It snowed for three consecutive days in the imperial capital.
Thick and dense snowflakes covered the sky and covered the sun, dyeing this colorful city into pure white, the unclear snow covered the ankles, and the north wind was wrapped in ice particles and scraped on the face like a knife.
No one likes to be outside on a day like this, but there are always neurotic exceptions.
Tao Zhi sat in front of the tripod, watching the camera lens of a couple wearing tube top wedding dresses and white shirts standing in the snow and arguing for ten minutes.
Also barefoot.
In the red wall and white snow, the fairy-like little girl stood barefoot in the snow in a red dress, as beautiful as a winter elf who had fallen into the mortal world.
It’s just that the words that are spoken are not very beautiful: "I am rich and beautiful, and I don’t want to marry you. You don’t even listen to me for a wedding photo now, do you? I only fell in love with you because I have farts in my eyes." !I just thought, what’s wrong with filming like this? Just listen to what I say, why do you care about me?”
The man had a headache. He glanced at Tao Zhi, who was supporting his head, and the embarrassed assistant next to her, and lowered his voice: "Can you stop making trouble? So many people are watching, don't you think it's embarrassing?"
"You think I'm ashamed now? You used to say that I'm so frank and cute!"
"You were eighteen then! You're almost twenty-eight now! Can you be a little more mature?"
"I just want you to cooperate with me to take a picture, so immature? Are you speaking human words!"
"Okay, you're almost done! Do you want to take this photo!" the man asked patiently.
"Take a few shots! Let's! Don't fucking end the marriage! Break up! Go find a mature one!"
The woman got angry and couldn't hold it back. She turned her head and looked at Tao Zhi: "You let people judge me, am I asking too much? I just want to take a shot of you kneeling down and kissing my feet, what? Are your knees inlaid with gold or your mouth with diamonds? I hired such an expensive photographer just to take the most perfect photos! Now you are not willing to cooperate with me, am I wrong?"
The flames of war spread to her inexplicably, Tao Zhi raised her eyes slowly, she leaned on the folding chair, and suggested patiently: "Why don't you put on your shoes first? It's so cold, feet They're all frozen red."
The woman stared at her for a few seconds, seemingly not knowing what to say, and finally said "thank you" stiffly.
Tao Zhi turned off the camera, folded the tripod, put away the accessories and stuffed it into the bag and handed it to the assistant, then pointed to the cafe in front: "I'll have a cup of coffee there to keep you warm, you can negotiate with the client, and call me if you have a quarrel." , at most an hour, and then the night light will not work, and the effect will not be shot."
The assistant Xiaojin nodded, and walked over tremblingly with her neck shrunk.
Tao Zhi walked into the cafe unsteadily.
She ordered a cup of coffee, took out the computer and turned on PS and LR to process yesterday's photos.
The heating cut off the icy and snowy land outside, and the thin sunlight faintly fell in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, and was suddenly blocked by a figure.
A clear and pleasant boy rang beside her: "Hello, would you mind giving me your contact information?"
Tao Zhi didn't raise his head, and said skillfully, "Mind you."
The man smiled and didn't leave. Tao Zhi caught a glimpse of him sitting down opposite her.
Still sitting down
What's wrong with this man.
She frowned, raised her head and looked over. This man was wearing a camel coat and looked handsome, looking at her with a smile.
Tao Zhi blinked: "Xiao Linzi?"
"Ruqing, you didn't even give me your old classmate's phone number when you asked for it?" Lin Suyan said sadly, "I thought I would have some special treatment, but I overthink it."
Tao Zhi looked at him amusedly: "What contact information do you want for me? You already have a WeChat phone number, do you want QQ?"
"That's fine," Lin Suyan followed suit and took out his mobile phone. "Nowadays young people use penguins."
Tao Zhi rolled his eyes.
She had a farewell meal with Lin Suyan after the college entrance examination. At that time, he was still a slender, sensitive and fragile boy. He cried and said that he didn't know who the next time we would meet was He Xi. But when the results of the college entrance examination came out, they reported to the school that day. The C major newspaper bumped heads everywhere, and the university stayed in the same school for another four years.
Tao Zhi studied film and Lin Suyan studied finance. After graduation, he went to the UK to study for a master's degree for a year, and only returned to China some time ago.
When he applied for this major back then, Tao Zhi thought it was a novelty. Lin Suyan’s family is considered to be a scholarly family. The family is an artist, teacher, and university professor, but his biggest goal since he was a child is to play with RMB in the palm of his hand.
When he was in college, he said more than once that if Tao Zhi was his daughter, his father would probably be so happy that he would tie himself up to Tianhou and fly up into the sky.
