T.N: And an extra chapter for Maëvalily!
The popular magazines of that era were all about text stories, such as “Story Club”, “Legends of Modern and Ancient Times”, “Popular Movies”, etc. There were very few magazines with pictures as the theme.
“China Photography” was one of them, but fashion magazines were even rarer.
It was almost a blank market.
Shu Ran called Jiang Fan and asked him to hire two masters and come to Beijing, to make boards and take pictures of models.
“Have you found a model?” Jiang Fan asked on the phone.
“Not yet, I just asked you to come to Beijing to choose.” Shu Ran said. “You are the photographer, you have to decide which model you like.”
Only when everything was right could the photographer be inspired to create.
“Okay, I’ll come in two days.” Jiang Fan said.
“Is it okay for you to… Come to Beijing?” Shu Ran was worried that Jiang Fan would be resistant to coming back to the Capital.
Jiang Fan: “What’s the problem? I’m doing my job seriously, how can I think about that?”
Now he was finally a very busy man!
Making money every day felt like there was not enough time to spend it! Those little emotions from the past seemed extremely childish to him.
“Oh, okay, I’ll wait for you then.” Shu Ran thought to himself that the situation was different now that he had a sense of professionalism.
Two days later, Jiang Fan brought two helpers to Beijing after a long journey, moving into the large courtyard. Xie Yuan was very happy: “That’s great, welcome, finally someone lives with me!”
Jiang Fan held Xie Yuan’s hand: “Designer Xie.”
“You’re welcome, just call me Xie Yuan!” Xie Yuan said with a smile.
“Jiang Fan, he’s older than you.” Xu Shen introduced them.
“Then I’ll call you Brother Yuan as Shu Ran does.” Jiang Fan said very politely.
His current appearance was very different from the lazy and carefree vibe he had at the beginning.
“Everyone, come over to our place for dinner tonight.” Shu Ran watched happily.
“Okay!” Everyone responded.
Xu Shen walked out: “Then I’m ready to go.”
Since Chen Sen was away, he had to be the cook.
“Buy some ingredients for a hot pot.” Shu Ran called behind him.
Xu Shen raised his hand to show that he heard.
Looking back, Xie Yuan took Shu Ran to his room and said secretly: “Tsk, why are all your partners so young and attractive?!”
Shu Ran smiled and said: “Brother Fan is indeed quite something.”
He used to be a cynical playboy, but now he was down-to-earth and his whole person had become calm and solemn.
“Where are the other two?” Xie Yuan was exhausted from drawing designs and in the mood for some gossip: “Are they also so outstanding? Hey, then… Am I just a great leaf among you?!”
“They’re also very handsome.” Shu Ran summarized: “Brother Sen is a cool and heroic guy…”
Xie Yuan touched his chin: “Cooler than Brother Shen?”
“Yes.” Shu Ran continued. “But Brother Sen is also very cute. How should I put it? He looks like a lion, but has the heart of a kitten.”
“Oh, and his brother?” Xie Yuan asked again.
“His brother has the appearance of a tiger, but a little flower lives in his heart…” Shu Ran actually wanted to say that he was a dumb husky, but he was afraid that Xie Yuan wouldn’t understand that Internet reference.
“Haha!” Xie Yuan laughed, feeling that Shu Ran was a really interesting person: “I have never heard anyone describe someone else in that way. It’s very intuitive!” He asked curiously: “Then, what do you think of me?”
“You?” Shu Ran glanced at him: “You are a peacock on the outside but a little rabbit on the inside. Brother Yuan, when you become truly confident, you won’t feel like a green leaf anymore.”
Xie Yuan saw through his heart and grinned: “Yeah.”
All of them ate in Xu Shen’s yard in the evening. Since there were too many people and it was cumbersome to cook, Shu Ran didn’t want Xu Shen to work too hard, so they decided on hot pot.
“Eating hot pot in August…” Xu Shen couldn’t help laughing. “You’re not afraid to make everyone angry.”
