Chapter 11

"What's wrong, Ning?" The pretty, adorable makeup artist patted Chi Ning's head. "Did something upset you? Tell your big sis. Did Teacher Mo bully you?"

The moment Qin Heng walked in, he heard that and couldn't stop his gaze from drifting toward Chi Ning.

Could Mo Yuanzhou possibly bully Chi Ning?

Absolutely not. That man spoiled Chi Ning rotten, like he was his actual father.

"No." Chi Ning closed his eyes and let the makeup artist work on his face. "I just have something bothering me."

Mo Yuanzhou handed Qin Heng over to another makeup artist, who pressed him into the chair beside Chi Ning. He could clearly hear the lift at the end of Chi Ning's voice as he complained.

"What could our young master Chi possibly be worried about?" The makeup artists teased with grins. "What problem can't money solve?"

Qin Heng fell silent, suddenly remembering how Chi Ning's face had gone stern when he heard Qin Heng had gotten into a fight during basketball on Monday.

What had it been over again? It seemed Chi Ning had misunderstood him as being involved in loan sharking.

"I'm worried about money, actually." Chi Ning sighed. "There's a sum of money I want to give someone openly and honestly, but I don't want him to feel inferior because of it or start disliking me. I also don't want him to be too grateful to me. What should I do?"

Qin Heng's breathing hitched.

Was he talking about him? No way. Could Chi Ning really have fallen for him?

But he was straight.

Thinking about how Chi Ning had sent his driver to buy him bayberry juice, Qin Heng became even more convinced that he was right.

Chi Ning wanted to help him quietly, but he was afraid of hurting his pride.

He didn't like Chi Ning. He couldn't string someone along while taking his money.

He had to find a way to reject him.

Right. Had Chi Ning made this decision because he thought Qin Heng was involved in loan sharking?

Qin Heng's thoughts were in a complete mess. The makeup artist working on him looked utterly exasperated. "Young man, why are you tensing your face so hard? Keep it up and your makeup will cake. Are you training your jaw muscles?"

-

Chi Ning's skin was fair. He only needed a little color and some glitter applied, so his makeup was finished quickly. He was now standing beside Mo Yuanzhou, waiting for everyone to choose their clothes.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but why did this batch of clothes have so many metal accessories...?

Chi Ning had just opened his mouth to say something when his wrist tightened, and someone shoved him straight into the changing room.

His back hit the changing room wall. Trapped in Qin Heng's shadow, he stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

Qin Heng's gaze swept over his glitter-dusted lashes. The words telling Chi Ning not to like him took a turn in his throat and became, "I'm not involved in loan sharking. That day, Yue Yaozong asked me for money to spend. He tried to rob me, so I fought back."

Chapter 11

Chi Ning froze for a moment.

Loan sharking?

Oh, right. A week ago, he really had been worried about how to persuade Qin Heng to stop "collecting debts." At the time, Qin Heng hadn't denied it.

"Got it." Chi Ning pressed himself awkwardly against the wall and drew back the wrist Qin Heng was holding.

Qin Heng abruptly let go, his thoughts finally returning to the right track. He had to tell Chi Ning that he didn't like men.

"No matter what you do, I won't—"

"Where are you? Time to start!"

Mo Yuanzhou's raised voice interrupted Qin Heng.

Qin Heng took a deep breath and gave Chi Ning a long look before lifting the changing room curtain and walking over to Mo Yuanzhou.

Mo Yuanzhou handed him an outfit and patted him on the shoulder. "Put this on. Relax. It's just a photoshoot."

Chi Ning was completely baffled. He had no idea why those words couldn't be said openly and had to be discussed while dragging him in here, as though they were something shameful.

Mo Yuanzhou folded his arms and studied Chi Ning's puzzled expression, then handed him a black shirt. "Go change."

Chi Ning breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the shirt, but after putting it on, that breath caught in his throat.

From the front, the black shirt looked perfectly proper, with dense fabric covering him up. But there wasn't a single piece of fabric on the back. Alloy chains hung down in staggered layers, knocking against his back with the slightest movement and making him feel as if both his heart and back were exposed to the wind.

It took Chi Ning a long time to tuck the shirt into his pants. He stood up, then sat back down. He simply didn't have the courage to walk out, so he curled up miserably in the changing room, suddenly feeling that this fitting fee wasn't worth earning after all.

The changing room curtain was lifted open by a narrow crack, and the dark blue Patek Philippe on the visitor's wrist revealed his identity.

Chi Ning was on the verge of tears. "Teacher Mo, can I change into something else?"

Mo Yuanzhou handed him a scarf. "Drape this over yourself. Everyone's waiting for you."

So changing was not an option.

Chi Ning dejectedly wrapped himself up tight.

Seeing that the shirt had been tucked in even tighter than thermal underwear, Mo Yuanzhou finally understood why Chi Ning always wore white shirts.

Other than his face, this boy had absolutely no connection to fashion.

He sighed, resigned himself, and reached out to adjust Chi Ning's clothes. "This isn't how you wear it. Don't bunch yourself up so tightly. Pull it out a little."

Chi Ning lowered his head and worried at the scarf.

