Wandering the world of film and television begins with the golden years

Li Haoyu smiled helplessly.

"I don't mean you're necessarily more cultured than me."

"I thought you definitely knew."

Xu Hongdou couldn't help but sigh. "I came here to relax, not to study for my lessons. Can you give me some peace and quiet?"

Li Haoyu took out his phone and snapped a picture of Xu Hongdou, who was lost in thought.

"This place is really beautiful. Let me take lots of pictures of you, otherwise it would be such a waste."

"A long time ago, when I was in school, I went to take photos. I saw a beggar shivering in the cold wind, holding a bowl. His clothes were so tattered they were practically falling apart."

"I felt sorry for him, so I gave him some money and was about to take a picture of him. After I pressed the shutter..."

He said, "Remember to open the aperture wider next time." I was startled, but still replied dismissively, "You don't even know the settings I'm using, how can you just tell me to open the aperture wider?"

He mumbled, "The instant the shutter opened, I had already determined it based on the number of blades and the size of the aperture... Hahaha!"

"So you just need to trust me and that's it."

This joke was made up.

But Li Haoyu does sometimes think back to his college days.

The memories of the past are still very vivid.

Because Li Haoyu has a best friend who studies photography.

In many places, art exams are indeed a shortcut to getting into a bachelor's degree program.

So Li Haoyu has a group of friends who don't know what photography is; they just heard that it could get them into university, so they went to art exam training classes.

They were persuaded to buy a camera, which led them to pursue photography studies at university.

But Li Haoyu's friend's situation was a little different. His family wasn't wealthy; in fact, they could be described as poor. But he genuinely loved photography and had a serious talk with his parents.

His parents also expressed their support, saying that as long as he truly loved it and was willing to work hard, they would sell everything they owned to support his university education. However, pursuing photography professionally is indeed very expensive, as the equipment is extremely costly.

Li Haoyu complained, "That bastard just ate steamed buns and Lao Gan Ma chili sauce in the dorm all day long, which made me run out of money to go to internet cafes during that period. Everyone was loyal to him."

"But I also learned how to take photos around that time."

Xu Hongdou understood from Li Haoyu's few words.

She gained a deeper understanding of Li Haoyu. She could almost see the two boys bickering and arguing, which actually seemed quite nice.

"Then you'd better put your mind to it."

Xu Hongdou handed her phone to Li Haoyu.

She seemed to genuinely believe him.

"Okay, no problem. What style of photos would you like, sir? I'm skilled in all styles, especially impressionistic artistic photography."

At this moment, Li Haoyu held up his phone with both hands.

He even waved slightly, signaling Xu Hongdou to adjust her position. Li Haoyu's clothes fluttered gently in the breeze, and the setting sun cast a striking glow upon him.

This suggests that Li Haoyu is a professional photographer.

I estimate that quite a few people would believe that.

Xu Hongdou looked at Li Haoyu's appearance.

She inexplicably wanted to laugh; Li Haoyu seized the moment and snapped several different photos of Xu Hongdou. Xu Hongdou looked at Li Haoyu's smug expression.

Her curiosity about Li Haoyu was also piqued.

"How are your photos? Let me see them!"

Li Haoyu was quite pleased with himself; he could finally show off in front of Xu Hongdou. When Xu Hongdou wanted to look at the photos, their hands touched again.

Xu Hongdou was a little shy.

But she saw that Li Haoyu looked completely at ease.

She took the phone and looked at it again.

"It's alright, but it's still because she's naturally beautiful."

Li Haoyu also praised her without reservation.

"Of course, this is all thanks to you. It's a pity I didn't bring my DSLR and webcam, which limited my abilities. Next time, I'll take some bedroom photos for you; that'll be the real test of a photographer's skills."

Xu Hongdou smiled and said, "No need for that. You don't need to go to all that trouble. I can take a selfie. Alright, it's getting late. Let's hurry back, or it'll get dark again."

Li Haoyu laughed and said, "What's the rush? The sun hasn't even set yet. What's the hurry? You should tighten your clothes a bit."

"Otherwise, it won't be good if you catch a cold."

Xu Hongdou glanced at him; this guy really is a bit of a show-off!

However, she still followed Li Haoyu's advice and silently tightened her clothes. Xu Hongdou suddenly said, "Actually, I prefer the sunset to the sunrise. Do you know why?"

Li Haoyu smiled. "Is it because you're prettier?"

Xu Hongdou shook her head and said.

