The Detective of Noble Male Academy — 11

11

'I'll leave the first round of photography to you today, okay?' Fu Dao called out to him with a grin.

Ji Yue was adjusting the aperture. He had worn a hat today; the seaside sun was fierce, and the tips of his cheeks and nose had gone faintly pink, as though someone had taken a bite out of him.

Seeing the tight furrow between his brows, that look of absolute seriousness, Fu Dao couldn't help but wonder when Ji Yue had become so devoted to club activities — in the past, you couldn't drag him out even if you tried.

'First group, honor students, move out,' Zhou Zhou said, then glanced curiously at Ji Yue's face. There had been a lot of rumors lately about the campus beauty's romantic history — did Ji Yue himself know?

And yet, even when that name came up, Ji Yue showed no flicker of emotion whatsoever.

Today's agenda was heavy, covering both photography and the original novel's plot. Ji Yue had made a plan: shoot a little first, then go nudge the story along.

[Today's original plot: After winning the championship, F4 embraces the honor student. F3 watches from the side, his lenses catching the light, and decides he wants to make a forceful move. F2 witnesses the scene from beneath an umbrella and can't sleep that night — only then does he realize he's in love with the honor student. F1 is absent; he's digging soil to plant flowers.]

[As for the detective — he records all of the above classic moments.]

'A multi-person storyline.'

[Indeed — today is going to be a handful!]

The moment the sailboats set off, the sun blazed blindingly bright. A rare fine day, the kind that seemed to scorch even the surface of the sea.

Through the lens, Si Jing's expression was taut — his whole body was. The wind lifted the hair from his forehead, revealing sharp, handsome features.

'You really do like this one, don't you — how many photos have you secretly taken of him?'

Li Xihé's face appeared right up close, peering at the display screen. Ji Yue had no idea when he'd materialized there.

A hand reached out and pushed his face away.

'No looking.'

It wasn't as though he hadn't photographed other people too.

'Your hands are so warm, little sister — you haven't gotten heatstroke, have you?' Li Xihé smiled, studying Ji Yue's hands — fair-skinned, flushed with a hint of pink, cradling the camera. Beside those hands sat an innocent coconut with a straw poking out of it.

Ji Yue ignored him.

He glanced up and found Yan Min standing nearby.

Both of them had some connection to the sailing team, so it wasn't strange that they'd appeared at the same time.

'You've been busy shooting this these past few days? Sounds like quite a workload.' Yan Min looked at Ji Yue's camera — and at the male faces showing up inside it.

'What he photographs depends on what he likes.' Li Xihé smiled lightly. 'Once he stops liking something, he stops shooting it — no matter how busy he is. Ji Yue has always had that kind of personality.'

Yan Min said: 'You're right. Some things simply aren't worth looking at.'

Ji Yue didn't quite follow.

Who was that aimed at — the honor student?

In any case, one of today's key figures, He Yuanxi, had yet to appear.

Ji Yue moved through the crowd with his camera, using the pretense of shooting to search for people without raising any suspicion.

After a while, a young figure in dark sunglasses stepped out of a black car in the distance, accompanied by several familiar school staff members.

...Finally found him.

By the time He Yuanxi arrived, the first round had just ended. The first sailboat cut across the finish line into the wind, and the crowd erupted in a wave of cheers.

Ji Yue pressed the shutter, firing off a rapid burst of shots.

'An honor student — really? That kid's from the lower city. Where did he learn to sail?'

Amid the applause, remarks like that drifted through the air.

Ji Yue thought back to the bonus chapters of the original novel. One of them had touched on Si Jing's background: he was born in a sweltering coastal town and had grown up right beside the sea.

His mind wandered for a few seconds. Then a shadow fell across his vision — someone had stepped between him and the sun.

'Are you the one doing the photography for the first round today?' He Yuanxi bent his head to greet him. 'That must be tiring.'

'...'

