IJLHTW - 1

As the plane landed, a loud thud caused everyone seated to lurch forward. The quiet first-class cabin suddenly erupted with sharp Beijing-accented curses.

Half an hour later, Huo Ci retrieved her black suitcase and headed towards the elevator.

When she had gone abroad, she left her car in the airport parking lot.

A few shouts came from behind her as she walked straight ahead without looking back until the person caught up with her.

“Miss, it’s so late. Let me give you a ride,” said a fashionable man wearing a camel-colored trench coat, tall and handsome.

Huo Ci gave him a cold look, “No need.”

The man didn’t expect her to be so aloof and immediately laughed awkwardly, “I was sitting next to you on the plane, and we even chatted a bit. Don’t worry, I’m not a bad guy. It’s just that it’s too late now, and it’s hard to get a taxi. My car is parked in the parking lot below.”

While speaking, he smiled slightly, his eyes filled with confident amusement, clearly no stranger to this kind of flirtation.

This time, Huo Ci didn’t even bother to smile, pushing her suitcase towards the elevator.

“I heard your accent; you’re from Beijing too? I’ve been in France for a while and rarely return to Beijing.”

She’d heard all this on the plane.

“Right, you look quite familiar, like that celebrity.”

That was what he called their conversation on the plane—a one-sided chatter.

‘Ding’—the elevator arrived. It was midnight, and there was no one else inside. The man pressed the button for the second basement level, which was where she needed to go too, but Huo Ci didn’t lift a finger.

The man, thinking he had already impressed her, even changed his tone to something more flirtatious. But when the elevator doors opened, Huo Ci stepped out first and walked straight towards area F. As the man was about to call out to her, he wondered how she knew his car was parked in area F.

“My car is right here. Come, let me help you with your luggage. You’re so slim; carrying such a big suitcase must be tiring.”

The man stood in front of a Cadillac, which cost him 700,000 yuan, including the road fees, and he had owned it for just over two months.

A car was a man’s calling card. No matter how much he bragged, nothing was more convincing than a good car.

But as he spoke, Huo Ci, who had remained cold and indifferent, walked past him and stopped two parking spaces away from the Cadillac.

She took out her keys and pressed a button, making the dusty, boxy large car light up its headlights instantly.

Huo Ci didn’t open the trunk but directly opened the backseat door, lifting her suitcase and shoving it inside. She was 172 cm tall, but with a narrow frame, slender arms, and long legs, appearing delicate and frail. The man watched, dumbfounded, as she effortlessly moved the large suitcase into the backseat.

Then she walked around the front of the car to the driver’s seat, opening the door, getting in, and starting the engine in one fluid motion.

As her car spewed exhaust fumes and drove past the man, he cursed loudly, standing rooted to the spot: “Damn it.”

Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG, priced at 3.7 million yuan—enough to buy several of his cars.

**

When Huo Ci arrived home, the entire neighborhood was quiet. After swiping her card, the security guard immediately lifted the gate, signaling her to enter.

Upon entering her home, she turned on the lights and casually flipped all the switches, illuminating the corridor lights, various chandeliers, and ceiling lights in the living room. Everywhere she looked, it was pure white—bold, clean lines of white, interspersed with occasional black accents.

Immaculate, it seemed her agent had cleaned her house while she was away.

Barefoot, she entered the room, found some clothes to change into, and headed straight to the bathroom.

Next to the pure white bathtub was a floor-to-ceiling window. From the 28th floor, she could overlook the entire city.

As her weary body soaked in the hot water, the fatigue melted away in an instant. She submerged herself underwater, the water flowing over her like soft satin. When she emerged, she leaned against the edge of the bathtub, gazing at the night view outside.

Amidst the vast darkness, dotted with sporadic lights.

Even in this bustling, vibrant city, everything fell silent in the early hours of the morning.