“It’s better than you having to work so hard to cook.” Shu Ran was preparing the hot pot base and smiled: “Don’t worry, what I make will definitely be delicious!”
Seeing him putting handfuls of peppers in, Xu Shen held his wife’s hand and said: “Put less of it. Do you still want to eat it?”
“I’ll rinse everything with water twice before eating it…” Shu Ran sacrificed himself for others. After all, that combination was really delicious and he wanted everyone to try it.
“Sorry…” Xu Shen pinched his back: “I’m doing it for your own good.”
Shu Ran looked at the door: “Yeah.”
He understood that ordinary people were prone to hemorrhoids nine times out of ten, not to mention special people like him who often used that place… If they didn’t take care of it, he could get sick easily. Thinking about that, Shu Ran asked: “Is Brother Sen… Feeling better?”
“Ah?” Xu Shen was stunned for a moment, then thought about it for a while, turned his face, and smiled.
“Why are you laughing?!” Shu Ran bumped his shoulder.
“Actually…” Xu Shen told him something: “Brother Sen doesn’t have that problem. Kaizi is just talking nonsense.”1Hahaha, it came back. Remember when they were all in the office talking about teaching that manager from the Yuan family a lesson when Shu Ran came in and, to save the situation- in his own way- Chen Kai said they were talking about his brother having hemorrhoids :)))
The truth made Shu Ran quite speechless, but after a while, he also laughed. Chen Kai was indeed a dumb husky, no wonder he craved a beating so much: “I support Brother Sen beating his brother three times a day!”
The hot pot was delicious, and Shu Ran was also very satisfied with his clear soup. But the weather was too hot, so everyone had to wipe their sweat with towels while eating. Compared with the electric fan, it was more enjoyable to eat hot pot with the air conditioner on.
“This tastes so delicious, sizzling, numbing!” Jiang Fan said as he ate the meat.
One of the masters who was also a good cook said with a smile: “This is Sichuan peppercorns! It can also be used in stir-fries, so it’s especially fragrant when boiled in hot water.”
“Why did you also make a clear soup?” Xie Yuan also ate happily. Seeing Shu Ran eating separately from them, he was surprised and asked: “You can’t eat spicy food?”
“Yes.” Shu Ran nodded.
Among the outsiders in that room, only Jiang Fan knew what was going on. It wasn’t that Shu Ran couldn’t eat spicy food… It was obviously Xu Shen who didn’t allow it.
Xu Shen met Jiang Fan’s eyes and raised his eyebrows: “Is there something wrong?”
Jiang Fan didn’t say anything, turning his head to ask Shu Ran: “Where did you find the models?”
“I published an ad in the newspaper.” Shu Ran took a bite of the mushrooms that had been soaked in clear soup. “We’ll have an interview at the store tomorrow and see how many people can come.”
The mushrooms were cooked soft and very tasty. After being rinsed with clear soup, they were still a little spicy, but very pleasant and satisfying.
Xu Shen also ate it. But for him, the mushrooms were particularly spicy. He looked sideways at Shu Ran, with a funny look in his eyes.
After a satisfying hot pot meal, everyone went back to wash up and have an early rest.
…………
The next morning, except for Xie Yuan and the masters who stayed to make boards, the other three went to the shop to wait for the models.
“Wow!” Jiang Fan was surprised when he saw the decoration results for the first time. He was also a photographer and someone very sensitive to colors, so he immediately gave Shu Ran a thumbs up: “This was your idea? The color combination is very nice!”
“I also asked Xie Yuan for some opinions.” Shu Ran smiled and pointed at Xu Shen: “And the whole process of supervising the work is thanks to Brother Shen!”
Jiang Fan immediately bowed to Xu Shen: “Thank you for your hard work, Director Xu!” Then he asked: “Isn’t the sign up yet?”
“It’s still being customized.” Xu Shen pulled a chair for Shu Ran, sat down beside him, and said: “If Shu Ran hadn’t been so obsessed with the brand name, it would have been done a long time ago.”
