Chapter 32 Part 1

The dance in the video was incredibly provocative, the guy pulling off the most seductive expressions.

The more Liang Zhixia watched, the redder his face grew. He didn’t even need to touch his cheeks to know they were burning hot.

His mind flashed back to what Lu Quan had just said, and he couldn’t help substituting Lu Quan’s face for the sleeping figure in the video. The mental image hit him like a freight train.

In an instant, he recalled a short comic he’d drawn before.

The protagonist had crawled onto his roommate’s bed while the guy was asleep, striking all sorts of teasing poses. At the end, a few drops of sticky fluid had dripped onto the roommate’s dark bedsheets.

The roommate woke up, discovered everything, and gave him a thorough pounding until he finally behaved.

The phone in his hand suddenly felt like a hot potato. In a panic, Liang Zhixia flung it straight at Lu Quan.

“I’m not filming that!”

He looked just like a cat with its fur bristling in outrage.

Lu Quan caught the phone effortlessly and lounged back on the bed, propping himself up on his arms behind him. In a lazy drawl, he asked, “So how long does Xia Xia plan to film for?”

From the pace of the previous photoshoots, it would probably take anywhere from half an hour to a full hour.

And this gown today would require even more time.

After mumbling his answer, Liang Zhixia watched as Lu Quan curved his lips in a smile. Lu Quan’s long, elegant fingers hooked the ribbon on his gown, his voice dropping low and husky—irresistibly alluring, like the serpent tempting Adam with the forbidden fruit.

“Collaborations like this bring in more traffic, which means bigger commissions. If it performs really well, more brands will come knocking. Doesn’t Xia Xia want to reconsider?”

Liang Zhixia felt tempted, but dancing something like that at the edge of Lu Quan’s bed was just too much.

Face flaming, he shook his head. “Nah, better not.”

He’d saved up a decent amount from his handiwork and side gigs.

Worst case, he could borrow some cash from Zhuzi later. It had to be more reliable than this option.

His gaze drifted to the balcony. Their balcony windows were fully enclosed—no one could see inside from out there.

Struck by a sudden idea, he said, “Then I’ll just shoot on the balcony.”

It was a win-win: he wouldn’t disturb Lu Quan’s nap, and he could finish the set before afternoon classes.

His coaxing had failed.

Lu Quan tugged at the corner of his mouth and got up, moving the camera and gear out to the balcony. After Liang Zhixia thanked him, he glanced at Lu Quan leaning against the balcony doorframe and hesitated. “Brother Lu, aren’t you going back to sleep?”

Lu Quan replied, “I’m not feeling all that sleepy anymore.”

“…”

If Liang Zhixia still couldn’t tell Lu Quan was teasing him, he’d have to be a total idiot.

He pressed his lips together, face taut, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin. “Brother Lu, you’re doing this on purpose.”

Lu Quan prodded his cheek with the tip of his tongue, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “Xia Xia caught me.”

Liang Zhixia’s cheeks burned hotter. He took a deep breath, his tone stiff and unyielding. “Is teasing me that fun?”

A soft chuckle rumbled from Lu Quan’s throat. He ducked his head, covering his face as he remarked, “Xia Xia looks really cute when he’s blushing like that.”

“!!!”

Right now, Liang Zhixia desperately wanted to log into that forum link from orientation and post that the legendary aloof School Grass wasn’t aloof at all!

Lu Quan’s attitude toward him seemed to shift after that day he’d wished him and his crush a lifetime of happiness together with a house full of kids.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, “Brother Lu, did you catch your crush yet?”

Lu Quan lifted his gaze to meet Liang Zhixia’s, his eyes brimming with unspoken meaning. “Not yet.”

Liang Zhixia blinked in surprise. “Who is it? Someone from our school?”

Lu Quan: “Yeah.”

Liang Zhixia hadn’t expected Lu Quan to actually tell him. Even Xu Cheng didn’t know about this.

“Do I know them?”

A glint flickered in Lu Quan’s eyes, followed by a muffled laugh from his throat. “You do.”

It turned out to be someone he knew. But Liang Zhixia didn’t have many acquaintances at school, and even after mentally ruling people out, he couldn’t narrow it down to anyone fitting.

Lu Quan saw right through what he was thinking.

“You’ll find out once I win them over.”

Liang Zhixia murmured a quiet “oh.” He was just curious, not prying.

“Brother Lu, could you give me some privacy?”

Lu Quan was already being a gentleman by not calling him a pervert, but filming photos and videos under Lu Quan’s watchful eyes felt like way too much pressure. It was downright weird.

No different from the guy in the video dancing provocatively right in front of his sleeping roommate.

Lu Quan straightened up, glancing down at him. “It’s tough to shoot solo. I got my Advanced Photographer Certificate last semester. Let me handle it for you.”

Before Liang Zhixia could respond, the certificate was already in his hands. It was genuine.

Lu Quan wasn’t exaggerating. Shooting alone was tricky, especially since he had no clue how to do it right.

For a brand collab video, he needed to take it seriously.

So he looked up at Lu Quan and held out his hand, pinky extended. “Then we split it fifty-fifty.”

