Chapter 41

Rong Yi was momentarily stunned and didn’t react immediately.

Xiao Yin said, “Since you didn’t deny it, I’ll take that as you don’t mind.”

It seemed Xiao Yin had gradually figured out some of Rong Yi’s current little quirks. He was now quiet and restrained, no longer lively and proactive. Of course, he would only speak if he wanted to refuse.

Rong Yi smoothly avoided getting tangled up in a response, sending a small emoji to indicate he had received the message.

After sending the message, he washed up and lay back on the bed, where he then received a message from Lin Yi.

“He’s taking pictures for you? That’s great! I’ve heard people say Xiao Yin is also quite famous for his photography, right?”

Lying in bed, Rong Yi poked at his phone screen. “You know about that too?”

“Of course I do. As a commentator, I need to know all the interesting stories about the players,” Lin Yi said. “Yin’s fans are always digging up material. Didn’t you used to often scroll through those threads yourself?”

Rong Yi remembered and said, “I’m a face enthusiast1. I just looked at his photos for fun, didn’t pay attention to anything else.”

But he did know Xiao Yin had a photography hobby.

“Check it out later. I remember there was quite a lot of discussion about it,” Lin Yi said. “Your guy is a total package, a great photographer. If you can get free photos, why not?”

Rong Yi laughed.

Lin Yi sent him a few fan thread links and then wished him good night.

Rong Yi turned off the lights and followed the links.

Xiao Yin was a public figure, and fans in the esports scene had a somewhat appropriate level of interest in their favorite pro players’ private lives.

About two years ago, someone discovered a landscape photographer with the same name as Yin at an international photography exhibition. After some discussion, people belatedly realized that this was indeed the same Yin who played games.

“Yin! He’s our senior from high school, always got straight A+’s, and was an honorary member of the school’s photography club. He was very famous and talented.”

“But there’s one thing—he never takes pictures of people, never looks for human models.”

“I dug up some of his works from our school’s art exhibition website! Posting them here!”

The thread was filled with fans’ amazement and praise.

Rong Yi clicked on the links to take a look.

Xiao Yin’s photography style could be somewhat understood through the few pieces hanging in the club room. His composition was strong, the atmosphere top-notch, and the overall tone leaned towards cool and somber hues, yet it possessed a captivating allure. His style was indeed very impressive.

“Yin was quite renowned in the photography circle early on. But then, for a few years, he just disappeared. Fans and friends in the photography community were initially looking for him, only to find out later that he had gone into esports.”

“Made me laugh. Who would’ve thought that someone everyone assumed would become a photographer turned out to be a pro player?”

Rong Yi quietly flipped through the pictures in the thread, saving many of them. By the time he finished, his phone was filled with these landscape photos.

With Xiao Yin handling the photography, he felt reassured and at ease.

VIT’s training schedule was very tight. Both Rong Yi and Xiao Yin were the kind of people who would rather use their vacation time than disrupt their regular training routine. To make time for the shoot, they had to squeeze it into their busy schedules.

On Friday night, Xiao Yin confirmed the timing with him: “Can we start shooting tomorrow?”

Rong Yi nodded in agreement.

Even though he was prepared, hearing the word “shooting” still triggered a slight, reflexive nervousness. His fingertips tightened briefly before relaxing.

Noticing something, Xiao Yin asked him, “Are you free right now?”

“Yes,” Rong Yi replied, then looked at him. “What’s up?”

The club had a break tomorrow. The other three team members, full of energy, planned to visit a famous scenic spot in the suburbs. They were currently horsing around and shouting in the hall.

Standing at the staircase, Xiao Yin extended his hand, turning the back of his hand down and his palm up, holding it steadily in front of Rong Yi.

Without saying a word, Rong Yi hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out his hand.

Before his fingertips could touch Xiao Yin’s hand, Xiao Yin’s fingers curled slightly, gently grasping Rong Yi’s hand and guiding him upstairs.

Their fingers interlocked, holding neither too tightly nor too loosely.

Xiao Yin was much taller than Rong Yi, and his strides were longer as they went upstairs. With this gentle but firm grip, Rong Yi had to quicken his pace a bit to keep up.

He could have lagged behind, but then his fingers would slip out of Xiao Yin’s grasp.