After finishing her bath, Huo Ci emerged wearing a white silk shirt, only two buttons fastened, revealing a hint of her black bra under the soft, jade-like curves. Her loose pants covered her feet, still bare, and a white towel hung around her neck. Her long hair dripped water, as she disliked the sound of a hairdryer and never used one.

Sitting on the white sofa, she dried her hair while picking up her phone from the coffee table.

As a photographer with her own studio, she enjoyed flexible working hours, often traveling for inspiration. With numerous requests for photo shoots, she charged the highest rates in the industry. Each additional day off equated to lost income.

No one would quarrel with money.

Her agent had already arranged her schedule before she returned. Fortunately, she was always punctual, adhering strictly to her planned vacations.

Casually, she sent a message to her agent: “I’m back, work as usual.”

A minute later, Mo Xingchen called. Mo Xingchen was her college roommate and now a popular fashion blogger with millions of followers on Weibo, constantly sourcing magazine covers and endorsements from Huo Ci to entice fans of various celebrities.

Huo Ci answered the call and put it on speakerphone, continuing to dry her hair with a towel. Her hair had always been thick and dense, requiring significant effort to manage, yet she had never considered cutting it because her father once said that little girls looked best with braids.

Little girl, she sneered, almost missing Mo Xingchen’s words.

Mo Xingchen’s voice on the other end was loud, “We are at the usual place. Come over.”

“I need to sleep, adjust to the time difference.”

Mo Xingchen chuckled, “Who are you fooling? Within ten hours of getting off the plane, you won’t be able to sleep.”

When Huo Ci hung up, she didn’t say whether she would go or not. She sat on the sofa, drying her hair until it was half-dry, then stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. She loved how bright and clean her home was. Even the bathroom had large floor-to-ceiling windows, and the entire wall of the living room was open.

Half an hour later, she changed into different clothes, picked up her keys, and went downstairs.

Mo Xingchen was right; she couldn’t sleep.

**

The usual place, aptly named “Old Place.”

This place was a favorite haunt for people in the industry. The owner was once a respected figure in the photography world, though he had stopped taking photos in recent years.

Gradually, photographers, models, and others connected to the fashion industry began flocking here.

Huo Ci started taking photos during her sophomore year of college. By her junior year, she had won several prestigious international photography awards, gaining fame domestically. She then began working with fashion magazines, and by her senior year, she shot the 10th-anniversary issue of V , one of China’s top fashion magazines, which solidified her status as a rising star in the fashion world.

Her rise to fame was so rapid that many whispered behind her back: “Only 30% of Huo Ci’s success is due to her photography skills; the other 70% is marketing.”

When she entered the venue, the security guard at the door nodded in recognition. Though she wasn’t a regular, she was a familiar face.

Mo Xingchen and Bai Yu were seated in their usual spot. The semi-circular booth was filled with men and women sporting youthful, glamorous faces and enviable figures. In the fashion world, fresh faces were never in short supply.

Bai Yu, her agent, affectionately called “Xiao Bai” (Little White), had been managing Huo Ci’s affairs since she entered the industry. Huo Ci was aloof by nature, disliking socializing, and only cared about her work. From the start, Bai Yu handled all her business dealings and took care of the minutiae.

“My darling, you’re finally back,” Bai Yu said, pulling her hand to sit down. After examining her from head to toe, he sighed sympathetically, “You’ve tanned and lost weight.”

But then he smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry, I’ve already booked an appointment for you at Lisa’s Beauty Salon for tomorrow.”

“Xiao Bai, you’re really spreading nonsense,” Mo Xingchen interjected, leaning over to scrutinize Huo Ci. Disappointed, she asked, “Just admit it, Huo Ci—you didn’t go out there to take any photos, did you? You were just traveling around Europe for fun.”

Huo Ci was blessed with good looks, the kind that made people question whether she even needed talent. Standing at 172 cm with flawless proportions, her long legs rivaled those of the models she photographed—slim, straight, and fair, inciting envy wherever she went. Many had urged her to become a celebrity instead, questioning why she bothered with the hard work of photography.

