Lu Shuyan was watching the barrage of comments when he finally realized why Si Nian’s gaze felt special.
After the fourth episode aired, Si Nian had some complaints about the editing of Trend Manager.
Previously, the “Qing Shen Si Hai” pairing couldn’t gain traction, but her reaction memes went viral instead.
Now, the production team seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally using editing to push her and Zheng Yinglun closer together because of a few glances.
However, before Si Nian could even voice her opinion, Zheng Yinglun’s team seemed to have immediately communicated with the production team, requesting them not to edit the show this way.
Si Nian figured it was probably because Zheng Yinglun was already married in private and cared more about maintaining his public image in this regard.
At least it was better than those married men with children who still flirted and created CP (couple pairings) with female celebrities.
Besides, if she were to bring it up, her influence wasn’t strong enough for the production team to care.
But if Zheng Yinglun’s team intervened, their words held weight.
Si Nian hadn’t been a fan of Zheng Yinglun before, but after this, she decided to at least become a neutral supporter.
Meanwhile, Qiao Qiao finally managed to cancel the Aup advertisement for Si Nian and secured a much bigger and more reliable contract a makeup brand photoshoot.
The makeup brand was called Glow, founded by several professional makeup artists.
It followed a high-end route, had counters in major shopping malls, and had always been known for its bold and unconventional styles.
Their mastery of color made them a standout in the cosmetics industry.
For this shoot, they wanted Si Nian to model for their upcoming series of new shades.
Si Nian had rarely worked as a makeup model before, but her natural features, high facial structure, and adaptable face shape made her a favorite among makeup artists, allowing them to experiment freely.
Over several days of shooting, she barely changed outfits, but her makeup looks varied in all kinds of styles.
Since this was an advertisement shoot for a professional makeup brand, extreme color contrasts and bold artistic makeup were essential to highlight the products.
During the sessions, her makeup shifted from metallic punk to trendy doll-like looks, then from those to millennial aesthetics.
Each shot required exaggerated, avant-garde makeup styles, and she went through look after look.
After finishing the final set a dazzling purple shimmer look on the third day, Si Nian woke up the next morning feeling a strange itch in her left eyelid.
Every time she blinked, she felt something pressing uncomfortably against the corner of her eye, blocking her vision and even causing a sharp, stinging pain when she touched it.
She could even feel that, as she got up and brushed against it, the discomfort seemed to be rapidly worsening.
Si Nian walked to the bathroom mirror with her irritated left eye and saw that her eyelid was swollen.
Her double eyelid had completely disappeared, and her left eye looked visibly smaller than her right.
As expected it was a stye.
It was probably caused by wearing heavy eye makeup for several days straight, under the intense heat of the photography studio’s lights and camera flashes.
Back when she had just entered the industry, she had also developed a stye from an allergic reaction to makeup.
The moment she touched her swollen eyelid with her finger, she hissed in pain.
She snapped a photo of her swollen eye and sent it to Qiao Qiao, asking her to inform the clients who had scheduled shoots for the next few days that she wouldn’t be able to work due to the stye.
They would need to either reschedule or discuss compensation for breach of contract.
Qiao Qiao saw the photo and immediately called, concerned.
“Is it serious? Do you need to go to the hospital? I can rush over right now if you do!”
Si Nian, overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, quickly reassured her, saying she just needed her to handle the work arrangements.
Only then did Qiao Qiao go off to negotiate with the clients.
Now that she had a few days off thankfully, the stye had only developed after the important makeup shoot Si Nian put on a pair of sunglasses and went out to the pharmacy.
The pharmacist recommended an eye ointment and some eye drops.
They also suggested an oral anti-inflammatory medication to speed up recovery and advised her to avoid spicy foods.
After buying the medicine and returning home, Si Nian felt like the swelling had only worsened.
Her vision was even more obstructed, and she could now only see properly with her right eye.
She took another photo of her swollen eye and sent it to Jiang Yihan.
Jiang Yihan, likely slacking off at work, burst into laughter upon seeing her almost completely shut left eye.
But then, feeling bad, he quickly added, “Ouch, that looks painful!”
Then, as if suddenly recalling a mischievous thought, he sent another message:
“Maybe this is karma for gazing too long at a married man on your show.”
He deleted the message within three seconds, but Si Nian had already seen it.
“We’re done. Bye forever.”
Si Nian put down her phone.
She spent the entire day lying at home, unable to use her phone due to the discomfort.
She could only close her eyes and listen to an audio drama to relax.
Later in the afternoon, Jiang Yihan messaged again, saying he’d be working late.
“Take care of yourself,” he added.
After replying to him, Si Nian noticed another message from someone else.
She had forgotten to block Aup’s contact after rejecting their offer.
The message was an invitation to meet for a meal.
Si Nian frowned and muttered, “Persistent ghost. Time to block.”
She sighed and looked at her reflection.
She had thought applying some medicine would help, but by the end of the day, it felt even hotter, itchier, and more painful.
Worried that it might get worse if left untreated, she finally decided to visit the hospital.
Since Jiang Yihan was working late and Qiao Qiao lived too far away, she figured she’d just go alone.
Wearing sunglasses, she grabbed her bag and headed out.
Just as she stepped out of her residential complex and was about to book a ride, she heard someone call her name from behind.
“Si Nian.”
She turned around.
“Hm?”
There was no sun, but Lu Shuyan noticed that Si Nian was still wearing sunglasses, even though it was nearly dark.
With her reduced vision from the swollen eye, it took her a moment to recognize him.
Frowning, she remembered the unread text message from earlier that afternoon.
“What are you doing here again?”
“Why are you looking for me?”
Lu Shuyan stepped closer and, from his higher vantage point, noticed that her left eye, hidden behind the sunglasses, seemed swollen.
His brows furrowed immediately.
“What happened to your eye?”
Si Nian pressed a hand against her hot, swollen eyelid.
“It’s just a stye. Haven’t you seen one before?”
Lu Shuyan instinctively leaned in for a closer look.
“Let me see.”
Si Nian instantly stepped back, gripping her sunglasses with a wary expression.
“Who said you could look?”
Lu Shuyan was at a loss for words.
Looking at her swollen eye, all the things he had intended to say earlier suddenly didn’t seem important anymore.
Right now, her health came first.
He straightened up and said in a steady voice, “Let’s go.
I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“I don’t need you to come.
I can go on my own.”
Lu Shuyan looked at her severely swollen eye and frowned even deeper.
“Are you sure you can manage?”
Just then, the ride she had booked arrived.
“I’m leaving.”
Without sparing him another glance, Si Nian got into the car.
Lu Shuyan exhaled sharply, then got into his own car and told the driver to follow hers.