Chapter 1374: Getting Along

"Wang Ying, what a coincidence."

That flashy man walked over and greeted Wang Ying.

Ignoring Wang Ying's expression of someone wishing for death, and disregarding Wang Yan standing nearby with two battered cameras slung over his shoulder, his gaze swept past Xu Lin, who was stifling laughter, lingered for a second on Xie Da Qiao, who was also holding back giggles, and finally landed on Xiao Qianxi, who was smiling.

"Are these your classmates? Introduce us."

Wang Ying rolled her eyes, glared at the man like a little chili pepper, then glared even more fiercely at Wang Yan.

Letting out a long sigh, she said, "This is my friend, Yangcheng, Young Master Yang. These three beauties are my roommates: this is Xiao Qianxi, this is Xie Da Qiao, and this is Xu Lin."

"What about me?" Wang Yan spoke up voluntarily.

"Are you even human?" Wang Ying snorted.

Wang Yan laughed heartily and voluntarily extended his hand to Yangcheng: "Hello, Young Master Yang. Let me introduce myself: Wang Yan, a photography student. Would you like a portrait session?"

"No thank you, not for now," Yangcheng declined politely.

"Just let me know whenever you need something," Wang Yan said without taking offense, then turned and added, "You all chat first; Qianxi and I will head out."

Thus, Yangcheng watched helplessly as Xiao Qianxi, Xie Da Qiao, and Xu Lin followed Wang Yan away; bewildered, he asked, "Wait, what's this guy's background?"

"Didn't I just say? He studies photography at the Academy of Fine Arts; his name is Wang Yan," Wang Ying said irritably. "Do you have business or not? If not, I'm leaving."

"Hey, don't go yet; introduce them to me properly, especially the one called Qianxi."

"I don't care; I'm off."

"How about hot pot tonight?"

"No."

Watching Wang Ying leave without looking back, Yangcheng wore a face of utter confusion: "Wait, who upset her again? This is just mental illness..."

Catching up with Wang Yan and the others, who were chatting and laughing, Wang Ying asked, "Didn't you say you were going to find a sucker to treat us to a meal? Why did you leave? Are you afraid?"

"It was just a joke. Even if I have no shame and I'm poor, I'm not so destitute that I can't afford a meal. If I can't afford the good stuff, can't I at least afford the cheap stuff?" Wang Yan said with amusement. "Of course, mainly this sucker is decent; he didn't start off showing off. Otherwise, if he had earnestly invited us, I certainly wouldn't have refused; free food is free food."

Yangcheng was passable; he hadn't bullied anyone excessively. One couldn't know about the scenes that weren't filmed, but in the filmed segments, at least he hadn't bullied Qin Li Chuan, which was rare. Perhaps it simply hadn't reached that point yet.

"What's this? Did you change your mind and want to be the sucker?"

"Even if I were the sucker, I wouldn't bring you," Wang Ying snorted, then looked at Xiao Qianxi and the others. "I was just thinking we haven't had a group meal together yet; let's go for hot pot tonight. My treat; consider it a gathering for Room 213."

"No need for you to treat; let's split the bill," Xiao Qianxi said.

"Qianxi, I must criticize you," Wang Yan said. "Our little rich lady means well and isn't short on money; next time, just bring her some fresh local specialties. You three eat plenty of meat and eat my share back; I am with you in spirit, right, little rich lady?"

"Hmph~" Wang Ying pouted with tsundere pride.

"The Young Lady is truly generous," Xu Lin, ever ready to provide emotional value, grabbed Wang Ying and began heaping praise upon her.

Compared to Xu Lin's carefree boldness, Xiao Qianxi and Xie Da Qiao fell far short; the two merely thanked Wang Ying.

Xiao Qianxi was strong-willed and ambitious, unwilling to owe even the slightest favor. Xie Da Qiao was a well-behaved girl, doted on by her family, and had been wooed all the way by Qin Li Chuan; she was still adapting to complex interpersonal relationships.

Wang Yan waved his hand. "Let's speed up; once I finish taking your photos, you can go eat. Don't waste too much time."

"Are you really not coming?" Wang Ying couldn't help but invite him; in truth, she didn't care whether Wang Yan went or not. At present, none of them were particularly close anyway; it was all the same.

It was only because of the series of events prior, combined with her desire to save face, that she felt Wang Yan ought to go.

"You don't actually have improper thoughts about me, do you? Let me tell you, give up early. I sell my art, not my body," Wang Yan said, his face full of vigilance.

"Drop dead. Come if you want, don't if you don't."

Wang Yan laughed again. "Really not coming. You young ladies should chat about private matters together; what business does a male comrade like me have joining the fun? We can talk about it another time when there's opportunity."

