Chapter 178 Zhao Zhao won an award
I had a happy and carefree winter vacation.
As Lu Yinzhao entered the new semester, Bian Ji resumed his busy work.
Lu Yinzhao worked even harder than before. His roommates basically never saw him in the dormitory except when he was in class.
He made full use of his free time, especially on weekends.
Within a month, Lu Yinzhao collaborated with five celebrities in the industry, ranging from actors to singers, from idols to dancers, and without exception, they all gave him high praise.
Lu Yinzhao's WeChat contacts gradually increased, and it was through these cooperative relationships that he developed his own network of contacts in his industry.
Lu Yinzhao's schedule was fully booked from then until the summer vacation. In other words, from this moment on, he would have to switch back and forth between studying and working, constantly changing his personal state.
He was suddenly relieved that Bian Ji was also very busy, otherwise he really wouldn't have much time to spend on dates with her.
The two reached a tacit understanding, changing from seeing each other every day to seeing each other every other day, and then to seeing each other once a week.
In the end, Bian Ji was somewhat helpless; he felt that Lu Yinzhao was even busier than him.
But what he saw on Lu Yinzhao's face each time was not fatigue, but enthusiasm and anticipation. Bian Ji knew that Lu Yinzhao truly loved his major and the industry he was in, so he wholeheartedly supported him.
That day, Lu Yinzhao was retouching photos in Bian Ji's studio when he suddenly shouted.
"Wow!"
"What's wrong?" Bian Ji was writing and drawing on the music score when he heard the sound and couldn't help but look up.
"During the winter break, we traveled to many places, right? I took a lot of photos along the way, and when I came back, I just randomly picked one and submitted it to a competition. Just now, the organizers sent me an email and a text message saying... I won the first prize, and they want to invite me to the event to receive the award. But I don't have that much time."
Bian Ji: "..."
If other contestants in the same competition heard this, they would beat him up.
"What competition?"
"It's the National Innovation Cup Photography Art Competition."
Bian Ji paused for a moment, then asked, "Isn't it very difficult to win an award in this competition?"
“Yeah, so I was thinking… did they make a mistake? This first prize was awarded so hastily, I really just took the picture randomly.”
Bian Ji saw that Lu Yinzhao was speaking with a serious expression, seemingly unaware of the Versailles-like nature of his words.
He walked over with a smile and poked Lu Yinzhao's cheek. "Such a big event organizer would definitely hire professional judges. It's impossible for them to make a mistake. Zhaozhao, don't underestimate your own level. Even your casual snapshots are at a level that many people can't reach."
"Really?" Lu Yinzhao laughed as well.
Lu Yinzhao was both surprised and delighted to receive this award.
He now shoots more portraits of celebrities, and thought that shooting some cultural and scenic content would not be so outstanding, but unexpectedly he still won a first prize.
Lu Yinzhao felt himself standing tall again; it was worth it for him to have been running around with a camera since he was three years old.
"Okay, then I'll take a day off to go and collect the prize."
"What number? Which city?" Bian Ji asked.
"Next Thursday, in City B."
Bian Ji glanced at his schedule and said, "I'll go with you. I have a few engagements there too. A director in City B contacted my agent and wants me to write the theme song for his movie. I'll talk to Brother Ling later and have them schedule it for next Thursday."
"Okay, okay, let's go together. We'll come back together after I receive the award."
"It's getting late, I'll take you back to school first."
"Um!"
...
Lu Yinzhao arrived safely back in his dormitory just in time.
My roommates were almost all in bed.
"Xiao Lu, you've really been elusive lately," Jiang Yi remarked.
"Even I'm having trouble keeping up with his pace," Song Shuye sighed.
Previously, when Lu Yinzhao went out to shoot for artists on weekends, Song Shuye followed him for a few sessions. Later, as his own professional tasks became increasingly heavy, he stopped helping out.
But based on his experience as a photography assistant, he felt exhausted every time, and he really didn't know how Lu Yinzhao had so much energy.
Is it really because he's too weak?
"Sorry I got back a little late, I hope I didn't disturb you?"
"What are you disturbing? We're all still awake. We can't concentrate on studying at this hour." Song Shuye waved his hand.
Xu Zishi and Jiang Yi nodded in agreement.
Lu Yinzhao didn't say much, gave them an awkward smile, and then quickly rushed to the bathroom to wash up.
When I came back after washing up, I saw everyone lying in bed looking drowsy.
He asked, "Shall we turn off the lights?"
"Shut up, shut up. I have to work 8 am tomorrow. It's only been a short time, and I can't even stay up late anymore. Should I buy some herbal tea to drink?" Song Shuye muttered to himself as he crawled into bed.
"What's the point of health preservation? If you lived a fulfilling life like Xiaolu, making the most of your time, you could fall asleep the moment you lay down when you got home, and you'd be in amazing health!" Xu Zishi said.
Lu Yinzhao climbed onto his bed and chuckled, "At first, I also found it quite tiring, but recently I seem to have gradually gotten used to this pace of life. We are still young, and we should always give it our all for our dreams."
