HuaYu: Starting with Photography to Navigate the Entertainment Industry

Tang Palace Seafood Restaurant.

Inside a luxurious private room, the six people sat down together.

Lobster is 988 yuan per pound?

Looking at the prices on the menu, Wang Xuan felt a pang of pain in his heart.

I couldn't bear to part with any.

He wasn't stupid; he knew he couldn't hand over the right to order food to Xu Lang. That guy had probably already sharpened his knife to rip people off.

"I may be rich, but I'm not stupid. I won't let you rip me off!"

He ordered a few mid-range dishes, and seeing that Xu Lang didn't say anything, he felt a little relieved.

At this moment, Xu Lang and Zhang Hanyun, who were sitting to the side, exchanged a glance, both with mischievous smiles on their faces.

"Brother Xu, I want to eat lobster sashimi."

"Why eat lobster sashimi? It's raw, it'll give you an upset stomach."

He had barely finished speaking when the waiter taking orders quickly chimed in:

"Rest assured, dear guests, our lobsters are all air-freighted from Australia this morning, no more than 8 hours after being caught, absolutely fresh. Our sashimi chef is also from Japan, ensuring absolute cleanliness and hygiene. You all seem to have plenty of money to spare, so why not have one?"

Seeing everyone staring at him, Wang Xuan felt like he was being roasted over a fire. He subconsciously scratched his forehead and looked at the waiter:

"You have three pounds of lobster here?"

"The smallest one is four pounds. Actually, with six of you, you could have someone a little bigger."

"No need, four pounds will do."

"Okay."

Seeing this, Xu Lang and Zhang Hanyun nodded to each other, and their mischievous actions actually helped to reduce the previous estrangement between them.

"Brother Xu, I've heard that eating king crab is especially good for women's skin."

Zhang Hanyun pointed at Shen Qingyue next to Wang Xuan and said, "Sister Shen is so beautiful, with such good skin, is it because she eats king crab?"

"Don't talk nonsense. That sister's family doesn't have that much money and can't afford king crab. She's just waiting for her future boyfriend to treat her to it."

No sooner had Xu Lang finished speaking than Shen Qingyue flared up, "Xu Lang, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"How am I talking nonsense? Tell me yourself, have you ever eaten king crab?"

"you..."

In 2004, a young girl from a small county had never even seen a king crab, let alone eaten one.

Shen Qingyue was so embarrassed by Xu Lang's retort that no matter how she answered, it was wrong.

Seeing this, Wang Xuan couldn't stand it any longer and sneered:

"It's just king crab, I'll treat Yueyue to it."

After saying that, he said to the waiter, "One three-pound king crab, please."

"Okay."

Xu Lang and Zhang Hanyun secretly high-fived under the table, looking like they had succeeded in their scheme.

"Brother Xu, their Tang Palace signature braised shark fin looks pretty good, would you like to try it?"

"I want to eat, but we can't order any more. Look at Wang Xuan, his face is all dark. If we order any more, he probably won't pay."

Xu Lang whispered these words into Zhang Hanyun's ear, but for some reason, the volume was slightly louder, and everyone in the room could hear it clearly.

Wang Xuan's face flushed red and then turned pale. He glanced at Shen Qingyue beside him, then at the waiter who was covering his mouth and chuckling, and thought to himself:

"Alright, we've already ordered lobster and king crab, what's a little more? If we don't order this, all that bragging before will have been for nothing."

He forced a smile and said to Xu Lang:

"Brother Xu Lang, what are you saying? Do you think I'm a stingy person? Would I skip out on the bill?"

With that, he said domineeringly to the waiter, "Tang Palace's signature braised shark fin soup, one serving per person."

"Alright!"

In no time, under the urging of Xu Lang and Zhang Hanyun, Wang Xuan added many more elaborate dishes, raising the standard to one thousand yuan per person.

When the dishes were served, they were indeed elaborate dishes, and I estimate that at least half of the people present had never tasted several of them before.

