Chapter 18: Like My Future Boyfriend
Faced with those blatant stares, Chen Xing ignored them.
He walked straight up to the couple at the front of the line and, from a few meters away, tapped the bride lightly.
Every photographer has their strengths, even someone like Chen Xing, who had gained his skills through divine insight, was no exception.
Food photography was his forte. It was a natural talent, the kind of skill that felt as if it had a soul, like Qi Baishi painting shrimp or Xu Beihong painting horses.
Next in line was portrait photography.
That was purely a personal hobby.
There were just too many pretty girls traveling to Lijiang Old Town. After days of snapping photos, even Chen Xing was starting to feel aesthetically fatigued.
After taking a shot, he walked over and said, "Hi, I'm a photographer too. Do you mind if I join you on the bridge later? This photo's a gift for you."
"Really?" The groom looked skeptical.
They'd spent a good chunk of money to come to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for wedding photos. Hearing the word "free" made them uneasy.
Because the most expensive things often come labeled "free."
The couple leaned in to look at the photo on Chen Xing's camera. The bride exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, this is really good!"
Chen Xing added, "You're from Sichuan, right? So am I, fellow hometown folks!"
The bride's regional accent gave Chen Xing an opening to connect. Just like that, the distance between them vanished. They didn't hesitate much before agreeing to let him join them on the bridge. After all, they weren't losing anything, the bridge didn't cost anything to enter.
Their photographer, however, wasn't thrilled. As they got on the bridge, he muttered to Chen Xing, "Hey, what's your deal?"
"I'm just taking landscape shots. Don't worry about me."
Even from the shore, the lake had looked stunning. But standing on the bridge, the vivid blue seemed almost like a rare pigment, accented with touches of green. Under the dappled sunlight, it shimmered like an oil painting, vibrant and captivating.
The bride and groom got busy under their photographer's direction. The photographer had brought along a young assistant to help, leaving Chen Xing free and mostly ignored.
Standing on the bridge and looking around, he saw the white clouds of Blue Moon Valley stretching across the sky, floating along the mountains. Their reflection in the water below was dreamlike, like something out of a fairyland.
Traveling really was amazing.
If he'd just stayed back home or taken a regular job somewhere, working the grind, how would he have ever known such beautiful places existed in the world?
If he had the chance, Chen Xing truly wished he could build a little wooden cabin in a place like this.
Waking up to this view every day? Even people with terminal illnesses might live a few years longer here.
After greeting the newlyweds embracing each other, Chen Xing retraced his steps back to the shore and followed the signs toward the cable car station. It was time for lunch, and after that, he'd take the cable car up to the snow mountain.
The cable cars operated on fixed time slots, so anyone visiting should be careful not to lose track of time at Blue Moon Valley and miss their slot.
The walk uphill wasn't boring either, scenery was everywhere.
His slot was from 12 to 1 PM. When Chen Xing arrived at the restaurant, it was still before 11, so he had plenty of time to eat.
After some browsing, he chose a wild mushroom soup hotpot restaurant.
The moment he stepped in, the rich aroma filled the entire space.
The smell was so strong that it made his stomach growl instantly, even though he hadn't been that hungry before.
Led by a server, he found an empty seat and ordered wild mountain mushrooms stewed with local chicken.
The food came quickly. He had barely put his stuff down when the server brought the soup pot. Then another server arrived with a large tray of mushrooms and chicken meat. The chicken seemed to have been semi-prepared already, and the mushrooms looked incredibly fresh.
The server, a young woman, even sliced off a small piece of mushroom and placed it into a little sample box.
Chen Xing's eyes followed her as she moved, making the young woman blush. She quickly explained, "This is just for sampling. Every restaurant that sells mushrooms has to keep a sample on file—it's a regulation."
"I understand," Chen Xing replied.
He understood, but still felt a little uneasy.
He thought, This place is so popular, they wouldn't use poisonous mushrooms on purpose, right? Probably just overthinking.
The soup quickly came to a boil. The savory aroma rose like visible steam, making him even hungrier. But he didn't forget to stand up and take a couple of photos.
He hadn't tried snagging free meals through Dazhong Dianping lately, but he'd gotten into the habit of posting reviews.
Anyone who made tens of thousands from just posting reviews would keep doing it, hoping another golden opportunity might pop up.
As the water boiled, the same young server came over with an hourglass and said, "Sir, once all the sand runs out, the mushrooms will be ready to eat. Until then, you can enjoy the soup—it's safe to drink."
Chen Xing was messaging friends on his phone. Hearing her words, he looked up and laughed, "You didn't even give me chopsticks. Even if I wanted to eat early, I couldn't."
"That's part of the rules too, so guests don't sneak bites," she said with a sweet smile.
This girl seemed quite interested in Chen Xing. Every time she stepped away to serve tea or help others, she quickly found a reason to come back near him.
He had barely finished a sip of tea before it was topped off again.
Holding his cup, Chen Xing looked into her eyes. Since he had time to kill, he said, "Do you recognize me or something?"
"Ah… well, you just look kind of familiar."
Now that sounded familiar to Chen Xing. People at school used to tell him that a lot.
But this was the first time he'd heard it from someone out in society.
Chen Xing chuckled and nodded.
"I've heard people say I look like this celebrity or that one. But that's human nature, right? When we meet a stranger for the first time, we instinctively associate them with something familiar, it helps us remember. Usually there's just a small resemblance."
Back at school, once they watched an old Hong Kong film, people started calling him "Little Leon Lai." He'd heard that too much, and it got annoying. After all, he was just himself. Just because he had a similar smile didn't mean he was Little Leon.
The waitress clapped her hands.
"I knew you looked familiar, you look like... my future boyfriend!"
"Huh? Cough cough!!"
Chen Xing choked on his tea.
Seeing him coughing with his head down, she patted his back and laughed, "Haha, I was just joking. Are you here traveling alone? Want to add me on WeChat? I can take you around Lijiang after I get off work."
Once his throat stopped burning, Chen Xing looked up at her.
That joke…
She had guts.
Usually it was guys saying that kind of thing to girls. Why was it all flipped around in Lijiang?
First there was Muzi, now this one.
The server was wearing a mask, so he couldn't see her full face, but she had great skin, big expressive eyes, and right now they were sparkling with joy, she looked genuinely happy.
Chen Xing said, "Sure, we can add each other. But I'll pass on the tour, I'm leaving Lijiang early tomorrow."
He never refused when people wanted to add him, as long as they didn't turn into the kind who constantly bugged him. If they did, he could always delete them later. No big deal. That's why, when he posted on his feed, he often got dozens of likes.
Zhou Peng once told him that if he didn't actively socialize, he'd have no friends.
Chen Xing firmly disagreed with that.
(End of Chapter)