Wei Xicheng poked his head out from under the blanket, leaning against the headboard. He turned off the alarm clock, pulled his hand back to adjust the blanket, and went through the entire process without opening his eyes.
After a satisfying meal yesterday, he had flopped onto his soft, clean bed upon returning to the apartment and slept soundly. He needed to gain some weight to return to his peak looks!
The blush from sleep still lingered on his delicate face, making him look pleasantly rosy.
It wasn’t until he heard a couple of coughs nearby that he suddenly opened his eyes, staring at the three people who should not have been at his bedside.
Shen Zhe had his head half-turned, not looking at him, while Grant was smiling and waving his phone, which displayed a photo of Wei Xicheng’s sleeping face. Another woman was holding her face with one hand, staring at him from very close range.
“Your eyelashes are really long,” the woman said as she saw him wake up, extending her hand to gently poke his cheek. “Wow, your skin is so nice! What a profit! I really hit the jackpot this time!”
Wei Xicheng instinctively shrank back, burying half of his face in the blanket to avoid the woman’s hand that was eager to keep groping, leaving only his two eyes exposed. His ice-blue pupils were shrouded in a layer of mist, like a fawn being watched by a hunter, a bit confused and panicked as he turned his gaze to Shen Zhe.
“Nina, the temporary agent responsible for your daily life and training,” Shen Zhe said, turning his head away. Since he sent the child back to the apartment yesterday, he hadn’t been able to sleep soundly.
“Hello, cutie,” Nina said, reaching out her hand toward the boy’s face.
Wei Xicheng pulled the blanket up again, this time even his eyes couldn’t be fully exposed. Some of his fine bangs were sticking up, while others clung tightly to his forehead, making him look a bit silly and cute.
“Go buy breakfast, Nina.”
The boss’s order made Nina let out a regretful sigh, retract her hand, and blow a kiss to Wei Xicheng as she swayed her way out of the room.
Initially, she hadn’t cared much after looking through the boy’s information. With dozens of trainees under her wing, this boy’s history didn’t seem worth nurturing.
This morning, upon hearing that she was the boy’s temporary caretaker, Grant insisted on bringing her to see him, and unexpectedly bumped into Shen Zhe at the apartment door.
Nina felt a stir of interest, and when she entered the apartment and saw the “darling” Grant had mentioned, she was stunned. He was completely different from the person described in the documents. With such temperament and looks, even if he were just a pretty face, he could be successful as long as he didn’t self-sabotage.
She looked back at the door that had slowly closed behind her and sighed, thinking, the previous company and the person responsible associated with the original owner were a bunch of fools. Indeed, talents like her were rare, beauty combined with intelligence was powerful.
Thinking of the boss still inside, she chuckled to herself—she was lucky.
Once Nina left, Shen Zhe noticed the child in the blanket visibly relax. Good, at least he was no longer on guard.
Suddenly, a bear-like figure entered Shen Zhe’s line of sight.
“Dear Qi, may I use this photo as my screensaver?” Grant asked, laughing so much that even his beard curled up in amusement, looking quite ridiculous.
Wei Xicheng peeked out a little, giving a barely noticeable nod. “Sure.”
“Delete it.” A cold voice came from behind Grant. “This type of photo should not be kept, it does not align with future development paths.”
Grant looked at the phone that was being pulled away, puzzled.
Since when was Shen Zhe so concerned about his artist’s development path? Also, he seemed to have forgotten something that feels off.
Before he could figure it out, he noticed his usually “pure and noble” partner was taking the initiative, pulling his arm towards the door while saying arrogantly to the boy on the bed, “Hurry up and get up.”
“Shen, Qi can handle more image styles,” Grant persisted, trying to convince Shen Zhe even after being dragged out.
“Mm.” Shen Zhe let go of his arm and calmly walked to sit down on the sofa.
Grant scratched his head, confused. What did that mean?
————————————
By the time the four of them were seated, it was already half an hour later.
Nina watched the boy sitting cautiously in the corner of the sofa, quietly eating breakfast, her mouth never closing.
Her gaze was too intense, causing Wei Xicheng to slightly twitch his mouth behind the baozi, then he silently adjusted his angle to avoid letting her see his face directly.
“He’s still shy!” Nina seemed to have discovered something new, poking Grant next to her and signaling him to look at the red blush that had just faded and then returned to Wei Xicheng’s face.
Grant was more direct, he took out his phone and snapped a picture with a “click,” preserving the moment. He couldn’t help but exclaim at the screen, “How can he be this perfect? Not a single flaw!”
Sitting beside them, Shen Zhe observed the two of them being ridiculous and knew he shouldn’t have put them together, but Nina was indeed the most experienced teacher. The child’s issues were a bit serious, and he couldn’t feel at ease without leaving him in Nina’s care.
