Xie Ran did not know that Jiang Xu was misunderstanding his relationship with Wang Wenjing in his heart. Seeing the other person’s slightly furrowed brow, he assumed it was due to a reluctance to interact with strangers. He immediately smiled to smooth things over, saying cheerfully, “Which Young Master Jiang needs a guy to deliver water?”
Wang Wenjing chuckled. “True.”
“The girls in the entire university town all want to deliver water to Young Master Jiang.”
Jiang Xu said calmly, “It is not that exaggerated.”
Xie Ran had already heard this exact sentence on the day the National Day holiday ended, and he had assumed the other person was just being modest.
Now, looking at the other person’s expression, this was no modesty at all. It was completely a case of never having cared in the slightest about just how popular he actually was.
Xie Ran said, “You just do not quite understand your own charm.”
Jiang Xu picked up the thread: “Tell me then, where does my charm lie?”
Xie Ran stated without hesitation: “Rich, good-looking, great figure, good in every single way.”
As he spoke, he periodically glanced toward the camera in Jiang Xu’s hand, silently adding a thought in his heart: being rich hits the spot.
It made him want to marry Jiang Xu.
Of course, definitely not because the other person had the camera lens he wanted.
Wang Wenjing chimed in with a grin: “Right, Ran-er is spot on.”
“It is just like Wu Zetian acting as a widow, so handsome she loses Li Zhi.”
The two of them bounced off each other like they were buttering up Jiang Xu.
Jiang Xu lowered his gaze, neither refuting what they said nor showing any particular sign of joy.
His line of sight shifted unassumingly to Wang Wenjing’s hand resting on Xie Ran’s shoulder, then slowly drifted away as his lips parted slightly and relaxed.
No one knew the inner emotions churning within Jiang Xu at this moment. He had always been taciturn and aloof, and he never cared excessively about being left out in the cold.
“Jiang Xu, do you have anything to do right now?” Xie Ran issued an invitation. “How about we stroll around the sports field together?”
Hearing this, Wang Wenjing wore a hesitant expression beside them.
Xie Ran’s gaze swept past the camera in Jiang Xu’s hand once more. “Seeing you hold a camera, you must have come here to take pictures, right? I happen to have time, and I can snap a couple for you.”
He praised himself with full confidence: “My skills are top-notch.”
All of that was just an excuse; his hands were simply itching to test what the performance of the white-moonlight lens was actually like.
Jiang Xu lowered his head to look at the camera in his hand, then raised his eyes to gaze at Xie Ran. The latter’s eyes were filled with undisguised surprise and eagerness, seemingly harboring intense interest in the lens.
Wanting to take pictures of him was fake; wanting to touch the lens was real.
A man’s words could not be trusted.
“Alright.” Yet he still agreed to it in the end.
He handed the camera in his hand over to Xie Ran, who received it gingerly and cradled it in his palms, carefully running his fingers over the lens.
The feel was nice and carried a good weight. In terms of appearance, it was the treasure lens of Xie Ran’s dreams.
Mainly, he still needed to open up the settings and test the lens to see how the performance was, and whether it could live up to his anticipated expectations.
“Jiang Xu,” Xie Ran said, pointing at the empty patch of grass nearby. “Stand over that way.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xu took two steps backward.
Xie Ran adjusted the parameters, raised the camera, framed the shot, avoided the crowds on the sports field, and made the subject occupy the entire viewfinder.
He pressed the shutter button.
“Click.”
The photograph materialized on the screen.
Xie Ran lowered his head to check the result, a flash of astonishment crossing his clear, black-and-white eyes.
He had photographed plenty of people amidst all sorts of scenic backgrounds, and every single photo required post-processing, light filling, and flaw removal. Yet this particular shot featured no breathtaking or gorgeous scenery, possessing only a plain, unremarkable background and a face that looked like it was sculpted by Goddess Nüwa herself.
Every single strand of Jiang Xu’s hair came with its own halo filter, and the youth’s cool, sharp aura rushed forward to meet the viewer.
