Zhao Muqing followed Shen Guanzhi into the study. Calling it a study was actually an understatement; it looked much more like a small studio. Not only were there bookshelves lined with relevant magazines and books, but there were also display cabinets housing numerous pieces of jewelry and gemstones of various sizes, alongside professional equipment that Zhao Muqing could not even begin to understand.
In the book, Shen Guanzhi was portrayed as a bona fide workaholic. Having a large studio rented outside was not enough for him; he even had to have a dedicated workspace like this inside his own villa so he could work no matter where he was.
The jewelry set Shen Guanzhi had prepared for him consisted of a diamond necklace and a matching bracelet. Zhao Muqing stood in front of the mirror, letting Shen Guanzhi put the necklace on him.
While the diamonds in this set were not of the highest quality, the design was exceptionally clever. Even without any professional knowledge in the field, Zhao Muqing instinctively found it quite appealing. However, Shen Guanzhi himself did not seem particularly satisfied with it, which was likely why he chose it as an auction item for the charity exhibition.
“Not bad,” Zhao Muqing rarely heard a compliment rather than a disparagement from Shen Guanzhi’s mouth. “Your neck is well-suited for the camera. Hand.”
Zhao Muqing obediently extended his left hand, purposely pulling his sleeve up slightly to expose his fair wrist. Shen Guanzhi put the bracelet on him, showing no obvious signs of dissatisfaction. “The conditions are acceptable. Starting tomorrow, go to the basement floor of my studio for classes. My assistant will email you the specific time and location.”
“What kind of classes?” Zhao Muqing thought to himself, completely devoid of any intention to ask for his opinion.
“Professional training,” Shen Guanzhi said, looking like he did not care to explain much more to Zhao Muqing. “Given your current level, it is very difficult for me to fulfill the contract.”
“Oh.” Zhao Muqing reluctantly recalled the explanations in the original book. The contract terms roughly stated that Zhao Muqing would provide sleep services, while Shen Guanzhi would provide him with a certain amount of fashion resources to boost his exposure.
“That is about it. Let us head to the venue first; I have arranged a makeup artist there,” Shen Guanzhi checked the time on his watch. “Did you contact the driver to wait downstairs?”
“I forgot,” Zhao Muqing replied quite sheepishly, though he could not really be blamed because having just transmigrated, he had not even heard about the charity exhibition yet, let alone remembered to contact a driver.
“Let there not be a next time,” Shen Guanzhi said, clearly impatient. “Ride in my car first. Take the elevator to the first floor.”
Zhao Muqing hurried into the elevator in a flash and pressed the number one. Pushing open the front door of the villa, he found that the driver was indeed already waiting in the driver’s seat of a luxury black sedan. Zhao Muqing instinctively climbed into the back seat. “Should we wait for Shen Guanzhi?”
“Mr. Shen has other matters to attend to; he asked me to take you over first,” the driver stated, starting the car.
The venue was about a half-hour drive from the villa. As soon as Zhao Muqing stepped out and entered the hall, he was hit by a palpable aura of wealth. The decor was lavish, and the food and drinks laid out on the tables were undoubtedly expensive.
Doing makeup probably would not take that long anyway. Zhao Muqing looked left and right, and confirming that no one was paying attention to him, he frantically piled food onto a plate at the most secluded table and stuffed his mouth as soon as it was full.
Just as he was about to enjoy some lobster sashimi, before he could even take a bite, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.
Thank goodness he had not started chewing yet, or else being startled like that out of nowhere would have choked him to death before he even made it to the dressing room.
“Zhao Muqing,” the person sitting next to Zhao Muqing was an unfamiliar man, dressed quite plainly and clearly out of place among the glamorous people inside the venue. “Did you not eat breakfast? Why are you starving like this? Do not burst your suit seams.”
He genuinely had not eaten breakfast. The moment he woke up, he had been hit with Shen Guanzhi’s twenty-minute warning, leaving him as frantic as a student late for an eight o’clock morning class.
“Is it really that bad?” Zhao Muqing touched his stomach; sure enough, it was bulging out a little, frightening him into dropping his fork immediately.
“You can eat after the auction is over. You are the first one up anyway, and there is plenty of time after you come off the stage.” The man himself was unhesitatingly stuffing his face, making his words barely intelligible to Zhao Muqing. “I cannot stop you if you are determined to socialize with those bosses, but I am still glad to see you have an opportunity. Just be careful; very few rich people are good guys.”
“Thanks.” It seemed this friend of his had quite a bit of a grudge against the wealthy.
At this point, Zhao Muqing could pretty much guess the man’s identity. Jian Shigu was a rare friend to Zhao Muqing and also a photographer at Shen Guanzhi’s studio. He knew that Zhao Muqing would stop at nothing for resources within the circle, and though he had tried to advise him against it, it was to no avail.
“Still, since this is just a small exhibition with low visibility,” Jian Shigu downed the red wine in his glass in one gulp, “you do not need to be nervous. Just strike a few poses to showcase that jewelry set of yours.”
Zhao Muqing stroked his chin in thought. He had modeled for online jewelry shops before. Since the original owner’s professional capabilities were not that great anyway, winging it with those poses should be more than enough.
He checked the time on his phone, noting there was less than an hour left. He hurriedly bid farewell to Jian Shigu and headed in the direction of the dressing room pointed out by the other man.
