CH 50

TL: Hua

Qi Xiaoyu covered the microphone and asked Li Kun, “What time are we going to shoot tonight?”

Li Kun looked at the time schedule and said softly, “It’s eight o’clock when we get there, and we will probably shoot until two or three in the morning.”

Then he added, “The magazine team even asked about the dog this afternoon if they could borrow it for a photo shoot together.”

This magazine is called Fashion Magazine. It has a high status in the fashion circle, and the quality of its photos is usually good.

So among so many magazines that came to invite them, Qi Xiaoyu and Li Kun chose this one without a second thought.

Now that the magazine wanted to photograph his dog, Qi Xiaoyu hesitated. After all, it was their first collaboration, so he still wanted to make it more of a pleasant experience for both parties.

On the other end of the phone, Butler Cheng seemed to have heard the conversation between the two and suggested, “Send the address of the studio, and I will bring Xiao Hei to you later.”

After saying that, without waiting for Qi Xiaoyu’s reply, he made the final decision: “That’s it; everyone at home is very free tonight. You don’t have to worry.”

After hanging up the phone, Qi Xiaoyu sent the address.

The studio is in the suburbs, so it’s hard to find, but the place is quite big and the equipment is very professional.

When Qi Xiaoyu and Li Kun arrived, there were already many people inside. The lighting engineer was adjusting the light, the prop manager was setting the scenery, and the photographer’s assistant was carefully checking the equipment… When the staff saw Qi Xiaoyu coming, they immediately came out to receive him.

After the two parties introduced themselves politely, the staff’s eyes fell on the two large bags of things Li Kun was carrying.

The staff member looked at it curiously when she heard Qi Xiaoyu smile and say to her, “I just passed by the food court and saw a shop selling steamed dumplings. I thought that everyone might not have time to have dinner, so I bought a few boxes. I don’t know if the amount is enough.”

Qi Xiaoyu said it politely, but in fact, the two big bags combined would probably contain more than a dozen boxes of dumplings.

The staff originally thought that Qi Xiaoyu brought clothes and cosmetics, but she didn’t expect that he brought food. She hurriedly said, “Teacher Qi is too polite; why did you bring food over?”

Qi Xiaoyu smiled slightly. “I want to eat it myself, not to mention the store said there would be a discount for buying more, so I bought it along the way.”

“Then… let me thank Teacher Qi on behalf of everyone.”

The staff’s eyes are full of smiles. Their requirements for the artists are very simple: come on time, be patient, don’t lose their temper, and be willing to cooperate with the shooting.

They are even happier to meet someone like Qi Xiaoyu, who is considerate and very eloquent.

When others saw the hot, steamed dumplings, they felt much better about having to work at night.

They had ordered takeout before, but since the weather is cold, it has long since cooled down since it was delivered. Everyone just casually ate a couple of bites and went back to work.

The steamed dumplings brought by Qi Xiaoyu were still steaming, making people’s appetites increase just by looking at them. Especially after taking one bite, the hot but not scalding soup melted in their mouth. They were so content that they all rushed to express their gratitude to Teacher Qi for the food.

Qi Xiaoyu has just become popular, and most people have only seen him on variety shows. No one in the industry has had direct contact with him and doesn’t know what he really is like.

But as soon as he came here, he easily used the dumplings to gain a lot of goodwill.

Then he went to put on makeup and change clothes, and everything went smoothly.

There are three sets of scenes prepared for Qi Xiaoyu.

One theme focuses on the fresh jungle style, using deep and light green, vegetation, moss, and rocks to create a quiet forest scene.

The second one is a clean music boy with a simple home background, so they want to use the White-browed Hero as a prop.

The last theme has a very different style, contrasting with the two above. The style gave off a Japanese schoolboy vibe. It was shot in a dark and mottled bathroom, trying to express the rebellious and unruly side of teenagers.

In order, they shoot the jungle style first.

Qi Xiaoyu put on a set of white thin chiffon, a palace-style shirt with a big bow tie on the chest, and black suspender pants. The stylist blew his hair up and combed it back, revealing the beautiful hairline and making him look like a beautiful boy who had just stepped out of the classical oil paintings of the last century.

