Meng Yan's Transformation

Zhan Mengyan nodded helplessly, unaware that the sunlight was dancing on her eyelashes. Behind her, in the photo booth, the photographer was frantically adjusting his breathing, shifting his peeking gaze to the workbench, his fingers unconsciously tapping the surface.

The two sisters continued to wait on the bench. Zhan Yingying hummed a little tune, and Zhan Mengyan joined in softly. The bright sunlight enveloped them, and the air was filled with the faint smell of developing solution. Inside, the photographer finally forced himself to focus on the developing process. The tension, like the developing photograph, slowly surfaced in his mind.

"It's about time, Mengyan. Let's go into the photo studio and see if my expedited work ID photo is ready yet."

As Zhan Yingying spoke, she stood up and took Zhan Mengyan's hand.

The summer sun slanted through the glass windows of the photo studio, casting bright bands of light on the floor. Tiny dust motes floated in the air, and a languid tranquility permeated the studio. Only the soft hum of the old-fashioned ceiling fan and the faint chirping of cicadas in the distance provided any solace. Zhan Yingying and Zhan Mengyan sat side by side on the faded sofa. Zhan Yingying clutched the expedited ID photo pickup slip tightly in her hand, her knuckles slightly white. Her gaze occasionally drifted to the busy figure of the young photographer behind the counter. Zhan Mengyan, on the other hand, curiously fiddled with her sister's old hair clip, her fingertips tracing the cool metal, but her mind was already on the photo that was about to be revealed.

The young photographer was bent over, organizing photos, his fingers trembling slightly. He had just developed the photos in the darkroom, the cool scent of the chemicals still lingering on his fingertips. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart, but each beat was as clear as a small drumbeat. He picked up the urgent photo, its edges slightly softened by sweat. He hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered the courage to look up—Zhan Yingying's gaze met his. Time seemed to freeze for a moment. He hurriedly lowered his head, his ears turning red, and gently placed the photo on the counter, his movements so fast he was afraid of burning his hands. Then he quickly turned around, pretending to organize other equipment, his back stiff as a puppet, leaving only Zhan Mengyan's bright, secretly observing eyes and the slight trembling of Zhan Yingying's fingertips.

Zhan Yingying's fingers traced her face in the photo, feeling the texture of the paper. Her gaze lingered on the picture, as if penetrating to see her own reflection. Zhan Mengyan leaned closer for a closer look and couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister, you're so beautiful! You'd be even more beautiful when you smile!"

Zhan Yingying's lips unconsciously curled up, but she quickly regained her seriousness: "These are ID photos, so you can't smile too exaggeratedly. You have to be serious. I need four for myself. Please keep the rest safe for me. If I change jobs in the future, I'll still need these ID photos, so I won't have to bother coming to the photo studio again."

"Even for a passport photo, you need to smile. Yours looks too stiff; you haven't even shown your beauty. Sis, you haven't even reported to the cannery yet, and you're already thinking about changing jobs? You're thinking way too far ahead!"

As Zhan Mengyan spoke, she held up her sister's photo, carefully examining Zhan Yingying, and used her hand to pull the corners of Zhan Yingying's mouth upwards: "This is how you smile."

Sunlight streamed in, casting a soft golden hue around the photograph and illuminating the smile in Zhan Yingying's eyes and the adoration that sparkled in Zhan Mengyan's. The photographer, hiding in the shadows, stole glances at the scene, his heart pounding, yet he couldn't help but smile. The photograph not only captured Zhan Yingying's beauty but also subtly captured a delicate and warm moment that belonged to them on this summer afternoon.