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Luo Mingjing was live-streaming himself knitting a pair of woolen gloves, while Shi Min sat nearby on a recliner, studying K-line charts.
Luo Mingjing hadn’t fully recovered from his cold, and his voice carried a nasal tone as he explained his process.
The chatroom buzzed with speculation about whether he was knitting the gloves for his girlfriend.
“The blue ones at the front must be for him.”
“23333 Not necessarily. Nowadays, boys like pink, and girls prefer blue.”
“Holy cow, that actually makes sense! I’m obsessed with blue, and my husband’s closet is full of pink shirts!”
“You’re married?! Sisters, let’s isolate her!!”
“Who?? Who?? I just got here—did Fairy get married???”
“Hahahaha, looks like Fairy coming out will trend on hot searches.”
With his head down, Luo Mingjing focused on crocheting flower petals. His glasses slid to the tip of his nose, wobbling precariously, but his hands were too busy to adjust them. When he reached the fingers of the glove, he leaned over, pulled Shi Min’s hand toward him, and measured it against the knitting needle.
Shi Min flipped her hand over, letting her fingers fall into his palm. She lightly scratched him, teasing.
Luo Mingjing spread his hand open, then slowly closed it into a fist around hers, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Shi Min chuckled softly, set down her tablet, and leaned over to push his glasses back up his nose. Though the earlier actions were outside the camera’s view, the adjustment of his glasses was captured by the lens. The keen-eyed fans in the livestream immediately noticed the fingertips that appeared at the edge of the screen.
“Holy crap, he really has a girlfriend!”
“Ahhhhhhhh!!!”
“So he’s knitting for his girlfriend?”
“He was probably checking if it fits her. Coincidentally, he’s at the finger part now.”
“I didn’t expect Poor Guy to find a girlfriend after getting rich!”
“Hmph! Men go bad when they have money—I refuse to listen! I want Fairy Sister to marry me!”
“Fairy, quick, say something! I bought shares in President Maserati!”
“Hahahaha, the girl above is hilarious. Is anyone else holding Blue Boy stock?”
“Fairy!! Didn’t you say last year that you’d only ever have a cat, never a girlfriend?!”
“Girlfriend fans, heartbroken beyond repair!”
Luo Mingjing finally looked up, scanned the keywords, and responded, “Hmm, I do have a girlfriend… Did you all see her? You’re so sharp… Yeah, she’s right next to me.”
The fans immediately demanded that the girlfriend appear on camera.
“Sigh, kids grow up and leave the nest...”
“Are you all girlfriend fans? I’m not, actually. As a single dog myself, I quite enjoy watching couples feed me dog food.”
“I’ll burn... burn golden dog food with my torch.”
“We want to see your girlfriend!”
“Woof woof woof.”
“I want to hear how you two met!”
“Oh my god, I just logged in and heard this bombshell! A few days ago there was nothing, and now suddenly there’s a girlfriend?!”
“Post pics! Post pics! Post pics!”
Luo Mingjing turned to Shi Min. “Do you want to come over and say hi?”
Shi Min shook her head.
“No?” Luo Mingjing smiled at the camera. “She doesn’t want to.”
The chatroom erupted in playful jokes:
“The Empress Consort doesn’t want to see these concubines, 23333. Your Majesty Queen, this is you showing us no mercy.”
“Fairy’s girlfriend: I am the officially crowned Empress by the Demon King. For as long as I live, you are mere consorts!”
“The palace maid sweeping the floor trembles at the sight of all these sisters...”
“Boyfriend fans remain silent with knowing smiles.”
“233333 Hey bro upstairs, are you okay? Lights! Camera!”
“No need, male fans have already shoved microphones into their mouths... Hmm... Mm...”
Luo Mingjing read a few comments aloud to Shi Min. She didn’t respond but crooked her finger, signaling him to raise one hand. She extended hers as well, and the two hands formed a heart shape in front of the camera. Then, she wiggled her fingers, smirked, and slowly pulled her hand back.
The chatroom exploded:
“Unexpectedly fed a mouthful of dog food.”
“And they even made a manual heart gesture...”
“The Empress Consort is so bold! Publicly slaughtering dogs?! She doesn’t care about us at all!”
