"You want me to do it?"
"That’s the idea. After all, you’re the one who suggested it, and we hit it off right away. I think we’d work well together on this."
Qiu Yunong said, a little embarrassed,
"With another photographer, we might disagree on the creative direction. Plus, I’d honestly be too embarrassed to push the boundaries like this with a stranger."
Qiu Yunong’s words made Lin Jiang’s imagination run wild.
’A beauty on Qiu Yunong’s level pushing the boundaries right in front of me... The mental image would be pretty amazing.’
"The thing is, I’m not really a professional."
"Let’s take it slow. We can give it a shot first. If it works, we’ll keep going. If we’re still not satisfied with the results, I’ll just give up on this idea."
’If you give up, how the hell am I supposed to complete my mission?’
"You’re right. We can give it a shot first," Lin Jiang said seriously.
"After we finish eating, we’ll go buy some professional equipment. A craftsman must first sharpen his tools, after all."
"My Sugar Daddy is right. We can also buy some clothes and things. Get all the prep work out of the way first."
"Hurry up and eat. We’ll get moving as soon as we’re done."
"You’re so naughty, Sugar Daddy. When it comes to this kind of stuff, you’re even more excited than I am," Qiu Yunong said shyly.
"I’m the investor. Of course I’m concerned with my return. Since you have this idea, I definitely have to support it. Can’t let my money go to waste."
"Don’t worry, Sugar Daddy. I’ll work hard and make sure you’re satisfied."
"That’s all I need to hear."
The two of them sped up their meal. After paying the bill, they began to wander around the mall.
Lin Jiang thought silently, ’I have to take this seriously.’
’If I don’t help her solve the problems she runs into, Qiu Yunong might just give up.’
’For her, this is just one way to attract followers, not the only way.’
’If it’s too difficult, she probably won’t be able to continue, even if she has a little hobby in this area.’
’So I have to be serious and work with her to make this happen.’
’The equipment and clothes aren’t a problem; I can just buy them. The tricky part is the technical expertise.’
Suddenly, Lin Jiang remembered he still had an unused Learning Card.
’If I find a book on the subject and use the card for a quick study session, I should be able to get the basics down.’
’I might not become a top-tier professional, but for simple shooting and editing to handle this kind of video, it should be more than enough.’
Soon, the two of them arrived at the photography equipment section.
Lin Jiang’s head swam as he looked at all the massive lenses.
’I don’t know the first thing about this stuff, so choosing is going to be tough.’
But he did understand one thing: this was just for shooting short videos. As long as he bought something high-end and expensive, there wouldn’t be much of a difference.
It was like a 20- or 25-year-old guy facing a 40-year-old woman. To her, it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. She could probably handle you without even breaking a sweat.
Qiu Yunong was in a similar boat. She didn’t understand this stuff either and was at a loss when faced with all the professional equipment.
Hm?
Suddenly, something in a display case caught Lin Jiang’s eye.
It was a thick book, at least two inches thick.
*Photography and Editing for Beginners*
Lin Jiang casually walked over. Next to it was a small sign with a long list of names, followed by two conspicuous words:
Highly Recommended.
He glanced around and saw several other people buying the same book. Judging by its popularity, the content must be decent.
’But again, the same logic applied. To handle simple shooting and editing, just knowing the basics should be enough.’
’A hired cameraman might not even know this much.’
"Sir, have you ever done any photography before?" a male clerk asked as he approached.
Lin Jiang shook his head.
"If you want to learn photography, this book is an excellent choice," the clerk explained.
"The content is all very basic and extremely beginner-friendly."
"Alright, thanks for the recommendation."
Lin Jiang had no intention of buying it. Instead, he silently recited in his mind,
’Use Learning Card.’
[Learning Card successfully activated. Please finish flipping through one book within one minute.]
’Are you sure one minute is enough?’
[Yes.]
Lin Jiang held the book, bent the cover back slightly, and started to riffle through it, the pages flipping at an incredible speed.
The pages flew by so fast he couldn’t even make out the page numbers, let alone read the content.
The only thing he got out of it was a faint, cool breeze.
Just then, Lin Jiang felt something change.
Along with that cool breeze, the knowledge from the book began pouring into his mind at an incredible speed.
About ten seconds later, he reached the final page, and all the book’s knowledge had been transferred into his mind.
’This book really is amazing. No wonder so many people were buying it.’
’The explanations were all detailed and easy to understand, making complex topics simple. It was perfect for beginners.’
’And its thickness was justified. Even though it was titled for beginners, it also touched on some intermediate and advanced techniques, just not as many.’
’As far as Lin Jiang was concerned, it was the perfect choice.’
’Damn it!’
’I was originally planning to use the Learning Card on some book like *"Three Years to a New World, Five Years to a Rich Girl"* and now I’ve wasted it on something so... proper.’
’I’ll have to get Qiu Yunong to make it up to me to get my investment back.’
"Sir, what do you think? The book is 20% off right now, and today is the last day of the sale," the clerk said, trying to make a sale.
"I’ve already finished it, so I won’t be buying it. Sorry about that."
The clerk: ???
’That was a fast transfer speed.’
’Did you come from the Huanglong River? Got Bluetooth installed in you or something?’
"Finished? You call just riffling through the pages ’reading’?"
