There is nonstop chaos on the rooftop of the refurbished art loft in Hangzhou — camera gear sprawled on the floor, fabric fluttering in the breeze, and a Bluetooth speaker playinga remixed track that clashes horribly with the sunset view.
Camila Duarte stood near the rooftop edge, dressed in a flowy, asymmetric hanfu-fusion dress she had thrifted and "modified" with scissors and questionable glue.
"Does this say 'modern goddess with slight heartbreak trauma' or just 'lost tourist in classic time?" she asked, spinning toward her sister.
Sienna adjusted her oversized sunglasses and dumped a pile of garment bags onto a bench.
"It says 'we had two hours and no budget.' Lucky for you, I work miracles."
"You love me.""Right now, I'm questioning that."
Sienna wiped her forehead and surveyed the scene. A rooftop in golden hour light — typical. DIY creative shoot — expected.
But when she spotted the guy adjusting the tripod across the rooftop, she stopped cold.
Tall. Black shirt. Familiar frame. Sunglasses tucked into his collar.
No.
No way.
"Are you—" she started.The man turned.
It was him.
The guy from the accident.
The arrogant walker-without-eyes. The human statue she had nearly flattened on her scooter that morning.
"You?!" they said in unison.
He blinked, just as confused. "You again?"
"You're the... the photographer?" Sienna asked, voice tightening."Director," he corrected calmly. "And you're the stylist?"
Their faces twisted into matching expressions of disbelief. A beat passed between them — silence wrapped in mutual irritation and a dash of embarrassment.
Camila, oblivious, skipped toward them. "You guys know each other?"
"We met earlier," Leon said flatly."He tried to ruin my scooter," Sienna muttered.
"She almost ran me over.""You walked into traffic!""You were flying like it was Fast & Furious: Hangzhou Drift."
Tomas, who had been coiling cables nearby, raised a brow. "You two good? Or should I grab helmets?"
Sienna gave him a tight smile and turned to Camila. "Why didn't you say the he would be here?"
Camila shrugged. "I didn't know he would be one shooting, and how do I know you have a problem with it. I mean... Mateo said he 'knew a guy who could shoot.' I assumed it was some art school friend with a camera."
Tomas laughed under his breath, sipping from a bubble tea. "Something like that."
"Now who's this?" Sienna asked, eyeing Tomas."Tomas," he said, offering a hand. "I run a little bar-restaurant down on Qinghe Alley. Sometimes help out on projects."
"Ah. The bar guy."Tomas rolled his eyes sideways like he was guilty.
Sienna narrowed her eyes a bit but let it go. For now.
Camila calmed her down, "We gotta work this out first, for now, okay."
As the Shoot Begins
Camila was fully in her chaotic muse mode, switching outfits every fifteen minutes while Sienna tried to fix pins and belts mid-shot.
Leon kept a respectful distance from Sienna, which was somehow more annoying than his sarcasm. He was quiet, precise, and frustratingly good at capturing Camila's angles in a way even Sienna had to admit looked... expensive.
"Can you not shoot from below? The fabric loses flow," Sienna said, adjusting a belt."I'm capturing tension, not a weather forecast," Leon replied, not looking away from the camera."You're capturing an airbag moment with that angle.""You styled her like a historical kite. I'm doing my best."
Camila, mid-pose, giggled. "Okay, but this is giving mom and dad fighting in Ikea ."
Tomas, who was listening to Camila, leaned back against a rail, arms crossed, enjoying the mess. "We should charge tickets for this."
Later: Between Takes
As the light faded, Leon reviewed footage on his monitor. Sienna stepped closer — not to talk to him, obviously — just to check how her styling looked on-screen.
"You do shoot nicely," she murmured, unable to stop herself."Tell me something i don't know," he replied.
They glanced at each other — just for a second — something unspoken buzzing between them like rooftop static.
"So narcissist," she mumbled
Then she turned and walked away, pretending her heart hadn't skipped.