While they were talking, they arrived at a store called “Dream Photo Studio.” From the outside, it didn’t seem very large, but as Lin Ran walked in, she realized the inside was quite spacious, filled with various models and props. There were quite a few customers today, and the photographers were busy attending to them, with the sound of camera shutters clicking frequently.
“Hahahaha, darling, you’re here!” A somewhat high-pitched voice sounded in front of Lin Ran, and then a woman in an exaggerated floor-length European-style dress, with large golden curls, walked toward her. Despite being indoors, she was wearing oversized sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat.
Lin Ran guessed she was the owner of the theater.
Sure enough, Zhang Yupeng introduced them: “This is Miss An Fei, the owner of the New Star Theater. This is Lin Ran, our magic troupe’s host.”
“Alright, alright, no need for your introduction. I have the internet.” An Fei rolled her eyes at Zhang Yupeng, pushing him aside dismissively.
“You can leave now; you’re not needed here.”
Zhang Yupeng hesitated, “Well…”
“Still here?” An Fei kicked him.
“Are you trying to be a third wheel?”
Lin Ran: “…”
What does ‘third wheel’ mean? She wasn’t here for a date…
“Come on, come on, let’s go take photos and ignore him,” An Fei said warmly, linking her arm with Lin Ran’s, “Let’s go, my dear money maker, hehe…”
Lin Ran: “…”
Noticing An Fei’s appearance didn’t quite resemble an Asian, she asked, “Miss An Fei, are you of mixed heritage?”
“Correct!” An Fei became excited and said, “Oh, how did you know I have European royal blood? In the Middle Ages, my great-great-great-great-grandfather was the emperor of the Ye Kingdom… Ah, the glory of the family, the honor of the empire!”
Lin Ran: “…”
Ye Kingdom… Is that a real country?
The photographer, named Yue Fan, was already waiting in the studio, along with the other members of the Miracle Magic Troupe. Everyone had changed into their magician outfits and was chatting in the studio.
Cao Xinyu was in a bad mood today and couldn’t help but complain when he saw Lin Ran say, “We’ve all been waiting for you for half an hour.”
Although Lin Ran hadn’t wasted any time, she lived farther away and arrived later than everyone else.
An Fei, with her high-pitched voice, exclaimed, “How dare you talk to my money maker like that? If I can wait, why can’t you? Who’s the boss here anyway?”
Cao Xinyu was left speechless and glared at Lin Ran, not saying another word.
An Fei turned to Lin Ran with a smile and said, “Darling, I would wait for a day and a night for you. I really, really love you, mwah!”
She even made a flying kiss gesture.
Qi Ruige couldn’t help but smirk and whisper to Liu Zhe, “The boss is acting up again…”
Liu Zhe replied quietly, “I’m used to it. Mention money, and she turns into this.”
By now, everyone else was ready, and An Fei led Lin Ran to the back room to get her dressed and made up.
An Fei picked out a pink princess-style lace dress for Lin Ran. Just one look made Lin Ran feel faint—was she supposed to wear this?
Surprisingly, when she tried it on, it looked unexpectedly good, giving her a regal princess aura. The makeup artist added a brown curly wig, completing the look.
An Fei, satisfied, pulled Lin Ran out of the dressing room. Outside, she saw Cao Xinyu standing in the center of the set. Her brows furrowed, and she waved him aside. Follow the newest chapters on NovelPing.
“Move over!”
Cao Xinyu’s face darkened further, but Wang Xinuo pulled him aside, signaling him not to argue. He moved slightly to the side, but not far enough.
In previous photoshoots, due to his popularity and seniority, everyone would let Cao Xinyu stand in the middle. He was used to it and had never imagined a newcomer would immediately take his spot.
Especially a newcomer who was just a pretty face and couldn’t perform magic!
An Fei, displeased, personally dragged Cao Xinyu to the far edge, commanding, “Stand here!”
Then An Fei turned to Lin Ran, her face instantly changing to a smile. She affectionately took Lin Ran’s hand and led her to the center of the set.
She looked around, then pulled Li Xingyue to stand beside Lin Ran. After taking a few steps back and observing them closely, her frown deepened.
“What’s going on, Xingyue? Did you gain weight? Been sneaking snacks?”
“What?” Li Xingyue was completely confused by her comment, “No, my weight has been stable…”
“Then you’re just… old and ugly! What’s wrong with your skin? Don’t boys need skincare?” An Fei said unhappily.