The two hadn't seen each other for more than a year, and there was a lot to talk about. Lin Suyan was always a chatterbox, and after talking about the recent situation, he started to talk about his new boss.
"Graduated from the top undergraduate in China in three years, ranked first in GPA in comprehensive majors, completed a master's degree at Penn University in 9 months, stayed on Wall Street for a year, and published international papers that were thicker than the papers I did in the third year of high school. The annual salary—" He After a pause, he gestured and said, "This number."
Tao Zhi listened to his bragging with a blank face.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Lin Suyan emphasized unwillingly: "This is the annual salary! And can you believe it, this person is the same age as me, he probably doesn't sleep a day, and his brain is working 24 hours a day."
Tao Zhi's expression remained unchanged.
Lin Suyan's hands were sore, and after a long time, he put down his hands and sighed, a little lonely and no one to cheer him up: "I almost forgot, you are Zhou Zhiruo who lacks lust."
Tao Zhi couldn't bear his silence, so he decided to chat with him: "It's Quasimodo."
Lin Suyan: "He's really handsome, trust me."
"200 catties?"
"The figure is better than that of a boxing champion." Lin Suyan said exaggeratedly.
"That is indeed 200 catties."
"..."
Lin Suyan sighed again, and made a final conclusion: "You are finished, you have become a fairy."
After chatting all over the place for a while, the doorbell of the cafe rang. Xiao Jin stood at the door of the shop with a big bag and looked around, and saw Tao Zhi.
The little girl ran over huffing and puffing, and put the bag on the empty chair next to her: "The client said that we won't be shooting today, so let me say sorry to you, but the money will still be paid according to the films that have been shot today, and then I will add more money to you." 5% compensation fee."
Tao Zhi closed the computer with a "click" and said happily, "Okay, get off work."
Lin Suyan looked downcastly at her packing up her things cheerfully: "Men don't get off work to make you happy."
"What are men?" Tao Zhi looked at him suspiciously. "I'm surprised. You like being a matchmaker so much. You've graduated from college, so what are you doing in finance? Tomorrow, you'll change your career to work in a dating agency." Got it."
"I don't like being a matchmaker, but I like being a matchmaker for you," Lin Suyan said, propping her chin, "I just want to know how you are in love."
Tao Zhi waved his hand, turned and walked out: "Then think about it, I'm going home to sleep."
Xiao Jin picked up the big bag from the table, looked at Tao Zhi who had gone out, quickly bowed to Lin Suyan, said goodbye in a low voice, and ran out after him.
"She wants to feel like a fairy, a peony elf in the snow," Tao Zhi said with his mobile phone tucked between his shoulders, stuffing a milk cup into the microwave, "her fiancé is an ordinary person who strayed into a fairyland, and worships the fairy Under my feet that are red from the cold, I am really convinced that I can quarrel just because of such a stupid thing."
On the other end of the phone, Fu Xiling laughed so hard: "Didn't you just say that this job is troublesome before, or you just lowered yourself and accepted it."
"They give you a lot of money," Tao Zhi said, leaning against Nakajima's stage. "The one who gives the money is my father. Who cares about the renminbi."
Fu Xiling: "You are not short of money, you are a talented girl in photography."
Tao Zhi counted with his fingers, she was not considered a girl at this age, but she still accepted the title very smoothly and with satisfaction.
"I have to save some money for our Lingling, and I will make a big bag for you." Tao Zhi brought out the warmed milk and said with a smile, "Do you work overtime tonight?"
"No!" Fu Xiling's voice suddenly brightened, and she whispered, "Our editor-in-chief is on a business trip today, and everyone is slacking off. I'll leave after sorting out the materials in hand."
Fu Xiling studied journalism at university and worked as a reporter for a newspaper office. She worked overtime from morning to night and from day to night. In her words, a rookie reporter is only worthy of doing the most work with the least salary.
And did it without complaint.
As big as a gas leak and explosion, as small as the loss of a dog at Grandma Liu Cuifang's house next door, she happily walked around the streets to report and report.
After hanging up the phone, Tao Zhi drank the milk, threw the cup into the sink, turned and walked into the digital darkroom.
After graduating from university, she rented this house with Fu Xiling and moved out of the house. The community has only been newly built for a few years, and there is no fault in the security environment.
The house has three rooms, and she pays the bulk of the rent, so she converted the extra room into a darkroom for developing photos.
Pushing the door open, it was pitch dark, only a small red lamp was shining faintly. Tao Zhi took advantage of the dim light to glance at the rows of photos hanging on the wall. Lin Suyan took the arranged route.
She suddenly felt a little strange.
When she was choosing a major, the class teacher recommended that she choose science and engineering or law as a major. Tao Xiuping also hoped that she would study financial management so that she could help the company in the future. , eager to learn photography.