'Could I have a look?'

'No.'

'Fair enough. Will you be photographing me later?' He Yuanxi was there to present the awards for first and second place.

He Yuanxi normally gave people the impression of being proper and upright, but the tone of that question was nothing of the sort — even Ji Yue could tell.

[Ha! He's teasing you. Just ignore him.]

Ji Yue gave a small nod.

'I'll be counting on you, then.'

He Yuanxi said this while looking Ji Yue over — taking in his outfit for the day.

With the hat pulled down, his face was reduced to just a sliver of pale chin, and anyone talking to him had to wait for him to tilt his head up before they could catch a glimpse of his eyes.

A pair of amber-tinted sunglasses hung from his collar, tugging the neckline of his white round-neck tee downward. He wore a delicate diamond collarbone chain, and if you looked closely, just below the snow-white collarbone there was a small brown mole — the kind that made you want to reach out and brush it away.

'You're welcome.'

'How long will you be shooting today?'

Ji Yue didn't even register the question that followed. He glanced left, then right, and then — without a word — simply abandoned He Yuanxi on the spot, breaking into a light jog toward the water's edge, because the second round had begun.

The school competition ran on a points system: three rounds to determine the winner, and the victor would go on to represent the school team in off-island competitions. Even though the original novel had already spoiled who would win, the moment the third boat crossed the finish line, the surge of the crowd's cheers still hit Ji Yue like a wave.

I have never felt anything that fierce, he thought. Compared to everyone else, it was as though something was missing from his brain.

[Sweetheart, your factory settings are just different from other people's!]

'...'

Si Jing came down from the boat like a nimble fish leaping through the spray. Many people swarmed around him, and in that moment, no one cared that he was a lowly outsider from the lower city — they cheered for him, purely and genuinely.

Si Jing searched the crowd for a particular figure. The beach was packed with teammates and spectators, jostling and noisy; his gaze swept across face after face.

He couldn't help himself — an urgent, overwhelming need to share this joy with the person he liked.

'Ji Yue!'

Zhou Zhou called his name.

For some reason, the young man had put his sunglasses back on. His long hair flew in the wind, and there was no telling where his eyes were looking beneath those dark lenses.

'Looks like the champion is trying to find you.'

'...'

And that was exactly why Ji Yue had failed to capture the original novel's iconic photograph.

Why wouldn't they embrace each other? They hadn't even exchanged a glance during the awards ceremony.

As for the rest — Li Xihé's lenses catching the light, Yuwen Qing's shadowed gaze from beneath his umbrella — neither of those two had even been in their seats at the awards ceremony. Li Xihé had vanished somewhere, and Yuwen Qing was under his umbrella, absorbed in a game, as though neither of them had the slightest interest in the honor student.

[How did it come to this?! Who on earth is sabotaging our father-son storyline!] The System wailed, gnawing on a handkerchief.

In theory, once the competition ended, the photography club had nothing left to do. Everyone packed up their cameras and tripods and left; later they would need to edit some footage to send to the news club as material.

'Let's go eat —' Fu Dao looked left and right, couldn't find anyone. 'Where did Ji Yue go? I was going to treat him to a fresh meat pie.'

Dark night, high winds, a beach barbecue.

The sea breeze carried the scent of cumin-spiced beef.

One person had quietly slipped into the victory banquet, hiding behind a tree trunk to eavesdrop on the conversation between He Yuanxi and Si Jing.

They were seated at the same table as the sailing team.

'I don't drink.' Si Jing's voice.

'Karaoke tonight?' an unfamiliar male voice said. 'Si Jing, you coming?'

A burst of noise — it was impossible to hear whether Si Jing agreed. Then He Yuanxi's voice cut through: 'Aren't you going to keep your boyfriend company?'

?

Si Jing was with one of the F4?

The System let out a string of frantic cries: [I knew it — whatever feelings were brewing, they had to be growing wild somewhere we couldn't see!!]