Xu Lang and Zhang Hanyun ignored everything else and just focused on eating, choosing only the most expensive dishes.

The moment they started eating, the speed at which everyone at the table started eating increased by half.

Can we not upgrade?

If you eat too slowly, the lobster will be gone.

Wang Xuan originally wanted to show off his big brother status, stretching out his arm, holding a wine glass, and chatting with this person and that person.

When I turned around and looked again, I found that not a single king crab leg was left.

"Holy crap, can you guys leave me one? I haven't even had a bite yet!"

However, to his relief, Shen Qingyue ate with great satisfaction, and her eyes became full of affection as she looked at him.

"If this meal can win her over, it'll be worth it!"

As Wang Xuan was thinking, Shen Qingyue suddenly put down her chopsticks and asked Xu Lang:

"Xu Lang, did you really take all those photos of your school's 'Women Are Just as Good As Men'?"

"Of course, I'm a military photographer, handpicked by the leadership."

Xu Lang chewed on lobster meat and mumbled incoherently.

"How come I never noticed how good your photos were before?"

Shen Qingyue looked regretful, then winked at Xu Lang, "Xu Lang, can you take a set of photos for me too?"

"Oh?"

Xu Lang looked up at Shen Qingyue and thought to himself:

"Oh! I see, so that's why she insisted on coming to find me."

Now, the photos from the "Women Are Just as Good as Men" column have gone viral and are circulating in major universities in Beijing.

It turns out that 99% of the comments on the BBS posts were from males, and they were all comments about a female classmate or requests for her contact information.

But now, the sentiment surrounding the post has shifted.

Instead, more girls left comments, and they were all directly targeting Xu Lang.

"Hey handsome, can you take a picture of me too?"

"Xu, I'm thinking of having a photoshoot done, could you help me out?"

"I'd like to take a picture; I'm willing to pay."

Xu Lang ignored all of these replies.

Is Shen Qingyue making this request now?

Xu Lang chuckled lightly, "I don't usually allow people to take pictures, but if you want to, then of course you can."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyue smiled broadly, "Xu Lang, you're so kind, I just..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan, who was standing to the side, immediately felt a sense of crisis.

As a result, Xu Lang helped him resolve this sense of crisis in the next moment.

Before Shen Qingyue could finish speaking, Xu Lang interrupted:

"I usually quote 5000 yuan per piece to others, but given our relationship, I'll give you a 40% discount, 2000 yuan. Isn't that a good deal?"

"What?"

"Even with a 40% discount, it's still 2000? For one ticket?"

Shen Qingyue's bright smile suddenly fell. "Xu Lang, are you out of your mind? You want money to take a picture of me?"

"2000 yuan apiece? You're kidding me!"

Seeing that she didn't believe him, Xu Lang pointed at Zhou Man, "If you don't believe me, ask her."

Shen Qingyue and the others all turned their gazes toward Zhou Man.

Zhou Man didn't dare to disobey Xu Lang, so she nodded, her eyes showing a hint of grievance. "I came all the way from Chengdu specifically to ask Teacher Xu to take my photos. The price is 5000 yuan per photo, but he hasn't agreed yet."

"What?"

Shen Qingyue and the other two were so surprised they couldn't close their mouths. Five thousand yuan for a single photo was completely beyond their imagination.

Even with a 40% discount, the price of 2000 yuan per piece was still far beyond Shen Qingyue's means.

"Hey Xu Lang, we're classmates, with our relationship, why are you charging me money?"

Shen Qingyue's voice carried a hint of coquetry and pleading.

Xu Lang's lips curled into a smile, and he chuckled softly.

"You shouldn't have asked me for this."

Then, he gestured with his chin toward Wang Xuan and said, "Brother Wang, I'm not her boyfriend, so you've probably asked the wrong person."

Seeing Shen Qingyue looking at him, Wang Xuan cursed Xu Lang in his heart again, but still spoke generously:

"It's just taking a set of photos, Yueyue, I'll pay for it for you."