Chapter 23

When Guan Shanyan came home from work, Shen Youwei and Xie Mingqiu were sitting on the sofa opening gift boxes. The coffee table in the living room was full of fruits and snacks that hadn’t been there when he left in the morning.
“You bought all this again?” He walked over, looking down at the table, it was all stuff Shen Youwei liked. “Didn’t you just buy some a few days ago?”
He had gone to the supermarket on Saturday and bought plenty. It had only been two days, there was no way they’d already finished it all.
Xie Mingqiu said: “These were all bought by Luo Yu.”
Hearing the name, Guan Shanyan frowned: “Why did he buy so much stuff?”
“Of course, to thank us for taking care of Youwei.” Xie Mingqiu picked up an opened skincare gift box to show him. “He also bought lots of things for me and your dad. He’s very polite.”
Guan Shanyan snorted inwardly: “We’re taking care of our sister, he doesn’t need to thank us.”
Xie Mingqiu winked at him. That morning he had been addressed by full name, and now she was calling him “sister” again? It seems a little competition helps, Luo Yu’s presence had put him on alert.
Shen Youwei glanced at Guan Shanyan and fed herself a cherry: “Well, he didn’t thank you either. He even blamed you for taking me on a boat ride and causing my foot injury.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
He was partly responsible for her foot injury, but what right did Luo Yu have to lecture him? When they were kids, he had often ignored Shen Youwei, yet Luo Yu complained about her ‘taking’ their mother. Now he noticed his sister was doing well? Hmph.
“How’s your foot today?” Shen Youwei mentioned it, and Guan Shanyan immediately showed concern.
“Better than yesterday.”
“Remember to put on some medicine tonight.”
“Got it.” Shen Youwei ate another cherry. Seeing Guan Shanyan eyeing the plate, she pushed it toward him: “Want some? They’re fresh from the orchard today, sweet and juicy.”
Guan Shanyan scanned the plate and asked: “Did Luo Yu bring these?”
“Yes.”
“Cherries are prone to bugs. Eat less of them.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
Bugs aren’t nearly as harsh as his words.
Guan Shanyan continued: “I remember when you used to soak cherries in water, you could see the bugs wriggling inside after a while.”
“Ahhh, you’re so annoying!” Shen Youwei almost couldn’t swallow the cherry. “Can you talk about something else??”
Guan Shanyan took off his jacket and sat on the sofa: “How’s the studio preparation going?”
“Faster than I expected.” Shen Youwei put down her cherry and picked up a piece of pineapple. “I thought it would take a long time, but once my brother appeared, he handled everything. Now we just need the soft furnishings, and it can open immediately.”
Indeed, it saved her a lot of trouble.
Even Xie Mingqiu, who hadn’t been very impressed with Luo Yu, praised him: “He seems lazy, but when it comes to work, he’s reliable.”
Guan Shanyan looked at her and smiled: “Looks like those gifts weren’t sent in vain.”
“…” Xie Mingqiu said: “I’m just stating facts. Did he not invest both effort and money into Youwei’s studio?”
“Men are indeed most active when trying to gain favor. The hard part is maintaining it.”
“Are we talking about the same thing?” Though there was truth in that.
“Time to eat, no more snacks.” Guan Su brought freshly cooked dishes to the table. The three in the living room stood and walked to the dining area.
Shen Youwei had eaten quite a bit today and felt a little guilty, but with her foot still injured, she hadn’t done much exercise.
The next day she stayed home, browsing online for soft furnishings, saving suitable items to share with the designer later.
That day, Guan Shanyan came home earlier than yesterday, carrying a basket of strawberries.
“You bought strawberries?” Shen Youwei noticed immediately. He placed the basket on the coffee table: “They’re fresh from the orchard today, very big and sweet.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
The words sounded familiar.
“Did you pick them yourself?” Shen Youwei asked, looking at him. Wasn’t he busy preparing a clothing brand recently?
Guan Shanyan took a fruit plate, put some strawberries in it: “They were delivered by the strawberry farm. I’ll wash some for you.”
He carried the plate into the kitchen, and Shen Youwei couldn’t help smiling at his back.
Although Luo Yu was her half-brother, the one who had been by her side since childhood was Guan Shanyan, who knew everything about her.
Like how he knew she preferred strawberries over cherries.
Actually, what he said yesterday wasn’t wrong. Being nice temporarily is easy, but being consistently good is hard. For nearly twenty years since they met, Guan Shanyan had never changed toward her.
It was hard for her not to like him.
“How’s your foot today?” Guan Shanyan asked again after washing the strawberries. Shen Youwei picked a strawberry and said: “It should fully heal in a couple more days.”
