At twenty-five, Shen Yan was already a star lawyer at the most prestigious firm in Qingcheng.
He had always been exceptional; Lin Jiang never doubted that. Yet, sitting in his office, which was permeated with a heavy professional atmosphere, she couldn't help but marvel.
"If this were ten years ago, how could I have imagined that you, who wore sportswear every day, would now be in a suit and leather shoes? I never would have guessed that the boy whose room was filled with anime and basketball would one day have an office decorated entirely in shades of black, white, and gray." Lin Jiang stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, reflecting on the passage of time.
Behind her, Shen Yan brewed her another cup of coffee. "And you probably never imagined that I, who wouldn't touch a drop of coffee even if I were dying of exhaustion, would be brewing Kopi Luwak for you today, right?"
Lin Jiang’s eyes crinkled as she smiled, acknowledging how quickly the years had flown.
That fleeting glance of hers momentarily dazed Shen Yan.
The two of them spent a long-overdue afternoon chatting.
Before the Spring Festival, Lin Jiang managed to rush through all the matters regarding her manuscripts. There were no major issues with the contracts; back when she didn't know how long she would be drifting abroad, she had only signed short-term agreements.
This Spring Festival, both her paternal and maternal grandfathers were staying at her house. On the morning of New Year's Eve, Lin Jiang was dragged along by Xu Mingjuan to go grocery shopping.
As it turned out, Lin Jiang should not have succumbed to Xu Mingjuan’s intimidation out of a momentary lapse in courage.
In the sprawling wet market, Xu Mingjuan navigated the stalls dressed in designer labels, looking like a wealthy socialite gracing the grassroots with her presence. Meanwhile, Lin Jiang followed behind like the socialite’s maid, clutching colorful plastic bags with a look of utter desolation.
Xu Mingjuan said, "Buy more today. No one will be setting up stalls after the New Year."
Lin Jiang forced a smile.
Xu Mingjuan stood before a fish stall. After picking out a bag of fat clams, she selected a tilapia and a yellow croaker. The vendor briskly stunned the fish, tossed them into a bag, weighed them, and handed them to Lin Jiang.
The fish were still thrashing wildly inside the bag. Lin Jiang summoned all her courage to take them, walking forward with her arms stiffly extended like a zombie.
Suddenly, someone called her name. "Lin Jiang?"
Lin Jiang turned around. "Teacher Cheng, Teacher Zheng."
Xu Mingjuan recognized Teacher Cheng and hurriedly nodded in greeting.
"Teachers, are you here for groceries too?" Lin Jiang asked with a smile.
Teacher Cheng held a red cloth bag and raised it slightly at the sound of her voice. "Oh, Teacher Zheng hasn't been feeling well, so I brought her here to pick up some traditional Chinese medicine and grab some groceries while we're at it."
Lin Jiang looked at Teacher Zheng. When Teacher Cheng had called her and she first turned around, she had almost failed to recognize her. She looked much more haggard, so thin her features were gaunt; it was a heartbreaking sight.
"Teacher Zheng, it's been a long time. Are you alright?" Lin Jiang asked with concern.
Zheng Ping forced a smile. "I'm doing well. I heard from Teacher Cheng that you were back in Qingcheng, but I haven't had the chance to contact you."
"I should have been the one to reach out to you first," Lin Jiang smiled, the fish in her bag still flopping about.
Zheng Ping nodded, looking somewhat fatigued. "That's good then. I won't disturb you two any longer; we'll head off to finish our shopping."
Lin Jiang quickly said, "Alright, please head home soon after you're done. The traffic should be getting heavy now."
Xu Mingjuan also smiled. "I just bought a fish in the east section of the market; the seafood over there is quite good. You might want to take a look."
Zheng Ping nodded in agreement. Lin Jiang urged her to take care of her health before they bid farewell.
As soon as Zheng Ping and Teacher Cheng were out of earshot, Xu Mingjuan turned to Lin Jiang. "Teacher Zheng doesn't look like she's in good spirits."
