Chapter Three: The First Encounter

In the blink of an eye, a week had passed since entering this world, and Li Jie had gradually adapted to life in 2003. A few days ago, he had visited several photography studios in the city, and one called Time Silhouette seemed quite good. He had made an appointment to go back and learn there next time.

Coincidentally, Lao Lu had just returned from a business trip today, so it was time to bring up the matter of class assignments.

“Aunt Zhang, tonight I’m going to Lao Lu’s place, so you don’t need to make my dinner,” Li Jie said as he put on his shoes.

“All right, I understand. Be sure to talk things through calmly, don’t start quarrels over nothing,” she replied.

“Mm, I’ll be careful.”

They were not far from the house now. Looking at the straight, lush tree-lined avenue bathed in the evening sunlight, Li Jie’s heart tightened as he approached the familiar house from his memories.

Ding dong! Ding dong!

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and as the door opened, a face that the original owner despised appeared in Li Jie’s sight.

“Xiao Lu, come in quickly. You must be tired. Auntie made your favorite dishes tonight,” the woman said awkwardly. She was dressed plainly for home, wearing light makeup, around thirty years old, with delicate features somewhat resembling a younger Zhang Jingchu.

“Mm, thanks, Auntie. Is Lao Lu home?” Li Jie asked as he stepped inside the house, which felt strange yet familiar.

“He’s here. Didn’t you say you had something to discuss with him? He hurried back as soon as he finished,” she replied.

“Xinghe is back. Didn’t you say before you were interested in photography? I specially asked someone to buy the newly released Canon 10D for you. Bring it when you go back and study photography well. You can take promotional photos for the family business in the future,” Lu Changzheng said enthusiastically.

“Lao Lu, school’s about to start. I want to be assigned to Class 5 for my first year of high school. Please talk to Xiao Pan about it,” Li Jie said.

“Why? Why leave a good, key class to join an ordinary one?” Lu Changzheng frowned seriously.

“If you put me in Class 5, I guarantee I’ll get into a good university and won’t fall behind in my grades,” Li Jie said stiffly.

“Go ahead, tell me if you have any other requests. I’m not unaware of your little plans,” Lu Changzheng said.

“Heh heh, you can’t hide anything from me. I have a friend named Yu Huai who’s very good academically, but because of an off day, he ended up in Class 5. Transfer him to Class 1, please. Also, I wasn’t joking about studying hard. Just wait and see my midterm results. If I don’t do well, you can arrange whatever you want,” Li Jie said.

“All right, got it. Let’s eat,” Lu Changzheng said, heading toward the dining room, with Li Jie following closely.

An awkward atmosphere gradually filled the dining table. Since sitting down, Li Jie hadn’t spoken a word, burying his head in his food, unable to find any topic to discuss. Fortunately, the basic tasks had been completed, and from then on, Geng Geng and Yu Huai were like two parallel lines that would never intersect.

After dinner, Li Jie slung his backpack with the camera and lenses and left. After Li Jie left, Huang Li seemed puzzled and said, “Lao Lu, don’t you think Xinghe is a bit different today? He didn’t give me any attitude when he saw me and didn’t argue with you either?”

“There’s nothing strange about that. Treating you well isn’t a bad thing,” Lu Changzheng replied with a smile.

Maybe moving out made him grow up a bit. Well, that’s good—better than before. Huang Li, still full of doubts, continued tidying up the dishes on the table and decided not to think too much about it.

The next day, Li Jie rode his newly bought bicycle, carrying his gear, and headed to the photography studio they had decided on. Time Silhouette was located on Central Avenue, the most Western-style street in Harbin. This street’s formation dated back to 1898 and was steeped in history. The entire street was paved with square stones and gathered architectural styles from the Renaissance, Baroque, Eclecticism, and modern periods, making it a rare architectural gallery in the country.

After parking, Li Jie entered the studio, which clearly had Renaissance architectural features.

“Hello, how can I help you?” a gentle and sweet voice came from ahead. Looking at the sweet-tempered young woman, Li Jie smiled and said, “Oh, I made an appointment with Photographer Tian to learn photography. He should be here today.”

“Oh, you’re Lu Xinghe, right? He mentioned you before. His office is upstairs—go up, turn left, and it’s the last room at the end,” she said.

“Okay, thank you, miss!” With that, he headed upstairs. Seeing Tian Xiao busy discussing with his assistant, Li Jie stood by and waited. Tian looked up and said, “Xinghe, you’re here. Wait a moment; I’ll be done soon.”

“No rush, Brother Tian. Take your time,” Li Jie replied.

“By the way, let me introduce you. Xinghe, this is my assistant, Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang, this is Lu Xinghe I mentioned before.”

“Hello, Zhang Xiao,” Xiao Zhang said, sizing up Li Jie.

“Hello, Lu Xinghe. Looking forward to working with you.”

“Xinghe, start by learning the basics from Xiao Zhang. When you reach the advanced stage, I’ll personally guide you,” Tian said, pointing to a pile of books on the desk. “Take these books home and read them when you have time. They’re good for beginners.”

After Tian finished discussing with his assistant, he took Li Jie on a tour of the studio’s interior before leading him to the exhibition room.

“Observe these works first and study their composition. As for color, light, and shadow, you can learn those gradually later. Xiao Zhang, show him around; I have to get back to work,” Tian instructed the assistant.

During the time before school started, Li Jie followed Xiao Zhang and learned a lot of introductory knowledge. As he understood more, his interest in photography deepened.

The day of school opening arrived in the blink of an eye. Li Jie got up early, eager to see how Geng Geng’s head got stuck in a doorway. After breakfast, he rode his bike to the “scene of the incident.”

There stood a petite girl, stuck in the doorway, neither able to go forward nor back.

“Hey, do you need help?” Li Jie patted her shoulder.

“My camera fell inside. I tried to reach for it with my head but got stuck. What should I do now?” Geng Geng said tearfully.

Li Jie looked at the situation. It was obvious she could get out by just turning her body, yet she had gotten herself stuck in such a silly way—so adorably foolish. “Try turning your body and see if you can get out.”

“Oh, right, why didn’t I think of that?” Geng Geng quickly turned her body, and her head slipped out smoothly. She looked up shyly at Li Jie. “Thank you, classmate. By the way, I’m Geng Geng. I’m here to register today.”

Looking at her fair face, large expressive eyes, and bobbed hair, Li Jie couldn’t help but think, “Damn, how sweet.”

“You’re welcome. I’m Lu Xinghe. I’m here to register today as well. Be more careful next time. Come on, let’s go, or you’ll be late for registration,” Li Jie said, stepping toward the school.

Watching Li Jie walk ahead, Geng Geng thought to herself, “What a shameful day this is. Is this some kind of punishment for a bad student like me making it into Zhenhua? So unlucky! Ah...!!! How stupid could I be today!!!”