Chapter 8.12 & 8.13
The huge studio was decorated in four different styles of scenes, two indoors and two outdoors. The outdoor scene had a blue swimming pool, a few sun umbrellas and beach chairs. There was also a garden full of colorful flowers, small round tables, small rattan chairs, swing, picnic baskets and cashmere rugs. All the things a luxurious garden should have.
The indoor scenes were arranged at both ends of the studio, one was a very modern and simple living room. All the furniture was black and white, the floor and window was scrubbed clean, and bright sun poured in. A pure white leather sofa was surrounded be a layer of golden light, bringing out a warm feeling.
The other end had a gorgeous and elegant Baroque-style living room. All the furniture was styled in gold-colored lace, the ceiling and columns was carved in gorgeous patterns, and the ground was covered with a soft, red velvet, flower patterned rug. Every corner of the room exuded a heavy antique aura.
With these four scenes, no matter what style of photo you wanted to shoot, you would be able to find the right place. They could see how much energy and effort the program group put in for this show.
Bonnie let the players come up and draw straws to decide the order, then she gave them time to consider what scene they should choose, which style, what poses and which partner. They had to think clearly then tell Bonnie their thoughts and record it, and no matter how wonderful their second idea was, no changes could be made. This was fair for everyone.
Whether they chose wisely or foolishly, Bonnie and Acheson wouldn"t interfere. They needed to see whether each player had a supermodel"s fashion sense.
Zhou Yun Sheng drew fifth place, it was neither a good nor bad spot. His eyes moved back and forth between Bonnie and Gustav, then he finally settled on Bonnie"s beautiful and refined face. They say "To reduce exhaustion, make a man and woman work together", although he was gay so this shouldn"t apply to him, but for a photoshoot, a beautiful man and woman standing together would always multiply the attractiveness. In his mind, he was already selecting clothing and poses for Bonnie, and deciding on the photo shoot location.
He believed that he and Bonnie would be able to shoot a very cla.s.sical style photo. Gorgeous, stylish, and elegant was the objective of the day.
Well, that’s decided. He nodded and brushed a strand of hair off his forehead.
The two who were quietly concerned about the boy"s decision noticed his nod. Bonnie chuckled in schadenfreude, “It seems that Kitten has chosen me, sorry boss."
Gustav"s smile was still gentle and elegant, but his heart was miserable. He wanted to walk over and chat with Kitten for a while, get his goodwill and become his partner, but that was too eye-catching, all the other players would start targeting him.
Merciful G.o.d, please tell me, what should I do? If possible, give me a chance to get close to him. After praying, he suddenly realized that G.o.d would be very disgusted with his h.o.m.os.e.xuality, so he probably wouldn"t get any help from him.
So… I"ll go to the devil, if he can make my wish come true, then I"ll exchange my soul. He wiped his face and tried to keep himself from showing his frustration and dark thoughts.
While Gustav was having a crisis of faith, Ivana walked up and poked the boy"s waist, "Hey, who are you going to choose?”
“I chose Bonnie, she and I"ll shoot great photos.” Zhou Yun Sheng was holding a pencil and sketching a quick slide. The scene in his mind was printed out on the paper with his superb drawing skills, especially Bonnie, who was wearing a palace evening gown, it was simply lifelike.
John aimed at the sketch book for a long time, secretly marveling at the child’s versatility. Even as a layman, he could realize that a painter needed a solid foundation and superb skills to draw such life-like, complex, and gorgeous art in just a few minutes.
The young man was like a diamond mine, the deeper you dug, the more gems you found. The audience will be more fascinated by him after this episode.
Ivana took the sketch and whistled in appreciation, she admired it for a moment, then tore it out of the book and stuffed it in her own backpack. Then she boldly ordered, “You can"t choose Bonnie, she"s mine. Why do you want to use a female partner anyway? A male partner can also show the style you need. Choose Mr. Acheson. Then we can avoid being compared to each other by Bonnie. We don"t need to compete with each other so soon."
In fact, who Zhou Yun Sheng chose didn"t matter, as a past supermodel, he could do this job with a hand tied behind his back. He adjusted the scene in his mind, then nodded, “All right, I"ll take Mr. Acheson."
