Monday morning.
Today is the day when the two of them agreed to go and register their marriage. Due to Yan Chi’s special status, they had made an appointment in advance with the Civil Affairs Bureau. However, unexpectedly, Gu Qingtong’s company organized a photo shoot for the entire staff in the morning to update their professional photos.
Since it would only take up the morning, Yan Chi suggested that Gu Qingtong wait for her at the company, and she would pick her up at noon.
“Although it’s sudden, our company hasn’t updated the professional photos for three years. Every time I have a meeting, I have to remind the manager about it. Now the boss, who is as stubborn as an iron rooster, finally agreed to do it. You can just make do with the photos.”
Sun Xiao purposely walked with Gu Qingtong and noticed her distracted expression. He patted her shoulder to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, it won’t be delayed.”
Gu Qingtong waved her hand, but she couldn’t help feeling nervous when she thought about the fact that she would soon be officially marrying Yan Chi.
As they arrived at the makeup room, they happened to encounter a group of people coming out. The previously lively crowd suddenly fell silent in unison when they saw Gu Qingtong.
Naturally, Gu Qingtong recognized this group of people. They were all other artists under Sun Xiao’s management and could be considered her colleagues in a sense.
However, it wouldn’t be accurate to say that her relationship with these people was harmonious. It was more like mutual dislike.
At that time, Gu Qingtong had a poor reputation and came from a wealthy background. Various rumors were flying around about her, and her colleagues were particularly fond of spreading them. Even until now, they firmly believed that she relied on her relationship with Gu Shuyu to seize their resources.
The company was a mediocre one, and Sun Xiao was a half-hearted manager from the directing department. The resources were limited, and Gu Qingtong could understand why these people saw her as a competitor.
However, fair competition was normal, but some people just couldn’t accept losing. When they won, they praised themselves, and when they lost, they blamed the other side for foul play.
Since she joined Sun Xiao’s team, they had isolated and treated her with hostility from the beginning. But Gu Qingtong had long been accustomed to such animosity from her childhood.
Those people were nothing but bitter souls who couldn’t do anything to her and could only gossip behind her back.
Gu Qingtong had a straightforward personality, and she would never indulge their behavior, especially with her princess-like temperament. Thus, a feud was formed.
They jumped and schemed against her, making her feel disgusted.
Not to mention getting angry, Gu Qingtong couldn’t even be bothered to spare them a glance.
“I was wondering why I didn’t see our manager early in the morning. Turns out she’s with Miss Gu again. I envy Miss Gu so much. She has her sister1Referring to Sun Xiao, addressed as (big) sister taking care of everything, unlike me…”
The leading young man spoke up, his face sporting the trendy look of an internet celebrity. However, as he uttered these words, his smile didn’t reach his eyes, revealing a sinister side that didn’t match his appearance.
Gu Qingtong remembered that his name seemed to be Luo… Tingting?
This person joined the company even later than herself but quickly became the center of attention due to the fanbase he had accumulated as an internet celebrity.
Luo Tingting was a former internet celebrity turned star who had a falling out with his previous internet celebrity company and somehow ended up in this mediocre company.
It was strange to think about it. Luo Tingting’s resources didn’t seem to solely come from Sun Xiao. Especially recently, his resources skyrocketed beyond just film and television. Yet, he happened to be the one with the most hostility towards Gu Qingtong. While others whispered and plotted in secret, he seemed to have an intense desire to dance wildly in front of the protagonist.
“It’s normal, you know. After all, there are so many people who envy me.”
Gu Qingtong lifted her chin and effortlessly embraced the other person’s sarcastic tone.
Her confidence and arrogance were innate, without a trace of pretense. This straightforwardness made her radiant face shine even brighter in the crowd.
Sun Xiao, being straightforward herself, asked, “What do you have to worry about? Weren’t you just rejected from an audition?”
Her intention wasn’t to mock him, after all, Luo Tingting had a lot going on, and he usually only discussed personal matters with the assistant from his previous internet celebrity company. The resources she provided him were mostly audition opportunities given by her fellow directors, but he couldn’t pass them.
To be honest, there was really no need for her to intervene.
“Pfft.” Gu Qingtong couldn’t help but let out a laugh, although she didn’t say anything, her sarcasm was off the charts.
Luo Tingting was struck where it hurt, and his face turned green with anger.
Before he could say anything, Gu Qingtong cheerfully added another blow, “Hey, don’t get angry. It’s not easy to take formal photos, so don’t let your face stiffen from anger.”
“You!” Luo Tingting was furious but before he could say anything, he was pulled away by a few people beside him. “Forget it, let’s go.”
“Are they always like that?” Sun Xiao watched their retreating figures, then turned to Gu Qingtong with a hint of apology on her face. “I’ve talked to them before, but it doesn’t seem to work…”
With so many artists under one manager, it’s only natural that there would be more artists than resources to go around.
Sun Xiao also had a vague understanding of the isolation Gu Qingtong faced, but she could only take extra care of her to make up for it.
Instead, Gu Qingtong beamed a radiant and confident smile at Sun Xiao, winking mischievously.
“Hmph, it’s not that they don’t like me, it’s that I don’t want to associate with them! Besides, I’m not the generous type who hands you over to others. The more they say such things, the more you should help me!”
She had always been like this since she was a child. As long as she didn’t like someone first, it wasn’t embarrassing.
Sun Xiao couldn’t help but be influenced by the emotions emanating from her. This young lady…
After Gu Qingtong finished her makeup and went to take photos, she noticed that those people were still lingering there even though they had finished their own shoots. She wondered if they were intentionally waiting for her.
She ignored them completely and confidently stood at the front, working with the photographers to determine lighting, angles, and poses.
“Great! Yes, perfect! You’re doing great!”
