Chapter 1697: Dog Couple

"Classmate Xu Lianqiao, please introduce yourself so everyone can get to know you," Ye Jiping guided, encouraging her integration.

Xu Lianqiao nodded, her gaze sweeping across the classmates in the room: "Hello everyone, my name is Xu Lianqiao."

The room fell silent for a few seconds; seeing that she had nothing more to say, the entire class was baffled. Bi Shisan glanced up once, then resumed folding his arms and gazing out the window at the blue sky and white clouds.

Ye Jiping snapped out of it: "Good, let's all applaud to welcome her. From now on, we are all classmates in the same class; take care of one another, take care of one another."

Everyone applauded sparsely, a merely symbolic welcome.

Xu Lianqiao paid no heed to the insincere applause; instead, her eyes landed on Xiao Haiyang, who looked utterly distraught. Under the gaze of the entire class, she dragged over a chair, sat down directly beside Xiao Haiyang, and stared straight at him.

Ye Jiping was already quite accustomed to these students' mental illnesses; after quieting everyone down, he earnestly exhorted the classmates that sophomore year would mark the beginning of their cinematography studies, urging them all to pay close attention. He added that after four years of studying photography, regardless of whether one pursued it as a career later, having a skill to earn one's rice bowl meant one would never be at a loss, no matter the circumstances.

Bi Shisan offered high affirmation, stating that he had already taken his camera to work at various city attractions, earning over a thousand yuan on his best day. He reasoned that if housing issues were resolved, over a thousand yuan in a single day was already sufficient for a person to eat and drink well.

After finishing his remarks, Ye Jiping instructed Lu Qiaochuan to lead a group of male classmates to collect the new semester's textbooks. Once distribution was complete and he had exhorted everyone to behave themselves, the class meeting concluded...

Xu Lianqiao was confirming her boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with Xiao Haiyang, while Yu Hao excitedly observed the scene firsthand.

Wang Yan paid no attention to any of this; he packed his books into his satchel and rose to leave.

"Wang Yan, wait a moment," Li Shuci called out, quickly gathering her books before trotting a few steps to follow Wang Yan as they departed together.

Lin Luoxue, who had been about to walk over and join Wang Yan, paused for a moment, then shook her head and departed at a leisurely pace.

"Wang Yan, Gu Yixin has left," Li Shuci said, blinking her large eyes.

"Yes, she has left."

"Don't be sad."

"I am fine." Wang Yan nodded with a smile. "Thank you for your concern."

"You don't need to be so polite with me, Wang Yan," Li Shuci said hurriedly. "I am not very good with words, Wang Yan; I just want you to be happy and joyful. Although Gu Yixin has left, your future is still very long."

"Hearing you say that makes me feel much better; my heart feels warm."

"Mm, that's good then. Wang Yan, shall we go have lunch together?" Li Shuci invited proactively.

"Is that so? You two are going to have lunch?" Lin Luoxue appeared on Wang Yan's other side. "May I join you?"

"Sure," Li Shuci nodded.

"Then it's settled, Shuci; let's return to the dormitory first to drop off our satchels, then regroup. What do you say, Old~Wang~?" Lin Luoxue tugged at the hem of Wang Yan's shirt, acting affected and clinging to him like a little bird relying on a person.

"Stop putting on this dead act; see you in a bit."

"Heartless!"

Inside a restaurant famous for its boiled fish, the three of them sat separately in a corner: Wang Yan on one side, Lin Luoxue opposite him, and Li Shuci seated beside her.

"This is a boiled fish place I discovered earlier; they make it especially delicious," Li Shuci said enthusiastically, looking at Wang Yan with great anticipation. "Try it quickly, Wang Yan; Luoxue, you eat too."

Lin Luoxue nodded in thanks: "Old Wang, Shuci treats you so well."

Mere speech would have been one thing, but the key was that while speaking, under the table, she was also knocking her foot against Wang Yan's leg, tap by tap.

"Of course; it's great that she thinks of me when there's good food to be had." Wang Yan picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks; without needing to blot the oil with bread, he ate it fragrant and savory along with his rice. "It is indeed excellent; in the future, whenever there are places this delicious, remember to think of me often."

"Rest assured, Wang Yan, I will definitely think of you," Li Shuci said, sincere and well-behaved.

"You eat too; don't just keep watching me. I feel like you've gotten thinner; eat more. You eat more too, Luoxue."

Seeing Wang Yan raise an eyebrow at her, Lin Luoxue cast a coquettish glare but ultimately refrained from further sarcasm. The three of them finished the meal in relatively harmonious spirits.

Li Shuci asked again: "Wang Yan, do you have any plans this afternoon?"

"Do you have something in mind?"

"It's still early; how about we go watch a movie?"

Lin Luoxue chimed in: "Sure, I have nothing to do either. Shuci, if he doesn't go, the two of us can go. So, are you going or not, Old Wang?"

"Let's go; being idle is just being idle, and it's too hot today to take photographs anyway."

