Chapter 253: A Girl’s Request

“Right, that’s it—hold that pose. Tuck your chin in a bit, then turn your head naturally from this angle… good, now look toward me… perfect!”

“Xiaoxue, tilt your face slightly toward the sea. I’ll adjust the lighting—this way the reflector won’t be too harsh!”

“Great—lift the brim of the straw hat just a little. Yes, that’s the airy feeling of facing the sea breeze we want!”

The sound of the shutter blended with the white foam of the waves, rising and falling across the sea of violets.

Watching the two working in perfect coordination behind the camera, the tension that had been stuck in Lin Xue’s throat finally settled back down.

Once the shoot properly got going, she realized the atmosphere had unexpectedly become harmonious.

Maybe… it really had just been her imagination earlier?

Luo Shaotian was focused on photography, and even her clumsy brother had become useful.

With the two of them working together, they actually managed to produce quite a few great shots.

Looking at herself glowing on the camera screen, Lin Xue’s mood instantly lifted, the gloom she had accumulated in the lab over the past few days completely swept away.

“That’s enough, that’s enough! This is way beyond expectations!”

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and smiled as she called out to the two “big contributors” still discussing camera angles.

“Let’s take a break! There’s an open-air café nearby with great reviews—I’ll treat you both to some cold drinks!”

She led them to a semi-open café shaded by a large white parasol, then turned to the counter to line up and order.

Under the parasol, only Luo Shaotian and Lin Yu remained.

The sea breeze carried distant chatter from tourists, yet it seemed to be cut off by the white canopy.

Luo Shaotian sat on a rattan chair and lowered his head to open the camera.

He was about to go through the photos they had just taken so Lin Xue could pick later.

Before he could press “next”—

A faint scent of shampoo quietly slipped into his nose.

Soft strands of hair brushed lightly against his firm arm, like a kitten’s paw.

“Let me take a look at the photos too.”

The girl’s curious voice sounded extremely close to his ear.

At some point, Lin Yu had already leaned in from the other side.

She was almost pressed against his shoulder, her fair arm occasionally brushing against his shirt.

Her long eyelashes fluttered—illegally cute.

“Ah… okay.”

Luo Shaotian swallowed, his voice slightly dry.

Though he appeared calm on the surface, his heart skipped a beat uncontrollably, then began to quicken.

Too close.

So close he could feel the warmth of her breath as she spoke—soft, almost like being licked.

Had this guy ever been this close to him before?

Luo Shaotian asked himself.

Probably not.

That guy would’ve just smacked his back and shouted, “Let me see what trash you shot!”

But now…

Now she had changed. A lot. Inside and out.

And although it might not be appropriate to say… this feeling actually wasn’t bad.

Luo Shaotian didn’t avoid the contact and instead started showing her the photos.

Because of how close they were, he noticed quite a lot.

Her body—so light, as if a gust of sea breeze could lift her away.

The exposed neck and shoulders—so fair, glowing with a pearl-like sheen in the sunlight.

And that chiffon dress… from this angle, it looked a bit revealing…

Did she not notice?

“Whoosh…”

A stronger gust of sea breeze passed by.

A petal from somewhere drifted down in spirals and landed softly on the white skirt.

Luo Shaotian subconsciously raised his hand to brush it away.

But his fingers paused midair for half a second.

No…

He didn’t want to move it.

Instead… why not capture this moment?

As if guided by instinct, he lifted the camera.

Click.

“Huh?”

Hearing the sound, Lin Yu raised her head, her innocent eyes wide, tilting her head slightly to the right.

“Why… did you suddenly take a photo of me?”

“This angle looks great. Don’t move.”

He didn’t lower the camera. His focus was completely immersed in the viewfinder.

Within that framed rectangle, the girl before him looked almost unreal.

Like a fairy who had accidentally wandered into the human world.

Especially her eyes—when they met his, it felt as though they could pull his soul in and make him sink.

“So beautiful…”

Luo Shaotian couldn’t help but murmur.

Even knowing her true identity, purely from appearance, there was nothing to criticize.

If she could stay like this forever…

No.

No, Luo Shaotian—what are you thinking?

Something like that… how could A-Yu possibly agree?

Stop thinking about it. Focus on composition.

Hm?

Come to think of it… why had her eyes turned purple?

They were different from before.

Maybe… it was that skill called [Transformation Time]?

After all, when she played the black-haired “Lulu” before, her eye color had changed too.

Just part of magical disguise.

Not dwelling on it further, he held his breath and pressed the shutter again.

Click.

Two finished photos quickly appeared on the screen.

Perfect composition, excellent lighting—almost flawless portraits.

The blurred beach formed the background, while at the center was the girl’s stunning face, slightly surprised, cheeks faintly flushed.

Lin Yu leaned her head closer again.

She stared at the screen for a while, and the tension in her shoulders gradually eased.

“Wow… these look amazing. Good thing you came today. I definitely couldn’t have taken shots like this myself.”

Luo Shaotian’s fingers tightened slightly around the camera.

“That’s because… the model is already beautiful.”

“Tch! That’s so gross! Don’t say things like that, okay? This is just a high-end costume! You pervert!”

If it were the usual her, she would’ve replied like that.

But for some reason—

Today, she didn’t.

“…”

The breeze flowed gently, slower somehow—or maybe not.

It simply blew the petal off her skirt and painted a faint blush onto her soft cheeks.

“I see… haha, you’ve never praised me like this before.”

“If you’re not used to it, then I won’t—”

“It’s fine… actually, it’s not bad.”

“Not bad…”

“I don’t dislike this feeling.”

Her long eyelashes lowered, hiding those shimmering eyes, as she cupped her face with her hands.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind… if you want to praise me more.”

“…”

Something in his heart seemed to crack.

So that’s how it is?

Really… that’s allowed?

So that means…

In the future, I can—

“Hey… Shaotian.”

The girl in front of him suddenly spoke.

“After we finish taking photos of my sister… can you stay a bit longer?”

“Stay?”

“Yeah… after we’re done with her, help take some photos of me too~”

Her voice was like a feather dipped in honey.

“Make sure you take pretty ones for me, okay? ❤”