Perhaps it was her natural complexion—no matter how much she was exposed to the sun, she never seemed to tan.

Besides, this time she hadn’t gone anywhere with strong sunlight. If anything, she looked paler than before.

“Come on, don’t be jealous of how beautiful Huo Ci is,” Bai Yu teased, giving Mo Xingchen a light push, fearing she might provoke Huo Ci into pursuing some kind of “primal beauty.”

These days, anyone labeled as a “beautiful woman” in their profession gained instant popularity: beautiful authors, painters, manga artists—and naturally, beautiful photographers.

Amidst the sea of scruffy male photographers with their unkempt beards and ponytails, Huo Ci stood out like a breath of fresh air. To the untrained eye, unable to discern the technical nuances of photography, her striking appearance alone was enough to make her famous.

Her Weibo followers had long surpassed ten million.

Every post she made inevitably trended. Even the clothes and shoes she wore during photo shoots quickly became bestsellers on Taobao.

“Teacher Bai, why don’t you introduce us?” A girl in a red strapless dress, showing off deep cleavage, cooed flirtatiously.

Though everyone present likely already knew who she was, Xiao Bai still glanced around with a smile. “This is Huo Ci.”

Those four simple words carried more weight than countless accolades and applause.

“Huo Sister, let me toast you,” said the same girl in the strapless dress, her long hair and big eyes accentuated by overly dramatic double eyelids.

Huo Ci didn’t respond, not even lifting her gaze.

The girl’s hand holding the glass remained suspended mid-air, neither advancing nor retreating.

The previously lively atmosphere froze.

Xiao Bai, ever the smooth operator, stepped in gracefully. “Just call her Huo Ci. Everyone does.”

Though he addressed the group, no one dared to speak again.

Mo Xingchen, who had been enthusiastically chatting with a young male model, quickly signaled Xiao Bai to open another private booth and move the crowd elsewhere. It was truly nauseating—the audacity to call someone “Sister” so casually.

Huo Ci remained quiet, holding her glass of water.

She rarely drank alcohol and never smoked.

None of the bad habits common in the art world had touched her.

“How was your trip?” Mo Xingchen asked.

“It was fine.”

Mo Xingchen rolled her eyes, unsurprised by the predictable answer.

**

Huo Ci sat nestled in the corner of the booth, her gaze unfocused as she stared ahead, clearly lost in thought. When she snapped back to reality, her eyes landed on the bar area.

Several people stood there, but the man in the white shirt and black pants on the far left caught her attention, making her sit up straight.

A simple white shirt tucked into fitted black trousers revealed a pair of long legs accentuated by the dim lighting—striking and sensual. Perhaps it was her professional instinct to first notice the most prominent features of a person.

But this time, what drew her attention was his silhouette.

A person’s back may not be their most distinctive feature, yet it is uniquely theirs. Huo Ci had an exceptional visual memory—she never mistook or misidentified anyone. She licked her lips, struggling to suppress the excitement and restlessness brought on by the surge of adrenaline.

For the first time in years, she saw a silhouette that closely resembled one from her memories. She had never seen the face of that person, only their back.

“What are you looking at?” Mo Xingchen asked after noticing Huo Ci’s prolonged silence and fixed gaze across the room.

To her surprise, Mo Xingchen herself grew excited, leaning closer to whisper conspiratorially, “That’s tonight’s main attraction. Ever since he walked in, every woman in the bar has been staring. But he’s turned away everyone who approached him, cold as ice. He’s not someone just anyone can charm.”

Huo Ci picked up her glass of water with a faint smile. It was obvious.

Mo Xingchen adjusted the tassels on her earrings, speaking cryptically, “Don’t you think he has a certain… aura?”

Huo Ci asked, “What kind of aura?”

“Everyone wants to sleep with him, but no one can.”

Huo Ci turned to look at her, “And what about me?”