“You still have the nerve to criticize me!” Shu Ran sat down and complained: “Every time you wanted to choose the name, you pointed it at me! I said that I’ll agree with whatever you want, but don’t forget that we are a high-end brand, so we can’t deal with it casually!”
“Yunshang is very good!” Xu Shen and Jiang Fan spoke together.
Clouds think of clothes and flowers think of appearance… It was a name full of artistic conception and culture.2云裳 – Where 云 /yún/ means “cloud” and 裳 /cháng/ means “skirt/lower garment”. The meaning of 云 refers to the rising of water that condenses into tiny beads when it is cold, floating in groups in the air; It can also refer to talking, high in the sky, in the clouds, or something that is soft and comfortable like clouds; The meaning of 裳 describes a type of dress worn by the ancients to cover the lower body, worn by both men and women, a kind of skirt, not trousers. As a name, Yunshang means approachable, smooth, elegant, smart and wise, good thinking ability, good at innovation, bright future, and rich in the world
When it was first proposed, everyone agreed… Well, everyone except Shu Ran who thought it was a bit uninteresting.
What was wrong?! They didn’t understand that Shu Ran wanted to also make other accessories in the future, and “Yunshang” seemed a bit boring… However, there was no point in worrying about it since everyone already made up their minds!
One had to know that many high-end luxury brands were simply named after their founders… Wouldn’t that be even more casual, uninteresting, and boring?!
Because the decoration design of their store was so special, not long after they sat down, several waves of people came to watch, asking what products they were selling and when they would open the store.
Some people also praised their electrical installations for being very good, and they couldn’t help but come in to take a look… However, once they came in, they couldn’t bear to leave! Everything looked so good!
How did they do it?!
People passing by looked expectant when they saw the decorations, making the three young people smile in unison. After the potential customers left, everyone looked at each other and laughed.
“Hey!” Jiang Fan said: “Our store can definitely do it!”
“Yes!” Shu Ran and Xu Shen said together: “Of course!”
The next person who came was finally no longer a passer-by looking at the excitement, but a young, beautiful, and tall girl. She was stunned when she saw the three people sitting in the store and then said awkwardly: “Do you need a model… Here… ?”
The three people looked over and answered in unison: “Yes!”
On that day, they interviewed a dozen models in total, and three good ones stayed to audition. If the results were good, they could sign the contract.
“There are no male models?” Jiang Fan asked.
Shu Ran pointed at Xu Shen: “Isn’t one right here? Not to mention we still have Brother Sen and Brother Kai.”
Their family was full of handsome guys, do they need to spend money to hire someone else?!
“Yes.” Jiang Fan nodded.
Xu Shen pointed at himself: “Me? A male model?!” After getting a positive answer, he looked at Shu Ran teasingly: “You are so generous…”
“And you’re generous to me!” Shu Ran said.
…………
However, with Jiang Fan in Beijing, Nanshi called to complain soon enough: “Come back to me! We’re very busy here!”
Both the warehouse and shop were ready, but Shu Ran still wanted to stay for the first issue of the magazine. Xu Shen had nothing to do, so he said: “I’ll go back.”
Shu Ran blurted out: “Then aren’t we going to separate?!”
Xu Shen was also startled and looked at Shu Ran solemnly. They had not been separated since they got married… Just thinking about it made his throat feel clogged.
But with four factories, the Chen brothers were really too busy.
Xu Shen said with difficulty: “Just for a few days, I’ll be back after we deliver the goods.”
“Okay.” Shu Ran saw Xu Shen like that and knew he had said the wrong thing… Something that would make Xu Shen misunderstand that he didn’t want him to go back, so he immediately said: “There’s no need to rush, you take your time. It’s just a few days apart from each other. It’s not a big deal.”
Everyone was working hard to start a business so he couldn’t continue to act spoiled.
Xu Shen said nothing and carefully observed Shu Ran’s performance. After making sure that Shu Ran was really not particularly reluctant to part with him, he nodded: “Okay.”
