Chapter 23 "You're not paying attention."
"Didn't we agree on this yesterday?" Su Cheng grabbed Jiang Muzhou's sleeve, her voice tinged with urgency. "You can't go back on your word!"
The latter was clearly taken aback, looking completely bewildered. "Huh? What are you going back on your word about?"
“Teach me how to shoot videos!” Su Cheng blurted out almost immediately.
Without saying a word, she pulled up a chair and sat down right next to him. "I don't care, I'm sticking with you."
It was clearly a reproachful complaint, but it was so soft and sweet that it sounded like a spoiled child to Jiang Muzhou.
He felt as if a feather had gently brushed against his heart, causing it to melt away.
His hand, with its distinct knuckles, hovered in mid-air for a moment before gently landing on the top of her head.
She wore a fluffy, soft bun today, with a few unruly strands sticking up on top, causing a slight tickle in his palm.
"Seeing how sincere you are, I will make an exception and teach you some of my unique skills."
A surge of heat spread from the top of Su Cheng's head to her entire body, and then seeped through her skin.
She sat motionless, as if frozen in place.
She didn't intend to have any improper thoughts, but this way of getting along was just too ambiguous.
As if stepping on soft cotton, she felt light and airy, unable to find any solid foothold.
Jiang Muzhou smiled slightly and withdrew his hand to his side.
He stood up, took two steps forward, and turned to Su Cheng, gesturing, "Come with me."
As if hearing the secret incantation to break the seal, Su Cheng felt the stiffness in her limbs instantly dissipate, her body lighten, and she involuntarily followed.
Perhaps because there was only one single sofa in the living room, not enough for two people to sit side by side, he led her directly into the study.
Although Su Cheng had been here several times, this was a space she had never set foot in before.
Jiang Muzhou stepped deeper into the room, and the wall that he had previously hidden was now fully revealed.
Su Cheng gasped.
Behind the glass cabinet door, the entire walnut wood shelf is carefully divided into six equal-height shelves.
The top shelf is neatly stacked with Polaroid instant cameras, their candy-colored bodies arranged in a row, as colorful as a rainbow.
The second and third floors displayed a variety of cameras and lenses that Su Cheng couldn't name at all; the metal lens barrels of different focal lengths gleamed matte under the spotlights.
The fourth and fifth floors were filled with various SLR camera bodies. Su Cheng noticed that Jiang Muzhou seemed to have a particular fondness for Nikon, but to her, these little black boxes all looked pretty much the same. This was probably like how some guys will never understand why girls collect so many lipsticks in similar colors?
Finally, there were some interesting things at the bottom. Some cameras had oversized flash covers, and a few cameras even had two lenses.
The display case was divided into three compartments on each side by two partitions, and each compartment contained a camera. Su Cheng recognized the familiar machine at a glance; it was the same camera Jiang Muzhou had used to film the Decepticon documentary.
Su Cheng's eyes widened, her mouth slightly open, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Photography can bankrupt three generations, and a DSLR camera can ruin a lifetime.
Jiang Muzhou usually kept a low profile and didn't show off, but this equipment wall blatantly demonstrated what it meant to be outrageously wealthy, which deeply shocked even a layman like her.
It seems that the converse proposition that poor students have more stationery is not true.
In stark contrast to the spectacular display wall, the other side of the study presents a completely different modern style.
On the long table against the wall, an oversized, pure white ocean-view desktop computer stands out, paired with two monitors, one horizontal and one vertical. A blue breathing light strip flows across the wall like a river of light, creating a cyberpunk atmosphere full of technology for the entire space.
Su Cheng caught a glimpse of a warm orange ball of fluff curled up on the computer case.
She was wondering why Yuanbao hadn't come to greet her as usual today. It turned out the little guy was fast asleep, not yet time to get up.
Jiang Muzhou gestured for her to sit down in the computer chair, and then went to the living room to bring over another chair.
The wooden chair legs made a slight rustling sound as they rubbed against the floor. Yuanbao on the computer case twitched its ears, but ultimately couldn't bear to open its eyes.
Su Cheng thought of her empty wallet. Pointing to the wall full of photography equipment, she hesitated and asked, "Do I really need to buy so much professional equipment to shoot videos?"
Jiang Muzhou smiled and shook his head: "For beginners, a mobile phone is more than enough."
Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.
She quickly pulled out her phone, opened the camera, and said, "By the way, once when I went to a concert, I specifically rented a professional camera phone. The shopkeeper tweaked a few settings for me, and the results were immediately different. Don't you think I should adjust my phone too?"
Jiang Muzhou naturally accepted the suggestion, saying, "The lighting for concerts is fixed, but in daily filming, we encounter various light sources and need to adjust the parameters according to the actual situation."
The man lowered his head slightly, and wisps of hair fell naturally from his forehead.
The soft light from the LED strip illuminated his profile, highlighting his deep and defined brow bone. He possessed both the youthful vigor and a strangely restrained gentleness, a contradiction that was both harmonious and captivating.
Although Su Cheng's gaze was fixed on his face, her thoughts had already drifted far away.
My memory suddenly flashed back to an afternoon in my second year of high school.
She had just finished her midterm math exam that day, and she had absolutely no idea how to solve the last big problem, leaving her feeling dejected.
As she listlessly passed by the innovation class, she overheard Jiang Muzhou comparing answers with his classmates.