Lu Quan let out a low laugh. “Deal.”

The sunlight that afternoon was perfect, filtering through the balcony windows to create a beautiful halo of light.

Liang Zhixia positioned himself sideways in front of the lens, his jawline sleek and striking, the thin straps of his backless gown catching the rainbow glow.

The pale blue mermaid dress shimmered with every sway, hugging his waist, hips, and mid-thighs before flaring out into a fishtail hem. Tiny rhinestones sparkled like shattered light in the sun.

After snapping a simple set of photos, Lu Quan emerged from the bathroom carrying a glass of warm water. Liang Zhixia shot him a puzzled look, only to see Lu Quan splash the water right onto him.

Crystal-clear droplets trailed down the guy’s long, pale neck, and the camera captured the exact moment Liang Zhixia instinctively raised a hand to shield himself.

A bead of water clung to his lashes before dropping onto his flushed lips. Lu Quan zoomed in, snapping the shot for his private collection.

In the lens, the stunning guy braced his hands against the balcony window, neck arched gracefully, the corners of his eyes tinged pink.

Meanwhile, the other figure in the frame dropped to one knee. Lu Quan’s knuckled fingers deftly slipped under the hem, brushing against smooth, tender skin. He savored the plush give as it slid past his fingertips.

Liang Zhixia felt that large hand behind him, his long lashes quivering. Biting his lip, he asked, “Brother Lu, you done?”

Lu Quan’s voice came out slightly hoarse. “Just a sec more.”

After a long moment, Lu Quan withdrew his fingers from under the skirt and tossed a thick, stiff thread onto the table. Still kneeling, he smoothed the hem back into place.

Liang Zhixia felt bad making Lu Quan fuss over it like that. He started to bend down to fix it himself, but Lu Quan stood up abruptly—so close it felt like being pulled into an embrace.

The rest of the poses were guided by Lu Quan’s hands-on direction.

For the full effect, Liang Zhixia had been wearing a wig. Now he took it off and slipped out of the mermaid dress, eyeing the water stains. He looked up at Lu Quan with innocent eyes.

Lu Quan said, “Samples don’t need to be returned.”

Liang Zhixia immediately pulled out his phone to message Q. Meanwhile, Lu Quan—reviewing the shots on the camera—picked up his own phone and typed a quick reply.

Seeing Q’s response on his screen, Liang Zhixia finally relaxed completely. He couldn’t afford to replace this mermaid dress right now.

Lu Quan still held the camera, and Liang Zhixia hadn’t seen the final shots yet. He leaned in eagerly.

Lu Quan flipped through a few for him. The atmosphere was spot-on, the angles flawless—leagues better than anything he could’ve managed alone.

He reached for the next one, but that was it.

He was sure he’d heard the shutter click plenty of times, though.

“Only these?”

Lu Quan looked up. “The rest were rejects.”

Clueless about cameras, Liang Zhixia nodded in a daze. Before heading to class, he asked Lu Quan to send him the photos later.

Back in the dorm.

Lu Quan sat at his desk, transferring all the photos to his computer. His screen filled with them.

Snowy pale skin, plump rosy lips, a waist slim enough to span with two hands, a long elegant neck…

And those gorgeous eyes staring straight into the lens, as if gazing right at him through it.

Lu Quan traced a finger over the screen, picking out the most wholesome ones to send to Zhizhi.

After class, Liang Zhixia checked his phone and saw the message. He opened it, pupils dilating slightly. If he didn’t know the subject was himself, he never would’ve recognized it.

These shots blew his previous self-taken sets out of the water. No comparison.

So this was the value of an Advanced Photographer Certificate.

He forwarded the photos to Q for approval. If they passed, he’d post them to his account.

Good feedback meant another payout—and he’d be that much closer to repaying Aunt Wang.

Q replied almost immediately.

【Q】: Looks great. Good to post.

【Muxia】: No need to run it by your boss?

【Q】: Boss gave me full authority.

【Muxia】: OK.

He uploaded the set to his account. Before he could check the views and stats, the class bell rang.

Afterward, he opened the app. The post was blowing up harder than the previous two—likes and followers climbing by the second.

And just like that, he earned his first collaboration fee.

His tippers multiplied too. The top spot was about to overtake Q, but when he checked that evening back at the dorm, Q had reclaimed first with an overwhelming donation.

He messaged privately in the backend.

【Muxia】: Why tip again?

【Q】: I like you.

【Muxia】: No more tipping needed.

【Q】: Truth is, I like holding the number one spot. This profile frame looks pretty cool.

Liang Zhixia: “…”

Money really did make people bold.

Up to this point, Q had held the top spot on his list without ever slipping down.

As National Day drew near, L seemed even more idle than usual, sending him messages from morning till night.

Take right now, for example.

But this time, the topic went far beyond what he’d imagined.

【L】: Zhizhi, when are we meeting?

Liang Zhixia, who had just taken a bite of his meal, immediately choked. He coughed violently for several minutes before finally catching his breath, his cheeks flushed red.

He didn’t think he’d ever mentioned meeting up with L.