WBAI Chapter 35

After Yu Feng left, Jiang Ting said to Xie An’yu, “That’s our company’s photographer.”

Now Xie An’yu finally understood why Yu Feng always carried different fragrances on him—working with models every day, it was inevitable that their perfume would linger on him.

Jiang Ting added, “If this photoshoot goes well, and you’re interested in developing into a professional model, I’ll try my best to secure an opportunity for you to collaborate with him. One shoot with him, and your career will skyrocket.”

Xie An’yu looked puzzled. “…Is he that good?”

Jiang Ting smiled. “Ah, he’s our magazine’s chief photographer.”

Although Yu Feng was the exclusive photographer for 《Charm》, his affiliation with the magazine was more of a formality—he didn’t work solely for 《Charm》. Many brand events and freelance models also sought him out for collaborations.

Jiang Ting took Xie An’yu to a small meeting room. She wanted to discuss the details of the magazine’s next shoot with him, including compensation and other terms.

***

Yu Feng entered Irene’s office. She glanced up at him and asked, “Did you run into your tenant on the way here?”

“You called me here just to ask that?” Yu Feng sat down in the chair across from her desk.

“Looks like you did,” Irene said, looking at him. “You don’t seem surprised at all. He couldn’t possibly be someone you brought in, could he?”

“Not me,” Yu Feng replied before asking, “Did Jiang Ting sign him?”

“You’ll have to ask your tenant about that when you go back. Jiang Ting just brought him here for me to take a look. I don’t know the specifics, so don’t ask me.”

“Aren’t you her superior?”

Irene lit a cigarette and pulled Xie An’yu’s resume toward her. “Even superiors don’t micromanage everything.”

“You gave your approval pretty quickly,” Yu Feng remarked.

Irene took a drag from her cigarette and chuckled. “To be honest, when I first saw him, I already thought he’d be a good fit for us. I just didn’t bring it up with you—thought he might be your young boyfriend still in school.”

The latter half of her sentence had a teasing tone, but the first half wasn’t a joke. Irene had genuinely been impressed when she first laid eyes on Xie An’yu.

Irene flipped through Xie An’yu’s resume while smoking, scanning it. “Hmm… as expected, he’s quite young.”

She was a smart woman. Piecing things together, she could roughly guess Xie An’yu’s circumstances—staying at Yu Feng’s place, dressed very simply, and applying to be a model at an age when he should be in school. He was likely a poor student with excellent looks who needed money.

However, one thing was certain: he definitely wasn’t Yu Feng’s relative. If he were, Yu Feng wouldn’t have called him a tenant. Where had Yu Feng even met this kid? Did he just pick him up for his looks?

“No wonder you’ve never been in a relationship—your standards are just too high,” Irene suddenly said, her words loaded with meaning.

At this point, Yu Feng should’ve replied; Don’t overthink it.

But he chose silence instead.

Yu Feng wasn’t one to deceive himself. Before, when Irene teased him about Xie An’yu, he could respond with ease. Now, he felt a twinge of guilt—he couldn’t be as straightforward.

Irene didn’t press the topic further; she wasn’t interested in Yu Feng’s private life.

“With his qualities, why didn’t you introduce him to us?” Irene asked Yu Feng with a smile. “The kid needs money—don’t you think you should help him out?”

《Charm》 held a fixed annual exclusive model audition month, similar to a fall recruitment drive, openly and fairly hiring models. Each position had its own responsibilities, and no matter how high Yu Feng’s standing was at 《Charm》, recruiting and signing models fell outside his duties and authority. Jiang Ting was an editor—her actively seeking out Xie An’yu was different from Yu Feng introducing him.

Yu Feng knows very well what kind of person Xie An’yu is. This kind of thing that is equivalent to going through the back door is definitely something he would never accept.

“Company personnel matters aren’t my responsibility,” Yu Feng said.

Irene scoffed, looking at Xie An’yu’s resume and murmuring, “Shuangye Isle…”

She searched the location on her computer and found numerous photos of Shuangye Isle online. The vast stretches of maple forests in the pictures were quite spectacular, with pristine, beautiful scenery.

After finishing his conversation with Irene, Yu Feng headed to the studio. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed—what were the odds that Xie An’yu would just happen to be approached by Jiang Ting from their company?

Xie An’yu lived a routine life, shuttling between home and his part-time jobs with hardly any other destinations. He had come from his hometown and had few friends in Beicheng. Without any connections, how could he have come into contact with Jiang Ting? Unless Jiang Ting had run into him on the street.

Jiang Ting…

Jiang Xiaotian…

Yu Feng entered the studio, where Jiang Xiaotian was already waiting.

“You’re here, Brother.”

