IMH - 2

After the cooperation was finalized, Yu Qian officially became a model for “Eleven.”

As a “newcomer” to the company, she temporarily had no work schedule. The assistant told Yu Qian that she could take some time to rest.

Under Yu Qian’s inquisitive gaze, the assistant quickly corrected herself and added that there would be a conceptual fashion show next month, and by then she would be busy, so she should rest now.

“Which brand’s show?”

The assistant named a clothing brand, and Yu Qian raised her eyebrows slightly, feeling somewhat surprised.

The designer of this brand was quite familiar with Peter, and Yu Qian had collaborated with him several times.

To put it bluntly, his fashion shows were extremely extravagant and also very picky. He would never easily replace models or finalize them just a month before the show.

She had only signed the contract today, and already she was going to participate in a show next month?

Assistants are usually shrewd and perceptive. Sensing Yu Qian’s curious glance, the assistant realized that this experienced model might have doubts about her work schedule.

A few months ago, when the brand confirmed their collaboration with the models, the assistant herself had similar doubts.

During the meeting, the boss mentioned Yu Qian’s name, and the brand representatives were highly satisfied, so they finalized the decision.

This assistant, who was suddenly pulled into the job, shook hands with the brand reps, put on a fake smile to see them off, and then immediately went berserk. She clung to the boss’s doorframe and questioned, “The collaborating model is Teacher Yu? Where did our company find this Teacher Yu? Isn’t Teacher Yu abroad?”

The boss looked enigmatic: “She’ll be back soon.”

That was still springtime. Yu Qian returned to the country in September.

On the day the assistant went to pick her up at the airport, she almost wanted to make Yu Qian sign the contract right there.

But the boss said, “Make sure Teacher Yu feels comfortable…”

The boss’s tone was serious, instilling a sense of fear that if Teacher Yu didn’t feel comfortable, you could consider yourself fired.

You couldn’t ignore the boss’s words, especially this particular one.

“Eleven” had two bosses: one named Shen Shen, the other Cheng Xiaonan.

At first, she assumed someone named Shen Shen must be mysterious and profound.

Turns out their Mr. Shen was more like an auntie—chatty, talkative, and informal, always chatting with his girlfriend and staff members in a way that felt overly folksy.

On the other hand, Mr. Cheng had a handsome face but was wasted on his cold personality!

Many employees were somewhat afraid of him.

So after verifying the details of the cooperation, the assistant sent Yu Qian back to the hotel with all the reverence due to a holy figure.

For the following period, Yu Qian lived a very leisurely life.

In September, the weather in the capital city was pleasant—not too cold, not too hot. The area known as “Wutong Li” seemed to have been heavily landscaped, full of lush greenery, making it a comfortable place to be.

However, Yu Qian wasn’t fond of staying quiet. Occasionally, she would visit the shooting base of “Eleven.”

After visiting multiple times, she overheard quite a few rumors about the company’s upper management.

Yu Qian didn’t intentionally eavesdrop on others’ conversations. On the second floor of the shooting base, there was a smoking room where she occasionally went to smoke a cigarette.

Separated by just a wall was the lounge, and the models inside weren’t exactly discreet with their volume, making it easy to overhear.

Three women can put on a show; a group of women together was even livelier than a stand-up comedy act.

But the information they shared didn’t seem very reliable.

Yu Qian heard a female voice say, “Did you know? Our boss is actually a top student, excelling from childhood to adulthood.”

She stubbed out her cigarette, feeling a bit absurd.

When she first met Cheng Xiaonan, he also claimed to be a top student.

Later, however, a test paper with a score of 148 fell into her car, and upon closer inspection, she noticed that the “1” was added afterward.

Judging from the answers marked with ABCD, if he could get 148 with that attitude, maybe she really could go to Stanford for a Ph.D.

The conference room window was open, and outside hung light brown fruit balls suspended among wide leaves—an old favorite of hers, the London plane tree.

Most of the time, Cheng Xiaonan worked in the conference room.

Occasionally, looking up at the green leaves outside, he found himself thinking of Yu Qian.

Lately, memories of her surfaced more frequently, probably because Yu Qian was now part of “Eleven.”

Back then, Yu Qian drove a red convertible and parked it on an old, tree-lined street behind the high school. Amidst the vibrant greenery, her red sports car stood out strikingly.

She wore a silk V-neck blouse tucked into high-waisted shorts.

With the car door open, one of Yu Qian’s legs dangled out, her skin dazzlingly pale under the sunlight.

At that time, Cheng Xiaonan was only 18, hot-blooded and flustered, unable to tear his eyes away. He took off his school uniform jacket and draped it over her legs.

Yu Qian looked at him: “What are you doing?”

What could Cheng Xiaonan say?

Could he admit that he was trying to avoid getting aroused?

Awkwardly turning his head away, he made up an excuse: “I thought you might be cold.”

Yu Qian did indeed wrap herself in his school uniform jacket, but Cheng Xiaonan suffered greater consequences.

While playing games in the scented jacket, he kept losing.

Late at night, unable to resist, he messaged Yu Qian, asking what perfume she used.

Surprisingly, Yu Qian hadn’t gone to bed yet and replied instantly with a name—

“Morning After.”

Before Cheng Xiaonan finished reminiscing about this memory, a rustling sound interrupted him.

Annoyed, he turned to Shen Shen: “Can you stop peeling apples?”

