Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

"To meet a friend."

"Oh."

Baima didn't press further, and waved her hand, saying, "Go ahead."

Wen Shu walked to the door and then turned back: "If I come back too late this afternoon, could you cover my class and sign in?"

"Simple!"

Baima readily agreed.

She hasn't had enough of what it's like to be a Peking University student yet, so this is perfect for her.

On her way to the school gate, Wen Shu suddenly felt guilty.

My first time skipping class in college started in such a muddled way.

People were coming and going at the school gate. Wen Shu looked up and around. A silver-gray BMW slowly drove up and stopped in front of her.

The car window rolled down, and Ding Heng rested one hand on the steering wheel, nodding at her.

Wen Shu opened the passenger door and got in.

"Brother-in-law."

"Ah."

Ding Heng looked her up and down and said, "You've lost weight."

"Is there?"

Wen Shu scratched her head: "Maybe I don't like the food in the cafeteria."

"You can't get used to the food in Peking University's cafeteria?"

"I still miss my sister's cooking."

"When you go back for National Day, ask her to cook you a couple more dishes."

Ding Heng started the car, and Wen Shu then noticed that the BMW was heading towards the school gate.

"Brother-in-law, which way are you driving?"

"Let's go visit your school."

Before he could finish speaking, the security guard had already raised the barrier and let them through without even asking a question.

Wen Shu turned her head to look at Ding Heng and asked curiously, "Whose car is this?"

“He’s my dad’s old classmate; he works at Peking University.”

Ding Heng turned the steering wheel with one hand: "I just happened to come and pick up some things."

Wen Shu realized, "Oh right... Uncle graduated from Peking University."

"Yes, journalism."

The car turned a corner and stopped in front of a gray-white building with a sign for the Peking University Photography Association hanging at the entrance.

"Wait a moment."

Ding Heng pushed open the door, got out of the car, and went into the building.

About ten minutes later, Ding Heng returned to the car, this time with a photo album in his hand.

He got into the driver's seat and placed the TV on the center console.

"What is this?"

Wen Shu reached out and picked it up.

"My dad's collection of works from back then."

Ding Heng started the car and slowly drove out of the school gate: "He was in the Peking University Photography Association for a few years, and he was still quite well-known in the circle after graduation. He has won a lot of awards in the past two years, and the association wants to hold a solo exhibition, saying it's a 'Retrospective Exhibition of Outstanding Alumni' or something, but to put it bluntly, they just want to ride on his popularity. He's currently abroad, so this job fell to me."

Wen Shu opened the cover.

Young Ding Wenjie stood by Weiming Lake, wearing a military green jacket, holding an old-fashioned camera, with a bright and sunny smile.

Although Ding Heng's facial features largely inherited from his mother, there is still a resemblance to Ding Wenjie in his eyes and brows, but his temperament is completely different.

Ding Wenjie doesn't have Ding Heng's roguish charm; he has a very upright and clean-cut handsomeness.

Wen Shu continued flipping through the pages... Most of the photos at the beginning looked like practice shots taken by young people who had just picked up a camera.

A female classmate turning her head, a cat downstairs in the dormitory, Boya Pagoda at sunset...

It wasn't until the last few pages that the photos began to change.

An old man selling candied hawthorns in the alley, a shirtless migrant worker on a construction site, a woman squatting at the door washing clothes in a shantytown.

The lighting and shadows are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the content is becoming increasingly profound.

One of the photos shows a rented room in an urban village. In the cramped room, a man sits on the edge of the bed, looking down and eating a steamed bun.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the man's bare back, the contours of his muscles and the protrusion of his spine creating a strong tension.

Wen Shu stared at the photo and suddenly remembered her father, Wen Dahai, and how he looked when he came home from get off work on weekdays...

She doesn't understand photography, composition, lighting, color, etc., and she doesn't know how to judge whether a photo is good or bad.

But you can still feel a strong emotion.

"What, interested?"

Ding Heng suddenly spoke, interrupting Wen Shu's thoughts.

Wen Shu snapped out of her daze and closed the photo album: "I'm a bit shocked."

"How to say?"

"It's just that... what Uncle photographed was not quite what I thought."

What do you think it will be like?

"Landscapes? Flowers and plants? That kind of...hobby of retired cadres?"

“My dad doesn’t have that kind of leisure.”

"Brother-in-law..."

Wen Shu laid the photo album flat on her lap: "Do you take photos often too?"

"I?"

Ding Heng stared ahead and laughed self-deprecatingly: "I'm far inferior to my dad... I can't even begin to understand the stuff he's making now."

The car stopped at the intersection, and the red light countdown ticked away.

Ding Heng still admires his father's photographic aesthetics from the bottom of his heart.

As for himself, Ding Heng had a clear understanding of his own limitations.

How tacky! Utterly tacky!

Ding Heng turned his head and asked, "Do you have classes this afternoon?"

Wen Shu hesitated for a mere second.

"No."

"That's perfect, help me move some things."

Ding Heng didn't expose him and stepped on the gas again.

Chapter 283: Sneaking to See My Brother-in-Law (Part 2)

Half an hour later, Ding Heng drove into an old alley and stopped in front of a six-story residential building.

The building is grayish-brown, with walls painted in the pale yellow paint popular in the last century. Now, most of the paint has peeled off, revealing the grayish-blue cement underneath.

The security windows on the balconies were rusty, and several households had abandoned flowerpots on their windowsills, with withered plants sticking out their dry, yellow branches.

Ding Heng turned off the engine, took out an unopened packet of tea from the armrest box, and got out of the car.

"Brother-in-law, where is this?"

Wen Shu followed behind, looking up at the building that was older than her.

"This is where my dad used to stay in the capital."

Ding Heng walked towards the unit door. The motion-activated lights were not on, and the stairwell was dimly lit.

The walls are covered with small advertisements for locksmith services and drain cleaning, layer upon layer, with the old ones being covered by the new ones, and the new ones quickly becoming old themselves.

On the third floor, the main door on the left is wide open.

A man nearing fifty, with a slender build, stood at the doorway. His hair was a mix of black and white, and he had several deep wrinkles around his eyes.

"Uncle Cheng."

Ding Heng stepped forward and handed over the tea: "I brought it for you."

"Come on in, don't bring anything."

Cheng Yan took the bag and looked Ding Heng up and down: "Your dad sent me your photo last time, and I said you looked handsome. But you're even more handsome than in the photo today. Do you have a girlfriend? Do you want your uncle to introduce you to someone?"

"Oh... Uncle Cheng, stop joking with me."

Ding Heng smiled and returned the BMW car keys.

Cheng Yan noticed Wen Shu behind him and asked curiously, "Who's this?"

Ding Heng explained, "My younger sister is studying at Peking University, so she came to help out."

Wen Shu stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Hello, Uncle."

"From Peking University?"

"Yes, Finance Department."

"Then add me on WeChat. You can contact me if you need anything at school."

"Uncle, you're too kind."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Cheng Yan didn't ask any further questions and stepped aside to let the two of them in.