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At 7 o'clock that evening, in rehearsal room 302 of the East District Activity Center.
Lu Yu and the core members of the support group were all present. Zhao Teng was adjusting his precious camera, Wang Qing was sitting at the electronic keyboard, testing the tuning, and Jiang Xiaopang was like a manager, bustling around distributing the snacks and drinks that Lu Yu had bought.
Time was the last to arrive. Still wearing a simple white T-shirt and carrying a laptop bag, he quietly pushed the door open, sat down in the corner farthest from the crowd, and opened his laptop.
Lu Yu cleared his throat and clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention.
"Everyone," he said, standing in the center of the room, his manner akin to a leader. "First of all, thank you all for joining us. Time is short and the task is heavy, so let's get straight to the point. My program will be a solo performance of 'The Only One.' Wang Qing will be responsible for the piano accompaniment, Zhao Teng will be responsible for filming and post-production editing, and the others will be responsible for logistics and creating the atmosphere. Now, the most crucial part: our stage visuals."
He turned his gaze to the time in the corner.
"Shi Guang, you are our artistic director. You will be fully responsible for the background of this song and the lighting effects. If you have any ideas, you can directly bring them up, and we will all cooperate with you."
Shi Guang raised his head, his beautiful eyes devoid of any nervousness. He turned his laptop towards the group, and a rough draft of a PowerPoint presentation was already on the screen.
It was a starry sky-themed design, with a dark blue background dotted with flowing, twinkling stars. The overall style was tranquil, yet tinged with a cosmic sense of romance and loneliness.
"My initial idea was to use elements like the starry sky, the universe, and light to echo the theme of 'only'." His voice carries a convincing professionalism. "For the verse, I'll use a static starry sky image to create a quiet atmosphere. For the chorus, I'll use the dynamic effect of shooting stars, combined with lighting, to push the emotions to a climax. Finally, at the end of the song, all the starlight can converge into a beam of light, shining on the singer."
As he explained, his entire being glowed. His absolute confidence and command over his expertise captivated everyone present. Even the usually cheerful Jiang Xiaopang showed a rare expression of admiration.
"Holy crap... Boss, this is art!" Zhao Teng couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at the exquisite design. He excitedly raised his camera, "With this PPT, even if Brother Lu sings 'Two Tigers' on stage, he'll look classy! Boss, hold still. Let me give you a close-up of this artist called Contemplation!"
Shi Guang was stunned by his sudden action and subconsciously avoided the camera.
"Master, are you willing to accept me as your disciple? My PPT skills are still at the stage of inserting artistic words and clipart!" Fat Jiang's face was full of admiration, and he leaned over to see the details on the screen clearly.
"Just as you say!" Lu Yu immediately decided, "If you need any materials or have any technical problems, feel free to contact me. We'll solve it together."
"Yeah." Shi Guang nodded, turned the computer back and continued to perfect his design, completely ignoring Zhao Teng who was trying to find an angle to take a sneak shot.
In the next few days, rehearsals were carried out intensively.
Lu Yu, under the pretext of needing to communicate with the art director at any time, legitimately occupied most of Shi Guang's spare time.
They would go to the library together, not to read, but to find higher-resolution starry sky images for their PowerPoint presentations. Lu Yu would plead the color difference on his computer screen and force himself to slink closer to Shi Guang, their heads touching as they selected images on the same screen. He could clearly smell the delicious shampoo emanating from Shi Guang's hair.
They would spend time together in the rehearsal room. Lu Yu would practice in the center, while Shi Guang would sit in a corner, adjusting the transitions between the PowerPoint presentations based on his voice and mood. Sometimes, when Lu Yu hit a high note, he would subconsciously glance at Shi Guang, who would also look up, their gazes meeting in mid-air. Though it was only for a second, it felt like a faint electric current flowing through him.
At the same time as the rehearsal, another professional course, Digital Surveying and 3D Modeling, was held in the computer room of the Information Center Building on Monday afternoon.
The course was taught by a young woman named Chen, who had recently graduated with a doctorate. Her lecture style was lively and engaging, emphasizing hands-on practice. The course focused on learning how to use professional software to create 3D models of complex components of ancient buildings.
"Alright, students," Teacher Chen said, displaying a high-definition photo of a complex queti on the main screen. "Today's class exercise is this. In 30 minutes, I hope everyone can create a rough outline of it. This isn't a test; it's mainly to familiarize everyone with the software's curve and surface tools. Now, let's begin!"
At the command, the computer room was immediately filled with the sounds of mouse clicking and keyboard typing.
"Holy crap... is this something a human can learn?" Fat Jiang stared at the densely packed toolbars on the screen, feeling like his CPU was about to burn out. "I seriously suspect this is alien technology. The teacher must have been sent here to sort out which of us are from Earth."
Lu Yu's situation was slightly better. He had a solid foundation in modeling and quickly drew out the basic framework for the queti. However, he encountered a bottleneck when working with the delicate cloud and grass patterns. His model, with its rigid lines and sharp corners, resembled a soulless industrial part, completely lacking the light and agile charm depicted in the photo.
