“Then just imagine—imagine if it suddenly started raining, and you did nothing all day, but I still gave you 200 yuan for nothing. Tomorrow it snows, the day after that it hails, and the day after that even Elder Sun descends from the heavens... You’ve made so much money, you can pay for your parents’ medical bills, your grandparents’ medical bills, put your brother through school, put yourself through school, your family builds a three-room tile-roofed house, everyone in the village envies you, and the line of boys chasing after you stretches across ten villages. From then on, you’ll live a good life…”

“……”

Grace was stunned at first, then her expression turned odd—she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. After holding it in for a few seconds, she finally burst out laughing.

William Clark quickly snapped photos—click, click—the moments frozen frame by frame. He didn’t know this girl’s name, let alone what tragic story might be behind her.

People’s joys and sorrows are not the same, but a warm heart is enough.

Chapter 10 Character Setting

Night, a small restaurant.

Five tables, three occupied. A ceiling fan hung from the dingy yellow ceiling, the lighting was dim. A woman sat behind the counter holding a child. Her husband brought out a plate of food, pinched the child’s cheek when he had a moment, then hurried back into the kitchen.

William Clark and Grace sat across from each other, having dinner.

It was better than the boxed lunch at noon—there was white rice and meat dishes. Grace was already full, but she didn’t stop eating, because if she stopped, she wouldn’t know what to talk about. So she just kept nibbling on the shredded meat, sipping her tea in small sips.

It was a strange and wonderful day.

The two of them had visited many free attractions, from the morning sun on Liangma River, to the overpass at Xidan, the hutongs at Qianmen, the early autumn at Shichahai, and the night view at Tiananmen—all places where she left her mark.

Just taking photos.

She had never taken as many photos in her life as she did today. She even complained at noon that her clothes were too plain, so she bought two shirts on the spot.

This made the girl unconsciously let go of her tension and wariness, her whole body relaxing. She wanted to say something, but really didn’t know what to say.

Sitting across from her.

William Clark was also full, and was now keeping accounts in his notebook: “Labor fee 200, two shirts 40, lunch 10 yuan, dinner 23, total 273 yuan.”

He glanced at the clock—it was almost nine, past the agreed time.

“Should I pay some overtime? Forget it, small business…”

He finished muttering to himself, put down the notebook, and asked, “Are you full?”

“Full…”

Grace blurted out, then realized she was still chewing, and quickly said, “A little, not quite full yet.”

“It’s fine, no rush, all the work is done for today.”

William Clark smiled, took an envelope from his bag, and pushed it over. “Here’s your labor fee. Thanks for your hard work today.”

Then he picked up a paper bag with the two cheap shirts inside and said, “The clothes were outside our agreement, but I was the one who asked for it, so I’ll cover the cost. But I don’t need them, so you keep them.”

After saying that, he thought for a moment, realized there was nothing else, and asked, “Do you have anything else?”

“I… no.”

“Alright then, I have to go. Take your time eating.”

William Clark got up, paid the bill, and walked out the door.

……

According to his original plan, he wanted to find at least three people: one with a big chest, one with long legs, and one with a pure look.

Unfortunately, the quality wasn’t great.

Two days later, he finally managed to arrange one—this one had a big chest.

Now, in a hotel room, the curtains were drawn tight, the lighting was ambiguous, the bed was snow-white and soft, her figure curvy, tight jeans, topless except for a bra.

A big sister—yes, a woman over thirty—was following William Clark’s instructions, striking all sorts of seductive poses on the bed.

Her looks were average, but her makeup added a bit of flirtatiousness. She was tall, with a hot figure—about 0.75 of Yua Mikami.

While shooting, he chatted: “Mr. Brooks, why not take it all off?”

“What?”

“I mean, why are you still wearing pants? Shouldn’t underwear go with panties?”

“When you want a naked body to reveal a little more, the best way is to put a pair of socks on her.”

“I don’t get it.”

“If you don’t get it, shut up and pose.”

This was much simpler than with Grace—a few clicks and it was done.

The big sister was a pro, no difficulty at all. She got up, still a bit unsatisfied. “That’s it? Oh, I feel bad taking your 200. How about I send some work your way?”

“Let’s not be so tacky since we just met. Get dressed.”

“Tch! Then give me a bit more money. Who knows what you’re doing with these photos!”

“……”

William Clark didn’t like dealing with people like this. His face turned cold as he said, “Come on, let’s get this straight! Didn’t I tell you everything in advance—what kind of photos I wanted, the conditions, the price? Didn’t you agree to all of it?

Didn’t I only start after you agreed?

I gave you the full 200 up front, spent 100 on this room, 60 on new underwear for you, and now you’re hassling me for more money?!”

Some people seem really warm and easygoing, but in reality, their minds are like sieves, and they bully the weak and fear the strong.

The big sister gave an awkward laugh. “I was just kidding, no need to get mad.”