“When are you going to leave?” Shu Ran asked.
“I’ll go early, tomorrow morning.” Xu Shen said.
“Okay.” Shu Ran got his answer and started to think about it. In other words, the two of them only had an afternoon and evening to spend together, so they had to cherish it.
Xu Shen probably thought the same. That entire afternoon, his eyes were focused on Shu Ran, as if he was afraid to miss him.
Shu Ran almost couldn’t stand it, so he had to remind him: “Comrade Xu Shen, pay attention to the impact of your face!”
When they got home in the afternoon, Shu Ran took Xu Shen’s hand and said: “Don’t get busy cooking. Let’s have dinner later.”
It was hard to perform well with a full stomach!
Xu Shen nodded and boiled water for his wife. There was no need to pack any luggage for his return to Nanshi, so he followed Shu Ran into the bathroom to wash together. Well, it was mainly to help his wife take a tender and loving bath.
Shu Ran kept pestering Xu Shen in the bathroom, wanting to do whatever he wanted quickly, afraid he wouldn’t be able to see him for several days.
Xu Shen couldn’t help but inhale: “You’re so strong, it’s like you want to eat me.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to miss you.” Shu Ran left a red mark on a very secret and private territory.
Xu Shen was caught off guard and groaned, then smiled: “You bit me so hard, will it bleed?”
“No, just turn purple.” Shu Ran looked up at Xu Shen and continued: “I’ll put a mark on it to prevent you from going outside for a meal.”
Xu Shen lowered his head and looked at Shu Ran. Their eyes were so entangled that they were inseparable: “Do you think I can do that?”
Shu Ran didn’t answer him. He just used actions to arouse various thoughts, slowly appreciating his husband’s body.
Xu Shen also admired his wife carefully. He seemed so dignified and charming on paper, but he was willing to go down on his knees in front of him. Just thinking of it made him almost unsteady.
Fortunately, it was summer and it didn’t matter if the hot water turned cold. Otherwise, they would have gotten sick from the cold, just hanging around like that in the bathroom.
With the attitude of practicing well for Xu Shen, Shu Ran was particularly willing to contribute that night. Otherwise, he was usually very lazy at ordinary times. He would not stand if he could sit, and not sit if he could lie down.
“You are so diligent.” Xu Shen hugged him and chuckled, extremely satisfied. But when he thought about not being able to see his baby for many days, his heart still became heavy, so he kissed him and said: “I really want to take you with me every second.”
Shu Ran blocked his lips: “If you say that, I won’t let you go.”
“Okay, no more.” Xu Shen swallowed back what was in his heart.
“But it’s too late…” Shu Ran hugged him and hummed: “Brother Shen, I have already started to miss you. Really, hey, what do you think I should do?”
Xu Shen laughed softly: “I don’t know either.”
If he said he wouldn’t leave, would he look too spoiled?!
“Don’t you miss me?” Shu Ran rubbed him.
“I think I already do.” Xu Shen pinched his waist: “So I want you to hug me tonight.”
He was the same, just wanting to hold his wife in his arms.
…………
Xu Shen went to the train station early the next morning, but Shu Ran did not go to see him off or even leave the bed… Xu Shen refused to let him come, asking Shu Ran to rest.
Also, in such a sad place like the train station, it would be outrageous if two grown men had red eyes.
Now, Shu Ran knew that Xu Shen was also a crybaby, and he didn’t dare to act recklessly.
After his boyfriend left, Shu Ran fell asleep again, hugging a pillow filled with his scent. When he woke up, it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. The room was so quiet that it made people feel empty.
Shu Ran continued to hug the pillow. He knew what made him feel empty was not the quietness, but the fact that Xu Shen was not at home. He should be staggering on the train now.