Rong Yi didn’t know why, but he felt compelled to keep up, his fingertips constantly held by Xiao Yin.

It wasn’t until they reached Xiao Yin’s room that Xiao Yin glanced back at him. The beautiful, deep, phoenix-like eyes sent a brief look his way, and only then did Rong Yi realize what he had done.

He seemed a bit too obedient.

Xiao Yin turned on the room light, leading him to the inner chamber before gently releasing his hand.

Rong Yi noticed that after letting go, Xiao Yin didn’t immediately do anything but instead glanced at his own fingertips and lightly clenched his hand, as if still feeling the warmth from Rong Yi’s touch.

“For tomorrow’s shoot, I want you to personally choose the photography equipment. Don’t worry, it’s all movie-grade gear. I want you to pick something that feels right to you, so maybe you won’t be as nervous tomorrow. Is that okay?”

Xiao Yin watched his expression closely, speaking softly, “If you don’t want to, we can stop at any time.”

Rong Yi swallowed. “Okay, no problem. Don’t worry, I’m not that fragile.”

But when Xiao Yin pulled out the equipment from the storage room, Rong Yi still felt a bit nervous.

He looked at the entire display cabinet covered with dust cloths. In his mind, he saw dozens of dark, silent lenses aimed at him, a pervasive sense of being watched that seemed to want to swallow him whole.

But when Xiao Yin pulled off the dust cloth, Rong Yi let out a soft breath.

All the cameras and lenses were separated and placed with the lenses facing inward. Every lens was covered with a dust cap, only the backs of the cameras facing them.

Seeing this entire cabinet of equipment, Rong Yi’s first thought was to estimate how much money Xiao Yin would lose if the cabinet fell over.

Would it be in the millions?

If he accidentally knocked something over, he might have to spend his whole life paying it back. No wonder they say photography can make you poor for three generations.

Seeing a bunch of camera backs, Rong Yi laughed and relaxed a lot.

He put his hands in his pajama pockets and started to seriously look at the equipment.

The array of lenses facing the wall looked intimidating, all sorts of long and short lenses. The only thought in Rong Yi’s mind was “expensive.”

He asked Xiao Yin, “Can I touch them?”

Xiao Yin replied casually, “It’s okay if you drop one.”

Rong Yi laughed, and at that moment, he suddenly remembered something Hydralisk had joked about a few days ago.

That day, Hydralisk was gossiping about what exactly was in Xiao Yin’s display room. A group of people speculated from the remains of victims to a hundred keyboards. Finally, Wu Daogu said it was photography equipment.

Hydralisk then asked, “Can I touch it? What would happen?”

Wu Daogu replied, “You’d die.”

Thinking of this, Rong Yi couldn’t help but laugh. Noticing Xiao Yin looking at him, he shifted his gaze and focused on selecting the equipment.

A silver camera caught his eye. It didn’t look like a regular camera; it resembled a big horn and was taller than the other equipment.

The silver color was strikingly beautiful, clear and sharp, standing out among the dark equipment.

Rong Yi reached out and carefully took it down.

It was unexpectedly heavy.

Rong Yi held it with both hands, cradling it carefully. When it was in his hands, it didn’t seem so intimidating anymore.

He paused for a moment and turned it over to look at the lens on the back.

It indeed looked more like a horn. Although his breath hitched at the sight of the lens, it was much better than before.

Rong Yi asked, “Is this one okay? I don’t know much about this, but it looks nice.”

“Yes,” Xiao Yin replied, “It’s a custom-made movie-grade camera. I had the color custom-ordered. You have a good eye.”

Rong Yi smiled, carefully placing it back. Suddenly, the task of tomorrow’s shoot didn’t seem so daunting.

He said, “Alright, then this one. Thanks for your hard work tomorrow.”

Xiao Yin nodded.

Rong Yi turned to head back to his room.

He could feel Xiao Yin’s gaze on his back, as if there was something he wanted to say.

“Going to sleep?”

Then he heard those three words.

Plain and emotionless, yet somehow carrying a subtle pressure, a faint confirmation.

Rong Yi thought maybe he was overthinking it.

He replied, “Yeah, going to sleep.”