“It looks good.” The stylist looked at the nearly flawless and perfect boy in the mirror with satisfaction. Then he turned to the makeup artist and asked, “Cindy, come and take a look. Do you want the eye makeup to be lighter? His eyes are already big; I don’t feel like they need to be accentuated.”

The makeup artist named Cindy came over, and after meeting Qi Xiaoyu’s gaze in the mirror, she even turned her eyes away shyly and said, “I think it looks pretty good like this, but it’s too light, and I’m afraid it won’t be three-dimensional enough in the photos later.”

“Then the whole thing should be a little heavier? Add a little more nose contour here.”

“Yeah, that’s okay. I’ll retouch the outline here.”

Fashion Magazine usually invites all big-name celebrities and A-list entertainers. Everyone has very precise styling requirements, but it has been a long time since the stylist and makeup artist have created makeup looks so carefully and delicately for someone.

But today was different. They didn’t feel it was a waste at all to spend time with Qi Xiaoyu.

During the makeup process, Qi Xiaoyu not only cooperated but also bent down or lowered his head to facilitate their work and kept smiling no matter how much he was being tossed around.

Although they were all very small details, it gave them a feeling of being fully respected and made them feel that Qi Xiaoyu deserved to be treated with such care.

The two of them fiddled around Qi Xiaoyu for a long time, trying to tie the bows in the most perfect and casual way. They didn’t let Qi Xiaoyu out until someone came to urge them.

Li Kun helped him pull the door open.

As soon as Qi Xiaoyu walked to the door, he bumped into someone.

“Be careful.” Li Kun shouted.

“Did you touch the flowers?”

“Let me see if my clothes are wrinkled.”

The stylist and make-up artist saw Qi Xiaoyu being bumped into and ran out after them nervously.

When they saw who he bumped into, they both smiled helplessly and said, “Photographer Ma, aren’t you afraid of breaking your precious camera if you are so clumsy?”

“We will be ready soon. Don’t rush, Brother Xiaowei. We will finish the make-up well and save you time later.”

The person who bumped into Qi Xiaoyu was a photographer named Ma Weiye. He is a famous photographer hired by Fashion Magazine, and you can hardly see him anywhere else except Fashion Magazine.

At this moment, he held the Contax G2 in his arms and took a step back. His single eyelid but very large eyes carefully swept around the camera first before looking at Qi Xiaoyu.

Ma Weiye also shaved an inch off his head. His facial features were square, and his eyes were big but widely spaced. When he frowned and protected the camera, it gave him a fierce and impatient feeling. However, when he looked up at Qi Xiaoyu, a playful light flashed in his eyes. “Qi Xiaoyu?”

“Huh?” Qi Xiaoyu was stretching out his hands to ask the stylist to help him straighten his sleeves. When he heard Ma Weiye call his name, he looked over and said calmly and politely, “Hello. I’m Qi Xiaoyu.”

Makeup artist Cindy introduced him with a smile: “This is our photographer, Ma Weiye. He will take your photo later. Don’t be too polite with him, and just call him Xiaowei.”

Ma Weiye feigned anger and said, “Call me Brother Xiaowei.”

The makeup artist suppressed a smile and said, “Okay, okay, great photographer, don’t stick around here. We will be ready soon.”

Ma Weiye’s eyes stayed on Qi Xiaoyu, as if he were looking at him but also as if he were exploring. After a while, he turned away and said with a playful smile, “It’s okay; I’ll just wait here and take him with me later.”

Under Ma Weiye’s gaze, Qi Xiaoyu calmly asked the stylist to arrange his clothes, but his mind was racing. Ma Weiye’s tone just now was definitely not a greeting for a stranger when they met for the first time. It’s a kind of surprise when you encounter someone you haven’t seen in a long time.

He quickly scanned his memories. He’s quite sure that he doesn’t know this person. Could it be that the original owner knew him?

But according to the plot of the original work, it seems that there is no such character.

Forget it. Let’s not overthink. Qi Xiaoyu decided to wait and see what happened. There shouldn’t be any problems if he’s being more cautious.