“Excellent choice my darling.” Ivana said in an exaggerated tone and hugged him heartily.
Seeing this scene, Bonnie regretfully shook her head, “Aww, looks like Ivana persuaded him to change. Kitten is yours."
Gustav quickly suppressed the corners of his mouth to avoid laughing like a fool. Ivana is a very good friend, she is a positive influence on Kitten. Maybe I should leave her till the end. He was half-serious about this decision.
Half an hour later, Bonnie looked at the watch, stood up and clapped her hands, “Well, times up. Now, in accordance with the shooting order, come with me to discuss your photo shoot plans. Remember, once you set a photo shoot partner and theme, you"re not allowed to change it.”
The players shouted their confirmation in unison, then took their notes to discuss with Bonnie. Gustav sat quietly in a leather chair and didn"t make any comments.
As expected, all the male players had chosen Bonnie (except for Romeo that freak) and all the female players had chosen Mr. Acheson (expect for Ivana that freak). When all the choices were finalized, Bonnie and Gustav both stood up and filmed with a player each at the same time, saving a lot of time.
Zhou Yun Sheng was the fifth player up, but after selecting his partner, he became the second. Time was a bit more urgent, but this didn"t affect his confidence, he had already chosen their clothing and instructed the stylist on how they should style him and Gustav.
If the clothing choice was bad, the selected set was inappropriate, and the styling was bad, then this photo shoot session would be half destroyed, and the other half would completely rely on personal performance. So, this game was not just a compet.i.tion between good or bad photos, it was a test of fashion sense. In order to pick out the best of these potential models, the program group had gone through great pains to design worthy trials.
Gustav was working with a female player and posing by the pool, he was feeling extremely cranky. In order to attract the attention of the fashion circle big shot, most of the female players had chosen to wear bikinis. They understood that direct intimacy was the best weapon to seduce a man.
But the truth was exactly the opposite of what they"d imagined, Gustav was not interested in them in the slightest. But as one of the world’s most elite male models, no one should see his impatience. He cooperated professionally with them, and as long as the female player made a request, he would satisfactorily complete the expression and action. But in fact, if he had a time machine, he wouldn"t hesitate to skip all these people, then freeze his minutes together with Kitten.
Because she was too nervous, the first female player didn"t perform well and the photographer spent a lot of effort to guide her. Gustav reluctantly restrained the restlessness in his heart. All the women were surrounding and watching the shoot, but his Kitten hadn"t come. He"d wanted him to see the s.e.xy swimmer he"d deliberately selected.
Thirty shots later, he immediately put on a bath towel and walked toward the room. The cute boy trotted up to him, his platinum curls fluttering gently.
He took a deep breath and asked softly, “Romeo, have you chosen your clothing and style?”
“All done, please come with me.” Zhou Yun Sheng exposed a nervous expression.
“Don"t be nervous, treat me like a new friend.” Gustav naturally embraced his shoulders, his face smiling, but his heart was bouncing, almost jumping out of his throat.
“All right.” Zhou Yun Sheng gave a well-behaved cute nod.
As they walked into the dressing room, Gustav, while changing his clothes, casually asked, “I heard you didn’t want to choose me as your partner before, why not?"
If the answer was not good, he could possibly offend the person who controlled his outcome in this game, so flattery was necessary, but there should be some sincerity, and no trace of kissing a.s.s. Zhou Yun Sheng lowered his eyelids to hide from the man’s sharp gaze and said shyly "Because, because if I had to work with Mr. Acheson, I would be too nervous. Too nervous to know where to put my hands and feet.”
Then he quickly glanced at the man"s face, his face red enough to drip blood.
He"s shy? So cute! How can he be so cute?! I"m the one who doesn’t know where to put my hands and feet! Gustav"s heart was wailing, filling with desire, if he doesn"t do something to make the boy like him, these desires would choke him in his sleep.
He really wanted to hold Kitten in his arms and fiercely kiss his little mouth, to make his sea blue eyes fill with l.u.s.tful tears.
