Just imagining that scene was enough to make someone laugh out loud.
Si Nian couldn’t help but chuckle.
Feeling satisfied, she hummed a tune as she returned home to wait for the audition results.
As soon as Jiang Yihan got off work, she came over to ask about the advertisement audition.
Si Nian explained that she hadn’t seen anyone today—just had a lot of close-up photos and videos taken of her face.
Jiang Yihan, while listening, leaned in and rubbed her finger against Si Nian’s cheek.
Si Nian frowned, “What are you doing?”
Jiang Yihan observed that there was no trace of makeup on her fingertip.
Then, she looked at Si Nian’s hair, which was tied up in a simple bun, and hesitantly asked, “Did you wash your face after you got back, or did you go like this?”
Si Nian touched her cheek, confused by the question.
“I went like this, of course.”
“They said no makeup, completely bare-faced.”
Jiang Yihan’s eyebrows twitched at her response.
She noticed the faint pimple mark on Si Nian’s cheek, left over from her recent period, which hadn’t completely faded yet.
In the industry, when auditions required a “bare face,” it usually wasn’t taken too literally.
Since heavy makeup was the norm, a light layer of foundation or a subtle “no-makeup” look was often acceptable.
Most people would at least use a tinted moisturizer to even out their skin tone.
No one actually showed up with completely bare skin.
At the very least, they would apply a color-correcting cream.
Si Nian’s scalp tingled as she listened to Jiang Yihan explain the industry’s interpretation of “bare-faced.”
She immediately pulled out her cushion compact and flipped open a small mirror.
That morning, when she looked in the mirror before heading out, she had noticed the faint blemish from her period breakout and a slight dark circle under her eyes.
But she had thought they were minor imperfections—after all, only mannequins had flawless skin.
Now, with Jiang Yihan pointing it out, she suddenly realized that what she had considered “minor” now seemed glaringly obvious.
Everyone knew that under high-definition cameras, even the tiniest skin flaw would be magnified.
Si Nian now fully grasped the reality—while returning to her modeling career seemed smooth so far, being out of the industry for five years had left her out of touch with some details.
If everyone had started on the same playing field, it might have been fine.
But now, she dreaded to think about how the brand executives would react when they reviewed the audition footage and saw her face, blemishes and all, among a sea of flawless candidates.
“……”
Jiang Yihan sighed regretfully, “I should’ve asked you to take a photo before you left so I could check.”
Si Nian put down her mirror, feeling defeated.
She leaned back on the sofa, realizing she had no idea what else she had overlooked.
“Next one, then.”
It was highly likely that she had lost the Y-brand skincare advertisement opportunity.
Although she felt disappointed, there was no use dwelling on regrets.
Not wanting to waste time waiting around, Si Nian quickly accepted another job.
This time, it was for a fashion shoot for the next season’s collection of Wings, a trendy women’s clothing brand that focused on French-chic cool-girl styles.
The good news was that after gaining some fame from MiniGlitz’s debut show, she no longer had to run around attending auditions for every gig.
Brands were now lining up, offering her money to shoot for them—she simply had to pick and choose.
Si Nian chose Wings because it was positioned as a mid-to-high-end women’s fashion brand.
The brand’s creative director had been eager to secure her.
Although Wings was frequently criticized by consumers for its increasing prices—one summer dress could cost over a thousand yuan—it had a strong reputation for originality.
In an industry where brands constantly copied each other, Wings had never been involved in plagiarism.
Its unique styles and well-structured designs set it apart.
During the shoot, Si Nian took some behind-the-scenes photos and posted them on social media.
To maintain confidentiality, she used a drawing tool to blur out the unreleased designs.
Fans flooded the comments, guessing what project she was working on.
Si Nian glanced down at the Wings piece she was wearing—one of next season’s new designs.
A red and black two-piece French-style fall/winter outfit.
There were plenty of similar styles on the market, but few had such a well-tailored fit.
The fabric felt substantial, unlike some brands she had modeled for in the past, where the clothes were so poorly made that stylists had to clip the back just to make them look presentable.
When it came to fashion, sometimes price really did reflect quality.
Si Nian spent several busy days working on the Wings shoot.
Models were typically paid by the hour or day.
The more generous ones would try to make the most of their time for the brand.
The Wings creative director, who was originally a fashion designer, was personally present during the shoot.
Seeing his designs worn by a model who perfectly embodied the brand’s vision, he exuded visible satisfaction.
At the end of the shoot, the director even arranged a car to take Si Nian home.
He smiled and asked why she hadn’t signed with an agency or hired an assistant.
Then, he got to his main point—he wanted to sign her as the brand’s exclusive model.
Si Nian politely chatted with the beaming director but declined.
She explained that she didn’t like the restrictions of agency contracts.
She wasn’t too busy yet, so she didn’t need an assistant.
As for exclusivity, she wasn’t interested in committing her future so soon.
Previously, she had agreed to continue shooting for Mohe because she was short on money and needed to prioritize survival.
Now that financial security was no longer an issue, she didn’t want to tie herself down.
Opportunities would come again naturally.
The Wings director looked slightly disappointed but unsurprised.
Given Si Nian’s rising popularity, she would definitely be able to charge higher rates in the future.
Signing a long-term contract now wouldn’t be a smart move for her.
After saying her goodbyes, Si Nian sat in the car home and checked the comments on her latest behind-the-scenes post.
Some fans had already pieced together clues from the background and correctly guessed that she was shooting for Wings’ upcoming collection.
