Chapter 1372: Reporting In

The campus was vast, but Wang Yan and Xiao Qianxi strolled along unhurriedly, chatting and laughing all the way. Though the distance wasn't great, it didn't feel long before they arrived.

It was a six-story building with no elevator, but fortunately, Xiao Qianxi's dormitory was on the second floor.

"Room 213... it's over there."

Xiao Qianxi glanced left and right at the door plaques, then pointed in a direction to signal Wang Yan.

The latter nodded with a smile, carrying a large bag in one hand and pulling a suitcase with the other, following closely behind Xiao Qianxi.

Arriving at the door of Room 213, they saw two people making up their beds.

"Hello, I'm Xu Lin." The tomboy perched on the top bunk turned around at the sound, introducing herself proactively before climbing down.

"Hello, my name is Xie Da Qiao."

"I am Xiao Qianxi."

Xiao Qianxi nodded, walked in to inspect the bed assignments, and chose the lower bunk beneath Xu Lin.

Wang Yan offered a friendly smile to Xie Da Qiao and Xu Lin, setting his belongings down beside him.

"Is he your boyfriend? Why not introduce him?" Xu Lin asked directly.

"No, no." Xiao Qianxi waved her hands repeatedly. "Don't misunderstand; this is..."

"My name is Wang Yan; I'm majoring in photography. Qianxi and I took the university shuttle together from the train station." Wang Yan looked earnestly at Xu Lin. "I think you have quite an aura; I'll take some photos of you later. And you, Miss Xie Da Qiao, right? With legs like yours, you're sure to look stunning in pictures."

"Uh... thanks, but no need," Xie Da Qiao replied blankly, declining.

Xu Lin eyed Wang Yan suspiciously. "Do you charge money?"

"What kind of question is that? Do you think I work for free? Ask Qianxi later. Oh, right, hold on; let me show you some finished samples." Wang Yan pretended to calculate on his fingers. "I bet your roommate who hasn't arrived yet is also beautiful; you can all see then. Just get your pictures taken alongside Qianxi."

While speaking, Wang Yan unzipped his large backpack, pulled out a stack of photographs, and placed them on the table. "Sisters, I reckon you've got real talent; Qianxi and Xie Da Qiao can't compare. I'm entrusting this important mission to you. Promote me throughout this building: one yuan per head, enough to buy meat for a couple of meals. Take a good look."

Without waiting for the bewildered Xu Lin to respond, Wang Yan patted Xiao Qianxi's arm. "I'm off. Take care, beautiful lady; I'll be in touch. Also, keep an eye on Xu Lin and protect my masterpieces. Farewell."

"Thank you; let me walk you out."

"No need; hurry up and unpack, get some good rest."

Wang Yan waved his hand, slung the large backpack over his shoulder, turned, and left...

"Wait, he..." Xu Lin finally snapped out of it and turned to look at Xiao Qianxi.

Xiao Qianxi laughed. "That's just how he is; he makes friends instantly and is incredibly humorous."

She recounted to Xu Lin and Xie Da Qiao how she had met Wang Yan, leaving Xu Lin dumbfounded. "You call that making friends instantly?"

"He's too amazing; in such a short time, he got familiar with everyone on the bus?" Xie Da Qiao greatly admired Wang Yan's powerful social skills.

Xu Lin snorted, slightly unconvinced, then picked up the photos from the table to examine them. "Can't deny it, though; the shots are actually quite good. How much does he charge?"

"Five yuan for a solo portrait, two yuan per person for group shots. You provide the film roll; he develops and prints it, charging only the cost price. It's quite a bargain, definitely much cheaper than a photo studio."

"Only two yuan for a group shot? Does he give me one yuan of that?"

"Oh, can't you figure that out?" Xie Da Qiao said, looking at the photos. "He's a photography major; he obviously wants plenty of practice. Taking our photos now lets him earn money while honing his skills; it's an incredibly good deal."

Xiao Qianxi nodded as well, then added after a moment's thought, "His work is truly excellent. One yuan per person isn't little; I estimate each person will use at most two or three rolls, so he'll finish quickly. In a month, he could easily photograph ten or twenty people, which is truly enough for several meaty meals."

After all, this was only the year 2000; the national average wage for urban employees was merely eight or nine hundred. Undoubtedly, the average figure never reflected the truth; the median was certainly lower than the average. This was the result of uneven regional development and imbalanced job wages.

Under such circumstances, twenty or thirty yuan was quite a sum.

Twenty years later, this amount would buy just a cup of milk tea. Now, however, it could provide someone with two or three days of fine meals. Moreover, being at a top-tier university nationwide, the cafeteria prices were even considerably cheaper.

Xu Lin's family was not wealthy either; she nodded. "Then I'll give it a try; I'll treat you all to a meal when the time comes."

"Forget it; one meal would wipe out twenty or thirty yuan, and you'd have to add more from your own pocket. Wouldn't that make all your hard work for nothing?" Xie Da Qiao waved her hand to refuse...