"Maybe she hasn't fully recovered yet," Lin Jiang sighed inwardly, recalling her brief encounter with Jiang Weifeng at the hospital. "I heard from Cheng Minghao—Teacher Cheng's son—that Teacher Zheng had a miscarriage before."
"Really?" Xu Mingjuan was stunned. She turned back to look in the direction Zheng Ping had gone. "Sigh, they say a woman's life isn't easy for a reason. I think your teacher's physical health is secondary; it's mainly her psychological state. Her eyes looked completely lifeless just now."
Lin Jiang could only sigh. The fish in her hand had long since stopped thrashing, but her heart remained unsettled.
She chatted with Xu Mingjuan all the way home.
The moment they stepped through the door, the rich aroma of food greeted them, momentarily dispelling the wisp of sorrow in her heart.
The New Year was very lively. Even though Lin Jiang was no longer a child, the two elders still gave her large red envelopes.
Her paternal grandfather’s health had been poor since her grandmother passed away, and he had undergone surgery before the New Year. Lin Jiang looked after him carefully, keeping him company and talking to him. Her maternal grandfather couldn't stay idle; he was in the kitchen cooking with Lin Wei. Xu Mingjuan wanted to help, but from the sounds of it, she was only making things worse and was eventually shooed out by her father.
After dinner, her paternal grandfather and parents watched the Spring Festival Gala together, while her maternal grandfather pestered Lin Jiang to show him photos.
Having honed her skills abroad over the past few years, she didn't just write; she also took photos, and her photography skills had become quite professional. Lin Jiang showed her grandfather the photos she had taken of the aurora, sparking a wave of envy in him. He mentioned that he planned to go to the grasslands with a group of old friends after the New Year, which caused Xu Mingjuan to nag him out of worry for a long time.
Outside, the sound of firecrackers was deafening and fireworks bloomed brilliantly. Inside, the house was filled with the constant laughter of the family. Lin Jiang’s face was flushed from the warmth of the heater as she listened tirelessly to the adults' stories of the past, feeling as though she had returned to her childhood.
A few days after the Lantern Festival, her maternal grandfather indeed packed his bags and left for the grasslands. Lin Jiang then began her job search.
Wang Jiaqian sent her a WeChat message saying that a photography studio called "J&J" in the south of the city was hiring and suggested she give it a try.
Lin Jiang hadn't quite decided whether to return to her old profession or work as an editor or photographer. However, after hearing Wang Jiaqian's introduction, she searched for the studio's work on their official Weibo. After seeing their portfolio, she decided to submit her resume.
The interview notice came quickly, scheduled for March 1st.
"This is our CEO, Mr. Zhang." An assistant brought in a glass of water, and after introducing the interviewer, quietly left the room.
"Hello, Lin Jiang." Zhang Yijia scanned her resume.
Lin Jiang smiled. "Hello, Mr. Zhang."
"You don't have a background in professional photography?" Zhang Yijia rubbed his chin with his finger, looking at her.
Lin Jiang pursed her lips and smiled. "I don't, but you've seen my work. I..."
"But we mainly shoot portraits, and there aren't many portraits in your portfolio." Zhang Yijia leaned back in his chair, frowning.
Lin Jiang’s heart tightened, unsure of how to respond.
"How about this? Mr. Jiang, who oversees our photographers, is currently away on a business trip. I'll pass your work and resume to him later. You can wait for the second interview, alright?" Zhang Yijia asked.
Lin Jiang nodded and politely exited the room.
The assistant knocked and entered. "Mr. Zhang, Lin Jiang was the last interviewee for this morning."
Zhang Yijia pinched the bridge of his nose. "Understood."
The assistant asked, "And the result for Lin Jiang's interview?"
"Pass on her. In the future, don't schedule interviews for people who don't understand portraiture," Zhang Yijia said.
Back in his office, Zhang Yijia pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "So? How's the scenery on the grasslands?"
Jiang Weifeng was currently at a hostel. In front of him, a rookie actress was having her makeup done, with seven or eight people bustling around her. He stepped out to take the call. "What is it? Something wrong?"
"It's about the new photographer hires. If you don't come back, I can't finalize the candidates," Zhang Yijia said.
Jiang Weifeng frowned. "How many have been decided so far?"
