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Chapter 44: Magazine Astonishment
🕑 Added 2024-09-21 19:21:41 +0000 UTCThe magazine "T" was bustling as usual.
"Dress, hurry up with the layout! I'm about to start the trial print!"
"Give me the model's photos! I need to send them for approval!"
"Damn it, there are still typos! Can you writers pay more attention?"
"Sorry, editor, I forgot to make the corrections."
Eunice looked at the chaotic scene before her and couldn't help but sigh, then continued working. As the magazine's editor-in-chief, the period before each new issue's release was always the toughest.
After almost finishing the tasks at hand, Eunice checked the new issue again and discovered that two pages still had no photos.
"Dress! Why are these pages blank? Where are the photos? The model's photos!"
She couldn't help but raise her voice in frustration.
Dress hurried over and whispered, "Editor, it's Ashayara's photos!"
"What happened to Ashayara?" Eunice's angry tone softened by the end of the sentence.
Well, since Ashayara was a paying client, Eunice couldn't be too harsh given the substantial payment involved.
"Didn't we already get her photos taken? Why are they still missing?"
"They arrived just now, they're in the fax machine, printing them out," Dress said.
"Great. Quickly bring them over. Oh God, I hope they aren't too bad."
Just as she was praying, a sudden gasp came from the fax machine.
"What happened?" Eunice stood up instinctively. Was it that Ashyara's photos were too unappealing?
She couldn't risk the magazine's reputation, but fortunately, she had other models' photos to use as replacements if needed.
Dress rushed over to the fax machine and found several editors gathered around it.
"What's going on?" he pushed through the crowd, frowning as he grabbed the photos. "Why is everyone gathered here?"
"Dress, whose photos are these?" Fashion editor Niles asked curiously.
"How would I know? Let me see..." Dress glanced at the photos and was instantly stunned.
Seeing that Dress was not returning and the crowd was growing, Eunice had to leave her desk and make her way to the scene.
"Make way," she called out, but her voice was drowned out by the crowd's "wow" sounds.
Eunice's chest heaved as she raised her voice, "Make way!"
Someone in the crowd heard and quickly alerted others, "The editor-in-chief is here."
The crowd parted, and Eunice walked into the center, where Dress was excitedly examining the photos with Niles.
"What's going on?" Eunice asked, puzzled by why one photo had such a captivating effect.
"Editor-in-chief, look at this!" Dress excitedly handed the photo to Eunice. "I think this photo could even compete for our magazine's cover of the year!"
"Impossible, Ashayara's?"
Eunice took the photo with little interest, but as soon as she saw it, her eyes widened in amazement.
"Is this really her?"
She turned to Dress, who nodded, "Yes, it's her!"
Confirming this, Eunice looked back at the photo.
In the black-and-white image, Ashsyara, wearing sexy lingerie, lay on the ground, holding a T-shaped light stick emitting a purple glow, with an expression of extreme fear.
Nearby, in the shadow, there was a darker figure seemingly holding a weapon.
The contrast between the motionless and dynamic elements made the viewer hold their breath, as if someone was really aiming at Ashayara. The photo was further enhanced by its black-and-white layering.
Black-and-white photos lack color, so they focus more on the depth of black, white, and gray. Eunice immediately noticed how the photo's focus was on deep black tones, with shadows and lingerie being the darkest, skin being lighter, and the background being the lightest.
Just looking at the photo made one feel the richness of detail, enough to be featured in an art photography exhibition.
Not to mention the photo's message, the black skin, the shooting, the fearful expression, and unique body language—all aspects were worth appreciating.
This is why the editors were gathered around it; typically, a photo needs to stand out in terms of concept and color to become a classic.
And this one not only had a remarkable concept and color but also combined expression and body language. Eunice thought about the original cover photo and felt it didn't compare at all.
"Dress! What about the others?"
Realizing the value of this photo, she immediately asked Dress to hand over the second photo.
"Just as I thought!"
The second photo was also perfect, but this time Ashayara took a defiant pose.
"Isn't this the best cover we could have?" Eunice exclaimed, holding up the photo. "Quick! Replace the original cover with this one!"
"Ah! Editor-in-chief, are you sure? We've already arranged for Anne Hathaway to be on the cover," Dress reminded. Anne Hathaway, only 20 at the time, had gained some recognition in America with "The Princess Diaries."
"Move her to the next issue! Tell Anne that our computer malfunctioned and the photo couldn't be processed. She'll understand."
"Okay." Dress, now unable to argue, could see Eunice was completely absorbed in the new photo, which was typical in the fashion industry.
For a great cover, the magazine could do anything. After all, the cover is what people focus on the most, and a great cover can overshadow everything.
Especially since "T" was a newly launched magazine, Eunice was likely to find the photographer and hire them.
As expected, Dress was barely resting when he heard Eunice's call again.
He rushed over and heard Eunice's strong voice, "I need to find this photographer. Go ask Ayara! I must hire him at any cost!"
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
At home, Ashayara was lounging on the sofa, admiring her photos when she answered the phone.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Dress, so how are my photos?"
"..."
"What? The cover! FXXK! That's amazing!" Hearing that the editor-in-chief decided to use her photo for the cover, Ashayara couldn't maintain her lady-like demeanor and exclaimed in excitement.
"Oh, oh, oh, I didn't curse. I'm just... just a little bit happy. Why did you decide to use my photo as the cover?"
"Because of the color treatment? The pose and expression are harmonious? The concept is sophisticated?"
Each repetition brought back the complex feelings of being controlled by Ethan's abuse, making Ashayara feel conflicted.
When Dress asked about the photographer's name, her mixed feelings reached their peak.
"Is he that important? The editor-in-chief wants to invite him?"
"Can he really make 'T' rise to the next level?"
"An art photography... master? Ethan?"
"Alright, alright, I'll ask for you. But I can't guarantee he'll agree. Well, it's not that he's working for another company; it's just... how should I put it, he primarily shoots music videos."