****

Then the shooting officially started.

Qi Xiaoyu stood on the set, leaning against a dead tree, with his head resting on the trunk. The staff used dry ice to create the feeling of smoke in the forest.

The assistant helped the lighting engineer adjust the lighting on Qi Xiaoyu’s body and asked, “Brother Xiao Wei, is there anything else that needs to be adjusted?”

Ma Weiye was chewing gum in his mouth, looking at Qi Xiaoyu through the camera frame, and said, “It’s quite good; he’s quite photogenic. Keep the smoke small; don’t block his face; hmmm, okay, keep it like this and don’t move; I’ll take a few shots with the film camera and then switch to the D810.”

“Ok.”

Under the smoke, the boy’s eyes were hazy and clear, like a lost elf or a little prince who strayed into the mortal world.

Ma Weiye raised his lips into a smile, asking the lighting engineer to change the angle and keep his finger on the shutter.

This set of photos was taken much faster than expected. Qi Xiaoyu only changed a few positions, while Ma Weiye took hundreds of photos.

The assistant asks, “Are you shooting the guitar-playing set next? But the dog hasn’t come yet.”

Li Kun, “The dog will arrive in half an hour.”

Ma Weiye said, “Then let’s shoot the bathroom scene first.”

He said with a smile on his lips, “Take him to change clothes.”

The clothes in the bathroom are Japanese student uniforms.

Wearing a white shirt and black trousers, Qi Xiaoyu matched seamlessly with the handsome senior in Japanese comics.

Li Kun was standing by with a towel and a hairdryer. The stylist said a little embarrassedly, “Later on, we’re going to get your clothes wet. It might be a little cold, so bear with it.” That tone and look contained a feeling of heartache for their own children.

Qi Xiaoyu nodded. “It’s okay. It’s not cold under the light.”

The stylist even felt that the child was extremely well-behaved.

After all the scenery nearby was adjusted, Qi Xiaoyu sat down against the bathroom wall. The shower above his head was turned on. Water fell on his hair and soaked his shirt.

The white shirt clung to his skin, vaguely revealing the outline of the muscles in his upper body. He was slender but not weak, giving people unlimited reverie.

Ma Weiye walked over with a cigarette in his mouth and squatted down to be at eye level with him. “Can you smoke?”

Qi Xiaoyu doesn’t know how to smoke, but…he pictured Xun Qian sitting by the window smoking and said, “Yeah, okay.”

He took a cigarette, held it between his fingers like Xun Qian did, and put it into his mouth.

Ma Weiye looked at the way Qi Xiaoyu took the cigarette awkwardly, turned around and blew out a puff of smoke, and asked deliberately, “Is it okay if you do it like this?”

Qi Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment. He… had never really smoked…

He tried taking one breath and choked until he could only cough.

Ma Weiye laughed out loud. “There’s no need to smoke so hard.”

He took out another piece of paper and gave it to Qi Xiaoyu. “Wipe it quickly.”

The staff who had been busy with their own work saw the situation, and all of them came up at once, scolding Ma Weiye, “Why are you bullying others? Can’t he just pretend to smoke? Why did you trick him into inhaling it!”

While the staff was comforting Qi Xiaoyu, he said, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to smoke; as long as you get the idea, the smoke effect will be edited for you later.”

Qi Xiaoyu lowered his head and touched his nose. He felt a little embarrassed to be surrounded and comforted like this.

Amidst the commotion, the second set also finished smoothly.

Just in time, Butler Cheng also brought the dog to the studio and was waiting outside.

Qi Xiaoyu blew dry his hair carelessly, put on a down jacket, and ran out. There was a Maybach parked across the road at the corner.

As Qi Xiaoyu approached, before he could get closer, the car window rolled down, and White-browed Hero’s black head was exposed, lying on the car window and barking at him.

Qi Xiaoyu quickly ran over, took the dog out of the car window, and then smiled at Xun Qian in the car. “Didn’t Doctor Song tell you to go to bed early and get up early every day? Why did you come here so late?”