No matter how dirty his inner thoughts, Gustav’s appearance was always gentle and elegant. He finished dressing then intimately rubbed the boy’s head, and comforted him, “You don"t need to be tense around me. I"m just like you, just an ordinary person. I"m 193 cm tall, weigh 78 kg, 28 years old this year, no bad habits, my favorite sport is snooker, my favorite color is gray, my favorite food is steak … …"
He introduced himself in detail, then reached out, "So, now you know me enough to treat me as a friend, not a distant idol.”
Zhou Yun Sheng didn"t expect Gustav Acheson would be so approachable. He was slightly stunned for a moment, then he grasped the other’s hands, and gave a shy smile.
“You should also introduce yourself, this will increase our understanding and familiarity. Familiarity and understanding is the best way to bring harmony into a photo shoot.” Gustav immediately climbed up the pole.
Finally, they were on the path to become friends, his heart was very excited.
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Zhou Yun Sheng thought the introduction was just a necessary way for Gustav to soothe the contestants, so he simply didn"t think it would lead to anywhere. They changed their clothes and observed themselves in the dressing room.
Zhou Yun Sheng had selected a British aristocratic morning dress for himself. A silver-gray jacket with cashmere striped trousers, a gray double lapel vest and a pure white collar shirt, then he tied on a silver-black, fancy patterned silk neckerchief.
Now he looked like a n.o.ble young master, his gestures were all elegant and exquisite, eye-catching.
Gustav stared at him for a long time, then he looked down at himself. He was also wearing a three-piece suit, but the workmanship was far less gorgeous than Kitten’s outfit, and from the style, he seemed to be a servant.
Zhou Yun Sheng explained, his face red, “Because, I wanted to picture an eighteenth century aristocratic life. It has to be arrogant and languid, old-fashioned and lively, so we"re now dressed up as a pair of young master and servant. I"m now your master, can you accept that?" He cautiously looked up at the man with his blue peach blossom eyes. He knew how to use the powerful charm of this body, and he wouldn"t hesitate to use it for his own convenience.
As expected, the man really didn"t show any displeasure, he smiled and courtly said, “I"m willing to serve you, my master.” In fact, he not only didn"t feel offended, he was very satisfied with this setting.
Zhou Yun Sheng showed an appropriate grateful expression.
They only got some touch ups since they were already handsome enough, then they both walked toward the Baroque style living room.
“How would you like to shoot, my master?” Gustav asked respectfully. If he could, he even wanted to hold Kitten’s hand and kiss its back.
His gentle and considerate, elegant demeanor made the female contestants uninterruptedly squeal.
"I"ll sit in this chair, you stand beside me. We"ll take a neutral photo first, to see the effect. You don"t have to put on any special poses, just act your role. Be sure to make people see our ident.i.ties at a glance."
“Yes, my master. Please sit down.” Gustav immediately bent over to clean the gorgeous high back chair, then he grabbed Kitten’s hand and pulled him over.
He was worthy of being the world’s highest paid male model, his speed of adaption was really fast.
Zhou Yun Sheng was very satisfied with the man’s performance, but he pretended to be nervous and cautioned, "Right, from now on, I am your master and you are my servant. When I"m in front of the camera, I get really into my role and forget my place. So please forgive any impoliteness."
“No matter how you treat me, my loyalty and love for you will never change. When you need me, I"ll immediately appear at your side to solve all your problems for you. Forever accompanying you…. is my greatest pleasure.”
Everyone thought that Acheson was acting, only he knew, these words were brewing in his heart for a long time, just waiting for the day he was able to profess his love to the heavens and to his beloved person.
Now, his heart was finally very satisfied, he stepped back in a slight bow, to make a gesture of respect.
Zhou Yun Sheng sat down and crossed his long slender legs, both hands were folded on his knee. Thick gel was used to comb back all of his platinum hair, revealing his exquisite facial features. His chin was slightly raised, his eyes were narrowed, and his expression was very arrogant.
At this moment, he was a n.o.bility"s son, flawlessly acting the part. And standing behind him, was a handsome and gentle looking servant, gazing silently at him with a helpless but doting gaze.
This was a still picture, but it seemed to say that there was a lot of hidden stories behind the two. The slightly dim light made the story have indescribable bitterness and heaviness.
“Wonderful! I like this sentimental feeling!” The photographer had barely taken one photo but he was already calling out his fondness.