"I’m a fast learner."
"Alright, then."
Lin Jiang left with a smile. When he looked at the equipment again, it was no longer so alien to him.
"Brother Jiang, which one should we get? My eyes are starting to blur," Qiu Yunong said, completely bewildered.
"Let me pick."
Lin Jiang didn’t say much more. It would be useless, and he didn’t have time to give her a crash course on the subject.
In the end, Lin Jiang chose a Sony ZV-E10 and paired it with a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens. That combination should be more than enough.
He also bought a GoPro, a gimbal, a tripod, a stabilizer, and some other lighting equipment. All in all, he spent over 20,000 yuan, which was just a drop in the bucket for Lin Jiang.
Qiu Yunong watched, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"Brother Jiang, you seem to really know your stuff."
"I just looked up some info online. These were all recommended by other users, so I just bought them."
Qiu Yunong sidled up to Lin Jiang, not seeming to mind as her ample chest pressed against his arm.
She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear:
"You’re amazing, my Sugar Daddy. You learn so fast! I was getting a headache just looking at all that stuff."
Lin Jiang glanced down at her.
’If you keep rubbing against me like that, my other head is going to get big, too.’
After buying the camera gear, Lin Jiang went to the Apple Store and bought a top-of-the-line MacBook. It would be perfect for video editing.
’Tomorrow I’ll just order a NAS online, and the whole setup will be complete.’
Qiu Yunong followed Lin Jiang around like a dazed puppy, watching him take charge of everything. He bought everything they needed in just over half an hour without any hesitation, and her admiration for him grew even more.
Since they had bought so much, they first went back to the underground garage to drop the equipment off in the car.
"Sugar Daddy, I think we’re done buying equipment, right? Should we go buy clothes now?"
"Mhm. We need to buy some clothes for daily wear, but also some for the videos."
Qiu Yunong giggled. "I know this part. For daily wear, something feminine and classy. For the videos, something a little sluttier."
"Exactly."
"I watch a lot of short videos, so my analytical skills are pretty good," Qiu Yunong said.
"So, Sugar Daddy, I’ll need you to use your professional eye to help me pick some things out today."
"No problem."
The two returned to the National Gold Center. The third floor was all women’s fashion, filled with major international brands, some of which Lin Jiang had never even heard of.
Lin Jiang first picked out a beige bodycon dress. "I think this would work."
"I’ve never worn anything like this before. Even on the mannequin, I can tell it’s so feminine."
Qiu Yunong stared at it for a long moment, then quietly sidled up to Lin Jiang and whispered:
"I think mine is perkier than the mannequin’s."
’What’s perkier than the mannequin’s?’
’Her milky white... things?’
’The worthless A-share market?’
’Could you be a little more specific?’
"Then we’re getting it. I want to see if you can balance a can of soda on it."
"Okay, okay, I’ll go try it on."
Qiu Yunong picked out her size. "Wait here a second, I’m going to see if it fits."
Lin Jiang continued browsing in the store and picked out a very short skirt and a matching top for Qiu Yunong to try on next.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—
Lin Jiang’s phone vibrated. It was a message from Qiu Yunong.
"Brother Jiang, I’m in fitting room 3. I can’t get the zipper up in the back, can you come help me?"
’She’s actually asking for that?’
’Good thing all the equipment is in the car.’
’If I walked in there carrying all that gear, people would think I was filming a movie.’
Carrying the other outfit he’d picked out, Lin Jiang went to fitting room 3.
Qiu Yunong was already wearing the beige bodycon dress. The zipper in the back was open, and she was holding the front up with one hand to keep it from falling down.
When she saw Lin Jiang come in, Qiu Yunong turned around. The zipper was open down to her waist. She had managed to pull it up a little on her own, but couldn’t get it any further.
Lin Jiang took hold of the zipper, ready to pull it up and see how it looked, but he noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra.
A glance to the side confirmed it: Qiu Yunong had taken her bra off.
’That makes sense. A bra wouldn’t look right with this kind of dress.’
’But what the hell *is* she wearing?’
"Sugar Daddy, what are you doing?"
"Your bra is... quite unique. It looks like something Liu Shulan would wear."
"Liu Shulan?"
"You probably don’t know who Liu Shulan is. I have a good friend named Zhou Jingliang. Liu Shulan was his great-grandmother. She’s been dead for over ten years."
Uh...
Qiu Yunong had assumed the Liu Shulan that Lin Jiang mentioned would be some beautiful internet celebrity.
She never imagined it would be someone like that.
"Is it really that bad? I admit it’s a little old-fashioned, but it can’t be that bad, right?"
"I bet the panties you’re wearing have cartoons on them, don’t they?"
His X-ray Vision had worn off, but back at 18D, he’d seen her carrying things like that in her bag. He figured she wasn’t one to change her style easily.
"The zipper is all the way up now, how could you see?"
"Just a guess. So, am I right? Are they Doraemon or Hello Kitty?"
Qiu Yunong lifted her chin proudly, as if she’d just won a great victory.
"Wrong on both counts!"
"Oh? Then what are they?"
"Pikachu."
’Seriously, girl? You’re wearing Pikachu panties. What’s there to be so proud of?’
’Don’t you know how much of a turn-off that is?’

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