Looking into the child's innocent eyes, and then at the fluffy, silly dog costume, Shen Huaichuan was torn between his own feelings and his inner turmoil.
On one side is the steely image of a soldier, and on the other side are the bright and sparkling expectations of Zhouzhou and Zhou Qiqi.
In the end, that stubborn persistence, under the silent gaze of the two, shattered with a crack.
He sighed resignedly, his face etched with "heroic sacrifice": "...Just...just one picture! I'll take it off after that!"
"No problem! Just one!"
Zhou Qiqi immediately assured him, smiling like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish.
The process of changing uniforms can be described as another "Waterloo" in Shen Huaichuan's military career.
The dog-ear hat was floppy and he wasn't used to wearing it; it always ended up crooked to one side after he tried it on several times.
The pants had a special opening at the back for the tail, and it took him a while to clumsily tuck the fluffy tail in and secure it.
He couldn't tell left from right with the furry paw gloves, and he didn't even realize he was wearing them backwards;
Finally, I looked at the blurry little mirror on the wall of the changing room and saw "myself" in the mirror, with a silly dog head, drooping big ears, and a tail trailing behind me.
Shen Huaichuan was completely stunned, his eyes vacant, as if asking: Who am I? Where am I?
Zhou Qiqi's stomach ached from trying so hard to hold back her laughter, but she had to pretend to be calm as she stood on tiptoe to straighten the dog's ears and tidy up its tail.
Zhouzhou curiously reached out her little hand and carefully touched the wet, black nose decoration on Chen Huaichuan's "dog nose," then touched his drooping big ears, her little face full of surprise.
When this family of three, dressed in such "strange clothes," filed out of the changing room, the entire small photo studio seemed to be put on pause.
The customers waiting to take photos, the ticket clerk behind the counter, and the old master who had just taken a sip of water all focused their eyes on this, the air froze for a few seconds, and then burst into suppressed laughter!
The old craftsman laughed so hard his reading glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, and he couldn't straighten up while holding onto the camera tripod.
"Oh my! Comrades! You...you guys...hahaha...you've got some really good ideas! Hahaha..."
With the enormous dog head on his head, Shen Huaichuan felt all the blood rush to his face. His hands, hidden in his furry paws, clenched into fists, as if he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
His body was as stiff as a sheet of iron, and he had no idea where to put his hands and feet. His big tail moved stiffly with him.
He accidentally knocked over a plastic vase with artificial flowers next to him, making a loud "clang" that drew even more laughter.
Zhou Qiqi was quite relaxed, sporting adorable cat ears and smilingly striking a lucky cat pose, even gently touching Zhouzhou's little mushroom hat with her "cat paws" adorned with soft claw gloves.
Zhouzhou, dressed in a red and white mushroom-shaped outfit, with only her face showing, looked around with curiosity, a little shy and a little excited.
"Come on! Stand up straight!"
The experienced craftsman finally managed to stop laughing, wiped away the tears that had streamed down his face, and gave instructions.
"Hey... Comrade Big Dog! Yes, you! Come closer, hug Little Mushroom!"
Shen Huaichuan felt the command burning his ears. He awkwardly moved to Zhouzhou's side, stiffly raised his furry "dog paws," and carefully placed them on Zhouzhou's small mushroom cap. The movement looked like he was defusing a bomb.
Just as the master craftsman was about to shout "Look at the camera!", Zhou Qiqi suddenly leaned closer to him and whispered a few words.
The old craftsman's eyes lit up, he nodded, and turned to fiddle with the large lamps in the corner.
The lights were dimmed by most, leaving only a few soft halos.
At this moment, the small mushroom cap on Zhouzhou's head emitted a soft, pale green fluorescence in the dim light!
Look closely, and you'll see that there are several tiny stars painted inside the mushroom cap using glow-in-the-dark material!
The soft, emerald-green light enveloped her small face, making her look like a luminous sprite who had strayed into the mortal world—pure, dreamlike, and carrying an unreal sense of hope.
This is amazing!
Even Shen Huaichuan, who was still regretting his "sacrifice" of his image, was stunned. The look in his eyes, hidden under the dog's head, softened instantly, filled with amazement and doting that he himself did not realize.
Zhou Qiqi covered her mouth in surprise, her cat-like eyes filled with emotion and deep love.
"Okay! Don't move! Look here!"
The experienced photographer captured this wonderful moment, held his breath, and decisively pressed the shutter!
Click!
The image froze, and this moment was recorded forever.
"Absolutely amazing! This one is incredible!"
The master craftsman emerged from the black cloth, slapping his thigh excitedly, "This light! This feeling! A stroke of genius!"
Shen Huaichuan had just breathed a sigh of relief and was about to complain to Zhou Qiqi about how "foolish" this photo was. If the military saw it, his authority as a regimental commander would be completely ruined.
Zhou Qiqi smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, it's just us family watching, who could..."
Before she could finish speaking, the heavy glass door of the photo studio creaked open, and several young officers in crisp military uniforms, their top buttons fastened meticulously, filed in.
They were clearly there to take ID photos; they were talking in hushed tones as they entered.
However, when their eyes swept across the inside of the photo studio, they were immediately drawn to the tall figure wearing a big yellow dog mascot costume and with a huge dog head on his head—the image was just too eye-catching!
Especially his physique, his posture...
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