The cold wind of late winter and early spring poured in through the car window. Xun Qian’s dark eyes fell on Qi Xiaoyu’s hair, which was still stained with water drops, and his wet clothes.

He seemed to want to say something, but he held it back and simply said, “Go back to the shooting quickly. I’ll wait for you here.”

Qi Xiaoyu seemed to want to say something but held back. “Then wait for me.”

After saying that, he walked back with the little black dog in his arms, crossed the road, and turned back to wave to Xun Qian, “Hurry up and close the window. I’ll be back soon.”

Probably knowing that someone is impatient, White-browed Hero was unusually cooperative tonight.

He does whatever he wants to do—puffers his bum when he wants to pucker his bum, spits out his tongue when he wants to spit it out. Even when he was told to lie flat and show his tummy, he laid flat and didn’t roll over.

With White-browed Hero cooperation and the simple poses of the third set, Qi Xiaoyu only had to sit on the blanket and play the guitar while also playing with the dog.

So this set was shot in less than an hour.

After the three sets of looks were taken, Qi Xiaoyu took several more photos with the staff before leaving the studio.

Coming out of the studio, Li Kun took Qi Xiaoyu’s car keys very sensibly and said, “I’ll help you drive your car to the set of the film tomorrow. You go home quickly. Don’t keep people waiting.”

“Okay,” Qi Xiaoyu stuffed White-browed Hero into his down jacket and immediately ran to the Maybach on the other side.

Behind him, Ma Weiye, who was wearing a peaked cap, was hiding in the shadows of the corner. He watched him get into the car, then took out his mobile phone and dialed a number.

“You recognized him right. The person with Qi Xiaoyu in that photo is really Xun Qian.”

After he finished speaking, he leaned against the wall and showed a sarcastic smile, “A person like him, who doesn’t even want his own mother or uncle, would actually go to New Zealand for a little star, haha. Really interesting.”

It’s unknown what the other person on the other end said, but Ma Weiye’s face suddenly darkened. “No,” he said, and then he laughed softly.

“That little star …… is quite interesting, so give me some time and I’ll figure out how to get started.”

****

Butler Cheng had already opened the car door and was waiting.

Qi Xiaoyu got into the back seat as soon as he arrived.

Xun Qian took off the hand-warming cotton muff he was wearing, handed it to Qi Xiaoyu, and then took White-browed Hero into his arms.

Qi Xiaoyu pushed back, “I’m not cold. You wear them.”

Xun Qian didn’t answer, but frowned slightly and said, “Have you smoked?”

Qi Xiaoyu raised his hand and put it under his nose. “Is there still a smell of smoke?”

After saying that, he saw Xun Qian staring at him and started explaining, “Today there was a set of photos where I was asked to smoke. But I didn’t learn it on the spot, and I was laughed at.”

“I will teach you.”

“Hm?”

Xun Qian put the little black dog aside and took out a cigarette.

With a snap, it was slowly lit.

Under the firelight, his delicate and fragile profile, as thin as glass, seemed to melt away at any moment.

But at the same time, it’s exceptionally beautiful.

Just like a piece of white porcelain that can shine through under a firelight.

Xun Qian took a shallow breath and spit it out.

Qi Xiaoyu followed Xun Qian’s actions and took a cigarette, putting it between his lips and teeth.

He was about to take the lighter from Xun Qian’s hand, but as soon as he leaned his body to the side, someone suddenly held his shoulder.

The night passed quickly outside the window, and rows of street lights connected to form a river in the dark night.

Xun Qian suddenly placed one hand on his shoulder. Half of his body leaned over, his cheeks grazed against his, and the cigarettes between their lips touched.

They were so close.

Qi Xiaoyu could even hear the sound of burning tobacco and the faint breathing from the tip of Xun Qian’s nose.

“Don’t inhale too deeply, just as far as the throat; don’t let it enter the lungs; and don’t use too much force; just push out the smoke ring gently.”

Qi Xiaoyu’s entire attention was still on the dancing fire in front of him and the straight bridge of his nose when he suddenly heard a low, hoarse voice in his ears.

Low and slow, like murmurs and whispers in a dream.