Zhao Muqing had originally worried that the makeup artist might have been waiting too long for him, but as soon as he stepped inside, he realized he had overthought it. Many of the participating models were still having their makeup done, and there was not even a seat for him.
After standing for quite a while, someone finally noticed him, reluctantly hauled out a small box of unknown origin, patted the dust off it, and told him to sit. The person asked for his name, and Zhao Muqing answered honestly.
“You are the person Mr. Shen brought, right?” The other person’s attitude instantly became much more cautious as they wiped the small box until it gleamed. “Please wait a moment; a seat will open up shortly.”
Zhao Muqing sat for a little while, and soon a model finished makeup and vacated a spot. He sat down in front of the mirror, letting the makeup artist tinker with his face. While the person was rummaging through cosmetics, he took the opportunity to check his phone, where two red notifications awaited on WeChat.
The first message was from Shen Guanzhi stating that he would be there shortly.
Zhao Muqing politely sent a brief reply.
The second message was from an unknown sender stating that they would wait for him in the side parlor after the charity exhibition, addressing him as baby.
Zhao Muqing was so disgusted he got goosebumps. The original host truly was not an easy person to deal with; it seemed he had left quite a mess behind for him to clean up.
He tapped on the profile of this unknown figure. There was no nickname remark, the ID was an English name, the avatar was a regular still-life photo, and Moments were set to private, yielding no identifying information whatsoever.
Zhao Muqing tried searching the English ID name in the browser, but because it was too common, it was impossible to lock onto a target.
He scrolled through the chat history further. It was clear the original host had previously intended to get closer to this person, constantly chatting about various hobbies until the later conversations became increasingly explicit, ultimately leading to today’s rendezvous arrangement.
He also checked his chat logs with Shen Guanzhi. Several days prior, the original host had discussed the contract terms; and despite confirming his intention to sign, he had not refused the meeting with the mysterious person either. Truly incredible.
If it were just an ordinary person, Zhao Muqing would have rejected them outright. However, the other party’s identity was shrouded in mystery, and judging by the topics they discussed, which included red wine, watches, and lovers, this was likely one of the wealthy bosses the original host had tried to cozy up to, someone with a certain degree of financial power and social standing.
Although he now had Shen Guanzhi to lean on, Shen Guanzhi did not hold him in high regard and might not necessarily help him solve this problem. Besides, asking Shen Guanzhi for help would be tantamount to confessing that he had previously tried to cheat on him with another man, would it not? Would that not get him poisoned on the spot?
He had to come up with a way to resolve this without directly offending the boss while cleanly making his escape.
Zhao Muqing put down his phone. On the way to the dressing room, he had seen the exhibition stage, and it had a considerable height.
He took a deep breath. He had no choice but to take a gamble.
The diamond jewelry on Zhao Muqing was the first charity exhibit auctioned off that evening. Although he had performed in dance numbers on stage back in college, this was his first time going on stage as a model.
He could not help feeling a bit nervous, casting a sidelong glance toward the audience. The photographer Jian Shigu was in the front row, hefting a bulky camera and flashing a supportive smile at him.
For some reason, Zhao Muqing relaxed a fraction and continued walking toward the center of the exhibition stage. He struck a few poses beside the host to showcase the jewelry, followed by the attendees bidding one after another.
It was at this moment that he finally realized this money was not easy to earn because for as long as the bidding lasted, he had to maintain his pose.
Zhao Muqing genuinely believed these bidders should be paying him directly.
With the drop of a gavel, the diamond jewelry set was finally sold. Zhao Muqing finished with a smile, turned to leave the center of the stage, and closed his eyes tightly just before stepping onto the edge of the platform.
With all the spotlights concentrated in the center, no one would notice Zhao Muqing’s deliberate action in the dimness.
He missed his footing and tumbled right off the steps. A sharp wave of pain shot up from his leg; it seemed he had succeeded.
The loud crash near the edge of the stage naturally startled those nearby, and a crowd quickly gathered to watch. Even Jian Shigu sprinted over without even dropping the camera in his hands, asking how he was and if he was alright.
“It hurts,” Zhao Muqing could actually barely tolerate the pain, but he still put on a half-dead act anyway. “I do not know if my leg is broken.”
“It is okay, I will make a call and get you to the hospital.” Jian Shigu fumbled in his pocket with flustered hands, made a phone call, and later personally accompanied Zhao Muqing into the ambulance all the way to the hospital.
Lying on the hospital bed, Zhao Muqing figured that with so many people witnessing this scene at the exhibition, the other party should not think he was lying.
He had watched enough TV dramas to know that secrets did not exist in circles like this; the slightest ripple of news would travel everywhere in no time.
After weighing his words for a long time, Zhao Muqing finally managed to reply to the unknown boss.
He waited for ages, but the other party did not reply. Must be busy, right? Zhao Muqing comforted himself.
Before he could even put down his phone, the door to the ward was opened from the outside. Zhao Muqing assumed it was Jian Shigu returning from handling the paperwork. He called out in gratitude, asking him to bring some goose leg rice on his return because his leg had just broken and he needed to build his strength back up, promising to transfer the money for the food later.
“You are sick; cut down on the greasy meat.” The voice that answered him, however, carried zero warmth.
“Oh, boss,” Zhao Muqing awkwardly scratched his head. “You are right.”
Shen Guanzhi stood beside the hospital bed, looking down at him from above.
“Why did you deliberately break your leg?”
Shen Guanzhi’s shadow cast over Zhao Muqing’s face.
“To shake me off, or someone else?”