1077 An Encounter



She thought about how although she and Xia Wen had been together for so many years, it seemed that she was alone most of the time. Xia Wen would always be busy with the Xia family's matters and did not have much time for his own family. The two of them rarely went out for a meal on their own. In the past, they would have lunch together with their colleagues in the school canteen and then go back to the Xia family residence for dinner.

It was as if they stopped spending time together as a couple after they got married. After a while, the two of them found themselves having less and less common topics to talk about.

Tan Jing did not want to stay at the Tan family's house any longer. After saying a quick goodbye to Jiang Yi, she slowly walked down the main street and missed the last bus in the end.

All the shops in the vicinity were closed for the new year holidays and she had nowhere to go since she did not have any money on her. She had no choice but to wander to a small park nearby. She found a bench to sit on and quietly stared into the distance.

Suddenly, Tan Jing heard a clicking sound. She turned around and saw a very young man holding a camera and taking a photo of her. The man seemed a little shy and surprised to be discovered.

"Hello, I just thought that you looked very pretty just now and couldn't help but take a photo. If you don't feel comfortable, I can give you the film. This way, you don't have to worry about your photo being displayed in public," the man said softly as he walked forward in a gentlemanly manner.

This was the first time in more than 10 years that a man had said she looked pretty. She felt so aged and haggard, so how could she be good-looking? This man must be joking with her.

Tan Jing laughed self-deprecatingly and said resignedly, "Sir, you should give me the film. I don't think I'm as good-looking as you say. I hope you can ask for permission before taking someone's photo next time. Personally, I don't really like taking photos."

The man earnestly took out the film from the camera and handed it to Tan Jing. He kept a warm smile on his face as he did that, as if giving his entire row of film to Tan Jing was no big deal.

Film was a single use item, so it was something very precious. Most people only have a few family photos which they displayed at home. These photos were usually taken at the photo studio during festive seasons when the entire family was around. The portable camera that he was holding was even rarer as it was an imported item. Film was equally expensive and not readily available.

"Don't you… feel sad about removing your film? Are you giving it to me because you don't have any other photos inside?" Tan Jing asked curiously.

"Compared to the price of the film, aren't your feelings more important? I'm a freelance photographer and I like to take photos of scenery everywhere I go. I place more importance on the unique and beautiful sight which I managed to capture just now. The image is already imprinted on my mind, so the film is already useless to me. Take it as my compensation to you," the man said.

This man was glib-tongued and all his words were very pleasant to the ears. Tan Jing was very curious about the man's background and why he was such a person. He even said that she was a unique sight? It was already good enough if she did not look like a mess.

"Don't make fun of me. Just remove the part with my image. There's no need to give me the entire row of film. This thing is not cheap," Tan Jing said.

The man nodded and took out a pair of small scissors from his pocket. He gently pulled out the film and slowly cut out the part with Tan Jing's image before placing it in her hand.

"Look, you're really beautiful," the man said with a smile.

Even though it was not a developed photo, she could still vaguely see the image on the film under the light. It was a picture of her sitting alone on the bench with an indescribable sense of disillusionment. It was well-taken and really looked very beautiful.

"It indeed looks good. Your skills are quite good," Tan Jing praised.

"No, it's because you're very good-looking to begin with. What I did was to capture your beauty in that moment," the man said.

Tan Jing stared into the man's eyes for a long time and felt that his eyes were so clear that they did not look tainted by the secular world at all. It seemed to be a common trait among artists. They all had their own unique perspective on the world.

"My name is Cheng Gu. May I know your name?" Cheng Gu asked as he stared into Tan Jing's eyes.

Tan Jing blushed slightly. This was the first time she had met such an intense man. She whispered, "Tan Jing."