Chapter 37 Meeting the Grandparents

In the northern part of Singapore, near Woodlands Waterfront Park.

This area was once vacant land, but between 2025 and 2035, many HDB apartment blocks were built here. Across the Singapore Strait lies the state of Johor, Malaysia; the commute via the rapid transit system takes less than half an hour. Many Singaporeans travel there to shop due to the relatively lower cost of living, which has kept the cost of living in the Woodlands area more affordable than in Singapore's central business district or along the East Coast.

Luo Nan, accompanied by Zhou Yongtai, followed the address provided by the owner of the wonton shop on Joo Chiat Road and located the photography studio next to the food court at the base of an HDB block. Zhou Yongtai stopped behind a children's slide.

"Mr. Luo, could you... go take a look first?" Zhou Yongtai murmured, "I don't know why, but I've suddenly become so nervous."

Luo Nan understood; it was the classic anxiety of returning home. He patted Zhou Yongtai's shoulder sympathetically. "If they are in the shop, I'll try to take a few photos of your grandparents first and send them to your phone. You can get familiar with them, and then come over."

Luo Nan headed toward the photography studio. As he approached the open porch, he heard an argument inside. He was still hesitating about whether to enter when a man carrying a digital camera with a large-aperture lens and a light meter walked out. The man looked to be in his thirties, with delicate, scholarly features, though his expression was as cold as if coated in a thin layer of frost.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, but when he spoke, his tone remained distinctly icy: "Sir, if you don't know how to show respect, I can refuse your business."

The man was addressing a young boy standing with his hands on his hips near the porch. The boy was decked out in high-end logos from head to toe, making him look like a roll of packing tape that had been unfurled and stuck onto a wall. Behind the boy, a girl with vibrant makeup, a high bun, and a Nyonya kebaya tugged at his arm awkwardly, whispering, "Don't be impulsive, just say sorry to him."

But the boy was incensed by the photographer's attitude. He shook off his girlfriend's hand, stepped out, and pointed at the photographer. "What kind of attitude is that! Do you know that the customer is god?"

The photographer stared at him, unmoved. "Here, both the customer and I are just ordinary people; no one is a god. If a customer is rude, I have the right to ask them to leave. If you love being a god so much, go find service in shops that treat you like one."

After saying this, he turned to the girl, his tone softening considerably. "Miss, thank you for choosing us in the first place. My wife and I will gift you the makeup application—no charge. But please, change out of the Nyonya attire and return it to us."

Seeing there was no room for negotiation, the boy softened, rendered speechless by his own cowardice. The girl pouted, turning her frustration toward the boy: "My girlfriends came to Singapore and had their Nyonya portraits taken here. I'm not going anywhere else. You were just as foul-mouthed back home; every time we eat out, watch a movie, or go shopping, you have to pick a fight with someone. You're so annoying!"

Seeing his girlfriend was genuinely angry, the boy waved his hand with a feigned air of generosity. "Fine, fine, we're on vacation; your happiness is what matters most."

Inside, in front of a brightly lit vanity mirror, a pregnant woman of similar age to the photographer, holding an eyeshadow palette, also stepped out to mediate. "Alright, alright, let's continue the shoot. You look really beautiful with the makeup on, dear."

After speaking in Mandarin, she forced a smile and exchanged a few words in Malay with the photographer. Because he was dating Xu Jiayi, Luo Nan had a basic grasp of Malay. He understood that the pregnant woman had said, "Let's keep shooting; think about the rent."

Clearly, the photographer and the makeup artist were Zhou Yongtai’s grandfather, Zhou Hao, and grandmother, Fang Lan. A-Tai’s mother was still in her grandmother's womb at this moment. As for the bickering couple, judging by their accents and the situation, they were tourists from China.

Luo Nan hesitated no longer. Forcing himself to transition from an introvert to an extrovert, he stepped forward and smiled at the boy. "Handsome, are you from China? Me too. I work here in Singapore. Come on, let me buy you an iced beer next door; let your girlfriend finish her shoot inside."

The four of them looked at Luo Nan with varying degrees of suspicion. Luo Nan then turned to Zhou Hao and lied smoothly: "Boss, my friend came to get photos taken when you were still on Joo Chiat Road. She really loved your studio lighting—it wasn't just simple Rembrandt lighting or the Tyndall effect. That's why I'm here today to scout the new location for her; she's looking to book a new package."