“This angle is so nice, let’s take a few more shots!”
“So beautiful.”
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The photographers, who were a specialized external team hired by the company, couldn’t stop praising Gu Qingtong. After all, her flawless face made the photography and retouching work much easier.
In addition to her performance and camera presence were impressive, Gu Qingtong didn’t resemble a mediocre artist from a small company at all. She was like a completely different level compared to the others who had just finished their shoots.
“Your expression is really good. Do you often shoot for fashion magazines?” The photographer couldn’t help but ask Gu Qingtong after completing two planned sets.
“Maybe it’s because I often shoot others myself, so I’m familiar with lighting and camera angles.”
People in this industry are always generous with their praises for beauties. Gu Qingtong has received compliments from many photographers she has worked with. She simply smiled casually, but in the eyes of some people, it was dazzling.
When Luo Tingting and his group saw Gu Qingtong receiving frequent compliments, they couldn’t sit still. Their discussion grew louder:
“You really got a feature in VALLEY? That’s incredible!”
“No, no, it’s just a supplement, and I appeared with several other people. It’s not a big deal.”
Luo Tingting waved his hand, trying to appear nonchalant, but his eyes couldn’t help but glance at Gu Qingtong and the photographer, revealing his true feelings.
VALLEY is a semi-top-tier fashion magazine in the country. In their company, being on the cover of the supplement is already a top fashion resource.
Unfortunately, this attempt to strike a chord failed to elicit any reaction from Gu Qingtong and the photographer.
The photographer had been in the industry for so long, participating in countless shoots for top-tier magazines. Hadn’t he seen it all?
This kind of petty showing off was simply child’s play, making them laugh.
Gu Qingtong didn’t even hear what he said because her phone screen lit up, and the familiar phone number disrupted her thoughts.
She walked to a corner and answered the call, “Have you arrived? I’m almost done here.”
“No rush,” came the voice of Yan Chi from the other end of the phone.
Meanwhile, Luo Tingting pretended to be lonely in order to save face and bit the bullet:
“Let’s have a team dinner tonight. There’s a new vegetarian restaurant called ‘Yun rong ji’ that just opened recently. Luckily, my assistant made a reservation in advance.
The photographers and assistants can come too. The promotional photos you just took for me turned out great. You all did a great job.”
‘Yun rong ji’ was a trendy high-end restaurant specializing in delicate vegetarian cuisine, with an average cost per person of around 3,000 yuan.
“Sorry for the inconvenience!” The photographers and assistants were naturally inclined to go soft when faced with free food. They immediately sided with Luo Tingting and started engaging in some commercial mutual flattery.
“…Are you having a team outing? If it’s not convenient, we can leave in the afternoon,” Yan Chi clearly heard the background noise through the phone.
“No need, no need. I’m not familiar with them.”
Gu Qingtong felt a bit awkward. Yan Chi clearly didn’t know about her poor social connections. Luo Tingting had even invited the unfamiliar photographers, but not her.
She knew she had her own quirks and didn’t care about other people’s opinions.
But she couldn’t help but feel uneasy about letting Yan Chi see her shortcomings. The image of a naive rich second-generation she had before was like this, and now it is the same.
“Okay, for lunch, I asked my mother-in-law, and she said you have a sweet tooth, so I took the liberty of booking Szechuan and Zhejiang cuisine at Jinlian. Is that alright?”
Yan Chi noticed the change in Gu Qingtong’s tone of voice, and though she didn’t say anything, her gaze subtly shifted.
“Jinlian… I used to love it as a child, and would go there from time to time. But later, they changed to a reservation-only system, and the dishes vary every day. It’s a lot of trouble, so I haven’t been there in a long time.”
Gu Qingtong immediately forgot about the previous matter and started complaining to Yan Chi.
Then she suddenly remembered that Jinlian seemed to be part of the Yan family’s business. Wasn’t it rude to speak ill of it in front of her?
A seductive chuckle came from the other end of the phone, “See you later.”
Wait, why was she laughing like that? Gu Qingtong held her phone, her face slightly flushed.
Little did she know, Luo Tingting was seething with anger due to another failed attempt at showing off.
Who in City A doesn’t know about Jinlian? Yunrong Ji can’t even compare to upscale restaurants in its presence. They treat it like a treasure, but others grew tired of Jinlian since childhood. The comparison is infuriating.
Luo Tingting originally invited everyone for dinner to isolate Gu Qingtong in front of others.
But now, he suddenly appeared lower in status and taste compared to Gu Qingtong.
“So what if they have a bit more money? What’s wrong with something cheaper? I specifically wanted to eat at Yunrong ji!”
To make matters worse, someone who didn’t know any better tried to console Luo Tingting, nearly driving him crazy.
As Gu Qingtong finished tidying up in the changing room and came out, she could faintly hear the criticisms coming from the area where they were just taking photos.
“Do you have a bad relationship with her?”
“Oh, so she’s that kind of person. You can’t tell just by her appearance. Indeed, rich second-generation newcomers in the entertainment industry are just playing around. These resource-hungry people are disgusting.”
“Her family is wealthy, so why doesn’t she exploit her own connections and resources instead of coming to a small company and taking up opportunities?”
“I don’t know what she’s so proud and self-satisfied about. No one would like someone with that kind of personality.”
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Her eyelashes trembled slightly as her numb gaze drifted downward, fixated on her own toes.
Just then, a pair of white high-heeled boots suddenly entered her field of vision. In the next moment, a pair of ice-cold hands covered her ears, enveloping her completely.
Gu Qingtong dumbly lifted her head and looked at the woman in front of her.
She saw the woman’s red lips part slightly, uttering each word as if conveying a message to her.
An unspeakable tenderness emerged in silence, and the icy fingertips felt scorching hot as if they were about to ignite.
“I like it.”
