IMH - 30

For the last three days of November, Han Chu brought something almost every day.

He wouldn’t call Yu Qian in advance, just left them at the front desk: a pure white scarf, pure white gloves, and pure white earmuffs.

Each delivery came with a handwritten card, in his good-student, neat handwriting, stating, “It’s cold. Stay warm.”

On the third day Yu Qian received the items, she took out the rabbit fur earmuffs, looked at them, and put them back in the bag.

She texted Han Chu, saying she wasn’t lacking warm items, and that they were unopened and at the front desk. She told him to pick them up when he had time.

Han Chu’s end consistently showed “The other party is typing...".

But after a very long time, Yu Qian didn’t receive his reply.

Probably just before she fell asleep that night, Han Chu’s message finally came through. It wasn’t a lengthy one, just saying, “Aunt Qu is gone. It’s only right that I care for you more.”

Yu Qian didn’t reply again.

She knew what Han Chu was thinking; he was hesitating.

Perhaps he liked her appearance but not her past and her soul. He had originally thought about pursuing her, but then heard she might have had an improper relationship with Peter, and started to back away.

After backing away, he was unwilling to be just friends.

When she was little, she thought Han Chu was excellent and poised. The pile of trophies in his study seemed brighter than other metals.

Looking at him now, perhaps her childhood filter had shattered. She didn’t find Han Chu particularly outstanding as a man anymore.

However, Han Chu’s warning about the temperature drop was true. The entire latter half of November was spent in strong winds, and the temperature plummeted rapidly.

________________________________________

December 1st, the weather wasn’t good; it was gloomy.

Yu Qian had a photoshoot scheduled, and Sun Yue was arranging things at the photography base, so Cheng Xiaonan drove Yu Qian to the company.

An old song, “Love in the Rain,” an episode from a childhood TV series, played on the car radio.

Yu Qian rarely had time to watch TV. Her most vivid memory was of a woman on a bridge, with a wound on her forehead, her red shawl swaying in the wind...

Whether she ultimately fell or not, Yu Qian no longer remembered.

In her memory, it was a very lively show, involving many characters. Each time she watched it in passing, it seemed like a new story.

But Cheng Xiaonan, driving and singing, actually made the song sound very soulful.

He sang “How many pavilions in the misty rain,” and also “Cars like flowing water, horses like dragons” and “Even if fierce winds rise from the ground.”

When he sang “The world is only in your eyes,” whether intentionally or not, he looked up into the rearview mirror.

Yu Qian was not in the passenger seat; she was in the back.

She remembered many years ago, in a simply decorated milk tea shop, how she had once been captivated by his clean singing voice.

As Cheng Xiaonan hummed, the car drove into the gates of “Eleven.” Snowflakes began to fall outside the window at some point, speckles drifting down from the gloomy sky.

Sun Yue called, her voice cheerful: “Qian, where are you? I see it’s snowing outside! I hope it snows more! Suddenly feels very romantic today!”

“We’re entering the company.”

“Great! Then I’ll wait for you! I’ll order you some coffee first. How about a snow-topped coffee? Feels very fitting!”

“Okay, thank you.”

It wasn’t until Yu Qian hung up that Cheng Xiaonan stopped the car. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to her, asking, “Want to have dinner together tonight?”

Yu Qian looked at him with a hint of confusion.

“First snow, it sounds quite suitable for having dinner together. I know a restaurant with a nice view. If the snow hasn’t stopped by dinner time, you can see the night view of Chang’an Street and the falling snow under the lights.”

Cheng Xiaonan smiled, “But if you don’t like ‘first snow’ as a reason for dinner, how about ‘the first day of December’? Don’t people always post that on Moments? ‘New month, please be kind to me’?”

Ever since he said that Yu Qian’s room was missing a male owner, his attitude towards her became more direct.

It was as if he was telling her, any reason would do, he just wanted to have a meal with her, but the decision to agree or not was hers.

Yu Qian didn’t dislike this feeling, but she also didn’t want to agree directly.

She always remained unsure of her feelings towards Cheng Xiaonan.

So she said, “Let’s talk after my shoot.”

The car was parked in Photography Zone E, which was for large-scale sets. Yu Qian took her bag and walked out of the car. After a few steps, she felt someone following her and couldn’t help but turn back: “You’re going there too?”

Cheng Xiaonan balanced his car keys in his hand, smiling: “They say the set today is quite grand. I’m going to broaden my horizons, and incidentally, wait for an answer about dinner.”

________________________________________

The set for this photoshoot was indeed spectacular, intended for a magazine cover series.

The photographer said his theme was “Time and Space with Romance.” One side of the indoor set was the grandeur of medieval Europe, while the other was modern simplicity. The model’s position was at the intersection of these two overlapping scenes.

Perhaps inspired by the gentle snow outside the window, the photographer had just negotiated with the company about ten minutes ago and urgently brought in a small artificial snow machine, placing it on the European-style set.

Snowflakes fluttered down, adding another layer of hazy beauty to the classical splendor.

Originally, this cover was supposed to be for another female model’s work, but the photographer had seen Yu Qian at “Eleven” last week and immediately decided to switch models.

The male model partnering with Yu Qian was an elderly gentleman, very famous in China, but he was over 70 and didn’t easily take on photoshoots. His willingness to shoot this time was also due to his familiarity with the photographer.

Yu Qian changed into her clothes and came out. The photographer’s assistant pulled Yu Qian, took a thin blanket from Sun Yue, and draped it over Yu Qian. He apologized, “Teacher Yu Qian, you might have to wait a bit. It’s cold in here, please keep this on. The teacher you’re working with felt a bit dizzy on the way here in the car and is now in the lounge. He just took some medicine. What do you think, you...”

