Qiao Meina sat on a bench, looking like a beautifully curved blue-and-white vase from behind. Her white, smooth legs were crossed beneath her skirt, and she leaned slightly against the glass display case. Her left hand rested on her head, her exquisitely manicured nails tapping lightly on her cute face. Lin Can was focused on talking with the store clerk about lens options, while Qiao Meina was focused on watching him. Hmm... This brat really loves photography. Since we entered the store, he hasn't even looked at me once, his eyes are all on these cold, lifeless things.
"...Mr. Lin, this 90mm/1.5 lens is a great choice. Its performance is comparable to the 50/0.95 and 75/1.25 lenses you were considering earlier. The advantage of its focal length makes it superior for both portrait and scene shots. You might want to try it out."
"Let me try it."
The store clerk took out the lens, attached it to the M11, and handed it to Lin Can.
Lin Can held up the camera and adjusted the focal length, aiming it at Qiao Meina who was sitting beside him.
Qiao Meina rested her head on her hand and flashed a sweet smile at the lens, cooperating with Lin Can's test shot.
At that moment, Lin Can used the well-known cinematographic technique from a famous Japanese film company, "Tokyo Cold," where they typically introduce a female celebrity's figure by gradually moving the camera up from her ankle, through her calves, knees, and thighs... Uh... She covered her private areas with her hand, and the camera continued its slow journey upward.
"...Mr. Lin, with a price of 102,000 yuan, this camera clearly indicates it's not the first choice for casual players. However, for hardcore enthusiasts who pursue 'not the best, but always better,' the M-90/1.5 is irreplaceable. It's worth the investment. What do you think, sir?"
"Hmm..." The camera zoomed in to Qiao Meina's V-neck, highlighting her chest as it rose and fell with her breath. "Very nice, high playability. OK, I'll take this one. How much for the camera and lens together? I'll pay by card."
Another 170,000 yuan spent. Qiao Meina had gotten used to Lin Can's extravagance. After all, he'd already spent 70,000 yuan for a presidential suite for one night and didn't even stay the second night. Meanwhile, the four of us squeezed into a car for camping, and we felt ripped off, but he was all smiles saying he got a bargain. Sometimes, I really don't understand the mindset of rich people.
While Lin Can was swiping his card, Qiao Meina leaned back on the bench, humming "When I fell in love with you, I didn't understand emotions, but after parting, it became unforgettable..." She was flipping through the photos Lin Can had taken of her earlier.
With her thumb pressed on the button, she scrolled through the pictures. There wasn't a single full-body shot of her. Instead, it was all close-ups—pictures of her beautiful feet, thighs, hands with beautifully manicured nails near her skirt edge, and a large close-up of her chest at the V-neck.
Just then, Lin Can, still swiping his card, felt a sharp pain in his thigh. He turned to see what Qiao Meina was pointing to on the camera.
Lin Can shook his head and smiled, taking the card the clerk handed back. "Thanks, I'll come again next time," he said, then pulled Qiao Meina out of the Leica store.
"Welcome, Mr. Lin and Miss Qiao. We look forward to your next visit."
The clerk politely saw them off. As an experienced Leica store employee, he could tell that customers who spend a fortune on cameras don't just come here as photography enthusiasts, but also as... well, you know.
The former come to shoot landscapes after traveling far and wide. The latter, well, they take photos of women first, and then, well, they enjoy women in other ways.
Judging by Mr. Lin, he was probably the latter?
Once they were far from the Leica store, Qiao Meina grabbed Lin Can and pushed him onto a bench by the street. She leaned in and flicked her hair, "Stinky little brother, look at what kind of pictures you're taking. I really feel like sitting on you right now."
"You misunderstand. I was just testing the detail when zooming in," Lin Can grinned and stood up, casually slinging his arm around Qiao Meina's shoulder. "Meina, from an artistic perspective, your body is really perfect. How about I take a private set of photos for you, a keepsake of youth? How about it? Fair enough?"
