Han Ming was still speculating repeatedly when Xin Zimai, who had already left Green City TV, dialed Zhou Jinchen’s number.
Zhou Jinchen was shooting a magazine cover today. When his phone rang, it happened to be break time. As the makeup artist touched up his look, he connected to his Bluetooth earpiece.
“The contract has been settled.” Xin Zimai’s voice came through the small white earpiece. “Just as you said, I used Jin Dian’s authority to sign the contract for him directly.”
Zhou Jinchen gave a faint response and closed his eyes. The soft bristles of the brush swept lightly over his eyelids, further accentuating his already striking and well-defined features. His looks weren’t the rugged type—his nose was straight and refined, his thin lips enticing people. Even without any makeup, his face carried an exceptional delicacy, a beauty that blurred the lines of gender.
As the brush moved downward, his slightly closed eyes slowly opened. The piercing brightness in his gaze gradually settled within his beautiful eyes, stripping away any trace of femininity from his androgynous beauty. His outstanding appearance undoubtedly provided him with an advantage, but the reason he had remained explosively popular for five years wasn’t just because of his looks.
Unlike An Xumo’s youthful and pure charm, Zhou Jinchen’s presence carried an intoxicating allure. His appearance alone was enough to capture everyone’s attention, but it was his aura that truly made people fall into him. This was why his short clips frequently went viral on Weibo, with each screenshot garnering tens of thousands of shares.
In still photography, Zhou Jinchen’s ability to express himself was beyond question. He was every photographer’s dream model, capable of embodying any mood or style flawlessly. But in an era where heavy Photoshop was the norm and retouchers’ work often outshone the models themselves, only those who could exude charm in motion could truly withstand the test of time.
It was no exaggeration to say that Zhou Jinchen was born for the camera.
More than a dozen magazines had given him this recognition, some of which hosted prestigious annual fashion galas. The raw sensuality that radiated from his very being was like a domineering, rich sandalwood fragrance—intoxicating and inescapable once ignited.
The person touching up Zhou Jinchen’s makeup wasn’t his usual stylist but a professional makeup artist from the magazine. She was still young but had been in the industry for quite some time. Yet, facing such a face up close, it was impossible to remain unaffected. In the end, she couldn’t help it—her face flushed slightly.
As the makeup artist hurriedly tried to hide her flushed cheeks, Zhou Jinchen remained unaware of the subtle changes around him. Xin Zimai’s voice continued in his earpiece, “The contract is settled, but have you told him about it yet?”
Zhou Jinchen absentmindedly tapped his fingers against the armrest. “I wouldn’t say anything before it was confirmed.”
“You…” Xin Zimai was momentarily speechless. Going through all the trouble to squeeze someone into such a high-rated variety show, yet not even informing the person benefiting from it—Xin Zimai found it truly unbelievable.
“Mr. Zhou, Brother Zhou, are you really planning to play the role of a kind and caring older brother now?”
“This is what I owe him.”
Zhou Jinchen lowered his gaze. The bright overhead lights poured down, casting deep shadows in his eyes.
“I said that I would personally apologize to him.”
At the mention of this, it inevitably brought up the serious illness Zhou Jinchen had suffered ten years ago. Xin Zimai sighed and his tone grew heavier. “We’re still looking into that matter. Jinchen, don’t worry too much.”
“Mm.” Zhou Jinchen responded softly without further comment.
Xin Zimai asked, “So, are you going to tell him about the recording yourself? The production team needs his information, and I also need to talk to Tang Tang to arrange Xiao An’s schedule.”
Zhou Jinchen tapped the armrest twice more before speaking. “Do I have any other engagements after the cover shoot?”
Xin Zimai thought for a moment. “There’s an exclusive interview, about two hours. They also want to invite you to dinner after the interview.”
Zhou Jinchen said, “I’ll try to speed up the shoot, move the interview earlier, but skip the dinner. Book another restaurant for me instead.”
After agreeing, Xin Zimai suddenly realized and asked, “Are you inviting Xiao An to dinner?”
“Mm.”
“Which restaurant should I book?”
“…”
Zhou Jinchen suddenly fell silent, realizing that he couldn’t remember what his long-unseen younger brother liked to eat.
Although he didn’t need to rely on excessive social maneuvering to secure resources, his position still required him to attend various necessary engagements. In the entire S City, there was hardly a high-end restaurant he hadn’t visited—whether it was Chinese, Western, Japanese, Korean, or Thai cuisine, he had the perfect venue for any occasion.
But now, for the first time, he felt a little clueless.
Xin Zimai, always quick to catch on, immediately understood the reason for the pause. Naturally, he offered, “I’ll ask Tang Tang and see what Xiao An prefers. Once I’ve booked it, I’ll send you the details. Oh, do you need me to inform him about the dinner?”
