After a full day of taking pictures, the sister's 16GB phone had started to lag.

“I can’t wait to post these right now. You’re my big surprise of the year.” The sister scrolled back and forth through the photos she’d taken on her phone, saying, “If it hadn’t gotten too dark to shoot, I bet your Brother Di would have kept going. He hasn’t photographed anyone like this in a long time.”

She chattered excitedly from the front passenger seat, while the two kids in the back seat silently looked out their respective windows.

Miao Jiayan had been freezing all day, and even after putting his clothes back on, he hadn't warmed up yet and was still shivering slightly. The car hadn’t entered the city yet. It was pitch black outside the windows, and occasionally they would pass a small village with scattered lights twinkling like stars.

Such small villages reminded Miao Jiayan of home. At this time, his grandparents would probably be watching the news.

“You’re pretty amazing too, handsome. You’re very photogenic.” The sister zoomed in on a photo. She had been far away, so she could only capture a blurry image of Chen Chao pulling Miao Jiayan’s hand to stand up. The curve of Chen Chao’s raised arm, the bend of his knee—his entire body was stretched out in a strong and handsome way.

Miao Jiayan wanted to see the photo, but he didn't dare.

He had been flustered ever since the photoshoot ended, his heart beating fast. Since Chen Chao didn't say a word, Miao Jiayan didn't dare to speak either. It was as if all his courage had been used up during this day of photography.

The sister was already engrossed in the photos, with no time to notice whether the two of them were talking or not.

Brother Di was exceptionally enthusiastic tonight. During dinner, he took the initiative to sit next to Miao Jiayan. The sister teased him, saying to Chen Chao, “Look how pragmatic your Brother Di is.”

Brother Di was clearly much friendlier to Miao Jiayan than he had been the past two days. At the four-person table, he sat next to Miao Jiayan, and the sister sat next to Chen Chao.

After ordering, Brother Di asked Miao Jiayan, “Is there anything else you want to eat?”

Miao Jiayan thought to himself, 'I don’t want to eat anything else, I just want you to move back and give me Brother Chao back.'

“When does your school start?” Brother Di asked.

Miao Jiayan said, “March first.”

Brother Di silently calculated the time. The sister asked, “You still want to shoot him?”

“We could do one more shoot back home,” Brother Di said.

The sister jabbed at him, “Wasn’t he lacking in spirit? You want to go back and find a flower market to shoot him in ragged clothes?”

Brother Di ignored her and asked Miao Jiayan, “Will you have time when you get back?”

Miao Jiayan was about to say yes, but he stopped himself just before speaking and looked at Chen Chao.

Chen Chao asked, “Shoot what?”

Brother Di said, “A snow scene.”

“Shooting a snow scene like today?” Chen Chao thought of the cold arm wrapped around his shoulder during the day, and the trembling knee pressed against his. He said, “If you go back and make him shoot barefoot again, he’ll really get sick.”

The sister laughed, “Haha,” and said, “Aww, our handsome young man is feeling protective.”

Miao Jiayan stared at her, his gaze intense. The sister didn’t understand what he meant and thought Miao Jiayan was just shy. In truth, Miao Jiayan wanted her to stop talking.

Chen Chao didn’t respond to that. Brother Di said, “We’ll shoot with snow boots on.”

“Pay up,” Chen Chao said.

This time, both Brother Di and the sister laughed. The sister laughed so hard she slumped onto the table, saying, “I really have to hand it to you.”

Since they could stay in the city here, there was naturally no need to put up with staying at the base anymore.

During the day, the sister had taken it upon herself to book a room for the two of them. It was unclear whether rooms were limited or the sister was being overly “thoughtful,” but she had booked them a room with a king-sized bed.

Miao Jiayan was stunned the moment he pushed open the door. He quickly turned around to call for someone, but everyone had already gone back to their own rooms.

“It’s fine. This will do.” Chen Chao walked in with his bag and put his backpack on a chair.

“You won’t sleep well.” Miao Jiayan frowned slightly. Chen Chao didn’t like sleeping with other people; Miao Jiayan always remembered that.

“I’m not that fussy.” Chen Chao took off his jacket. He was exhausted after the long day and just wanted to shower and sleep.

Miao Jiayan could only hesitate before closing the door.

The two of them showered separately. Miao Jiayan washed his clothes as he did every day, then came out after blow-drying his hair.

Chen Chao was already asleep.

Miao Jiayan quietly hung up his clothes, turned off the lights, and, guided by the glow of the emergency exit sign, gently settled onto the empty side of the bed.

Chen Chao’s breathing was even and steady, which felt very reassuring.

Miao Jiayan tied his hair up on top of his head, afraid it would come loose while he slept and brush against Chen Chao’s face. After lying down, he didn't do anything else, obediently occupying his own small space, his hands crossed over his stomach.

The air conditioner was on in the room, and the air blowing on his face was uncomfortable. Miao Jiayan couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Finally, he had no choice but to turn on his side, burying half his face in the quilt. This way, his hands could no longer be crossed as before. After a long while, Miao Jiayan held the edge of the quilt with one hand, while the other quietly reached out, fumbling gently and slowly under the covers until it finally touched Chen Chao's fingertips.

