“Eat at home.”
Looking at the message, Lian Que laughed out loud in frustration.
Chen Xingjian was truly something else.
What a remarkably shallow person he was; he wouldn’t necessarily reply to a message, but if you attached a selfie, he might.
Lian Que decided not to waste the perfect styling he had done today, so he pointed his phone at the mirror and snapped two extra photos.
Pre-stitching the photos together, he thought Chen Xingjian might talk to him a few more times just for the sake of this face.
Lian Que pulled the neckline of his shirt down just a bit to reveal his exquisite collarbones, diligently taking mirror selfies and determined to capture the photo of a lifetime today.
A crack in the door suddenly opened slightly, and Lin Yi poked his head in and waddled into the room.
Lian Que regretfully lowered his phone and asked in confusion, “Teacher Lin, is there anything else?”
“What a good seedling. From the very first glance I laid on you, I knew you had the potential to be a model. You are simply my muse, and I completely have no way to suppress the emotions in my heart.”
Lin Yi spoke with a torrent of eloquence, talking endlessly while stealing sideways glances at Lian Que’s expression from time to time.
However, what was heartbreaking was that Lian Que still maintained a polite smile without showing a shred of excitement.
After waiting for Lin Yi’s emotions to calm down, Lian Que politely expressed his thanks, and then tactfully declined Lin Yi’s proposal to sign him.
“Really not considering it? Really, really? I am a top-notch photographer, and under my hands, only peerless works of art are born. With my talent combined with your beauty, it’s practically the icing on the cake.”
Lian Que didn’t have the slightest interest in becoming a work of art, so he packed up his clothes and walked out. Just as he was stepping out the door, an invitation letter was shoved into his palm.
“One million prize money, jewelry exhibition photoshoot audition?”
Lian Que’s gaze locked tightly onto the million-dollar prize, flipped the invitation card over, and saw the organizing entity.
Yuanhe.
What a coincidence; the company brought up single-handedly by Chen Xingjian was named Yuanhe.
Chen Xingjian’s family was wealthy and powerful. If he went to participate in the selection, even if he wasn’t chosen, there should at least be a participation prize worth a bit of money.
Lian Que thought about it and shoved the invitation into his pocket. “Thank you, Teacher Lin. I will seriously consider it.”
On his way home, Lian Que detoured to a nearby supermarket, casually bought some vegetables, and went to a restaurant to pack a portion of rich and fragrant large bone soup.
Simmering a large bone soup took far too long, and he couldn’t wait; it was better to just buy a portion and pretend he had simmered it himself.
No matter how high-end of a person Chen Xingjian was, he shouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
He didn’t care whether Chen Xingjian thought it tasted good or not. As long as the superficial work was in place, no one could do anything to him.
If Chen Xingjian flew into a rage, threw his bowl and chopsticks, and left in anger, he would be even more delighted. From then on, he wouldn’t have to put on a show of tender affection and keep cooking.
Lian Que carried the bowl of rich large bone soup, carefully wrapped in a takeout bag, and following the address Chen Xingjian gave him, twisted and turned until he arrived at a cluster of villas.
Entering his line of sight were neatly manicured private gardens, with security personnel on standby all around. The iron picket fence at the villa’s main entrance was dark, glossy, and smooth, and right in the center of the yard was a small fountain. Next to it, in a rockery fish pond, several koi fish swam leisurely back and forth.
Lian Que unconsciously felt a sense of inferiority and shame well up, holding the portion of rich large bone soup that still qualified for a 3-yuan positive-review cashback, standing frozen in place as his feet felt a bit reluctant to move.
From beginning to end, he was just a little poor wretch; when had he ever witnessed such a scene?
The villa door suddenly cracked open, and a kind-faced elderly woman greeted him from the entrance, hurriedly taking the portion of rich large bone soup out of Lian Que’s hands.
“Young Madam, I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while. Come on inside quickly.”
Lian Que was startled by this startling form of address, and the soup he was holding almost spilled a couple of drops.
A chill ran down his body, and he hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no, no, don’t call me Young Madam.”
How long had liberation been a thing? Why was the form of address still so feudal?
If they called him Young Madam, wouldn’t that mean they had to call Chen Xingjian the Eldest Young Master?
In Lian Que’s mind, the image of a pot-bellied, surrounded-by-attendants, overbearing feudal landlord instantly materialized, as if in the next second he would pinch his voice into a sharp tone and curse while exploiting and oppressing the working people.
Aunt Wang simply thought that Lian Que was feeling awkward and hadn’t adapted to his status yet, so she smiled understandingly. “Then… Mr. Lian? Please come inside first.”
As Lian Que stepped indoors, a wave of gentle, pleasant fragrance slowly drifted over.