Just as the three were chatting and laughing, another Young Lady walked in through the door, looking extremely arrogant, followed by two people helping to carry her luggage. This person was, of course, the final occupant of Room 213, Wang Ying.

Wang Yan had seen Wang Ying's haughty and proud demeanor the moment he left Room 213, causing those around to whisper and remark that she was surely a Young Lady from a wealthy family.

Their eyes met briefly before shifting away; Wang Yan did not approach to strike up a conversation with this old acquaintance whose depths he once knew well. Instead, carrying his large bundle, he wandered off toward the Academy of Fine Arts and located his own dormitory building.

At this moment, three people were already inside the dorm; only he was missing to complete the full occupancy.

The room was quite spacious, featuring two sets of bunk beds and four desks. Though not as space-efficient as the loft-bed-with-desk style, the sheer size of the room made it feel very comfortable. At a glance, one could also see a balcony.

The three had already made their beds and were spontaneously cleaning up.

Seeing him enter, all three stopped what they were doing.

"Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome! Our Room 315 dormitory is now complete." A slightly chubby, very fair-complexioned young man stepped forward to greet him. "My name is Zhang Hai; I'm a local. What should we call you?"

"Wang Yan, from Liaoning Province. And you two?"

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Zhang Hai let out a "Hei"—and indeed, that "Hei" sounded utterly authentic.

The two beside him were one tall and one short, one sturdy and one thin.

The tall, thin young man grinned with an honest smile, his face covered in acne; he adjusted his glasses. "My name is Zhou Guosheng; I'm from Tianjin."

The remaining short, sturdy one exuded a rather simple and honest air. "I'm also a local; my name is Sun Zhenxing."

"Aiyo-wei, so all three of you are quite authentic, then."

The three wore speechless expressions, having caught the teasing tone in Wang Yan's words. Zhou Guosheng immediately switched sides: "Those two are authentic; I am not."

Wang Yan laughed heartily. "Just having a bit of fun; don't take it to heart. Shall we go out for a meal tonight?"

"And have some drinks?" Sun Zhenxing chimed in.

Zhang Hai exclaimed with a "Hai!" "I was just about to say that; then it's settled. Guosheng?"

"I have no objections." Zhou Guosheng nodded, pulling a pack of Huazi cigarettes from his pocket. "Care for a smoke, brother?"

"Do you two smoke?" Wang Yan asked the other two.

"We both do, we both do. We're in the arts; it wouldn't be appropriate not to smoke." Zhang Hai chuckled.

Sun Zhenxing also nodded repeatedly and accepted a Huazi cigarette.

Thus, all four lit up, exhaling clouds of smoke.

Wang Yan smoked as he unpacked the large backpack, taking out clothes, shoes, and other items to arrange them. He then pulled his camera and lenses from his pocket and placed them on the desk reserved for him.

During this process, the four of them settled their ranking: Zhang Hai was the eldest, Sun Zhenxing the second, Wang Yan the third, and Zhou Guosheng the fourth.

Seeing this, the three exchanged glances, and Zhang Hai leaned over to say, "Brother, that camera of yours has some age to it, doesn't it?"

"It certainly has some age; it's older than all of us combined. This Seagull 4B was produced in the seventies, and this Nikon F3 belongs to the first batch produced in the eighties. This pile of lenses is about the same; their quality isn't great, but they're sufficient."

Wang Yan smiled. "My family circumstances truly aren't good. I chose photography mainly because I like it. In short, as long as I have a camera that can capture images, that's enough. It's all about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO; as long as it works, it works."

Sun Zhenxing spoke cautiously, "Third Brother, I have an unused Nikon digital camera. How about I go home in a few days and bring it over?"

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow, the arc of his smile widening from thirty-three degrees to forty: "Thanks, but I still won't need it. Mine is perfectly usable. If I ever need one, I can just borrow a camera from you guys. The only thing I lack is a super-telephoto lens, which I basically won't need anyway. I mainly shoot humanistic subjects, though recently I've been thinking about earning some living expenses, so I'm shooting some portraits too."

"Third Brother, all talk and no action is just a fake display. Let's see some photos?" Zhou Guosheng showed little respect for his Third Brother.

Wang Yan naturally wouldn't hold it against him; time would prove that these young men would eventually call him 'Brother Yan' from the bottom of their hearts.

Chuckling happily, he pulled out another stack of photos. "Here they are. There are still some over at the Chinese Literature Department; I'll fetch them later for you to see."

The three looked at Wang Yan suspiciously, unable to understand what the Chinese Literature Department had to do with anything, but before they could ask, they saw the images on the photos. Immediately, a chorus of croaks erupted, filled entirely with exclamations of "Holy crap."

"Damn, Third Brother, with these you could surely win an award, right?"

"Yeah, this composition, this lighting..."

"Truly fucking awesome."

Those studying photography naturally weren't ignorant; they already possessed experience and had developed a certain aesthetic sense and appreciation ability, so they could certainly distinguish good from bad.

They felt that the latest digital cameras sitting on the table and the various full-focal-length lenses now seemed utterly insignificant; their dismay at being struck down overflowed, and each one gnashed their teeth while staring at the photos.