Again, Romeo always shoots the most wonderful photos in the shortest possible time, so annoying! The crowd of players were furious with envy, especially Emily, who had already listed the boy as the number one enemy she needed to eradicate.
“Now, we"ll shoot at the dining table over there. Although photography is art, I want to give it a warm, lively and natural feeling. What do you think of this idea?" Zhou Yun Sheng looked up at the man.
“Your idea is great, master. What do you need your servant to do?” Gustav bowed, somewhat addicted. He was willing to be Kitten"s servant for life if he would give him his heart.
“Pour me some wine or something.” Zhou Yun Sheng answered uncertainly. He was used to looking for the feeling while shooting, he had no clue about the specific actions.
They walked to the huge table. Thanks to the omnipotent prop masters, they not only had bowls, knives and forks, bread, b.u.t.ter and vegetable salad, they even placed a few bottles of red wine and a large jar of milk. If the player wanted to take a few pictures while eating, they could just use this.
Zhou Yun Sheng sat down in the head chair and raised his wine gla.s.s to his servant.
Gustav immediately started pouring wine for him, but suddenly stopped.
Zhou Yun Sheng raised his eyebrows, his eyes were extremely dissatisfied, as if he was asking: "Why are you dilly-dallying? You stupid servant."
The faithful servant bowed slightly and smiled, “Master, you"re four months from maturity, so you can"t drink alcohol right now. I"ll pour a gla.s.s of milk for you, drinking milk will help you grow taller."
Under the master"s extreme glare, he poured a gla.s.s of milk and handed it over.
When the two of them interacted, the photographer clicked the shutter. Two people, one bent over, one poised upward, a tender and haughty one, a mature and humble one, their eyes collided, dotting the air with a gorgeous atmosphere. The two men’s unparalleled handsomeness and the tacit understanding in their interactions made the photos express a kind of inexplicable intimacy and strange ambiguity.
When the boy drank his milk, the man immediately took out his handkerchief to wipe his mouth. The boy frowned, revealing a ‘you"re really annoying’ prideful expression, but he obediently raised his jaw and silently accepted the man"s dotting. The man’s eyes grew deeper and heavier, even the bright lights couldn"t penetrate the strong feelings quietly brewing behind his pupils. Even when both men were in profile, their deep facial contours was fascinating.
The photographers captured the picture, then carefully zoomed in to observe every detail. Perfect- perfect lighting, perfect style, perfect expressions, and the emotion their eyes spoke was even more perfect. The still photo overflowed with sentimental feelings and liveliness, enough to easily touch the viewers" heart.
The photographer had no intention of selling rot, but he had to admit, the extremely brilliant photo was just right for the rotten women.
He quickly adjusted the camera"s focus, but found that the two people had left the table and was slowly walking toward the coatroom.
“Master, your necktie is crooked.” Gustav bent over to help the teenager adjust his scarf, his fingers lingered briefly on his tiny Adam’s apple.
The Adam’s apple was one of a man’s fatal places, if he didn"t need to for the shooting, Zhou Yun Sheng would never lift his neck to expose his weakness, especially to this person who was intentionally or unintentionally groping it. But he lost his patience after a few seconds. He shook off the man’s hand, grabbed him by the tie and pulled him downward. For the first time, his sea blue eyes lost its usual pureness, exposing a dangerous glint. He silently warned the other man not to touch his neck, it was off-limits.
Gustav"s surprise lasted only a moment, then it was replaced by an overwhelming thrill. It seemed that Kitten couldn"t only maimeng, he had sharp claws, and anyone who provoked his anger would bear his wild retaliation. That"s a really exciting temper!
How can there be such a unique, contradictory, and beautiful creature in the world? He"s tailor made for me!
Gustav smiled deeply, maintaining the awkward posture of being dragged downward by his bow tie by the teenager, he stretched out his arms and trapped the boy in the corner of the wall. Showing that he was still in a more powerful position, even if he was being grabbed by the throat.
The boy had no fear, he proudly raised his jaw and narrowed his eyes. This coincidentally shortened the distance between the two, just breathing brought in each other’s scent.