Going back home alone, Shu Ran thought to himself, he must miss me very much…
Looking around the bedroom, Shu Ran realized that his backpack that was hanging on the wall was no longer there. Xu Shen must have taken it. Not only that, Xu Shen also took away Shu Ran’s fisherman’s hat, sitting on the train with it covering his face.
In fact, there were still a bunch of Shu Ran’s things back in Nanshi, but he still wanted to bring some items with him, feeling that his wife was accompanying him in spirit.
The first thing he did upon returning to Nanshi was to call Shu Ran. At that hour, he guessed his baby should be home.
However, Shu Ran went out to inquire about matters related to the launch of the magazine, riding Xu Shen’s favorite bicycle. When he arrived at the door of his house, he seemed to hear the phone ringing, so he quickly dropped everything in the yard, rushing in to answer the call: “Hello?”
“Why are you panting?” Xu Shen asked.
“I just got home.” Hearing Xu Shen’s voice, Ran smiled comfortably, picked up the teapot on the table, and took a sip: “I went out to get busy today.”
“I just arrived too.” Xu Shen kissed the phone: “I miss you.”
Shu Ran also kissed him, and then they both laughed, feeling very embarrassed. Fortunately, they were both making calls from their respective bedrooms, and no one saw them. “Are you hungry? Go get something to eat.”
“I want to ask you that as well.” Xu Shen said. “Now that I’m not home, what will you eat?”
Well, indeed, Shu Ran didn’t even think about that problem. “I’ll eat on the street at noon, and in the evening, I’ll go to the courtyard to take a look…”
“Okay.” Xu Shen said softly. “Go quickly, I’ll call you again at nine o’clock.”
“Okay.” Shu Ran responded.
The courtyard became a small studio, and everyone was busy working day and night. When it was time for dinner, Master Liu from Yuzhou, one of the two helpers, went to cook.
“Brother Shen went back to Nanshi?” Jiang Fan asked.
“Well, he’s back.” Shu Ran nodded.
Xie Yuan immediately said with concern: “Your yard is so big, aren’t you afraid of living alone?”
Comparing one’s heart to another’s… Well, he was afraid.
“What, you want to come live with me?” Shu Ran joked.
“Ha! Who cares about you? You didn’t care about my life or death back then, why would I care about you now?!” Xie Yuan teased Xiao Hua with a piece of vegetable and continued: “At most, I can let you take Xiao Hua back.”
Jiang Fan looked at Shu Ran worriedly: “Kaizi and the others are wrong. There are so many brothers in the factory, it’s not like Brother Shen has to be the one to work, right?”
Shu Ran shook his head and said calmly: “We have paid so much for one shipment, so nothing can go wrong. Brother Shen should go back. That way, I can sleep with peace of mind.”
Just like the Monkey King3The Monkey King or Sun Wukong (simplified Chinese: 孙悟空; traditional Chinese: 孫悟空; pinyin: Sūn Wù Kōng) is a fictional character best known as one of the main players in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West (traditional Chinese: 西遊記; simplified Chinese: 西游记), and many later stories and adaptations. In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. Sun Wukong possesses many abilities. He has amazing strength, speed, and vast memorization skills, so he is regarded as a superhero, it was Xu Shen who made them feel at ease.
Jiang Fan understood that although they were both capable, nobody had the effect of calming down the situation like Xu Shen. He was a man who didn’t appear to have an important role when there was nothing to do. However, as soon as something happened, he was the only one who could fix it.
Thinking that Xu Shen said he would call back at nine o’clock, Shu Ran went back after dinner… Taking Xiao Hua with him.
The two families were not that far apart. The three little dogs usually ran back and forth, going wherever there was food. Xiao Hua consciously started guarding the yard when she entered it.
As for Shu Ran, he hadn’t done housework by himself in a long time, but he still had to boil water and take a bath. When he finally got Xu Shen’s call, it suddenly felt like a long-distance relationship… A long-distance relationship in the landline era.
“Talk to me for an hour and then go to bed, okay?” Xu Shen’s voice was particularly gentle. It sounded like he had just taken a shower and was leaning down on the bed. His hair might still be wet.
