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Join the ServerLin Chuji felt mentally exhausted throughout the whole day of classes.
No matter what out-of-the-way seat he chose, he could always feel faint gazes on him, full of curiosity and scrutiny.
After finishing the entire day’s classes, he visibly looked haggard.
He was supposed to meet Xie Yan as agreed, but thinking about everyone’s inexplicable obsession with shipping them, he felt a bit uneasy.
[lark]: Where are you taking me?
Just send the address.
I’ll take a taxi there.
[Crab Boss]: I’ll take you there.
[lark]: ?
[lark]: On one bicycle?
There are so many people on campus.
I don’t want to.
It’s embarrassing.
[Crab Boss]: What’s embarrassing about being on the same bike as me?
[lark]: Don’t you think they’re shipping us enough already?
[Crab Boss]: Just come over.
I’m at the north gate.
[lark]: …Okay.
Lin Chuji slowly walked over, thinking the whole time, So annoying.
I don’t like being this conspicuous.
Is Xie Yan crazy?
As soon as he walked out of the school gate, his gaze fell on a sleek black motorcycle parked by the curb.
Xie Yan was still in his black softshell jacket from the morning, almost blending into the bike in the evening light.
Very cool.
Even wearing a helmet, he could be recognized as Xie Yan in an instant.
Okay.
I misjudged him.
Lin Chuji quickened his pace, very surprised.
“When did you get a motorcycle license?
We’ve only been adults for a little while.”
Xie Yan looked at him through his helmet, his tone very smug.
“Found the time to take the test.
During the seven days you were giving me the cold shoulder, Xie Yan was just that unbeatable.”
Lin Chuji: “…….”
He couldn’t be bothered to respond.
He took the helmet offered to him and put it on his head.
Fine.
At least it covers my face.
As long as they don’t know it’s us.
Before he could put it on completely, a classmate from his department passed by and casually commented, “Whoa, Lin Chuji, is this a friend of yours?
He looks really cool.”
Lin Chuji expressionlessly distanced himself, utterly heartless.
“No.
Just a motorcycle taxi driver.”
Xie Yan: “………”
He didn’t even want to talk.
Once Lin Chuji was seated and steady, Xie Yan leaned forward and, as revenge, stomped on the gas, speeding off and leaving the street scenes far behind.
Lin Chuji scrambled to grab his jacket, his voice trembling.
“This isn’t your first day on the road, is it?
Are you really okay?”
Xie Yan looked at him in the rearview mirror and said flatly, “Yes.
Just hold on tight.”
With his helmet pressed against Xie Yan’s back, Lin Chuji was forced to wrap his arms around his waist.
Only then did he have the presence of mind to enjoy the thrilling ride.
To be fair, although the speed was high, it was very steady.
There was no showing off or sharp turns, just a smooth, comfortable pleasure.
Very exhilarating.
He wasn’t someone who feared excitement, and slowly, in the wind, he lifted his head bit by bit.
When they arrived at their destination, Lin Chuji was still a bit unsatisfied.
He took off his helmet and handed it back, asking curiously, “Did you just bring me here to be your first passenger today?”
Xie Yan locked the bike, nimbly dismounted, and looked at him.
“You are indeed the first.
But mainly I was afraid you’d hide back home out of embarrassment again.
I really don’t have that much time to coax you.
I have a shoot today.
It’ll be quick, just an hour.
When it’s done, I’ll take you to dinner.”
“I’m not that petty,” Lin Chuji muttered, but his feet obediently followed.
Xie Yan took out his camera from his backpack and adjusted it.
“Fine, you’re not petty.
I’m the petty one.”
Lin Chuji asked curiously, “Why did you buy a motorcycle?
Are you really going to be a Didi driver?”
“Of course, to make it easier to get to shoots.”
Sometimes Xie Yan wanted to knock on his head and see what was inside.
“Oh, how do you usually get work?”
Lin Chuji looked at him.
“I have a Weibo account.
I occasionally post some photos.
