Yes, Lady Funina!

However, a difficult problem was soon placed in front of the authoritative judges. Several judges gathered together and started a heated debate around the wet photo of a handsome man that was attached to the whiteboard by a magnet.

"It's insulting, absolutely insulting!" An old-school photography connoisseur denounced this kind of photo as lowering the tone of this photography competition and simply showing off male beauty!

When the old-school photography connoisseur put forward his point of view, the new generation of female judges around him gave a different point of view:

"How is it insulting? I just love watching it! The shirt wet by the rain symbolizes the hard work of the young generation of Fontaine, and the abdominal muscles faintly visible through the shirt represent the strength and perseverance of the young people of Fontaine today. And did you notice the shooting environment?"

"It was in the office. What does this represent? This represents the tenacity and struggle of the young people of Fontaine today! We can't look at this work superficially with tinted eyes! What's more, there is nothing illegal about this photo. Not even much flesh is exposed..."

"By the way, does our newspaper have this gentleman's contact information? I don't mean anything else, I just want to dig deep into the spiritual core of contemporary Fontaine young people." The new generation judge was about to hit everyone in the face with his abacus beads.

The judges with a more neutral stance immediately stepped out to smooth things over, saying, "Please be patient, let's discuss this and don't damage the harmony."

"Since we have a dispute over the content of the photo, why not look at this work from the perspective of the shooting technique..."

“Whether it’s light or composition, you can tell this photographer has something. His level cannot be said to be the best among the photographers participating in this competition, but at least he is at the top level. There will be no problem for him to be shortlisted.” The judges who specialize in technical skills gave their own judgment.

Even the old-school judges could not deny this point. From a technical point of view alone, this group of works is of very high quality and will definitely be shortlisted.

“Since there is no problem with the nomination, let’s discuss whether we should give this work more exposure.” The neutral judge continued upon seeing this.

"I object." The old-school judges voted against it.

"I agree." The new generation of judges voted in favor.

The remaining judges also gave their opinions. Overall, the votes against and in favor were evenly matched.

However, this evenly matched situation did not last long, as one of the judges noticed something was wrong.

"Wait a minute, do you think the person in this photo looks familiar?"

The new generation female judge nodded immediately: "He does look familiar, like my ideal type."

This female judge was quite good-looking. Although not as pretty as Ningguang and Funina, she was still a beauty. She stood out among the mostly middle-aged judges.

There were also several young judges who had their eyes on him and wanted to ask for his contact information after the judging was over, but when they heard what the other party said, their hearts sank.

“No, this person seems to be an official of Mo Mang Palace.”

“Wow, he’s actually a civil servant, that’s a plus!” The new generation of female judges were delighted.

"Ahem, ma'am, please be aware of the impact. This is a serious photography competition, not a blind date corner..." The neutral judges couldn't stand it anymore and went to persuade the new generation of female judges to calm down and not be blinded by male beauty.

"If an official posted such a photo in the venue, wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate?"

This sentence directly hits the crux of the problem.

An official took this kind of photo and participated in a photography competition. This... this is simply unheard of!

"What's wrong with that? Isn't our water goddess Funina also the Minister of Administration? This doesn't prevent her from becoming a big star." The new generation of judges are quite open-minded, with a sense of 'there is already a precedent in our dynasty'.

You know what, it does make sense at first glance, and there’s no rule in the photography competition that prohibits officials from the Mo Mang Palace from participating, right?

"But what if this wasn't taken by me? Or what if this wasn't the work I submitted?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this. Finally, the most senior neutral judge present stepped forward and ran to find the editor-in-chief of the Steambird Newspaper.

Not long after, the neutral judge came back. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he rubbed his balding head and said, "Don't worry about these problems. Although I didn't submit it myself, Editor-in-Chief Ou Fu said there is no problem."

Although Editor-in-Chief Ou Fu's expression was a little subtle when she asked about the author of this set of photographs, since the other party said there was no problem, then there must be no problem.

Even if something goes wrong, it's definitely not my fault.

After hearing what the neutral judges said, everyone present continued the discussion, and many of the judges who were originally neutral gradually turned to the supporters, because it was very interesting to think that a wet photo of a senior government official would be shortlisted for the finals and put in the venue.

As we all know, watching fun, finding fun and having fun is human nature. What's more, they don't have to take the blame, so it would be a waste not to watch such a rare fun!

Clorinde: You are all murderers! (T - T)

Finally, after discussion among the judges present, it was decided to give this group of works more exposure opportunities. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to see the corresponding materials in the center of the venue tomorrow.

After the discussion and conclusion, the tense atmosphere suddenly eased. One of the judges said, "Isn't the confidentiality of this video competition too good? Not only are the authors anonymous, but the works are also anonymous. I'm really curious about the title of the work just now."

