The three of them actually had to walk for several minutes before they finally reached the other set that Mo Fang had mentioned. When Li Ming saw what was in front of them, he could hardly believe his own eyes. This … well, it could probably really be called a bamboo forest. Or if not a forest, then at least a grove.

The whole set took up half of the wall on this side of the studio with a photo wallpaper at the back that showed an old thatched house to the right hand. A wooden fence could be seen in the back with a wide expanse of land behind it. If that had been everything, Li Ming wouldn’t have been surprised though. No, it was the rest of the set that really made this special.

There was an actual wooden fence in the front to match the one in the photo and the ground had been covered with sand and stones that were sticking out everywhere. It was hard to say where the photo started and the build-up in front ended.

To round up this half of the set, a stone table with a pair of stone chairs had been set up in front of the house, each of the items carved beautifully. There was even a tea set put on top, and he could see a board for weiqi with the accompanying straw bowls that were probably holding the stones placed on the side. Most likely, this one would be switched out for the tea set if necessary.

This part of the set alone would have been stunning but the whole left side of the set was made up of fake bamboo plants. To be honest, he even thought that they were real at first. But looking more closely, he realized that there was no way they could be. There weren’t any pots below so where would they grow? In any case, they were on the fifth floor of an office building. He really didn’t believe that these plants could be anything but good mockups.

Li Ming shook his head at himself for not realizing this sooner and then just turned to Bian Huan who seemed to be scouring his own set for the best place to take the photos.

He hummed to himself while doing that, walking around by himself until he finally returned with an excited expression. "You know what, I think the two of you look really good in those scholar robes. Let’s just take a few different ones. How about one at the table first? It’ll have a really homely look!"

Li Ming just nodded and then looked at Mo Fang who grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the stone table, making him sit down.

Li Ming expected him to sit down opposite him but instead, Mo Fang continued to stand behind him, a hand on his shoulder. This was pretty similar to the way they had shot the photos in the study set before. And even though he couldn’t see it, he felt like they should seem very close. In any case, he felt close to Mo Fang right now.

He couldn’t help himself and turned around, looking up at him and giving him a faint smile. He would’ve liked to take his hand and maybe have a few words but he never really knew when Bian Huan would be ready to shoot so he didn’t dare to. The feelings were evident in his eyes though.

Just then, Bian Huan was almost ready. He took a couple of shots but wasn’t yet satisfied. He went to adjust the lightning a little, feeling that it would’ve been easier if he called somebody in to help out with these things. Ah, he was really doing too many nice things for his friends.

Having adjusted everything perfectly though, he felt that it was still worth it in the end. He went back into position, and then changed spots several times, making sure that he got shots from different directions for this set. Since it was a larger one, it was always easier since there were just many more possibilities than with the other ones. Why would he waste that?

Meanwhile, Mo Fang just used the opportunity to flirt with his boyfriend. He rubbed his shoulders, and inched a little closer, finally leaning over him and wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

In his mind, this wasn’t just a memento of a date. He wanted Li Ming to see just how close the two of them could be and make him long for even more. How could he be meek in his approach in such a case?

Li Ming was a little startled but figured that maybe Bian Huan was actually still adjusting some things and not really taking photos right now so he reached up, taking Mo Fang’s hand for a moment after all. "Tired?"

Mo Fang shook his head and then tilted it to the side, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I’m just really happy. Because I planned everything in secret, I wasn’t sure if it would turn out so well. Who knew if you would like it? But now, you haven’t complained even once and, well, I hope you’re having at least a bit of fun. Anyway, seeing that you’re alright with this means a lot to me."

Li Ming nodded and also turned to face the side, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Don’t worry about it. I’ll always support you no matter what you do. If you want to go back to just taking photos and being a model, I will always be there for you."

To be honest, he was pretty sure that this was the end goal for Mo Fang. He clearly loved this job, much more than he did the one at the railroad station. And even though having a regular income was something that was helpful, if it didn’t make you happy, was it worth it?

He wasn’t sure. But he was sure that in a relationship, your partner’s happiness was something that should be important to you as well. So if this between him and Mo Fang was supposed to continue, then he felt that he should also carry these decisions.

He himself liked the job at the railroad station but he could also do something else. Being a security guard was a good job for him, one that he could do anywhere. And if he was able to support Mo Fang by switching to another place and earning more, he would also do it.

He just wanted him to be able to do what he liked and he was willing to make some compromises for that. But that was also something that didn’t need to be decided immediately. No, this still had time just like a lot of things had when it came to their relationship.

Two weeks … No, actually, just one week was much too soon to make any lasting decisions. But this was one more thing to keep in mind for their future. That was definitely something that he should do.