Jiang Siyang didn’t have much on his phone; he was busy reviewing the work schedule sent by Liu Wenping. Meanwhile, Jiu Chang was watching comedy clips, bursting into laughter every few seconds and patting Jiang Siyang on the back, urging both him and Zhang Jin’an to watch along.
Zhang Jin’an took the opportunity to search for "Tuan Yuan" on Weibo, only to find there were no new updates. He then hopped onto WeChat to find Zhang Shuyu, sending a quick: "You there?"
By the time they finished their watermelon juice, Zhang Shuyu finally replied. Zhang Jin’an tapped it open:
[Zhang Shuyu: Not here.]
Zhang Jin’an: "..."
While Zhang Jin’an was plotting how to mess with Zhang Shuyu the next time he saw her, Jiu Chang let out a burp and leaned back, propping himself up with his hands. "Hey, since the uncle is here too, why don't the three of us take a photo?"
Zhang Jin’an put his phone away and replied, "Sure."
Jiang Siyang nodded as well. "Sounds good."
"Alright then!" Jiu Chang stood up abruptly and clapped his hands. "Let's do pairs first, then a group shot of all three. Siyang and I will post ours to Weibo first, and we'll save the others for after the show airs."
And so, it was decided. The three of them took turns taking photos, and for the final group shot, they asked the stall owner for help. The uncle was quite happy to assist, patting his chest with a grin. "Leave it to me. I’m just idling around anyway."
Since Jiu Chang would be the one posting the photos later, they naturally used his phone.
The order started with Zhang Jin’an taking photos of Jiang Siyang and Jiu Chang. Zhang Jin’an didn't have much of a philosophy when it came to photography; his style could be summed up in one word: reckless. Regardless of whether the lighting was right, he would just focus and snap, usually holding down the burst mode. The results were somewhat underwhelming.
In the photos, both Jiang Siyang and Jiu Chang only had half their bodies visible; the other half was swallowed by the vast darkness of the night.
Jiu Chang stared at the photo and touched his own face. "...Where’s my head? Is my head gone?"
Jiang Siyang took one look at the photo and looked up at Zhang Jin’an, puzzled. "Brother, don't the photos you post on Weibo usually look pretty good?"
Before Zhang Jin’an could answer, Jiu Chang replied with a deadpan expression, "Siyang, you’re mistaken. Big Brother’s photos look good because *he* looks good, not because his technique is good."
Jiang Siyang: "Oh, I see."
"..." Zhang Jin’an desperately wanted to argue, but the photo in front of him robbed him of any confidence. "So, what do we do?"
Jiu Chang squinted at the screen. "How about you turn on the flash, Big Brother? It might be blinding, but at least we’ll have heads."
Zhang Jin’an: "Fine."
With the flash on, things were indeed much better. Although the background was a bit blurry, the people were finally visible. One could clearly see Jiang Siyang and Jiu Chang flashing V-signs at the camera.
"Not bad, we have heads now," Jiu Chang said, flipping through the shots with satisfaction.
"This one feels like it was taken with a 90s film camera," Jiang Siyang noted, pointing at one.
"Yeah, yeah, it does!" Jiu Chang nodded repeatedly. His fingers moved at lightning speed as he immediately uploaded the photo to Weibo with a simple caption: *Here we go—*
After posting, Jiu Chang switched the phone back to camera mode. "Alright, just like that. Siyang, your turn to take one of me and Big Brother. Siyang, I believe in you." He patted Jiang Siyang’s shoulder.
Jiang Siyang was indeed trustworthy. He didn't use the flash; instead, he crouched low and gave a quick "One, two, three," before snapping the shot. He was fast, and the result was excellent. Not only were the proportions of Zhang Jin’an and Jiu Chang perfect, but the background behind them was also crisp and clean.
Looking at the photo, Jiu Chang couldn't help but bring up the joke from that morning. "It really is like they say: is there anything Jiang Siyang can't do? He just doesn't—"
"Is it Jiu Chang's turn to take the next one?" Jiang Siyang interrupted.
Standing right next to him, Zhang Jin’an could clearly see Jiang Siyang’s ears beginning to turn red. He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
"Yep," Jiu Chang picked up his phone and aimed the lens at Jiang Siyang and Zhang Jin’an. "You two, get over there. If I take a good one, maybe it'll help me gain some followers."
Just as Jiang Siyang and Zhang Jin’an walked to the designated spot, Jiu Chang beamed. "I was worried I’d make you two look ugly and get flamed by your fans, but looking at the screen now—hey, you really are stars. I’m gonna take a few extra—I feel those follower counts rising already, hehe..."
Jiang Siyang: "...Jiu Chang, you're saying your inner thoughts out loud."
Zhang Jin’an: "So we're just props to you?"
