Super expert.”
A weird suspicion suddenly popped into Lu Xiaoxiao’s head. “You didn’t learn photography just to feed some creepy fetish, did you?”
“Heh, those women who think they can get a freebie by offering their bodies are all idiots. Wrong poses, zero vibe, princess attitudes—and working with someone reeking of cheap desperation would just tarnish my skills.”
A second later, Lin Cheng added, “I’m a pure romantic.”
His eyes looked especially innocent in that moment, which inexplicably pissed Lu Xiaoxiao off. Pure romantic? If you’re such a pure romantic… She took a deep breath. “Fine, show me what you’ve got.”
Lin Cheng pulled out his phone and showed her some portrait shots he’d taken before. Lu Xiaoxiao took the phone, and her expression gradually shifted. These photos were genuinely impressive—the play of light and shadow was masterful.
“Where should we shoot?” Lu Xiaoxiao tilted her head.
“Anywhere works, but somewhere open with nice scenery would be best. That outfit you’re in isn’t great for photos either; it lacks that artistic flair.”
“Is your idea of ‘artistic’ getting me to strip?”
“Not exactly… more like something sheer, a bit ethereal. Art isn’t sleazy; it’s refined.” Lin Cheng sounded utterly confident. Lu Xiaoxiao stood up, walked past him, and said coolly, “Come back to my place then.”
“So you’re a rich babe too,” Lin Cheng said from the passenger seat of Lu Xiaoxiao’s car, watching as she drove into a massive villa compound. They got out once she parked.
Lu Xiaoxiao led him into the grand villa and straight to a walk-in closet. She leaned against the doorframe. “All yours. Pick something for me.”
Lin Cheng rummaged through the piles of clothes and finally selected an off-the-shoulder, moon-white gauze dress. He handed it to her, and Lu Xiaoxiao went to change. When she emerged, Lin Cheng’s eyes traveled up and down her figure. It was her own dress, after all, so it fit her perfectly. The floor-length gown made her calves peek teasingly from the hem, and in this dress that bordered on evening wear, she seemed almost ethereal, distant.
Lu Xiaoxiao half-expected to see admiration or greed in his eyes, but Lin Cheng’s gaze was merely appraising. He picked up a pair of strappy high-heeled sandals. “Hmm, put these on.”
Lu Xiaoxiao sat in a chair, crossing her legs slightly, her toes swaying. “You’re putting them on me?”
“Thirty bucks.”
“Do it.”
Lin Cheng crouched down and carefully slipped the shoes onto her feet, wrapping the straps around her calves and tying them into neat little bows at the back. Once she was ready, he grabbed a camera from her house and wandered the villa with her, eventually stopping by a fountain. He plucked a rose from the garden and handed it to her.
“Lean against the fountain, tilt your body forward a bit, head back, eyes closed… Ugh, you’re hopeless.”
Lin Cheng had to step in and adjust her pose himself. Only after a while did he step back to snap photos seriously.
He’d picked up photography after retiring from whatever life he’d left behind. Some say every relationship teaches you lessons to avoid repeating mistakes—and yeah, there was truth to that. The girl who’d lived with him back then had taught Lin Cheng all sorts of ways to make a woman happy. It wasn’t about simping; he just wanted to see her smile.
He guided Lu Xiaoxiao through several more poses, then had her bite lightly on the rose cluster. Her eyes smoldered darkly, as if promising payback if the final shots sucked.
“Make your expression softer—or at least cool and aloof. Don’t look like I owe you millions.” Lin Cheng sighed helplessly. Once she nailed it, he clicked the shutter.
The whole shoot dragged on for an hour. Lu Xiaoxiao clutched the camera, poring over the photos and gradually losing herself in them, a smile tugging at her lips. Lin Cheng fanned himself in the shade under a tree. “Stop staring; I still have to edit them…”
“This lady doesn’t need any Photoshop.”
“Editing isn’t about fixing your face. It’s about tweaking tones, light, color, and mood in post to highlight the subject, create atmosphere, and enhance the vibe.” Lin Cheng explained patiently. Lu Xiaoxiao just went “Oh,” feeling oddly mocked in a field she knew nothing about.
