Chapter 35

"Beita put on the life jacket, smiled at Shu Ke, and at this moment, the water in the tank was almost full. Beita looked at his beloved tank with reluctance, opened the hatch, and Shu Ke and Beita climbed out of the tank, swam upward, and poked their heads out of the water..."

The boy who had just shouted to Jiao Keli was of course Liu Jinting. At this moment, he was sitting in Mr. Jiao's seat, telling a story to the frightened girl in as gentle a tone as possible.

Jiao Keli leaned against her mother's chest, head down, listening quietly. She did not raise her head to look at Liu Jinting once, as if the storyteller was just a radio.

"The cats around the pond were all watching the commotion. They saw Shu Ke and Beita and called out. Several cats ran to fetch a large fishing net and covered Shu Ke and Beita with it."

When Liu Jinting got to this point, Jiao Keli finally raised her head, her clear eyes showing some tension, and she gripped her mother's hands even tighter.

Mrs. Jiao quickly added, "Shu Ke and Beita won't be in danger, right?" She gave Liu Jinting a meaningful look.

Liu Jinting nodded very seriously and said, "The cats in this kingdom have never seen mice before. They were very friendly to Shu Ke and Beita and even helped Beita retrieve his tank."

...

The flight from Jianghai to Guilin took only a little over two hours. Liu Jinting almost finished telling the tenth chapter of the story right after the turbulence subsided. When the flight attendant announced that the plane was about to land, Liu Jinting had just finished a chapter, his mouth being faster than his hands.

"Thank you very much, really, thank you," Mrs. Jiao said sincerely, and she took out a few hundred yuan from her bag and handed it to Liu Jinting, "I didn't bring any gifts, so take this money and buy something nice in Guilin."

Liu Jinting smiled slightly and waved his hand, "Our teacher taught us that doing good deeds should not be for the sake of reward." Liu Jinting naturally did not think it was inappropriate for the mother to give him money, because sincerity cannot be faked. In the end, it's just a matter of a parent's love for their child.

"When school starts, we will write an essay, 'An Event During the Summer Vacation.' If I take your money, my essay will get a zero, and the other students will laugh at me. Goodbye."

Since they treated him as an innocent middle school student, he decided to play along.

"Okay, goodbye," Mrs. Jiao suddenly realized something and looked down at her daughter, "Say goodbye to the big brother, darling."

"Goodbye, darling," Jiao Keli said without any emotion.

"She doesn't like to talk much," Mr. Jiao explained with a smile.

"That's fine," Liu Jinting smiled brightly.

...

Qianhong Company booked a hotel in Yangshuo's West Street, as almost all travel guides praise the night view of West Street in Guilin.

"Guilin has no tall buildings," Lu Yichou led the group to the hotel and pointed to a nearby mountain, "because the city is full of beautiful scenery, and they are afraid that tall buildings would block the view."

"It's also related to the geology," Yi Shui'an added softly.

At the back, Mi Hu and Liu Jinting were also talking quietly.

"You told that girl a story for so long, and her parents didn't suspect you at all?"

"First, their attention was all on their daughter, and second, for people who have seen a lot, a smart boy who can recite stories is not suspicious."

"That girl is very pretty, but it seems like..."

Liu Jinting interrupted Mi Hu with a bitter smile, "She probably has some form of autism, making it hard for her to form emotional connections, even with her parents. Sigh."

"Why are you so emotional about it?"

"Hey, I think the Creator sometimes really likes to play with people."

"Shouldn't she have some other extraordinary talents, like in 'Rain Man'?"

"The scene that left the deepest impression on me from that movie wasn't when the brothers went to Las Vegas to gamble, but when Rain Man left on the train. I was torn at that moment."

"How so?"

"Emotionally, I really wanted Rain Man to lift his head and look at his brother through the window, but rationally, I knew that if he did, the movie would fall into a cliché and contradict scientific logic."

"That's the greatness of the movie, I see why you were emotional."

Liu Jinting shrugged and smiled, not continuing the topic.

After a moment of silence, Mi Hu asked, "When the plane encountered turbulence, you were so calm. Isn't this your first time flying?"

"I was pretending," Liu Jinting admitted.

In fact, when the plane encountered turbulence, Liu Jinting felt an immense fear. In such a situation, there was no one to call for help. He even thought it might be a special arrangement to send him back to that world. Thinking about this, he calmed down, but he couldn't explain this to Mi Hu.

According to the company's arrangement, everyone went back to the hotel to drop off their luggage and take a shower, then had dinner together. After dinner, they were free to explore West Street.

"I mainly came here to eat a beer fish," an older writer said with a smile.

...

"Guilin's mountains and waters are the best in the world, and Yangshuo's scenery is the best in Guilin. The night view of West Street should be the best in Yangshuo, right?"

After dinner, as they left the hotel and saw the ancient and elegant street and the lanterns like a dragon, someone couldn't help but praise.

Lu Yichou, who was leading the group, turned to everyone and said, "Form your own groups and go explore."

The group then dispersed.

The girls chattered about buying souvenirs, the boys went to eat snacks, and Qianhong's top male and female writers, Han Shuo and Yi Shui'an, walked side by side on the marble pavement, discussing their experiences as editors.