Some people message me directly, and some collaborators invite me separately.”
Xie Yan simply opened his phone and handed the homepage to him, settling him into a comfortable small sofa.
“Wait here.
You can browse if you’re interested.”
Lin Chuji nodded and said okay.
He curled up on the sofa, looking at the ID named “Boss Xie,” verified as a photography blogger.
It seemed like he wasn’t running it with particular effort, just occasionally posting announcements, not very frequently.
But the quality of the photos was excellent, and he had a modest following.
Lin Chuji stared at Xie Yan, who was already busy, lost in thought.
He refused his family’s goodwill, essentially because he didn’t want to take their money.
He had pride and wanted to earn it himself.
So how could he help Xie Yan make more money in a short time without affecting his studies?
He needed to increase the unit price while keeping the same number of gigs.
He had heard that some expensive photographers charged tens of thousands for a single shoot.
At that price, even private school for Xie Wan would be easily affordable.
“Look to the left.
Don’t move.
Let me adjust the angle,” Xie Yan said to the model.
Lin Chuji suddenly remembered the meteor shower photo Xie Yan had taken of him.
He didn’t want to be exposed to the public, but he wanted to help.
When Xie Yan had opened up about his past, that calm sadness had truly made his heart ache.
Xie Yan was his first friend, and since he took care of him, Lin Chuji should give something back.
Lin Chuji propped his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed on Xie Yan’s back.
He still didn’t know how to handle things or socialize, but he hoped the other could be happy and live more easily.
“Good, that expression is great.
Keep going.”
Xie Yan got into the groove very quickly, finishing forty minutes ahead of schedule.
He turned around and saw Lin Chuji still spacing out.
He waved his hand in front of his face.
“What are you thinking?
Mesmerized by the beauties?”
Lin Chuji snapped out of his thoughts and looked up blankly.
“Beauties?
What beauties?”
Xie Yan was speechless.
A whole row of girls just walked by, and he didn’t even notice.
“Never mind.
Let’s go back.”
Xie Yan smiled and bent down to pack up his equipment.
“Xie Yan…
I have an idea…”
Lin Chuji stood up, looking him in the eye.
“I just looked at your account.
Your update frequency is too low.
You need to post more high-quality photos to increase your unit price.”
Xie Yan nodded and explained, “I understand the logic.
But not every shoot has a beautiful model like today.
And some clients don’t want their photos posted.
You have to respect that.”
Lin Chuji took a deep breath, as if he had made a big decision.
“I’ll let you shoot me.
I’ll be your model.
But…
I’m a bit scared of being the center of attention, so at most, I can only show half my face.
Is that okay?”
As he spoke, he covered his eyes with his hand.
Xie Yan looked at him quietly for a long time before saying, “You don’t need to make this sacrifice.
Right now, I take at least two shoots a week, plus the money my parents left, it’s more than enough.”
Lin Chuji said quietly, “It’s not enough.
If you want to bring Wanwan here sooner, you need to earn more.
Shoot me.
Anytime.
Post more themes on your account, and the price per shoot will go up quickly.”
Xie Yan didn’t argue.
Lin Chuji did have that kind of confidence.
He was a natural model; even just standing there, he could easily attract men and women alike.
If it weren’t for that face, why would Qin Yi be obsessed enough to paint him over and over?
But he couldn’t do it.
Lin Chuji was already so shy, hiding away even when the professor made a joke.
He certainly wouldn’t be comfortable on social media.
His throat bobbed. “You don’t like having your photo taken.
You don’t have to accommodate me.
Lin Chuji… you don’t need to do so much for me.”
“I like it.
I want to.
Why do you think I’m being forced?”
Lin Chuji’s tone carried the innocence of someone who didn’t understand the world, with a hint of his usual young master’s willfulness.
Xie Yan was speechless.
Lin Chuji didn’t continue the topic.
Instead, he turned around, found the venue owner, and mustered his courage to ask if he could use the background for another thirty minutes.
