Si Nian took a bite of the apple, and she thought, no matter what, even if she had to continue as a model and earn a modest one or two thousand a month, it would be better than losing five years for nothing, without earning a single penny, and being ruthlessly exploited for her looks.
This was even her first time.
Indeed, some people are born with a golden spoon, appearing noble and prestigious, outwardly elegant and dignified like upper-class gentlemen.
However, their true character is far worse, petty, vengeful, and always quibbling over the smallest details.
Lu Shuyan had clearly suffered no loss, enjoying years of 24-hour attentive girlfriend service, from her daily physiological needs to never having to tie his own tie in the mornings.
By all accounts, he had benefited, yet in the end, he wouldn’t even give her a single strand of hair, as if she had caused him a tremendous loss, and he resented her to the point of grinding his teeth.
Si Nian chewed the apple harder.
Clearly, Lu Shuyan had planned to break up with her that night, yet he turned it into a scenario where he appeared to be the wronged lover, who had been cheated on emotionally.
Not only did he sneakily check her phone, but he also found a flaw, seized the moral high ground, and didn’t even have to pay her a single cent for the breakup fee, leaving without the moral debt of dumping his obedient little girlfriend.
Si Nian bit the apple more aggressively, as if venting some anger.
Jiang Yihan, chewing her own apple, seemed to think of something.
She sat up from the sofa and said to Si Nian, “By the way, Nian Nian, our magazine’s sub-column is launching next month and needs a model. You can definitely do it. I’ve already submitted your materials, hehe.”
“Huh?” Si Nian snapped back to her senses.
“Your magazine is looking for a model? Can I apply?”
Jiang Yihan worked at one of the top five fashion magazines in the industry, the kind that always had celebrities fighting to be on the cover.
Usually, such magazines wanted high-end runway models, typically 175cm and above, which had little connection to Si Nian, who, though beautiful, was more of a print model and not tall enough for runway shows.
Jiang Yihan explained, “It’s for a side sub-column. We plan to do a youth-focused, down-to-earth theme for the launch event.
Ugh, I’ve been having a headache with this lately. Some stars think it’s too low-level to be on the sub-column.”
Si Nian nodded, “Oh, I see.”
Jiang Yihan offering a chance for a gig was certainly a good thing, but she didn’t have high hopes after hearing how difficult it had been for Jiang Yihan.
She could only encourage her with a pat on the shoulder.
“Good luck!”
Jiang Yihan collapsed back onto the sofa, saying, “I’m done for.”
After finishing the wedding photoshoot for “Mohe,” Si Nian gradually took on a few scattered freelance gigs, and two online clothing store shoots were also in discussion.
She wanted to earn enough money to rent her own place, so she wouldn’t have to keep squeezing into a single bed with Jiang Yihan every night.
Her schedule was packed with sending out resumes, attending interviews, and finding gigs.
With the rise of the self-media industry, most girls working as models now operated their own social media accounts.
Businesses were no longer just looking at appearances; they were increasingly interested in the model’s personal traffic and commercial value.
This was the first time Si Nian set up accounts on several major social media platforms.
Her ID was “Sui Sui Nian,” a nickname she had used before.
After creating the account, Si Nian tried posting a few short videos on it, mainly showcasing her looks and daily life.
She was still a bit awkward with the editing and lighting, and without the help of an MCN company to push her content, the videos had decent engagement for a new account, attracting a few hundred likes and steadily gaining followers.
The post-production for the new season of wedding photos from “Mohe” was also completed.
The photographer specially sent the edited sample photos to their work group on WeChat, and Si Nian, based on her aesthetic intuition, thought the photos turned out great.
They weren’t the usual sugary shots— the first set of photos had a playful, whimsical vibe, while the second set, shot outdoors, was romantic and grand, with an oil painting-like color tone that had a cinematic feel.
She replied with a few thumbs-up images in the group chat.
Finally, when her peers began to update their sample photos for the new season, trying to attract clients, and after receiving a lot of requests from fans, “Mohe” also released their new season’s sample photos for the quarter.
“Mohe” had two sets of photos this season.
One was a fresh and light forest theme, and the other was a romantic oil painting style.
The forest style was relaxed and casual, while the oil painting style was more formal and elegant.
The two sets had a strong contrast, but they used the same male and female models.
Previously, “Mohe” had regular sample models whose looks and temperament matched the studio’s established style.
However, the models in this new set were unfamiliar to their followers.
Fans hadn’t seen them before, and they were strikingly eye-catching.
The female model was delicate and sweet. When shooting the forest-themed wedding dress, she captured just the right amount of playfulness.
When shooting the oil painting style outdoors, she styled her hair up, and her strong, elegant aura seemed like she had stepped out of a movie.
The male model in the same photos was also impeccably handsome.
Together with the female model, they shared various playful moments in the forest-themed shots, holding hands and cheek-to-cheek, while in the oil painting shots, the male model looked calm and mature, gently kissing the female model’s forehead in the golden light.
For high-quality hard shots, the basic planning and theme are one aspect, but the model’s expressiveness is another.