This made him a little irritated. He was used to being at ease in the areas he was good at, and this feeling of being powerless was very uncomfortable.
He subconsciously turned his head and looked at the time beside him.
Shi Guang was sitting there quietly, staring intently at his screen. His fingers moved lightly across the keyboard and mouse, without the slightest hesitation. Lu Yu leaned over to take a look and was instantly shocked.
On the screen of time, the intricate Queti model was taking shape from nothing at a speed visible to the naked eye. His fingers danced lightly across the keyboard and tablet, without a moment's hesitation. Every line on his screen was brimming with vitality, as if the cloud patterns would float from the screen in the next second.
The same model, on the screen of time, presents a completely different kind of smoothness and refinement, more like a work of art being meticulously crafted.
Lu Yu was lost in thought. He suddenly felt that the little cleverness he used to be so proud of seemed so insignificant in the face of the true talent of time.
He leaned slightly towards Shi Guang and asked in a low voice, "Shi Guang, what's going on here? I can't adjust it properly no matter how hard I try."
Shi Guang's finger paused on the mouse. He turned his head and looked at the hard lump of metal on Lu Yu's screen, then at Lu Yu's face, which showed a sincere desire for advice.
He didn't say anything, but silently pulled his chair half an inch closer to Lu Yu.
Then, he stretched out his beautiful hand with distinct joints and covered Lu Yu's hand that was holding the mouse.
"You chose the wrong tool here." His voice was very soft, like a breeze blowing past his ear, carrying a warm breath, making Lu Yu's earlobe slightly itchy.
Because of this action, his fingertips inevitably touched the back of Lu Yu's hand lightly.
Warm, yet with a barely noticeable coolness.
Like a weak electric current, it instantly shot through Lu Yu's body from the point of contact. His body stiffened, and his breath skipped a beat. He felt the skin on the back of his hand, where he had been touched, heat up rapidly at an uncontrollable rate.
"Look here," Shi Guang seemed completely oblivious to Lu Yu's anomaly; his attention was completely focused on the screen. His hand wrapped around Lu Yu's, guiding him to move, click, and drag across the screen...
Lu Yu's brain was blank at this moment.
He wasn't looking at the screen at all; all his senses were focused on the warm touch on the back of his hand. He could clearly feel the slightly raised outline of Time's knuckles from exerting force, and could feel the dryness and warmth of his palm.
He could even smell the scent of morning grass coming from Shi Guang.
At that moment, Teacher Chen, sitting on the podium, began to patrol the computer room. The clatter of her high heels on the floor gradually grew closer, muting the wailing in the room considerably.
Lu Yu's heart suddenly rose to his throat. He subconsciously wanted to pull his hand back, but Shi Guang held it down lightly.
"Don't move." Shi Guang said softly without even raising his head, his hands still operating smoothly.
Teacher Chen finally stopped behind them. Lu Yu was so nervous that his back was stiff.
"Well, not bad." Teacher Chen looked at the finished product on Shi Guang's screen and gave a sound of approval. "Mr. Shi Guang, you are very talented in understanding and applying curves. This model is the most completed in the class so far."
She glanced at Lu Yu's screen again and saw Shi Guang leading Lu Yu to complete the last step of the operation. The originally rigid lump of iron instantly became agile.
"Lu Yu, you have a good foundation, but you need to learn more from Shi Guang," Teacher Chen said with a smile. "He's very talented. You two can communicate more and help each other improve."
After saying that, she walked to the next row with satisfaction.
Lu Yu felt like he'd just finished an 800-meter run and breathed a long sigh of relief. He lowered his head, looking at the hand still covering his own, and an indescribable feeling of smug joy and... a desire to show off surged within him.
"...That's about it." But in just a minute or two, Shi Guang had completed the operation, and he let go of his hand and prepared to withdraw.
"Wait a minute!" Lu Yu subconsciously grabbed his wrist with his backhand.
Shi Guang looked at him doubtfully. His wrist was slender, and it looked even more fragile when held in Lu Yu's hand.
"Um...is it the same on the other side?" Lu Yu pointed to another part of the model and forced himself to find an excuse, his voice a little dry due to nervousness.
He just... just didn't want that warmth to disappear so quickly.
Shi Guang looked in the direction he pointed, seemed to think for a moment, then nodded gently. He did not struggle to break free from Lu Yu's hand, letting him hold it and turned his attention back to the screen.
This time, Lu Yu forced himself to calm down.
He held Shi Guang's wrist, feeling the steady pulse beating beneath his palm, and looked at the screen intently, watching how Shi Guang used his hands that seemed to have magic to make a clumsy thing become lively.
He suddenly felt that his previous understanding of time was too superficial.
What he saw was just the tip of the iceberg sticking out of the sea.
And what kind of magnificent and profound world is hidden beneath the sea?
He wanted to go and see.
Can't wait to check it out.
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