"That's not quite it, each has its own beauty. But look at the sun setting and slowly sinking into the night, the abundant sunlight that has accumulated throughout the day gradually transforms into a gentle, lingering creamy jam color."

"Things I couldn't say during the day seemed to gain a temporary, unbridled courage in this instant."

Li Haoyu said, "Actually, I also like sunsets. Do you know why?"

Xu Hongdou looked at Li Haoyu's face, waiting for him to give his answer.

Li Haoyu said, "Because the sunset has ended, which means we can go have dinner. 😎🐨 ➅➈s𝓱𝓾𝓧.𝒸Ｏ𝓂 ♢🐻Aren't you hungry now?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hongdou said, "I know, I'm actually hungry too. Let's go have a big meal, but this time it has to be on me."

Li Haoyu nodded. "Don't worry, I won't hold back this time. I'll have a big meal and try to bankrupt you."

Xu Hongdou looked into the distance, and the afterglow of the setting sun suddenly fell silent.

Li Haoyu sat down next to her and joked, "What's wrong? Are you thinking about your ex-boyfriend?"

Xu Hongdou said softly, "I wanted to let go before, but now I realize I don't want to let go, and I can't let go."

Upon hearing this, Li Haoyu also thought of Xu Hongdou, who must have been thinking of Chen Nanxing again.

Li Haoyu nodded. "It's all your own business. You can do whatever you want, as long as you're happy. I also hate those people who try to persuade me to let go of the past."

There's a saying that forgetting the past is tantamount to betrayal. The past is growth, it's experience. Whether right or wrong, it's the path you've come from, and it's worth remembering.

"Besides, our hearts aren't like 64GB iPads with storage limits; once they're full, we have to delete them. What's wrong with me just quietly putting them in a corner?"

"Hahaha."

Xu Hongdou was amused by Li Haoyu.

Her eyes and brows were full of smiles.

Li Haoyu noticed that Xu Hongdou seemed to be in a good mood.

He moved closer to Xu Hongdou again.

Li Haoyu simply put his arm around Xu Hongdou's shoulder and said, "Right? Just go your own way." But this time, Xu Hongdou surprisingly didn't resist much.

Her smile remained, and she spoke calmly.

"Oh"

The two seemed to have reached a tacit understanding at the same time.

Let's watch the sunset together in silence.

Until all the suns were swallowed by twilight.

…………

The two watched the sunset together.

Li Haoyu continued driving to find a nearby restaurant.

As soon as he sat in the driver's seat, Li Haoyu's mouth never stopped.

Li Haoyu groaned, "My neck is tired, my back is tired, and my whole body feels like it's been taken apart... If only God could send a fairy godmother to help me right now."

Xu Hongdou watched Li Haoyu's exaggerated performance.

She really couldn't hold back anymore.

Xu Hongdou almost lost control and nearly resorted to violence. However, years of upbringing helped her hold back at the last moment.

In the end, she simply patted Li Haoyu's sofa.

Okay, that's enough, just shut up.

Li Haoyu couldn't help but say, "I've been driving for you all day, shouldn't I get even the slightest reward?"

"How about you give me a shoulder massage tonight? That way, even though you can't relieve my fatigue from driving, you'll at least be contributing your own strength."

Xu Hongdou's expression froze.

Her smiling face fell.

"If you're tired of driving, you don't have to. Nobody's forcing you to drive. It's quite convenient for us to take a taxi. I'll take a nap and wake me up when we get to the restaurant."

However, Li Haoyu refused to admit defeat. He continued his constant chatter along the way, but Xu Hongdou remained unmoved. These bickering moments always seemed to pass quickly.

The car quickly left the scenic area and arrived at a bustling street.

Xu Hongdou also asked Li Haoyu, "Should we just pick any restaurant to eat at, or should we check the review websites and choose a highly-rated restaurant, even if we have to wait in line for a while? What do you think?"

Li Haoyu shook his head. "There are a lot of intricacies involved here. You should listen to my opinion as a professional. Actually, choosing a movie based on restaurant reviews and Douban ratings follows the same logic."

Top-tier restaurants receive an overwhelming five-star rating, while average good restaurants receive five, four, or three stars, gradually decreasing in rating, forming a P-shaped distribution.

Most movies have more neutral reviews than positive reviews, forming a D-shape. Average restaurants and the worst restaurants have countless negative reviews, forming B and L-shapes.

However, this requires a certain number of restaurant reviews, at least 100, to see any patterns in the reviews. If there are fewer reviews, focus primarily on the cuisine and photos.