“Alright, we’ve seen the person. Let’s go,” he said, rubbing his temples. The two hadn’t stopped making noise since this morning, giving him a headache. When did he become so nosy?
Nina looked up at her boss with disbelief, “Um, Boss, I still haven’t said what I need to say…”
Before she could finish, she saw her boss, who had already grabbed his coat, sit back down again. The words “You go first” were swallowed back down her throat with an abrupt halt.
“Stop dawdling.”
Nina crossed her arms over her lap, putting on a professional smile, reminding herself not to be angry. He was her bread and butter, and this was the movie emperor. Stay calm, she is a lady.
“Qi Chen, right?” Nina flipped through the documents in her hand. While working, she seemed to change her face, becoming rigorous and efficient.
“The agreement was signed yesterday. I hope you can read through the terms carefully, especially regarding breaches of contract and penalties. For the next three months, I’ll be in charge of you. You can take today to rest and adjust, and I’ll take you to the company to get familiar with it later. Starting tomorrow, there will be very intensive training, and the activity schedule may be packed. I hope you can take this training seriously. If you work hard, you will definitely get what you want.”
“And if you have any problems during these three months as a trainee, you need to tell me immediately rather than trying to solve them on your own. Do you understand?”
Wei Xicheng swallowed the baozi in his mouth and nodded.
Nina found his little hamster-like demeanor adorable and pinched her fingers, trying her best to maintain her professionalism.
“Next, let’s discuss the filming plan for ‘people.’ This is a highly influential entertainment magazine, so being a cover model will attract a lot of attention. It’s a challenge, so I’m giving you a week to adjust and prepare.”
At this point, she glanced at her boss and found that he was indeed paying more attention than the main subject.
“Your skin looks good now, so keep it up during this time. In the next week, we will focus on shooting techniques for hard photos. Also, the position of the cover model is not easy to secure. Countless people want to be discovered through this cover and soar to fame, so I hope you take it seriously.”
Wei Xicheng nodded again, this time with a bit more enthusiasm.
“Speak up.” Nina frowned, her tone slightly heavy.
“I… I… I understand!” Wei Xicheng quickly responded, but the lump in his throat made his face turn red.
Shen Zhe quickly stood up and walked to his side, offering him a cup of water from the table.
Wei Xicheng naturally drank a couple of sips from the man’s hand, only then realizing that this person was not Sheng Huasen.
Nina and Grant were both watching the two intently. Anyone not blind could see the intimacy and ease between them from the earlier interaction.
Shen Zhe’s throat moved, it felt almost like a reflex. He hadn’t even realized it, but he had already made that move.
Looking at the boy with wide eyes staring at him, he felt a strange affection arise in his heart, as if such a person should be cherished in his palm.
“Serve yourself.”
“Okay.”
Although Shen Zhe had already stood up and prepared to leave this dangerous zone, he heard that “Okay” and for some reason sensed a hint of disappointment from the boy.
Before he could suppress the feeling of secret delight, he noticed a trace of nostalgia in the boy’s eyes that didn’t belong to him.
“Be careful in the future. If you lose your composure in front of an audience, it won’t just be your interests at stake;, it will also harm the company’s reputation.”
Was that a bit harsh? Shen Zhe glanced at the boy, who had his head down and was sipping water, unable to hide his irritation.
Grant was confused by the sudden turn of events, his eyes and brain could only respond to beautiful compositions and scenes. For instance, at that moment when the boy and Shen Zhe were in the same frame, he thought the contrast was striking.
He had a bold idea.
In contrast, Nina was more meticulous, watching the two in front of her with a more probing mindset. When her gaze fell on Shen Zhe, she received a cold glare in return.
Fine, she wouldn’t pay attention to the movie emperor.
What did losing composure mean? There are many kinds of losing composure. If it was just a little slip like what Qi Chen did earlier, the audience would just swoon and fall over themselves, pleading to take care of this adorable child.
It made her laugh.
“Have you said everything you need to say?” Shen Zhe’s tone was cold.
“Yes.” Nina nodded, trying to restrain her gaze.
“Let’s go.” Shen Zhe stood up, grabbed his coat, and walked towards the door.
“You all go ahead, I want to spend some more time with Qi.” Grant foolishly flipped through his phone album, and soon it was filled with various candid shots of Wei Xicheng.
Grant’s photography skills were superb, capturing every shot clearly and encapsulating the essence of Wei Xicheng’s charm. Each photo showed the boy looking unrealistically beautiful.
“Maybe we can take a few more candid shots and capture the feel for the cover,” Grant said to himself, oblivious to Shen Zhe’s halted steps and increasingly darkening expression.
Nina quietly pressed her hands on her stomach, reminding herself to hold it together. Don’t laugh, Nina, you must not laugh now!
“Let’s go…” Wei Xicheng slowly stood up, seeming intimidated by Shen Zhe’s cold expression. “I’m done eating.”
