novellhall Chapter 24 The Art of Photography
Chapter 24 The Art of Photography
Chen Xinjian was indeed quick.
Less than an hour later, HSBC sent a deposit notification to his mobile phone. Ten million Hong Kong dollars lay cleanly in his personal account.
He had just put his phone down when Li Jiaxin called.
"Ah Dong," her voice laced with laughter, "I have an extra ten million in my account. Did you arrange this?"
"Hmm." Lin Dong leaned back in his chair. "You spent ten million to open Tengda before. Here you go."
Li Jiaxin's tone softened even more, "Actually, it's okay if you don't return it. I'm completely yours."
Lin Dong didn't respond to that, and simply said, "I won't be coming over to your place tonight."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then Li Jiaxin said in her usual tone, "Okay, you need to take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself!"
"Okay, you should get some rest too, and stop staring at those lousy stocks!"
I hung up the phone.
Lin Dong put his phone on the table and turned his head to look at the reception area.
Zhang Baizhi was bending over to organize the magazines on the coffee table. Her dark gray suit skirt stretched taut around her waist and hips, creating a smooth arc with her movements.
"Kashiwa."
She straightened up and turned around. "Lin Sheng."
Go buy me something.
"What should I buy?"
"A camera. The best one."
Zhang Baizhi blinked, not asking why. She placed the rag on the side of the coffee table and picked up her bag. "What brand do you want?"
"It's up to you. Just choose the most expensive one."
She nodded and quickly walked out.
About an hour later, the office door was pushed open.
Zhang Baizhi walked in carrying a black hard-shell suitcase. The suitcase wasn't big, but it looked quite heavy.
She placed it on Lin Dong's desk and unlocked it with a click.
Inside lay a Kodak DCS 520, its body bulky and its lens sturdy, perfectly fitted inside a custom-made foam insert.
The flagship digital SLR camera of 1998 cost US$15,000, and there were no more than three stores in Hong Kong that could have it in stock.
"The shop owner said this is the latest digital camera, no film needed." She pointed to the LCD screen on the back of the camera, "You can see the picture right away."
Lin Dong picked up the camera, turned it over to look at it, and then put it down.
"walk."
"Where to?"
"Have a meal."
"Where should we eat?"
"peninsula."
Zhang Baizhi's eyes lit up for a moment. She looked down at her suit skirt and hesitated for about half a second.
"Should I—change my clothes?"
"Need not."
Ah-Qiang had already driven his car to the entrance of the East Asia Bank Building.
Awei opened the back door, Lin Dong got in first, and Zhang Baizhi got in from the other side, placing the camera case on his lap and pressing the lid with both hands.
The Peninsula Hotel's Western restaurant was still in the same old spot. The head waiter recognized Lin Dong and, without saying a word, led him to a window seat.
Zhang Baizhi sat opposite him, his back ramrod straight, trying his best to cut the steak elegantly, while keeping an eye on Lin Dong, occasionally refilling his wine and picking up a piece of meat for him.
The Peninsula Hotel's presidential suite is on the sixteenth floor.
When the doorman opened the door, Zhang Baizhi stood at the doorway, stunned for a moment. The room was huge, many times larger than the less than 200-square-foot tenement room she was currently living in.
The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour. The sofa is off-white, and the carpet is so thick that your ankles will sink into it when you step on it.
Lin Dong placed the camera case on the coffee table, took off his coat and draped it over the armrest of the sofa, then sat down on the sofa and looked at Zhang Baizhi with great interest.
Zhang Baizhi stood in the center of the room, looked at the camera, then at his own attire, and asked, "Mr. Lin, camera—what do you want to photograph?"
Lin Dong looked at her, a smile playing on his lips, "Can I take a picture of you?"
Zhang Baizhi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and then a smile slowly bloomed on his face like a flower.
"Well—I'll go touch up my makeup first."
She went into the bathroom, the tap ran for a while, then stopped.
When the door opened, she wasn't wearing a coat. The top two buttons of her white shirt were undone, revealing a section of her collarbone, and her skin gleamed with a thin layer of glaze under the warm yellow wall lamp.
"Mr. Lin, how do you want to film this?"
She squatted down beside the coffee table and opened the camera case.
Lin Dong leaned back on the sofa, one hand resting on the armrest, a faint smile playing on his lips. "How do you want to be photographed?"
She slowly unbuttoned the next button, and a glimpse of snow-white skin emerged.
"Is this alright?"
"Not enough!!! Continue..."
The fabric rustled softly as it gently fell to the ground; a small black garment was tossed onto the carpet beside it.
The shutter clicked.
Hearing the sound, she struggled to lift her head, her eyes gradually becoming unfocused.
Lin Dong placed the camera on the coffee table.
"come over."
She walked over. Her steps were neither fast nor slow, and as she swayed her hips, her beautiful figure was faintly visible beneath her white shirt.
She stopped in front of the sofa and looked down at him.
Then she bent down, picked up the glass of red wine belonging to Lin Dong on the coffee table, took a sip, didn't swallow, and slowly leaned forward toward Lin Dong.
The living room was quiet. The only sounds were the faint hum of the central air conditioning vents and the occasional click of a camera shutter.
…for a long, long time.
Zhang Baizhi leaned against Lin Dong's chest, his face slightly flushed. "Mr. Lin, I don't have as much experience as Sister Michelle, but I will try my best to learn from you."
Lin Dong stroked her back with his right hand. Hearing this, the first thing that came to his mind was whether Li Jiaxin would tear her apart if she heard this.
Li Jiaxin has never been one to be easily bullied.
Don't be fooled by her gentle and obedient demeanor now; it's because she doesn't think Zhang Baizhi poses any threat to her.
If she found out, she would immediately launch the fiercest and most brutal counterattack.
But that's what makes it interesting.
Lin Dong never considered himself a saint; he particularly enjoyed watching conflicts between women.
Of course, he also likes to mediate, and it's good to have the opportunity for the two of them to be honest with each other.
Lin Dong shook his head, bringing his wandering thoughts back on track, and then patted Zhang Baizhi on the head.
"Focus on your acting, and from now on—"
He paused for a moment.
"There's a long road ahead."
Zhang Baizhi pressed his face against his chest, his voice muffled, with a post-coital hoarseness and a lingering sweetness.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lin, I'll definitely do my best. I won't let you down with Mr. Zhou."
Lin Dong's fingers stopped on the back of her head, and he looked down at her. Her eyelashes were still wet, and the blush on her face had mostly faded, but a trace of rouge remained at the corner of her eyes, as if someone had smeared rouge on them with their finger.
"Get up." Lin Dong patted her waist. "Go take a shower. We'll go back to the company later."
Zhang Baizhi climbed off him, stepped barefoot onto the carpet, and bent down to pick up the small black garment that had fallen to the side of the coffee table.
As she bent over, the hem of her white shirt slipped up a bit. She reached out and tugged at it, but couldn't catch it. She glanced back at Lin Dong—not out of shyness, but to make sure he was watching.
Lin Dong is watching.
She smiled slightly, pursed her lips, and walked into the bathroom. The sound of running water filled the air.
Lin Dong leaned back on the sofa, picked up the camera from the coffee table, and flipped through the photos he had just taken.