The sun was setting, and the sky was a brilliant orange. The tide kept ebbing, only to surge back in again and again.
Lu Huainan held the camera in his hands, aiming the lens at Ji Zhaoxi not far away.
Ji Zhaoxi stepped through the splashing waves and casually brushed back the hair the wind had blown across her face. She smiled at the camera. “Is this okay?”
Even when they came out to have fun, she still had to take promotional photos!
Lu Huainan stared blankly at the Ji Zhaoxi in his viewfinder, his grip tightening around the camera.
Through the viewfinder, he watched her face the camera, her eyes filled with tiny sparks of laughter. He knew she was smiling at the camera, but…
Lu Huainan’s face quickly turned red, making him look utterly flustered.
“Yeah…”
He answered and pressed the shutter several times in succession.
“Let me see how they turned out.” Seeing how nervous Lu Huainan looked, Ji Zhaoxi had some doubts about his skills.
If Lu Huainan had made her look ugly, she would take some ugly photos of him later too.
Lu Huainan lifted his head slightly so she could check the photos on the camera. She leaned in for quite a while, her breath brushing against him, and Lu Huainan’s ears turned bright red.
He mechanically pressed the playback button, his fingertip stiffly scrolling through the pictures. After taking a deep breath, he asked in a slightly trembling voice, “Are they okay?”
Looking at the photos on the camera, Ji Zhaoxi was a little surprised. “You’re actually pretty good. Then why did you look so nervous just now?”
When Ji Zhaoxi took the camera from him, their hands accidentally touched, and Lu Huainan froze from head to toe.
He lowered his hand and unconsciously rubbed it, then turned his face away and said stiffly, “I’m not that good. You’re the one who’s pretty, so… that’s why the pictures turned out well.”
Ji Zhaoxi stared at him in shock. Lu Huainan actually knew how to compliment people? Had the sun risen in the west?
Lu Huainan did everything he could to avoid her gaze, looking left and right but never at her.
But Ji Zhaoxi continued to stare at him seriously. Was this really Lu Huainan? Had someone switched him out?
Under her scrutiny, Lu Huainan’s face and neck turned completely red. Gathering his courage, he looked at her. “What was wrong with what I just said? You’re pretty, so that’s why I was able to take good pictures.”
Ji Zhaoxi stared at his utterly self-assured expression, momentarily unable to react. She coughed. “Oh.”
Seeing her reaction, Lu Huainan froze. Had there been something wrong with the way he expressed himself again? But he had already told her what he truly thought.
“I’m telling the truth. You really are pretty.” Lu Huainan sounded anxious as he looked at her earnestly.
He had no idea what he had said wrong this time.
The people passing by smiled as they looked at the two of them. Ji Zhaoxi’s ears turned a little red, and she said awkwardly, “I know. I never said you were lying.”
Lu Huainan stole a glance at her. Seeing that she wasn’t angry, he hurried to follow behind her.
The two of them walked one in front of the other. Not far away, the Golden Retriever waited for them impatiently.
At this rate, they were walking so slowly the poor dog was going to starve to death!
Using taking pictures as an excuse, Lu Huainan moved to stand beside her. In a small voice, he asked, “Should I take a few candid shots of you now? You look really pretty right now, too.”
Before Ji Zhaoxi could answer, he was already preparing to lie down on the beach to photograph her. Ji Zhaoxi quickly pulled him back up.
Lu Huainan looked at her in confusion. “We haven’t filled the nine-photo grid yet.”
Ji Zhaoxi’s face turned unbearably red. She whispered, “You don’t have to go that far. Everyone’s looking at us.”
The other photographer had lain on the ground to take pictures, so Lu Huainan had copied him. When the photographer climbed onto a tree to take pictures, Lu Huainan had wanted to copy that too.
The photographer had glared at him several times already, but Lu Huainan hadn’t noticed at all.
Lu Huainan was about to say something when the Golden Retriever wagged its drooping tail and barked impatiently at them a few times.
“Woof, woof, woof!”
Ji Zhaoxi patted the dog on the head. “Time to feed the pig.”
Lu Huainan copied her and patted the dog’s head too, only to nearly trip over the Stinky Dog.
Once they arrived at the restaurant, Lu Huainan got back to work. It was as if he had suddenly fallen in love with this job.
The Stinky Dog ate with perfect manners, completely unlike the way it devoured food at home. A server even complimented it, making its tail wag happily.
Ji Zhaoxi ate while enjoying the breeze. She looked at Lu Huainan outside the wooden railing, hesitating to speak.
Wasn’t he hungry? He had been taking pictures for so long…
“Lu Huainan, eat first before you keep taking pictures.” Ji Zhaoxi looked over at him.
Lu Huainan wore a serious expression. “This angle is especially beautiful.”
Ji Zhaoxi paused, then gazed gloomily toward the sea. Several shutter clicks came from Lu Huainan’s direction.
Ji Zhaoxi glanced at him hesitantly. He should be finished now, right? She tried again. “This is really delicious. Come and try some.”
Lu Huainan stared at the Ji Zhaoxi in his viewfinder and froze for a moment.
“Excellent!”
The next second, he began taking cool, rapid-fire shots of Ji Zhaoxi again.
Ji Zhaoxi: …
What was so excellent about it? Lu Huainan was copying that photographer again.
Lu Huainan looked at Ji Zhaoxi with a solemn expression. He usually only wore that expression when he was conducting experiments.
“You should keep eating. You haven’t eaten all afternoon.”
Ji Zhaoxi had no choice but to continue eating. Every time the server brought out a dish, they did it as quickly as possible, as if afraid of interrupting the two of them.
The Golden Retriever finished eating. It lay on the ground and looked around. It happened to make eye contact with a young woman, whose eyes lit up as she reached out toward it.
The Golden Retriever wagged its tail and ran over.
“Good dog… Good dog…”
The Golden Retriever immediately flopped onto the ground and exposed its belly, thrilled beyond words.
If Ji Zhaoxi wouldn’t pet it, someone else would!
In the end, after Ji Zhaoxi grew impatient, Lu Huainan reluctantly returned to his seat. He hurriedly finished his meal, then began reviewing the photos he had taken.
Ji Zhaoxi rarely saw Lu Huainan this enthusiastic. She took a sip of her fruit tea and smiled. “Lu Huainan, since you like taking pictures of people so much, you could become a photographer.”
Lu Huainan’s face instantly turned red. Looking at her, he stammered, “Really? Can I really be your photographer?”
Ji Zhaoxi: ?
She stared at him in silence. Had her communication skills deteriorated recently?
“I just think you’re good at taking portraits. Maybe you could try pursuing that.”
The hand holding the camera trembled slightly. Lu Huainan forced himself to nod. “Okay, I’ll give it a try. I don’t have much experience, but I’ll study and learn. From now on, I’ll make you look even better.”
Ji Zhaoxi was a little dumbfounded. How had they ended up talking about taking pictures of her again?
She continued eating and said casually, “You could also try photographing scenery and things like that.”
Lu Huainan nodded seriously. “I understand. I’ll try to blend you and the scenery together even better.”
Ji Zhaoxi fell completely silent.
She propped her chin in her hand and gazed at the waves by the sea. She and Lu Huainan really couldn’t seem to get on the same wavelength.
Click.
Another burst of shutter sounds came from across the table. Lu Huainan looked at her expression, paused, and then put down the camera and continued eating.
He glanced at Ji Zhaoxi as if he wanted to say something, but this scene was simply too beautiful.
Ji Zhaoxi: …