For example, one store has over 170 five-star reviews, over 50 four-star reviews, and almost no three-star or one- or two-star reviews; another store has over 190 five-star reviews and over 150 four-star reviews.

The second store has a hundred more reviews than the first.

However, there are many more four-star reviews with minor flaws. Although they are both listed as four and a half stars on the website, there may be considerable differences between the two restaurants.

Xu Hongdou listened very attentively.

But Li Haoyu seemed to have said a lot, yet still didn't seem to have said anything. Xu Hongdou couldn't help but say, "Then just tell us which restaurant we're going to!"

Li Haoyu said, "I asked the taxi driver before I left, and he said that this is the real street food street for ordinary people. He said that good places usually don't have much risk."

"Of course, to ensure your experience, I even asked a passing delivery guy which restaurants were good, and they all gave the same answer. It'll be here soon."

It must be said that Li Haoyu puts a lot of thought into food.

The two soon arrived at the recommended restaurant.

Li Haoyu also ordered several signature dishes in advance, as per his homework: tree bark fried eggs, Mosuo fried rice, cold water hyacinth salad, roasted duck eggs, and egg-wrapped silver fish.

Aside from the roasted duck egg, Li Haoyu and Xu Hongdou could roughly guess what the egg-wrapped silver fish was from its name. The other dishes, however, left them completely clueless.

Once all the dishes were served...

The two discovered that not only were the names of these dishes unusual, but their taste was also truly unique.

The scrambled eggs with tree bark might initially taste slightly bitter, but that bitterness disappears once you become aware of it. What you ultimately experience is the rich aroma of eggs and a heart soothed by the delicious food.

That was absolutely fantastic.

Mosuo fried rice is made with egg drop soup, crunchy peanuts, diced carrots, and a subtle scallion flavor. Xu Hongdou ate it so much that she couldn't put her chopsticks down.

However, what Li Haoyu was most curious about was her promiscuity.

Li Haoyu even asked the waiter to give him a detailed introduction.

The scientific name for this watery creature is *Ottelia acuminata*, and it is called "Cape" by the locals. This dish comes from a creature found in a lake, and it is called "watery creature" because it is constantly swaying with the waves.

Li Haoyu tried a bite and found that the cold water hyacinth salad was smooth and tender, crisp and delicious, and the chili flavor was not very spicy but very fragrant.

Li Haoyu came over and, with great interest, recommended it to Xu Hongdou, saying, "It tastes very fresh, you should eat more."

Xu Hongdou took a bite and immediately frowned.

"It's so spicy! Did you trick me into eating this on purpose?"

Li Haoyu said, "You're wronging me. I really feel fine."

Overall, all the dishes tasted very good.

However, it wasn't as amazing as some might expect, especially since the silverfish had a slightly muddy taste, which clearly indicated they were farmed, not wild. The truly wild ones would have tasted much better.

However, this is a tourist city after all, so this level is already quite good.

They only ate until they were about 70% full, because they wanted to go to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain later. They had heard that eating too much could easily cause altitude sickness due to the altitude.

Xu Hongdou also offered to pay the bill.

This time, Li Haoyu didn't stop her. After all, Xu Hongdou didn't like owing favors to others. Letting her treat him to a meal would make her feel better.

Li Haoyu went to the toilet to relieve himself. When he came back, he looked at the bill and found that the dishes cost 700 yuan. The most expensive dish was the silver fish, which cost more than 400 yuan. The other dishes only cost 200 to 300 yuan in total.

It's still acceptable.

Xu Hongdou went up to the car and waited for Li Haoyu.

Li Haoyu originally wanted to follow, but he suddenly noticed a few pretty pink flowers on the front desk.

He couldn't help but ask, "Boss, what kind of flower is this? It's actually quite beautiful."

The shopkeeper casually replied, "Pink Diana and movie star roses, and white Tannic roses."

Li Haoyu had a sudden thought and decided to buy a few flowers.

The shop owner smiled and said, "Young man, you're thinking of buying these for your girlfriend, right? Then just take a few. I'm doing you a favor."

Li Haoyu said with a smile, "I'll pay the bill."

The shopkeeper laughed and said, "You probably haven't heard of the 'Eighteen Oddities of Yunnan,' where fresh flowers are sold by weight. This really isn't worth much, so take it."

Seeing this, Li Haoyu said, "Then I wish the boss a prosperous business and great wealth."