Out of place

When Cheng Boyan led Xiaoxi back to the table with his suspenders, his mother and Xiang Xi were chatting. Xiang Xi looked a little stiff, but he was much more relaxed than before, and it seemed that the conversation was going well.

"Xiaoxi," Cheng Boyan pulled the rope, "take uncle to brother's place."

Holding candy in his hand, Xiaoxi ran to Xiang Xi's side, raised his hand and grabbed Xiang Xi's hand: "Brother!"

"Xiaoxi is so annoying, I found my brother so quickly," Cheng Boyan shook the rope at his grandma, "Look how capable our little sniffer dog is."

"You stupid mouth!" Grandma raised her hand and slapped him on the back.

"Let Li Yan tear him apart when he hears it." Mom gave him a glare.

"She and her husband can't beat me together." Cheng Boyan untied the rope from Xiaoxi's strap and sat beside Xiang Xi.

"Xiaoxi is good." Xiang Xi smiled at Xiaoxi. He is not good at coaxing children. He doesn't know what else to do except Xiaoxi and Xiaoxi. He feels that Xiaoxi is holding his one Hands full of sticky syrup.

"Brother, eat candy!" Xiaoxi raised the candy in his hand and handed it to Xiang Xi's mouth.

Xiang Xi looked at it, lowered his head and bit the candy into his mouth: "Thank you."

Xiaoxi laughed happily and loudly.

"Oh my god," Cheng Boyan turned his head away when he saw it, "She licked this candy all the way."

"I didn't let you eat it," Xiang Xi said nonchalantly, "Licking all the way is not rolling all the way on the ground."

Cheng Boyan sighed, and took out the disinfectant from his bag: "Wipe her hands."

Xiang Xi took the disinfectant and rubbed Xiaoxi's hands indiscriminately: "Okay, Xiaoxi, do you want to sit in a chair?"

"Sit on your legs," Xiaoxi pointed to Cheng Boyan, "Uncle's legs."

Xiang Xi picked her up and put her on Cheng Boyan's lap.

"Have you noticed?" Grandma said on the sidelines, "Since the elder brother Xiangxi was born, Xiaoxi has called Boyan uncle."

"I found it," Cheng Boyan laughed, looking at Xiang Xi, "Thank you."

Xiang Xi glanced at him sideways and said nothing.

"It's probably because the two elder brothers can't understand." Director Xu looked at Xiaoxi, "It seems that Xiaoxi can tell the difference between brother and uncle, you little rascal."

"Uncle," Xiaoxi hugged Cheng Boyan with a smile, rubbing back and forth on the clothes on his chest, "Uncle!"

"You're washing your face," Cheng Boyan pushed her away to look at the two candy spots on his clothes, and grabbed the wet tissue with a painful expression on his face, "Wipe your mouth!"

Grandma is in a good mood today. I ordered a lot of whole grain dishes that have lost a lot of nutrition during the careful cooking process, but they are indeed delicious.

Even the mixed grain porridge is much better than Cheng Boyan's mixed bean porridge.

Xiang Xi was a little stuffed, and he was always full recently, and he was a little worried that if he continued like this, he would really become a fat man.

Go back and weigh yourself.

After sending Grandma Xiaoxi and Director Xu home respectively, Cheng Boyan drove around in circles on the street.

"Are you lost? Go east." Xiang Xi showed him the way.

"Isn't it heading west?" Cheng Boyan said with a smile, "I'm not lost, I just want to turn around and see the night scene. If you don't want to see it, go back."

"Let's have a look." Xiang Xi lowered the car window, and the cool evening wind blew in from the window, he narrowed his eyes, "What did you tell Director Xu today? She seems to have decided to grit her teeth and accept me? "

"I've talked a lot," Cheng Boyan said, "I said if you disagree, I'll elope with Xiang Xi."

"Fart," Xiang Xi said without thinking, "If you have to elope, I'll take you with you. With your ability to survive and your cleanliness, you can't take care of yourself without running for three miles."

Cheng Boyan laughed for a long time: "I've convinced you, can you be satisfied with the energy of speaking?"

"It's going to take some time," Xiang Xi put the back of the seat back and rested his legs on the front of the car, "I've been talking like this for 20 years, and I'm illiterate. If I want to change it, I have to..."