At least he couldn’t sleep here in Xiao Yin’s room!

“Tomorrow, everyone will be out. There won’t be anyone else in the villa,” Xiao Yin added.

Rong Yi couldn’t help but cough lightly, “Yeah, I know. That’s good, we can rest well.”

He quickly slipped back to his room.

Because of Xiao Yin’s words, that night, Rong Yi’s dreams were filled with Xiao Yin.

Mostly, he dreamed of the past kneeling on the bed, with Xiao Yin leaning over, cupping his face and softly asking, “Still going back to sleep? Or to my place?”

Muscle lines and a thin sheen of sweat seemed vividly before him, the heat and fragrance palpable.

Rong Yi woke up, it was just eight in the morning.

After washing up, he went downstairs for breakfast and saw that Xiao Yin was already up.

For this shoot, they were using the advertising team’s set, fully equipped with lighting and scenery facilities. All the sample props sent by the brand were unpacked and organized, and there was a dedicated person to give Rong Yi a hand treatment.

Once all the preparations were done, the staff left, leaving only him and Xiao Yin in the room.

Xiao Yin was adjusting the camera Rong Yi had chosen the previous day.

Hand model shoots typically don’t show the face, but they usually include parts like the chin, ears, or collarbone.

Rong Yi was a bit nervous initially, but after Xiao Yin took a few shots, he started to relax.

Xiao Yin had a unique shooting angle; he rarely looked through the viewfinder, maintaining a position where Rong Yi could see his face behind the camera most of the time.

The first two sets were shot quickly, and the sample photos turned out stunning.

Rong Yi’s hands were naturally beautiful, and Xiao Yin’s photos imbued them with an indescribable sense of ambiance.

Only the third set, with a restraint theme, required more effort. Rong Yi wore a silver bone spike bracelet sent by the brand. After a few shots, Xiao Yin said, “Closer.”

The closer, the better.

Rong Yi knew this was a common phrase in the photography circle. Following Xiao Yin’s instructions, he set the bracelet aside and used the next prop—a dark red tie with gold flecks, wrapped around his wrist and fingers, slightly splayed in front of the lens.

His pale knuckles, reddened joints, and fingers curling as if exhausted, looked like a dove in captivity. Fragile and delicate, as if they could be crushed at any moment.

The dark red and gold flecks were the theme colors for this shoot. Paired with the whiteness of his fingers, they evoked a sense of fragility and constraint.

Xiao Yin was too close.

He lowered his eyes slightly to look through the viewfinder, his expression unreadable, only his breath brushing against Rong Yi’s fingertips.

Hot and ticklish.

The scent of mint was cool but carried a hint of aggression.

Rong Yi sensed a bit of danger.

Rong Yi was well aware of Xiao Yin’s preferences.

Not only aware, he remembered them vividly.

He liked hands, feet, waists, and the sense of control that came with overwhelming power.

“Are… are we done?”

After a long pause, Rong Yi finally asked, breaking the ambiguous silence.

Xiao Yin put away the camera. “Yes, the samples will be sent for their review.”

“Good.”

Rong Yi stood up, and Xiao Yin followed suit, his steps quicker as he moved behind him.

When Rong Yi reached the door and extended his hand to grasp the handle, a hand from behind gently covered his.

Rong Yi didn’t move.

Xiao Yin did. He held Rong Yi’s fingers, guiding his hand slowly downward, from the door handle to the lock below.

A few seconds felt like an eternity.

Xiao Yin turned the lock with Rong Yi’s hand, and the latch clicked shut.

The door was locked from the inside.

Pressing against his back, Xiao Yin whispered, “You can choose to unlock it yourself. The choice is yours.”

Rong Yi’s ears burned from Xiao Yin’s breath.

Recalling the dream from the previous night, Rong Yi realized there was no need to be coy. He needed this, and Xiao Yin needed it too. They were contract partners, after all perfectly matched.

He withdrew his hand, turned around, and smiled, his expression calm and assured. “We’re adults. There’s nothing to choose. Let’s do this.”

Footnote:

1. Face Enthusiast(颜控): Face Enthusiast is someone who places a high value on physical appearance. They are particularly attracted to good-looking people or things, similar to being “superficial” or “looks-obsessed” in English.