“Yes, Mr. Lu,” Zhao Chao responded, his hands folded, pretending to be nonchalant while answering the man in the office chair, who looked visibly incredulous.
He didn’t know why Lu Shuyan had suddenly signed a check for fifty million to give to Si Nian.
It was only when he tried to contact Si Nian that he realized all his contact information had been blocked by her.
Lu Shuyan noticed the awkward expression on Zhao Chao’s face.
He then sat up, took his phone from the desk, and opened the WeChat chat with Si Nian.
Lu Shuyan sent a comma.
Sure enough, the reply was a red exclamation mark and—
“The message has been sent, but the recipient has rejected it.”
“The recipient has enabled friend verification. You are not yet friends with them. Please send a friend request. You can chat after they approve.”
Zhao Chao pretended not to notice the awkward message on Lu Shuyan’s phone screen.
Lu Shuyan pressed his phone off with irritation and threw it on the desk.
Clearly, he had been generous without hesitation and had never expected that after their breakup, Si Nian would so decisively block him.
It was also unthinkable for him to lower himself and change his number just to get the money to a former girlfriend who had deceived him.
Lu Shuyan glanced at Zhao Chao, who was sitting in front of him, pretending to focus on his nose and heart.
“You can go now.”
Zhao Chao immediately bowed his head: “Yes, Mr. Lu.”
……
Si Nian finally found a new apartment.
It was in the same complex as Jiang Yihan’s small apartment, and luckily, a tenant who had the same layout as Jiang Yihan’s had just moved out.
This way, they didn’t have to squeeze into one bed every night.
They lived close by and could hang out whenever they wanted.
Jiang Yihan didn’t want Si Nian to move out.
Though the two of them living in a 30-square-meter space was a bit cramped, the feeling of having someone make supper after a long day at work and snuggling with a soft, fragrant girl at night was just too good.
Si Nian quickly settled into her new place.
Her modeling career also gradually picked up pace.
Especially after “Mohe” studio’s wedding photos gained some attention in the industry, many businesses became interested in her.
She was beautiful, knew how to model, and her rates weren’t too high, which made her a very attractive option.
Si Nian even received direct messages from influencer MCN companies and modeling agencies, wanting to sign her.
However, Si Nian turned them all down.
The pitfall rate with these influencer MCN companies and modeling agencies was just too high.
Their shares were unreasonably high, and it was easy to encounter various conflicts and even end up in lawsuits.
She was fully capable of handling both shooting and managing her bookings on her own.
As for the activity that Jiang Yihan had mentioned, where the magazine company needed a model and she had submitted her information, Si Nian hadn’t thought much about it.
Fashion magazines, even with a subsidiary, typically wouldn’t hire small-scale models like her.
But after a few days, the magazine actually asked her to come in for an interview.
Si Nian arrived at the interview.
The magazine Jiang Yihan worked for was called “Glitz,” and their new subsidiary publication was named “MiniGlitz.”
It aimed to maintain the high-end positioning of the main publication while targeting post-millennial youth.
Many young people weren’t interested in fashion magazines because the content felt too distant, and the high-fashion models always looked too out of reach.
The outfits might be trendy, but they seemed hard to replicate in real life.
So, “MiniGlitz” aimed to bridge that gap by offering a more youthful, relatable aesthetic, focusing on looks that regular girls could imitate.
As part of the launch event, they were hosting a fashion show.
Since they wanted to bring the distance closer, the models for this show weren’t the typical tall, thin ones.
The editor-in-chief decided to use models who better fit the public’s aesthetic standards.
All the outfits for the show were trendy and delicate, but they were styles that could be replicated in everyday life.
This meant that the concept and content of “MiniGlitz” would focus on making ordinary girls more beautiful, offering inspiration they could easily incorporate into their own lives.
This was Si Nian’s first time visiting the headquarters of “Glitz.”
The company had rented an entire floor in a prime commercial building.
She was greeted by staff who guided her through the check-in process and instructed her to wait for her interview.
On her phone, Jiang Yihan was texting her, offering encouragement not to be nervous.
Unfortunately, Jiang Yihan, being just a small editor, didn’t have the authority to pull any strings and could only help up to this point.
The editor-in-chief, although mean, still treated beautiful women decently, and since he was out in the photography studio, Si Nian didn’t need to worry about him.
Si Nian saw many girls waiting for their interview, and a few of them looked very familiar—some were internet influencers, and others were top-tier models.
The staff gave everyone a number tag and started calling them in one by one.
Si Nian took her number tag and sat in the waiting area, lowering her head and typing away on her phone to chat with Jiang Yihan.
Jiang Yihan said that this show needs more than thirty models, half of which have already been chosen because the main magazine is one of the five big fashion publications.
The show will feature female celebrities, idols, some big influencers, and fashion icons, while the remaining spots will be selected by the editor-in-chief during interviews.
