19: Chapter 19 Mirror

Xiao Su's photo exhibition became a hit.

It wasn't the kind of explosive fame that takes over everything, but the kind that spread slowly, passed from one person to ten, then to a hundred.

First, the neighbors came to see it. Then people drove half an hour to see it. Then people started flying in from other cities.

They stood in front of those photos, staring for a long time.

Some looked at the side profile of Maria's fried chicken and their eyes turned red.

Some looked at the old man in a daze and fell silent for a long time.

Some looked at Li Ming's back as he peeled potatoes, smiled for a moment, then cried.

Lin Feng squatted at the entrance, observing these people.

He activated his skill: [Emotional Perception Ability (Range: 200 meters)] and scanned the area.

[Scan result: Concentration of happiness - medium. Concentration of sadness - medium. Concentration of complex emotions - high.]

He stared at that "complex emotion," deep in thought.

Joe leaned over from the side and whispered: "What are these people here for? They aren't even eating fried chicken."

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said: "They are here to see themselves."

Joe was stunned: "See themselves?"

Lin Feng pointed at the photos on the wall: "Look at those people. They aren't looking at Maria, the old man, or Li Ming. They are looking at their own shadows."

Joe stared at the people standing in front of the photos and was silent for a long time.

Then he asked: "So, is our shop a fried chicken place or an art gallery now?"

Lin Feng laughed: "Both. The fried chicken is just a side gig. The art gallery is free."

That afternoon, a special guest arrived.

She was a woman in her fifties, dressed elegantly, carrying a designer bag; she clearly didn't belong in this neighborhood.

She stood in front of the photo of the old man in a daze for twenty minutes straight.

Lin Feng noticed her.

Not because of what she was wearing.

But because of her emotional value.

[Target: Unknown female]

[Current emotional value: 9.1 → 4.3 → 7.6]

[Emotional trajectory: Calm (just entered) → Violent fluctuation (when looking at the photo) → Complex (now)]

That fluctuation was like a roller coaster.

Lin Feng stood up and walked over to her.

"Is the photo nice?"

The woman was stunned for a moment and turned to look at him.

Lin Feng pointed to himself: "I'm the owner."

The woman stared at him for three seconds, then asked: "Is the person who took this photo here?"

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow: "Do you need something from her?"

The woman was silent for a second, then said: "I want her to take one of me too."

When Xiao Su was called over, she looked bewildered.

The woman looked at her and said seriously: "I want you to take a photo of me. Just like that one."

Xiao Su pointed at the photo of the old man in a daze on the wall: "Like that?"

The woman nodded.

Xiao Su hesitated: "That was a candid shot of him in a daze. It wasn't posed."

The woman was silent for a second, then said: "Then take a candid shot of me too."

Xiao Su was stunned: "But I don't know when you'll be in a daze."

The woman smiled: "I'll let you know."

The woman's name was Susan, fifty-three years old, living in Beverly Hills.

Her husband was an investor, her children were in college, and she had a nanny, a pool, and everything others envied.

But she stood in front of that photo and cried.

Xiao Su later told Lin Feng: "She said her husband hasn't looked at her properly in three years. After the kids went to college, she was the only one left at home. She said that every day when she looks in the mirror, she doesn't recognize herself."

Lin Feng listened without speaking.

Xiao Su continued: "She said when she saw that photo, she suddenly remembered that she used to be like that too—sitting somewhere, thinking of nothing, just in a daze."

She paused: "She said she hasn't been in a daze for many years."

Lin Feng was silent for a long time.

Then he asked: "Did you take it for her?"

Xiao Su nodded.

"What did you take?"

Xiao Su thought for a moment and said: "She sat in the corner, looking out the window. I shot for half an hour."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow: "Half an hour? She sat for that long?"

Xiao Su smiled: "She said that was her first time being in a daze in three years."

A week later, Susan came again.

She brought a framed photo, the one Xiao Su had taken.