Gustav braced his hands on the wall, his veins pumping. He desperately struggled to restrain his desire to hold Kitten in his arms and love him. This made him tense to the limit of his body, he looked like a tall sculpture. The teenager was in a weaker position, but his rebellious bright eyes made him the only splash of color in the cramped and gloomy s.p.a.ce.
This kind of intense emotional collision, this kind of extreme depression was a prelude to an outbreak of madness. This n.o.ble and his humble servant, loyalty and betrayal, a twisted reversal of their roles, it created an unparalleled photo.
“Brilliant! Beautiful! 30 shots and not a single shot was wasted! You guys" performance was fantastic!” The photographer shouted in great excitement. This was clearly their first cooperation, but this kind of natural understanding and harmony felt as if they"d known each other for hundreds of years. When they stood together, everything around them became their foil, and the dark undercurrent that flowed between them isolated them in a s.p.a.ce that couldn"t be disturbed by anyone else.
If they became a couple one day, the photographer wouldn"t feel the slightest surprise.
Zhou Yun Sheng quickly pushed the man away, blushing and apologizing, “Pardon my actions Mr. Acheson, I"m not used to being touched on my neck."
“It’s okay, I was being too bold. But…. you"ve never been touched?” Gustav was caught off guard and questioned hopefully.
“Yes, sorry.” Zhou Yun Sheng was not lying, Romeo was indeed a little virgin.
Gustav"s brown eyes lit up in joy, he rubbed Kitten’s hair and warmly said, "It doesn"t matter, that was my fault. I shouldn"t have touched you in a sensitive place without your consent. It"s me that should be sorry."
The two people smiled at each other, finally getting rid of the awkward atmosphere. At this moment, Emily came over dressed in a long, lacey gown, she smiled and said, "Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but Mr. Acheson, it"s time for my shoot."
Her dress was pure black and translucent, a beam of sunshine glinted over, easily exposing her s.e.xy underwear underneath. Her pace was powerful, making her voluptuous chest jiggle incessantly, even half-covered up, she somehow looked more exposed than when she was wearing a bikini.
All the men in the studio were staring at her, revealing subtle or explicit l.u.s.tful eyes, except for Gustav, who was not the slightest bit fl.u.s.tered, he was even somewhat indifferent.
“Yes, I’ll be right there.” He smiled politely and distantly, but when he said good-bye to the boy, his eyes were very tender and loving. This made Emily jealous enough to choke. She had some doubts about their s.e.xual orientation, but she ordered herself not to think about it. How can such a manly and s.e.xy man like Mr. Acheson be gay?!
Emily"s outfit for her partner was a high set suit, pure black, silk neckline, and a pure black shirt, no tie. After Mr. Acheson came out of the changing room, she looked at him in appreciation for a moment, then she stretched out her hands to undo the top few b.u.t.tons of his shirt.
Gustav immediately stepped back a few steps and undid his own b.u.t.tons. What the h.e.l.l was this woman doing? He could see through her ideas in a glance, but if he remembered correctly, she was still Hayden"s girlfriend, right?
His expression was still gentle and modest, but his eyes had become even more indifferent and detached, looking carefully, there was even some impatience and contempt. Emily was a streetkid, she"d learned how to read the mood, she quickly apologized to him, then took the initiative to avoid touching him with familiarity.
She was aware of Acheson’s different behavior between her and Romeo. This made her feel anxious, so she tried to seduce Acheson in the photo shoot, using her s.e.xiness to charm and "accidentally" rub against his body to provoke his l.u.s.t.
To her disappointment, Acheson was not only indifferent to this, after the photo shoot, he gave her a sharp, cold look, making her hair stand on end. She didn"t want to experience that look a second time.
Maybe I was too explicit, so Mr. Acheson felt embarra.s.sed, after all, there are so many cameras around, he can"t show any bias. How can he not like me? I"m way more beautiful than Bonnie.
She had a heroine"s perseverance, she quickly recovered her lost self-confidence, and readied to re-double her efforts.
T/N:
Climbed up the pole- Someone extends you a pole (opportunity) and you climb up it (take it)
Maimeng - Slang for selling cuteness. You guys need to know what Meng is if you enjoy Chinese Bl novels. It literally means sprout, but its slang for "cute". It"s very close to the j.a.panese Moe, but moe is a verb, while meng is an adjective. More info