"Well said! You've ignited my fighting spirit!" Song Shuye suddenly raised his voice. "Starting tomorrow, I'll also manage my time better. Call me again if there's work on the weekend. This time, I won't back down. Good brother, I'll stick with you to the end!"
"Okay, okay, I won't forget you. Oh right, I forgot to tell you guys, I won't be in the dorm next Thursday." Lu Yinzhao said, turning her head as she lay down in her blanket.
"What are you going to do?" Everyone looked over at the same time.
"Haha, my photography won an award! I'm going to the ceremony to receive it."
Lu Yinzhao recounted all the awards he had received, drawing admiration from his roommates.
"Holy crap! That's awesome! As expected of you, Lu Yinzhao!" Song Shuye was the most excited.
He had gone out to work with Lu Yinzhao several times and knew how professional the other's photography skills were.
"Xiao Lu, you're just too low-key. If you were even a little bit more high-profile, wouldn't you have won all those domestic awards?" Jiang Yi said.
Lu Yinzhao remained silent. He didn't participate in competitions much. The works he posted on Weibo in the past were all about sharing his life.
Now……
He suddenly felt it was time to take another step up.
"Those who won awards must have received prize money, right? How much is the first prize?" Xu Zishi asked curiously.
Lu Yinzhao picked up his phone and said, "I haven't really looked at this carefully. Let me check it out."
He submitted his work casually, only reading the competition rules before uploading the photos according to the specifications, without even looking at the rewards for winning.
After logging onto the official website, Lu Yinzhao discovered that the first prize he had won was a full 100,000 yuan.
“Ten…ten thousand yuan,” Lu Yinzhao said.
"Brother! Brother Lu! I admire you so much! Learning a skill is really useful. I feel like my major is useless. Is it too late for me to change my major?" Song Shuye said with a face full of envy.
“How could it be useless? You can participate in the National College Student Financial Challenge. If you win an award, you'll still get a prize.” Lu Yinzhao gave Song Shuye a thumbs-up.
“Those usually cost several thousand yuan, at most ten thousand. How can they compare to the prestige of your competition? But now that you mention it, I might give it a try. Life can’t be mediocre. I have to work hard and strive for progress!” Song Shuye suddenly became fired up.
“Then I want to participate in the National Original Literature Competition!” Xu Zishi said.
“Then I’ll sign up for all kinds of physics competitions! I’ll definitely win an award!” Jiang Yi said.
Because of Lu Yinzhao's first award, a wave of "signing up for the competition" suddenly swept through dormitory 506.
Lu Yinzhao lay in bed, feeling quite pleased with herself.
Although this amount of money is nothing to him now, he has been taking on more and more jobs since last year, but this is the first time he has won a prize in a photography competition. He doesn't care about the amount; he only cares about the honor and recognition.
This award has a different meaning for him.
Thinking of the various trophies displayed in Bian Ji's cabinet, Lu Yinzhao's fighting spirit was ignited.
So this is what it feels like to win an award... It feels so good.
...
On the day of receiving the award.
Lu Yinzhao was only wearing a white shirt and jeans, clean and neat, exuding a pure and innocent male aura.
Upon entering the photography exhibition venue, no one treated him as a contestant; they all assumed he was someone's family member who had come to view the exhibition.
It wasn't until Lu Yinzhao was led to his seat by staff that the other award winners realized that this young man, just like them, was there to receive an award.
Most of the award winners were in their thirties or forties, the youngest being a 29-year-old young man, while Lu Yinzhao had just celebrated his 19th birthday recently...
There is indeed an age gap between him and these predecessors.
"The works that won the third prize are 'Folds in the Mirror,' 'Breathing Pixels,' and 'Silent Echo'..."
"The second prize goes to..."
On stage, the host read out the list of winning works and authors from back to front. Each person whose name was called had a satisfied smile on their face and proudly raised their eyes to look at the stage.
"The first prize winner is 'The Blue Town Under the Stars,' written by Lu Yinzhao."
Upon hearing his name called, Lu Yinzhao's heart pounded. He took a deep breath, smiled, and stood up.
He then walked onto the stage with the other award winners.
The award was presented by an elderly man with gray hair. Lu Yinzhao recognized him at a glance; he was a leading figure in photography in China.
Chen Qingchun accepted the certificate of honor from the staff and gently ran his fingertips over the gold-embossed words "First Prize" on the cover.
When she looked up at Lu Yinzhao, her eyes held a gentle smile.
His voice traveled through the microphone to every corner of the exhibition hall.
"I've looked at your file. You're only 18, right?"
“I turned 19 a while ago,” Lu Yinzhao immediately corrected.
Everyone in the hall gasped in surprise, looking at Lu Yinzhao with a mixture of shock and admiration.
"What a wonderful age! When I was your age, my hands were shaking just trying to get a clear picture of the first star."
Chen Qingchun's tone was filled with endless emotion and admiration for the boy in front of him.
Under the lamplight, Lu Yinzhao's eyes were pure and bright, just like the artwork Chen Qingchun had first seen in her, revealing an incomparably clean soul.
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Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: I want a cabinet full of trophies and certificates too! [glasses]
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