E-Ladies: Navigating the Wired World
Chapter 221: Episode 221 Taking Wedding Photos is a Physical Job 1

Chapter 221: Episode 221 Taking Wedding Photos is a Physical Job 1

Four pairs of people were led by the staff to the makeup room, which marked the official start of their transformation.

Apparently, because they knew that Zhou Xueyin was the general manager, all the good stuff was brought out for her—setting sprays, false eyelashes, hair removal cream—you name it, if it could make her look prettier, the staff didn’t hesitate to let her try it. They even told her that she could take home whatever she didn’t use.

The attitude towards the other three was starkly different, however. Anything outside of the package required a separate fee. Did these people really think they were ordinary customers? Weren’t they afraid of being exposed?

[Are they insane! Ampoules for 99 each, a pair of falsies for 39? They must be robbing us!] Yao Shanshan couldn’t take it anymore and typed out her complaints in the group chat, [If I knew I had to buy these, wouldn’t I have brought my own?]

[This makeup artist really can’t speak properly! Saying my eyes have deformed from wearing glasses for years, and that even sticking on false eyelashes wouldn’t be noticeable, needing double eyelids for 59 a pair?] Kang Siyin also vented on her phone.

[The waters run deep with studio makeup, deeply in places like these! Just wait, selecting pictures will be another expense... don’t ask me how I know...] Li Jinang felt her phone vibrating and joined in the venting.

Zhou Xueyin’s phone was in Wei Jingzhu’s hands, so she was completely unaware of their complaints and simply enjoyed becoming prettier at the hands of a top makeup artist.

"Um, excuse me, I need to discuss something with my wife..." After seeing the messages in the group chat, Wei Jingzhu felt it was necessary to let Zhou Xueyin know about the situation to avoid problems with Schroeder when it came time for the final payment.

"Hmm? What is it?" Zhou Xueyin looked at him, perplexed.

"See for yourself..." Wei Jingzhu handed her the phone.

After reading the messages, she frowned and turned to the makeup artist, "Ampoules, false eyelashes, double eyelids? You’re charging them individually? What’s going on? Aren’t we here to experience the store’s services? Didn’t the manager tell you?"

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry... they might not have listened carefully during the meeting. I’ll go remind them..." The makeup artist, looking quite embarrassed, quickly put down his tools and rushed off to fetch the other three.

"They must really be desperate to make money!" Zhou Xueyin complained irritably.

"Right? We were just killing time and chatting with the photographers. They said we should be reminded not to unnecessarily spend money on these items because those purchases would count towards the makeup artists’ performance, and these were all extra charges not included in the package," Wei Jingzhu explained to Zhou Xueyin, sharing the useful bit of information they had gotten from their earlier conversation.

"Aren’t they afraid of losing their jobs saying that?" Zhou Xueyin admired the photographer’s boldness.

"I asked him the same thing, and he said it’s an acknowledged practice in the industry, the same in any matrimonial photography studio. If it weren’t for the better pay here, he’d definitely consider starting his own photography studio," Wei Jingzhu said, rather helplessly.

"Alright, I’ll get back to my makeup..." Zhou Xueyin said, sitting back down as her makeup artist returned with a professional smile.

"My apologies, beautiful! It’s just a habit of theirs, and I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused to your friends. Please forgive us! I’ve already told them that you’re here to experience our services, and we absolutely can’t charge separately!" the makeup artist apologized profusely.

"Thank you for handling it..." Zhou Xueyin nodded, both amused and frustrated.

It seemed that the person doing her makeup must be some kind of supervisor. If she hadn’t spoken up, she probably wouldn’t have been able to leave the studio without paying extra fees after the session.

After two hours of makeup and hairstyling, four brides, looking like dolls mass-produced in a factory, stood in front of four grooms waiting for a photoshoot.

Seeing that the makeup artists were resting in the makeup area, Zhou Xueyin spoke without restraint, "It seems these people’s makeup lessons were all with the same teacher. Look how they made the four of us look like quadruplets... That really takes some skill!"

"Quadruplets? Have you ever seen quadruplets this uneven?" Li Ranxu joked. "But honestly, South Korean makeup skills are impressive. All those South Korean beauties on the streets, they look completely different after removing their makeup..."

"Old Li? How come you know so clearly? Have you seen a beauty after she’s removed her makeup? And, are you implying I also look completely different with and without makeup?" Jixiang pretended to be jealous.

"Haven’t I told you about my neighbor! My neighbor... Besides, even without makeup, my Jixiang is absolutely a top beauty. How could I possibly mind?" Li Ranxu said, cuddling Jixiang.

"Cheesy..." Zhou Xueyin laughed as she pulled Wei Jingzhu to the photo area.

Kang Siyin and Yang Ye hurried the photographer to get their photos done quickly because they normally hated taking photos, so they wanted to finish quickly and rest.

"Bride, smile! Right, smile a bit happier! That’s too much, tone down the smile... Ah, perfect!" The photographer commanded while finding the best angles to take their photos.

Kang Siyin felt her face stiffening from all the smiling. Why does taking wedding photos have to involve smiling? What’s there to laugh about? Isn’t it enough to just look good in the photos? And they had to look here, look there, look everywhere; it’s headache-inducing, backache-inducing, leg ache-inducing, making all kinds of poses that defy ergonomics...

"Break! Switch!" After barely posing in 10 styles, Kang Siyin couldn’t stand it anymore and went to rest, dragging her gown along.

Yang Ye quickly offered her tea and water, massaging her arms and legs: "Wife, you worked hard..."

Yao Shanshan and Guo Yu, true to their cosplayer skills, didn’t need the photographer’s instruction. The two coordinated so well that they got quite a few photo sets done.

"Hey, I was thinking, what if I wear a wedding dress and you wear a suit, and we do a role reversal shoot?" Yao Shanshan suddenly came up with the idea.

"I think that’s a great idea! Why don’t we let the guys experience wearing a wedding dress too?" Jixiang supported Yao Shanshan’s idea.

"You know, Xiaojing asked me yesterday if I would mind if he wore a wedding dress and took photos with me... Hahaha..." Zhou Xueyin also supported the suggestion. "Of course, I wouldn’t mind. There are plenty of dresses, so it’s fine if he wears one."

"Let’s leave Yang Senior out of this; he probably wouldn’t like it," Kang Siyin said, shaking her head conservatively.

"No way, if everyone else is doing it, how can I not join in? I’d stand out too much!" Surprisingly, Yang Ye volunteered to wear a wedding dress, which was unexpected for Kang Siyin.

"Should I ask the makeup artist to prepare a set of wedding dresses for the men?" Zhou Xueyin’s eyes sparkled.

Since they were here for a wedding photo shoot as an experiential service, they might as well make the most of the experience! Such was the style of their group, Xueshan Jiying!