Zongyou Collective Recall, Lively Apartment

The photography assignment for the mini-term was actually quite important, especially for lazy students.

All the photos taken had to be guaranteed as unedited originals.

No use of Photoshop (PS) or similar software for adjustments or modifications was allowed.

If any traces of PS were found, the student would be required to retake the photos, which would also affect their final grade.

Simply put:

You could take photos that weren’t aesthetically pleasing, but they absolutely had to be authentic.

The grading focus was on composition, proportions, and the use of lighting.

Aesthetic appeal was secondary.

Each photo also needed to include a record of the shooting time, as well as data like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings.

Because aesthetic tastes naturally varied among students,

the academic approach was more about testing whether students had the skills to operate photography equipment and lighting properly.

This was practically a blessing for lazy people!

The assignment was almost pressure-free to complete.

Lin Yu took Da Xiao Chi around, moving through several shooting locations.

He took three sets of photos of each of them individually.

Then, he had the two sisters pose together for two more sets.

Five sets in total, each containing ten photos.

Out of the fifty photos, sixteen would be selected as the mini-term submission.

To appear more serious,

Lin Yu deliberately extended the shooting time, finishing around 6:30 PM.

If he had wanted, he could have cut the time by at least half.

Taking a little longer also left some time for his “partners” to prepare dinner.

By the time the shoot ended, Lin Yu still hadn’t heard from Aunt Qimeng or anyone else in the apartment.

This meant they were planning a surprise for him.

Naturally, Lin Yu had to play along, pretending to be completely unaware.

On the way back,

Lin Yu handed the camera over to the two sisters so they could check the sample shots.

No matter which photos they chose to submit for the assignment, Lin Yu was very confident.

His photography skills didn’t need to rely on filler shots.

Every single photo was a perfect work in terms of angle, lighting, and camera settings.

Because of Shi Yanhai’s interference, Chi Qingshui, who was supposed to be the first to be photographed,

was forced to become the model after Little Chi.

As a result,

Chi Qingshui missed out on being “the first girl in Lin Yu’s camera.”

She felt a little upset about this.

She was the guilty party but couldn’t show it.

However, when the camera was handed to her to inspect the photos,

photo number 0001 was surprisingly still her!

It was a close-up shot taken before Lin Yu made any adjustments.

Chi Qingshui looked at Lin Yu in surprise.

She noticed that Lin Yu was also watching her reaction closely.

But after seeing photo 0001, Lin Yu quickly looked away,

acting a bit coy, seemingly still jealous over what had happened earlier that afternoon.

Chi Qingshui bit her lip and gave a barely noticeable smile.

Oh, come on.

He secretly took the first shot.

And when photographing Little Chi, he deliberately told her to perform well to give the camera a good start.

Such a hypocritical “bad guy.”

[ Ding! ]

[ Masterful move! The Saint’s jealousy and concern have deeply warmed the heart of the Archive Pavilion Elder! ]

[ Reward: 50 Spirit Stones ]

[ Ding! ]

【Brilliant move! The Crown Prince’s exquisite skills left the Bell Keeper of the Joyous Sect deeply impressed!】

【Reward: 20 Spirit Stones】

Little Chi’s concerns were completely different from her sister’s.

Watching her sister turn the dial, flipping through photo after photo.

Chi Qingchi’s eyes gradually lit up…

“Wow!!”

“Xiao Lin, have you gotten so good at photography class?”

“Did you secretly learn on your own?”

Before seeing Lin Yu’s photos,

Chi Qingchi had been absolutely convinced that the best photographer in the class was her sister.

Using the school’s outdated photography equipment, her sister’s photos had even been published in local Pingchuan photography magazines.

Her sister was the best!

But to her surprise,

Lin Yu was the true hidden master.

Today’s lighting was far from ideal—no bright sun after the rain,

and they didn’t even have a fill light, only a small reflector.

Yet Lin Yu managed to take such stunning shots!

How could Little Chi not be amazed?

“Secret lessons? Little Chi, don’t put it like that.”

“Actually, I have to thank your sister.”

“If it weren’t for her notes in the photography book, I wouldn’t have learned those theoretical poses that school never taught.”

“I learned all of it from your sister!”

Chi Qingshui: “!!!”

Hearing Lin Yu mention her, Chi Qingshui felt a warm glow inside.

She quickly added,

“Theory is just theory. It’s your understanding that’s strong, which lets you put it into practice.”

“Looks like this time we… might actually get a good grade together.”

Seems Lin Yu’s attitude isn’t so small after all.

Tonight, I’ll find a chance to talk things through clearly with him, and everything will be fine.

But the two sisters were not Lin Yu.

They didn’t understand the deeper meaning behind his words.

Lin Yu truly learned the skill of 【Red Dust Cinema】 from Da Chi!

…

The three of them returned to the apartment.

Before they even stepped inside, Lin Yu heard lively noises coming from the first floor.

Five people? Seven people?

More than that!

How many people came tonight?

The three original residents of the apartment were still outside…

How could there be such a ruckus on the first floor?

How many people did Aunt Qimeng secretly invite?

It wasn’t just the apartment residents, was it?

The moment they pushed open the apartment door,

Chi Qingchi instantly perked up:

“Wow! Smells amazing! It’s a feast!”

“Huh? So many people, what’s everyone doing here…”

Halfway through her sentence, Little Chi froze on the spot.

Chi Qingshui was equally stunned by the scene.

The small dining room simply couldn’t hold so many people.

So,

Chen Qimeng and everyone moved the dining table out,

and pieced together a long table on the side,

just enough to accommodate the crowd.

Though the connection between the long table and the dining table wasn’t perfectly neat,

at a moment like this,

who cared about such details?

The warm atmosphere genuinely moved Lin Yu.

Especially seeing Shen Jiuyi, Huang Feirong, Chang Xiaoxiao, Fang Xinran…

This was truly a big day to gather all the lost sect members back to the Joyous Sect!

“Xiao Yu, Little Chi, this is a special celebration feast prepared just for your gold award!”

“These two must be the twin sisters living in the apartment—wow, such beautiful young ladies!”

“Which one’s the older sister, which one’s the younger? I can’t tell at all!”

"Xiaoyu, Little Chi, welcome back! Congratulations on winning the award!"

"Qingshui, Qingchi, you two... huh? Which one is which?"

"......"

Seeing the three of them return, the apartment buzzed with excitement, reaching a whole new level.

……

(Today's first update! There will be more chapters tonight, so I hope everyone can keep supporting with lots of love and energy!)