Chapter 30
Jiang Lan would occasionally stand up to take a few photos and post them in the company group chat, where someone would tease her, "Why isn't President Lan on stage?"
Someone posted a comment saying "Are you stupid?" to criticize him. Then, Mr. Lan stood up and, compared to the groom, everyone went to look at the handsome guy.
A colleague with high emotional intelligence stepped in and started posting blessings. Only after seeing the blessings flooding the screen did Jiang Lan put down her phone.
After the interactive session, the bride and groom gave speeches to thank the guests. Liu Zhen also specifically mentioned Jiang Lan by name, thanking him for trusting him and investing in and supporting their business.
Jiang Lan stood up and waved to the stage. The emcee, who had originally planned to invite someone up, swallowed back his words after seeing who it was.
After the ceremony, the photo session began, and the two were invited to take a picture together.
The two people who were originally supposed to stand in the corner were pulled to the side of the groom. Xiaoming and the bride stood on either side of the groom, and Jiang Lan put her hand on Xiaoming's shoulder, who was standing very straight.
After the group photo was taken, Jiang Lan asked the photographer to take a few more photos of the two of them with his own phone. It has to be said that professionals do things professionally; the photos of the two of them were very well taken, with just the right lighting and angles, except for Xiao Ming's unchanging pose and expression.
Jiang Lan was very satisfied and offered to pay for the photoshoot, but the photographer waved his hand, saying, "No need, it's nothing. Why don't you two just book a photoshoot with me? I'll give you a friendly price."
"We're going to another city tomorrow, so we don't have time." Xiaoming was still reluctant to have his picture taken.
"No problem, we can arrange it after the wedding banquet today." The photographer had barely finished speaking when Jiang Lan immediately agreed: "Okay, how do I pay?"
The photographer waved to his assistant to coordinate with Jiang Lan, then went to continue taking wedding photos.
Xiaoming wanted to refuse, but Jiang Lan whispered in Xiaoming's ear about things like... begging for mercy... and not letting him off the hook. In the end, she could only give in and accept the photo arrangement, but she still couldn't help but pinch Jiang Lan hard on the lower back.
After taking photos, everyone went to the hotel to attend the wedding banquet.
Xiaoming was really afraid of those older women, so he and Jiang Lan found a table full of young people to sit down at.
After the bride and groom changed into their toasting attire, the meal began to be served.
Basically, the dishes at the banquets in different places are local specialties. The two of them tasted each dish, commented on it, and wrote down the names of the dishes that they liked so that they could eat them again in the future.
When the bride and groom came to their table to offer toasts, everyone stood up, raised their glasses, and offered their blessings to the newlyweds.
Liu Zhen asked Xiaoming when he planned to marry Jiang Lan. Xiaoming smiled and said, "Maybe next month, maybe next year. When the time is right, we'll get married naturally."
Liu Zhen nudged her: "I'm waiting for you to say that Jiang Lan hasn't proposed yet. If you say that, he'll propose to you right away, and maybe you really will get married next month. Be shrewd, don't fall into the trap."
The bride smiled and replied, "It seems Jiang Lan needs to work harder and try his best to win the heart of his beauty as soon as possible."
Jiang Lan nodded: "Definitely! I hope you have a son soon, so I don't get ahead of you."
After hearing this, Liu Zhen punched Jiang Lan: "You brat, you're so arrogant! Let us drink your wedding wine first."
After the wedding banquet, Liu Zhen repeatedly asked them to stay at his house for a few days, but Jiang Lan only said that the itinerary was already booked and could not be changed, and that she would definitely do so next time if there was an opportunity.
The two returned to the hotel, washed up, and changed out of their wedding clothes. The assistant told them about the precautions: the photography studio would provide clothes and makeup for the photoshoot, and they could just wear loose clothes and go without makeup.
The shoot was scheduled for around 4 PM, and included both indoor and outdoor scenes, as well as both period and modern styles. Jiang Lan chose all the scenes, but Xiao Ming was supposed to choose. Ideally, she wouldn't shoot, but under someone's coercion and enticement, she had no choice but to shoot, so she had no objections and just nodded, agreeing to any series.
Upon arriving at the agreed-upon filming location, the two were immediately taken to get their makeup and styling done.
We shot outdoors first. When the makeup and styling were finished, the sun was setting, and the light was soft, which perfectly complemented the rugged scenery of Northwest China.
Due to time constraints, Jiang Lan could only choose three outfits: a Western-style suit, a cheongsam, and a Ming-style Hanfu.
To be honest, it wouldn't be surprising to call this "couple's photo shoot" a wedding photo shoot. Xiaoming pretended not to see the smile in Jiang Lan's eyes.
The Ming dynasty style was not typical of scholar-gentleman and lady attire; rather, it had a more exotic, border-style feel.
The woman, dressed in red with a red fringe on her forehead and a white veil covering her face, with a cold gaze, is riding a horse and gripping the front of the saddle.
Dressed casually and elegantly, he carried a bow and arrows on his back, held the reins, and smiled as he looked at the woman on horseback.
"Very good, hold on." The photographer snapped a few shots, and when Xiaoming had adjusted a bit and wasn't so stiff anymore, he instructed Jiang Lan to lift Xiaoming's veil. In the shot, the two looked at each other, and Xiaoming's face softened a lot. The photographer captured the moment when Jiang Lan looked at Xiaoming with genuine emotion.
After the photoshoot was successfully completed, the photographer couldn't help but joke, "The two of you are so radiant with romance, it makes me want to find someone to date right now."
Jiang Lan disagreed: "How is this all pink bubbles? Can't you see that I've been expressionless the whole time?"