“Okay.” Shu Ran smiled.
For an hour, they didn’t say anything of value. It was basically all nonsense. Just “I miss you” back and forth, taking up a lot of phone bills.
After talking on the phone, Shu Ran went to bed contentedly.
It was obvious that he and Xu Shen were exhausted from last night, so they should not be so eager to stick together, but after lying down, Shu Ran still wanted to have a pair of warm arms that hugged him from behind.
“Well…” He turned to one side and closed his eyes, imagining Xu Shen’s breathing behind his ear, but it didn’t help. He grabbed a handful of sheets uncomfortably.
When he called tomorrow night, he would ask Xu Shen clearly whether it was exciting to have a lonely bed and a cold pillow beside him!
He didn’t know when he finally managed to fall asleep, but Shu Ran was still dreaming when a ringtone woke him up. His eyes hurt. He got up to answer the phone and sighed: “Can you be human? I just fell asleep not long ago…”
“I envy you.” Xu Shen also sighed: “I didn’t sleep at all.”
After a few seconds of silence, Shu Ran still didn’t sympathize with him: “Oh, I hope you don’t doze off today.”
“Yes.” Xu Shen kissed the phone again. “I’m busy, you can continue to sleep.”
“I’m also busy…” Shu Ran hung up the phone, washed up, and brought some breakfast to the courtyard.
Since he was woken up, then everyone should get up early!
“Why so early?” Jiang Fan yawned and looked speechless.
“I didn’t want to wake up either…” Shu Ran muttered while eating sesame seed cakes with meat. “It’s Brother Shen’s fault, I was woken up by him.”
“He’s sick.” Jiang Fan also took one and ate it. It still tasted the same as when he was a child. “But really, why so early?!”
“Because he didn’t sleep last night, cough.” Shu Ran said. “He had insomnia.”
Jiang Fan clicked his tongue, his face filled with gloating.
Several sets of background boards were done. Jiang Fan was thinking about how to achieve the best effect when Shu Ran reminded him: “Lighting is very important. We need lights of various tones and wattages, and some light boards.”
“We can take pictures like that indoors.” Jiang Fan covered his eyes with his fingers and looked outside: “Outside, you can only look at the sky.”
“Now that the autumn weather is clear and crisp, it should be quite easy to film a short movie.” Shu Ran said.
“Well, let’s go. The decorations in our store are so good. Let’s go take a group photo first.” Jiang Fan looked at Shu Ran and continued. “You can be my assistant.”
“Have you made an appointment with the models?” Shu Ran helped him get things.
“We have an appointment.” Jiang Fan brought his camera. He had money recently and bought a lot of professional lenses, and Shu Ran also said he could reimburse them, so he bought everything he wanted enthusiastically.
When they arrived at the store, the models were already there. Shu Ran gave them clothes to change into, and Jiang Fan asked while adjusting the camera, “Can we really print a magazine?”
“It’s probably going to be printed soon.” Shu Ran said.
“How much does it cost to run a journal?” Jiang Fan held up the camera and tried Shu Ran as a model first: “Stop next to the wall.”
“Twenty thousand yuan or something.” Shu Ran said while standing next to the painted wall.
“So expensive.” Jiang Fan clicked his tongue.
“It’s our first publication!” Shu Ran said with a smile. “And it’s also not about selling pork!”
The models changed their clothes and came out. Shu Ran took a new set of cosmetics and asked them to do their own makeup and hair: “Let’s see the effect first. If it doesn’t work, I’ll find a makeup artist.”
One of the models said: “I know how to put on makeup. I study drama.”
Jiang Fan smiled and praised: “No wonder you have such a good figure and temperament.”
The girl pursed her lips shyly and then took the cosmetics bought by Shu Ran to apply makeup on the others.
Fashion magazines were a very new thing back in those days and the young girls had no idea about them. They only know that they were used to advertise clothes and they wanted to give it a try. However, when they saw the fashionable and gorgeous store decoration and the several handsome young founders from the newspapers, they vaguely felt that the job was not so simple, making them very happy to be chosen.