They headed to her room, where Lin Cheng imported the photos onto his computer and fired up editing software. Lu Xiaoxiao sat nearby, still in the moon-white gauze dress, sipping steaming hot red tea like a princess enjoying afternoon tea.
Lin Cheng focused intently on editing while Lu Xiaoxiao, bored, lounged on the rocking chair behind him, looking utterly relaxed. He slaved away like a whipped dog.
He managed eight solid shots, and even as an editing pro, it took nearly an hour. When he turned around, Lu Xiaoxiao was on the verge of dozing off from boredom. Lin Cheng sighed. “Wake up.”
Lu Xiaoxiao slowly opened her eyes. Lin Cheng showed her his payment code. “One-twenty per photo, eight is nine-sixty. Plus thirty for the shoes—that’s nine-ninety. Let’s call it an even thousand.”
“Nope, just nine-ninety.” Lu Xiaoxiao huffed lightly, pulling out her phone to scan and pay. Lin Cheng stared at her. “One-twenty each is already a friends-and-family discount. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”
“I just gave you two grand the other day.”
“Oh? You can bring that up without blushing now?” Lin Cheng stared unblinkingly into her eyes. Lu Xiaoxiao froze for a second, her gaze flickering away instinctively, but she stubbornly met his stare again moments later.
One second, two, three. Lu Xiaoxiao bit her lip and lifted her chin slightly. “I told you… consider it a dog bite.”
“Got it.” Lin Cheng nodded. “Go check out the edits.”
Lu Xiaoxiao slid in front of the computer, scrutinizing the eight processed images. She had to admit, the edits made them leagues better than the raw shots she’d seen earlier.
They were genuinely stunning. Nine-ninety was a steal.
“Is it just you living in this huge place?” Lin Cheng asked casually.
“No, I live with my mom. She’s at work and won’t be back till later.”
“Oh. And your dad?”
Lu Xiaoxiao kept her eyes on the photos, replying flatly, “I don’t have a dad.”
“Hm?” Lin Cheng didn’t pry further, and Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t elaborate. She just kept cycling through the images.
Sure enough, most women had this inexplicable obsession with looking good in photos. They loved snapping shots to capture their lives.
Lin Cheng flopped onto the rocking chair she’d vacated, utterly drained from an hour of editing.
After a long while, Lu Xiaoxiao turned to him. “Can you shoot other styles?”
“I only do one shoot per girl. Unless it’s boudoir nudes—those are extra.”
“Drop dead.” Lu Xiaoxiao knew he’d say something like that.
After their bizarre run-ins, she’d figured him out. He seemed all jokes on the surface, but he was sly as hell underneath. And… insanely proud too.
“When’s your mom getting back?”
“Around four or five. Why?”
“I’ll head out before she does… avoid any awkwardness.”
Lu Xiaoxiao was about to agree when a wild idea struck her. She studied Lin Cheng seriously for several seconds, then blurted, “Hey, want to make some quick cash? Try this.”
“Shoot.”
“Pretend to be my boyfriend when Mom gets home.”
“You’re not old enough to be nagged about marriage.”
“No, I just want to piss her off.” Lu Xiaoxiao was blunt.
“That’s some next-level rebellion,” Lin Cheng couldn’t help teasing.
“Scared?”
“What do you mean by ‘piss her off,’ exactly?”
“Mom knows I hooked up with you as my boyfriend? She’ll flip.”
“Why?” Lin Cheng was puzzled.
“We’re worlds apart in status. She wants me to marry some suitable ability user from Alliance circles, have kids, the whole deal. She even tried setting me up with one—stuck him on my team. It’s annoying as hell. So seeing me with you? That’d be hilarious.”
“No, I mean… what’s in it for you to mess with her?”
“I hate her planning my entire life.” Lu Xiaoxiao’s voice was soft.
“So childish.” Lin Cheng chuckled.
Lu Xiaoxiao turned, locking eyes with him. “You wouldn’t get it.”
That’s just how edgy teens are, Lin Cheng thought, surrendering. “Fine, fine, I don’t get it.”