"Forget it." Cheng Boyan said suddenly.

"Huh?" Xiang Xi was taken aback, "Are you angry?"

"No, I just suddenly felt that there is no need to change it," Cheng Boyan said, "The whole grains are cooked carefully, and the nutrients are lost."

Xiang Xi smiled: "Human grains are also food, and I'm just a single weed, and it doesn't have much nutrition if it doesn't lose."

"Do you know what it means to belittle yourself?" Cheng Boyan glanced at him.

"I don't know, I've heard this word from a fake blind man." Xiang Xi frowned and thought for a while, "It's not the same, it's not the same."

"It's not advisable to underestimate yourself, and use injustice as a way of admonition." Cheng Boyan said.

"What?" Xiang Xi felt that listening to Cheng Boyan's words was like listening to a foreign language, but he didn't understand a single word, and couldn't even repeat it.

"Zhuge Liang, set an example." Cheng Boyan said,

"Ouch," Xiang Xi clicked his tongue, "Doesn't it give you a special sense of accomplishment to get rid of your teacher with an illiterate?"

"Don't underestimate yourself," Cheng Boyan smiled. Xiang Xi's inferiority complex can't disappear in a day or two. Those past experiences and shortcomings may never be made up for in a lifetime, but he still wants to give to him wherever possible. Xiang Xi said confidently, "You are a pearl..."

"I'm a pearl. It would be more beautiful if I polish it, but then maybe it will become no different from the beautiful pearl. It's better to be so special. Anyway, it's a pearl, it's a pearl," Xiang Xi said in a row, " Right? That's what you mean, right?"

Cheng Boyan opened his mouth and said nothing, he laughed for a long time before sighing: "Well, I won't say anything."

"Don't, after you finish speaking," Xiang Xi rubbed his nose, "I'd rather hear you praise me."

"You are..." Cheng Boyan thought for a while, "My small desk lamp is not very bright, and it can't illuminate very far, but if it is gone, it will be dark around me."

Xiang Xi smiled and looked at him: "Uncle is so disgusting."

"Go around the overpass?" Cheng Boyan asked with a smile.

"Okay, can I come down before dawn? I'm going to Yunshui tomorrow afternoon." Xiang Xi said.

"Call the police if you don't come down." Cheng Boyan said.

The car circled half a circle on the overpass when Xiang Xi's cell phone rang, and he took it out to see that Fang Yin's name was displayed on the incoming call: "Fang Yin?"

"Why is he looking for you?" Cheng Boyan asked immediately.

"I don't know," Xiang Xi answered the phone, "Hello."

"Xiao Zhan?" Fang Yin's voice came over, "Do you still remember me?"

"What I said, I will never forget anyone who gave me money." Xiang Xi smiled.

Cheng Boyan quickly took out 100 yuan from the arm box next to him and put it on his lap.

Xiang Xi glanced at him, put the money into his pocket with a smile, and asked Fang Yin, "What can I do for you?"

"There is something," Fang Yin said, "Just, the feature I filmed before..."

"30 days?" Xiang Xi asked.

"No!" Cheng Boyan immediately interrupted.

"Didn't I say I won't shoot?" Xiang Xi said.

"I know, I didn't ask you to take a photo," Fang Yin smiled, "I just want to ask for your permission. Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't agree, forget it."

"Agreed to what?" Xiang Xi didn't understand what he meant.

"I disagree." Cheng Boyan said again.

Xiang Xi glanced at him, held back a smile and mouthed: "Don't interrupt."

"It's like this. I'm preparing for a photography exhibition. I'm cooperating with my friends. The works of several people are together," Fang Yin explained. "I won't do this topic for 30 days, but I want to use some of the photos. Among them There are a few of yours, maybe you will accept the theme."

"Say." Xiang Xi said.

"The theme is running. I wonder how you feel?" Fang Yin said, "That is, there are always times in life when we need to run, to escape behind or run forward."

"You are writing poetry," Xiang Xi smiled, "You never took a picture of me running."

"If you don't run, why run?" Cheng Boyan said.

Xiang Xi almost laughed out loud, sighed, and pressed the speakerphone.