“I thought you’d look good standing next to Lin Ran, but it turns out you don’t match at all… It’s all because my dear Lin Ran is too beautiful. Okay, mommy doesn’t approve of this match. Li Xingyue, stand behind Lin Ran!”
Li Xingyue stepped back with a bitter expression, muttering softly, “I’m only 21…”
Qi Ruige stepped up. “Then what about me…”
An Fei was blunt: “You’re even uglier!”
Qi Ruige was about to cry, “Boss…”
After thinking for a while, An Fei waved to Liu Zhe, “Liu Zhe, you stand next to my darling. Although you’re not very handsome either, you have a unique aura that somewhat makes up for it.”
She meticulously arranged the positions of the magic troupe members, even setting their poses. She was very dissatisfied with Cao Xinyu’s stiff expression, “Make your expression more natural!”
After arranging the positions and poses for the members, An Fei noticed Cao Xinyu’s stiff expression and said, “Relax your expression!”
Wang Xinuo, wearing a magician’s costume with her long hair down, looked like a valiant female knight. She whispered comforting words to her husband, slightly easing his expression.
Once everyone was posed, An Fei signaled to Yue Fan, “Alright, Xiao Yue, start shooting!”
Yue Fan gave an “OK” gesture and began clicking the shutter, taking several shots before asking them to change poses and continue.
After the shoot, Yue Fan brought the samples to An Fei for approval.
An Fei was pleased and called Lin Ran over, “What do you think? Isn’t my taste impeccable?”
Lin Ran was also impressed by the promotional photos.
The magicians, dressed in uniform, surrounded her like a group of magic knights. With the specially designed European set and professional lighting, the whole scene seemed to transport them to a magical medieval world.
“Beautiful!” Lin Ran couldn’t help but praise.
“Alright! That’s a wrap! Lin Ran, stay for some solo shots. Everyone else can go.” An Fei said, turning to Yue Fan, “Get the editor to work on these immediately. I need them soon.”
Yue Fan replied, “I’ve already sent them. He said they’d be ready in two hours.”
An Fei quickly selected a few outfits for Lin Ran to change into for solo shots against a green screen for later composition. By the time they finished, it was almost dark. An Fei patted Lin Ran’s shoulder and said, “Thanks for your hard work, darling. I’ll have the driver take you home.”
An Fei stayed behind to discuss the edits while Lin Ran was driven home.
Back home, Meng Xiao couldn’t help but exclaim, “This is crazy!”
“What?” Lin Ran was puzzled.
“The tickets for your magic troupe just went on sale, and I tried to get some, but they were gone in a blink! Gone! I was refreshing the page!”
Lin Ran looked and saw that the New Star Theater’s tickets for the Saturday evening show had sold out instantly, leaving many fans dumbfounded.
【What happened? Vanishing tickets?】
【I refreshed the page, and they were gone!】
【Good news! Tickets for the Sunday evening show go on sale at 9 PM!】
【The new promotional photos are stunning. My goddess is too beautiful!】
【I got a ticket, hehe… By the way, what show is this again?】
【Haha, you bought a ticket just for Lin Ran, right? I don’t even know what the show is; I just wanted to see her. Luckily, our lab has fast internet.】
【Hey, you were slacking off at work, weren’t you? Give me that ticket, or I’ll report you!】
Lin Ran’s group chat notification sounded, and she saw the usually quiet group was now quite lively.
Qi Ruige: Do we get complimentary tickets, captain? How many each?
Zhang Yupeng: No, the boss said all tickets are for sale; no freebies.
Li Xingyue: What? Even Xing Ao can’t get tickets to the show?
Zhang Yupeng: Wake up, why do you think we had free tickets before? Because they couldn’t sell out, the boss gave them away. Now that they can sell, do you think she’ll give them out for free? Not a chance.
Qi Ruige: Exactly, the boss is a total money-grubber!
Li Xingyue: She once said her lover is money!
Lin Ran had planned to give Meng Xiao a ticket for the Saturday show, but it seemed she couldn’t get any tickets either.
“Let’s try to get the tickets at 9 PM!” Lin Ran said, opening the ticketing page on her phone, “With both our phones, we should get some!”
With less than an hour to go, Lin Ran felt hungry. Seeing some fresh toast and eggs in the fridge, she made two sandwiches with fried eggs, vegetables, and sauce and brewed two cups of tea. They sat in the living room, eating and waiting.
Two minutes before 9 PM, they both straightened up, fingers poised over the purchase button, ready for action.
“Three, two, one! Go!”