“I rejected you?” Rong Ke asked, realizing he had missed some information.
“It’s about the cover shoot,” Yan Zhi explained, “Your agent said you weren’t interested.”
Although still in the dark, Rong Ke quickly realized that Zhuang Kang had declined Yan Zhi’s offer on his behalf.
But that wasn’t the point.
“What cover?” he asked.
“MQ’s New Year cover for next year,” Yan Zhi tilted his head slightly, studying Rong Ke. “Your agent didn’t tell you?”
Rong Ke was momentarily stunned.
To appear on MQ’s New Year cover?
That was too far-fetched.
Considering Jiang Si’s removal and Yan Zhi’s consultant role, Rong Ke couldn’t help but wonder if Yan Zhi, as the “gossip judge,” had heard rumors about the two and wanted to “uphold justice” by replacing Jiang Si with Rong Ke for the New Year cover.
—That was even more far-fetched.
“For magazines like yours,” pardon Rong Ke’s unfamiliarity with the fashion industry, so he could only describe MQ as “magazines like yours,” “Aren’t the selection criteria very strict?”
“Yes, very strict.” By then, Yan Zhi had also realized Rong Ke hadn’t received his invitation. “I generally don’t approach people directly.”
If it were a newcomer in the fashion industry, receiving Yan Zhi’s recognition would likely leave them exhilarated and incoherent.
But Rong Ke’s demeanor remained unchanged. It was like someone uninterested in martial arts suddenly encountering a high monk who claimed his bones were extraordinary and offered to teach him a legendary skill—he wouldn’t react strongly.
“I don’t seem to meet your selection criteria,” Rong Ke said.
Without any achievements or titles, appearing on the opening cover would only lower the magazine’s standards.
“Meeting my criteria is enough,” Yan Zhi stated. “I have the final say at MQ now.”
…What a domineering statement.
Although Zhuang Kang hadn’t consulted Rong Ke, even if she had, he would have declined.
First, he was self-aware enough to know he didn’t qualify.
Moreover, even if Yan Zhi aimed to reform the selection process, Rong Ke had no interest in being a trailblazer, as he knew his appearance on the cover would inevitably invite criticism.
Second, as Yan Zhi mentioned, Rong Ke had to consider Jiang Si to some extent.
After all, they were lovers, and if he truly snatched Jiang Si’s cover opportunity, he didn’t know how his arrogant boyfriend would react.
As Rong Ke started formulating a polite refusal, two extras walked by, one exclaiming while looking at his phone, “Damn, Jiang Si came out!”
The other hurried over, “Where, where?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“On Weibo, it’s all over. Check it out!”
Rong Ke’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly took out his phone and opened Weibo.
Sure enough, the top trending topic was about Jiang Si, but the words strung together were incomprehensible to Rong Ke no matter how he tried to read them.
#Jiang Si Liu Qing Officially Announce Relationship#
Rong Ke tightened his grip on his phone, about to tap into the topic, when a shadow suddenly appeared on the screen, and a refreshing cologne scent wafted into his nose.
It was Yan Zhi leaning over.
Yan Zhi was extremely close to Rong Ke, their shoulders already touching.
At 1.83 meters, Rong Ke’s line of sight centered perfectly on Yan Zhi, who was looking down at his phone.
Perhaps sensing Rong Ke’s gaze, Yan Zhi looked up and explained, “I don’t have Weibo installed on my phone.”
Translation: Let me see yours.
At that moment, Rong Ke was not interested in discussing personal boundaries, allowing Yan Zhi to view his phone as he opened the top trending topic.
Originally expecting another paparazzi leak, he was surprised to see Jiang Si had reposted Liu Qing’s love confession Weibo with a heart emoji.
Rong Ke silently gripped his phone, his fingertips turning white from the pressure.
Meanwhile, Yan Zhi, standing beside him, summarized the situation kindly in his precise Mandarin, “Your boyfriend has officially announced his relationship with someone else.”
Thanks, but no need to remind me.
Rong Ke swiped upwards with his thumb, exiting Weibo, and saw no new messages on WeChat.
Only then did his heart truly sink.
Jiang Si usually cared about his public image. In online terms, he was surfing on 5G, so there was no way he wouldn’t know that he was trending.
—No, he definitely knew, since he had reposted Liu Qing’s Weibo himself.
Yet he hadn’t given Rong Ke any explanation. If there were unavoidable circumstances, he could have told Rong Ke, but his phone remained unresponsive—there were no WeChat messages, texts, or calls.
Rong Ke suddenly recalled the day they returned to the country when Jiang Si had deliberately gone outside the VIP lounge to call Zhuang Kang.
Intentionally preventing Rong Ke from hearing… so was that when they discussed this matter?
Rong Ke couldn’t think of any reason to conceal this from him, unless Jiang Si truly had something going on with Liu Qing.
With a bystander Buddha still standing beside him, Rong Ke didn’t want to reveal his emotions.
He suppressed the turmoil in his eyes, abandoned his initial intention to refuse, took out a cigarette case, and offered Yan Zhi a cigarette, asking, “Want one?”
Yan Zhi glanced at the brand and accepted it. This time, Rong Ke lit Yan Zhi’s cigarette.
In the open space, an occasional breeze blew by. Rong Ke cupped his hands around the flame, and as Yan Zhi leaned in, Rong Ke’s fingertips nearly touched his chin.
They simultaneously exhaled puffs of smoke. Rong Ke’s face turned to the side, and the “bruise” on his cheekbone was quite noticeable.