“No need.” Zhou Jinchen said slowly, “I’ll call him myself.”
After hanging up, the photoshoot resumed. Zhou Jinchen rose from the lounge area and stepped into the brightly lit spotlight.
* * *
While the person inviting was actively making arrangements, the one being invited remained completely unaware.
An Xumo had just finished half a day of vocal training and was sucking on a cool, spicy mint lozenge to soothe his throat. Tang Tang took him back to her office and laid out several development plans on the desk.
“The company plans to offer you opportunities in both solo and group activities to test the water. Group projects are more flexible to execute but might take longer. Solo work carries more risk, but we’ll need to secure as many resources as possible.”
Since they had already discussed this before, Tang Tang didn’t repeat herself. “Since the company has provided solo resources, you should focus on developing your solo career. Although this path is riskier, the potential is higher, and it will save time in the early stages.”
“What if it’s a debut as a solo artist? Right now, the company has three main training plans for newcomers. I’ll explain them one by one.” Tang Tang pressed her thumb against her pinky, holding up three fingers. “The first is participating in talent shows. Last year, new regulations were introduced restricting certain types of talent showcases, cutting down on those dramatic, tear-jerking backstory programs by the higher-ups. As a result, performance-based talent competitions are seeing a resurgence. In the second half of this year, Jin Dian negotiated collaborations with four talent shows. If you debut solo, this is a relatively controllable starting point. Given your qualifications and the company’s resources, making it to the finals wouldn’t be an issue.”
An Xumo bit down on his mint candy, lightly grinding it between his teeth without responding.
Tang Tang placed another proposal on the table and continued, “The second option is shooting music videos. Since your focus is on singing and dancing rather than just vocals, MV exposure is crucial. The company will first arrange for you to appear in other artists’ MVs. Once you gain some experience, if the results are promising, I can try negotiating for you to sing the opening or ending theme of one of the company’s new dramas…”
Before she could finish, the phone on the table lit up. She glanced at the screen mid-sentence and suddenly exclaimed, “Qu…?!”
Tang Tang’s trailing voice hung in the air, and An Xumo curiously looked over. He saw Tang Tang staring at the screen in shock, as if she had just received a bank notification that a million yuan had been deposited into her account.
“Xin, Xin Xin…”
An Xumo was puzzled. “What’s wrong? Just answer the call first.”
Only then did Tang Tang snap out of it. She hurriedly grabbed her phone, drawing an exaggerated cross over her chest with her other hand.
“Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, go eat first. I’ll talk to you later ah.”
Since Tang Tang was taking a call, An Xumo had no choice but to grab his lunch from the break room. As he shut the door, he could still hear Tang Tang’s barely concealed excitement. “Hello, this is Tang—Tang Tang speaking.”
…
An Xumo wondered if today’s lunch would have a little more sugar.
But reality was disappointing as always. Lunch was just another bland, repetitive meal. By the time he struggled through his unappetizing fitness meal, Tang Tang stormed into the break room like a gust of wind, hastily dragging him back to her office.
As soon as she entered the office, Tang Tang grabbed the three development plans and, right in front of An Xumo, stuffed all of them into the shredder.
“…” An Xumo was a bit confused.
“Alright, Xiao Mo, your job now is to completely forget everything I just told you.” After disposing of the documents, Tang Tang clapped her hands happily. “We have a brand-new starting point!”
An Xumo glanced at her. Though he didn’t quite understand the excitement, he still cooperated and asked, “What happened?”
Tang Tang was about to explain but suddenly stopped herself. “Uh, well, someone will explain it to you later. Just take a break for now; you still have training this afternoon. Once the new plan is finalized, I’ll go over everything with you.”
An Xumo didn’t pay much mind to her intense reaction. He simply nodded. “Okay.”
As he left, Tang Tang was still so delighted that she couldn’t help but hum a tune. Just before he stepped out, she called after him. “Oh, right, Xiao Mo, someone from the company asked about your food preferences today—they said it was for the official website’s profile. Since you weren’t around, I just told them you like pan-seared salmon with no oil and chicken breast. Just keep that in mind for now ah.”
An Xumo’s hand paused on the doorknob.
Tang Tang didn’t notice his reaction. “Anyway, it’s not set in stone yet. Later on, the company will customize a whole list of preferences for you. You can change it when the time comes.”
”…Okay.”
An Xumo closed the door and stopped outside for a moment.
He didn’t like chicken breast. He didn’t like fitness meals either.
Chicken breast was going to the top of his list of least favorite foods.
The author has something to say:
Everything in this story is purely fictional. Please don’t overanalyze. Thank you~
Zhou Jinchen: Let’s have dinner together tonight.
An Xumo: (☆▽☆)
Chicken Breast: Eat me! Eat me!
An Xumo: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴?!!
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