Chapter 343: Enthusiastic President

The blue-haired guy recognized Chen Mo, Shen Xinghe, and the others the moment he noticed them.

Seeing how keen the president was on them, his expression immediately turned awkward. He instinctively started to turn away and pretend to fiddle with his things, clearly trying to avoid eye contact.

The president didn’t notice his club member’s discomfort and continued his enthusiastic pitch. "Our club usually does candid shots or scheduled photoshoots around campus, documenting university life. It’s pretty interesting. We have all the equipment, and the photos turn out great."

He flipped through the photos in his camera as he spoke. "Look, these are all ones we’ve taken before."

Lin Xiaoxiao leaned in for a look. Seeing that the photos were indeed quite good, she turned to the others and said, "Yeah, they’re really nice."

Zhou Yue smiled and asked rather directly, "President, what’s the usual relationship between photographers and models in your club?"

The president was taken aback by the odd question. "A collaborative one, of course," he replied.

"So you should be equals, then?" Zhou Yue pressed.

"Definitely," the president said, giving Zhou Yue a puzzled look.

"That’s strange, then. I saw one of your members shooting outside the cafeteria earlier, and it didn’t look like a collaboration between the model and photographer. It looked more like a superior-subordinate relationship. That photographer was chewing the model out, practically shoving her head down."

As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully in the direction of the blue-haired guy.

The guy had thought no one had seen him, but now he realized they’d noticed him all along. The tips of his ears flushed bright red, and he hung his head even lower, pretending to frantically adjust the settings on his perfectly fine camera.

The president froze for a second, his eyes following Zhou Yue’s gaze. He wasn’t an idiot. Seeing his club member’s guilty expression, Zhou Yue’s pointed look, and the cold attitudes of Chen Mo and Shen Xinghe, he instantly pieced together what had likely happened.

The president’s face immediately darkened. He shot the blue-haired guy a harsh glare and scolded him in a low voice, "You’re acting out of line again! How many times have I told you? The most important thing when a photographer and model collaborate is respect and guidance, not ordering them around from on high!"

After he finished, a flash of embarrassment crossed his face. He immediately put on an apologetic smile and said to Chen Mo’s group, "I’m so sorry. I haven’t disciplined my club members properly.

He, uh, can get a little impatient sometimes.

Our club actually has a great atmosphere. It’s mainly about learning from each other and documenting life, so it’s not that strict.

Our club’s mission is to discover and record beauty, and we absolutely respect the wishes and well-being of our subjects.

I hope you all won’t get the wrong impression of our club because of one person’s behavior."

"With an attitude like yours, President, it should be pretty easy for the Street Photography Club to keep getting better," Shen Xinghe commented.

"So, Xinghe, are you interested in joining us?" the president asked eagerly.

"I’m not planning on it for now, but I’ll think about it," Shen Xinghe said, shaking his head.

Failing to win him over, the club president immediately turned his attention to Chen Mo and Su Yuqing, whose model potential was every bit as good as Shen Xinghe’s. "What about you two? Your looks and presence are perfect for modeling. We could take some amazing photos of you and submit them to professional magazines. If you get discovered by talent scouts, you could even develop your careers in more high-end fields, make it to the international stage, or even break into the entertainment industry—it’s all possible."

Hearing this, Chen Mo replied with a calm smile, "Thanks for the kind offer, senior, but I’m not that interested in being photographed. I’ll pass for now."

With that, the president could only turn his gaze to Su Yuqing as his last hope.

Su Yuqing nodded lightly in agreement. "Yes, I’m not considering it right now either. Thank you for the invitation, senior."

Obvious disappointment flashed across the club president’s face, but he maintained his composure. "Alright, that’s a real shame. If you change your minds later, you’re always welcome to come by and chat!"

He didn’t press the issue and politely made way for them.

The blue-haired guy only lifted his head after they were a good distance away, letting out a visible sigh of relief.

After leaving the activity center, Lin Xiaoxiao stretched and said, "That Street Photography Club president was pretty enthusiastic."

Zhao Ya laughed. "Yeah, he’s a much better talker than that guy with the highlights."

"It’s mainly because good models are hard to find," Zhou Yue said, looking at Chen Mo and Su Yuqing. "Especially ones at the level of Yuqing, Xinghe, and Chen Mo—that’s a rare find. So it’s normal for him to be enthusiastic. Actually, Chen Mo and Yuqing, you two could give it a try. If the photos turn out well, it could really open up a new career path for you."

"Nah, that kind of thing takes too much time. I don’t have the patience for it," Chen Mo said with a smile, shaking his head.

"Photoshoots are definitely time-consuming." As someone with experience, Shen Xinghe was certainly the most qualified to speak on the matter.

Su Yuqing simply smiled and shook her head. "I’m not used to being photographed."

’Unless it’s with Chen Mo,’ she thought.

Chen Mo took her hand. "If you don’t want to, don’t join. We’re just looking around, anyway."

As the sky grew dark, they followed the crowd heading out, discussing what to eat for dinner. The little incident from earlier was quickly forgotten.

This was campus life. You met all sorts of people and encountered all kinds of things, but the most important thing was to be comfortable and at ease with yourself.

If you didn’t want to do something, you just didn’t do it.

Chen Mo was actually somewhat interested in the mystery club. ’If Su Yuqing’s case hadn’t been solved, I definitely would have joined,’ he thought. ’Then I could have subtly shared the details and let the group brainstorm a solution.’

’But now that the case is solved, there’s no need.’

’After ten years as a detective, I’m tired. For now, I don’t want to run myself ragged over this kind of stuff.’

But some things had a way of happening whether you wanted them to or not.

After spending the better part of the day exploring the campus, Chen Mo, Shen Xinghe, Su Yuqing, and the others went their separate ways for the time being.

"That should be enough, right?" Shen Xinghe said, checking the time. "It’s almost evening. Should we head back?"

"Sure." Chen Mo agreed, feeling like they’d gotten a good sense of things.

When the two returned to Room 504, they found Wang Lan and Li Zhe huddled in front of Wang Lan’s computer, each wearing one earbud from a shared pair. They were watching a game stream, shouting and having a blast.

Seeing them, Wang Lan paused the video and said excitedly, "Old Mo, Xinghe, you’re back! Perfect timing! Do you have plans tonight? I heard the indoor basketball court at the gym is open. Wanna go stretch our legs a bit? This weather’s perfect for playing indoors!"

Li Zhe pushed up his glasses, showing a rare burst of interest. "I’m in. We’ve been sitting for too long; we should get some exercise."

Chen Mo thought for a moment. He didn’t have any other plans for the evening, and exercising with his roommates seemed like a good way to bond, so he nodded. "Sure."

Shen Xinghe, however, looked hesitant and politely declined. "I can join you guys for dinner, but I’ll have to head back right after. I have an online meeting with a skincare brand tomorrow morning to discuss some collaboration details, so I need to get to bed early..."