A burst of noise came from outside the lobby as a tall man wearing a hood stepped in, surrounded by a group of staff. Wei Xicheng restrained the smile in his eyes—he had arrived.
Grant, who also had a massive following online, had his visit to Jingnian leaked to the public, and some local fans had spontaneously organized a welcoming party for him.
In truth, he had impressions of all the artists signed by Jingnian, and he didn’t believe he would find a model to his satisfaction. However, due to their partnership, this visit was something he couldn’t avoid.
The moment he stepped into the lobby, Grant’s eyes lit up. He quickly pulled down his hood and strode towards the guest sofa, leaving the staff standing there, puzzled.
“Hello, I’m Grant,” he said, extending his large hand toward the boy on the sofa. His Chinese was fluent. “Are you an artist signed with Jingnian?”
The boy on the sofa looked over at him, his misty eyes filled with confusion and unease. He stood up and took two steps back, ignoring Grant’s outstretched hand. Instead, he bit his lip and shook his head.
The boy’s white teeth bit into his lips, and perhaps he applied a bit too much force, as his pale pink lips quickly turned a shade of crimson, adding a hint of allure to his otherwise delicate demeanor.
“Oh my God!” Grant paid no attention to the boy’s rudeness and completely disregarded his headshake. Only God knew how much he wanted to pick up his camera right then and take countless close-up shots. This child was a natural in front of the camera—absolutely.
His exclamation seemed to startle the boy, who silently lowered his head. His long bangs fell to either side, overlapping with his lashes, and the redness on his lips was the only trace left from his earlier lip-biting.
A fallen, decadent beauty from the depths of hell!
Grant shouted inwardly. Every movement of the boy was filled with contradictions yet his aura remained harmonious. Grant believed that only his camera could capture the boy’s perfect temperament—his ability to express himself is no short of genius!
“Did I scare you? Sorry about that.” Grant plastered what he thought was a very kind smile on his face, though to the boy, who was looking at him, Grant’s bearded appearance probably made him seem like a giant bear. “I was just too excited. What’s your name?”
“Qi Chen,” Wei Xicheng muttered softly, barely audible.
Ordinarily, such timid behavior would have enraged Grant, who valued strong, expressive poses. But at this moment, Grant completely overlooked this small flaw.
The boy himself was the most beautiful representation of art. Every gesture was brimming with charm, and he didn’t need to pose excessively. He was more beautiful than Aphrodite.
Now that he knew the boy’s name, Grant appeared very anxious, hoping that he could start the photoshoot immediately. It had been years since he’d encountered someone with such natural talent.
“I’ll come back for you later. Wait here for a moment,” Grant said. After seeing the boy nod, he rushed toward the elevator, eager to finalize the photoshoot plans with Jingnian’s team.
Once the people around dispersed, Wei Xicheng quietly sat back down. He wasn’t about to leave—after all, his meal money for tonight and possibly the future depended on this famous photographer.
However, Grant was dumbfounded when he arrived at the office of the person in charge of the photoshoot plans.
“Are you sure? You’re not messing with me?” Grant stared at the manager in front of him, yanking the model selection list from the manager’s hands and flipping through it quickly. “How come he’s not on here?”
The manager looked as though he was about to cry, facing this bear-like man. “There really isn’t an artist named Qi Chen this time.”
“Shit!” Grant flung the list aside. “Is this how Jingnian treats its collaborators? Leaving a perfect gem idle while offering me these useless choices?”
Grant was furious. Ignoring the manager’s apologetic smile, he stormed out and headed straight to the project director’s office. Every staff member he passed made way for him, afraid of offending the famous photographer.
After hearing Grant’s rant about how irresponsible the company was, the project director stroked his chin in thought before finally suggesting they go meet this “elf.”
Hearing they were going to see the boy, Grant’s mood finally calmed down a bit. “My dear, I must tell you, if we don’t add Qi Chen’s name this time, I may have to forcefully cancel the contract. I cannot tolerate imperfection. If I hadn’t seen him today, I might continue my search. But now that God has shown me my muse, I won’t give up.”
The project director wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, “Mr. Grant, this was our fault. Let’s go meet Mr. Qi Chen first.”
When the two of them returned to the lobby, Wei Xicheng was still reading a magazine. Grant noticed that it was the latest issue of *People* magazine.
“My dear Qi, we were truly destined to meet,” Grant said as he quickly walked over and sat down next to the boy. “That issue of *People* was shot by me. What do you think?”
Not much, Wei Xicheng thought to himself. This man was too self-assured. “Destined to meet”? All the magazines here are issues of ‘People’. What else could he possibly read?
Wei Xicheng gently placed the magazine to the side, gave Grant a slight nod, but didn’t speak. His eyes remained fixed on his fingers.
“Look at him—he’s so shy,” Grant said, turning to the project director. “Like a sweet little angel who accidentally fell to earth.”
The project director lips twitched slightly. The last time a kid acted like this, you didn’t say the same thing.
But work still had to be done. The project director was familiar with all of the company’s artists, big and small, and he had never seen any record of an artist with the surname Qi. The company also hadn’t signed any new talent recently. At first, he thought this boy might be an overlooked male artist, but when he saw the child’s face, he realized there was no way the company had ever had him.