“Public display of affection! Where are the torchbearers? FFF!”
“Headphone users heard the Empress’s cold laugh!”
“I did too... It made my heart flutter... So aggressive!”
“With Fairy in hand, she lords over the world. The girlfriend seems pretty pleased with herself.”
“Provocation! Absolute provocation!”
“Oh my, look at Fairy’s laughter, switching from a mature woman to a soft little uke!”
“So... is the girlfriend actually Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Hahahahaha, Her Majesty the Empress, laughing till my stomach hurts.”
“Yes yes yes!!! Going wild for this CP! I ship it! The seemingly seductive yet pure-hearted Fairy and the cold, ruthless Empress!”
“Ying, my heart! Critical hit... Fairy, are you going to draw your own doujinshi? Please release it!”
Luo Mingjing immediately shook his head, firmly declaring, “Never in a million years!”
That night, after the livestream ended, Luo Mingjing had barely turned his head when Shi Min pushed him down onto the desk. After thoroughly kissing him, she gazed at him with fiery phoenix eyes, her low, raspy voice like sandpaper scraping against his eardrums: “Draw it.”
Luo Mingjing was thrown off balance, taking a moment to compose himself before asking in confusion, “Draw what? The Consort and Empress?”
“You, me,” Shi Min lightly tapped his lips, speaking slowly, “and the bed.”
These suggestive words nearly caused Luo Mingjing to gasp audibly. Flustered, he raised his arm to cover his eyes and burst out laughing. “You’re such a tease...”
After things settled, Luo Mingjing gently pushed Shi Min away and stood up, looking serene like an enlightened monk. “You haven’t slept with me yet, so I can’t possibly draw it.”
“How you draw it is how I’ll sleep with you,” Shi Min said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. “You can treat the sketchbook as an experimental manual—or, better yet, call it a reference book for making dreams come true.”
Shi Min spoke leisurely: “There’s nothing you can’t think of that I won’t do.”
Eating up the practical benefits of having a Fairy, she was so confident that Luo Mingjing believed her completely. Shi Min was a doer, her ability to execute plans unmatched. If she thought of it, she would do it; if she dared to dream it, she’d make it happen. She never hesitated, nor had he ever seen her fail.
So, don’t challenge the President in this arena. One slip, and you’d be utterly dominated.
Instantly losing his composure, Luo Mingjing embraced Shi Min and kissed her forehead. “Don’t rush. Once the sewing machine arrives, I’ll sew you a battle robe. When Her Majesty dons it, victory will be assured without even fighting. I’ll gladly become your captive.”
________________________________________
In the middle floors of the tallest office building in the CBD downtown area, the assistant at Huan Yu Personal Studio frantically hung up the phone, interrupting Wang Zhenyu, who was passionately outlining next year’s order blueprint during a meeting. “Kevin, the New Year’s rehearsal just ended. They said the Phoenix Dance dress we’re responsible for, which is the grand finale, doesn’t match the backup dancers or the stage colors. They’ll send us the rehearsal video. They said the lead dancer’s Phoenix Feather outfit is good, but the top brass said it feels a bit cluttered.”
Wang Zhenyu paused and retorted, “Cluttered? Is that our fault?”
The assistant stammered, “I also think it’s a lighting issue... But just now, Director He from Channel Three said we should follow the leadership’s instructions and remove a layer from the lead dancer’s Phoenix Feathers. He said it’s... too striking and unfriendly to the backup dancers.”
“Then negotiate with the costume collaborators for the backup dancers.” Wang Zhenyu was clearly angry. “At this stage, asking us to change the main act—is that even possible? Ignoring the lighting issues, ignoring how subpar the backup dancers’ costumes are, and saying the lead is too prominent? Excuse me?”
The assistant didn’t dare mention that during the last two makeup rehearsals, the Stage Director from Channel Three had specifically come over to communicate with them, suggesting they tone down some elements.
