Chapter 182 Photography Exhibition Opens

The next day.

Lu Yinzhao woke up in Bian Ji's arms.

He lay in bed in a daze for a long time before finally remembering that he had actually fallen asleep just like that yesterday.

He glanced down and realized he hadn't even changed his clothes.

Even Lu Yinzhao himself felt disgusted, yet Bian Ji could still sleep so soundly while holding him.

Seeing that Bian Ji was still asleep, Lu Yinzhao quietly got out of bed, took out a clean set of clothes from her bag, and quickly went to the bathroom.

After taking a quick shower, Lu Yinzhao smelled herself and felt nice and fragrant.

It was still early, and there was nothing particularly special to do today, so Lu Yinzhao happily returned to bed and moved back to her original position.

She even took Bian Ji's hand and placed it around his waist in a hugging motion.

He blinked and stared at Bian Ji's sleeping face for a while; the man's eyes concealed his exhaustion.

Just last week, Bian Ji became a vocal coach on "Chasing the Stars," where he was responsible for teaching and critiquing the vocal skills of the contestants.

This music talent show is known for its all-nighters, recording from day to night and then from night to day again.

Not only are the contestants suffering, but the mentors are also suffering along with them.

Even when she was so busy, Bian Ji was willing to come abroad for him, just because she was worried about him being alone.

A warm and sweet feeling welled up in Lu Yinzhao's heart.

Since the other party took time out of their busy schedule to come and keep her company, Lu Yinzhao decided not to go anywhere else today, even if she could just stay in bed with Bian Ji all day.

The exhibition is not scheduled to officially open until the day after tomorrow, so Lu Yinzhao came here in advance to allow himself to be fully prepared. Fortunately, everything was arranged yesterday.

I can leisurely stroll around F country for the next two days.

While he was lost in thought, his lips were suddenly touched. Bian Ji had woken up at some point and leaned in to kiss his neck.

"Brother, you're awake..." Lu Yinzhao didn't dodge, but went up to hug him, and the two got even closer.

"Did you take a shower?" Bian Ji had just woken up, her voice still hoarse and rough.

"Yeah, you didn't even wake me up yesterday to wash up. I was out all day and I smelled terrible." Lu Yinzhao pouted.

"You look too tired, I didn't want to disturb your sleep." Bian Ji smiled slightly and kissed Lu Yinzhao's chin again. "Besides, it doesn't smell bad."

Lu Yinzhao rolled her eyes, “…”

Bian Ji's germaphobia was cured in his presence, and only he didn't mind.

Lu Yinzhao rubbed his stomach. "I'm hungry."

Bian Ji rolled out of bed, picked up the phone next to her, and skillfully ordered two breakfasts from the hotel, speaking the local language of F country throughout.

With Bian Ji by his side, Lu Yinzhao felt extremely at ease.

Fifteen minutes later, breakfast was delivered to the room.

Lu Yinzhao glanced at it and saw that it was freshly baked croissants and waffles, plus a cup of coffee and a cup of milk.

Although Lu Yinzhao has a Chinese stomach, when she's hungry, she doesn't discriminate against anything and can be overjoyed by eating small desserts.

"Brother, you still haven't answered me yesterday. How come you have time to come abroad?"

“I’m not a competitor either. They have time to practice and prepare for each competition, and during that time, I can naturally do other things,” Bian Ji explained.

"I see. So, what do you think of the skill level of the contestants here?" Lu Yinzhao asked.

"There are a few who are quite capable, but most of them are not worth watching," Bian Ji said honestly.

"Brother, you wouldn't be this honest on the show too, would you?" Lu Yinzhao had a vague sense of unease.

"Otherwise what? Should I praise those who sing off-key or crack their voices? That just means their basic skills aren't solid," Bian Ji said earnestly.

Lu Yinzhao laughed out loud, "Teacher Bian Ji is so strict! We're all young people, don't let you scold us until we cry."

“Some contestants did cry, but I don’t think it has anything to do with me. They cried because they felt they didn’t sing well,” Bian Ji said seriously.

Lu Yinzhao: "..."

Given Bian Ji's sharp tongue in his profession, Lu Yinzhao could imagine that after the show aired, some marketing accounts would probably use this as a basis for their articles.

However, Bian Ji is fully qualified to be so assertive; the MP degree from the Royal Academy of Music in Y country is not easy to obtain.

"Would you like to go for a walk after you finish eating?" Bian Ji asked.

Lu Yinzhao shook his head: "Let's both rest at the hotel today. You've finally caught your breath, and I'm in the same boat. I'll be relatively free for the next couple of days."

“Okay, I also need to deal with some musical issues of the contestants.”

"How should we handle this?"

“Each mentor is responsible for a class. The students in my class don’t have a very good foundation. They ask me questions in the group chat, and I need to answer them.”

"They're so lucky to get to attend your masterclass, hahaha!" Lu Yinzhao said with a smile.

“I wouldn’t call myself a master, but I’d be happy to lend a hand to these new generation musicians on their journey to pursue their musical dreams.”

Bian Ji's words were full of sincerity, and Lu Yinzhao couldn't help but think that Bian Ji himself was not that old, and might even be younger than some of the contestants.

Being able to focus so intently on his own field, while also supporting fellow musicians, clearly shows that Bian Ji is a person who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside.