"Rest assured, there definitely won't be another opportunity. Once you miss this chance, it's gone. Unless you're treating!"

"Then wish me booming business," Wang Yan said, bumping Xu Lin's shoulder. "Good sister, develop this further. I can't shoot everyone alone; I have classmates too. There are thirteen of us in the class in total; basically, we can all be pulled out to work."

"But you still wouldn't make any money," Xu Lin said, utterly perplexed.

"I'm earning fame. For people in the arts, fame is money. Right now I earn a few yuan in labor fees for taking photos; when my name is known throughout Beiqing, I'll be earning hundreds."

"No one in our school will ask you to take their photos," Xiao Qianxi said.

"Exactly, Wang Yan. My monthly living allowance is only a few hundred yuan; if you take one photo, that's my food for a whole month," Xie Da Qiao added, equally unable to understand.

"Oh dear." Wang Ying showed a slight hint of disdain at their lack of worldly knowledge. "Why can't you think beyond our school? Must you only take photos of our classmates?"

"Once his name is known throughout Beiqing, he'll surely be able to speak to the relevant leaders at the Academy of Fine Arts. Then he can shoot for celebrities or do advertising shoots; won't the money be much greater then?"

"If he wins a few more awards and gets his photos featured in a few more magazines, a single photo could sell for several thousand or even tens of thousands later on."

Seeing the three bewildered faces, Wang Yan comforted them: "It's fine; no need to feel awkward. Our little rich lady comes from a good family, so she knows more. I only got my hands on a camera in my teens; I can't compare."

"But indeed, it's just as she said. We don't even need the Academy leaders; the teachers in our department can help. Actually, the curriculum is quite miscellaneous and covers a broad range: still photography, filmmaking, and so on. What we end up doing isn't certain. In short, your brother here has a fairly promising future; at the very least, I'll never lack for food or drink."

"And you still don't cherish this, little rich lady? Right now, a few hundred yuan gets you a portrait set; later, if you want me to shoot, it'll cost thousands or tens of thousands, and I might not even have time."

"Stop daydreaming; talk about that when you're actually worth that much."

Wang Yan smiled, turned to Xiao Qianxi, and said, "Qianxi, military training exhausted you; rest this week, and I'll shoot a set for you next week."

"Okay," Xiao Qianxi replied; this had been agreed upon beforehand.

"How much will you charge? Qianxi, don't let him scam you," Wang Ying offered a friendly reminder.

Xiao Qianxi looked at Wang Yan, who said, "It's free. I'll cover the film costs too, and later I'll develop and print a set as a gift for her. It might even count as a homework assignment then. I'll surely trouble you often in the future, Qianxi."

"You shoot so well and do it for free; what trouble could there be?" Xiao Qianxi waved her hand, smiling brightly.

"I think you have a bright future and will achieve great things; I'm afraid of delaying your studies."

Before Xiao Qianxi could speak, Wang Ying snorted first: "I've discovered one virtue of yours."

"What?" Wang Yan glanced sideways at her.

"You talk complete nonsense and are exceptionally good at running your mouth."

Wang Yan laughed. "I can't help but suspect again that you have ulterior motives toward me, little rich lady. You keep provoking me just to attract my attention. Alright, save your efforts; seeing how hard you've tried, I'll reluctantly let you be a junior wife."

"Should I scratch you? I've never seen anyone so narcissistic and shameless. I even doubt how you got into this university. What's with that look? I'm different from Yangcheng; I got in on my own merit."

Wang Ying spoke with tsundere pride, then sought allies: "Xie Da Qiao, Xu Lin, you tell me: isn't he full of nonsense?"

Xie Da Qiao looked left and right, saying uncertainly, "A little... maybe?"

Xu Lin was far more direct: "Hey, he just thinks Qianxi is pretty, which is understandable. Right, good buddy?" She mimicked Wang Yan's manner, bumping his shoulder.

"That's why we get along so well; see, you hit the nail on the head."

Wang Yan returned the gesture. "Let me share a piece of professional photography knowledge with you. The three elements of portrait photography are: the model is beautiful, the model is beautiful, and the model is beautiful. With the great beauty Qianxi here, any casual shot turns out great. If my photos of you make money later, we'll split it fifty-fifty."

"If that day ever comes, just treat me to a good meal," Xiao Qianxi said with a smile, then waved her hand. "Let's go; you said we needed to hurry, yet here we are chatting."

"It's all the little rich girl's fault."

"Heh~"

Strolling around campus for two hours with the four girls, Wang Yan stopped and started, shooting four rolls of film for them. Wang Ying was photographed the most; though she claimed she didn't want to be, she had already prepared various poses.