Thus, once the new wedding photos of “Mohe” for the new season were released, they quickly drew attention. The comment section on the sample photos was busier than ever:
- “Wow, this season’s theme is awesome and so beautiful! The female model is so lively and pretty! Is she a new face? Never seen her before!”
- “She’s new. The old model just got pregnant and couldn’t shoot anymore.”
- “I love both styles! Even though I’ve never been in a relationship, this makes me want to get married, oh my god!”
- “The male and female models they found are so good-looking. This photo is so pleasing to my eyes. Please send more like this!”
- “I know these are models, but are they not a couple? They look so good together. Their interactions are so sweet, like a real married couple!”
- “That forehead kiss in the golden light is so beautiful. Oh my god, I want to take wedding photos like that too.”
- “Saved! I’ll come back to take this set for my wedding.”
And more…
Si Nian saw that the wedding photo sample of the “Mohe” studio for this season had set a new historical record for likes, shares, and comments as soon as it was released.
Not only did it gain a lot of followers, but it also went viral and reached many users who were not preparing for a wedding, with comments flooding in like, “I’ll get this style of wedding photos when I get married.”
Even those already preparing for a wedding immediately decided to book the same style after seeing the photos.
Recently, the “Mohe” studio has been overwhelmed with bookings, and the once-hard-to-schedule appointments are now pushed all the way into next year.
The boss was so happy that he sent several large red envelopes in the WeChat group and immediately booked Si Nian and Yuan Yu for next quarter’s photo shoot, with the deposit already transferred.
Si Nian received the deposit for the “Mohe” next quarter’s photo shoot and marked the work schedule in her calendar.
As a result of the enthusiastic response to the “Mohe” wedding photo sample, many people became curious about the striking male and female models in the photos.
Si Nian saw that her account, “Sui Sui Nian,” was found by someone, and the top two comments on her latest short video were:
【Miss, is it you in the “Mohe” wedding photos this season? They look so good!】
【Ah, why do you have so few followers? Fine, I’m following you now, so I’ll be an old fan!】
Si Nian replied to each comment in the comment section: “Yes, thank you for liking! ” and “That’s right! If you follow me now, you’re my old fan, haha.”
Since the sample photos were already exposed, the styling and theme didn’t need to be kept secret anymore.
Si Nian finally posted a behind-the-scenes selfie from the shoot on her personal social account.
In the photo, the girl is wearing a one-shoulder wedding gown, with the veil slightly lifted by the wind, and behind her, the majestic mountain range is bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
She is sitting on a folding chair, resting her chin on her hand while waiting for the shoot, playfully wrinkling her nose at the camera.
Big data algorithms sometimes create misunderstandings when pushing content to new users.
Someone was attracted by the beautiful photos and then saw on her profile that “Sui Sui Nian” had just been posting about her daily life, and now, in today’s video, she was wearing a wedding dress for a selfie.
A comment read: 【Are you married?】
Si Nian quickly replied: 【It’s a work shoot, I’m not married, still single~】
Rongsheng Tower.
26th Floor, CEO’s Office.
After another meeting, Lu Shuyan finished his complicated tasks and saw that it was almost time to leave for the day.
The man pressed his fingertips to his aching temples.
There was still a social gathering he couldn’t avoid that evening.
Lu Shuyan sat back in his office chair, taking a moment to calm down.
Somehow, Si Nian’s face appeared in his mind again.
In these past few days, Lu Shuyan hadn’t returned to Mingjing Mansion, but whenever he thought of Si Nian, he felt calm in his chest.
Eventually, the anger faded.
She was a woman who, wanting to earn a breakup fee, had intentionally gotten close to a wealthy heir, but she hadn’t done her homework and ended up making a mistake by approaching the wrong person.
Lu Shuyan lowered his eyelids.
He stared at the solid wood desk and remembered the day when Si Nian, after everything had been exposed, clung to his waist and cried while asking for five million.
At that time, Lu Shuyan had been very angry, angry at the five years of deception.
He had thought his girlfriend, who was so obedient and pure, was behind it all for money from the start, making him feel like a fool who had been played.
That was an insult to him.
But now, as the anger in his chest gradually dissipated, Lu Shuyan’s expression softened a little.
In the end, he hadn’t really suffered any substantial loss.
In fact, he had originally planned to break up with Si Nian that day.
Now, the result of the breakup had been achieved in another way—after everything was exposed, she walked away herself.
The pen in the man’s fingers spun in a perfect circle.
For the first time, Lu Shuyan felt that things had turned out differently than he had expected.
Five million was really not a figure worth mentioning to him.
Lu Shuyan pressed the bell to summon Zhao Chao.
He signed a new check.
This time, the check amount was fifty million.
Zhao Chao took the signed check and left, but soon came back.
Lu Shuyan frowned as he listened to Zhao Chao’s report, and the more he heard, the tighter his brow furrowed.
“Can’t get in touch?” Lu Shuyan almost thought he had misheard. “They all blocked you?”