Chapter 31
Fei Zhennan was quite clear about this.
When he first saw the teenager a few months ago in the studio of Fashion Entertainment, he had been attracted by the youth’s incomparable control of the lens.
Not every model had an excellent temperament, but this boy had it. Not every model had a first class sense of the lens, but this body had it. Not every model could get the approval of his stupid daughter and be invited as the chief model, but this boy did all of it!
In this spacious studio, the dark blue background reflected off the lighting boards, projecting a faint blue halo. A tall and handsome young man was standing on a ground covered in white feathers. He calmly took different postures, casually allowing the camera to capture him.
A sense of the lens didn’t mean that the model had to be watching the lens, nor did it mean that the model should be fully show on the camera.
Fei Zhennan rarely felt this tacit understanding that didn’t need words. Sometimes the youth slightly raised his head, eyes looking down at the camera. Other times, he was staring into nothingness with helpless eyes.
In the quiet and spacious studio, everyone only heard the constant sound of the shutter clicking.
No one said a word, or took any actions. Old Fei also stopped directing from behind the camera. He just became the photographer who shot this beauty, the young man who constantly changed his posture and made different angles.
In just a few minutes, hundreds of photos had been taken.
Once Ming Yu finished shooting this set of clothing, he quickly left and changed clothes. After the make-up and the finishing touches on the clothing, he was once again in front of the camera, allowing the ‘click click click’ sound to be heard.
By the time all the photos were taken, the old man had been working the whole day without eating lunch. Ming Yu also only ate biscuits while waiting for his turn. Therefore, the two people grabbed a bowl of glutinous rice porridge and sat at a table to eat.
Old Fei picked up his chopsticks and smiled. “Ming Yu, those photos are good. There is still some time before the fashion show. If you come see me later, you can pick a few of them and I will give them to you.”
Ming Yu was scooping up a spoonful of vegetable soup when he heard this. He smiled and nodded. “Okay, Old Fei. If it isn’t too troublesome then we can go after finishing the meal.”
Not everything was over after the photos were taken. The photographer had to sift through hundreds of photos to select the best one for later retouching. For example, many models looked greasy, even with powder on their faces. This required the photographer to fix later.
Of course, not every photographer needed to do this personally. Some liked to have their assistants help, while they were in charge of shooting the best picture.
Master Fei drank a mouthful of white porridge and shook his head with a smile, “What trouble? I had a glance through and the effect is great. I hardly need to do any late work on it. Your skin is delicate and the light feeling is also quite good. If you are willing, I can even send a few shots for you to hang at home.”
Ming Yu smiled and accepted Master Fei’s praise.
They finished eating the last of the white porridge and Ming Yu walked with Old Fei to his temporary studio. Old Fei spoke as he walked. “Ming Yu, this silly girl is really troubling you. It is her first fashion show and there are many deficiencies. I am really grateful that you accepted this job and can help her.”
Ming Yu was startled by these words, before smoothly replying, “Old Fei, Sister Xin gave me a chance, so I am very grateful to her.”
Fei Zhennan pushed open the studio door while listening to this young man. Then he shook his head. “Sixin shouldn’t have a newcomer be her chief model, but you aren’t a new model. Ming Yu, you have a good sense of the lens and your temperament is also very good. I have shot many supermodels, including this country’s top supermodels. I even did a cover shot for Xi Ze when he first debuted.”
Ming Yu looked up at Old Fei after hearing the name. He just listened as the latter continued, “Your sense of the lens is really the best out of all the models I’ve seen. The other supermodel in Muse, you should be familiar with He Chaoman right?”
Ming Yu nodded. “As an elder sister in the company, I have seen her from a distance.”
Old Fei smiled. “Yes, Chaoman’s temperament is very good. She was born into luxury, but doesn’t lack affinity towards others. This trait allows her to attract the attention of others on the catwalk, but not take away from the beauty of the clothing. However, her sense of the lens is ordinary. When I first started taking photos of her, I was always training her. Her performance became skilled later on, but she often made me complain about many things, haha.”