Not only do the models need to be beautiful, but they also need to fit the style and look for the runway.
And although the theme of the show is that everyday girls can emulate the looks, the fashion industry’s contradictory nature is that the requirements for models are stricter, except for the height, which is ten centimeters shorter.
The model resumes already received thousands of submissions, and after the first round, only a hundred remained.
Si Nian wasn’t nervous at first, but after Jiang Yihan’s description, she began to feel tense.
She did want to land this opportunity, not primarily for the payment, but because every year, Glitz’s main magazine hosts events with many big-name celebrities.
Although this was a sub-magazine, the exposure from this launch event would definitely be higher than any wedding shoot.
If she could appear and make a name for herself, it would certainly help her personal social media platform.
Without the backing of an agency for promotions, “Mohe” had gained some traction, and her followers had just reached 10,000.
Si Nian put down her phone, took a deep breath, and then heard the staff calling out names and numbers.
It was her turn.
She quickly stood up and walked over.
The interview room had several people, each holding copies of model resumes and scoring sheets.
In the center was the editor-in-chief.
Si Nian stood in front of the pure white background.
Although she was a flat model, she had learned runway walking, and even though she didn’t do it often, her walk was still quite good.
Si Nian was wearing the required plain white t-shirt and jeans.
She first did a body display from all angles, then walked a short runway.
“Stop,” said the female deputy editor next to the editor-in-chief, “Don’t be so serious, it’s not haute couture. Smile a little.”
Si Nian adjusted herself and walked again.
Another brand’s interviewer was flipping through her model card, comparing her photos with her real appearance.
He muttered, “She doesn’t look much different from the photos.”
The entire interview process was much quicker than Si Nian had expected.
She couldn’t tell from the expressions of the interviewers whether her performance was good or bad.
She only saw them marking things on their papers before telling her she could leave.
Si Nian sat on the subway ride home, still dazed, unsure of how well she had done.
Since she lived in the suburbs, the subway finally came above ground.
In front of her, a young couple was being overly affectionate and “rough,” and Si Nian couldn’t bear to watch.
She turned her head and looked out the window at the vast fields and the city’s steel forest being built, suddenly thinking back on the past few years.
Five years ago, she was busy with part-time jobs and attending classes.
That day, after finishing a part-time shoot, she rushed back to school to attend a lecture.
She was delayed on the way and arrived late.
She sneaked into the large lecture hall through the back door.
The room was crowded, and she managed to find an empty seat.
As she walked toward it, she had to pass a row of students.
Most students weren’t happy about her lateness and blocking their way, but they made way for her.
She apologized quietly as she passed.
Just as she was close to her seat, she tripped over a chair leg.
She lost her balance and fell directly onto a male student’s lap.
The noise was loud enough for everyone to turn and stare.
The professor at the front also looked back and said, “Late students, find a seat quickly.”
Si Nian didn’t pay attention to the stares and looked up to see the male student who caught her.
Her first thought was that she had never seen such a handsome guy at school.
Maybe it was because she was always busy with part-time work and hadn’t spent much time at school.
She was about to apologize when she saw a hint of impatience and disgust in his eyes, as though he was holding back the urge to push her off.
So, her first impression of Lu Shuyan was not a good one.
Later, she found out that she had entered the wrong classroom for the lecture that day.
No wonder she couldn’t understand the financial jargon—she was supposed to be attending a different one.
Si Nian had never thought that she would eventually end up with this arrogant classmate.
Actually, she had never planned to have a relationship.
Love was never in her plans, and she had no interest in the self-important classmates.
If she hadn’t accidentally learned that he was the young master of the Lu family and his last ex-girlfriend received an eight-figure divorce settlement, she wouldn’t have even thought about him.
Si Nian sighed.
As expected, you shouldn’t get too close to people you don’t like at first sight.
And it’s important to be hardworking, brave, honest, and kind, not always trying to take shortcuts.
The subway announcement said they were arriving at the station.
The couple across from her was still lost in their world.
Si Nian stood up to go home.
She bought groceries, cooked dinner, and sent a message to Jiang Yihan, saying she didn’t need to order takeout if she was working late; she had made dinner for her.
Si Nian stood in front of the stove, looking at the corn and pork ribs stewing in the pot.
She thought back to when she used to visit Lu Shuyan’s off-campus apartment.
Later, when his father became ill and he took over Rongsheng, they started living together.
Every night, even when Lu Shuyan worked late, she would always prepare a late-night snack for him and wait for him at home, playing the role of a considerate girlfriend.
There were even several times when Lu Shuyan came home drunk from a social gathering.
He was young and had been fighting with the Lu family’s board members, and when the housekeeper wasn’t around, she had to take care of him all night, exhausted.
Si Nian opened the pot lid and added a pinch of salt to the soup.
It was as if she had added poison to the soup when she used to cook a hangover cure for Lu Shuyan in the middle of the night.