The assistant laughed and said, "True feelings are revealed in micro-expressions and subconscious actions. The two of you are subtle and restrained, but the details reveal that you are deeply in love. We Chinese people love this kind of thing the most."
The Republic of China-era costumes were chosen to resemble those of warlords and their daughters. Jiang Lan's figure perfectly complemented the military uniform, but Xiao Ming didn't have the curvaceous and sexy figure. Wearing a cheongsam, he was overshadowed by Jiang Lan in terms of presence, so in the end, they had to change his costume and makeup to that of a female student from the Republic of China era.
The image of powerful warlords forcibly abducting a cool and aloof female student is so striking that it's easy to see why women taking couple photos during the Republic of China era would almost always choose a cheongsam, even if it wasn't appropriate.
This wasn't the first time the photographer had shot this combination of warlord female students, but he had to admit that the results were still stunning.
After filming for a while, tourists gradually gathered around to watch them take pictures, and some even raised their phones to take photos. Xiaoming picked up a white veil and covered his face, saying to Jiang Lan, "Let's not take outdoor photos in modern clothes."
Seeing that she was uncomfortable, Jiang Lan nodded and discussed it with the photographer. They decided that if she was dressed in modern clothes, they would take the photos outside the building where the photography studio was located, where they also had a set.
Jiang Lan, the modern makeup artist, brought her own clothes, along with Xiao Ming's formal attire.
I brought three suits with me on this trip, just in case of any unexpected situations.
After Xiaoming finished shooting all his own clothes, just as he was breathing a sigh of relief, thinking he was done, Jiang Lan pointed to a row of wedding dresses hanging on a movable clothes rack in the corner and asked Xiaoming, "Can we switch to that one for a set of photos?"
Xiao Ming replied with a blank face, "No."
Jiang Lan grabbed Xiao Ming's arm and rested her head on her shoulder, pleading, "Please, let's take one set of photos."
"No." Xiaoming resolutely refused him and began to tear off the human-shaped twisted candy stuck to his body.
Jiang Lan wasn't about to give up easily. She firmly gripped Xiao Ming's slender arms with her large hands and began to plead in a strained voice, "Sister, please, I really want to take a set of photos. As long as you're willing to take them, I'll grant you one request unconditionally."
Xiao Ming raised his other free hand and covered his face with his hand, saying, "This isn't a no-man's-land, so behave yourself. Also, I'm younger than you, so I can't be your older sister."
"I don't care, if you don't agree, you're not leaving this studio tonight."
The staff at the photography studio who were taking their photos witnessed firsthand what it meant for a tough guy to act cute, and they all looked over while trying not to laugh.
The photographer, with a smirk, said to Xiaoming, "This is the first time we've ever seen a handsome guy flirt with his girlfriend in public. It's beautiful, we love watching it, and we wouldn't mind watching all night. So, you two can stay in the studio tonight; we're perfectly happy to cooperate."
In the end, Xiaoming gave in with a "what's the use" expression, letting the staff do her makeup and styling like a puppet.
Jiang Lan, on the other hand, was in high spirits and ordered a bunch of takeout snacks and desserts, saying thank you to the staff for their hard work.
The photographer said it was hard to comment on the results of these wedding photos. To say they were bad was to say they were unique and novel, but to say they were good would be a bit dishonest.
To put it bluntly, the two people in the photo are an excited humanoid dog stuck to a blank humanoid bone. Only when the two look at each other do they reveal a hint of affection.
After the photoshoot was over, the couple left the studio, and the group of people who were packing up the props and clothes started gossiping and laughing. The assistants and makeup artists were all young women who loved to gossip about their clients when they finished work.
"We're constantly bombarded with industrial saccharin in movies and TV shows, but nothing beats this kind of high-quality, real sugar that's so addictive. It's a shame this was the only time; I didn't get enough of it, not enough at all."
"Exactly. I've been in this industry for a while now, and it's rare to see such a handsome man and beautiful woman together, not to mention their really good relationship. So far, this is the only couple like this. Nowadays, people are too casual about love, and their feelings are all superficial and can't move people. I can really watch this couple like an anime and enjoy their sweet moments."
"You've added their social media accounts, so show us your Moments." Several people surrounded the assistant, asking her to look through her Moments.
"We already checked, it only shows posts from the last three days, there's nothing showing off their relationship." The assistant urged everyone to hurry up and pack up: "Hurry up and finish so we can go home. If you're so envious, find one for yourself."
"It's more interesting to watch other people date."
"That's right, it's not bad enough to date someone yourself, the person you find isn't even worthy of carrying your shoes. This handsome guy is not only good-looking, but also generous. This place is expensive, I'm always stingy when I order, but this time his order made me so envious that I ordered everything."
"How come she's so good at finding boyfriends?"
"Maybe men just like this aloof attitude? Men are just like that, they don't like the ones who are eager to please, they only like the ones who give them the cold shoulder."
"Don't be so sour. He loves it when you give him the cold shoulder. Why don't you go up and give him the cold shoulder and see what happens?"
"Exactly, don't get the order backwards. People only show off because they have special favors, but you're saying that showing off gets you special favors? Isn't that ridiculous?"
"If not that fake aloofness, what else can she rely on? She's only average-to-above good looks. Besides her skillful flirting, what else can she rely on to find a boyfriend like that?"
"You'll have to ask her boyfriend. What does he see in a girlfriend like that? Oh, and by the way, why wouldn't he choose you, given how outstanding you are?"
The two were surprised to find that the girls in the photography studio got into an argument because of them. The photographer finally scolded them, and they all left after get off work.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