Yu Feng gave a noncommittal hum and skipped the small talk, directly asking Jiang Xiaotian: “What’s your relationship with Jiang Ting?”

Jiang Xiaotian froze on the spot, thinking, I’m screwed.

He had played a trick right under the nose of a tiger and ended up shooting himself in the foot.

He knew this matter would come to light eventually, but this was way too fast—his sister had just messaged him saying everything was settled.

Jiang Xiaotian swallowed hard. Although Yu Feng’s expression hadn’t changed at all and he looked particularly calm, Jiang Xiaotian didn’t dare lie. He honestly replied, “…She’s my sister.”

“So, you introduced Xie An’yu to her?”

Jiang Xiaotian nodded slowly. “Brother… how did you find out so quickly…? Did my sister tell you?”

“No, I guessed.”

Jiang Xiaotian took a deep breath. “This… you could guess that?”

Yu Feng glanced at him. “If you changed your surname, maybe I wouldn’t have guessed.”

Jiang Xiaotian scratched his neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Brother… sister’s been looking for models recently, and I thought Xie An’yu was quite suitable, so I helped connect them. I was afraid you’d think I was meddling, so I didn’t dare tell you…”

“How did you connect them?”

“Well… I just had my sister pretend to bump into him by chance.”

Yu Feng chuckled.

“You’re… not mad, are you?”

“Why would I be mad? It’s not like you introduced him to sell a kidney.”

Jiang Xiaotian chuckled sheepishly. “I was just afraid you’d think I was acting on my own initiative. I’m relieved you’re not mad—you scared me to death. I thought my career at 《Charm》 was over.”

Yu Feng hissed and wondered. “Do I really come across as that terrifying?”

“There’s a saying—’commanding respect without anger’,” Jiang Xiaotian said with a serious expression.

“In other words, I look scary, huh?” Yu Feng smiled.

He wondered if he also appeared like a King of Hell in Xie An’yu’s eyes.

Jiang Xiaotian laughed. “Not at all, you’re very handsome, Brother. You’re comparable to many models.”

“Oh, right, Brother, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“About Jiang Ting being my sister—could you keep that a secret?” Jiang Xiaotian said. “Neither my sister nor I want people at the company to know about our relationship.”

“Mm,” Yu Feng nodded. “I understand.”

***

Jiang Ting and Xie An’yu had finished their discussion in the small meeting room. Jiang Ting said to Xie An’yu, “Stay here for a bit today. I’ll arrange for a photography assistant to give you a crash course. The photoshoot schedule is tight; we’ll be shooting in a few days. Is that okay?”

“Mm, okay.”

Jiang Ting’s phone rang. She answered, exchanged a few words, then hung up. Standing up, she said to Xie An’yu, “Then you can head to the photo studio first. I’ll contact the photography assistant in a bit and have him meet you there. You can go now, it’s on the third floor. I have something urgent to take care of right now—give me a few minutes, and I’ll be right over after I’m done.”

“Mm.”

After giving her instructions, Jiang Ting hurried off.

Jiang Ting had mentioned the studio was on the third floor but hadn’t specified which room. Xie An’yu looked around and noticed only one studio door on that floor was open. He stepped inside to take a look.

The moment Xie An’yu entered, he felt something was off. The studio was full of people, and the backdrop wasn’t just a plain white screen—it was constructed with actual props. Compared to the clothing store’s studio he’d been in before, this one was much larger.

This clearly looked like a setup for an official photoshoot about to begin. Realizing he must have walked into the wrong place, Xie An’yu was about to leave when his gaze landed on a familiar figure among a group of people—Yu Feng’s back.

Xie An’yu stood frozen for a moment, then suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He turned to look.

A very tall woman walked in from outside—not just tall, but with an intense, commanding presence. This person locked eyes with Xie An’yu for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, What’s going on here? Did they find me a partner?”

The person speaking to Xie An’yu was Tang Shu, the model scheduled for today’s shoot. A runway model, Tang Shu stood at 178 cm barefoot, and in heels, she was nearly as tall as Xie An’yu. Her arrival drew the attention of the crew present.

“Hey, isn’t that Xiao Xie?” Jiang Xiaotian remarked.

Yu Feng, who had been adjusting his camera settings, glanced up at the comment.

Tang Shu’s assistant nearby chimed in, “How could that be? If there were changes to the shooting plan changed, they’d definitely notify us in advance.”

“I just wanted an excuse to talk to a handsome guy,” Tang Shu joked. “Xiao Jiu, how could you be so tactless?”

“Alright, boss, you’re just having a social butterfly moment. Hurry up—everyone’s waiting over there.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the studio manager approached and looked at Xie An’yu. “Which department are you from? Why aren’t you wearing a work badge? Outsiders aren’t allowed in here casually. Are you an employee of our company?”