"No way, no way! We're friends, friends!" Jiu Chang laughed it off. "My skills aren't great, so I'm turning on the flash, okay?"
Jiang Siyang was staring blankly at a tree behind Jiu Chang when he heard the person beside him softly call his name. He turned his head. "What is it?"
Zhang Jin’an looked at him with curving eyes, speaking in a voice only he could hear. "Siyang, let me tell you something."
Jiang Siyang leaned in a bit closer, his voice dropping to a whisper as well. "What?"
"I'm taking it now!" Jiu Chang had already prepared himself and started the countdown.
"That 'same-sex social networking site' is just a meme from Bilibili. In reality, it’s just a website for watching anime," Jiang Siyang heard the deep voice say.
As the realization hit him, Jiang Siyang’s eyes slowly widened.
!!??!!!!? That... that website wasn't *that* kind of website?? It was just a normal site for watching anime???
The news truly shocked him. He whipped his head toward Zhang Jin’an, who was looking back at him with a practiced smile—the kind of smile he usually wore when talking to him, which, from a fan's perspective, was devastatingly handsome.
From that smile, Jiang Siyang instantly understood what a massive fool he had made of himself. His ears began to burn.
Right at that moment, the flash went off. Jiang Siyang remembered they were supposed to be posing, but it was too late; the photo was already taken.
He saw Zhang Jin’an’s lips move again as he whispered, "It’s okay. I’m partly to blame for the misunderstanding. You didn't do anything wrong."
Even if that was true... Jiang Siyang let out a soft "Mm."
"What were you two chatting about just now?" Jiu Chang asked. "Why weren't you looking at the lens?"
Jiang Siyang didn't know how to face Jiu Chang. Feeling awkward, he turned his head away and didn't answer.
He knew it would take a while for this reaction to fade. At the very least, his mind was currently filled with nothing but this humiliating blunder. He would probably remember the name of that website for the rest of his life.
Zhang Jin’an found Jiang Siyang’s reaction incredibly amusing. *Does this kid not realize his ears are that red?*
Zhang Jin’an curled his lips into a smile and helped explain to Jiu Chang, "Nothing, just some small talk. Let's keep going."
"Alright," Jiu Chang continued snapping photos.
Although Jiu Chang felt that Jiang Siyang wasn't looking at the camera in the subsequent shots, Jiang Siyang was so good-looking that the candid vibe worked well, so he didn't pay it much mind.
The group photo also went smoothly. The uncle’s skills were surprisingly impressive; he clearly had experience helping people take photos, snapping several shots quickly and effectively.
The three of them chatted with the uncle for a bit longer before saying their goodbyes. It was nearing 9:30 PM when they finally got into the car to head back. As agreed, Jiu Chang sat in the passenger seat while Jiang Siyang sat in the back.
By this time, Jiang Siyang had mostly composed himself. Realizing that Jiu Chang was none the wiser, he relaxed, letting the matter go. However, whenever Jiu Chang mentioned "Bilibili," Jiang Siyang would fall into a silent trance. Fortunately, it was common knowledge that Jiang Siyang wasn't much of an internet user, so Jiu Chang simply assumed he had nothing to contribute to the conversation and didn't notice anything amiss.
Once the car hit the highway, Zhang Jin’an spoke to the two of them. "Is it okay if I drop you off at the hotel entrance?"
Jiu Chang nodded. "That's fine, it's just a few steps. Is Big Brother going out later?"
Zhang Jin’an: "Yeah."
Jiu Chang asked curiously, "Going out for a snack?"
"Something like that. I need to deliver a package," Zhang Jin’an replied casually.
Jiu Chang froze for a second, as if he had stumbled upon a major secret. "? Shocking! The hottest Movie King of the era is actually a Yunda Express courier in private?"
At that moment, Jiang Siyang, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. "Better make it SF Express. SF is faster."
Jiu Chang: "...? Is that the point?"
Zhang Jin’an nodded in agreement. "I vote for SF. They really are fast."
Jiu Chang: "? ...Fine, I vote for SF too."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
刘雯萍 | Liu Wenping | Likely Jiang Siyang's manager or assistant.
团圆 | Tuan Yuan | A fanfiction author (pen name) who writes about the leads.
B站 / 哔哩哔哩 | Bilibili / B-Zhan | A popular Chinese video-sharing website themed around animation, comics, and games (ACG).
同性交友网站 | Same-sex social networking site | A common internet meme/joke in China referring to Bilibili due to its community culture.
影帝 | Movie King | A title for a highly acclaimed award-winning actor (Zhang Jin'an).
韵达 | Yunda | A well-known Chinese courier/delivery company.
顺丰 | SF Express / Shunfeng | A premium, high-speed Chinese courier/delivery company.
工具人 | Tool / Prop | Slang for someone who is being used for a specific purpose (like a "tool").
