Espionage: I Have Photo Editing Software

(This book is purely a wish-fulfillment story, purely a wish-fulfillment story, purely a wish-fulfillment story! There is no abuse of the protagonist! The beginning is just for plot purposes!)

May 6, 1936, the Beginning of Summer.

Meilun Building, No. 73 Jinling Road, Shanghai International Settlement.

Wei Renming stood in the shade under the building, admiring the charm of Jinling Road during the Republic of China era.

"The same road, yet the scenery is vastly different. If I had a camera, I could have captured it all..."

Before he traveled through time, he was a photographer who specialized in portrait photography and also took on travel photography jobs.

Those who know about these two businesses understand them.

He admits his photography skills are average, but his photo editing skills are top-notch. Plus, he's handsome, has high emotional intelligence, and is good at charming girls, so his business has always been good.

In that era, the income of those in the same profession was comparable to that of later generations.

Behind Wei Renming is the photo studio owned by Shen Shidi, a famous photographer in Shanghai.

This man's name sounds Chinese, but he is actually a Jew. He is particularly skilled at photographing people, and the cheapest portrait he takes will cost at least five dollars.

What does five silver dollars mean?

These days, an ordinary worker's monthly salary is only a dozen yuan.

Five silver dollars were equivalent to about seven yuan and fifty cents of the legal tender, which was equivalent to half a month's wages for an ordinary worker.

For family portraits, wedding photos, or even custom-made photos, the prices are even more outrageous.

In short, you can make money in this industry!

He immediately made the decision to return to his old profession!

This decision was made not only because it was related to his major, but also because of his secret weapon: the photo editing software he used in his previous life—Photoshop.

As soon as he touches the film or photograph, a virtual interface appears in front of him, allowing him to modify the captured image.

With this golden touch, becoming the world's top photographer would be a piece of cake for him.

Moreover, in this turbulent era, neither politics nor the military is a good choice.

A career in politics inevitably leads to being tainted by corruption, while a career in the military is even more precarious.

While businessmen are also lambs to the slaughter, the photography industry is quite different.

During the period when the Shanghai Stock Exchange was an isolated market, this industry experienced a boom, which can be described as an abnormal prosperity.

Wei Renming considered himself just a nobody, with neither great talent for governing the world nor lofty ambitions. He thought that as a photographer, he could see all the beauties of the Republic of China and that his life would not have been in vain.

"This time, we have to go for the high-end route and make some money off the capitalists."

For Wei Renming, the most urgent task is to make a name for himself.

Fame is profit.

Once you establish a reputation, why worry about wealthy people not flocking to you?

With his superhuman abilities, he's guaranteed to deliver photos that will satisfy customers.

After all, for most people, as long as they are photographed to look good and handsome enough, that's enough.

As for composition and color, those are secondary; few people care about them.

Currently, for photographers who want to quickly make a name for themselves in Shanghai, a city teeming with photography studios, being known for "extortion" is undoubtedly the best option.

Shen Shidi is his tentative target.

Wei Renming had no money, no shop, and no photography equipment, so he could only pull off a scheme to get something for nothing.

Not far from Shen Shidi's photo studio, on Ganxi Road, there is a Zhaofu photo studio. Judging from its storefront and decoration, it is quite different from the former, and should be targeting the mass market, with prices that are likely quite affordable.

Wei Renming walked into Zhaofu Photo Studio and glanced around.

The shop is simply furnished, even somewhat shabby.

The shop, less than 30 square meters, was divided in two by a thick curtain.

Inside the curtain is the photography studio, and outside is the counter, behind which is a wooden door.

The door was tightly sealed, not letting in any light. A sign on the door read "No Entry," suggesting it was a darkroom used for developing photographs.

It was past one o'clock in the afternoon, and the heat was unbearable. There were no customers in the shop except for a pretty young female shop assistant who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. She was sitting behind the counter, holding a fan in her left hand and a copy of "La Dame aux Camélias" in her right hand, engrossed in reading it.

"Knock knock..." Wei Renming knocked on the counter.

The female shop assistant put down her book, looked up and saw Wei Renming, who was dressed quite well, and immediately said warmly, "Are you here to take photos? Please sit down and rest. I'll pour you some herbal tea to cool you down."

Wei Renming sat down next to the counter and deliberately asked, "Are you the owner? It's rare to see such a young and beautiful photographer!"

Upon hearing this, the female shop assistant smiled, brought over the herbal tea, and said with a smile:

"I'm here to help out on my weekend off; my uncle is the owner. Don't let our small shop fool you; my uncle's photography skills are among the best in Shanghai. Whatever kind of photos you want, we're sure to satisfy you!"

A fragrance wafted from the female shop assistant. Wei Renming sniffed it and immediately recognized that she had applied face cream.

"When will he be back?" Wei Renming asked.

The female shop assistant glanced at the clock, feeling uncertain, but still smiled and said:

"It should be soon. Why don't you have a cup of tea, read the newspaper, and wait a moment?"

Just as Wei Renming was about to reply, he heard a series of rapid footsteps outside the shop. Before he could think about it, five men in short jackets rushed in, grabbed him and the female shop assistant without saying a word, and then closed the door.

The entire set of movements flowed smoothly, as if rehearsed countless times, and was completed in just a few breaths.

"Tie him up!"

The leader, Chen Zhiqiang, gave the order.

Wei Renming and the female shop assistant were then tied up tightly.

"search!"

Chen Zhiqiang gave a low shout, and the other four people moved at the sound, searching the store in a very organized manner.

Photography studio, counter, darkroom...

They wouldn't even spare an inch of the wall.

In no time at all, they turned the shop upside down.

"Nothing found!" the subordinate whispered.

Chen Zhiqiang frowned, turned his head, and scrutinized Wei Renming and the female shop assistant with a critical look.

Finally, his gaze lingered on the female shop assistant. He then stepped forward, grabbed her hair, and sternly demanded, "Lin Yi, right? Tell me! Where is the thing hidden?"

Lin Yi, with her thin arms and legs, was no match for the man and could only struggle in vain.

"Snapped!"

Chen Zhiqiang showed no mercy and slapped her hard across the face.

Crimson blood trickled from Lin Yi's lips. No longer daring to resist, she cried out in terror, like a wounded fawn, "Wh-what is that?"

"Stubborn to the end!"

Chen Zhiqiang sneered, pulled out a dagger, brandished it in front of Lin Yi's eyes, and threatened, "If you keep pretending to be confused, I'll slash your face!"

Lin Yi was so frightened that tears streamed down her face, and she choked out:

"The shop is only so big, take whatever you want..."

Seeing her attitude, Chen Zhiqiang knew he wouldn't get anything out of her in a short time, so he let go of her hand and turned his gaze to Wei Renming.

Wei Renming gave a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Who are you?" Chen Zhiqiang stared at Wei Renming with a fierce look.

"I'm here to take pictures, I really don't know anything," Wei Renming said stiffly.

"Yeah?"

Chen Zhiqiang grabbed Wei Renming by the collar and searched his body, finding only about ten copper coins. He then sneered:

"You dare to take photos with so little money?"

One silver dollar was equivalent to about 350 copper coins.

It's simply impossible to take a picture with just ten or so copper coins.

(P.S.: The cheat system appears a bit late. If you don't have the patience, you can start reading from chapter ten... But I think the intellectual battles in the earlier chapters are the essence of spy novels!)