"I haven't photographed it... Actually, I have photographed it. Didn't you get kicked out when you were looking for a job? I photographed it, but I don't need that one," Fang Yin explained to him again, "I run, It's not a specific running, it's just a metaphor, a state, the state of running, understand what I mean?"

"Understood." Xiang Xi replied, vaguely interested in Fang Yin's thoughts this time.

"You are running when you are looking for a job. When you refused me to take pictures at the coffee shop, it was because you wanted to run forward," Fang Yin continued, "Is that right...why do I feel like I am doing a sales call..."

"Well," Xiang Xi replied, "almost."

"You and Dr. Cheng had similar ideas before. Even if we wanted to shoot, we hoped that the meaning expressed would be bright and uplifting," Fang Yin said. "Our opinions are not completely unified, but this time, it's just As far as the theme is concerned, it is in line with it, are you interested?"

Xiang Xi didn't answer right away, and glanced at Cheng Boyan, who didn't speak either.

But to be honest, Fang Yin's last few words moved him, as if he was persistently trying to catch the light, he was also walking and running, wanting to move forward and upward.

He was silent for a while before opening his mouth: "Give me money?"

Cheng Boyan laughed out loud.

"I thought what were you going to say... You really... haven't changed on this point," Fang Yin laughed, "Give me the money, if you like, come to my studio and we'll discuss it in detail. Answer me immediately, you can think about it, just give me an answer before this weekend."

"Then I... think about it." Xiang Xi said.

After hanging up the phone, he smiled at Cheng Boyan for a while: "Are you crazy?"

"Are you interested?" Cheng Boyan asked.

"If this is really the subject," Xiang Xi thought for a while, "it seems quite interesting? What's your opinion?"

"As long as you don't sell your photos badly, you can make up your own mind. They are all people with ID cards." Cheng Boyan stretched out his hand to scratch his head.

"Then... Shall I go talk to him?" Xiang Xi said.

"Well, if you want, you can add another condition." Cheng Boyan said.

"What condition? Add money?" Xiang Xi's first reaction amused himself, "Hey, money is probably what I'm most obsessed with."

"Show him the photos you took," Cheng Boyan said, "Let him pick two and put them on display, with the words "I see the light" written by Xiang Xi."

"What?" Xiang Xi was stunned.

"Let him use your photo, even one." Cheng Boyan glanced at him. After turning off the overpass, he parked the car on the side of the road and turned to look at Xiang Xi. "Remember to ask him to pay."

"Are you kidding?" Xiang Xi came back to his senses and quickly shook his head, "That's a serious photographer's serious work exhibition, what's the point of putting my photos there, even if he wants to, I'm embarrassed. "

"What's so embarrassing, this is not a dishonorable work by a dishonest photographer." Cheng Boyan patted him on the shoulder, "Listen to me, talk to him, if he doesn't agree, let's talk, if he doesn't agree, you Just tell him to double the money for using your photo."

Xiang Xi was silent for a long time, and finally laughed: "Hey, I just realized now that you have a thick skin in this regard."

"Try it, try it if you have the chance, anyway, you don't lose anything if he disagrees, right." Cheng Boyan smiled.

Xiang Xi never thought about what the photos he took would be used in the end, he just wanted to take them, all kinds of lights, what he saw, what was in his heart.

In the folder, Cheng Boyan has helped him sort out nearly a thousand photos, not counting the ones that were shot badly, Cheng Boyan copied this folder to a USB flash drive.

Cheng Boyan drove him to Fang Yin's studio, and handed him the USB flash drive in the car: "Take them all, he is a professional, let him choose."

"Tell me," Xiang Xi pinched the USB flash drive, "does he think I'm sick?"

"I'll wait for you right here," Cheng Boyan patted the steering wheel, "Whoever wants to blame you, you tell Dad, and Dad immediately went in and relieved him."

"Crazy!" Xiang Xi cursed with a smile, and got out of the car with his bag.

Fang Yin's studio is not big, it's on the top floor of a commercial and residential building, and the decoration doesn't look like a studio. If it weren't for the photos on the wall and the various camera lenses on the table, it would be more like a private Cafe.

