Chapter 26

Saturday was destined to be a busy day for Shen Youwei.
He Man’s flight left for S City in the morning. Before heading to her studio, Shen Youwei first picked up Tianquan from her home. He Man had already prepared all of Tianquan’s things. Shen Youwei carried the suitcase in one hand and held Tianquan with the other as she went downstairs.
Guan Shanyan’s car was parked outside the community. Seeing Shen Youwei, he opened the door and walked over: “Give me the suitcase.”
He took the suitcase from her, and Tianquan barked at him: “Woof!”
Guan Shanyan looked down at the dog. They stared at each other for two seconds before Shen Youwei bent down to pick up Tianquan: “He knows his things are in the suitcase.”
Guan Shanyan raised an eyebrow: “So? Does he think I’m trying to take his stuff?”
“Who knows?” Shen Youwei patted the corgi’s head. “Maybe he thinks you’re the same species.”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
It was clear who thought that.
He silently put the suitcase in the trunk and sat in the driver’s seat. Shen Youwei held the dog in the back seat.
After fastening her seatbelt, she looked at Tianquan and thought for a moment: “Should I buckle him in too?”
Guan Shanyan replied from the rearview mirror: “If you’re worried, go ahead.”
Shen Youwei buckled the corgi in and then returned to her seat: “Okay, let’s go.”
Guan Shanyan started the car and drove out of He Man’s community.
“Straight to the studio?”
“Mm.” Shen Youwei nodded. “Nan Xu’s event starts at six. She’ll come around noon.”
“And the dog? Stay at the studio?”
“For now, yes. The studio has two floors. Tianquan will stay on the first floor. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Woof.” Tianquan wagged his tail as he heard his name and sat down on the chair.
Shen Youwei took out her phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to He Man: [Tianquan arrived, very well-behaved!]
He Man: [Great! Boarding soon!]
Shen Youwei: [Stay safe, hope the work goes smoothly!]
He Man: [You too! First celebrity project, good luck!]
Shen Youwei: [We’re so formal, haha.]
He Man: [GoodSisters.jpg]
It was Guan Shanyan’s first time at Shen Youwei’s studio. The decoration was mostly finished, with some soft furnishings custom-ordered and arriving later.
“Looks quite decent.” Guan Shanyan inspected the studio, pausing at the logo: “The name is straightforward.”
“Exactly. Simple and already draws attention.” Shen Youwei was pleased with her studio’s name. “Have you decided on your clothing brand’s name?”
“A few options, not finalized.”
“Why not just call it Guan Shanyan? Many foreign designers do that.”
“Woof woof!”
“See, Tianquan approves.”
Guan Shanyan: “…” Well, thanks for the dog’s blessing.
Another car pulled up outside. Guan Shanyan looked out the window and saw Lu Zhaoye getting out.
“…” His eyes narrowed. “Why is he here?”
“Oh,” Shen Youwei walked to the door. “He knows I have a project today, so he came to help.”
Lu Zhaoye ran in excitedly, seeing Guan Shanyan and greeting him: “Brother Guan, you’re here to help too!”
“Mm.” Guan Shanyan nodded expressionlessly.
“Great! I was worried I might mess things up since I don’t know much.” He turned to Shen Youwei: “I may not know design, but I’m strong. Any heavy work, just leave it to me!”
Normally at the boxing gym, Lu Zhaoye wore a tank top and sweatpants. Today, he was in a hoodie and jeans, looking full of youthful energy, like a college student.
Shen Youwei smiled and handed him a bottle of water: “Drink some first. The client will come later.”
“Thanks.” Lu Zhaoye opened the bottle and drank. “Wow, this mineral water is sweet.”
Guan Shanyan: “…” Looks like he underestimated this Lu Zhaoye.
Tianquan waddled over with his short legs. Lu Zhaoye’s eyes lit up: “You even have a dog? Such a cute corgi!”
“It’s my friend’s dog, just taking care of him for a few days.”
“I knew I hadn’t seen your dog before.” Lu Zhaoye crouched to pet the corgi. “I have a dog too, a golden retriever. Want to see?”
He opened his phone album. Shen Youwei saw a large golden retriever lying on a lawn, with a big villa in the background.
“You live at Helanglan?” Shen Youwei recognized the villa behind the golden retriever, it wasn’t a place Lu Zhaoye could afford as a boxing coach.
Even if he was the top seller.
“Oh, yes, my parents bought this house.” Lu Zhaoye swiped away the photo. The next one was a close-up of his golden retriever. Just as Shen Youwei leaned in to take a look, Guan Shanyan bent down and picked up Tianquan from the floor.
“You’re looking at other dogs in front of Tianquan? Is that polite?”
