44: Chapter 44 Didn't your school teach you to unleash your true nature? And your artistic talent isn't that great either!

2:30 PM.

Red Forest Artistic Photography, Studio 6.

The studio was luxuriously decorated.

Qin Xun was chatting happily with a man in his late twenties. They talked about money, women, the future, and the Middle Eastern wars.

It was as if they had become fast friends.

Suddenly, the young man clutched his stomach, his face changing dramatically. He took off the camera hanging around his neck and placed it on a stool.

"Bro, I think those drunken crabs upset my stomach. It's hurting a bit. I need to hit the restroom."

...

To do a good job on this proposal and serve the client well, Qin Xun had adopted a serious attitude, arriving at the meeting point with the little rich lady at 2 PM sharp.

A full hour early.

Seeing only one photographer in the studio, he went over to chat and kill time, not expecting the guy to be such a chatterbox.

They had been talking for half an hour straight.

After the photographer left.

Qin Xun looked at the DSLR on the stool, thought of a master photographer from his past life surnamed Chen, and couldn't help but feel his fingers itch.

He carefully picked up the camera. It was heavy and felt good in his hands.

Suddenly.

He spotted a cowboy hat hanging on a nearby standing coat rack. He walked over and put the hat on his head.

He then took out a face mask and put it on.

This was a mask he had bought temporarily to avoid being recognized by Niu Xiaojun at the company in the coming days. He planned to claim he had the flu the whole time.

Qin Xun hung the camera around his neck, imitated the photographer's posture, raised the camera, and closed one eye.

He muttered softly.

"Alright, ladies, spread those legs."

After saying it, Qin Xun got goosebumps all over and shook his head.

Could that master really have been so sleazy when directing people to pose seductively?

Qin Xun was fiddling with the camera, head bowed, when he suddenly heard a female voice calling from a distance.

"Teacher Ma, I'm here!"

He looked up and saw a girl with delicate features, a single ponytail, and full of youthful energy hurrying in from about three meters outside the door.

Qin Xun was taken aback.

Greeting from so far away? This girl is really impatient.

"I'm Song Ying."

As soon as Song Ying entered the room, she announced her identity.

She took off her pink sun-protective jacket and tossed it toward the only man in the studio.

He must be that famous portrait photographer in the industry—Teacher Ma.

Cowboy hat, black face mask, DSLR camera—the combination gave him quite an artistic vibe.

But then she saw the photographer swiftly catch the jacket and, in one smooth motion, toss it into the... trash can by his feet.

Song Ying froze!

She was a whirlwind of action, which outsiders often saw as cool and decisive.

Casually tossing her jacket to a guy, and the guys would happily catch it and hang it up for her on the coat rack.

For years now, it had always been like that.

Those guys even took pride in it, sometimes even fighting over who got to hang her clothes.

Who would have thought she'd run into a... blockhead today?

Song Ying pointed at the sun-protective jacket in the trash can, her voice tinged with displeasure.

"Teacher, what are you..."

Qin Xun looked down, bent over, picked it up, shook it off, and casually hung it on the coat rack, offering an awkward smile.

"Slipped, my hand slipped."

"I thought you didn't want it anymore!"

Song Ying glanced at the paper scraps and fruit peels in the trash can, walked to the coat rack, took the jacket off, and threw it into the trash can.

She looked at Qin Xun's eyes above the mask.

"Now I don't want it."

The air was thick with tension.

Qin Xun silently met her gaze. After a moment, deciding not to stoop to her level, he asked.

"Young lady, are you here to find..."

Before he could finish.

He saw the girl wave her hand dismissively, turn around, and walk into the changing room in the corner of the room.

"Cut the chit-chat."

"I'm in a hurry."

Qin Xun sneered.

She stared at him all that time without a word, and the moment he started talking, she just turned and left.

Isn't she just giving me attitude?

Not long after.

Qin Xun saw the changing room door push open, and Song Ying walked out barefoot.