Newcomers Mi Hu and Liu Jinting naturally formed a duo. When Mi Hu took out a DSLR camera from her backpack, Liu Jinting immediately exclaimed, "So, you really are a rich person. I'm glad we're already friends."

Mi Hu glared at him, "Now I appoint you as my official photographer. Here."

Mi Hu handed the camera to Liu Jinting, who put on a nervous and embarrassed look, "I, I don't know how to use it."

This was true. In college, a roommate was a real DSLR enthusiast. Over two years, he almost taught the roommates about DSLR basics every day, but Liu Jinting still only understood the basics.

"This is an entry-level model, it will automatically adjust the focus. You just need to know how to press the shutter button, and keep your hands steady."

"Keep your hands steady" was the roommate's catchphrase.

So, the two started taking photos while walking, and their conversation went like this:

"Turn your head a bit more, smile naturally, one, two, three!"

"What is this? Do you even know how to take photos? I don't look that fat, do I?"

"No, no, no, no scissors hand!"

"Are you kidding? Double chin, you actually made me have a double chin, and where is my collarbone?"

"This photo makes you look even darker. Oh, Liu Jinting, I really can't believe you."

...

The two continued taking photos and arguing. When they reached a bridge, they met Yi Shui'an and Han Shuo. Liu Jinting, feeling confident, walked up and said, "Strike a pose, I'll take a photo for you."

"You're kidding, right? You've already messed up my photos, and now you want to mess up others'?" Mi Hu rubbed her forehead and walked over, looking at Han Shuo and Yi Shui'an, "This guy has all his talent in writing. His photos are unbearable to look at."

Han Shuo and Yi Shui'an smiled.

Yi Shui'an said, "Han Shuo is a photography expert."

Liu Jinting immediately handed the camera to Han Shuo, "Then please, Mr. Han, take a photo of the lady, or she'll complain for a year."

Mi Hu felt a sudden surge of anger and glared at Liu Jinting, "No need to trouble him."

Han Shuo took the camera, "No problem, a group photo?"

Mi Hu said, "Not with him."

Liu Jinting pouted and pointed to a distant mountain, "Use that mountain as the background."

Han Shuo nodded and gestured for Mi Hu to walk over. Mi Hu felt a wave of annoyance but still walked over and forced a smile at the camera.

Yi Shui'an gently patted Liu Jinting's shoulder, "I have a question for you."

"Ask away, I'm all ears."

Yi Shui'an smiled, "I was just discussing the magazine logo with Han Shuo, and the topic turned to the difference between symbols and symbols. What do you think?"

Liu Jinting thought for a moment, remembering a famous person from another world who had a similar theory, and explained based on his vague memory, "This is a bit abstract. Let me give an example. For instance, Mr. Han Shuo is the symbol of 'Yuan Shang Cao,' but we can't say 'Yuan Shang Cao' is Mr. Han Shuo. That's how I understand it."

Yi Shui'an nodded, "What about symbols?"

"Symbols, let me think," Liu Jinting said, "Symbols are condensed representative things. For example, the pictographic character 'mountain' is a symbol that can represent all mountains."

"So, symbols are reversible, while symbols are not, like a mathematical sufficient and necessary condition?"

"Exactly."

Yi Shui'an nodded in satisfaction, then thought of another question, "Did you go to high school?"

Liu Jinting realized that the concept of "sufficient and necessary conditions" was from high school and explained calmly, "After the middle school exam, I previewed some high school knowledge."

"I see."

...

"What were you talking about?"

Mi Hu and Han Shuo, who had just finished taking photos, walked over.

Liu Jinting said, "I just said that just by looking at how I and Mr. Han hold the camera, you can immediately tell who is better. I admit, my photography talent is almost zero."

"Practice makes perfect."

Han Shuo handed the camera back to Liu Jinting, but Mi Hu intercepted it, "People with his photography skills basically give up on cameras."

Liu Jinting laughed, "That's true." Mi Hu glared at him.

"Let's walk a few hundred meters and turn left. There's a KFC. Let's go eat and chat," Han Shuo suggested.

"Sure."

Yi Shui'an and Han Shuo walked ahead, and Liu Jinting, with a smile, asked to see the photos Han Shuo had taken. Mi Hu angrily said, "They are at least a hundred times better than yours. Don't embarrass yourself."

"So, I need to learn."

Mi Hu, unable to vent her anger, refused and walked ahead.

"Are you mad because I gave the camera to Han Shuo without your permission?"

Mi Hu "hmmphed" and didn't answer, but she vaguely understood why she was angry. He so casually gave away the right to take her photos, and to a male, which made her very unhappy.

Another thing she couldn't understand was that despite Han Shuo's photography skills being hundreds of times better than Liu Jinting's, in terms of adjusting light, choosing angles, and selecting backgrounds, she still preferred Liu Jinting's photos. She couldn't explain it, but there was something extra in those photos.

As Mi Hu was thinking in frustration, Liu Jinting gently patted her shoulder and whispered, "Look, this world isn't just about men and women. Not every interaction between the sexes necessarily leads to a cliché romantic drama."

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