A clear voice pierced through the noise of the corridor, "First, assume f(x) is a perfect correspondence from set Z to Q, then we will get 0..."
Su Cheng was initially clueless, but after a few words of guidance from him, the solution suddenly became clear: it was necessary to use proof by contradiction.
Solving problems is a piece of cake for Jiang Muzhou, but what's rare is that when he explains things to others, he never puts on a smug look. Instead, he can always put himself in other people's shoes, break down complex ideas, and make the ideas clear in the simplest way.
Seemingly noticing that someone was watching him, Jiang Muzhou stopped what he was doing and looked up.
Those clean and deep eyes captivated Su Cheng's gaze.
Their eyes met, and neither of them looked away first.
"Were you like this when you were in school?" He curled his index finger and tapped it twice on the computer desk with his backhand, his clear voice carrying a lazy tone. "Instead of paying attention in class, you were just staring at people?"
These words floated lightly to Su Cheng's ears, yet struck her heart heavily.
She forced herself to suppress her pounding heart, maintaining a calm demeanor.
After yesterday's battle, she knew she absolutely could not show weakness in front of Jiang Muzhou.
She came up with a lame excuse, spouting nonsense with a straight face, "The blue light reflecting on your face looks a bit strange..."
It's strangely beautiful.
"..."
Jiang Muzhou was taken aback by her sudden remark and shoved the phone back into her hand, saying, "Try taking a picture of Yuanbao."
"Huh?" Su Cheng was like a student who was daydreaming in class but was called on by the teacher to answer a question. She first tapped the center of the screen to focus, and then... what was she supposed to do next?
She wanted to ask Jiang Muzhou for help, but as soon as she turned her head, she was met with a face that was too good-looking.
The distance between them suddenly shortened, and the tip of his high nose almost touched hers.
She quickly looked away and sat up straight.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but the pleasant scent emanating from him only made her more agitated.
The subtle scent of cedarwood mixed with a fresh fougère fragrance is like an invisible net, relentlessly assaulting her senses.
"You're not paying attention."
The whispered words brushed against Su Cheng's ear, warm like the midday sun, making the tips of her ears turn a light red.
Su Cheng straightened her back, looked straight ahead, and dared not move again.
Jiang Muzhou's injured right hand rested on the armrest to her left, his slender fingers lightly tapping the screen to bring up the nine-grid reference lines and the crosshair.
As he explained, he swiped across the screen, displaying various parameters one by one as he operated. "If the ambient light is dim, you need to increase the exposure. When photographing a warm-colored kitten, you can increase the saturation, which will make the fur more vibrant and beautiful."
Su Cheng stared intently at the screen, and sure enough, as Jiang Muzhou adjusted a few parameters, the ingot that had blended into the background immediately became more conspicuous.
"Now let's try to see how to adjust it in low light conditions," Jiang Muzhou said, standing up.
The ceiling light in the study went out immediately, and the blackout curtains were drawn tightly, leaving only the cyberpunk-style mechanical light strips emitting a faint blue glow in the room.
The phone screen went dark instantly, and Yuanbao's voice became muffled.
Su Cheng sorted out her thoughts and recalled the operating steps taught by Jiang Muzhou. First, she increased the exposure and then adjusted the dynamic white balance appropriately. The image on the screen gradually brightened, and Yuanbao's fluffy little face immediately became clearly visible.
On the screen, Xiao Yuanbao groggily opened his eyes, his pink little paws reaching into the air, just about to yawn.
Sure enough, people are unconditionally healed by kittens.
Su Cheng was staring intently at the screen when she suddenly felt a warm breath behind her ear.
The breathing sound grew closer.
She had finally managed to focus on the photoshoot when she was suddenly disturbed by this faint, almost imperceptible touch, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.
Jiang Muzhou's hand naturally covered the back of her hand, his hot fingertips loosely holding her index finger.
Blood rushed to her head, and Su Cheng forgot to think for a moment, letting him control her fingertips as they slid across the screen.
The image then zoomed in, and Yuanbao's chubby pink paw pads filled the entire screen.
The little guy tilted his head, his little tongue curling as he licked his paws, slowly washing his face.
Jiang Muzhou only let go after confirming that he had captured the ideal footage.
Su Cheng curled her fingers and realized that she was sweating profusely from nervousness.
As the lingering warmth on the back of my hand gradually faded, the restless little deer in my chest finally calmed down.
After washing his face, Yuanbao arched his back and stretched out a big yawn.
Seeing this, Su Cheng was about to readjust the focus.
But Yuanbao, the model, suddenly went on strike. With a push of her hind legs, she lightly jumped off the computer case, her little paws landing precisely on the keyboard, turning on the dormant computer monitor.
Startled by Yuanbao's abrupt departure, Su Cheng's damp finger slipped and accidentally pressed the button to flip the camera.
A bewildered face suddenly appeared in the center of the screen.
The next second, a handsome face with clear features peeked out from behind her.
His arm was casually draped over the back of the chair behind her, and he leaned forward, his slightly forward-leaning figure casting her in shadow.
His hands hovered above hers, seemingly touching her, and from the camera's perspective, it looked as if he were gently embracing her from behind.
The next second, that handsome face moved even closer.
His alluring peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at her through the screen.
"Photographer Su, have you taken enough pictures?"
Author's Note: Please add this to your favorites! [roses][roses]
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