"Wow~ So partial shots aren't enough for you? Now you want me to strip down for you and take those kinds of pictures?"
"Who said a private shoot requires nudity? You can keep your clothes on, just fewer of them, maybe something a little see-through. The sense of wanting to hide but not quite, that's the best part."
Seeing his eager expression, Qiao Meina chuckled and rubbed his cheek. "I'm not going to strip in front of you. You can keep those partial shots as souvenirs. Let's go, we're going shopping."
With that, she turned and hummed a tune as she walked off.
"Sigh... Fine, these few pictures will just be for me tonight, for some private time."
Hearing this, Qiao Meina stopped dead in her tracks and spun around, her eyes full of murderous intent. She knew Lin Can was doing it on purpose, and she let out a furious shout that echoed through the front of the Taikoo Li shopping mall. "You dare!"
Then, Lin Can, who was clearly looking for trouble, got a good physical lesson from Qiao Meina.
After the lesson, Qiao Meina softened up a little. She rubbed the red spots on his arms where she had pinched him. After all, a rich second-generation heir like him who was willing to drop his guard and hang out with them, becoming friends, was actually rare.
At that moment, a pretty girl with shoulder-length hair came running over, patting Qiao Meina on the shoulder. "Hey."
"Ah~"
Qiao Meina screamed in surprise, turning around and pushing the girl away. "Zuo Yao, you scared me to death."
Zuo Yao smiled and wrapped her arm around Qiao Meina's shoulder, glancing at Lin Can, the handsome guy next to her. "I saw you and this handsome guy getting all close earlier. Got caught red-handed, huh? Sneaking around with a boyfriend, huh? Confess, when did you start dating?"
"Boyfriend? Hah~" Qiao Meina shrugged her shoulder, shook off Zuo Yao's hand, then pulled Lin Can over and hooked her arm around his, acting sweet. "Do I, Qiao Meina, need to sneak around? You're overthinking it. This is my little brother."
"Since when did you have a brother?"
"A distant relative, okay?"
"Distant? How distant? Distant enough to get married?"
"What are you talking about?" Qiao Meina slapped Zuo Yao. "He's my real brother, no joke."
First, Zuo Yao was their classmate. Lin Can was planning to give Chu Qingning a surprise. If she told Zuo Yao, she would definitely spill it in the group chat, and then Chu Qingning wouldn't have any surprise left.
Second, because of the surprise, they kept it a secret. Now that Lin Can was in Shanghai, it was natural to show him some hospitality. But if she revealed the truth, others would start to speculate about their relationship.
Thus, cautious Qiao Meina decided to cover it all up by claiming he was her brother.
After introducing Lin Can to Zuo Yao, Qiao Meina asked, "What are you doing here? Where's your boyfriend, Ye Fan? What's going on, sneaking around behind his back to meet other men?"
"What are you talking about? I'm a good woman. Ye Fan and I came together, but he's parking the car. I just came to walk around Taikoo Li. Let's go, let's check out Gucci."
"You found a rich second-generation boyfriend, huh? Look at you all showing off."
"You should find one too, big beauty. With your looks..." Zuo Yao reached over and patted Qiao Meina on the butt. "What kind of super-rich guy in Shanghai wouldn't want you?"
"Get lost!"
"Hehe~ Alright, stop standing in the sun. Let's go, we're going to Gucci," Zuo Yao said, linking arms with Qiao Meina. After walking a few steps, she turned around and said, "Hey, can I borrow your brother for a while? Hope you don't mind."
Lin Can smiled. "Just bring him back."
Zuo Yao smiled, then started jabbering.
"Your brother's quite cheerful."
"Well, of course."
"He's tall and handsome. What year is he in?"
"Just graduated from high school."
"Hohoho~ A fresh young thing."
"…"
"Where does he study? Does he have a girlfriend?"
"Hey, Zuo Yao, are you conducting a census or something? You're the one with a boyfriend. Why are you asking all these questions?"
"Oooh~ So protective!"
"Of you, the little seductress, I have to be cautious."