Chapter 134 First-hand Hot Melon

Initially, only Duan Xirui's fans were commenting on this Weibo post.

That evening, it inexplicably rose to tenth place on the trending topics list, and an hour later, it moved to sixth place.

Anything that makes it onto the trending topics list will naturally attract a large number of casual internet users to watch.

[Wow, this lady is so pretty! Is she an actress? (I don't watch many TV dramas, so I don't really recognize her.)]

Yes, yes! She played the second female lead in the recently popular historical romance drama "The Legend of Wutang," it's super good! Highly recommend it!

[I watched that drama too. The little fairy in it is a very pure and cute type, completely different from the style of these photos. They're both beautiful, but I prefer this kind of retro-style beauty!]

As a fan of Rui Rui for three years, I dare say this is her top 1 of all her photobooks. Rui Rui isn't just cute; she's incredibly thin in real life, a walking clothes hanger.

[Directors, look here! Quickly hand over a script for a period drama to Rui Rui! In these photos, isn't Rui Rui a stunning beauty straight out of the old era?]

A passerby commented that it was indeed beautiful, and the photographer's skills were excellent; it must have cost a lot of money.

Wait a minute... I think I've followed this photographer before. I just clicked on it and found it's in my following list!

[The photographer who took Rui Rui's photos was Bright.L! This photographer is really good at landscape photography, especially at capturing that sense of atmosphere.]

[Oh! It's Teacher L! No surprise then. I've been following Teacher L since college, and now that I've graduated, he's been a freelance photographer for a long time, sharing his photos for free as wallpapers and such. Just the other day, someone was suggesting he take some portrait shots, and here he is! Amazing! L is a genius!]

[Ahhh, I'm following him too! Knowing it was him who took the photos was both surprising and not so surprising... His photography skills are undeniable, so is Teacher L going to enter the entertainment industry?]

[Photographing celebrities in the entertainment industry is more lucrative! Photographers need to make a living too. After being so laid-back for so many years, it's time to cash in, hahaha!]

Lu Yinzhao only found out after his roommate reminded him that the photos he took of Duan Xirui had gone viral.

Upon receiving the other party's thanks, he immediately retweeted Duan Xirui's Weibo post.

Afraid of saying the wrong thing, Lu Yinzhao only added a handshake emoji when reposting the other party's Weibo post, meaning "Happy to cooperate".

Be careful what you say online, especially when working with celebrities.

Lu Yinzhao's family are all in the industry, so he understands the ins and outs better than others.

Fortunately, the photos he took this time didn't backfire and actually hit the public's aesthetic point. Otherwise, he wasn't sure if those fans would have gone to his Weibo to scold him.

The situation looks very good right now, with everyone coming because of its reputation.

Lu Yinzhao silently absorbed this surge of attention, watching his followers increase by another 10,000, his eyes filled with a smile.

Because Duan Xirui has not revealed his real identity online, his fans still do not know that he is just a freshman in college.

This is good; it maintains an air of mystery so that people don't think he's inexperienced and doubt his abilities.

In contemporary society, many people subconsciously judge people by their seniority. If someone is too young, they will inevitably be considered by their peers as an unreliable photographer, and any good shots they take once or twice may be due to luck.

Lu Yinzhao isn't afraid of being questioned; he just finds it troublesome and prefers to avoid public controversy.

"Our Xiaolu is truly extraordinary! You've been hiding this for so long!" Jiang Yi exclaimed repeatedly while staring at his phone.

Lu Yinzhao hadn't yet realized what the other person was saying.

Song Shuye exclaimed, "Your Weibo ID is Bright.L?? Oh my god! I saw you a few years ago, but I'm not interested in photography, so I didn't follow you!"

Lu Yinzhao: "..."

It was a miscalculation; Duan Xirui's trending topic also led to his Weibo account being exposed to his roommates.

Fortunately, only my roommate knew.

“Xiao Lu, I see your earliest Weibo post is from eight years ago. You…you were already into photography when you were ten? And you started posting on Weibo?” Xu Zishi dug into his Weibo even faster, and said in shock after finishing.

Lu Yinzhao: "..."

If he said he started playing with cameras when he was three years old, wouldn't that be too pretentious?

Facing his roommate's intense gaze, Lu Yinzhao nodded with difficulty.

The three roommates were even more furious.

"Lu Yinzhao, your childhood and my childhood seem different..."

"Your family is so kind, making you do these things when you're only ten. When I was ten, all I could do was play in the mud."

"People online probably don't know your age yet, right? If they did, you'd be a sensation! They'd definitely make fun of that!"

"What?" Lu Yinzhao tilted his head in confusion.

"They'll say you're 18 years old and already have 8 years of work experience."

"If you're this amazing, how are the real wage slaves supposed to survive?"

"18 years old, such an innocent and carefree age, and you've already started making money!"

“You can make money now too,” Lu Yinzhao said leisurely.

Lu Yinzhao was speaking from the heart. He felt that with the intelligence of his roommates, making money would not be difficult at all. However, they needed to balance studying and making money, and not lose more important study time because of blindly pursuing money.

Lu Yinzhao wasn't just doing this to make money; he was also paving the way for his future job after graduation by accumulating experience and connections.

With each take, he became more skilled.

He's still far from being one of the top celebrity photographers in the industry, so he naturally has to start working hard from the beginning.

Lu Yinzhao's nonchalant words took on a different meaning in the ears of his three roommates.

The implication was something like: You can make money too, don't you want to?

The three of them clutched their hearts, secretly heartbroken.

I was hit hard...

Seeing that the three of them looked listless, Lu Yinzhao worried that they might have gone astray, so he quickly started to comfort them.

“We all have different majors, so you don’t need to compare yourselves with me.”