The model studying drama was named Xue Yan, and the other two were studying dance, named Wu Juan and Miao Jun. They were all beauties with good figures, good looks, and exquisite temperaments.
Instead of continuing to dance after graduation, they came to model with the mentality of giving it a try. Let’s look at this job first… Anyway, the boss was very generous, even paying for the transportation on the day of the interview, which was quite a lot.
It was because Shu Ran just felt that he couldn’t let people come to his store in vain. He didn’t have the face to do so.
Jiang Fan took photos of the model, and Shu Ran held the homemade light boards while listening to the instructions. His job was too tiring, but fortunately, the visual effect was good, and the finished product should be better than many photos from that era.
Due to the current limited technology, the effect of printed magazines was not as impactful as the original photos. However, the photos could also be somewhat edited, enlarged, used as posters, or placed in advertising spaces.
The three models performed very well. Before the work was over, Shu Ran asked them: “Do the three of you want to sign a long-term contract with us and become exclusive models for our brand in the future?”
The three of them looked surprised.
“The contract is favorable, and you can earn at least 10,000 yuan a year.” Shu Ran continued. “Join our team, and I guarantee that within a few years, you will all become rich little women with a car and a house.”
That day’s wages were already in their hands. It was indeed a very generous reward, looking very attractive to them.
Shu Ran saw their hesitation: “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the contract, you can go back and think about it slowly.”
“Okay.” The three girls took over the contract, feeling a little excited.
Shu Ran finished his work and went back to write the text for the clothes, detailing everything from the material to the design inspiration. Anyway, he wanted to highlight that it was a piece of clothing with a story.
He wrote all the way to nine o’clock when he answered Xu Shen’s call.
Shu Ran turned his pen and asked with a smile: “Brother Shen, did you take a nap during the day?”
“I didn’t.” Xu Shen chuckled. “Actually, staying up late isn’t scary. What’s scary is staying up late making…”
“Love.” Shu Ran answered with a smile.
“Yes.” Xu Shen coughed lightly. That birthday event left a deep impression on him.
“Is work going well today?” Shu Ran turned over a new page and casually wrote Xu Shen’s name on it.
“Good.” Xu Shen said. “What about you?”
Shu Ran: “It went well. I took a lot of photos and I’m writing the descriptions now.” Scratching his head, he continued: “It’s hard to think of how to brag about our clothes. Hey… It’s so difficult.”
“How about spending money to find a professional?” Xu Shen felt uncomfortable when he heard what he said. “I can’t help you, and I don’t want you to be too tired.”
“Well, if it really doesn’t work.” Shu Ran agreed temporarily, but he knew that he would definitely finish the job by himself in the end.
“Wife.” Xu Shen suddenly said.
“Ah?” Shu Ran asked. “What’s wrong?”
There was a moment of silence and then Xu Shen continued: “Do you remember the cactus on the desk in our house?”
“Remember.” Shu Ran said. “I planted it. What happened? It died?”
“It’s not dead, it’s alive and well…” Xu Shen chuckled: “But I accidentally pulled out a bald head for it.”
“…”
Shu Ran imagined the scene and scolded with a smile: “You are sick, why are you pulling out other people’s thorns?”
“I didn’t pay attention. When I came back to my senses… It’s okay, it shouldn’t affect it.”
“Um.”
After a pause, the two couldn’t help laughing again, and Shu Ran ordered: “Hurry up and put it on the window sill. It’s a little life after all.”
“Okay.” Xu Shen moved his wife’s little cactus over.
“That’s what talking on the phone is like, I always want to do something with my hands.” Shu Ran rubbed his cheeks and asked: “Can you guess what I am doing?”
“I can’t guess.” Xu Shen thought for a while and said.
“I’m writing your name.” Shu Ran wrote another one while speaking.