In other words, this boy, who had appeared out of nowhere, wasn’t one of their company’s artists. Although the project director began to suspect some underhanded plot from another company to “steal their project,” he still kept a pleasant smile as he questioned the boy sitting on the sofa.
“Little Qi, right? What are you doing here?”
He had to figure out how this kid got in or who brought him in, to avoid any mishaps.
“What else would he be doing? He’s here to meet me, of course! It’s fate!” Grant was getting impatient with these trivial matters, nearly jumping up to scold the project director.
“What’s going on?” A clear voice interrupted, and the lobby instantly quieted down.
“Shen!” Grant truly leaped up this time, rushing forward to give the man a bear hug, only to be blocked by two staff members. He smiled sheepishly, “You’re still so cold, I see. Finally, I get to see you again. How about reconsidering my collaboration proposal?”
Shen Zhe gestured dismissively at Grant’s overeager movements. “Maybe when you’ve stopped doing that, I’ll think about it.”
After saying that, his gaze shifted to the quiet boy on the sofa.
Wei Xicheng kept his head lowered the entire time, but from the sound of the man’s voice, he pictured a refined and elegant figure in his mind.
Shen Zhe.
The youngest Best Actor award winner, who entered the entertainment industry at 17, joined Hollywood at 20, won the Best Actor award at 22, and retired at 27 after receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, at 28, he successfully propelled Jingnian Entertainment to the forefront of the entertainment industry, and he was the company’s owner.
In his decade in the industry, his reputation was impeccable. He had no scandals or controversies, and after transitioning to behind-the-scenes work, his company’s rapid growth left no room for critics. Not even the harshest detractors dared to criticize him.
Wei Xicheng clicked his tongue in admiration. Every world seems to have someone who’s like a walking “bug,” loved by the rules of the universe, yet not quite the “chosen one.”
“And who is this?” Shen Zhe asked, focusing on the boy who had yet to lift his head to look at him.
The project director was panicking. What had started as a minor work mishap had now caught the attention of his boss. He had to smooth this over, or there would be no year-end bonus for him!
“Mr. Shen, this is the cover model Grant chose for today.” The project director gritted his teeth. “But this person isn’t one of our company’s artists.”
Grant huffed and, pulling the boy over, his demeanor towards Shen Zhe less friendly than before. “Either you sign him, or I’ll break the contract. I’m not going to give him up.”
Shen Zhe raised his eyebrows slightly. This sounded rather strange.
Wei Xicheng shifted uncomfortably, trying to free his wrist from Grant’s grasp, but inside, he secretly praised the man for his determination.
Noticing the boy’s small movement, Shen Zhe stepped forward and sat down in front of them, gesturing for them to sit as well.
Grant finally released the boy’s wrist, and Shen Zhe clearly saw a red mark left on it. The boy, however, didn’t say a word, continuing to rub his wrist and doing everything he could to minimize his presence.
The project director wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, finally understanding his boss’s intentions. He quickly ran off to investigate the boy’s background. Although Shen Zhe was known for his gentle and easygoing personality, he was also known for his iron-fisted management style, which was why Jingnian had reached its current level of success.
Shen Zhe casually stretched his long legs and leaned back on the sofa, looking at the two people sitting across from him, his gaze mostly focused on the unfamiliar boy.
There was no denying that the boy had an exceptional natural advantage. He was born for the stage and screen.
“I trust your judgment, and I don’t want to terminate our good working relationship. But…” Shen Zhe nodded at Grant and then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands crossed in front of his mouth. “We should also ask for this young man’s opinion.”
Upon hearing this, Grant’s gaze followed Shen Zhe’s and landed on Wei Xicheng.
“Qi?”
The previously silent boy finally looked up at Shen Zhe after hearing Grant call his name.
“Are you really going to sign me?” The boy’s voice was clear and youthful, carrying the tone of someone still in their teenage years. However, if you listened closely, you could hear a hint of uncertainty and doubt.
“Hmm, as long as you agree.” Shen Zhe crossed his long legs, shifting to a more relaxed position.
“I…” Wei Xicheng nervously clutched the edge of his clothes, speaking in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, “My father told me to wait here. He’ll be coming soon.”
Grant flashed a toothy grin and slung his arm around the boy’s shoulders like an older brother. “Your father will definitely agree. How old are you?”
The boy squirmed, trying to shake off Grant’s arm, his eyes reddening slightly, but he still answered softly, “Sixteen.”
“Grant.” Shen Zhe’s voice deepened as he looked at the hand on the boy’s shoulder. “If you don’t stop that habit, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to work together again.”
Grant quickly pulled his hand back and protested loudly, “It’s just a friendly gesture, Shen!”
“Maybe you should respect whether the other party actually wants your ‘friendly gesture’.” Shen Zhe’s tone was sharp and uncompromising.
“How could anyone not…” Grant’s voice trailed off when he noticed the boy’s reddening eyes. He hastily grabbed two or three tissues. “Hey, what’s wrong? Don’t cry. If you don’t like it, just say so.”
While Grant was busy comforting the boy, Shen Zhe received the investigation report from his assistant, passed along by the project director. After flipping through a few pages, his brows furrowed.