Hearing Luo Nan drop a few professional terms and seeing the sincerity in his praise, Zhou Hao’s expression softened. His wife was right; the heavy rent and the financial pressure of a new life on the way were reminders that he had to set aside his artistic pride.

Zhou Hao and his wife accompanied the girl back into the studio. The boy took the opportunity to back down and went with Luo Nan to sit at a beer stall in the food court.

After buying the beer and pouring the drinks, Luo Nan chatted for a while before asking, "What did you say earlier that made the photographer so angry?"

The boy curled his lip. "What did I say? The truth. It’s 2035, not 2005. Is there any AI generation software that doesn't exist? Forget about Southeast Asian costumes; even if you want a background of a European royal coronation, you just feed AI a headshot, and in less than five seconds, it gives you a full set of coronation photos. I just mentioned that coming all this way wasn't necessary, and the boss got angry and argued with me, insisting that AI doesn't understand 'mood' or 'shadows'."

"Shadow and tone?" Luo Nan interjected.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, that's it. And all those pretentious words you used to break up the fight. Honestly, AI can do all of that. I work in that field back in China. Back in the day, Google's Gemini—the team leader who manages me now was involved in that. Gemini, ever heard of it? Pretty badass, right?"

Luo Nan offered an agreeable laugh. From the boy's smug tone and his habit of tapping the table with the bottom of his beer glass while he spoke, Luo Nan knew this wasn't a polite or cultured person. There was no need to argue with someone like that.

Luo Nan kept the conversation casual. "Your girlfriend is just like my friend—set on his studio. By the way, does he have a social media account?"

The boy pulled out his phone and swiped to a Chinese social media app. "Here, this is the one we looked at."

Luo Nan glanced at it. "Oh, it's the Chinese version. I'll download it too and send it to my friend."

On that platform, the profile for Zhou’s Photo Studio featured photos of the couple, Zhou Hao and Fang Lan. Luo Nan saved them and sent them to Zhou Yongtai, who was hovering in the distance, along with a few brief words explaining the source of the minor conflict and telling him not to worry, but to wait until the couple left before coming over.

Nearly an hour later, the shoot concluded. The girl was very satisfied and came to the beer stall, excited. "Looking at the raw files on the computer, they already look great. The lighting is like a movie."

The boy, naturally, remained unimpressed. "Fine, fine, I know you don't want to believe me, but AI can even make entire movies—can't it do the job of a movie lighting technician?"

The girl huffed. "Well, he also knows how to evoke my emotions."

Her comment gave Luo Nan an idea.

After the couple bickered and walked away, Luo Nan messaged Zhou Yongtai to join him. After staring at his grandparents' faces for a long while, and looking through the daily customer photos and behind-the-scenes clips they had posted on social media, Zhou Yongtai felt the strange, awkward sensation of being a time traveler meeting his ancestors fade significantly.

"Let's go," Luo Nan said gently. "I'll just say you're also a friend of Jiayi's."

A moment later, inside Zhou’s Photo Studio, Luo Nan said to the couple, "We'd like to book two packages. This friend here will do his shoot today. My other friend is a girl; she'll pay in full now and call to book a date later, is that alright?"

The couple was delighted to land another thousand-dollar booking in an instant. Zhou Hao went to the studio to change the set, while Fang Lan ushered Zhou Yongtai to the mirror. "Young man, even though you're a guy, I still need to touch up your makeup a bit."

Zhou Yongtai sat down obediently. As he took off his sunglasses, he clearly saw his "grandmother," Fang Lan, freeze.

Zhou Yongtai, at twenty years old in the future, was not much different in age from his grandfather in his early thirties. With their similar features, it was naturally easy for Fang Lan to notice the resemblance.

Luo Nan walked over and took the initiative to address the issue. "Boss lady, don't you think my friend looks a bit like your husband? It must be fate."

Fang Lan snapped out of her daze and eagerly agreed. "Yes, he really does look like him. It’s fate, truly fate."

Zhou Yongtai kept his emotions in check, quietly savoring the miraculous feeling brought on by traveling through time.

Luo Nan’s phone rang at that moment. It was Jiayi calling.

Luo Nan stepped outside the studio. "Hello, Jiayi, what's wrong?"

"Luo Nan, do you remember that Dr. Fan who made you jealous back then?"