“It must look very beautiful.” Xu Shen could imagine that Shu Ran’s handwriting was as beautiful as a work of art.
“Produced by Shu Ran, quality guaranteed.”
“Yes.”
They talked for a long time until Shu Ran was startled when he looked at the time: “Brother Shen, our hour went by so fast!”
“Then… Goodbye? Go to bed and don’t stay up late writing.” Xu Shen warned worriedly. His wife’s body was incomparable to his strong one.
“Well, then you go to sleep too.” Shu Ran thought that Xu Shen didn’t have a good rest last night and wanted him to rest early.
“Okay, I’m going to sleep too.” Xu Shen kissed him across the phone: “Good night, baby.”
“Good night, Brother Shen.” Shu Ran said.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Shen leaned on the chair and stayed for a while. His body was quite tired, but he had just finished talking to Shu Ran on the phone and was very excited. He would definitely not be able to fall asleep even if he lay down.
Xu Shen picked a book and found that he had read it before and put a bookmark in it. The bookmark was made by Shu Ran. Xu Shen smiled and liked the feeling of filling his life with Shu Ran’s little things.
He felt comfortable everywhere. In just over a year, he had almost forgotten his former self.
With that brief separation and alone in his bedroom, only then did he remember the past a little bit.
But he only thought about his youth for a little while and stopped after flashing a few scenes. Xu Shen picked up the bookmark, kissed it, and continued to read quietly. When he felt sleepy, he stretched himself and went to bed.
A lot of goods were shipped during the day, and Xu Shen finally fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed.
At around nine o’clock in the morning, he woke up when the phone rang in the bedroom. Xu Shen rubbed his hair and got up to answer the phone: “Wife…”
There was a moment of silence, and then Chen Sen’s hard voice came: “Come to work!”
Then it clicked and hung up.
Xu Shen was embarrassed: “…”
Chen Sen was even more embarrassed than him. Damn it, it turned out that Xu Shen was talking so coquettishly to Shu Ran, and his voice was different from usual!
He was usually serious and cold, but Chen Sen couldn’t find anything else to describe that word except… Sultry.
When he arrived at the factory, Xu Shen saw Chen Sen staring at him. He apologized and said: “I got up late. I was too tired yesterday.”
“Brother Shen…” Chen Sen looked him up and down and continued: “I really couldn’t tell.”
Xu Shen ignored him, but it was uncomfortable to be looked at with teasing eyes: “Don’t think about it, you won’t understand until you have someone.”
“Tsk.” Chen Sen then looked away.
Instead, Xu Shen glanced at him and warned lightly: “Brother Sen, if you like someone, just tell them directly to avoid committing a crime.”
After saying that, he turned around and went back to work.
He couldn’t say much about Chen Sen. He had to deal with his problems by himself. Xu Shen truly believed that some people left because they were not good enough, but not everyone would leave. It was just unfortunate that Chen Sen encountered a bad one, so he just had to get over it.
“I…” Chen Sen wanted to say, what crime did I commit?!
But Xu Shen had already left, so he shut his mouth.
He didn’t fancy anyone and he was no longer attached to that specific someone. He was already way over it.
Back in Beijing, the three girls went back and thought carefully about the contract all night, deciding to agree to the job. The high salary attracted them, and the comfortable working environment was also an important factor.
The next day they signed a long-term contract and officially became the exclusive models of the Yunshang brand.
To facilitate work, they also moved into the courtyard.
That courtyard, which was a little deserted not long ago, suddenly became very lively and fashionable. The most important thing was that the girls were good at cooking and not addicted to spicy food. Shu Ran could finally eat food that he didn’t need to rinse with water.
The next time they talked on the phone, he told Xu Shen about it: “Juanzi and Yanzi are extraordinary cooks! You don’t have to worry about me not having enough to eat.”
“I’m still worried.” Xu Shen looked up at the calendar and warned. “I’ll be back on the 30th.
…Please be good.”
The author has something to say:
Shu Ran: What about you? Are you not good?