Thus, the three of them went to the cinema in the shopping mall. The film they watched was "So Young: Original You Still Here," a youth campus romance starring Liu Yifei and Jin Shijia; it was a terrible movie.

However, the viewing experience was quite excellent: on one side, Li Shuci was clumsily drawing closer, while on the other, Lin Luoxue, having already let herself go, was engaging in flirtation within the dim environment; Li Shuci had effectively become part of the play...

After the movie, today's date was considered over. Li Shuci returned to the school, while Lin Luoxue claimed she had matters to attend to outside and would not return tonight; thus, the dog couple went to the studio to indulge in intimacy.

"Was today exciting?" Lin Luoxue asked, leaning against Wang Yan's chest.

"You have changed quite a lot."

"That is because after being with you, I discovered even more of your good qualities; my entire heart has grown onto you. When you are happy, I am naturally happy too. Don't all men like contrast, preferring a woman who appears to be a mature sister or a little loli on the surface, but is actually reserved yet wanton deep down? Don't you like me being this way?"

"Men also like dragging virtuous women into the mire while urging women of the red-light district to reform. Seeing women of the red-light district, some feel pity and urge them to reform to satisfy their own benevolent, savior-like hearts. Yet when they see virtuous women, they feel they are pretending and wish to corrupt them, enjoying the thrill of toying with people, which brings immense satisfaction to their hearts."

"Then are you one of them?"

"Obviously not." Wang Yan shook his head repeatedly. "Although I am no paragon of virtue, I am not that twisted or perverted. So just be natural; become the version of yourself that you like. You must love yourself before you can love others."

"You ask if I like you being this way now; of course, the feeling is not bad, but more than that, I feel pity for you. There is no need for you to act this way; just being yourself is perfectly fine."

"Then you don't blame me for ruining your good deed today?"

"What good deed or bad deed, it is all fate," Wang Yan said. "Those destined to be together cannot be separated even by thousands of miles; those not destined to be together will dream different dreams even while sharing the same bed."

"Tsk, tsk, if Shuci knew you were actually thinking of straddling two boats, how heartbroken she would be."

"Before you speak, perhaps you should think about those male comrades who have previously fallen prostrate before your pomegranate skirt, and think about those in your WeChat who constantly send you messages of concern and warmth."

"I have never explicitly straddled two boats; I was merely maintaining a normal friendship and chatting with other male friends while in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with one man. As for whether they want to pursue me, what does that have to do with me? It's not as if telling them not to pursue me would stop them from doing so."

Lin Luoxue spoke these words as a declaration of a tea-girl and scumbag woman.

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "You are truly a mess of scum."

"Pot calling the kettle black."

"You see, your greatest misunderstanding of me lies right here." Wang Yan shook his head as if helpless. "Look, up until now, I have only been in a relationship with Gu Yixin and haven't done anything with other female classmates; how, in your eyes, did I become a scumbag man?"

"Then, my dear classmate, could you tell me: during the period when your relationship with Gu Yixin was still ongoing, how exactly were you chatting with me on WeChat, and how exactly were you laying hands on me and taking every possible advantage?"

"I thought you liked it," Wang Yan said, speaking pure dog talk.

The dog couple warmed each other...

The next day, classes officially began; during the break, Wang Yan and the others went to the restroom to smoke, while Yu Hao used the toilet, washed his hands, fanned his nose, and sidled up to Wang Yan.

"I have some fresh gossip; do you want to hear it?"

"Some?" Wang Yan feigned confusion at the right moment.

"Don't question my status as the Heavenly Queen of Gossip, okay?" Yu Hao pinched his fingers into an orchid pose, covered his mouth, and whispered, "Let me tell you, Zhong Bai and Lu Qiaochuan have officially confirmed their relationship.

Oh, don't look at me like I'm an idiot, okay? Of course, I knew they weren't hiding anything yesterday. But aren't you curious about the story of how they got together?"

Wang Yan calmly shook his head and blew a puff of smoke at Yu Hao.

"I knew you were curious; here's what happened: last year, during our freshman year, didn't the college hold a Christmas gala..."

This was the story from the original drama: at the Christmas masquerade gala during the first semester of freshman year, Zhong Bai wore a gown rented by Xiao Haiyang, donned a mask prepared by Ren Bao Yifan, went to find Lu Qiaochuan, took his phone, and typed the words 'I like you'.

Then, just during the summer break that had recently ended, Lu Qiaochuan discovered that mask, confirmed that the person from that night was Zhong Bai, and the two naturally ended up together...

Wang Yan extinguished his cigarette: "I really have zero curiosity about this matter."

His relationship with Lu Qiaochuan and Zhong Bai had become even worse after the previous incident where he opposed the band's performance; at best, they were mere acquaintances who nodded at each other. Since then, the two of them had exchanged fewer than ten sentences with him.

It wasn't that Wang Yan was petty; after all, if he were about to chop someone to death, would he still chat with them warmly and smilingly? Lu Qiaochuan was a young man who cared about face and understood things clearly.

