CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 84: SWORDSMANSHIP DUEL

Su Xingyu stood at the street corner with her camera, watching the busy traffic and the flow of pedestrians.

She looked up at the supermodel, who was as tall as 1.9 meters, and asked, "How do you plan to help me?"

Today, Ouyang Yi was dressed in high-end casual attire, looking handsome and charming, turning heads wherever he went. He confidently smiled at Su Xingyu and said, "Isn’t Su Xingqi relying on the professional skills of a model to enhance the expressiveness of photos? Yet, neither her skills nor Lin Luna’s photography skills are enough to handle candid shots; they can only do posed ones. You and I are different; your candid photography skills are extraordinary, and my professional level can easily overshadow Su Xingqi. We don’t need to fake posed shots; as long as you normally take candid shots of me, we can claim first place in the finals, beating Su Xingqi completely. Xingyu, don’t you want to slap Su Xingqi’s face hard?"

Su Xingyu suspected he had been planning this speech for a while; his logic was tight and seamless.

She looked at Ouyang Yi, full of doubt: "Why do you want to help me?"

Ouyang Yi smiled at her again, causing passersby on the street to turn their heads frequently: "Because, I have a good impression of you."

That answer was really straightforward, Su Xingyu said helplessly, "Ouyang..."

"Alright, alright, I know you have a husband, you don’t need to keep reiterating it," Ouyang Yi surrendered with raised hands, getting a bit serious this time, "Xingyu, I genuinely consider you a friend and want to help you. Besides, I want to try to see if we are compatible in work. Recently, a big brand wants to hire me for an ad shoot; I want to recommend you as the photographer, but your fame isn’t enough, you need to present convincing work."

Su Xingyu understood.

She was just a fledgling, unknown photographer, utterly unqualified to shoot those level photos for someone like Ouyang Yi. Even if Ouyang Yi agreed, the big-name luxury brands paying him wouldn’t agree.

If Ouyang Yi wanted to use her, there’s only one way—

That is, to prove to the brand that she can capture him well.

The finals of this street photography contest, if she can win with his photos, would be a great proof. She was tempted; what commercial photographer doesn’t want to shoot for real big brands? After thinking it over, she confirmed with Ouyang Yi, "We must strictly adhere to the contest rules, only candid shots, no posed ones, even if I catch a photo of you looking extremely ugly, if I want to use it, you cannot oppose, OK?"

Ouyang Yi’s eyes were smiling, "Will you really capture me looking very ugly?"

Su Xingyu spoke truthfully, "Beauty and handsomeness are two different things; the so-called beauty isn’t necessarily about looking good. For instance, the ’Beggar and Butterfly’ photo I shot in the preliminary round is also a part of worldly beauty. The beggar in the photo was so dirty and had nothing to do with handsomeness; if I capture you in a similar way, can you accept it?"

Ouyang Yi shrugged, "I wouldn’t go out dressed so shabby."

Seeing she had more to say, he interrupted her, "Alright, alright, I get your point. No matter how you capture me, I accept it; I trust you. You must also trust my professionalism as a model."

His serious look in his eyes finally moved her, and she smiled, "Then, happy cooperation."

The plan was settled, and the two began planning to fit the two main themes of "street photography" and "candid photography."

Ouyang Yi said, "I’ve always liked traditional Chinese culture. Since returning to the country, I’ve been participating in swordsmanship exchanges at a martial arts school in An Cui District. Tomorrow at ten in the morning is practice time; you can come, maybe catch some excellent shots."

Su Xingyu was a bit surprised, "You practice swordsmanship?"

Ouyang Yi smiled, "What do I not know how to do?"

Seeing him start to boast like a peacock again, Su Xingyu wisely remained silent and bid him farewell.

The next day, she went to the martial arts school as per the address he gave.

The martial arts school was located in a prime spot in the downtown area, lined with winding paths, surrounded by green bamboo, with stunning views at every step. As Su Xingyu reached the door, she was stopped; the staff at the school politely asked her, "Miss, please show your ID."

Su Xingyu asked, "Do I need an ID?"

The martial arts school staff replied, "These days, we are hosting a swordsmanship exchange event. Masters from all over are gathering here. To maintain order, apart from invited guests, others are prohibited from entering."

Su Xingyu said, "I don’t have an ID; a Mr. Ouyang Yi invited me."

"Mr. Ouyang?" The staff member’s eyes lit up, and their attitude became welcoming, "So you’re Mr. Ouyang’s friend; of course, someone as skilled in swordsmanship as him has privileges; please follow me."

Su Xingyu was about to follow but suddenly realized—

The street photography contest not only required candid shots but also required street shots! Although it didn’t explicitly require the scene to be on a street, entering a private venue like this certainly seemed against the rules.

"Forget it, I’m not going in," she stopped and told the staff, "Thank you, goodbye."

Retreating to the doorway, she sent a short message to Ouyang Yi, roughly explaining the situation.

Ouyang Yi’s message came back quickly: [Are you dumb? Just take candid shots; why worry so much? Getting into a special venue is your skill; the street photography contest has no restrictions on locations! During the semi-finals, the third-place Zhang Chao shot diving scenes in an indoor swimming pool.]

Su Xingyu said, "That’s different." Still sticking to her view.

Ouyang Yi was exasperated and sent another message: "Just wait at the entrance for me; don’t leave!"

Shortly after, he hurried out, dressed in a glossy white swordsmanship outfit, holding a long sword that glimmered with icy light in his hand. Despite Su Xingyu having seen many handsome men and beautiful scenes, she was amazed.

However, his handsome face didn’t seem pleased: "Xingyu, why be so rigid?" He started a lengthy reasoning lecture.

Yet, Su Xingyu was a person who stuck to principles, no matter how well or poorly he reasoned, she refused to agree to follow him in for shooting. After fifteen minutes, Ouyang Yi was thirsty from talking and finally gave up: "Alright, you’re really something; then, wait a moment while I go change clothes, and I’ll walk out with you, and we can find another shooting location."

Seeing his insistence, Su Xingyu had no choice but to wait.

After waiting for a bit, a staff member came out from the martial arts school and apologized, "Are you Miss Su? Mr. Ouyang asked me to tell you he was intercepted by a master swordsman, and the two are having a duel. He asked you to head back alone."

Su Xingyu felt nothing of it and thanked the staff, then walked along the lush path alone.

The martial arts school was built far from the mundane world; the path was deep. As she walked, she arrived at a clearing, a crowd gathered around watching a swordsmanship duel. In the middle of the clearing, two men wielding long swords were fiercely fighting; one of them was indeed Ouyang Yi!