Ming Yu knew that Old Fei was talking about intimate matters, suggesting that he really regarded Ming Yu as his own. This recognition was also helpful to Ming Yu. He slightly raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Sister Man is very strong.”
Old Fei waved his hand. “She isn’t as good as you in front of the lens! Your sense of the lens... Ming Yu, you can’t say this to other people, especially that man. However, when I am shooting you, I feel that you are absolutely no worse than that man!”
Ming Yu was slightly stunned as he heard ‘that man’. He frowned and asked, “Old Fei, what man are you talking about?”
Old Fei raised his white eyebrows. “Of course, it is Xi Ze!”
Ming Yu, “...”
Who would know if he didn’t say it!
The old man touched his chin and continued. “Xi Ze doesn’t look like it, but he is actually very stingy. Ming Yu, you might have no contact with him now, but you are still in the same company. As a newcomer with such potential, you will eventually come into contact with Xi Ze. At that time, you absolutely can’t tell him that I said these words!”
Ming Yu, “...”
Was this why there were misconceptions about Chinese people?
After selecting a few photos in the studio, it was soon evening and it wasn’t long before the fashion show would start. Luo Ru found it difficult to enter the room to interrupted Ming Yu and Old Fei, so she sent a text message to Ming Yu, reminding him to go to make-up.
Ming Yu politely said goodbye to Old Fei and turned to leave.
However, he had just turned around and taken two steps when a hesitant voice was heard from behind him. “Ming Yu, what you said on that program... were you serious?”
Ming Yu’s footsteps paused and he turned to look at the old man behind him. The world’s top photographer had a complex look on his face. His expression was too complication and couldn’t be understood. However, his eyes were sincere, causing Ming Yu’s heart to slowly soften.
Under the shining light, the handsome youth gentle smiled and replied. “Yes, Old Fei. Everyone must have their own goal, and my goal has always been to aim for the top. Right now, that seems to be Xi Ze.”
Ming Yu deliberately didn’t conceal his ambition from the old man who cared about him.
The two people stared at each other for a long time before Old Fei suddenly laughed and clapped. “Good! Ming Yu, your goal is good! Tonight, Xi Ze will also attend this fashion show as designer. This might be your first step, so you have to grasp it!”
Ming Yu agreed and left the studio without looking back.
At this moment, Ming Yu and Fei Zhennan didn’t know that a month ago, a certain man had sneaked into the Pei Feng fashion show, or that he watched the boy say “I want to go beyond Xi Ze” over and over again.
Today, on the evening of December 14th, 2016, a luxurious vehicle stopped at the entrance of the fashion show’s venue. The driver quickly alighted and opened the rear seat door, and a pair of shiny shoes appeared on the red carpet.
The city’s colourful neon lights shone in the sky and countless reporters stood in the cold around the red carpet, waiting for the guests who would come to the fashion show.
Yes, Fei Sixin was a 23 year old new designer who wasn’t affiliated with any big name brand. But her work garnered many international awards in recent years, as well as appearing in many magazines.
It wasn’t even because she was ‘Fei Zhennan’s only child.’ The name ‘Fei Sixin’ alone was enough to attract countless renowned designers, photographers, magazine editors... and even models.
In addition, before the fashion show began, Fei Zhennan took the initiative to invite many industry friends to see his daughter. Thus, tonight the reporters could see many heavyweights in the industry. Three of the world’s top 10 photographers came!
The reporters defied the cold as their cameras flashed endlessly on the red carpet. But once they saw this beautiful man, not one person thought about taking a photo because they were startled.
After a long while, there were murmurs of “Ahhh, it is Xi Ze.”, “Why did Xi Ze come?”, “Fei Sixin actually invited Xi Ze?”
After these exclamations, the flashes started again as they captured this cold and handsome man.
Some people came for the sake of ‘Fei Zhennan.’
Some people came for the sake of ‘Fei Sixin.’
But besides Ding Bo, no one else knew that—
Xi Ze, he came for Ming Yu.