176: Chapter 176 Taking Photos

Zhou Waner tilted her head and thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up: "Let's go to the Forbidden City. It's rare that we're here, so we really should go see it."

Hu Tian nodded, and the two hailed a taxi, heading straight for the Forbidden City.

By one in the afternoon, the area outside the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City was already packed with tourists. It was bustling with people, a cacophony of various languages intermingling, making it exceptionally lively.

Zhou Waner bought the tickets and pulled Hu Tian along as they walked quickly inside. Along the way, she kept looking up at the red walls and yellow tiles, her eyes full of wonder.

"Quick, quick, quick! Take a picture of me!"

She stood in front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony, struck a pose, and waved at Hu Tian.

Hu Tian raised his phone, but just as he pressed the shutter, Zhou Waner called out for him to stop: "Wait, wait, wait! I don't think this angle is very good. Move a little to the left."

Hu Tian moved two steps to the left.

"A bit higher. Yes, higher. Get the eaves in the shot."

Hu Tian raised his phone higher.

"Oh, no, that's not right. This makes me look too short. Just take it from eye level."

Hu Tian silently lowered his phone back to its original height.

"Okay, okay, take it!"

Zhou Waner struck her pose again, smiling brightly.

Hu Tian pressed the shutter several times, taking about a dozen photos, and handed the phone to her.

Zhou Waner took the phone and carefully looked through them one by one, her brow slightly furrowed: "This one makes my face look too big, delete it. My eyes aren't open properly in this one, delete that too. This background is crooked... Oh, this one's okay, keep it."

Hu Tian stood to the side, hands in his pockets, watching her conscientiously filter through the photos, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth involuntarily.

"What are you smiling at?"

Zhou Waner looked up and glared at him.

"Nothing."

Hu Tian shook his head, "I just think, taking photos is quite an ordeal."

"That's because you don't understand. Photos are something that need to be carefully curated; only the ones you keep have meaning."

Zhou Waner said righteously, then lowered her head to continue looking through them, "The lighting is bad in this one, delete. My expression is a bit stiff in this one... Never mind, keep it."

Just like that, out of a dozen photos, only three remained in the end.

For the rest of the afternoon, this scene repeated itself over and over.

From the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Hall of Central Harmony, from the Hall of Preserving Harmony to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Zhou Waner stopped to take photos at every location.

Sometimes she asked Hu Tian to take them, sometimes they took selfies together, and other times she would pull over passing tourists to help take a photo of them together.

Every time they finished taking photos, they had to go through a long selection process.

"My hair is messy in this one, delete."

"Your expression is too serious in this one, it doesn't look good, delete."

"A passerby walked into the background of this one, no good, delete."

"This one... oh, this one is not bad, but I think that one is also pretty good. Which one do you think we should keep?"

Hu Tian looked at the two nearly identical photos on the phone screen and was silent for two seconds: "Either one is fine."

"What do you mean 'either one is fine'? Look carefully. My smile is more natural in this one, but the lighting is better in that one. What do you think?"

Hu Tian looked carefully: "Then let's keep the one with better lighting."

"But I think the smile is more important."

Zhou Waner frowned, "Never mind, let's keep the one with the natural smile."

"Fine."

"But the lighting in that one is really good... how about we keep both?"

"That works too."

"But if we keep too many photos, it'll be too much trouble to organize later... never mind, let's just delete one. Which one do you say we delete?"

Hu Tian took a deep breath: "Delete the one with good lighting."

"Why? Didn't you say the lighting was good?"

"Then delete the one with the natural smile."

"How can I do that! The smile is more important!"

Zhou Waner glared at him, "Are you even seriously helping me pick?"

Hu Tian smiled helplessly: "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Zhou Waner thought for a moment, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "How about you take another one of me, with both a natural smile and good lighting?"

So Hu Tian raised his phone again and took another dozen or so photos.

Then came a new round of selection.

By the time they left the Forbidden City, it was past five in the afternoon. The setting sun slanted westward, gilding the entire Forbidden City in a layer of golden radiance.

Zhou Waner clutched her phone, contentedly flipping through the photos taken today, a smile lingering on her lips the whole time.

"Are you tired?"

Hu Tian asked.

"Not tired, I'm happy."

Zhou Waner looked up and gave him a brilliant smile, "It's been a long time since I've had this much fun so relaxedly."

Hu Tian looked at her bright eyes, his heart softening along with her mood: "That's good."

"Let's go! Let's go to Jingshan Park to watch the sunset!"

Zhou Waner took his hand and walked briskly towards Jingshan.

Jingshan Park is just to the north of the Forbidden City, only about a ten-minute walk away.

The two climbed up to Wanchun Pavilion. It was dusk, and the setting sun was like blood. The entire city of Beijing was shrouded in warm tones; the outlines of the buildings in the distance were clearly visible, and the trees nearby were edged with gold—it was unrealistically beautiful.

"Quick, quick, quick! Take a picture of me!"

Zhou Waner started again.

Hu Tian raised his phone. This time he had learned his lesson; he took over twenty photos in one go, capturing every angle and lighting condition.

Zhou Waner took the phone and looked at them seriously, one by one, occasionally making sounds like "Hmm," "Oh," or "This one is nice."

Halfway through, she suddenly looked up: "Do you think we should take a few photos together? After all, the scenery is so good."

"Okay."