When Xiang Xi entered, there was only Fang Yin alone, probably his assistant had already left work, and he was sitting in front of the computer busy working.

Seeing Xiang Xi, he was a little surprised, and stared at it for a long time: "It feels like you've changed?"

"Fat," Xiang Xi tugged at his trousers, "the old trousers are all stretched."

"It's not the change of gaining weight," Fang Yin folded his arms and took two steps back to look at him, "but I can't tell... what have you been doing lately?"

"The tea house makes tea," Xiang Xi sat on the sofa, put the bag aside, and stretched his legs, "Give me a glass of water."

"Tea house? Are you doing a tea ceremony performance now?" Fang Yin was even more surprised, poured him a glass of water, and sat down opposite him, "I know where the change is...temperament."

"You want to say that tea has cultivated me?" Xiang Xi smiled, "Don't be sour, let's get down to business."

"Okay," Fang Yin nodded, took a notebook and put it in front of him, "Look at the photos first, I took them at the beginning, this time I picked four and wanted to use them, and the copywriting is also next to it, you can Look, if you have any ideas, you can tell me."

Xiang Xi has seen the photos before, and Fang Yin posted them on his studio's website before, with some unpleasant words.

However, when he saw these photos again after such a long time, Xiang Xi felt a little strange. The person with disdain in the corner of his eyes in the photos was his original self.

The photos do not change, but the words do. The same picture, but different expressions, will give people different feelings.

Little Z stood in front of the information board, looking up at the large and small job advertisements, with his back straightened, as if he was about to take off, spread his wings, or run.

Xiao Z was a little dissatisfied with the subject to be photographed. In his opinion, I might not be a recorder, but more like a person who dragged him behind him and stopped him, so he flicked the cigarette butt into the coffee in front of me .

……

With a smile on the corner of Xiang Xi's mouth, he finished reading the photos and text. Fang Yin thought it would be no problem to use these photos. No comments.

"How is it?" Fang Yin asked him.

"Well, you can use it," Xiang Xi took out the USB flash drive from his pocket, "but... there is a condition."

"Tell me?" Fang Yin looked at the USB drive.

"These are the photos I took," Xiang Xi put the USB flash drive in front of him, "Look at it."

"How many shots?" Fang Yin opened the USB flash drive on the notebook with great interest, "So many?"

"Well, let's see if there are any successful shots." Xiang Xi suddenly became a little nervous, just like the mood when he sat behind the tea table for the first time and faced the tea guests.

Fang Yin didn't speak, he clicked on the photos and looked at them one by one.

After Xiang Xi drank four glasses of water and went to the toilet, Fang Yin finished looking at the photos: "You took all of them? Has anyone taught you?"

"No, it was taken randomly. Doctor Cheng gave me some tutorials, and I learned a little bit by comparison." Xiang Xi tapped his fingertips on the cup, "How is it?"

"Most of them... it looks like they were taken by people who don't know how to take pictures, but they are very talented in taking pictures," Fang Yin raised his eyes and looked at him, "There are two that are not bad."

"Which ones?" Xiang Xi immediately moved over.

"This night scene and this tree-shaded path," Fang Yin opened the photo, "Actually, didn't I say that if you are interested, you can come here, and I can teach you."

"Well, that's another story," Xiang Xi nodded, pointing to the photos, "Only these two, can I use them?"

"Where do you use it?" Fang Yin was stunned.

Xiang Xi bit her lip: "It was used in your photography exhibition. The name of this photo is I See the Light. The author Xiang Xi, if you want to use it, I will let you use my previous photo."

After finishing these few words in one breath, Xiang Xi stared at Fang Yin and didn't speak again.

Fang Yin also looked at him, then turned his head to look at the photo, then turned his head to look at him, and said in silence for a while: "It's quite creative."

"What?" Xiang Xi asked.

"To be honest, although this photo is not bad, it's not good enough for a photo exhibition, it's too far away," Fang Yin said, "but it can be seen that there is talent, and..."

"What." Xiang Xi chased after him.

"It fits with my theme," Fang Yin said, "I can see you running from another angle."

"Is that useful?" Xiang Xi asked.

"Yes, but I can only use this night scene, this one is better." Fang Yin nodded.

