Li Zhiyuan picked up a candy from the coffee table and walked to the cabinet.
The photo studio displayed the most photos, from children to young adults, and even elders, with each age group representing different photographic styles.
Children and young adults used regular photo fras, but the elder’s morial photo fras were all etched with funeral patterns.
Below them were price tags, all affordable, prices within the reach of the average person.
Was there sothing special hidden within that he hadn’t noticed?
Previously at Professor Zhu’s house, he had carefully examined Grandma Zhu’s morial photo and found nothing unusual.
Moreover, here with the morial photo fras, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
This shop, of course, had issues, as he had already seen that large eyeball when the owner took his picture.
But the question is, if you’re going to harm soone... you have to make a move, right?
Funeral carvings were a detail of burial ceremonies that ancient nobles sought after, yet here they were offered at civilian prices.
Aside from being excessively detailed, realistic, and possessing a certain dynamic visual sensation, the morial photos held no harm, regardless if they were taken by special ans. From a consur’s point of view, it just ant the owner had great skill.
Grandma Zhu had passed away due to her natural lifespan, not because of any malevolent spirits.
So, what was its purpose?
In fact, Li Zhiyuan could have made his move when the photos were being taken.
For safety’s sake, he could call people to gather and directly storm the photo studio.
But he held back.
The less advantage you have, the more patient you need to be, because a wrong step might not be redeemable.
In the pitch-black inner room, the owner stood motionless in front of the pool of chemicals.
"Glug... Glug..."
A knocking sound ca from the pool.
The owner reached in and retrieved two round objects, pressing them into his eye sockets.
"Thunk! Thunk!"
After blinking, the owner reached into the pool and took out a photo.
Turning to walk outside, he stopped at the doorway.
He touched the area below his eyes; the red viscous liquid dripping was blood.
He went back to the pool, extracted the eyeballs again, then picked up a hose, connecting one end to the faucet and inserting the other into his eye socket.
Leaning forward, he turned on the faucet, the water began flushing his eye sockets.
In through the left socket, out through the right socket.
"Splatter..."
After flushing for a while, he removed the hose, swapped it to the right socket, and continued rinsing.
Once sure he was clean, he turned off the faucet and pressed the two eyeballs back into place.
"Plop! Plop!"
Picking up a dry towel, he began wiping his face, focusing on his eyes.
He walked to the doorway again, paused, waited, touched the area, and once sure everything was fine, he opened the door.
"Creak..."
The owner ca out, went to the counter, skillfully cutting and trimming, finally taking out a small envelope to place the photos inside.
"Here you go."
The small envelope was thick.
The owner hadn’t asked how many photos he wanted, but this thickness was certainly not the minimum.
"How much?"
"The store’s rule: No charge for photos of handso boys."
"But that’s not my habit."
"You’ve already paid; during the photo session, I enjoyed it, so we’re even." The owner crossed his hands and waved.
"I also need to buy a photo fra."
"A photo fra? Which kind?"
"This one." Li Zhiyuan pointed to the black one, "This size."
"Pick another, that’s for making morial photo fras."
"I want this one; I like the style."
The owner looked troubled but ultimately nodded, wrapped the fra in wax paper.
Li Zhiyuan paid for the fra, with the price marked below, and the owner took the money without further comnt.
"Goodbye, owner."
"Take care, handso boy."
Before leaving the photo studio, Li Zhiyuan glanced at the business license posted in the corner, the na below... Deng Chen.
After leaving the store, he crossed to the other side of the road.
Li Zhiyuan turned back, once more looking at the photo studio.
The owner stood behind the glass window, at a shelf level with his face, with a black-and-white photo of an old lady on the left, and an old man on the right.
He stood in the middle, gazing at the young man.
Their eyes t.
Suddenly, the old man and woman’s morial photos seed to smile.
Li Zhiyuan closed his eyes, then opened them again, the photos had returned to normal.
But this ti, the smile had moved to the owner’s face, and he grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.
His body appeared to tremble.
Li Zhiyuan acted as if he was taking a step forward, as if to cross back over.
Inside the window, the owner’s trembling intensified, his smile grew more forced.
Li Zhiyuan didn’t continue forward, instead hailing a passing taxi and got in.
The owner’s body relaxed, as if he let out a sigh of relief.
"Driver, to Haihe University."
After stating the destination, Li Zhiyuan no longer looked out the window, but closed his eyes, seemingly resting.
He had a feeling,
this ti, the test had changed.
...
By the window in the library, sunlight was just right.
Zhou Yunyun was reading, the gentle light painting a clear and pure beauty across her.
The shadow of the poisoning incident had dissipated, Zhao ngyao had vanished after leaving a "confession and poison," and further investigations revealed a vortex of identity theft during her college entrance exams...
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