Traveling here, the ultimate goal is naturally to check in.
Although he tried his best to maintain a traveler's mindset upon arrival, staying for six hours still felt a bit dull. The final hour was the most boring, as it was already afternoon.
Li Younan stood up and moved around. At this moment, there was a couple, the guy was taking pictures of the girl with his phone.
The girl was very pretty, but not very good at posing, always doing the classic peace sign.
The guy took some photos and showed them to the girl. Who knows about the quality, but the girl smiled happily and said, "Sweetie, your photography skills have improved again!"
That cheesy "Sweetie" made Li Younan want to laugh, but then he thought of something, sighed slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of envy.
Soon, the guy noticed Li Younan, his eyes shifted, and he took the initiative to chat, saying: "Hey, can you help us take a picture together?"
Li Younan blinked: "Sure, I can."
He took the phone handed over and framed the happy couple in the screen, pressing the shutter, but feeling like something was missing, he took several shots.
After finishing, the couple gathered around.
Li Younan returned the phone with little confidence, then secretly observed their expressions.
As the boy and girl browsed the photos, their expressions slightly froze, and then they exchanged a meaningful look.
The guy looked up and said to Li Younan: "Thanks, man."
Li Younan smiled awkwardly: "Oh… you're welcome, you're welcome."
He quietly turned around and sighed slightly.
Li Younan felt ashamed facing others.
Just after he sat down, he heard from a corner that the couple was asking someone else: "Hey beautiful, could you help us take a picture?"
Of course...
Li Younan's feelings became even harder to describe.
This little incident became the biggest blemish on an otherwise pleasant day.
And the turning point happened in the sixth hour of stepping in here.
[Task complete, random reward received, photography skill increased by one.]
What?
Receiving the reward left Li Younan indeed stupefied for a moment.
What do you call this? Someone hands you chopsticks when you're hungry; brings you a toilet when you want to go, that's probably what it feels like.
Soon, a wealth of knowledge about photography, even appreciation of lighting and composition, flooded his mind.
Li Younan spent dozens of seconds absorbing all the knowledge.
Then, he immediately stood up, trying to find the couple he just photographed among the crowd. But to his dismay, the couple seemed long gone.
He sighed slightly, quite a pity indeed.
At this point, he had been here a full six hours; it was time to say goodbye. Li Younan thought maybe next time, returning here would be many years later.
Standing by the window, his gaze shifted towards the outskirts of the city, disappearing into a gray haze, while the nearby sunlight fell warmly.
Suddenly, Li Younan felt touched, he took out his phone to photograph what moved him, but after looking at the photo album, the picture was good for ordinary people, but Li Younan still felt it lacked capturing that moment's essence.
There's nothing to be done; it's just a phone. His mind pondered whether to get a camera.
He pocketed the phone, stretched languidly, and slowly followed the crowd down.
When you have a hammer, you madly want to find a nail, when you become a sharpshooter, you especially want to find a gun, when Li Younan acquired the photography skill, the urge to buy a professional camera intensified.
Just do it.
There are plenty of malls nearby.
After descending the tower, Li Younan headed straight to the market, already having several ideas about photography equipment in mind, considering his budget and needs, leading to a clear decision.
Half an hour later, a Canon R6 Mark2, a 20,000 RMB professional camera, hung around his neck.
Taking this camera, he kept fiddling with it, strolling leisurely all the way to Riverside Avenue.
By then, the night had fallen, the Bund's World Architecture loomed across in full view, and after acquiring the photography skill, every frame seemed to touch his nerves.
He skillfully adjusted the camera settings, framing one scene after another, then reviewing his masterpieces, making Li Younan laugh contentedly.
It was such a coincidence that when he picked up the camera again, a couple walked towards him.
Upon seeing him, they paused, and so did Li Younan.
They were the couple who had asked for photo help at Duoyun Academy.
Such a small world.
They recognized Li Younan too, although it was just a chance encounter, they instinctively wanted to say hi, but the next moment they both saw the camera in Li Younan's hands.
The boy's expression became diverse, and he couldn't help but let out a soft "Huh?"
Though soft, Li Younan heard him.
The tone carried a lot of information at that moment.
It sounded like: What is this guy doing with a camera?
Li Younan felt his dignity was deeply pricked, he spoke: "We're really meant to be, let me take a picture for you two!"
The girl's eyes widened, gently pulled her boyfriend's clothes, he got the hint and quickly waved off with a smile: "No, no need."
Li Younan assertively said: "No way, I must shoot! The photos at Duoyun Academy weren't my real skill, I wasn't used to your phone, trust me!"
The boy's mouth twitched slightly, saying: "Um, I didn't say anything."
Without further ado, Li Younan quickly scanned the surroundings, his eyes gleaming, swiftly adjusted his position, lifted the camera but saw in the frame, the two looked bewildered, cutely staring at him, saying: "Don't stand there like wood, give me some expression, like this, like that, then like this..."
Li Younan unceremoniously directed them to pose, they cooperated confusedly, their expressions hadn't caught up with the scene, seeming dumbly innocent.
But truly sweet.
At that moment, even Li Younan was touched, he quickly pressed the shutter, perfectly capturing this emotion.
He proudly called them over to see the photos.
The couple exchanged a look, somewhat skeptical, but obediently moved next to Li Younan.
Looking at the photos, their eyes lit up.
The girl laughed heartily: "You look so adorable!"
The boy laughed too: "You look too cute!"
Though they said so, the photo in terms of composition, quality, and lighting, exuded professionalism, and the happiness of the subjects almost overflowed from the image.
Li Younan proudly said: "It's alright!"
The girl nodded, the boy nodded as well.
And at this moment, while looking at the photo, the two suddenly glanced at each other, the breeze gently passed, the girl's hair ends caped with city's neon glow.
Then, unexpectedly, they gazed deeply into each other's eyes.
The girl shyly smiled.
Li Younan noticed the silence, puzzled, raised his head...
His expression froze instantly.
Ha, haha.
...
Parting with the couple who just received a life-defining photo, Li Younan's mood turned better.
He went to the riverside, yelled loudly towards the river, his voice diffused into the night.
People nearby curiously glanced at him, then returned to their life paths.