Back then, the Stage Director had said, “This year, our light show and 3D stage are the highlights, so the lighting can’t be adjusted anymore. Regarding this Phoenix Dance, it’s the grand finale—a family-friendly group dance. While it’s true there’s a lead dancer, it’s ultimately a group performance. We discussed earlier that the lead dancer’s costume and accessories, combined with the spotlight and the backup dancers, create the effect of a large phoenix. From an aerial view, it’s a flat phoenix spreading its wings, with a freeze-frame shot. I’ve reviewed it, and your costume design meets the requirements, but I have a small suggestion: the lead dancer’s outfit has too many elements, making it hard to distinguish primary and secondary features. When paired with the lighting, the audience might focus solely on the lead and overlook the overall stage effect. So...”
At the time, Wang Zhenyu replied, “I understand what you mean. Fine, leave it to us. We’ll revise it.”
But as soon as he turned around, he cursed the collective aesthetic of the stage crew. “What does he know? Can those elements be removed? Just because amateurs don’t understand doesn’t mean we professionals should make the same low-level mistake of being dictated by client aesthetics.”
Later, the studio simply lightened the color of the Phoenix Feather dress and sent it out.
The assistant didn’t dare speak up, unsure of what to do. Someone consoled him, saying, “It’s the system. You can understand—it’s the leader’s word that matters most. These things can’t be avoided. Don’t be upset, Kevin.”
Wang Zhenyu told the assistant, “Let me finish this meeting first. We’ll deal with Channel Three’s issue later.”
“But the day after tomorrow is...”
Wang Zhenyu waved impatiently and continued addressing the meeting room. “This year’s performance has been good, so it’s time to look further ahead. For next spring’s new product market, we need to seize the opportunity. Ashley, how’s the progress on contacting Yang Ying’s studio to invite her to endorse our Huan Yu spring collection?”
“The agent said Yang He wants to review our style first before deciding.”
Wang Zhenyu confidently stated, “Did you tell her I’m the designer of the Chinese Crane series? You’re inexperienced and don’t understand. When collaborating with celebrities who have international and domestic influence and reputation, you need to highlight our brand first. Otherwise, they’ll think we’re riding on their fame.”
The young assistant, a fan of Yang He, was momentarily stunned when her boss referred to her idol as a “celebrity.” Her voice faltered as she replied, “I mentioned it... I sent over a few pictures of the new designs on models, but we haven’t received a response yet.”
“We’ll definitely secure her.” Wang Zhenyu declared, “When my Chinese Crane series gained international acclaim, she wasn’t even at that level yet. If she knows quality, she’ll choose to be our endorser.”
________________________________________
On December 27th, Luo Mingjing accompanied Shi Min to Yuefeng Entertainment. He brought the finished photos of the Mirror Realm 24 Solar Terms collection and a sample of the Spring Begins dress, entering the small conference room.
Only three people were in the meeting room: Shi Chu, Yang He, and Yang Ying’s agent. No one was talking, creating an awkward atmosphere.
Shi Min sat down naturally and gestured for Luo Mingjing to hand the photo album to the agent.
Luo Mingjing handed it over with both hands, saying, “These are the finished garment photos for the 24 Solar Terms series. We plan to start promoting Spring Begins after New Year’s, with sales launching in early March. I’ve brought a sample for you.”
He smiled and added, “Thank you for coming.”
Yang He removed her sunglasses, accepted the album, and flipped it open. She glanced at Luo Mingjing. “Are you the designer?”
“Mm.”
Perhaps he looked more like a model.
Yang He shifted her gaze to the album. Initially, she had come to help her former company out of obligation, with a draft refusal already prepared. But after a few glances, she began flipping through it seriously.
“Let’s talk about cooperation,” Shi Min observed Yang He’s expression and spoke with a hint of pride. “We’ll begin promotions in January. Sister He, please arrange time for the promotional photoshoot in the next couple of days.”
Yang He set the album down, crossed her arms, furrowed her brow, and remained silent.
Shi Min signaled Luo Mingjing to bring out the contract and slid it across the table.
Yang He smiled faintly and handed the contract to her agent. “Take a look.”
The agent’s eyes widened in disbelief. Yang He gave a slight nod, indicating her willingness to sign.
Shi Chu leaned forward, grabbed the album, quickly flipped through it, and said, “Your style...”
“Mm?” Luo Mingjing focused intently. “Brother Chu, do you have any suggestions? Tell me.”
Shi Chu paused for a moment. “...It feels familiar.”
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