Xie An’yu was just a temporary model Jiang Ting had recruited, and his contract hadn’t even been signed yet. Strictly speaking, he was neither a staff member nor a model for 《Charm》.

Tang Shu let out an ‘Ah’ and said, “Why so serious?”

The manager gave an awkward laugh, saying, “It’s mainly because he doesn’t have a work pass. Our company is quite strict about this—no unauthorized entry into the studios without a pass. I just needed to confirm.”

People in the studio were all turning to look in their direction. Suddenly under so many gazes, Xie An’yu grew very uncomfortable. “My apologies, I must have come to the wrong place.”

Xie An’yu turned and left the studio in a hurry. He called Jiang Ting, but she didn’t answer.

Tang Shu and Yu Feng were old acquaintances. Yu Feng had collaborated with her many times since her rise to fame. She walked over and greeted Yu Feng. “We haven’t seen each other in almost three months, have we?”

“You’re flying around all the time, so it’s normal not to see each other for three months.”

Tang Shu sighed. “It’s been nearly three months since I last saw my wife. Feels like we’re in a long-distance relationship at this point.”

“Go get ready first,” Yu Feng said, turning to leave.

“The shoot’s about to start. Where are you going now?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Tang Shu chuckled. “Always so aloof.”

Yu Feng stepped out of the studio and glanced around. Xie An’yu was still outside, calling Jiang Ting. He turned his head and saw Yu Feng walking towards him.

“Why are you here?” Yu Feng asked him.

“Editor Jiang Ting told me to come to the photo studio, but I didn’t know which one.”

“Have you contacted her?”

Xie An’yu hummed. “No answer. She just said she had something urgent earlier, so she might still be busy.”

“Did you sign a contract with Jiang Ting?” Yu Feng studied Xie An’yu. “A long-term one?”

Xie An’yu shook his head. “No.”

“A temporary collaboration?”

Xie An’yu hummed in affirmation.

“Go wait inside the studio. She’ll call you if she can’t find you,” Yu Feng said. “There are places to sit in there. No need to stand around out here like a fool.”

“I’d rather not go in… there are too many people…”

“If you become a model, there will be just as many people on set when you’re being photographed. Are you going to avoid them then too?” Yu Feng looked at him. “Might as well start getting used to it now.”

Xie An’yu thought for a moment, then nodded.

Yu Feng walked back into the studio, Xie An’yu trailing behind him. The staff inside once again turned their attention to the entrance, their gazes lingering on Xie An’yu—this time their gazes held a bit more curiosity.

Yu Feng told Xie An’yu to find a place to sit. The studio manager approached Yu Feng, glancing in Xie An’yu’s direction, and asked, “Teacher Yu, do you know him?”

“He’s a model,” Yu Feng simply stated, turning his head to look at the manager. “Do you think someone who looks like him could be an ordinary passerby?”

The manager chuckled. “He doesn’t really look like one. I hadn’t even had a chance to ask earlier—he left too quickly. Is he shooting today too?”

“No, he’s waiting for someone. I just let him sit inside for a bit.”

Tang Shu had already changed into her outfit. Seeing Yu Feng bring the young man back inside, she watched as the young man took a seat in the corner, facing the wall, and was on his phone.

“Told me not to worry, only to go out and pick up a stray,” Tang Shu remarked as she walked over. “You know that kid?”

Yu Feng didn’t answer. He picked up his camera and continued adjusting settings. Looking at the camera display, he said, “I’ve noticed your mouth is just like your significant other’s.”

“What do you mean?” Tang Shu’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Say it clearly.”

“Both equally annoying.”

Tang Shu laughed. “Oh, you! I’m going to report you to the Chief.”

“Go ahead.” Yu Feng glanced toward Xie An’yu as he spoke.

Xie An’yu sat facing the wall with his back to everyone, his posture ramrod straight even while seated.

[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 35″]
耐人尋味 (nài rén xún wèi): to be thought-provoking; to provide food for thought; worth thinking over; be worth pondering over; afford for thought; there is much food for thought; provide much food for thought; afford much food for thought; stand careful reading/pondering over; something worth careful consideration or contemplation.

自欺欺人 (zì qī qī rén): to deceive oneself as well as others; to fool oneself alongside others; to deceive others and to deceive oneself; to believe one’s own lies; self-deception; it is often used to refuse to face the facts.

不怒自威 (bù nù zì wēi): commanding respect without anger; awe-inspiring without anger; without showing anger, one’s majestic temperament inspires awe. This idiom is often used to describe the aura of a person in a high position or a leader with a righteous and awe-inspiring character.
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