“Woof woof!” Tianquan barked as if agreeing with him.
Shen Youwei immediately stepped back from Lu Zhaoye: “Alright, I won’t look anymore. Our Tianquan is the cutest!”
Tianquan’s ears twitched, seemingly satisfied with her reaction.
Lu Zhaoye chuckled and put away his phone: “Puppies get jealous easily. My golden retriever does the same.”
“…” Guan Shanyan listened and thought something sounded a bit off.
He and Lu Zhaoye helped Shen Youwei prepare the things they would need shortly, and soon Nan Xu and her team arrived.
Shen Youwei greeted Gao Yun, and Tianquan ran over to join in the fun.
“Sorry, do you mind dogs?” Shen Youwei held Tianquan up. “If it’s a problem, I can tie him up on the first floor. Our workspace is upstairs.”
“No problem. We like dogs. Nan Xu even has two of her own.” Gao Yun reached out to pet the corgi, finding it adorable.
Lu Zhaoye came down from upstairs, scanning the people in the hall. Gao Yun’s gaze naturally fell on him, her eyes flickering slightly, could this be Shen Youwei’s boyfriend?
“And this is?”
“Ah, he’s my temporary assistant. You can just call him Xiao Lu.” Shen Youwei finished introducing him, and Guan Shanyan also came down from upstairs.
Nan Xu’s eyes widened a bit when she saw Guan Shanyan: “Could he also be your assistant?”
“Oh, Teacher Guan came to help because I might be too busy.”
Gao Yun had seen Guan Shanyan and Shen Youwei together at Yu Zi’s exhibition before, so she wasn’t too surprised this time: “I thought Teacher Guan is your brother?”
“Yes.” Shen Youwei smiled and motioned for them to go upstairs: “Let’s talk upstairs.”
“Alright.”
Gao Yun and the others followed Shen Youwei upstairs. Nan Xu glanced at Guan Shanyan and whispered to Gao Yun: “Can I take a photo with him?”
“I’ll ask later.”
Shen Youwei led them to the dressing room and confirmed the plan again: “Any changes to the stage or lighting?”
“Just checked with the person in charge. They said no changes, but sometimes there are last-minute adjustments without notice.” Gao Yun explained.
“Alright, let’s stick to the original plan.”
Since Nan Xu was only a short-drama actress, she couldn’t borrow high-fashion outfits. Shen Youwei specially chose a BunnyFY dress that Nan Xu could afford, and it was stylish enough to fit the Bunny line.
Shen Youwei was skilled in design; she wasn’t an expert in makeup or hair, but it was sufficient for today’s event. Short-drama events had less attention, and guests didn’t need multiple outfits. Shen Youwei just needed to fully prepare one complete look for Nan Xu.
Guan Shanyan assisted her, and Lu Zhaoye did miscellaneous tasks. After three hours, the makeup and hair were finally done.
When Nan Xu appeared in the gown, Gao Yun was impressed: “This looks amazing. The braid looks even better than in the design sketch.”
“This makeup is gorgeous too.” Nan Xu looked carefully at herself in the mirror. “I feel like I look more high-class now.”
Short-drama makeup wasn’t as refined as for longer series, often described as “low-budget.” But seeing herself now, Nan Xu felt she didn’t look inferior even next to long-drama actors.
“Your features are naturally elegant, so this makeup suits you better.” Shen Youwei wasn’t a miracle worker in makeup, but she carefully studied faces and temperament to design the best look.
“There’s still time before the event. Let’s take some departure photos.” Gao Yun initially didn’t plan on this, as only top celebrities typically had red-carpet shots. Nan Xu was a head short-drama actress but not widely known. The event’s platform publicity was minor, so departure photos weren’t strictly necessary.
But the look was too good not to capture.
Luckily, they had a photographer ready and took some shots in Shen Youwei’s studio. On the way to the event, Nan Xu’s team retouched the photos and posted them on Weibo.
Shen Youwei followed Nan Xu’s account for this job and reposted the photos, especially since Nan Xu tagged her as the stylist.
Shen Youwei’s online popularity and the quality of the photos quickly got them trending, though not at the top.
Gao Yun wanted to capitalize on the buzz when some photos of Nan Xu changing appeared online, clearly from a hidden-camera angle.
These photos gained more attention than the official shots, hitting the trending list. Even worse, the source claimed there were videos as well.
Shen Youwei had been waiting for Nan Xu’s red-carpet photos, but instead got this shocking news.
The gown had been changed inside Shen Youwei’s studio.
“Have you seen Nan Xu’s trending post?” Lu Zhaoye, still at the studio, jumped up from the sofa. “They’re saying there’s a hidden camera in our studio! How could that be?!”