Si Jing said there was nothing going on, his tone perfectly even.

'Mickey must know something, to tease him like that.'

Ji Yue fell into thought.

Who was it?

Which one of F1, F2, or F3?

Why hadn't he noticed before?

[With He Yuanxi saying something like that, our storyline is sure to move forward now!] The System couldn't help but throw its head back and laugh.

Ji Yue adjusted his lens and captured a two-shot of He Yuanxi and Si Jing.

In that case, the next step was to go observe the current state of F1, F2, and F3.

After the awards ceremony, Ji Yue found Li Xihé in a gift shop. Through the glass door, he could see Li Xihé buying a miniature coconut car charm, smiling as he paid.

[F2 is such a fashion-forward man — why has he suddenly bought something so cute? Could he be in love? Detective, we must investigate thoroughly!]

Then Li Xihé drifted through a few more shops and came to a stop in front of the bonfire barbecue on the beach, seeming to consider whether to join. At that moment a group of people were taking a group photo — three, two, one, say cheese.

Someone called his name and waved him over.

Li Xihé sat down. Smoke from the grill drifted in all directions; he took off his glasses and wiped the lenses.

Someone brought up today's champion, the honor student: 'Didn't you two have some kind of falling-out before?'

Li Xihé smiled faintly. 'Actually, I'm a very easygoing person — everyone knows that.'

And everyone agreed: yes, yes, of course, absolutely.

A robot brought over beer and watermelon. After a few rounds of drinks, the victory banquet was winding down, and people began to drift away in twos and threes. Ji Yue kept his eye on three figures in particular — F3, F4, and the honor student.

The three of them moved like three diverging rays, each heading off in a different direction.

[F3 and F4 both drank — shouldn't there be some drunk truth-telling or something?] The System fumed, frustrated beyond measure.

Ji Yue gauged the distances and decided to follow Li Xihé. Passing by the barbecue tables, he caught a glimpse of scattered Polaroids lying across the surface. He scanned them quickly — not a single photo of the honor student together with any of the F4.

Wait — Li Xihé had one that came pretty close.

In the photo, Li Xihé was sitting at the table, looking into the camera, and right behind him at the next table was the honor student.

[How devious — a sneaky almost-together photo!]

From the beach to the parking lot was a stretch of several hundred meters. Without streetlights, the path was dim, only a thread of moonlight filtering through the trees lining either side of the road.

Li Xihé's shadow stretched long behind him, flickering in and out of sight, nearly swallowed by the dark.

In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Ji Yue moved toward the nearest streetlight and turned in a circle — still no sign of him.

[F3 has slipped away down a side road to go on a secret date!]

The bonfire on the distant beach still burned, though it had lost the liveliness of before. The waves surged. Ji Yue switched on his flashlight and realized he had wandered all the way to the water's edge; a wave rolled in and soaked his shoes.

He crouched down and picked up a sand-colored spiral shell.

'What are you doing out here, little sister?'

A shadow fell across the sand without warning.

Ji Yue turned his head. Before him stood a refined-looking young man — smiling, tall, stylish, dressed in a black-and-grey turtleneck shirt, a long cross necklace swaying with his steps and catching the light in flashes of diamond brilliance.

His lenses reflected the distant streetlight, making it impossible to read his expression.

'You really are busy,' Li Xihé said, pushing his glasses up, his voice carrying an unreadable note of wonder. 'Still out here collecting shells at this hour. Why didn't you go to the barbecue tonight?'

'...'

Had he been found out?

Ji Yue strongly suspected the other man was bluffing.

Li Xihé smiled as though nothing were the matter, drawing closer while making idle conversation: 'You really like photography, don't you? I always see you taking pictures everywhere.'

The wind tonight was a little gentler. Ji Yue's long dark hair lifted in it, and some strands, carrying a trace of seawater, fell against Li Xihé's arm — cool to the touch.