Zhou Waner raised the phone, and they leaned in together. She adjusted the angle several times before pressing the shutter.

After they finished, she began the long selection process again.

"My face looks a bit big in this one, yours is just right, delete."

"Your face looks a bit big in this one, mine is just right, delete that too."

"Our faces both look a bit big in this one..."

"Then let's keep it."

Hu Tian said.

Zhou Waner was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing: "What kind of logic is that?"

"Fairness."

Hu Tian said solemnly.

Zhou Waner laughed even harder, but in the end, she still deleted that photo and kept a photo where they were both smiling naturally.

Coming down from Jingshan, the sky had completely darkened. The city lights were just beginning to shine, and the entire city of Beijing began to reveal its nocturnal side.

"Where should we go for dinner?"

Hu Tian asked.

Zhou Waner thought for a moment: "Let's go to Nanluoguxiang. I heard it's very lively at night, and there's lots of good food."

The two took a taxi to Nanluoguxiang, and only after arriving did they realize the level of liveliness here far exceeded their imagination.

The narrow hutong was packed with people, with various small shops lined up side by side. The sounds of hawking, music, and chatter mingled together, and the air was filled with the aroma of various foods.

Zhou Waner pulled Hu Tian inside, stopping to look every few steps, occasionally ducking into a shop to look around, buying some snacks or souvenirs.

Every time they reached a unique spot, she had to take a photo.

"This shop's decor is so cute, take a picture of me!"

"These candied hawthorns look so pretty, take a picture of me!"

"The lighting in this hutong is so atmospheric, take a picture of me!"

Hu Tian had completely accepted his fate, silently holding up his phone and acting as a dedicated photographer.

After taking the photos, naturally, it was another long selection process.

"The candied hawthorns aren't clear in this one, delete."

"The background is too messy in this one, delete."

"The lighting isn't enough in this one, delete."

"This one... hmm, it's okay, but I think that one might be a bit better. What do you think?"

Hu Tian looked at the two photos that were almost indistinguishable and was silent for three seconds: "Keep the first one."

"Why?"

"Because the first one was taken earlier."

Zhou Waner was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud: "What kind of reason is that?"

"First come, first served."

Hu Tian said seriously.

Zhou Waner laughed so hard she couldn't straighten up, but in the end, she deleted the first one and kept the second one.

Hu Tian shook his head helplessly, but felt warm inside.

The two wandered around Nanluoguxiang until past nine in the evening, when Zhou Waner finally said with satisfaction: "Okay, that's about enough. Let's find a place to eat."

They finally chose a quiet Sichuan restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and sat down to eat slowly.

Halfway through the meal, Zhou Waner suddenly took out her phone and started organizing the photos taken today.

"Look, this one taken at the Forbidden City is pretty good, right?"

"Hmm."

"This one taken at Jingshan is also very pretty."

"Hmm."

"And this one, this one, this one..."

Hu Tian watched her flipping through the photos with great interest, a smile constantly hanging on her lips, and an indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

Throughout the whole day, although most of the time was spent taking photos and selecting photos, although they had to discuss for a long time for a single photo, and although the result of every discussion was him admitting defeat, looking at the smile that never disappeared from Zhou Waner's face, Hu Tian felt that it was all worth it.

After eating, the two walked back slowly. The night breeze was cool, there were fewer pedestrians on the street, and the city began to quiet down.

Zhou Waner took Hu Tian's arm and said softly: "Today was really happy."

"Me too."

Hu Tian looked at her, his eyes gentle.

"Even though you kept complaining that I take photos too slowly."

Zhou Waner blinked.

"I didn't complain."

"You obviously did complain, I could tell."

"That's you seeing it wrong."

The two talked and laughed all the way back to the hotel. The night was already deep, but this night seemed far from over.

Back at the hotel, they both washed up. Zhou Waner sat on the bed and scrolled through her phone for a while, and not long after, the sound of even breathing came from her.

Hu Tian gently tucked her in, turned off the lights, lay down, and stared at the ceiling, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

He slept without dreams all night, very well.

The next morning, the alarm went off promptly at 7:30. Zhou Waner had woken up earlier than Hu Tian and was already sitting in front of the mirror, conscientiously drawing her eyebrows.

Hu Tian opened his eyes groggily, looked at the clock, and then looked at her: "What time did you get up?"

"Seven o'clock."

Zhou Waner didn't even turn her head, focused on the mirror.

"You need to put on makeup to climb the Great Wall?"

"Of course,"

Zhou Waner said matter-of-factly, "It's not like just because I'm going climbing I don't need to look good. Maybe I'll have to take photos when the time comes."

Hu Tian was silent for two seconds, realized the reality, and got up to wash up.

At eight o'clock sharp, the two went downstairs for breakfast. Zhou Waner was wearing a sports outfit, her hair tied in a high ponytail, her makeup fresh and light, and she looked full of energy, her eyes shining with eagerness.

While eating, she started to get ready for action.

"Today we must climb to the very top. I checked, starting from the main gate tower of Shanhai Pass and walking the section of Old Dragon's Head, the whole journey takes about two hours. The difficulty isn't too high, I'll definitely have no problem."

Hu Tian picked up some pickled vegetables with his chopsticks and said calmly: "Hmm."

"Don't disbelieve me, I do run regularly."

"Hmm."

"Occasionally."

"Hmm."

Zhou Waner glared at him: "Why are you being so perfunctory when you talk?"