Chapter 47

Previously, if Xu Qairan heard Shen Youwei call Chen Qing trash, she would argue with her. Now, a single word like “trash” sounded somewhat mild.
After dinner, Shen Youwei drove Xu Qairan and Zhong Lingling home and then went back herself. At home, Xie Mingqiu and Guan Su were sitting in the living room watching TV. Shen Youwei greeted them before heading to take a shower.
After a long day, Shen Youwei originally planned to sleep after showering. But lying in bed, she felt uneasy, so she got up to draw design sketches.
When communicating with Zheng Baozhu’s team, she learned they had a stable makeup artist she recognized. Though skilled, she could not surpass them technically. Her role would not be makeup and styling, but overall visual supervision.
For a celebrity attending an event, every person responsible for makeup and styling, including photographers, has their own ideas. Poor communication could ruin the final effect. The stage design and lighting also mattered; even minor changes could alter the overall result.
Someone had to coordinate all these opinions and control the overall visual, this person was Shen Youwei. She didn’t need to master everything, but she needed to understand each aspect.
The team leader told her that the exact venue layout wasn’t confirmed, so she could only draft rough ideas for now. Once the site photos were available, they would choose the most suitable one. She would also need meetings with makeup artists and photographers to revise the plan.
Previously, Shen Youwei worked solo, so coordinating an entire team was a first. It was both an opportunity and a challenge. If Zheng Baozhu’s styling succeeded perfectly, it would prove this mode was feasible, attracting more celebrities in the future.
Shen Youwei was sketching when Guan Shanyan knocked on the door. She looked up and got up to open it.
He held a cup of hot milk and handed it to her: “I saw the lights on and guessed you might be too anxious to sleep, so I made some milk for you.”
Shen Youwei had always liked drinking warm milk to help her sleep, though she wasn’t sure if it worked physically or psychologically. Either way, it helped her rest.
Guan Shanyan knew her habit. She took the cup and sipped.
The temperature was perfect.
“Thanks.” She looked up at him. “Why don’t you come in for a bit?”
“No.” Guan Shanyan declined seriously. “My parents aren’t asleep yet.”
Not only were they awake, but they were pretending to watch TV while keeping a close eye on the two of them.
Shen Youwei quickly understood. Godfather and Godmother really didn’t want them to misbehave.
“Looks like it’s inconvenient at home.” Shen Youwei lowered her voice and sipped milk theatrically. “Why don’t you pick a hotel you like?”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
After a moment of quiet, he lowered his voice: “Actually, I have another apartment in City A.”
“What?” Shen Youwei lost her composure. “You secretly bought a place without telling me?!”
“Not exactly secretly.” Guan Shanyan smiled. “Back then you blocked me, so I had no way to tell you.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
Blocking her, he would really remember that forever.
“Ahem.” She drank some milk, looking up. “You still bought property while abroad?”
“It was just the right opportunity.”
“Oh? Where?”
“Near Starlight Park.”
Shen Youwei squinted: “You, with your thick brows and big eyes, actually betrayed Lize Park!”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
He cleared his throat and said: “The apartment was renovated last year. If you want, I can take you to see it sometime.”
Shen Youwei blinked at him; it sounded much better than a hotel: “Sure! How about this weekend?”
“Okay.” Guan Shanyan finished delivering the milk and prepared to leave. Before leaving, he reminded her: “Go to bed early. Don’t forget the interviews tomorrow.”
Shen Youwei held the cup and sighed: “I want to sleep, but I feel uneasy. Hey, how about I show you the rough design sketches? You can take a look?”
“Sure.”
“Great, that’s extra insurance.” Shen Youwei finished the milk and handed the empty cup back. “This is my first time styling such a big celebrity. If I fail, I might get scolded to the point of quitting.”
Guan Shanyan looked at the empty cup silently for two seconds, then comforted her: “Don’t worry. With Zheng Baozhu’s looks, even if your styling fails, she can carry it herself.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
Thanks, hearing that eased her mind.
“So you like someone like Zheng Baozhu?” Shen Youwei studied him meaningfully. “It’s the first time I’ve heard you praise a female celebrity.”
“Isn’t she good-looking?”
“She’s good-looking, yes.”
Guan Shanyan nodded. “That proves my taste isn’t wrong.”
Then he looked at her: “Also, the first female celebrity I praised was you.”
Shen Youwei’s ears burned and her heartbeat quickened. “Liar! When did you ever say I was pretty?”
“Many times since we were kids.”
“Oh? I don’t remember any of it.”