Watching Wang Yan wander off, Wang Ying said, "Why do I find him so annoying? Seeing him makes me not annoyed with anyone else."

"Oh, cut it out. You were the one who said no photos, yet you're the one with the most pictures," Xu Lin stated nothing but the plain truth.

Wang Ying snorted in displeasure: "I figured it was a waste not to take them; I was just taking advantage of him."

Xie Da Qiao laughed: "Let's go, Young Lady, time to eat. We've been walking for half the day; my legs have walked themselves thin."

"Go, go, go; I'm hungry too. Taking photos is really no easy task; walking this far... Truly, if only I'd known, I would have had Yangcheng drive us here."

"Even if he drove us, it would be useless without the photographer," Xu Lin muttered.

"Wait, are you arguing with me?"

"I'm just stating the facts. Let's go quickly; I want meat."

With Xu Lin's arm around her, Wang Ying led the way, while Xiao Qianxi and Xie Da Qiao followed behind; the four of them went out, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the restaurant...

Wang Yan was developing film.

Photography was undoubtedly a minor specialty; the entire class had only thirteen students, and previous years hadn't had many either, so it didn't require much space.

But in reality, they occupied two floors. Besides classrooms for the four grades of students, there were offices for the teaching staff, as well as the photography department's equipment room, developing room, and so on; it was quite lavish.

As expected of a top-tier university, the resources were abundant.

During military training, Wang Yan had already become familiar with some leaders, professors, and teachers from the Academy of Fine Arts; naturally, those in his own major were no different.

In the absence of conflicting interests, teachers naturally favored those with sweet tongues and capability. Wang Yan spoke pleasantly, possessed strong shooting skills, and had even brought honor to the department during military training, so he was naturally very popular.

On the other hand, the cost of developing materials wasn't that high; while the photography major certainly wasn't wealthy, within such a financially robust top-tier school, these materials were merely pocket change.

Originally, developing materials for student practice were free, though photographic paper was limited. This was to prevent students from becoming narcissistic and printing worthless photos on paper. It wasn't a matter of money, but simply avoiding waste.

At this moment, the developing room didn't contain only Wang Yan, but he was the sole freshman; the others were all senior students.

"Yo, a new face," someone said upon seeing Wang Yan, greeting him warmly.

"Class of 2000 freshman, Wang Yan."

"Oh, so you're Wang Yan. We've seen your photos; they are damn good. Even the teachers say you have talent. But what interests me even more is the incident where you beat up the instructor."

"What beating up the instructor? It's understandable for outsiders to spread rumors based on hearsay, but how can you take it seriously? It was a sparring match!" Wang Yan said amusedly.

"Right, right, a sparring match. Can you fly?"

Wang Yan chatted with them while skillfully handling various chemicals to develop the film. With all the necessary equipment and a proper darkroom, developing and printing were very convenient. As long as one controlled the chemical temperature and optimal reaction time, one could obtain good-looking photos.

This time, Wang Yan could truly be considered to have spent generously; the photos he took of Xiao Qianxi and the others used color film, and there was even one roll of 120 reversal film. This meant the developed film wasn't negative but positive, allowing for direct viewing.

Color film was more expensive than black-and-white film, and reversal film was even pricier than ordinary color negative film.

Of course, this was just an exaggerated expression; in reality, Wang Yan lacked no money. After all, he had gained quite a bit while in Canada, so he was relatively wealthy and had secured enough for food and drink in the short term.

As for the long term, he planned to go out and do some part-time work. Zhongguancun wasn't far away; it had abundant resources there. He would pick up his old trade and go out to buy and sell computers. Following an already proven path, he would tap into the Jingcheng university student market, expanding from computers to other categories; the problem wasn't significant.

Especially since he had a top-tier university behind him with abundant resources. The school leaders weren't afraid of students causing a stir; in fact, they might even hope the scale grew larger. After all, if the matter was too small, it offered no bonus whatsoever for someone at their level.

On the other hand, while making a living through photography wasn't difficult for him currently, getting rich through it would be strenuous. If he truly relied on photography to earn money, acquiring a set of top-tier equipment would be impossible for some time.

He still had to make money. Photography would certainly continue, but earning couldn't be delayed; using earned money to subsidize photography was the only way to pursue art with freedom.

He was a person content with poverty and devoted to the Dao, but undoubtedly, if he could be comfortable, he wouldn't choose to be tired; it was that simple.

Thus, the next day, Saturday, he slung his camera over his shoulder, left campus, and went to Zhongguancun. While making money, he didn't even forget to take some photos...

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

? (End of Chapter)