She handed the photo to Xiao Su: "This is for you."

Xiao Su was stunned.

Susan smiled: "This is my favorite photo from the last three years. I want to leave it here."

Xiao Su looked at the photo—in it, Susan was sitting in the corner, looking out the window, with sunlight falling on her face, her expression as quiet as a child who had just woken up.

Her eyes turned red.

Susan patted her hand, then walked to the counter and said to Maria: "One serving of fried chicken. For here."

Maria glanced at her and served a portion of fried chicken, handing it over.

Susan carried the fried chicken to the corner and sat opposite the old man.

The old man looked up at her and said slowly: "New here?"

Susan thought for a moment and nodded: "I suppose so."

The old man pointed at the newly hung photo on the wall: "Is that you?"

Susan glanced at her photo and smiled: "Yes."

The old man stared at that photo for a long time.

Then he said: "Well taken. You look like my wife when she was young."

Susan was stunned.

The old man continued: "Before she left, she would also sit like that in a daze. I couldn't see her, but I knew she was thinking about things."

Susan was silent for a second, then asked: "Do you miss her?"

The old man nodded: "Every day."

Susan lowered her head, looking at the fried chicken in front of her.

After a long while, she spoke: "My husband doesn't miss me. He doesn't even look at me."

The old man looked at her and said slowly: "That is his problem. Not yours."

Susan was stunned.

The old man pointed at those photos on the wall: "Look at those people. No one looked at them before either. Now they do."

He paused: "You will have it too."

Susan stayed until closing time that day before leaving.

Before leaving, she stood at the door and said something to Lin Feng: "Thank you."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow: "What for?"

Susan smiled: "Thank you for letting me see myself."

Lin Feng was stunned.

Susan continued: "That photo isn't me. It's the person I want to become."

She turned and walked into the night.

Lin Feng watched her back, silent for a long time.

His phone vibrated.

[Ding—Congratulations to the host for triggering a hidden achievement—]

[Achievement Name: Let those who cannot see themselves, see themselves]

[Achievement Reward: Emotional Perception Ability upgraded—can now perceive the target's "unseen self" emotional dimension]

Lin Feng stared at the text, stunned for three seconds.

The unseen self?

He looked down at the skill description: [New Ability: Can perceive the "hidden emotional dimension" deep within the target's heart—that is, those emotions that have never been expressed and never been seen.]

Lin Feng was silent.

He looked up at the photos on the wall.

Maria, the old man, Li Ming, Joe, Xiao Su, Susan—

Every person captured in the photos had a part that had never been seen.

And the camera had captured them.

After closing up for the night, Xiao Su squatted down beside Lin Feng.

"Boss, I think I understood something today."

Lin Feng turned to look at her: "What is it?"

Xiao Su looked across the street and said softly: "I used to think that taking photos was to let others see what I had captured."

She paused: "Now I think that taking photos is to let others see themselves."

Lin Feng was silent for three seconds.

Then he laughed.

"Xiao Su, you've had an epiphany."

Xiao Su was stunned: "Epiphany about what?"

Lin Feng pointed at the photos on the wall: "Look at those people. When they arrived, they didn't know who they were. When they left, they did."

He paused: "That is what you are doing."

Xiao Su stared at the photos for a long time.

Then she lowered her head, her eyes red.

Lin Feng didn't speak.

He just squatted beside her, waiting.

After a long while, Xiao Su looked up and smiled.

"Boss, I'll come again tomorrow."

Lin Feng nodded: "Sure, come ahead. The camera is yours anyway."

Xiao Su stood up, brushed off her pants, and walked towards the bus stop.

After walking a few steps, she turned back and waved at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng also waved back.

He watched Xiao Su's back disappear into the night, suddenly remembering the system's achievement: [Let those who cannot see themselves, see themselves]

He looked down at his phone.

No new messages.

But he knew that this achievement had already been completed.

[Chapter 19 End]