*Xiangling, you are my goddess!*
Lin Ze screamed inwardly, but to avoid revealing that he had taken the photos purely out of a twisted desire to collect embarrassing moments, he didn't write his true feelings in his diary.
Instead, he feigned surprise at Xiangling's discovery, then nodded slightly with a completely expressionless face, as if to say, "Even though you've caught me, I'll never admit it."
The more Lin Ze acted this way, the more Yun Jin and the others became convinced that Xiangling's analysis was correct—that Lin Ze had indeed been thinking that way all along. They had simply misunderstood him earlier.
"If it's just some unflattering photos..." Yun Jin murmured softly, exhaling deeply before addressing Lin Ze. "Alright, Mr. Lin Ze, much like Xiangling, I'm here to learn about the performing arts of your world, to study its essence."
Like Xiangling, Yun Jin had come seeking knowledge from Lin Ze's world. Her goal was to absorb the best elements of other worlds' performing arts to refine the performances of their Yunhan Society.
"This is a minor issue too," Lin Ze said, summoning a smartphone and handing it to Yun Jin.
The phone was fully functional, with unlimited storage filled with the essence of opera: scripts, performance videos, and instructional videos.
Lin Ze had also thoughtfully included a user tutorial that would guide Yun Jin through the phone's features as soon as she turned it on.
"Is this a phone?"
Yun Jin took the phone from Lin Ze and examined it curiously, hesitant to touch it. She had only learned about its capabilities through her diary replica ability, but the replica couldn't teach her how to use it.
Such a delicate device could easily be damaged if handled carelessly.
"Don't worry, it's incredibly durable," Lin Ze reassured her. "You could slash it with a knife, and the screen wouldn't even scratch.
Press this button to turn it on, and the tutorial will guide you through everything. Just follow the instructions, and you'll learn how to use it in no time.
Everything you need is already stored inside."
Seeing Yun Jin's cautious handling of the phone, as if she were afraid of breaking it, Lin Ze explained further.
He had modeled this phone after the ones from *Honkai: Star Rail*, making it far more durable than ordinary smartphones—waterproof, fireproof, and resistant to physical damage!
"Mr. Lin Ze, let's settle the payment first."
After Lin Ze's explanation, Yun Jin didn't rush to try out the phone. Instead, she took a deep breath, stood stiffly in place, and said to Lin Ze, "I'm not sure what expressions or poses to make. Mr. Lin Ze, please give me your instructions."
Clearly, Yun Jin was at a loss for what kind of silly expressions would be best, so she decided to simply let Lin Ze direct her.
Only after Lin Ze had taken enough photos as payment could Yun Jin finally relax.
"Deliberately making ugly faces isn't interesting, and I don't have any specific ideas for photos right now. Let's just wait until I figure something out. Alright, Xinyan, it's your turn."
Lin Ze had initially been acting out of pure mischief, but now that Yun Jin had suddenly asked him to direct her and take unflattering photos, he was at a loss for what to do. He decided to let Yun Jin off the hook for now.
"Then please take your payment as soon as possible, Mr. Lin Ze. Otherwise, I'll feel indebted."
Despite Lin Ze's words, Yun Jin still hoped he would take his payment quickly. Otherwise, she truly couldn't rest easy.
He had freely shared knowledge from another world, yet refused to accept payment. How could Yun Jin possibly feel at peace?
"I wanted to ask about rock music, if your world has it too, Mr. Lin Ze."
"I'm hoping to explore different styles of rock music to broaden my horizons and write even more rocking songs.
Don't worry, Mr. Lin Ze, I won't plagiarize their songs."
Clearly, Xinyan's thoughts aligned with those of Yun Jin and Xiangling.
Lin Ze quickly accommodated Xinyan, providing her with a smartphone as well.
And just as before, he postponed the payment deadline.
As Xinyan and Yun Jin cheered excitedly and immediately began studying their phones, Hu Tao's eyes twinkled.
"This isn't fair! Why does Xiangling get a massive, heavy physical book for her knowledge, while Yun Jin and Xinyan only get smartphones?"
Hu Tao grabbed Xiangling, who was already engrossed in her book and oblivious to the world around her, and began to champion Xiangling's cause.
Xiangling, still completely unaware of what was happening, had grown up with Hu Tao. A single glance at Hu Tao's mischievous expression was enough for her to understand Hu Tao's intentions, and she instinctively prepared to play along.
"Exactly! I was so absorbed in my book, I almost forgot!"
Completely oblivious to the outside world, Xiangling genuinely had no idea what Hu Tao was talking about.
She simply chose a vague but suggestive response.
Suddenly cornered by Hu Tao and Xiangling, Lin Ze scratched his head awkwardly.
"I didn't realize Yun Jin and Xinyan felt that way.
Opera and rock music are both about performance, so I updated them on the phone.
As for cooking, Xiangling's already excellent at it, with great knife skills. I only thought about recipes, not the phone itself."
As he spoke, Lin Ze created a new phone and handed it to the bewildered Xiangling.
*A phone? Yun Jin and Xinyan got phones too?*
While she was curious about phones, she really only needed recipes. She didn't need someone to demonstrate it for her—that way, she could better summarize her own experiences!
"What's with that expression...
Oh~ So that's why you're being so nice, Hu Tao. You want one too, don't you?"
Seeing Xiangling's confused expression, Lin Ze quipped before realizing his mistake.
He wondered why Hu Tao was suddenly sticking up for Xiangling.
Judging by her tone, she was clearly using Xiangling as an excuse to gradually steer the conversation toward herself and get a phone for herself too!
Was she trying to pull a fast one on him?
"Fine, I'll give you one, but in exchange for an embarrassing photo of yourself.
We're having a little get-together at my place tonight, right? We can all do it together, and I'll collect my payment then."
As he spoke, Lin Ze conjured two more phones with a flick of his wrist. He glanced at Hu Tao with a hint of disdain, handing one to her and the other to Yaoyao.
"Why does that sound so weird?
You're not planning anything shady, are you?"
"Big Brother, does Yaoyao have to take an embarrassing photo too?"
Yaoyao looked confused as she accepted the phone. She didn't want to have an embarrassing photo taken of her.
"Of course not, Yaoyao!
You're so cute, and you even call me Big Brother. You don't need to pay me anything. Just think of it as a gift from Big Brother, okay?"
"Favoritism!"
....
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(End of Chapter)