She has never had an art test, and she has not taken the school test, so she has no way to choose a major in photography, and finally chose film studies with photography-related courses.
She has never played with a camera before, but she has always liked watching movies. No one can tell clearly about the trajectory of her life. Even she herself, even at the moment when she made the decision, never thought that she would become a photographer in the future. division.
Photos are an amazing thing.
It is always loyal to the facts and will not deceive anyone. It can record the past and engrave the time.
happy, sad, hate, like.
Even if it turns yellow and fades, at the first glance, those memories will be spliced and combined like fragments, and then re-emerged in my mind.
Tao Zhi always felt that she was just a whim. Until her sophomore year, she submitted a photo to the National Geographic Global Photography Competition in the United States, and won the first prize in the local category in the Chinese division. It caused quite a reaction.
Only then did she feel that she could go on this road.
Tao Zhi stayed in the darkroom for the whole afternoon, not knowing the time when she was inside, and it was not until she finally finished her work and came out that she realized that night had begun to fall.
On the next Saturday, Fu Xiling asked Tao Zhi and Li Shuangjiang to make an appointment for dinner. After work, everyone had their own affairs to be busy, and the time to get together was getting less and less. It is already a luxury to have a meal together at all times.
Tao Zhi washed his hands, went back to his room to touch up his makeup, changed his clothes and went out, and was the last one when he arrived at the Japanese grocery store he had made an appointment with.
Fortunately, after knowing each other for so many years, everyone has already gotten used to her late arrival. When Tao Zhi opened the door of the box, the people inside had already had a drink.
Zhao Mingqi studied sports medicine at university, and Jiang Zhengxun followed his own plan to make plans. Both of them didn't come because of work. Li Shuangjiang hardly changed from high school, and saw her pulling her neck and shouting "boss".
After the small pot of sake was scalded, it warmed the stomach, Tao Zhi only drank a small cup, and honestly ate sashimi and sukiyaki.
Since the party when she graduated from high school five years ago, she has rarely drank alcohol. Everyone knows her habit, so they don't persuade her.
This Japanese grocery store is located in a remote location with high-end decoration. It occupies a single small building with three floors, individual customers on the first floor, and small private rooms on the second and third floors. Each private room has its own toilet and bathroom. A small balcony.
The floor heating in the store was adequate, and Tao Zhi felt a little stuffy after drinking for three rounds, so he got up and went to the small balcony to get some air.
The moment the wooden sliding door is opened, the cold night wind blows in, vermilion lanterns are hung on both ends of the small balcony, on which are exquisitely depicted Japanese singers in gorgeous kimonos, with red lips, white face, and raised eyebrows. .
Tao Zhi leaned against the wooden railing and looked up.
This area is almost all low and single buildings with a few storeys high, with a wide view and a panoramic view. In the distance in the thick fog, there are rows of high-rise buildings, and the lights are dim in the night fog.
Tao Zhi took a deep breath, the cold air poured into her lungs, she woke up awake, stood for a while, and was about to turn around and go in.
The door of another box next door was pulled open with a "crash", and a man walked out from inside.
Tao Zhi glanced over subconsciously.
The man didn't wear a coat, only a black sweater on his body. He knocked out a cigarette from the cigarette case and bit it in his mouth.
The flint of the lighter rubbed against each other, making a slight sound.
He raised his hand slightly, his slender fingers held the flames and ignited, a scarlet gleam flickered on and off between his fingers, the man raised his head slightly, his neckline was stretched slender, his sharp Adam's apple rolled, silky Wisps of gray-white smoke floated in the night sky.
He rested his forearm on the wooden railing, lowered his eyes, and looked indifferent.
The wooden door perfectly cut off the noise in the box, but Tao Zhi felt that the night in front of him seemed to be boiling and burning.
Maybe it was because she stared for too long, or maybe it was because there was no one else in the quiet space except him and her, Jiang Qihuai suddenly raised his eyes and turned his head.
The four eyes are facing each other.
Tao Zhi felt like a marionette on the stage, his mind stopped thinking, his hands and feet were bound by steel wires and nailed in place, unable to move.
She breathed out calmly, exerted all her strength to control her voice, and said softly, "What a coincidence."
Jiang Qihuai's peach-blossom eyes were deep, showing an illusion-like rich black under the dim red light, he just looked at her like this, as if he was looking at something else through her, and seemed to be just looking at her.
After what seemed like a century, he finally drooped his eyelashes, and the corners of his lips twitched.
The icy-like voice has also lost its green and clean youthful air after the precipitation of time, and said slowly and lowly, with a slight hoarseness: "Well, what a coincidence."