He wasn’t good at dealing with strangers, and as he spoke, his cheeks flushed like he had applied blush all over.
Xie Yan stood still, watching his back, feeling an inexplicable emotion churning in his chest.
Maybe it was being moved, maybe it was something else.
He couldn’t tell.
“The owner agreed.
Let’s hurry and shoot another set,” Lin Chuji said, turning back.
His eyes were very bright under the light.
Seeing Xie Yan hadn’t moved, he walked over to him, sat on the small sofa with his knees bent, and said, “I don’t really know what I’m doing.
You’ll have to teach me.”
Xie Yan looked at him and explained clearly, “If you’re going to be my model, you have to accept my direction, my positioning.
It might not always be comfortable.
Are you really willing?”
Lin Chuji rummaged through his bag, found a marker pen, and looked up again.
“I’ll try my best to cooperate.”
As he spoke, he pulled down the edge of his sweater, revealing a bit of his rounded shoulder.
There was a kind of reckless boldness in his eyes, but his voice carried a hint of shyness.
“Though, I’m not really comfortable with anything too revealing.
This is about as far as I’ll go.”
“What kind of photographer do you think I am?
Some third-rate porn route?
I don’t need to sell s*x,” Xie Yan laughed, but his gaze was fixed on that spot.
Lin Chuji still looked at him in that pose.
His sweater was very white, made of high-quality material, soft and plush.
Pulled down like that, it hung loosely on his shoulder, about to fall.
In the soft light, his whole body seemed to be enveloped in a holy glow.
It wasn’t about lust, yet it was incredibly alluring—he felt like biting that spot too, like he had bitten his neck before, and leaving a mark there.
This is really dangerous, Xie Yan thought.
He’s a guy, a guy who has intentions toward me.
What the hell are you thinking?
“Then I’ll trust you,” Lin Chuji said softly.
Xie Yan lowered his head, fiddling with his camera.
His finger pressed the back button, unsure which previous photo he had returned to.
Then he felt a marker pen being pressed into his hand, interrupting his movements.
“What’s this?
Why are you giving me a pen?”
Xie Yan looked at him again.
Lin Chuji still didn’t move from his position—legs bent, shoulder exposed.
He tapped his own neck and explained, “Since I’m not showing my face, you need to draw a mark so people know it’s the same person.”
“A mark?”
Xie Yan couldn’t think, just mechanically repeated.
“Yeah.
Anything is fine.”
As he spoke, Lin Chuji tilted his head slightly, revealing all the skin from his neck to his shoulder, without any wariness.
His fingertip hooked the edge of his sweater, exposing more and more skin, large swaths of white in the light, dazzling.
“What if it doesn’t wash off?”
Xie Yan asked.
“It won’t.
This kind of marker can be removed.
I know,” Lin Chuji said confidently.
Xie Yan hummed in acknowledgment, uncapped the marker, and touched the tip to Lin Chuji’s neck.
The previous bite mark had faded to the point of being almost invisible.
Now Lin Chuji was inviting him to make a new one.
What to draw, he didn’t know.
He didn’t know how, when he had just brought him to see his work, they had ended up here.
“It tickles a bit.
Please draw it a bit firmer.”
Lin Chuji could feel the pen tip gliding across his skin.
The sensitivity made even his shoulder blades tremble slightly.
His whole body was practically leaning into Xie Yan’s embrace.
Xie Yan stood, bent over, as if under a spell, and drew without thinking.
When he came to, he looked at what he had unconsciously written.
His heart was beating so fast it almost leaped out of his chest.
“What did you draw?”
Lin Chuji tilted his head to look at him.
Xie Yan’s throat was dry.
He couldn’t answer.
He had left a mark on Lin Chuji’s neck, as if he had privately made him his own.
In an unconscious moment, he had written the pinyin of his name, XIE YAN.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Dressing as a Woman While Raising a Child—Junior Brother, Stop Disrupting My Cultivation!. Start reading now!
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