“Good.” Guan Shanyan nodded slightly. “Are the strawberries sweet?”
“Yes, very sweet and fruity.”
“I’ll bring some more tomorrow.”
“Great.”
Guan Shanyan brought Shen Youwei strawberries for two consecutive days. Her foot recovered almost completely. When she could walk normally again, she was invited to a small private exhibition for a domestic clothing brand.
It was a private, relatively high-end women’s brand. The exhibition invited key clients, buyers, and top influencers like Shen Youwei.
The exhibition was held in an old Western-style house. Shen Youwei wore the brand’s clothing for the event. Although it was a private show without wide publicity, she still met many media and industry professionals.
The most unexpected, but also expected, was encountering Guan Shanyan there.
“You’re being invited to such private exhibitions now, looks like you’ve really made it.” Guan Shanyan wore a light-colored shirt, simple yet high-quality, with bamboo leaf embroidery on the cuffs reflecting Chinese elegance, but the collar was slightly lower than usual.
Shen Youwei’s eyes lingered on his collar for a moment before smiling at him: “I am a celebrity, so getting invited is normal. If you see me at an international fashion show later, don’t be too surprised.”
Guan Shanyan chuckled: “Oh, brands are already inviting you to shows?”
Shen Youwei proudly tossed her long hair: “I have a good relationship with Bunny. It’s no surprise they’d invite me.”
“Oh, see you at the show then.” Guan Shanyan was speaking when the brand’s owner and designer called him. He nodded, saying to Shen Youwei: “I’ll be right back.”
“Oh.” Shen Youwei looked at the tall woman nearby: “Are you close with Yu Zi?”
“Somewhat. I’m here to learn about running a brand.” Guan Shanyan said, then walked toward Yu Zi.
Yu Zi was the brand owner and designer. Shen Youwei liked her designs: unlike flashy designs, Yu Zi’s clothes were simple, comfortable, and loose-fitting, very different from the women’s brands that kept shrinking sizes.
“Hello, Miss Shen.” A short-haired woman walked up to Shen Youwei and greeted her. Shen Youwei turned to look, this woman was also wearing clothes from Yu Zi’s brand, exuding a professional and polished aura. Being invited to this exhibition, she was probably a VIP client of the brand.
“Hello, and you are?” Shen Youwei shook her hand, realizing this was likely their first meeting.
The woman smiled: “I’m Gao Yun, a manager at Xingyue Entertainment. Here’s my business card.”
Gao Yun handed her card to Shen Youwei, who confirmed that she was indeed an entertainment company manager.
Wait, was she trying to sign her? Was she really going to become a celebrity? But she hadn’t heard of Xingyue Entertainment before; it must be a small company.
While Shen Youwei was pondering, the woman continued: “I saw your vlog online. Are you planning to establish your own image design studio?”
“Ah, yes.” Shen Youwei nodded. “Do you have a need in that area?”
“Not me, but one of my clients,” Gao Yun said. “There’s an event on the platform next week, and she will attend. I’d like you to design an outfit for her for the event.”
Shen Youwei didn’t expect that her studio, not yet officially open, would receive an order, and that her first client would be a celebrity: “Sure! Could you tell me which artist it is?”
“Nan Xu, a short-drama actress. She previously starred in After the Female Lead Tore Up the Script. Not sure if you’ve heard of it?”
Shen Youwei didn’t usually watch short dramas, but Xu Qairan liked them. She remembered Xu Qairan mentioning After the Female Lead Tore Up the Script, which was fairly well-known in short drama circles.
“I know of it. Some friends of mine have watched it.” Shen Youwei tried to recall the female lead’s appearance. “She’s very beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Gao Yun smiled at her. “I’ve been following you and really like your style, which is why I wanted you to help Nan Xu with her look for this event. This is the platform’s first short-drama-related event, so it’s quite important to us.”
“No problem. Why don’t we exchange contact info so it’s easier to get in touch?”
“Good.” Gao Yun added Shen Youwei on WeChat and said, “We’ll discuss the details later.”
“Okay.” After Gao Yun left, Shen Youwei searched Nan Xu on her phone. Guan Shanyan, who somehow had come up beside her, called: “Who was that just now?”
Shen Youwei almost dropped her phone in surprise. She looked up at him: “A client’s manager. She came looking for me.”
“…” Guan Shanyan was silent for a moment before asking, “A manager? So you’ve got a celebrity client?”
“Yes.” Shen Youwei puffed up with pride. “She’s a short-drama actress, but one of the top-tier ones.”
Hearing this, Guan Shanyan let out a low laugh: “This trip was worth it. Yu Zi hasn’t even opened yet, and you’re already getting business.”