In the very center of the living room stood genuine leather armchairs, underfoot was a cashmere rug, and the interior decor presented an overall warm yellow hue.
Several display racks were placed around, all showcasing various kinds of precious jewelry.
He had heard that the Chen family made their fortune through the jewelry business; the mutton-fat jade bracelet on Chen Xingjian’s wrist practically never left him, and traces of jewelry could be seen everywhere in the house.
Thinking of this, the fact that Chen Xingjian could casually pull a small diamond out of his pocket to play with and tease him didn’t seem like such a big deal after all.
“Mr. Lian, what is this in your hands?” Aunt Wang opened the bag. The aroma was intoxicating; floating on top of the golden, rich soup were pieces of corn, and glossy, glittering oil droplets shone brightly. The nasal passages were filled entirely with the scent of meat.
Lian Que smiled shyly, secretly hiding the positive-review cashback card he had taken out earlier deep into his pocket. “I got off work early today, so I casually simmered some soup at home to let Mr. Chen have a couple of sips too.”
Tears instantly welled up in the corners of Aunt Wang’s eyes as she held that bag of fragrant, rich large bone soup, deeply moved. “Mr. Lian, when the young master comes back, he will definitely be very happy.”
Lian Que failed to keep a straight face, a trace of a smile leaking from the corners of his lips.
Such an overwhelming retro president-novel vibe.
“Mr. Lian, you go upstairs to rest first. I’ll go put the soup in the rice cooker to keep it warm.” Aunt Wang carefully cradled the bowl of soup in her hands, her light-footed attitude resembling someone holding an extremely precious piece of porcelain.
Lian Que felt a rare surge of guilt, resolving to order a super-luxurious version of the rich large bone soup for Chen Xingjian the next time he placed a delivery order.
There were several empty rooms on the second floor, and Lian Que very consciously picked a guest room with decent lighting to move into.
He was just a canary who had recently been kept, and since he hadn’t yet established a good relationship with his financial backer, he naturally wouldn’t be presumptuous enough to move into Chen Xingjian’s master bedroom.
There was a large rug in the bedroom, placed right beside the bed.
Lian Que thought about it, wrapped the diamond he had worked so hard to earn today in a tissue, and carefully tucked it underneath the rug.
Perhaps because he had used a bit too much physical force today, the moment Lian Que finished stashing away the small diamond, the invitation letter given to him by Lin Yi fluttered down.
Lian Que crawled forward a few steps on his knees, picked up the paper slip, and carefully read through the invitation letter twice more.
Candidates needed to upload an unedited video of themselves using their phone’s primary camera with pure bare skin, and then wait for an interview notification.
If he participated, the selection organizer was Chen Xingjian’s company, and the judges might even include Chen Xingjian himself.
What if malicious rumors spread saying he relied on his relationship with Chen Xingjian to go through the back door? What would Chen Xingjian do then?
Recalling Chen Xingjian’s vile behavior, Lian Que let out a cold snh.
Who cared about him at a time like this? If reputations took a hit, everyone’s reputation would take a hit, including Chen Xingjian’s. What did it have to do with him an innocent, pitiful, weak, and defenseless little canary?
Lian Que casually picked a clean spot, propped his phone up on the bedside table, and began recording the audition video right there.
“Hello, judges and teachers. My name is Lian Que. This is my front side… this is my profile…”
Lian Que’s face was already striking to begin with, so he didn’t even need to bother finding angles, but he still carefully recorded it several times over, planning to select the prettiest version from them.
Just as he was lowering his head to carefully select, a familiar voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
“What, already thinking of finding your next option?”
Lian Que gave a start, and as if trying to cover up his guilt, he shoved his phone straight under the quilt.
He raised his head. Chen Xingjian had entered the room at some unknown point, his brow and eyes slightly lifted, leaning sideways against the doorframe while supporting his chin.
“Sir, when did you get here?” Lian Que stammered out a question, his vocal tone leaking a weak, ingratiating quality.
Chen Xingjian gave a light chuckle. “Right around the time you were displaying your front, side, and back to the camera for the third time.”
Caught red-handed just like that, Lian Que felt like he wanted to die, lowering his head and staying silent.
Chen Xingjian lowered his gaze and spotted the corner of the invitation letter sticking out by the bedside.
With a slight flick of his fingertips, that square little card fell right into his hand.
Lian Que felt his heart skip a beat. The invitation letter had Yuanhe’s name written on it, Yuanhe was Chen Xingjian’s company, and he himself was Chen Xingjian’s little canary.
This was no different from blatantly begging Chen Xingjian to open the back door for him.
Lian Que stiffened his neck, his scalp tingling in waves, and stammered an excuse: “S-Sir, I was just playing around out of boredom.”