"Xu Zishi, your future may be able to transform language and writing into the source code of civilization's evolution, and perhaps redefine the relationship between humanity and technology, civilization and the universe!"

"Jiang Yi, the national physics research and experimentation needs talents like you. Whether it is energy, computing, medicine or space exploration, we cannot do without the knowledge you have learned."

"And Song Shuye, your major allows you to work in top-level positions that influence funding, markets, and policy directions. Do you know how much the top professionals in your industry earn annually? They're all in the tens of millions!"

"We are all ambitious young people from Huaxing University. How could we be ordinary after leaving this school? We are just in the incubation period now. In the future, we will all shine in our respective fields for the country and society."

"So... there's no need to overthink things right now. Just read more books, you can't go wrong."

The three of them were dumbfounded: "..."

No, how come they don't know how awesome their major is?

How come it sounds so sophisticated coming from Lu Yinzhao's mouth?

For a moment, all three of them felt that they were about to dedicate themselves to the country's modernization.

What's the story behind this statement that sounds like it's from a very politically upright background and that the country is prosperous and peaceful?

Song Shuye spoke first: "I definitely want to study, but I also want to earn money. Do you still stand by what you said yesterday about making me your assistant?"

Lu Yinzhao nodded: "Of course it counts. I'll call you next time I take on a job."

Xu Zishi and Jiang Yi also raised their hands: "Can we come along?"

Lu Yinzhao thought for a moment and said, "You can take turns. Whoever has time can go."

The three nodded in unison, each one as happy as a fool.

"I suddenly understand how those people who say 'when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs rise to heaven' feel... I didn't mean it sarcastically, I just wanted to express how lucky I am to be in the same dormitory as Lu Yinzhao!" Song Shuye covered his face and pretended to cry.

Lu Yinzhao was both amused and exasperated after hearing this. His roommates were such drama queens. Compared to their focus on their major, he felt that they were the ones who truly had the talent to be actors.

...

After completing this job, Lu Yinzhao spent another half a month peacefully at school.

My schedule has been pretty full of classes lately, and I have to squeeze in time to finish my assignments.

His roommate was similar to him; after all, they were both top students, and who hadn't taken exams back in the day?

Besides classroom learning, I also spend a lot of time studying in the library.

Seeing that everyone was quite busy, Lu Yinzhao didn't rush to take on the next order.

However, amidst this tranquility, a piece of news emerged...

That noon, as soon as Song Shuye returned to his dormitory, he transformed into a gossip king and began to spill the beans.

"Did you know? Ge Yinghao dropped out of school."

"Huh? Why?" Jiang Yi asked, turning around.

"This matter is a bit complicated, let me explain in detail..."

"Tell me quickly!" Xu Zishi urged.

Even Lu Yinzhao pricked up his ears to listen.

He had a vague feeling that this matter might be related to him, but he dared not interrupt rashly, for fear of revealing something.

"Let me start with the first thing. Doesn't he change boyfriends frequently? Actually, it's not a seamless transition at all. He's two-timing. I don't know the details, but maybe he's two-timing multiple people."

"..."

"I don't know which of his ex-boyfriends came out and exposed this, but his carefully cultivated persona of being a pretentious and devoted lover has been completely shattered, hahaha!"

"..."

"Then, the second thing is even more gratifying. Ge Yinghao's company suddenly broke its cash flow, and its previous partners also terminated their cooperation one after another. I bet his father is in a real mess right now. It's even a problem if he can pay his son's living expenses for this month. With the payment cut off, can Ge Yinghao still afford to show off?"

"..."

"The third one is just a rumor, I don't know if it's true... Ge Yinghao didn't seem to come to school for a long time recently, I heard that he was beaten up outside the school and ended up in the hospital."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yinzhao's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively thought of Bian Ji.

Could it be that Bian Ji went and beat someone up again in private? Will someone see his face? Will his identity be discovered?

Just as Lu Yinzhao was panicking and thinking this, Song Shuye continued speaking.

"It's said that his ex-ex-ex-ex-boyfriend hired gangsters to retaliate. It seems he's offended quite a few people. I heard that he always broke up peacefully, but this isn't peaceful at all." Song Shuye stroked his chin.

"They're probably holding a grudge. It's not that they won't get their comeuppance, it's just that their time hasn't come yet..." Jiang Yi sighed.

“His family situation is more dangerous, and I guess that’s the main reason he dropped out of school,” Song Shuye analyzed.

Lu Yinzhao couldn't help but ask, "How did you know all this?"

Song Shuye raised an eyebrow. "Don't any of you guys browse the campus forum?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"You don't play with Little Orange Book? You don't play with Xiaohu either?"

"..."

"This story has been made into a PDF and posted online. Someone anonymously submitted it to @UniversityVillagerMelonFieldBot, and it's being forwarded in WeChat groups. I guess it hasn't spread that far yet. It should become a hot topic tomorrow."

"..."

"What's with that look on your faces? I'm telling you this firsthand gossip, it's still fresh and hot, you don't even need to see it for yourselves. I just did a reading comprehension exercise and summarized this gossip."

Lu Yinzhao chuckled, "Then you're a pretty nice person."

Song Shuye didn't notice anything amiss and proudly said, "Of course! What fun would this dorm have without me? With your oblivious attitude, you'd miss out on so much fun."

Lu Yinzhao's heart, which had just been pounding, calmed down a little.

As long as it wasn't Bian Ji himself who did the hitting.

I hope he doesn't cause any trouble at the very beginning of his career.

After hearing these things, Lu Yinzhao recalled what Bian Ji had said.

So that's how he meant when he said "I'll handle it"...

-----------------------

Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: I woke up to find that my curse about his family going bankrupt had come true? [Scared]

Bian Ji: Don't worry about it, I'll handle it. [Shrugs]

[ps: Officially offline [okay]]