“…” Guan Shanyan was silent for a moment, then said: “Shen Youwei, you really are beautiful.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
Guan Shanyan, you human cheat code.
After praising her, Guan Shanyan finally left with the empty milk cup. Xie Mingqiu and Guan Su turned off the TV and went to bed.
Shen Youwei, having drunk the milk, felt sleepiness creeping in. She lay down again, feeling much more at ease than before.
The next day, the studio held a group interview, and Shen Youwei arrived early as usual. There were quite a few candidates, and the interviews went on until noon. Zhong Lingling ordered takeout for everyone and, holding her own meal, sat down next to Xu Qairan.
“Not gonna lie, the security guards today all have really long legs!”
She almost thought that Boss Shen’s requirement for hiring security was just “long legs.”
Xu Qairan unpacked her meal and glanced at the uniformed guards: “I heard from her that her brother knew it was for the studio and deliberately picked the best-looking ones, just to avoid lowering our studio’s overall aesthetics.”
“Hmm, they look good now, but are they all style and no substance?”
“That, I don’t know yet.”
Xu Qairan didn’t expect that the test of the guards’ strength would come so quickly.
By the next day, the studio still hadn’t hired all the guards when Chen Qing returned to the country. Xu Qairan had never doubted he would come back, since the Chen family was still here. But she never expected he would have the audacity to come looking for her.
Somehow, he learned the news and went straight to Shen Youwei’s studio. Everyone was still sorting through the interview candidates from yesterday, discussing who to hire, when Chen Qing suddenly walked in.
Shen Youwei spotted him first and quickly called for the guards: “Stop him! Don’t let him in!”
The guards responded immediately. The two closest to Chen Qing blocked him on the spot. Though Luo Yu’s picks looked tall and slim, they were surprisingly strong. Chen Qing felt like a helpless chick in their hands, completely unable to fight back.
After struggling a few times in vain, he shouted at Shen Youwei in frustration: “I’m here to see Xu Qairan! What business is it of yours?”
Shen Youwei couldn’t help but laugh: “Interesting. This is my studio. Why would it have nothing to do with me?”
Chen Qing pressed his lips together and looked at Xu Qairan, sitting on the sofa: “Come with me, Xu Qairan. Let’s go talk.”
Shen Youwei immediately refused: “Xu Qairan is my employee. It’s still work hours, she can’t go out with you.”
“Hilarious! You little studio actually think you’re the boss, huh?” Chen Qing, already at odds with Shen Youwei, now compounded old and new grudges. “We’re skipping this shift. Xu Qairan, let’s go.”
Xu Qairan stood up from the sofa and faced him: “Who says we’re with you? From the moment you left me and went abroad, we were done.”
“Done? I never said I wanted to break up with you!” Chen Qing yelled. “I went abroad to not drag you down!”
“Do you even realize how ridiculous that sounds?” Xu Qairan couldn’t help but laugh. “You got me to lend you money to pay off your debts, then ran off yourself. That’s not dragging me down?”
Chen Qing tried to argue, but Shen Youwei didn’t give him the chance: “Throw him out! Not a single step into my studio. If he refuses to leave outside, call the police.”
“Understood, boss!” The guards’ voices rang loud and clear as they effortlessly escorted Chen Qing out.
They had previously worked in KTVs and handled all kinds of difficult customers. Dealing with Chen Qing was nothing.
Chen Qing lingered outside for a while, gaining nothing, and finally left. Shen Youwei breathed a sigh of relief and warned Xu Qairan: “He’ll probably come looking for you again. Don’t be fooled by his sweet talk.”
“I won’t.” Her mother had sold her house to pay off Chen Qing’s debts, and she couldn’t keep dragging her mother down. “My mom is moving today. He won’t get into Mocha Complex that easily, right?”
“No problem. I’ll send a photo of him to the property management and tell them not to let him in.” Mocha Complex was already high-end, and after the previous celebrity assault, the property staff were even more careful. But if Chen Qing kept bothering Aunt Xu and the others, that wasn’t acceptable. Shen Youwei picked up her phone and sent a message to Guan Shanyan.
Sister: [You were right, Chen Qing really did come back looking for Xu Qairan. [smile]]
Guan Shanyan: [What did Xu Qairan say?]
Sister: [She’s firm for now, but I’m worried he’ll keep harassing them.]
Guan Shanyan: [You want me to ask Mrs. Chen to handle him?]
Sister: [Looks like we really are in sync, no wonder we went from siblings to lovers.]
He smiled helplessly at the screen and replied: “I’ll tell Mrs. Chen, but I can’t guarantee she can control him.”