C44 Semifinal

After recuperating, Ye Tian returned to her job. Thankfully, Gu Qinian seemed to have developed a conscience and stopped hindering her, making her workload much lighter and allowing her to prepare for the semi-finals.

During this time, Gu Qinian was nowhere to be seen, but Kawase Yuki called her twice, each time inviting her out to dinner. Ye Tian, however, was too busy to accept. She was indeed swamped with her job, her part-time work at the bar, and the preparation for the semi-finals. Yuki was quite surprised to learn that she was entering a character photography competition and expressed his support, "Focus on the competition, and once you make it through the semi-finals, dinner is on me." Ye Tian found his insistence on dinner both amusing and endearing, and rather than seem petulant by refusing again, she accepted his invitation with good grace.

...

The semi-final competition took place as planned over the weekend. Ye Tian, well-prepared, arrived at the venue with her camera in tow. The place was bustling with contestants, models, and spectators. The organizers had set up several small photography booths, and the semi-final rules were clear: contestants were given a theme, assigned models at random, and required to submit three photos within the allotted time for on-site judging and the announcement of finalists.

This being Ye Tian’s first time in such a major photography contest, she was understandably excited. She weaved through the crowd, taking in the sights with the wide-eyed wonder of a curious child. Meanwhile, she caught the attention of someone in the crowd.

"Ye Tian? She actually made it through!" Ye Ziyan, wearing oversized sunglasses, clenched her jaw as she glared at the figure moving through the crowd. Hidden behind the dark lenses, her eyes blazed with envy. She had come to support her good friend Ren Chuchu but hadn't anticipated crossing paths with Ye Tian.

Chuchu, noticing Ziyan's gaze, asked with a hint of confusion, "Who are you looking at?" Ziyan, with a tight-lipped frown, pointed in Ye Tian's direction. "That woman over there. She's nothing but trouble, always circling around Qinian, trying to steal him away from me!"

Upon hearing those words, Ren Chuchu glanced over and immediately furrowed her brow, "How can such a shameless person dare to strut around in public? Absolutely disgraceful!"

The thought of having to compete with such a person made her feel nauseous. A spark of inspiration flashed in her eyes as she quickly concocted a plan.

...

With some time left before the competition, Ye Tian was casually snapping photos with her camera, showing no signs of anxiety.

As the crowd thickened, she guarded her camera closely, careful to avoid bumping into passersby while she sought out a more open space to wait.

Out of nowhere, a man approached, his cap pulled low over his eyes, his pace both swift and urgent. He weaved past several people, but as he passed Ye Tian, he stumbled and collided with her.

Ye Tian's heart skipped a beat. Instinctively clutching her camera, she was nonetheless sent off-balance. The camera was knocked from her grasp and crashed to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Ouch!" Ye Tian landed squarely on her backside, her gaze fixed on the fallen camera as she cried out in alarm.

She scrambled to retrieve it and looked up sharply, only to hear the man mutter a hasty apology before disappearing into the crowd.

Damn it!

Frustrated, she bit back a curse and rose to her feet, clutching the camera as she made her way to an open corner.

Ignoring the dust on her clothes, she quickly examined the camera, her heart sinking. It was broken and wouldn't power on.

With the competition about to start, she was in a bind. There was a large shopping mall nearby where she could purchase a replacement, but the thought of spending so much for the competition made her hesitate.

As she pondered her next move, a discordant voice rang out, "Well, if it isn't Ye Tian. I'm quite surprised to see you made it to the semi-finals!"

Ye Tian looked up to find Ye Ziyan smirking beside a woman she didn't recognize. With a frown and no time to spare, she turned to leave.

But the unfamiliar woman stepped to the side, blocking her path, and offered a sly smile as she extended her hand, "Hello, I'm Ren Chuchu, Ziyan's friend, and also your competitor."

Ye Tian tugged at the corner of her mouth impatiently and said bluntly, "I have no interest in knowing who you are."

Anyone who's in cahoots with Ye Ziyan can't be good news.

Ren Chuchu didn't expect her attitude to be so poor, and it was hard for her to maintain her composure. Thankfully, Ye Ziyan came to her defense.

"Ye Tian, Chuchu was just being nice by saying hello. What's with the attitude?" Ye Ziyan chided.

Ye Tian, clearly in a foul mood, didn't bother hiding her disdain. "If you think my attitude is bad, why do you keep coming over to talk? What's going through your minds?"

Ren Chuchu's brow furrowed slightly, but she quickly pulled Ye Ziyan aside and forced a smile. "Don't worry about it. She seems to be in a bad mood."

While speaking, her gaze casually drifted to the camera in Ye Tian's hand, and she blinked in feigned surprise.

"Oh no! Your camera is damaged; the corner is all smashed up. It's not broken, is it?"

She covered her mouth with her hand, feigning pity, "What are you going to do? The competition is about to start, and you won't be able to participate with it like that."

Ye Tian was fed up with this act of innocence. She hissed in irritation, "Your acting skills are lacking. How can you be friends with Ye Ziyan with such a performance?"

Ren Chuchu was taken aback by her words, and before she could gather her thoughts, Ye Tian delivered another sarcastic jab.

"Could you at least try to hide that smug look before you start pretending? It's embarrassing to watch."

At this, Ren Chuchu's face lost all expression, turning a shade paler.

Ye Ziyan, not one to hold back, began to mock her, "Your camera is broken, and you're taking it out on us? This just proves you had no business being in this competition in the first place. Serves you right for ruining a camera."

With her patience worn thin by their incessant nagging, Ye Tian was about to remove the memory card from her camera when a somewhat familiar voice reached her ears.

"Ye Tian."

She turned to find Kawase Yuki, casually dressed in khaki, standing a few steps behind her, waving with a friendly grin.

"Kawase?" Ye Tian was genuinely surprised. "What brings you here?"

Kawase Yuki closed the distance with a few long strides, smiling. "I had some free time and thought I'd come over to give you a morale boost."

As he spoke, Gu Qinian's gaze fell on the camera in Ye Tian's hands, and his lips curled into a warm smile.

"It's quite the coincidence. While I was browsing through the mall, I thought to myself that for a photographer like you, a camera must be indispensable. So, I picked one up as a gift to celebrate your upcoming victory in the semi-finals. It looks like I'll have to give it to you ahead of schedule."

After finishing his thought, he lifted the large paper bag he was holding, pulled out a gift box, and handed the brand-new camera to Ye Tian with a grin. "So, here's to wishing you an early congratulations on sweeping the semi-finals."