Yu Hao followed beside Wang Yan and continued, "Then aren't you curious about Xu Lianqiao's situation?"

"I'm extremely curious; tell me quickly."

"Xu Lianqiao used to be in the TV News major, and she is two years ahead of us. Later, for some unknown reason, she suddenly took a leave of absence, and that leave lasted a year and a half; after returning to re-register, she even transferred into our class. As for exactly what happened, I haven't managed to find out yet; this Xu Lianqiao is truly quite mysterious."

"Thank you." Suddenly, a voice chimed in from the side.

Wang Yan and Yu Hao turned to look, only to see Xu Lianqiao nodding very seriously and solemnly at Yu Hao.

"I wasn't talking about you; I didn't say anything." Yu Hao crossed his hands in self-defense.

"We're doomed." Wang Yan, showing his disdain, asked directly, "Student Xu Lianqiao, could you share why you suddenly took a leave of absence?"

"Old Wang! You're being far too offensive to her!"

"Get lost; she already heard everything, you've already offended her, so what's this talk of being offensive or not? You're just using that 'thief crying thief' tactic again. I asked directly on your behalf to satisfy your gossip-loving heart, yet instead of being grateful, you bite back; this is outrageous."

Wang Yan looked at Xu Lianqiao again, "Student Lianqiao, what is your answer?"

Xu Lianqiao listened to their conversation with an expressionless face; seeing Wang Yan look over again, she leaned forward, moved close to Wang Yan, took a deep breath, and then smiled: "He said I'm quite mysterious! I think he's right."

Having said that, she flicked her hair and returned to the classroom.

"Wait, Old Wang, you're too bold." Yu Hao patted his chest, "You scared me to death; it seems we can't gossip outside anymore. Otherwise, running into the main character would be so awkward."

"You just love doing this self-deceiving stuff; she already knows, so what are you pretending for?"

Wang Yan waved his hand and also returned to the classroom for class...

This period's class was taught by Ye Jiping; he critiqued the photos the students had taken during the holiday, remarking that everyone was just slacking off.

He said, "There are many ways to slack off, but the most slacking of all is taking selfies, and even more slacking is taking selfies you're too lazy to edit," referring to Bi Shisan's work; the photo's content showed Bi Shisan himself holding rice and sending it into his mouth, and this work was titled 'The Last Supper', because 'thirteen people were eating', and the 'Last Supper' painted by Da Vinci also featured thirteen people...

After such a lighthearted critique, he said, "You've all studied exposure, composition, and color for a year; video is just photos linked together, so you can start filming now, though you may not be proficient yet, and there are some issues to note.

This semester, you won't be taking photos anymore; start shooting videos. I'll give you some time to prepare and study, so the first video assignment will be due in two weeks. The content is unlimited; feel free to do whatever you want.

Oh, right, Wang Yan doesn't need to submit an assignment; as everyone knows, Student Wang Yan has a studio and usually takes on wedding shoots; his style is documentary, and I have seen his works.

However, Wang Yan, I've noticed you've been shooting portraits recently; after all, what we study is television cinematography, and shooting video is the foundation. I suggest you develop more areas and not limit yourself solely to wedding videos; try developing other styles.

The internet is developing faster and faster, with media platforms and streaming platforms becoming dominant; your technical level is superb, Gao Chao, and if you seize the opportunity, you can certainly build a career... I've said too much; this is just a suggestion for you to consider yourself."

Whenever Ye Jiping started talking, he easily couldn't hold back; habitually, once he started, he wanted to plan out Wang Yan's future, only then realizing that relying on that off-campus studio, Wang Yan's future was already set for a carefree life...

"Old Ye, I understand everything; all I have left is the pursuit of art."

Clap! Ye Jiping clapped his hands: "You were simply born for art."

With no pressure to survive and enjoying a high-quality life, once economic construction is completed, isn't it natural to focus on the construction of spiritual civilization?

Yu Hao raised his hand: "Teacher, I spend the most time going out to shoot with Wang Yan; can I also be exempt from submitting assignments?"

"Bullshit, I'm the one who spends the most time." Luan Mengyu slammed the table and stood up.

Everyone made a noisy commotion, all hoping to avoid submitting assignments. Of course, it was useless; going to shoot with Wang Yan didn't mean one possessed Wang Yan's skill level. It wasn't just about shooting; afterward, there was editing, color grading, sound effects, and a whole series of other tasks.

The students were just playing around; none of them truly believed they could skip the assignment. It seemed that whenever teachers said something in class, there were always some kids below making sarcastic remarks, making everyone laugh while leaving the teacher speechless and choked with emotion.

The matter was settled; everyone seemed urgently started preparing shooting scripts, and whenever they chatted, they inevitably spoke of becoming great directors, but when it came to actual execution, they dropped ranks in League of Legends, got beaten like dogs in Gun King Battle, and when playing other large-scale online games, got camped at the respawn point and slaughtered...

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