Seriously, how is he so damn awesome?

The awesome Wang Yan extinguished his cigarette, tossed it into the trash bin, crossed his legs, and sat on the stool: "Aesthetics are personal, and appreciation is subjective. I can only say the photos turned out quite well; my own feeling is that they are above average. But speaking of winning awards, that's not so simple. Just by looking at the three of you, I can tell your backgrounds are excellent, so you surely understand this better than I do."

"That's true in theory, but your photos are just too damn good." Zhang Hai felt a sting in his heart for having previously sympathized with Wang Yan's poverty. "Haven't you submitted them anywhere?"

"Of course I have; it's just that there's been no response yet. Probably the volume isn't enough. Once I accumulate more, I'll submit them everywhere, domestically and internationally. Quantitative change leads to qualitative change," Wang Yan said carelessly.

This was unavoidable; without fame or background, pursuing art was not impossible, but it required gradual grinding.

Art is a toy for the rich.

Seeing Wang Yan's carefree demeanor, the three could only utter one word: awesome. His photos were awesome, his mindset was great, and simply sitting there exuded an uninhibited and dashing aura. The three of them indeed had some money, but in front of Wang Yan, they felt quite inferior, sensing a crushing dominance of hard capability.

"Don't just look at mine; you guys show off too. Let me take a look." Wang Yan, giving them face, tilted his head upward, signaling for the three to bring out their prideful works.

They were truly proud; each had framed their work, complete with signatures inscribed on them.

Before Wang Yan arrived, the three had already exchanged views once, and they had been quite self-satisfied when presenting their works. Now, with Wang Yan sitting right there, they felt somewhat shy as they brought theirs out.

"Be quick about it. Do you think I'd mock you? This stuff isn't set in stone; there's still room for improvement in the future."

Taking the frames from the three, Wang Yan took a look...

How to put it? The three were tacitly aligned; what they brought out were all landscape photos—glaciers, jungles, oceans—all requiring long-distance travel and prolonged waiting to capture the optimal light and form.

Besides the inherent expense of photography equipment, choosing landscape photography was also a major money burner. After all, it required taking time off work, long-distance travel, extended stays, and outdoor gear; all of this cost money. One scene didn't matter, but ten or a hundred represented a very significant sum...

"Not bad."

Wang Yan did not want to dampen the young men's enthusiasm; he studied them very seriously for a while, seemingly appraising them carefully. "There is still room for improvement. Work hard, and you can all become photographic artists."

His face was so sincere that the three briefly doubted whether Wang Yan was just being polite, but then decided to take him at his word, each feeling a small secret joy in their hearts.

"Hey, by the way, Third Brother, earlier you mentioned there were more photos at the Chinese Literature Department. What was that about?" Zhou Guosheng leaned over to ask.

Glancing sideways, Wang Yan thought this kid had promise.

Wang Yan said, "Well, I was sitting on the shuttle bus our school sent to pick us up at the train station and met some people there. I thought I'd take photos of our schoolmates; they buy the film rolls, and I earn a few yuan for my trouble..."

He recounted the earlier events, leaving the three listening with looks of longing. They weren't longing for Wang Yan's earnings, but for the spotlight he gained among the crowd and the beautiful women he met.

"Third Brother, aren't there quite a few beauties in the Chinese Literature Department?" Even Zhang Hai, the dormitory's eldest, acted quite sycophantic.

"I don't know. I only went to one dormitory, and not everyone was present. I'll investigate further later. What, do you guys have ideas?"

"We have plenty of ideas." The three nodded repeatedly.

"I've heard since forever that university life is great; you can get into relationships, and it's free and easy. Especially since our major isn't busy and the coursework isn't heavy, it's wonderful. Brother Yan, put in some effort and introduce some to us three."

"Hey." Wang Yan waved his hand amusingly. "Do I really need to introduce them? Photography gives you such an advantage on campus. Later, assignments will surely be given. At that time, you guys can just hang your cameras around the school, approach anyone who looks good, offer to take their photos, and just like that, you've established contact. On campus, people won't resent it; outside, holding a camera, who knows? Just seize the opportunities yourselves."

"If our school doesn't work out, just wander around other schools. Go to the Beijing Film Academy; there are even more beauties there. Compete for gigs with the photography brothers over there; it's no difficulty at all."

"Hiss... Don't say it, but seriously, don't say it." Sun Zhenxing was delighted. "Third Brother, it really has to be you."

"Hey, these are just words of experience."

"Please elaborate on the experience."

"Can I really tell you that?"

Wang Yan waved his hand, and thus, while chatting nonsense with the three, he finished packing his things.

The three accompanied him out of the school to a nearby mall to buy a set of quilts, pillows, sheets, and so on. Incidentally, they found a restaurant outside for a meal, drank quite a bit of alcohol, and swayed unsteadily back to the school, thus ending a wonderful day...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who generously donate, cast monthly votes, recommend votes, and silently read the book for their strong support!

? (End of Chapter)