Yan Zhi, cigarette between his lips, studied the bruise and took out a handkerchief from his jacket. He offered it to Rong Ke and suggested he wipe it off.
Only then did Rong Ke remember he hadn’t removed his makeup yet. He had just filmed a fight scene in the drama, so his face probably didn’t look good.
But was it necessary to wipe it off with a handkerchief?
He would have to wash it off later, too troublesome.
Rong Ke didn’t consider himself that refined, and just used the dirty back of his hand to wipe off the special effects makeup on his cheekbone.
“Why did you choose me for the cover?” Rong Ke squinted through the smoke the wind blew back, looking at Yan Zhi. “Don’t tell me you fell for me at first sight during Fashion Week.”
Yan Zhi’s eyes flashed with amusement at Rong Ke’s words. He suddenly realized Rong Ke gave him a different vibe now.
At least earlier, they both maintained politeness befitting strangers, and their conversation didn’t exceed professional boundaries.
But now, Rong Ke seemed to be indifferent to social etiquette, speaking freely and casually without restraint.
“No,” Yan Zhi tugged the corner of his mouth, feigning regret. “If I fell for you at first sight, I would have stayed for another cigarette.”
“Hmm.” Rong Ke hadn’t expected much from his casual remark. “So, why then?”
“Yesterday, I watched ‘Inferno Case’ that you starred in. Your sacrifice scene left a deep impression on me,” Yan Zhi watched it several times.
“For the New Year cover, I want to incorporate a mild violent element. Your appearance in that scene matches my aesthetic of violent beauty perfectly. If you agree to shoot, I’ll make you look very sensual,” Yan Zhi paused, adding, “The level of exposure might be a bit much, but I’ll try to keep it under control.”
‘Inferno Case’, huh…
Rong Ke couldn’t help but drift off in thought.
That crime thriller marked his and Jiang Si’s debut. Jiang Si played the young version of the protagonist, while Rong Ke portrayed the protagonist’s partner from his youth who died. Neither had major roles.
Back then, Rong Ke was a senior at the film academy, while Jiang Si was a handsome amateur scouted off the street. They met through the film, took a liking to each other, and naturally ended up together.
Originally, in ‘Inferno Case’, Rong Ke outshone Jiang Si.
In his final sacrifice scene, lying amidst rubble with his protruding Adam’s apple speckled with blood, a film blogger captured that shot with the caption “Can I lick the blood off him?” and it was shared tens of thousands of times on Weibo.
Although the film’s promotion team amplified the buzz, Rong Ke genuinely gained popularity at the time.
But trouble followed soon after.
The agency’s CEO, Zou Wei, invited Rong Ke to dinner alone and expressed his intention to keep him as a lover, even reaching out to touch Rong Ke’s Adam’s apple, prompting Rong Ke to retaliate with a plate-throwing scene reminiscent of a famous opera.
After that, the company shelved Rong Ke.
Rong Ke never told Jiang Si the real reason he was shelved. Jiang Si always thought Rong Ke simply refused a comedy variety show arranged by the company, angering Zou Wei.
In reality, that comedy show was already Zou Wei’s retaliation against Rong Ke, so he naturally declined.
Initially, Rong Ke considered terminating his contract.
But faced with the exorbitant penalty fee, he could only endure. As time passed, he became increasingly apathetic.
His former ambitions devolved into taking whatever roles came his way.
Although neglected by the company, at least he only accepted roles he wanted to play, so it didn’t really matter.
Now, three years have passed out of his five-year contract.
During that first year, Rong Ke and Jiang Si enjoyed a period of pure happiness. But as Jiang Si grew busier, they spent most of their time apart in different locations.
Just like now—his boyfriend had announced his relationship with someone else, yet Rong Ke wasn’t even sure where Jiang Si was.
The phone in his pocket remained silent.
His vacant gaze was suddenly filled by Yan Zhi’s striking face. Yan Zhi tilted his head, blocking Rong Ke’s view, and asked, “Were you spacing out?”
Rong Ke snapped out of it, stubbing out the cigarette burning close to his fingertips in a trash can, and steered the topic back to the cover shoot. “What did you have in mind for the shoot?”
As if registering the words ‘level of exposure’, Rong Ke feigned nonchalance. “Nude?”
Yan Zhi raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Rong Ke. “If that’s what you have in mind, I can accommodate.”
“Sure, let’s do it,” Rong Ke said absentmindedly. “Anything else?”
Yan Zhi wasn’t sure if he was misreading the situation, but it seemed like Rong Ke was trying to get rid of him.
However, they covered what needed to be discussed. Yan Zhi took out his phone. “Let’s exchange WeChat.”
After Yan Zhi left, Rong Ke went to wash his face at the sink.
The water washed away the painted wounds, but not the gloom on Rong Ke’s face.
Thirty minutes had passed since that topic trended at the top, yet Jiang Si hadn’t offered any explanation.
Rong Ke didn’t want to reach out to Jiang Si first.
He felt he had already been accommodating enough to Jiang Si, making most of the compromises. Did he still need to patiently ask what was going on this time?
Shouldn’t Jiang Si take the initiative to explain?
Perhaps there really was no explanation, which was why Jiang Si remained silent.
Suddenly, Rong Ke’s phone rang with a WeChat voice call notification. The only person who would call him this way was Jiang Si.
He quickly took out his phone but paused when he saw Yan Zhi’s profile picture.
Puzzled, he answered, “Hello?”
“Where’s the parking lot?” Yan Zhi’s unhurried voice came through. “I’m lost.”
Rong Ke: “……”
It feels like rong ke knew something was up ages ago so he feels like apathetic