"After the Rain? The Wet Official? Haha, no matter what the name is, I should be able to see it at the venue tomorrow. I really want to meet the author of this work." The new generation female judge said with a smile.

Everyone present looked at the female judge and thought to themselves: Are you trying to get to know the author? You clearly just want to get to know the people in the work, tui, I'm embarrassed to expose you!

——————

The cultural exchange activities jointly held by Fontainebleau and Liyue have been going on for nearly a week. All activities are progressing in an orderly manner, and the most eye-catching one is the photography competition hosted by Steambird Newspaper.

On the one hand, there are many participants, and everyone wants to see if their work has been shortlisted. On the other hand, photos are more intuitive, and compared to the flowery poems and songs, the threshold for judging whether a photo is good-looking is obviously lower.

And among so many photos, there must be some things that everyone likes to see, such as beautiful women, and beautiful women wearing cool clothes.

Art is all art!

After asking for leave from Funina's office, Clorinde went straight to the Steambird newspaper. She had to hurry to the Steambird newspaper to make things clear. That photo must not be seen under any circumstances.

However, when she arrived at the Steambird newspaper office, she was told by the staff that Editor-in-Chief Ou Fu had already gone to the venue, along with several members of the jury.

The staff also said that the selection results of the shortlisted works have been announced. They were the result of the judges and editor-in-chief Ou Fu working overtime overnight. The promotional materials were produced by machines before dawn this morning.

The Steambird Newspaper attached great importance to this photography competition and was very efficient. Almost all of the Steambird Newspaper's resources were mobilized to make the competition a success.

I think you want to kill me! After hearing this, Clorinde felt her eyes go dark, her body began to sway, and her plump chest rose and fell, making people dizzy.

After receiving the reply, Clorinde did not linger at the Steambird Newspaper Office any longer. She went straight to the event venue, hoping to capture Richard's photo before the materials were arranged.

However, just as Clorinde was running towards the venue, Richard on the other side also followed Furninna out of the Momang Palace, and Linnet also lagged half a body length behind Richard and followed on his left.

Their destination was also the event venue, which was suggested by Ms. Funina. The reason was naturally because she participated in this photography competition and wanted Richard to see her work and cast a vote or something.

The venue of the cultural exchange event was not far from Mo Mang Palace. It would take about ten minutes to walk there. Richard and his companions stopped and walked along the way, and Funina was greeted by passers-by from time to time, which delayed them for some time.

By the time we arrived at the entrance of the venue, it was already bustling with activity.

"Wow, today's venue feels a lot more lively than the past few days." Funina had accompanied Ningguang to visit the venue before, but it was far from being as lively as today.

At this moment, not only was the venue packed with people, but there was also a steady stream of tourists pouring in from outside. Soon the entire venue was overcrowded, and even the special patrol team came out to help maintain order at the scene. Otherwise, the security team's limited manpower would not be enough.

"It should be related to the promotion of the photography competition, right? I have already seen some of the shortlisted works of the photography competition on the way here. Steambird Newspaper attaches great importance to this event and has invested a lot of publicity budget." Richard said.

"Anyway, let's go to the center of the venue to meet Ningguang first. I made an appointment with her to meet at the center of the venue." Funina said after thinking for a while.

She looked at the lively scene in front of her, and couldn't help feeling a little nervous, as she hadn't seen her own work along the way.

I'm not going to be selected, am I? As the saying goes, people make mistakes and horses stumble, what if the judges don't like kittens? No, no, how could anyone not like cats? Cats are so cute!

Well, if I had known I wouldn't have been so confident before...

As they were about to reach the center of the venue, Funina hadn't seen the little cat she had photographed yet. She was feeling very nervous, but she couldn't show it. She had to appear confident, which was very uncomfortable.

As she was daydreaming, Furninna didn't notice that Richard, who was walking in front of her, stopped and bumped into his broad back.

"Why did you stop?" asked Funina, rubbing her forehead.

However, before Richard could reply, Linnett pulled on Furninna's sleeve and pointed to the center of the venue. The place that was originally for registration of the photography competition had been changed into an exhibition area for the shortlisted works.

And at the very center of the exhibition, commonly known as the C position, a familiar face came into Funina's sight.

Isn't that Richard? So... so astringent.

Finina was stunned. She was totally unprepared and was blinded by the male beauty. Is this something she can see for free?

Our Lord Water God subconsciously reached for his wallet, wanting to ask the staff over there, "Do we have any peripherals for sale here?" She wanted to buy ten!

"Richard, are you also participating in this competition?" Funina couldn't help but ask.

Richard's face showed no joy or sadness. He replied woodenly, "No, Lady Furninna."

"That……"

“That’s your masterpiece.”

"Ah? I clearly..." Furninna looked carefully and found that the title of the work under Richard's photo was "The Cat Stealing Fish", and below the title of the work was the author's signature, and above it was her own name.

Isn't this right?

