29. Photo shoot(1)

YuTang got ready for the shoot, first, he had to take that dye of his hair because the next shoot was going to be an oriental one.

Well, he didn't have to go out, you see, as weird as it gets, ChunHua also had those... he wondered if she was also into dying her hair or, it was simply another whim of hers, but in cases like today, it helped him out so no complaints there!

It took him over 4 hours to get ready and as instructed by her, he called for a taxi after he perfectly hid his face behind a mask... for the record, he was wearing a trench coat along with some winter clothes inside and a customised long scarf, adding his build to it, even though he was trying to hide his mask, it wasn't hard to guess that he was in the entertainment business and could definitely become a fashion icon.... he didn't get to check the price tags, but YuTang was aware of her standards...

It was a gamble to come out in these clothes, well, in the future if he is not able to make it big or, she simply leaves him behind, the image he will have created by them would go down the drain, but he took it as a challenge, there is no 'if' anymore.... he was going to be what she imagined him to be, he was going to fight again and this time with his whole passion and life on the line.

To be frank, the clothes he was wearing was named brands but they still looked lowkey and exquisite at the same time, he was aware of his position now and couldn't create a standoffish image for himself now... in the long run, it wouldn't work out... it wasn't him chickening out but just being rational... there was a reason, he was able to still hang on for this long even with the block he was facing, he knew where to stand back and in which basket to put his eggs on.... with years without anyone to depend on, he has matured a lot and learned the way around the world...

Today's gig was a photo shoot for a fashion magazine and with the Lunar New Year in a month's time, they had to finish the shoot today or, latest by tomorrow.

The magazine was a nationally acclaimed one called the 'STARLIGHT ' from the two words Star and Spotlight, they were pretty straight forward in their approach, any star on the spotlight will get the chance and so, you could find supermodels and the movie emperors and empresses of the showbiz industry on its covers and centre page every month; they still stuck to the traditional ideas and used models from inside the country, as a result of which, even though the magazine wasn't doing well abroad, it was at the top of the food chain in the country!!

The only reason, YuTang got this chance, even while being sacked was because of the photographer of the shoot... the man was a senior in the industry and even the celebrities at the top showed him due respect... they had met in one of his previous shoot around a week ago and had offered him the job... it was quite shocking to YuTang because the two didn't know each other, but this man was famous for finding out new talents, in that sense, he was actually among the very senior in the industry who could give an olive branch to new talents...

But of course, he was the photographer and not the producer of the magazine so, he could only recommend him for a picture among a hundred others and not for the main cover or centre feature.

Still, it was a good experience for YuTang!

The one for the centre cover today was a veteran actress who won the award for this year's Best Actress in the recently ended HK Golden Lotus Awards, it was the highest achievement for any artist in this country's film industry!

While the cover was a duet shoot between a supermodel and a rising music artist who was on fire in the few months and is expected to represent the next generation music artist.

For the record, the shoot this time was going for a festive look with a modern touch.

YuTang was still new to this and didn't know where to go since everyone was a busy and nobody gave him a second glance... in the distance, he saw the senior photographer talking with a few other photographers..? Well, all of them were holding professional cameras so, it wasn't a hard guess.

He had gotten a pass from the old man so, he was allowed to enter and decided to first greet him before doing anything else... it was proper etiquette and courtesy.

A few steps away from him, he was blocked by the back of lady and so, YuTang waited out.

He had a hunch... she was probably the Film Empress of this season and seemed familiar to the group, they all were politely conversing before the atmosphere became lighter, she was indeed a social butterfly.... just then one of the photographers saw YuTang at the back and even as a professional who earned their cheque from filming beautiful faces all day long, he couldn't help but be taken aback by the man's charm...

YuTang was standing in an area that was dimly lit and his own most of his facial features were covered in shadow, but that seemingly elegant posture, the gentle curve in his eyes and the correct amount of strength put on his muscles to create a perfect image, made him look distant and mysterious... if he had to choose a few words, it would be that the god took a few years and gave all his love in building this man... but it was not just his posture, but also his inner aura that stood out, even in the dim setting, he had a blinding presence!

Everyone was engaged in conversation and because one among them paused, unknowingly they all followed his sight and had similar look like the first man, even the veteran actress was stuck for words for a second before regaining her composure... she was the one to ask, "How could we help yo--"

But suddenly was cut off by the senior photographer, "xiao Yu, right?!! You are here!"

This man was called senior Su and was 51 this year, but except for his serious nature during a shoot, he was actually flamboyant for his age.

"Old* Su, you know him?", another photographer asked the old man.

....

Note:

Old – 'Lao' in Chinese, adding this before one's surname adds an endearing and respectful tone to it and the person doesn't have to be necessarily old!