Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The leader of the society was a tall, thin, long-legged young man built like a bamboo pole. He had a mature face but was deliberately dressed up like a college student who had been retained in college numerous times.
He had a DSLR around his neck and saw Zhang Zian and Zhuang Xiaodie from the corner of his eye. He gave the boys near him a look. They stopped fanning the girls who were working hard with the costumes and stepped forward to surround the two.
“How come you are here now? Everyone has been waiting for you!” said the leader, who was a big man. He looked Zhuang Xiaodie up and down. “However, your costume and make-up are on point, so it is fine that you are a little late. No one will blame you. Hurry and go pose!”
Zhang Zian was overwhelmed with what he heard.
He looked at the young man carefully and felt that his face was familiar, but he still couldn’t name him.
However, many people whom he thought looked familiar did not seem to know him. From what he was hearing, this man actually did know him.
Not only was he overwhelmed, even Zhuang Xiaodie felt the same way. She was aware that Zhang Zian knew the president of the photography community, Luo Qingyu, in reality, but he should not know him in the dream world. Was there another loophole?
Zhang Zian stepped forward, grabbed Luo Qingyu’s arm, and asked excitedly, “You know…”
Luo Qingyu quickly covered his mouth, pretending to be close to him and pulling him aside, and whispered, “Friend, cooperate with me a little. Our community is taking photos to publish, but the model quality is not very good. The only one of good quality is also not very professional. If this goes on, it will affect the prestige of my presidency… So help me! I will pay!”
Zhang Zian said, “How much are you paying?”
Luo Qingyu stretched out his palm. “Fifty.”
“Are you dreaming?”
Even if Zhang Zian didn’t understand the market, he knew that Zhuang Xiaodie was a superb girl beyond the standard levels of beauty and was currently in a stunning traditional outfit. The cost of helping him was definitely worth more than 50 yuan.
Fifty yuan was simply to be used to shoo away a beggar, wasn’t it?
Was it enough for people to do hair, makeup, skincare, clothes, and take a taxi ride home?
“Then how much do you want?” Luo Qingyu reluctantly laid out his cards. “I am still a poor student. I don’t have much money…”
“No interest. I do not wish to entertain you further.”
Zhang Zian waved him off and refused.
“Don’t be like that… Help me, big brother…” Luo Qingyu’s disappointment was beyond words. A stunning beauty like Zhuang Xiaodie was a rare encounter, and it was even rarer to have a chance to meet her. How could he let it go so easily?
Luo Qingyu was disappointed, but Zhang Zian was even more disappointed. He thought he had finally encountered a person who truly knew him. However, the other party was merely pretending to be familiar with him. How was that reasonable?
Although they had specifically avoided other people when they spoke, Zhuang Xiaodie had given herself extraordinary hearing, and so she could still hear their conversations. She couldn’t help but be speechless. He gave her a needless sense of worry.
Luo Qingyu was continuing his persuasion when someone who looked like a priest emerged from the church, coughed, and said, “Children, your energetic voices make God feel gratified, but a group of church members is gathering here now. Can you please temporarily move to other places?”
The priest was about forty years old, was dressed in a black dressing gown, and had a gentle and courteous smile.
Luo Qingyu immediately displayed a dissatisfied look. He had managed to organize a filming outing and just so happened to meet a beauty named Zhuang Xiaodie. Of course, he did not want to give up the church door as a free background and sought to maximize his use of it.
Zhang Zian looked at the church and saw that there were many men and women who were 50 or 60 years old and even some who were younger sitting in the church. They were also staring back at Luo Qingyu with dissatisfaction.
Other church members walked into the church one after another, and the priest smiled at them one by one.
“Why should we go? Is this land yours?” asked Luo Qingyu, sticking his neck out.
Zhang Zian felt ashamed for him. They were standing on the stone steps at the door of the church and yet he still had the cheek to ask if the land belonged to the church.
“It is indeed under the jurisdiction of the church.” The priest smiled and nodded.
Luo Qingyu was not convinced and wanted to argue again. A boy under him quietly tugged his clothes and whispered, “The girls seem to have a lot of opinions. They don’t want to shoot anymore…”
It turned out that Luo Qingyu and the boys had originally touted these girls hard for them to cosplay, praising them for their appearance and professionalism. However, now that Zhuang Xiaodie had come on set, they had been cast aside immediately. Wasn’t this a little too realistic?
The harsh reality of the world made them feel greatly insulted. Even if they wanted to lie to themselves, they couldn’t lie, and they would not do it.
Zhang Zian was asking for too much, and Zhuang Xiaodie would not budge. There was also a fire in the backyard. Luo Qingyu was so bothered by all the problems that he could not care to quarrel with the priest. Instead, he hurriedly ran to stop the girls from leaving.
“Don’t go! Don’t go! It is all a misunderstanding!” He yelled as he ran, and the heavy DSLR camera swayed back and forth across his thin neck.
Zhang Zian didn’t want to continue to talk with this kind of person. As he left, Zhang Zian gave Zhuang Xiaodie a look, which meant they would continue to move forward.
Zhuang Xiaodie nodded and agreed.
Unexpectedly, the priest suddenly stepped forward and stopped them.
“We are not with them.”
Zhang Zian thought that the priest had assumed that the two of them were with the group. He hurriedly explained his position.
The priest did not look at him or Zhuang Xiaodie. Instead, he stared at the black-and-white kittens not far behind them. He said with concern, “This kitten… Is it your pet?”
The black-and-white kitten had been behind them all along. Sometimes it had been nearby, and sometimes it had been far away. It had kept on catching butterflies, including at the seaside, but at this time, as Zhuang Xiaodie had become the center of attention, its existence had often been neglected.
It was as if it was a little tired. The black-and-white kitten stopped catching butterflies. It sat in a place a dozen steps away and stared at the priest.
“Oh… That’s sort of it.”
Zhang Zian wanted to explain his relationship with the kitten but felt that it was too cumbersome to explain and simply admit it.
“It’s a cute kitten… If so, please leash it or at least hold it, lest it be lost.” The priest met his gaze again, seemingly suggesting something to them.
“Lost… What’s wrong?” Zhang Zian noticed the priest’s tone and found it a little weird. He wondered if the priest was being kind, but perhaps he was overthinking it. He was worried about a kitten getting lost?
The priest glanced at him and said, “Actually, there have been incidents of cat abuse in the vicinity. I can’t bear to see such a cute kitten being poisoned. It is against the benevolence of God, so I shall specifically remind the both of you.”
“Oh.”
Zhang Zian was stunned. It had turned out to be as such.
Zhuang Xiaodie instead furrowed her brow and suddenly interjected, “Is the cat abuse incident very serious?”
The priest smiled. “Children, don’t worry. I have reported the incident to our American church members. I believe they will come over to solve such incidents soon.”
