Chapter 181 What brings you here?
“Mr. Worth, it’s been a long time.” Lu Yinzhao greeted him with a smile.
On the bus.
Voss handed Lu Yinzhao a brochure with a subtle pattern, his fingertip pointing to a section title. "This is the prime spot I reserved for you. It's about your 'Hidden Charm of the East' series. I showed it to the organizers, and they really liked it. It's a unique style among all the photography exhibitions I've curated... It's your style, Lu."
"Thank you, Mr. Worth, for your hard work these past few days," Lu Yinzhao expressed his sincere gratitude.
Worth was like his mentor, recognizing him immediately and giving him an "international stage" for photographers. Lu Yinzhao's gratitude to Worth was beyond words.
"I've already had those 12 photos of you printed and framed. They'll be placed on the circular display wall in the center of the exhibition hall, complete with custom lighting... Oh my God! I can't even imagine how beautiful this area will be!"
Seeing that Voss still loved to look up at the sky and sigh anytime, anywhere, Lu Yinzhao gave a helpless smile.
Finally, he suddenly brought up something: "Oh right, there's a small problem. The organizers suggested I add a piece specified by a commercial sponsor, but I refused. Those old fogies who don't understand art will probably bring it up again at the exhibition... It's so annoying!"
Worth has been busy with various things these past few days, and his hair is now a bit messy, with his stubble growing longer.
"Since it's a request from a commercial sponsor, then... why don't you just agree?"
Lu Yinzhao felt that this exhibition was the culmination of Wos' hard work. After all, Wos was a major sponsor, and it wouldn't be good to completely offend them. He was thinking of Wos' best interests.
Kovacs firmly refused, saying, "No! No! No! Absolutely not!"
"..." The foreign friend's three consecutive "No"s once again silenced Lu Yinzhao.
During his interactions with Worth online or via video call, he discovered that Worth was a person who was particularly principled, and sometimes even more stubborn than him.
Lu Yinzhao could only sigh and listen to him continue.
“We’re not showcasing those commercially packaged things! Each segment I’ve planned has its own unique theme. They think inserting one or two photos is no big deal, but that would completely destroy the integrity and artistic logic of the original photos! The purity of the core segment cannot be compromised!”
Lu Yinzhao thought Voss made sense, so he nodded and said, "Then do it your way. I wish you all the best in planning this exhibition."
"Lu, I knew you were different from others. Many of my friends advised me to compromise, but you were the only one on my side. I'm so touched!"
As Worth spoke, his eyes welled up with tears, and he somehow produced a small handkerchief with lace trim to wipe his eyes.
"..." Lu Yinzhao's cerebellum shrank slightly.
Sometimes I really admire Worth's abundant emotions; he could totally be a stage actor.
...
We arrived at the National Art Museum of Country F.
Voss led Lu Yinzhao directly to the area where the exhibition was being held, where staff were still busy at their respective posts.
Inside the exhibition hall, workers are adjusting the lights on the exhibition walls.
Voss let Lu Yinzhao personally choose the order in which the works were hung, saying, "You are the creator of these works, and I believe you should know better than me how they should be arranged."
"Okay, sure." Lu Yinzhao nodded, already having a plan in mind.
When he was arranging his works in order and hanging them up, he accidentally discovered that two of his works had slight creases in their mounting. Although they were not large, they still affected the visual experience when viewed up close.
"Mr. Voss." Lu Yinzhao called out to the man not far away, and the man immediately jogged over.
"What's wrong? Are you having trouble with the layout? Or do you need my advice?" Voss chuckled happily.
“No, look here, and here…” Lu Yinzhao pointed to the flawed mounting, “I think…”
Before Lu Yinzhao could continue to express his opinion, Voss suddenly shouted out loud.
"Oh my god!! Where is Vincent?! Where is Vincent?!"
"These photos were your responsibility, weren't they? How could you make such a mistake? Didn't you check them before they arrived?"
"Luckily, the exhibition hasn't started yet. Do you know how many reporters and media will be here? If something goes wrong, those arrogant guys will definitely doubt our professionalism!"
"Contact the studio immediately for expedited repairs!"
Lu Yinzhao stood there, stunned, watching Worth reprimand his employees, silencing everything he was about to say.
Now it seems... he doesn't need to worry about it at all.
Worth's arrangements this time were really meticulous.
If his own unit exhibition couldn't bring better results to Worth, Lu Yinzhao felt he would definitely feel guilty afterwards.
I can only hope for a good response on the day of the exhibition.
"I'm sorry, Lu, it was my employee who was too careless, and I didn't check it beforehand either," Worth said apologetically.
"It's okay, there's always a chance to salvage the situation before the exhibition starts," Lu Yinzhao waved his hand.
After that, Lu Yinzhao waited until the staff delivered the newly framed photos and hung them one by one in the appropriate positions before he finally wiped the sweat from his brow.
He rushed here to work on his project right after getting off the plane today, and he hasn't even adjusted to the time difference yet. He feels extremely tired right now.