She was wearing only a fiery red tube top on her upper body and a matching fiery red safety shorts on her lower body.

Probably a set. It looked beautiful and quite provocative.

Qin Xun was shocked.

"Young lady, what are you doing?"

"What's going on? Why are you suddenly taking your clothes off?"

Hearing him say "taking your clothes off," Song Ying tensed up, her toes curling in embarrassment. She glanced down at herself.

She looked up at Qin Xun, a slight frown on her face.

"Teacher Ma, the way you said that makes it sound like I'm showing too much skin. I'm clearly not exposing anything at all, okay?"

She tried to keep her voice calm, with a hint of sharpness, wanting to overpower the photographer in front of her with her presence.

This was her first time shooting portraits. She only planned a simple set, a small test.

She hadn't even dared to tell her family, let alone bring a close friend, so she had to act as strong as possible to seem like a seasoned pro.

"But I..."

Qin Xun was about to explain.

He wasn't the photographer, so she really didn't need to strip down to this risky state in front of him.

But Song Ying cut him off forcefully again.

"Seriously? Uncle."

"What era is this? Freedom of attire, got it?"

"Besides, this outfit is considered quite conservative for portrait photography, right?"

"Uncle, you're in the arts too. I'm seriously starting to doubt your artistic level."

She paused, looking Qin Xun up and down, her eyes teasing and challenging.

"Uncle, you're not getting shy, are you?"

"Don't tell me your heart is having some... improper thoughts?"

Qin Xun was already annoyed by her calling him "uncle" repeatedly, and now hearing her slander him...

Calling him a pervert.

How could he tolerate this?

He opened the camera lens cap, pressed the power button to start the camera, and looked at Song Ying expressionlessly.

"Alright, let's begin!"

...

The two began their mutual performance.

Song Ying, a first-timer at portrait shoots, boldly displayed her figure in front of the lens to appear like a pro.

Qin Xun, who had never used a DSLR before, also pretended to be an artistic master.

He moved left, then right, stood up, then crouched, pretending to search for various good angles.

He kept giving instructions.

"Let's start with a set. Just do your thing."

Song Ying struck different poses, not much different from her usual movements, except she was wearing less today.

Well... quite a bit less.

Listening to the constant *click* *click* of the camera in Qin Xun's hands, her nervous heart gradually calmed down.

Qin Xun took photos and continued directing.

"Just do a simple hand-on-hip pose."

"Don't just stand there spacing out!"

"Hey! On your waist, not inside your shorts."

Song Ying pulled her hand back from the edge of her shorts, somewhat annoyed.

"Mind your language."

She was starting to regret it now!

She should have found a female photographer.

But others had said this Teacher Ma was a master at portrait photography, able to capture a woman's beauty.

Sigh...

...

Click!

Click!

Click!

Qin Xun started directing again.

"Alright, turn your back to me, arch your back a bit, lift your hips, then turn around with a seductive expression."

Song Ying turned her back to him, her face flushed as she glanced over her shoulder, looking conflicted.

Ah!

Seems like she can't keep up the act anymore.

Seeing her lack of cooperation, Qin Xun snorted coldly.

"I see you're an art student too. Looking at you now, your artistic level isn't that high either!"

"Unleashing your innate nature—didn't your school teach you that?"

Hearing the taunt she had just thrown at him tossed right back, a flash of defiance crossed Song Ying's face.

Her eyes turned slightly cold as they met Qin Xun's gaze.

Eyes locked.

Neither backing down.

They were in a standoff!

Suddenly!

Song Ying arched her back slightly, squinted her eyes, and gave a radiant smile.

"Teacher, is this the kind of expression you mean?"

The tension in the air grew even thicker.

Qin Xun clicked away randomly and nodded.

"Not bad, not bad!"

He peeked out from behind the camera, looked at Song Ying who was forcing herself to appear calm, gave a light smile, and said slowly.

"Good. Now take off the tube top and safety shorts. Let's shoot another set in just your underwear."

Song Ying: ???