I was clearly photographing a kitten, how did it become Richard? A magical transformation? Did the cat become a spirit?

But I have to say... this photo is really well taken. Fu Nina thought with a blushing face. She secretly glanced at Richard and planned to ask the staff if they could keep the large poster for her after the event.

She can buy it with money!

Linnet's eyes flickered as she stood by, and it was obvious that she was also thinking about the promotional materials of the Steambird newspaper.

However, unlike Furninda, Linnet knew that these things would not stay in the venue for too long, and Richard would definitely use all his strength to remove these promotional materials.

In fact, this is true. When Richard saw the photo for the first time, his inner thoughts were

- Clorinde, you're out of work!

Volume 126: Chapter Don’t fire me, I…I will listen to you.

"Claurinde, do you have anything else to say?" Richard looked at Clorinde, who wanted to bury her head in her chest, with a bad face.

I thought you asked for leave because you were too excited, but I didn't expect you were really too excited!

She actually submitted his photo to the competition, and even used the name Funina!

"The Cat That Steals Fish"? Whose cat that steals fish hasn't eaten fish in 500 years!

Stealing? What the hell, he’s a vegetarian!

If he wasn't a vegetarian, why would Clorinde send his photo to the center of the venue?

"I, I didn't mean it..." Clorinde stammered, her head lowered, her hands neatly placed on her knees, her plump buttocks only halfway seated, her thighs pressed tightly together without a gap, her knees pressed together, her calves slightly apart.

His body leaned forward slightly, as if he was bowing or apologizing. In short, his posture was very humble.

"It's not intentional, but if you did it, do you want to help Funina win the first prize in the photography competition?" Richard was really enlightened today. He never thought that he would become a big star in Fontaine one day.

The number of tickets in the ticket box in front of the door with his photo alone is more than the total number of tickets in the two adjacent ticket boxes for works of art!

If this momentum continues, I'm sure I'll be in the top three, if not first place.

Richard was somewhat thankful that he had discovered it on the first morning. If he had discovered it a day or two later, the opportunity would have been lost.

After Richard's communication, and considering that this was nominally Funina's entry, Richard did not remove all the photos. Instead, he only removed the wet photo. The rest of the photos that looked relatively normal remained at the venue for the competition.

As for the reason for removing the photos, it was the Official Secrets Act. As we all know, the Official Secrets Act never protects secrets but officials.

Don’t ask. If you ask, it’s a secret. If you ask again, I’ll treat you to a meal.

There is another reason for removing only that photo, which is that Richard is very clear that the more something is banned, the more likely it is to become popular.

Especially in Fontaine, everyone here is rebellious. Richard believes that if he really removes all the photos at once, the underground trading market of Fontaine Gray River will be full of copies of his photos the next day.

As the saying goes, it is better to guide than to block. First remove the one with the worst impact. The remaining ones are at best ordinary photos. As time goes by, the impact brought by the photos will gradually subside and eventually disappear completely from people's sight.

"Um, sorry." Clorinde was choked by Richard and dared not speak or look at him.

Fontaine's strongest duel agent, at this moment, was like a little girl who had made a mistake, and was obediently accepting the scolding from Lord Richard.

No, what does it mean to be like a little girl who has made a mistake?

It's the little girl who made a mistake!

"Also, since you knew at the time that the photo was wrong, why didn't you go directly to the Steambird Newspaper Office? Why did you have to wait until the next day?"

"It was already very late, and I thought they should have gone off work, so we might as well wait until the next day..." Clorinde replied in a low voice.

"Even if they're off work, can't we let them go to work? Even if you can't find anyone, can't you come find me?" Richard said angrily.

Where did all your cleverness go when you tried to trick me some time ago?

Oh, it was all used to trick me, so it’s okay.

"I didn't expect it." Clorinde said honestly. On the one hand, she really didn't expect the Steambird Newspaper to act so quickly. On the other hand, she was also hoping for a lucky break, thinking that as long as she got the photos back before Richard found out, there would be no problem.

In the end, not only did I get the photo back, I even made it into the competition and was expected to get one of the top three spots.

Clorinde was extremely regretful at this moment, regretting that she did not take a closer look at the application form when she submitted it, which led to the current situation.

Now, not only are the photos gone, but I'm also being scolded, and I might even lose my job.

This has really become a little trick for quitting your job.

Thinking of this, Clorinde asked cautiously: "What should we do next?"

Richard glanced at Clorinde and said unhappily, "What else can we do? Don't do anything, just let it go!"

Let's avoid the limelight for now. When the photography competition and cultural exchange activities are over and Ningguang and the others return to Liyue, I'll close the door and have a good chat with this guy Clorinde.

Clorinde obviously understood that what Richard meant by letting the matter go did not mean letting her off, but that he would settle the score with her after all the disturbance caused by this incident had subsided.

Commonly known as liquidation.