The closer Li Xihé got, the clearer Ji Yue's appearance became: he looked like someone who had just swum up from the sea, crouching alone and quietly at the edge of the waves — and yet he was only picking up broken shells.

He neither cooperated with nor answered any of the questions put to him, simply washing his hands over and over.

Li Xihé was at a loss. He thought to himself that this might be a mermaid who had come ashore, traded her voice for legs, and simply refused to speak in human tongue.

'Stop playing, little sister — let's go. I'll take you back.'

'...'

[What if the moment you get in the car, F3 snatches your camera and stuffs you in a sack for a beating!]

Moonlight. Tree shadows. Two people.

They got in the car, and at first neither of them spoke.

Ji Yue had been running around all day for nothing. He yawned, and before long his head began to nod.

His long hair fell forward and curtained half his face. Li Xihé took a turn and glanced over — all he could make out was a sliver of pale nose and the downward sweep of long lashes.

'We're here.'

A pair of hands shook Ji Yue awake, the way you might jostle a pudding.

The familiar little villa was right ahead. He opened his eyes, unclipped his seatbelt, and got out.

Li Xihé said goodnight, little sister.

'Thank you for the ride. Goodbye.'

Under the streetlight, the young man turned back to say his thanks — expressionless, the words delivered mechanically, like a robot running through a script.

Li Xihé noticed that something seemed to have fallen out of Ji Yue's pocket.

By the time he got out of the car, Ji Yue had already walked far away.

He picked it up and looked: a Polaroid.

In the center of the photograph was Li Xihé's own smiling face.

...

My photo?

Li Xihé stood quietly, staring at the Polaroid.

...Ji Yue — why did you take my photo?

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BBS Forum

Hot Posts / HOT...

Thread: Today's photographer is the campus beauty... (HOT) (HOT)

0L: Lol, the honor student must be living the dream — getting chased around by the campus beauty for photos... (rage) 1L: Living the dream? Not quite — the campus beauty wasn't even there for the awards ceremony, no idea where he went (confused) (confused) 2L: [image] — he was over by the umbrella, secretly watching Yuwen [redacted] play games (hand over mouth laughing) (hand over mouth laughing) 3L: Yuwen [redacted] has somehow mastered the technique of capturing the campus beauty's attention... (sobbing) (fists) 4L: But then again, the campus beauty really does seem to be making moves on everyone... (horrified) 5L: He and Li [redacted] aren't a thing, are they? 6L: He and Li [redacted] seem pretty close... but these past couple of days Li [redacted] has been acting strange — keeps suddenly turning around in class to stare silently at the campus beauty, scared me half to death, and I sit right next to the campus beauty (sobbing) (sobbing) 7L: Ah, maybe spring has arrived? (hand over mouth laughing) 8L: These past few days Yan [redacted] has also been sending him a lot of flowers, and apparently wants to redo the garden at the campus beauty's villa or something... 9L: Yan [redacted] is acting like some earnest gardener type — is he really that kind of person? He's even convinced himself (hand over mouth laughing) (hand over mouth laughing)

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Back upstairs, Ji Yue patted himself down — the group photo was nowhere to be found.

It could have served as indirect evidence to hand over to the client later.

[They definitely have something going on!]

Ji Yue opened his communicator to a flood of messages from all directions.

Among them were a few from the honor student.

[[image]]

[T.T want to share this with you]

The image he had sent was a golden trophy.

[Wow — the honor student really does think of you as a friend. What a touching friendship!] the System marveled. [And yet all you want from him is private information about his relationship with the F4. The day he finds out, he might furiously shove you into the sea.]

'...'

[Of course, you could also start thinking now about how to leave the island normally once this is all over — without crossing F4 or the honor student. If you get caught and dragged back, things might get a lot worse.]

'Mm.'

Ji Yue didn't actually worry much about that.

He was a detective. He would always find a way out.