The shirt was fine when tucked into his pants, but once it was pulled out a little, the sides of his waist showed. His back felt bare too, making him even more uncomfortable.

"Don't be shy, Ning. That's just how the fashion world is." The makeup artist smiled as she tugged at the scarf Chi Ning was gripping. "All right, let us fix the accessories on your back."

Caught off guard, Chi Ning had the scarf snatched away. A chill ran across his back, followed by a chorus of astonished exclamations around him.

"Wow, what a gorgeous back! That back could be insured."

"Those curves, those dimples at his waist... he'd drive a whole crowd of designers crazy in England."

"So slim. Wow."

"Oh my god, this back is perfect for cupping."

Chi Ning had never experienced anything like this in either of his lives. Even the tips of his ears turned red. The moment the accessories were adjusted, he fled to the camera crew. Only after his ears were free of the noise did he let out a long breath.

Mo Yuanzhou fully displayed his capitalist nature. He drove Chi Ning and Qin Heng onto the platform and personally instructed them on their poses.

"Chi Ning, turn your back to the camera and face Qin Heng. Stand half a step offset from each other. Qin Heng, raise your hand a little and support your classmate."

There was nowhere on Chi Ning's back to place a hand, so Qin Heng could only hover his hand there. Mo Yuanzhou frowned at the sight.

Just as expected, these two were as stiff as two strangers.

He stepped forward, grabbed Qin Heng's hand, pried his fingers apart one by one, then pressed his middle and index fingers together and had him hook them around the chains on Chi Ning's back. "Rest it here."

Chi Ning's mind had wandered elsewhere until Mo Yuanzhou grabbed his hand and placed it against the side of Qin Heng's neck. His thumb was pried apart and pressed against Qin Heng's Adam's apple.

The bead-like Adam's apple rolled beneath his thumb.

Chi Ning nearly stopped breathing.

Even when his relationship with Qin Heng had been at its best in his previous life, they had only ever sat at the same table to eat. Their greatest physical contact had been when Qin Heng accidentally touched his fingers while handing him coffee.

But in this life...

How had things come to this?!

Mo Yuanzhou looked at the two models, whose bodies were not touching at all and whose hands alone touched each other, and nodded in satisfaction.

Qin Heng's gaze drifted. His knuckles rested against the cool skin of the other's back, but what came to mind was the ankle he had grabbed when he fell in that alley half a month ago.

A slender white wrist flashed through his mind.

Mo Yuanzhou shouted, "Qin Heng, stop letting your eyes wander! Look at the camera!"

Mo Yuanzhou was completely different while working than when playing basketball. His sense of pressure suddenly intensified, and he became utterly focused.

"Chi Ning, are you pretending to be a log? Why are you looking down? Lift your head and look at your partner! Turn your face slightly."

Like a puppet on strings, Chi Ning looked at Qin Heng's profile and somehow finished the difficult first shot.

He was dazed throughout the shoot. Although he and Qin Heng didn't make any large-scale physical contact, the whole thing still felt strangely weird.

The important part was that those makeup artists kept giggling at the photos, their ears bright red.

Even when he leaned closer to listen, all he could hear was perfectly normal discussion about sales.

For example—

"This set will definitely make a name for itself and sell like crazy in England."

Chi Ning held the milk tea Mo Yuanzhou had ordered for delivery, keeping his eyes and ears open. He saw Qin Heng walk over to Teacher Mo and say evenly, "When you asked me to do this shoot, you never said the outfits would be this revealing."

Mo Yuanzhou's expression cooled. "What? Are you backing out?"

"No." Qin Heng paused. "I want more money."

Mo Yuanzhou: ...

How had he run into two little money-grubbers?

"Twelve hundred each. Not a cent more. You two have no fame and aren't professional models. Any more would disrupt the market."

Qin Heng stopped while he was ahead. "Fine."

Chi Ning quietly let out a wow and gave Qin Heng a thumbs-up.

Even a mosquito had meat on it. Who would ever complain about having too much money?

Qin Heng glanced at Chi Ning's lips, moistened by milk tea into a cinnamon shade, then turned his face away coldly.

Chi Ning picked out a taro paste, red bean, and oolong tea and held it out to him, asking curiously, "How did you know Teacher Mo would give you more money?"

"I don't drink that." Qin Heng pushed it away.

"Just try it. This one's different from mine. It doesn't have milk." Chi Ning remembered that he didn't like dairy products.

Qin Heng silently accepted it.

Chi Ning even knew he didn't like dairy products.

Who had told him? Zhang Qiuwen?

Since when had Zhang Qiuwen become close enough with Chi Ning to discuss Qin Heng's private matters?

Qin Heng poked the straw in and took a sip. The taro paste and red beans flooded his mouth. It really was good.

But that wasn't a reason for Chi Ning to ask Zhang Qiuwen about his preferences.

"Don't waste your time on me."

Qin Heng looked down at Chi Ning's eyes. "We're not the same kind of people."

The words came out of nowhere.

Chi Ning mulled over them for a long time without understanding.

First, he hadn't spent any time on Qin Heng.

Second, he had known two weeks ago that he and Qin Heng were not on the same path for the time being.

He bit his straw and gave an "oh," taking intermittent sips of his milk tea.