In the time that followed, Lu Yinzhao took out his notebook and began to organize some of the photos he had taken before, while Bian Ji replied to the contestants' questions one by one on WeChat, giving them some constructive suggestions.

Neither of them bothered the other, and the day passed uneventfully.

at night.

Bian Ji held Lu Yinzhao close, whispering sweet nothings to her before bed.

“I’m leaving on the morning of your exhibition. The production team changed the time and we need to start recording the next stage earlier.” Bian Ji gently stroked the boy’s hair in her arms.

“I can manage on my own. Worth has arranged everything for me. I just need to wait for things to blossom. Besides… I have you as my trump card.”

When this was mentioned, Bian Ji paused for a moment, then immediately recalled that the last photo in Lu Yinzhao's series of works called "Hidden Charm of the East" was taken by him in cooperation with Lu Yinzhao.

He was in that photo.

"Do you think your fans will recognize me when they see this? After all, I only filmed silhouettes."

“Your film has a great atmosphere, and I think it will be very well received,” Bian Ji said.

"Then I'll take your kind words. You'll bring me good luck, right?"

Bian Ji smiled indulgently and said, "You've always been the one who brings good luck, Zhao Zhao."

*

On the day of the exhibition, the place was bustling with people.

Many reporters and photographers, as well as students from art schools, were present at the scene.

Lu Yinzhao deliberately didn't show up immediately, wanting to see how the public would react after seeing his work.

Voss specifically led him to a corner not far from his own exhibition area, where he could see the entire circular exhibition wall.

“I’ve checked all the lighting in the exhibition area over the past few days, and I’ve tested your area countless times to make sure there won’t be any more mistakes like before,” Worth said confidently.

"Thanks to you, today's event was even better than I expected. I'm honored that my work could be seen by those professionals," Lu Yinzhao said with satisfaction.

"Worth, is this the young photographer you've got your eye on?" At that moment, a middle-aged man with brown hair walked towards them.

“Lu, let me introduce you. This is Ethan, another person in charge of our photography exhibition,” Worth said to Lu Yinzhao.

"Hello, Mr. Ethan, it's a pleasure to meet you." Lu Yinzhao shook hands with Ethan.

The other party said, "I have seen your work. Your control of light and shadow is outstanding. I think we will definitely have the opportunity to collaborate again in the future."

"Thank you for your recognition. I would be happy to have such an opportunity..."

Lu Yinzhao chatted with the person in charge for a long time and learned that Ethan himself also owned an art gallery, and the other party invited him to visit his gallery.

Lu Yinzhao felt that he suddenly had many more foreign friends, which made him very happy.

While Lu Yinzhao was unaware, a reporter from a Chinese media outlet had already recorded the works in this exhibition area on his camera.

Nie Huaying himself is a photography enthusiast. When he heard that there was such a photography exhibition in F country, he seized the opportunity to come.

I was surprised to see a work exhibited by a photographer from their own country at the exhibition.

He took a deep look at the three characters "Lu Yinzhao" on the author's nameplate.

He kept marveling at these elements that belonged to their Eastern heritage, which made him feel both familiar and awestruck.

The first work in the exhibition area is titled "Tea and Smoke Crossing".

The entire image is set against an amber-colored backlight, with the silhouette of a woman hidden behind a glass shrouded in tea smoke, her fingertips holding a blue-and-white porcelain teacup suspended in mid-air.

The light refracted from the rim of the cup perfectly outlines the jawline, while the half-open white tea cake and bamboo tea scoop in the background immerse the blurred silhouette in their Eastern culture.

"This use of backlighting is brilliant!" someone nearby suddenly exclaimed.

"Yes, the lines of the wrist of the person holding the teacup in this shot are so beautiful. The fact that the face is not shown makes the focus all the attention on the person's posture."

"It's really beautiful. This kind of negative space is more charming than clear facial features," one photographer quickly remarked.

The students were quickly taking notes in their notebooks.

In no time, Lu Yinzhao's exhibition area was surrounded by people.

As Nie Huaying listened to the foreigners chatting, she thought to herself with great pride that this was a fusion of Eastern Chinese culture and Eastern elements.

These photos highlight the charm and integrity of the people without turning traditional Chinese elements into a mere collection of things; this is true "fusion," not a low-level "patchwork."

The second photo below is titled "Ink Traces".

The figure in this photo stands in front of a desk in a distant view, and the silhouette of the person wearing a plain, wide-sleeved dress is elongated by the backlight.

He was raising his hand to dip it in ink, the tip of the wolf-hair brush hanging on the gold-flecked Xuan paper. The ink had just spread half an inch. Next to him, a Ru kiln brush washer was filled with clear water, the surface of which vaguely reflected the shadows of people and window frames.

"These are really well taken." Nie Huaying couldn't help but exclaim. He wanted to post them all online so that everyone could appreciate the charm of their Eastern culture.

Because the exhibition area displayed the sources of inspiration for this series of works, Nie Huaying knew that all the people appearing in the photos were artists from China.

He was, after all, a Chinese journalist, and in some of the photos, he could even identify who it was by their silhouettes against the backlight.

It seems this photographer has quite a network of connections.

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Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: Foreign connections +1 [Okay]