Voss also noticed this. "Lu, we don't need your help here. Where is the hotel you booked? I'll have someone take you there."
"No need, I can walk by myself. You can continue with your work, I won't bother you anymore."
"Alright then! Go back and get some rest, see you on the day of the exhibition!"
...
After saying goodbye to Voss, Lu Yinzhao walked hungryly down the bustling streets of F country.
He randomly picked a Western restaurant, ordered a spaghetti bolognese, and began to enjoy it.
At that moment, he couldn't taste whether the food in his mouth was good or not; he just swallowed it instinctively. After finishing his plate, he took a big gulp of his drink.
I finally feel a bit more comfortable.
He hailed a taxi on the roadside and finally arrived at the hotel he had booked.
As soon as he entered the hotel lobby, he vaguely felt that the figure standing at the front desk with his back to him was unusually familiar.
No way... that can't be...
Lu Yinzhao took a few steps forward uncertainly, when the man in front of her suddenly turned around, revealing his face covered by a mask.
Just by looking at the eyes, Lu Yinzhao was able to determine the other person's identity.
He ran over in disbelief, "It really is you! What are you doing here? Weren't you recording a show these past few days?"
Bian Ji pulled down his mask and saw Lu Yinzhao standing unharmed in front of him, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
“I was worried about you coming alone, and…” Bian Ji glanced at the other person, “I’ve been calling you ever since I got off the plane, but I couldn’t get through. So I came to the hotel you booked to ask about you, and they told me that the guest in that room didn’t check in today at all.”
Bian Ji's gaze was full of worry, and Lu Yinzhao's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Oh no, he didn't pay attention to his phone after it ran out of battery.
Lu Yinzhao rushed over and hugged Bian Ji's waist, her voice slightly coquettish and ingratiating, "Brother Ji, I'm sorry. I was taken to the exhibition hall by Worth to set up my work as soon as I arrived today. It was my fault for not telling you beforehand. Look, I'm fine now, aren't I?"
After saying that, Lu Yinzhao boldly reached out and touched Bian Ji's head, "Okay, okay, ruffle your fur, don't be scared~"
These are the words his family often said to comfort him when he was a child.
Now Lu Yinzhao used it to appease Bian Ji, which made Bian Ji both annoyed and amused.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's go upstairs and rest." Bian Ji said helplessly.
“Brother, you don’t need to book a separate room, you can stay here with me.” Lu Yinzhao rubbed Bian Ji’s arm. “I’m so happy that you can come over.”
Bian Ji smiled and said, "I wasn't planning on booking a private room anyway. If you had come back any later, I would have already found a way to book your room."
Lu Yinzhao asked in surprise, "You don't have a card, how could you possibly get into my room?"
Bian Ji revealed a meaningful expression, "Indeed, it would definitely not work for others, but I am different."
"How come it's different?"
The two took the elevator up.
Bian Ji said slowly, "The parent company of this hotel was just incorporated into the Bian Group two years ago. If I still can't find you, I might really reveal my identity and use some special means..."
Even without Bian Ji finishing speaking, Lu Yinzhao already understood the situation.
He almost forgot that the Bian Group was also making great strides overseas... He just didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that he would run into them.
After entering the room, Bian Ji threw his hat and mask onto the table; a thin layer of sweat had already seeped from his forehead.
Lu Yinzhao didn't dare to say a word. It seemed that he was really worried about his matter before, and he was even sweating with anxiety.
"Brother, go take a shower first. You must be tired from flying all the way here," Lu Yinzhao said with a flattering smile.
Bian Ji didn't hesitate any longer; he felt sticky all over and was indeed quite uncomfortable.
While Bian Ji went to take a shower, Lu Yinzhao took off his coat and threw himself onto the soft bed, sprawling out in a starfish position.
"Ah, that feels so good..."
Because of preparing for the project, Lu Yinzhao has been almost constantly on the go for the past few months, either at school or filming outside every day.
He also made full use of the connections he had built up in his WeChat contacts for this exhibition.
He initially thought it would be difficult to ask, or that the other party wouldn't agree after he asked, but to his surprise, the artists he had worked with basically agreed to help him without hesitation.
Their trust in her warmed Lu Yinzhao's heart.
With more people recognizing his achievements, Lu Yinzhao has more hope for the future.
The sound of running water was still going on in the bathroom.
Lu Yinzhao slowly fell asleep to such soothing sounds.
When Bian Ji came out wearing a bathrobe, he saw Lu Yinzhao sleeping like a little pig.
His lips were slightly parted, and his chest rose and fell gently. Bian Ji walked closer, but he still didn't wake up.
He half-squatted in front of Lu Yinzhao, and gently kissed the small, barely noticeable mole between Lu Yinzhao's eyebrows.
Just like back then, it's a tiny little thing, light brown in color, and you can't even see it unless you look closely.
But it is a secret that only Bian Ji can access.
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Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: We'll stick together, absolutely no separate rooms! [Facepalm peeking]
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