Chapter 11

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

Qin Heng had just walked in when he heard that, and his gaze drifted uncontrollably toward Chi Ning.

Could Mo Yuanzhou bully Chi Ning?

Absolutely not. That man spoiled Chi Ning rotten, practically like his real 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 and pressed him into the chair beside Chi Ning. He could clearly hear the drawn-out note at the end of Chi Ning's complaints.

"What could possibly bother our Young Master Chi?" The makeup artists teased him with grins. "Is there anything money can't solve?"

Qin Heng fell silent. He suddenly remembered Monday's billiards game, when Chi Ning's face had gone stern after hearing that he had hit someone.

What had that been about again? Something about Chi Ning mistakenly thinking he was involved in loan sharking.

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

Qin Heng's breathing hitched.

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

But he was straight.

Thinking of how Chi Ning had sent his driver to buy him bayberry juice, Qin Heng became even more convinced that his guess 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 their money.

He had to think of a way to refuse.

Right. Had Chi Ning made this decision because he mistakenly thought Qin Heng was a loan shark?

Qin Heng's thoughts ran wild. The makeup artist working on him looked utterly exasperated. "Kid, why are you tensing your face so hard? Keep it up and your makeup will cake. Are you training your jaw muscles?"

Chi Ning had fair skin, so he only needed a little color and some glitter. His makeup was finished quickly, and he stood beside Mo Yuanzhou while waiting for everyone to choose their clothes.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but why were there so many metal accessories on this batch of clothes...?

Just as Chi Ning was about to say something, his wrist tightened, and someone shoved him straight into the changing room.

His back hit the wall of the changing room. Trapped in Qin Heng's shadow, he widened his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Qin Heng's gaze swept over his glitter-dusted eyelashes. 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, I fought because Yue Yaozong asked me for money. He wanted to rob me, so I fought back."

Chi Ning froze for a moment.

Loan sharking?

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

"Got it." Chi Ning pressed himself awkwardly against the wall and shrank back his captured wrist.

Qin Heng suddenly let go, his thoughts finally returning to the right track. He needed 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, gave Chi Ning a long look, lifted the changing room curtain, and turned to walk over to Mo Yuanzhou.

Mo Yuanzhou handed him some clothes and patted Qin Heng's shoulder. "Put this on. Relax, it's just a photoshoot."

Chi Ning was completely baffled. He had no idea why those two sentences couldn't be said openly, why Qin Heng had to drag him in here to hide as though it were something shameful.

Mo Yuanzhou crossed his arms and studied the confused Chi Ning before handing him a black shirt. "Go change."

Chi Ning sighed in relief when he saw the shirt, but once he put it on, that breath caught in his throat.

The black shirt looked perfectly proper from the front, the fabric covering him tightly. But there wasn't a scrap of cloth across the back. Alloy chains hung in staggered layers, clinking against his spine with even the slightest movement, making it feel as though both his heart and back were exposed to the wind.

It took Chi Ning ages to tuck the shirt into his pants. He stood, then sat back down. He truly couldn't bring himself to walk out, so he curled up miserably in the changing room, suddenly feeling that this reagent money wasn't worth earning after all.

The changing room curtain opened a crack, and the dark blue Patek Philippe on the visitor's wrist revealed his identity.

Chi Ning looked close to tears. "Teacher Mo, can I change into something else?"

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

Apparently, changing was not an option.

Chi Ning dejectedly wrapped himself up tightly.

Looking at the shirt tucked in even tighter than long johns, 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 and resigned himself to helping Chi Ning adjust his clothes. "That's not how you wear this. Don't wrap yourself up so tightly. Pull it out a little."

Chi Ning lowered his head and worriedly clutched the scarf.

The shirt was fine tucked into his pants, but once he pulled it out a little, the sides of his waist showed, and his back felt bare. He became even more uncomfortable.

"Don't be shy, Ningzai. That's just how the fashion world is." The makeup artist smiled and tugged away 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. His back went cold, and a wave of astonished exclamations rose around him.

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

"That curve, those dimples at his waist... he'd charm a whole crowd of designers in England."

"So slim. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Oh my God, this back would be perfect for cupping."

Chi Ning had never experienced anything like this in either of his lives. Even the tips of his ears turned bright red. The moment they finished arranging the accessories, he fled to the cameraman's side. Only after the noise around his ears quieted did he let out a long breath.

Mo Yuanzhou fully embraced his capitalist nature, driving Chi Ning and Qin Heng onto the platform and personally instructing them on their poses.

"Chi Ning, face away from the camera and stand facing Qin Heng, half a step offset. Qin Heng, raise your hand a little and steady your classmate."

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

Just as expected, the two of them were so stiff they looked like unfamiliar persimmons.

He walked over, grabbed Qin Heng's hand, separated his fingers one by one, then pressed his middle and index fingers together and had him hook them around the chain on Chi Ning's back. "Put it here."

Chi Ning was spacing out until Mo Yuanzhou grabbed his hand and placed it against Qin Heng's neck. His thumb was pulled open and pressed against Qin Heng's Adam's apple.

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

Chi Ning nearly stopped breathing.

Even when he and Qin Heng had been closest in his previous life, they had only sat at the same table to eat. Their greatest physical contact had been when Qin Heng accidentally brushed his fingers while handing him coffee.

But in this life...

How had things turned out like this?!

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

Qin Heng's gaze drifted. His knuckles pressed against the cool skin behind Chi Ning's back, but what came to mind was the ankle he had grabbed while lying 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 when he worked than when he played billiards. His presence became sharply oppressive, and he was utterly focused.

"Chi Ning, are you pretending to be a block of wood? Why are you looking down? Raise 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 managed to finish the difficult first shot.

He went through the shoot in a daze. Though he and Qin Heng didn't have any major physical contact overall, the whole thing still felt strangely suggestive.

The key was that those makeup artists kept giggling at the photos, their ears all red.

Even when he leaned closer to listen, all he could hear were perfectly normal discussions 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 everyone, watching in every direction and listening carefully. He saw Qin Heng walk up to Teacher Mo and say neither humbly nor arrogantly, "When you asked me to do this shoot, you never said the clothes would be this revealing."

Mo Yuanzhou's expression cooled. "What? Are you planning to break the contract?"

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

Mo Yuanzhou: ...

How had he ended up with these two little money-grubbers?

"Twelve hundred each. Not a cent more. You have no fame and you're not professional models. Any more would disrupt the market."

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

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

Even a mosquito was still meat. Who would ever complain about having too much money?

Qin Heng glanced at Chi Ning's lips, turned cinnamon-colored by the milk tea, then coldly looked away.

Chi Ning selected a taro-red bean oolong milk tea and offered it 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 that he didn't like dairy products.

Who had told him? Zhang Qiuwen?

Since when had Zhang Qiuwen become close enough to Chi Ning to discuss his private matters?

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

But that didn't justify Chi Ning asking Zhang Qiuwen about his preferences.

"Don't waste your time on me."

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

The words came out of nowhere.

Chi Ning pondered 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 down on his straw and gave an "oh," taking intermittent sips of his milk tea.