Wang Wenjing leaned in from the side, took a look at the photo, and let out an exclamation: “So handsome? It looks like he has a girlfriend for every single strand of hair. Truly a double reduction on three sets, handsome to a T.”
“…” Xie Ran could not help laughing.
He immediately raised his head to look at the model not far away. “Jiang Xu, it is done. Do you want to take a look?”
Jiang Xu stepped forward and took the camera handed over by Xie Ran.
His gaze swept quickly over the photo inside.
Clean, tidy, and with clear composition, it screamed professional photographer.
He spoke up to say: “Shot very well.”
Xie Ran smiled with his eyes narrowed: “Good camera performance, even better model.”
This made him even more determined in his desire to buy this camera model.
A person could never settle in this lifetime.
Even if he hadn’t done thorough research on other camera models and lacked a comprehensive understanding of them, and perhaps better alternatives existed, everyone’s aesthetic tastes, thoughts, and preferences differed.
As far as Xie Ran was concerned, he preferred the image quality and filters of this specific camera. As the saying goes, it was love at first sight, and once his heart fluttered, he could no longer fancy anything else.
Even if the object of his affection happened to be a person, it was no exception.
Too bad he was broke right now.
Thinking about how he was the exact same age of twenty, yet Jiang Xu had already achieved financial freedom.
As for him, well, better not talk about it.
The three of them walked together along the sports field, and their head-turning rate skyrocketed straight upward.
For the first time, Wang Wenjing felt that Jiang Xu’s reputation wasn’t exaggerated forum hype, and that it was truly the real deal.
They didn’t linger too long on the sports field, making one full circle before hurrying toward the gymnasium.
Jiang Xu parted ways with the two of them. Xie Ran’s eyes remained fixed on the lens in the other person’s hand, revealing a trace of fondness.
Wang Wenjing withdrew his gaze and scrutinized Xie Ran, causing the latter to feel a creep-crawly sensation from being stared at.
“What are you doing?”
Wang Wenjing crossed his arms. “Didn’t you say you weren’t close with Jiang Xu?”
Xie Ran looked innocent. “We really aren’t close.”
Wang Wenjing refused to believe it. “If you aren’t close, you can still chat? And stroll around the sports field?”
He was someone who frequented major university forums all year round and knew plenty of rumors concerning Jiang Xu.
Word had it that this campus hunk from Capital University visited the sports field a pitifully small number of times. Aside from the lab, he could only be seen in classrooms, occasionally going to the library to consult reference materials. Most of the time he was a loner, and the number of people who could actually strike up a conversation with him was exceptionally low.
There had once been people who wanted to proactively strike up a conversation with Jiang Xu, but unfortunately the other person didn’t even have time to pay attention to them.
There were also people who sneaked into Jiang Xu’s classroom to audit classes or went to gatherings hosted by his friends, only to discover that he really was cold and spoke very little.
Wanting to talk to Jiang Xu required high psychological endurance and a steady mindset, because there was a very high chance you would just be talking to yourself.
Such an unsociable person, and yet he strolled around the sports field with them today.
Xie Ran clicked his tongue. “Is strolling around a sports field anything to be shocked about? Jiang Xu is human too.”
The other person wasn’t as aloof as the rumors made him out to be either. The last time he joked that gender shouldn’t be restricted so rigidly, the guy had calmly caught the joke without exposing him.
Wang Wenjing said: “Jiang Xu is not an ordinary person.”
After a whole walk around, Jiang Xu hadn’t even thought about paying attention to him once.
His gaze toward him had been extremely cold.
Only when Xie Ran spoke would he listen with a bit of extra seriousness.
Xie Ran rubbed his chin and said: “Maybe he wants to be friends with me?”
Wang Wenjing fell silent.
He sized Xie Ran up from head to toe.
His childhood friend possessed outstanding looks, red lips and white teeth, and a tall, slender physique.
Even straight men couldn’t help praising the guy for having long, straight, slender legs, clean fair skin, and delicate facial features.
If Jiang Xu really was gay as the rumors claimed, and the two of them happened to be roommates, then Xie Ran’s virtue was in jeopardy.
Wanting to be friends was fake; having alternative motives was real.