Yu Qian shook her head, indicating that she didn’t mind and had no other work scheduled, so she could wait.

At the same time, she had some concerns.

The collaborating teacher was, after all, old. The studio was now less than 10 degrees Celsius, and she wondered if the teacher’s body could handle it.

The photographer also shared the same concern. He frowned, deep in thought: “Alright then, Yu Qian, you also go to the lounge and rest first. I’ll find two people to try out the poses and angles, so that when Teacher Zhang is rested, we can quickly finish the shoot...”

This was said, but the two staff members weren’t the models he wanted; they couldn’t convey the right feeling at all.

At most, they could test positions and lighting.

Yu Qian took off the blanket, handed it to Sun Yue, and told the photographer, “I’ll do it. Just find another male employee to work with me.”

“Then I’m grateful for your trouble. Let me see if there’s someone tall on set...”

The photographer scratched his head, searching the entire room with his gaze, when a voice suddenly spoke next to him: “Teacher Lu, how about me?”

Cheng Xiaonan, who knows when he came over, was standing beside the photographer, volunteering himself.

The photographer’s eyes lit up: “Perfect! CEO Cheng, it would be great if you could help simulate the poses. Your height and build are just right, excellent! You two get ready. Right here, CEO Cheng, you do this pose for me.”

Cheng Xiaonan was placed on the modern-style set, his legs stretched out in front of him, sitting casually on the floor.

At first, his expression was relaxed. He glanced at the opposite medieval European style set a few times, then looked at the high-tech double-door refrigerator and modern high-end dining table set behind him, joking, “Feels quite like time travel, huh?”

“Yes, that’s the idea. You two are lovers spanning time and space.”

The photographer gestured to Yu Qian, “Yu Qian, over here. Straddle CEO Cheng’s legs, but don’t sit down completely. Kneel. There are ice shards on the floor, can you manage? Do you need artificial skin invisible knee pads?”

“No need.”

“OK, let’s start.”

Yu Qian wore a backless black long dress, the fabric a heavily embroidered hollow-out design, adorned with simulated rubies, luxurious and charming. Her delicate skin shimmered faintly through the dress’s cutouts with her every step.

Cheng Xiaonan suddenly averted his gaze, nervously licking his lips.

When he looked back, Yu Qian was already holding his shoulder, kneeling on the ground, straddling his legs.

________________________________________

She was clearly in work mode, her expression calm. She didn’t even look at him, treating him like a wooden dummy. She simply turned to ask the photographer, “Is this okay?”

“Closer, Yu Qian. Lift the right side of your skirt halfway to expose your leg.”

“Like this?” Yu Qian asked, lifting her skirt.

“OK, wait a moment, CEO Cheng, put your hand on Yu Qian’s waist.”

Cheng Xiaonan’s eyelids twitched heavily. He looked up at Yu Qian.

She was completely impervious to distraction when working, but Cheng Xiaonan was not. He felt it was absolutely necessary to check a mirror after this was over to see if his ears had uncooperatively turned red.

“CEO Cheng, your hand! On Yu Qian’s waist! Preferably your fingertips should touch her dimples of Venus.”

Yu Qian was wearing a backless dress, so there was no fabric around her waist. Cheng Xiaonan reached out his hand, feeling a bit unnatural, but still pretending to be calm, he said, “Excuse me.”

In this pose, Yu Qian was slightly taller than him, looking down at him with an intense gaze, an expression of deep affection enacted for the camera.

But the photographer wasn’t satisfied. He called a staff member to bring an old-fashioned European-style candelabra with five white candles burning on it.

“Yu Qian, hold the candelabra with your left hand. It’s a bit heavy, can you manage?”

“OK, good. That’s the pose. Bring your cheeks a little closer, to a distance where you can feel each other’s breath.”

“Good, just like that. Wait a moment while I try out the effect.”

The candlelight added a touch of warmth to the room, which was less than 10 degrees Celsius, and also cast a soft glow on Yu Qian’s cool, pale skin.

Like an apricot with a filter added, or like the famed jade.

Cheng Xiaonan felt stuck, unable to advance or retreat. He couldn’t calmly meet Yu Qian’s deeply affectionate gaze. He could only avert his eyes while the photographer adjusted the camera.

But staying still was fine; now, as he lowered his gaze, he watched as a drop of wax oil slid down the candle and dripped onto Yu Qian’s leg.

Her skin instantly reddened, and the wax tear solidified.

Yu Qian was very professional, barely moving, only her eyelashes fluttering. But it ignited a raging fire in Cheng Xiaonan’s mind, and some uncontrolled thoughts exploded...

He subtly inhaled, trying to divert his attention: “Want to have dinner together tonight? Have you decided?”

As he spoke, some of the restlessness was suppressed. Cheng Xiaonan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that even if Yu Qian refused his dinner invitation today, it wouldn’t matter.

But Yu Qian, he didn’t know what she was thinking, lowered her voice and said, “Okay.”

Cheng Xiaonan’s nerves were taut, trying his best not to press his hand too tightly against her waist.

His mind raced to book a restaurant, to suppress his emotions.

“Yu Qian, hold CEO Cheng’s face with your hand. I want to see the effect.”

Just as he was starting to recover, Yu Qian, guided by the photographer, placed her cool fingertips on his face, and at that very moment, she told him: “Not going out. Eating in my room.”