She had to admit—modern internet users had Sherlock Holmes-level detective skills.
Just as she was thinking that, her phone rang.
A gentle female voice introduced herself as a representative from Y-brand’s domestic headquarters.
Si Nian froze.
The voice on the other end continued, explaining that after further review, the brand had decided to invite her back for a formal advertisement audition on Wednesday.
The details would be sent via email shortly.
For a moment, Si Nian thought she had misheard.
Recalling how she had walked into the first audition bare-faced with a visible blemish and dark circles, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure?”
“Why wouldn’t we be sure?”
The representative sounded amused by her reaction.
“Miss Si, this decision was made unanimously by our global headquarters.
They genuinely hope you will continue to the next round of auditions.”
“They love the authentic, lively energy you radiate in your photos.
That’s exactly the message we want to convey with this new skincare line for young consumers—beauty without artificial embellishment.
Your natural self is the perfect representation of that.”
Si Nian opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.
Suddenly, she realized why she hadn’t been eliminated after all.
Even under an ultra-high-definition camera, any facial imperfections would be magnified.
But compared to an always-flawless appearance—whether in skin or in other aspects—occasional minor imperfections were actually closer to real life.
Flaws did not overshadow beauty.
On the contrary, just like the broken-arm Venus statue, perfection does not always mean completeness.
Sometimes, imperfection holds even more allure.
Perhaps a photo with visible imperfections stood out to brand executives who had grown tired of seeing flawless, retouched images.
Si Nian quickly gripped her phone.
“Okay, thank you!”
Jiang Yihan was just as surprised when she heard that Si Nian had been invited back for another audition.
She couldn’t help but feel that, indeed, international brands had a higher level of understanding compared to the nitpicking, overly meticulous, and heavily photoshopped world of their industry.
She had always thought that Si Nian’s occasional period acne made her look quite adorable—like a real person with a real life.
Unlike some celebrities they worked with, who seemed to exist only within the artificial world of high-level skin-smoothing filters, where even a single event photo had to be sent to their studio for rounds of retouching before being released.
However, by the time Si Nian went in for the second official commercial audition, the blemish on her face had already faded.
She had even made sure to go to bed early for two nights, and her dark circles had nearly disappeared.
Since this was an official audition, a bit of makeup was required.
Si Nian noticed that the makeup artist applied only a very thin layer of foundation on her face, barely touching her eyebrows, just combing them neatly into place.
That was it.
The audition required models to hold the product sample.
Si Nian gently pressed the cold, sleek container of face cream against her cheek, her smile soft and natural as she looked into the camera.
Each model in this audition round had to take sample shots with the product.
The brand would then make its final selection.
After all, this was an advertisement that would be aired nationwide.
It had to represent the brand’s image, so the selection process was bound to be rigorous.
After finishing her shoot, Si Nian went home.
The sky had already darkened.
Modeling work always fluctuated between being overwhelmingly busy and completely free.
On her way back, she stopped by the supermarket near her apartment to buy some yogurt and fruit.
That’s when she noticed a car parked by the roadside—one that looked completely out of place.
Something about it seemed familiar.
Just as she was about to walk around the back to check the license plate, the door opened before she could move.
A pair of polished black leather shoes stepped out, followed by a neatly tailored suit—a formal and rigid presence exuding the aura of a workplace elite.
It was Zhao Chao.
Si Nian was immediately taken aback upon seeing him step out of the car.
Meanwhile, Zhao Chao, as if he had finally found who he was waiting for, smiled and walked toward her.
“Miss Si,” Zhao Chao greeted her with a slight nod.
Si Nian instinctively glanced at the backseat of the Maybach.
It was empty.
Realizing that no one was in the back, she felt an unexpected wave of disappointment.
She then looked back at Zhao Chao, knowing full well that he was Lu Shuyan’s most trusted assistant.
However, apart from the occasional times when Zhao Chao would notify her about Lu Shuyan’s return schedule, they had barely interacted before.
Now, seeing him waiting for her outside her apartment, she became instantly cautious.
“You know where I live?”
“You came here specifically to wait for me?”
“Did Lu Shuyan send you?”
“What does he want?”
Zhao Chao, who had just composed himself, was momentarily thrown off by her rapid-fire questioning.
He had initially planned to exchange some pleasantries, but seeing how straightforward she was, he decided not to beat around the bush.
With a polite smile, he said, “Miss Si, it’s like this.”
“I came here specifically to deliver a message from President Lu.”
“Mr. Lu would like to meet with you to discuss a few matters in person.”
“Would you be available?”
Si Nian froze for a moment.
Zhao Chao clasped his hands in front of him, maintaining a composed expression as he awaited her response.
Judging from Si Nian’s reaction, he was already anticipating rejection.
After all, Lu Shuyan had already broken things off with her.
It was rare for a woman to be willing to meet her ex-boyfriend again.
Especially considering that a nearly one-billion-yuan check, already signed, had been shredded.
Zhao Chao had no idea what had happened that night between his boss and Si Nian.
What could have possibly made a usually generous man suddenly turn so heartless?
He waited, preparing himself for the inevitable rejection.
But instead, the woman who had seemed momentarily stunned quickly snapped back to reality—her expression shifting with impressive speed.
“Of course I’m available!”
Si Nian’s brows instantly relaxed, her eyes even showing a hint of excitement, as if she feared Zhao Chao might change his mind and take back the offer.
“When?”
“Tonight?”
“Now?”