“No way, Brother Nan. Ji Ran said if I don’t master apple peeling, she won’t get engaged to me. Do you want me to stay single forever?”

As Shen Shen spoke, the apple peel snapped. He sighed, “Oh no, I have to start over.”

Cheng Xiaonan ignored him but heard Shen Shen suddenly say, “Oh yeah, I saw the new model we’re collaborating with today.”

Cheng Xiaonan paused his pen: “And?”

“She’s incredibly beautiful. Even more stunning in person than in magazine photos.”

Shen Shen’s eyes wandered around the conference room as if worried his girlfriend might pop out from somewhere, “But there are quite a few rumors about her. Will it affect our future collaborations?”

“Tell me.”

Cheng Xiaonan had heard these rumors before, and Shen Shen didn’t offer much new information, just the usual gossip:

She was involved in school violence.

She cohabited with a fashion designer overseas.

She shaved her head after a breakup.

She has an illegitimate child.

After spilling all the gossip he’d heard, Shen Shen noticed Cheng Xiaonan massaging his temples and assumed he was hearing it for the first time. He asked again, “Will it affect our collaboration?”

“No.”

Cheng Xiaonan glanced at the view outside the window and suddenly smiled, “But there’s one thing to note.”

“What?”

“She has a bad temper. Don’t provoke her.”

Shen Shen was stunned for a moment, realizing that it had been years since he last saw Cheng Xiaonan smile like this.

“Brother Nan, I remember now—you like this type, beautiful and cool, right? In high school, your off-campus…”

“It’s time to go.”

Cheng Xiaonan cut Shen Shen off, picked up his phone, and stood up. “Let’s eat at the hotel across the street. We have a meeting.”

“Oh right, I almost forgot.” Shen Shen dropped the apple and followed him.

Almost the entire “Wutong Li” area was occupied by “Eleven.”

The hotel opposite the main office building and photography base also had shares owned by Cheng Xiaonan and Shen Shen. Many business-related gatherings were held here.

During the meal, Shen Shen kept chatting with the collaborators while Cheng Xiaonan found it stifling. Just then, his father called, and he stepped out to answer.

The private dining room was on the second floor, and from the corridor, he could see the scene downstairs beneath the large crystal chandelier.

It wasn’t until he was about to hang up that Cheng Xiaonan suddenly spotted Yu Qian sitting on the first floor.

Perhaps it was homesickness, but he had been avoiding meeting her directly, even dodging her presence at the company, fearing that this hard-to-lure-back sister might leave the country again if provoked.

Seeing her unexpectedly, Cheng Xiaonan was momentarily stunned.

He barely listened to what was said on the phone, muttered a few “Mm-hm” responses, and hung up.

Yu Qian lounged in an orange sofa, appearing relaxed.

She always exuded a lazy, composed charm that was breathtakingly beautiful.

Cheng Xiaonan walked a few steps around the aged copper railing, changing his angle to get a clear view of Yu Qian’s expression.

No matter how enchanting her appearance, she often maintained a detached expression.

In Cheng Xiaonan’s memory, Yu Qian rarely smiled, unlike the girls in his class.

The girls in his class would squeal with excitement over new flavors at the milk tea shop outside the school gate, idol concerts, or the release of a certain manga—all things worth celebrating.

But Yu Qian never showed such vivid expressions.

The only exception was when he performed a magic trick for her.

Cheng Xiaonan took out a deck of cards and asked her to draw three cards, pretending to be profound while revealing which cards she had chosen.

It was a simple beginner-level trick, but Yu Qian was clearly fooled.

After three rounds, she showed a hint of curiosity, tilting her head to ask how he did it.

That day, she wore long earrings, and as she tilted her head, the ruby pendant swayed against her neck, casting red spots on her skin.

Yu Qian’s neck was beautiful—fair and slender.

It made you want to lean in and kiss it.

Cheng Xiaonan felt a bit distracted, shifting his gaze from her neck to her eyes: “I won’t tell you how it’s done yet, Sister. My magic tricks are free for the first three times, but after that, you’ll need to pay a price.”

“What kind of price?”

Yu Qian said this with a playful smile.

She rarely smiled like that.

Cheng Xiaonan snapped out of his memories, standing in the hotel’s second-floor light, and found himself smiling too.

It wasn’t entirely impossible—he had once been someone who could make her happy.

Just as this thought surfaced, he saw a man dressed as a waiter approach Yu Qian downstairs.

Yu Qian was waiting in the hotel lobby for the valet to return with her car.

These past few days, she had learned a few simple magic tricks from online videos.

With nothing else to do, she took out a deck of cards from her bag and shuffled them.

When the valet returned with her car keys, he handed them to her: “Miss Yu, here are your car keys.”

Yu Qian didn’t take them. Instead, she fanned out the cards in her hand: “Pick one.”

The young man couldn’t resist being teased, his ears turning red, but he still drew a card.

Only when he touched it did he realize something was off. Upon unfolding it, he discovered a pink hundred-dollar bill folded four times stuck to the back of the card.

Yu Qian got up and took the car keys, waving them lightly before leaving: “Thank you.”

Behind her, the young valet stared blankly at the tip for two seconds, then bowed in her direction: “Thank you, Miss.”

Yu Qian waved her hand, preparing to say “you’re welcome.”

She was always gentle and polite to handsome young men.

Suddenly, a loud slam of a door echoed from the second floor.

Instinctively, she turned her head and squinted toward the source.

The corridor was empty, save for the dazzling reflections of the crystal chandelier.