"How much?" Xiang Xi asked again.

Fang Yin was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "... If you don't give money, it's useless."

"No, if you don't pay me, I'll let Dr. Cheng relieve you." Xiang Xi said.

"You asked him to dismantle it, and I won't give you any money," Fang Yin said with a smile, "You're taking advantage of me. It's impossible for me to use the money if someone else gives me the money."

Xiang Xi hesitated for a moment, lowered his head, took out his mobile phone and walked aside to make a call to Cheng Boyan: "He said there is one that can be used, but he won't give you money, what should I do?"

"What should I do?" Cheng Boyan said, "Let him use it, but you really asked him for money?"

"You said you'd ask him to pay you!" Xiang Xi whispered.

"I'll just say it casually, my son," Cheng Boyan said happily, "If he wants to use it, let him use it, tell him and let him use it."

Xiang Xi hung up the phone and turned to look at Fang Yin: "Okay, but let me enlarge the photo and use my name, and the author's name is Xiang Xi, not Zhan Hongtu."

"No problem," Fang Yin nodded with a smile, "Xiang Xi?"

"Well, Xiang Xi, it says on my ID card, Xiang Xi." Xiang Xi said.

"Okay." Fang Yin stood up and stretched out his hand, "The cooperation is pleasant?"

"It's more pleasant to give money." Xiang Xi shook hands with him.

"If you can take good photos in the future, I will definitely pay you according to the standard." Fang Yin said.

When he walked out of the studio, Xiang Xi had a very strange feeling. Someone was talking to him in this pretentious studio, with a notebook in the middle, discussing the photos he took, shaking hands with him, and saying that the cooperation is happy .

Not to mention the time when he was living in Zhaojiayao, even in the first two months, he never imagined such a scene.

"Xiao Cheng, let's drive." He sat in Cheng Boyan's car, "The cooperation has been negotiated."

"Where is Boss Xiang going now?" Cheng Boyan smiled.

"Go for supper?" Xiang Xi thought for a while, "Why don't you fry some grasshoppers for me."

"...Okay." Cheng Boyan said helplessly.

In the past few days, Xiang Xi asked Cheng Boyan to fry a few grasshoppers, not too many each time, just a small plate, as a snack, Cheng Boyan felt like he was about to sleep in a pile of grasshoppers in a dream.

However, the quality of the fried grasshoppers has always been fairly stable, it has never been burnt, and it is fried golden and crisp every time. This is the only dish that Xiang Xi does not compete with him to cook.

"Do you have a rest next Saturday?" Xiang Xi bit the grasshopper, "The photography exhibition starts on that day."

"No rest, but I can discuss it with my colleagues. If I have to be on duty on Friday, I can rest on Saturday." Cheng Boyan looked at the calendar, "I will accompany you to see it."

"It's not with me to see it, but you to see my work!" Xiang Xi corrected him.

"Okay," Cheng Boyan sang, "he came to see my photography exhibition..."

"Just one," Xiang Xi smiled after thinking about it, "It's still a strong buy and sell."

"Don't worry about it, anyway, the photos you took are hanging there." Cheng Boyan said.

Yes, no matter how he got here, the photo is hanging there anyway.

On Saturday morning, Xiang Xi and Cheng Boyan arrived at the address given by Fang Yin. It is a fairly large photography salon. Usually there are awesome photography exhibitions and they are always on the news.

Before the opening, Fang Yin took the two of them around. The photography exhibition was well arranged, not the one that Xiang Xi imagined with all kinds of photos hanging on the big white wall.

The photos in the lobby are all carefully designed, some are hung on the wall, some are leaning against the corner wall, and some are placed next to the bar. The photos of Xiang Xi's "running" and the rest area are arranged in a small group. Zhang "I See the Light" was placed on the coffee table between the sofas, with a small oil lamp in front of him.

"How is it?" Fang Yin asked.

"Very good," Xiang Xi looked at them one by one, and finally stopped in front of the "work" he took, which he took when he came out of the supermarket one night. Under the pale yellow light, there were strips of elongated lamp post shadows, dividing the warm yellow light on the ground into grids. He reached out and touched the photo, "It's good, thank you."