"Only one at the moment," Zhang Yijia replied.
"Fine. I'll be done here in two days at most. Schedule the second interviews then."
Jiang Weifeng hung up. Just as he was about to head back inside to pack his equipment for the afternoon shoot, an old man wearing a yellow baseball cap stopped him. "Young man, could you help us take a group photo?"
Jiang Weifeng looked past the old man's shoulder and saw four other elderly men of similar age looking at him cheerfully.
He nodded and said it was no problem. The group of old men stood neatly in front of the hostel's sign. "Alright, young man, take the picture."
He took one, and the old men changed their poses—making finger hearts, flashing peace signs—acting like a group of young boys. When he finished and showed them the photos, the group was overjoyed, thanking him repeatedly.
Jiang Weifeng simply felt that the old man in the yellow cap looked familiar. He took a few extra glances before heading inside. To his surprise, on the day he was leaving, after finishing the last shoot at Duolun Lake, he ran into him again.
The old man called out to Jiang Weifeng first. "Young man, you take great photos. Could you take one of me and my wife?"
Jiang Weifeng nodded in agreement. However, after adjusting his camera, he looked around and saw no sign of a wife.
It wasn't until the old man took a black-and-white photo frame out of his bag, smiling sheepishly, that he explained, "She wanted to visit the grasslands when she was alive. So, I brought her along this time to see the scenery."
In the distance, vast stretches of green met vast stretches of blue. In this place, there was the cleanest, purest scenery, and also the cleanest, purest of emotions.
Jiang Weifeng understood, and a wave of warmth washed over his heart.
After returning to Qingcheng from Hulunbuir, Jiang Weifeng was busy with the team's expansion. They had hired five new photographers alone.
Once the staff was assembled, the team went out for a meal.
"Jiang Weifeng's Weibo followers surpassed one million before the New Year. That's a solid following. I think we can start online teaching classes this summer," Zhang Yijia said, discussing the photography curriculum.
Gu Xiang waved his hand. "We just finalized collaborations with several celebrity studios last month. The newcomers still need to be mentored by the seniors. Aside from Feng-ge, everyone else has their hands full. The offline classes have only just started. I suggest we wait until autumn to talk about online classes."
Gu Xiang had been working with Jiang Weifeng since graduation, serving as his manager and overseeing business collaborations, PR, and various other matters.
Jiang Weifeng toyed with a bottle opener, listening to them talk.
Zhang Yijia was displeased. "Competition is getting fiercer. The early bird gets the worm. Timing is everything, don't you understand?"
"Technique is our core competitiveness; rushing doesn't produce quality work. If we suddenly shove an online course in now, even if there are others who can teach, to put it bluntly—if Jiang Weifeng isn't the one teaching, how many people will buy it? But Jiang Weifeng's schedule is already booked through the National Day holiday. Do you want to work him to death?" Gu Xiang’s face was expressionless, and the atmosphere suddenly became thick with tension.
The two argued for a while, and the mood at the table grew increasingly sour.
Irritated, Jiang Weifeng grabbed his jacket and stood up. "I'm a bit tired. I'm heading back first."
Seeing Jiang Weifeng leave, Gu Xiang felt the meal had lost its point. He grabbed his jacket and followed him out.
Watching the two silhouettes disappear through the door one after the other, Zhang Yijia’s eyes darkened.
Gu Xiang called out to Jiang Weifeng, "Why are you walking so fast?"
Jiang Weifeng paused to wait for him. "If you're not in there arguing, why did you come out?"
Gu Xiang pursed his lips. "Heh, once you left, I couldn't stay in there. Wait for me a second, I'm going to the restroom."
Jiang Weifeng started walking again. "I'll wait in the car."
Gu Xiang said, "Got it." Jiang Weifeng walked toward the parking lot alone. After sliding into the driver's seat, he reached for a cigarette.
Before he could find his lighter, a familiar figure walked toward him and stopped near his car. His heart skipped a beat, and he rolled the window down just a crack.
"Who else would I be with? Shen Yan won a big lawsuit, so he's treating."
The girl's voice was clear and sweet.
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