The moment the other contestants realized her calculation and ruthlessness, they immediately took a step back as if afraid to be associated with her.
Le Xin’s expression finally shifted. She furrowed her brows and looked as if she were about to cry, seemingly trying to take the path of the victim. “Zhan Zhiqing, Cao Yan is already gone, yet you still refuse to let him go. You want to drive a wedge between us and slander me like this.”
Du Fang, clear headed and sharp, let out a scoff. “Quite the poisonous woman, aren’t you? Do not try to change the subject. You are just afraid the audience will give you a low rating once they learn what you have done, so you are playing the victim again. Let me tell you, there is no escaping the fact that you framed your boyfriend Cao Yan and hit on Yu Can. I wonder if Cao Yan will stay with you once he watches the fourth episode.”
Zhan Zhiqing spared a glance at the pale Le Xin, whose inner thoughts had been laid bare by Du Fang, and turned to go upstairs. Ultimately, she was reaping what she had sown.
The production team of China’s Next Top Model would undoubtedly edit this segment to gain maximum traffic. At the end of the day, Le Xin was simply overconfident, trying to let the snipe and the clam fight so she could be the fisherman, only to end up losing her own bait.
Unlike Le Xin, who was consumed with anxiety that her public image would plummet once the episode aired, Zhan Zhiqing was in a pleasant mood. His spirits had remained high ever since he spoke with that gentleman on the phone. He felt a bit crazy yet he indulged in that madness. He looked forward to meeting Ying Yuan with every fiber of his being, not even caring about the mention of being a lover.
Would Ying Yuan’s touch make him recoil in annoyance or lose himself in indulgence?
The next day, Wei Ming arrived at the house for the fourth editorial shoot. Since Du Fang and Zhan Zhiqing had exposed Le Xin, she had fallen into the same state Zhan Zhiqing and Zhou Xing once occupied: default isolation. However, her mental fortitude was immense. She continued to greet the other contestants with a steady face as if nothing had changed.
The bus took everyone to the outskirts of the city, a place of broken walls, abandoned factories, and collapsed buildings. Exposed rebar and concrete mixed with jagged shards of glass, creating a wasteland that looked like the end of the world.
Wei Ming’s excited voice rang out. “Looking at this scene, can anyone guess today’s theme?”
Shen Lin guessed softly, “Is it the apocalypse?”
“Bingo! Correct! Today’s theme is: Apocalyptic Zombies!”
The contestants let out a collective gasp. In the history of modeling, this was a shocking choice. It was common knowledge that zombies were mutated creatures with rotting flesh, tattered clothes, and hideous faces. However, this was a model selection. The editorial had to be fashionable, so they could not actually dress the contestants like real zombies.
The wardrobe consisted mainly of black with other supporting colors. Beyond standard makeup, special effects artists applied prosthetic wounds to mimic zombie injuries. The contestants would have pale skin, blackened nails, and heavy eyeshadow and lipstick, with scars on exposed areas like their faces and necks.
Zhan Zhiqing was assigned a black and white outfit. His platinum blonde hair was styled in a messy, casual way with temporary bright red paint sprayed on the ends to make it look soaked in blood. He wore black trousers with tall boots. His white shirt underneath was torn open, revealing a chest painted with fresh wounds. A tie hung loosely around his neck under a long black coat with a shredded hem and hanging threads.
A staff member drew a stroke of bright red shadow under his eyes, making him look even more sinister. Zhan Zhiqing’s muscles were not as burly as the other male models, which was a disadvantage in some contexts, but here it was a strength. He wanted to project a sickly, gloomy, decadent, and evil side. For his true self, this was a comfort zone.
Even though he was currently disheveled and covered in blood, he reminded himself to maintain a sense of beauty and fashion. Zhan Zhiqing walked over to an abandoned black pickup truck, stood on the roof, and struck various poses. Unlike the other male contestants who bared their teeth to show ferocity, he utilized his eyes. Wei Ming, standing next to the photographer, even shuddered when he caught his gaze.
“You look like you really want to eat me!” Wei Ming exclaimed, which was a high form of praise. The photographer did not even need to provide guidance. Through countless hours of private practice, Zhan Zhiqing had learned how to utilize light and shadow, ensuring his face was positioned within the light source so the shot would not be blurry or dark.
He was adept at this type of roleplay shoot, yet he was stopped by the photographer after only a few poses. Kneeling on top of the truck, he asked for confirmation. “Is the shoot finished already?”
“Of course, of course. Rest assured, you are very talented. Almost every movement was perfect!” Facing a model with such talent and expressive power, the photographer did not hold back his compliments. The production had a large budget and high prestige, so most of the photographers invited had worked with major magazines or supermodels. Gaining their approval meant the models were already paving their future paths.
Zhan Zhiqing bowed politely in thanks and stepped aside. Because the makeup was a hassle to apply and remove, everyone had to wait for the entire group to finish before cleaning up. Zhan Zhiqing stood to the side to observe.
Next was Le Xin, followed by Du Fang. Zhan Zhiqing saw Du Fang standing with her arms crossed, watching Le Xin pose with a cold stare, seemingly trying to make her crumble through psychological warfare. In this show, psychological tactics sometimes had unexpected effects.
However, Le Xin was mentally strong and seemed to grow more determined under pressure. She wore a short black skirt with layered pearl necklaces, paired with torn black stockings and high heels. She utilized the symmetry of her face, and her gaze was fierce yet fashionable. Even if Zhan Zhiqing disliked her, he would not deny her excellence in her career.
However, the short black skirt emphasized Le Xin’s large chest and narrow waist. During the shoot, while her expression was fierce, she frequently thrust her chest forward.
Wei Ming offered harsh guidance from the sidelines. “Watch your body, Le Xin. A high end model does not strike such vulgar poses.”
In reality, a physique that many praised in daily life was not favored in the high fashion world. Because she was too curvaceous, the movement of her chest while walking a runway would distract guests, weakening their focus on the clothing. Many garments would look overly sexual on her rather than fashionable. Instead of trying to hide it, Le Xin continued to emphasize it. Even as Wei Ming kept speaking, she repeated the habit. The photographer, however, seemed to appreciate it and said nothing.
Shen Lin’s performance was not great. The makeup artist had painted dense scars all over her arms, which disgusted her so much that her gaze was frequently off kilter during the shoot. Yu Can, whose skills were among the best of the remaining four male contestants, finished his shoot without any major issues.