Miao Jiayan even softened his breathing, as if he were nervous, or perhaps afraid of waking Chen Chao.

His fingers curled forward slightly. He gently held Chen Chao’s pinky knuckle between his thumb and forefinger, letting it rest on the pad of his own finger.

Chen Chao’s hands were very nice to look at. Miao Jiayan had always loved watching him write. When he wrote, a few veins on the back of his hand would stand out, creating an indescribable handsomeness.

Back then, Miao Jiayan didn't understand that the handsomeness he couldn't describe was called “sexy.”

Miao Jiayan was satisfied just touching his fingertips like this for a moment. It wasn't even a full minute before he gently pulled his hand back.

Chen Chao never woke up. Miao Jiayan, having secretly done something out of line for a short while, contentedly nuzzled his pillow, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

Miao Jiayan was a still sleeper; he barely moved all night.

Chen Chao slept soundly. At one point during the night, an arm flopped over and hit Miao Jiayan, waking him up. He opened his eyes, took two seconds to react, then lifted Chen Chao’s arm off his chest and went back to sleep.

The contract originally stipulated only four sets of photos, but they had actually shot far more than that. Miao Jiayan didn’t understand these things, and Chen Chao didn't fuss too much about it. Since they were already here, shooting a few extra sets wasn't a big deal. Over ten thousand yuan was not a small amount, so Miao Jiayan wasn't getting a raw deal.

Over the past few days, Miao Jiayan must have changed into dozens of outfits of all kinds. For two days in the middle, it wasn't even Brother Di shooting; a younger photographer took over. He wasn't as demanding as Brother Di, so Miao Jiayan just had to strike a few simple poses.

Chen Chao watched Miao Jiayan change into five different outfits in one morning and asked, “Are you selling clothes too?”

The sister knew Chen Chao must have guessed. She didn't lie to him and said honestly, “They’re for my friend's shop.”

“The photos are for them to use?” Chen Chao asked.

“Mhm,” the sister smiled. “Do you want to add more money? But I have to remind you, the contract this time didn't forbid use for online shops.”

Chen Chao frowned and said, “I guessed it the first day when I saw your car full of clothes. Couldn't you have just said so directly? Why did you have to beat around the bush and try to fool people?”

“I wasn't trying to fool you.” She didn't mind Chen Chao's harsh tone. “I didn't lowball your price; when you asked for double, I gave it to you. But you also have to consider it from my perspective. Over twenty thousand for one shoot is too high a cost for me; I can't make a profit. I didn’t skim anything off the extra money, I gave it all to you.”

Chen Chao watched Miao Jiayan being mechanically photographed over and over, and he wanted to go over and pull him away.

But in the end, he stayed where he was. He looked over at the woman and said, “You could have been upfront from the beginning. He trusts you a lot, so don’t scam him.”

“I really never intended to scam you,” the woman said to Chen Chao earnestly. “I’ve been in this business for many years, and I didn’t build it by ripping people off.”

“Then you don't need to tell me that. He's doing one photoshoot for you. Just don’t have him selling flowers for you today, clothes for your friend tomorrow, necklaces for someone else the day after, and then hair ties and shampoo the day after that.” Chen Chao was clearly upset now, his expression cold and indifferent.

“I won’t. I plan on using Yanyan regularly. Even if you asked me to do something like that, I wouldn’t.” The sister handed him a bottle of water. “Calm down, handsome.”

Chen Chao took it, had a sip, and said no more.

“You two really complement each other, in every aspect,” the sister said after a moment.

Chen Chao didn’t want to talk right now. He pulled over a chair, sat down, and didn't respond.

Miao Jiayan finished his photos and came over. The sister said to him, “Your brother is angry with me. Quick, help me coax him.”

“Hm?” Miao Jiayan quickly looked down at Chen Chao and asked him, “What’s wrong, Brother Chao?”

Chen Chao asked, “Are we done for today? Is there more?”

“Just a few more sets, and then we can leave,” the sister said quickly.

“The photographer went to the restroom. We can rest for a bit.” Miao Jiayan squatted down close to Chen Chao’s leg, saying, “I’m a little tired today.”

Between the two kids, Chen Chao was clearly the harder one to deal with. Miao Jiayan listened to everything he said. When he got angry and the mood turned heavy, Miao Jiayan would also fall silent.

The sister didn't know whether to laugh or cry. “Are you really that angry?”

Chen Chao wasn't actually that angry. He just didn't want to let the matter slide so easily, otherwise there would be a next time.

Although modeling for flower photos and clothing photos were both still modeling, there was a difference. They weren't the same thing. If he tacitly agreed this time, it was likely that every photo taken in the future would be used to sell clothes.

Miao Jiayan seemed to have a built-in radar for Chen Chao. He could sense that Chen Chao was unhappy; he had always been sensitive in this regard.

He instinctively wanted to coax him. He squatted there, placed both hands on Chen Chao’s knees, propped his chin on them, and looked up to speak to Chen Chao, like a small child, or a puppy.

Chen Chao thought he was being silly, so he cupped his hand over his face and pushed him down.

Miao Jiayan just rested his chin on his knees again. Chen Chao looked at him and said, “Like a little fool.”