Day Six: No Thoughts

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Si Nian had left her portfolio posted for several days before realizing that not only was the job market tough now, but even the modeling scene had become difficult to break into, with client offers shockingly low.

However, returning to her original profession was at least not fruitless. After all, her appearance was indeed striking. Si Nian quickly received several one-off assignments for sample shoots, and two brands along with a photography studio had scheduled interviews with her for the following week.

Over the weekend, she went shopping with Jiang Yihan.

Recently, Jiang Yihan had been working overtime at the magazine until she was exhausted. The magazine where she worked was planning to launch a supplement with a new editor-in-chief and a grand inaugural event. Finally having some rare time off, she enjoyed the weekend but couldn’t help thinking about the fortune their mutual friend Yibi had narrowly missed.

“In your opinion, how much do you think Lu Shuyan was going to give as a breakup settlement if she hadn’t found out?” Jiang Yihan asked seriously while sipping milk tea in a café.

Si Nian had been pondering the same question lately. After a moment’s thought, she guessed, “Ten million?”

She reconsidered, feeling that was too little: “Twenty million?”

“Thirty million?”

“Forty million?”

“Fifty million?”

After tossing around higher and higher figures, fifty million was the limit Si Nian dared to imagine. It was also the number she had dreamed of obtaining.

“Fifty million?!” Jiang Yihan gasped upon hearing that figure.

She wasn’t entirely clear on how much fifty million was, but she understood very well that if that amount were in a bank, the daily interest alone would be five thousand yuan.

Jiang Yihan stomped her foot in frustration. “It’s all my fault.”

“This would have let her live comfortably for life,” Si Nian said, tugging at her straw with a rueful smile. Regret was useless now; all she felt was a sense of loss.

Unlike other pretty girls and internet celebrities who, once they hooked a wealthy heir, rushed to spend lavishly—demanding this and that, knowing it was unrealistic but indulging in extravagance during the relationship—Si Nian had always maintained a pure, obedient, and well-behaved image. She couldn’t bring herself to spend recklessly; at most, she bought clothes and shoes within a modest range. Sometimes, when Lu Shuyan gave her expensive gifts, she would try hard to refuse them, insisting, “I’m with you for you, not your money.”

If only she had dared to indulge in luxury once, at least while she had the chance. Instead, she had spent five years as the model obedient girlfriend, never allowed to play or ask for anything. Occasionally, she had to attend dull banquets as “Lu Shuyan’s girlfriend,” where people were kind and polite to her face but few genuinely cared about a girlfriend from a modest background with no chance of rising socially.

Jiang Yihan was still lamenting loudly.

Si Nian lowered her head and silently deleted all of Lu Shuyan’s contact information from her phone.

The two spent the weekend together. Jiang Yihan returned to work without pause, while Si Nian went to interviews according to schedule. The first job she landed was a sample shoot with a photography studio.

The studio was called “Mohe,” fairly well-known online, specializing in wedding photography. Many girls had it on their list of studios where they wanted to have their wedding photos taken.

The wedding photography market was highly competitive and fast-changing. Studios usually released new collections each quarter featuring fresh styles and themes; otherwise, they would quickly be pushed out by competitors.

The studio’s new sample shoot for the season was about to begin. Their regular model had gone home to get married and have children, and the owner was worried about finding a suitable replacement. But after seeing Si Nian at the interview and having her try two shots, she was immediately hired with a generous pay of two thousand yuan per day.

Si Nian accepted her first major assignment since returning to modeling. Although she was familiar with sample shoots, she had never modeled wedding dresses before.

A key characteristic of wedding shoots was that they required two people, unlike other types where she could pose alone. Since it was a wedding shoot, the two main subjects needed to convey emotion to each other. Without a hint of sweetness, no matter how beautiful the aesthetics, it would be hard to attract clients.

So, Si Nian researched various elaborate wedding photo styles online before the shoot. On the first day, she finally met her partner.

The new season’s first wedding shoot theme at “Mohe” was fresh and airy, with a light, natural vibe.

Si Nian wore a simple white slip dress, a trendy lightweight wedding gown. The stylist braided her hair into a side fishtail braid, and the highlight of her look was a delicate crown woven from white lily of the valley flowers atop her head. She appeared artistic, fresh, and full of vitality.

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Si Nian sat before the makeup mirror while the artist applied the final touches with a small brush. Across the room, the male model who would be her partner in the wedding shoot seemed ready.

He looked about 185 cm tall, with perfect white teeth and red lips—a textbook handsome guy. His appearance matched the shoot’s theme well. He wore a white silk shirt and white trousers matching her dress. He was reportedly a newcomer recently entering the industry, chosen purely for his looks by the studio owner.

Si Nian caught the male model’s gaze.

The makeup artist finished the final setting spray, eyes gleaming with satisfaction at the work done on Si Nian’s face. “All set.”

Si Nian stood and walked to the shooting location.

The scene had been prearranged. The studio had rented a small courtyard, decorated as a sunlit greenhouse full of greenery and wooden furniture, radiating freshness.

The male partner greeted her first: “Hello.”

“Hello,” Si Nian responded with a nod.

The photographer, having adjusted his camera, smiled warmly at the perfectly matched pair of models. He thought that with such conditions, the shoot would be effortless and post-production easy.

The lighting crew was ready.

As the photographer called “Action!” and pressed the shutter, Si Nian held a bouquet of lily of the valley matching her crown in one hand and linked arms with her male partner with the other, facing the camera with a sweet, playful smile.

“Good, very good,” the photographer praised immediately.

Si Nian tilted her head slightly toward her partner’s shoulder, changing pose.

The male model was slower to get into character, perhaps because he had never done a wedding shoot before and looked a bit stiff initially. But after a while under Si Nian’s lead, he gradually relaxed and showed professionalism. They moved from sitting to standing, holding hands and leaning close, with the photographer constantly reminding them to smile sweeter. The image of a happy newlywed couple could indeed be acted out by models.

After several hours, Si Nian felt her face almost frozen from smiling.

The makeup artist began retouching her makeup.

The couple shots were done for the day, but since wedding photos were often the most beautiful of a girl’s life, many wanted solo shots as well. As the sample model, Si Nian stayed for a solo session.

While getting touched up, she overheard the makeup assistant whispering about how handsome the male model was and whether he was a newcomer.

She saw her partner had finished his work and left. By the time Si Nian’s solo shots were complete, night had fully fallen.

The photographer was clearly pleased with their performance, smiling and announcing there would be another shoot the next day.

The second set of sample photos for the season would return to the traditional grand and ceremonial wedding style, shooting on location in the distant suburbs.

The backdrop was rugged, jagged mountains bathed in the golden glow of the sunset. Si Nian wore a French-style satin off-shoulder gown with a long train and a veil. Her hair was simply and elegantly pinned up. The male partner from yesterday donned a crisp black suit with a black bow tie.

The shoot included classic poses: hand-holding, gazing into each other’s eyes, and embracing.

Because the sunset was so breathtaking, the photographer, brimming with inspiration, added a scene where the “groom” reverently kissed the “bride” on the forehead.

A forehead kiss was nothing much, especially in a wedding shoot.

Si Nian closed her eyes, feeling the breeze lift her veil gently from behind. The male partner leaned down and, with a strictly professional air, lightly kissed her forehead.

The camera shutter clicked repeatedly until the last glimmer of sunset vanished, and the photographer finally stopped.

After the shoot, the group took the studio’s business van back to the city.

Si Nian finally changed out of the heavy wedding gown, putting on a denim jacket. Sitting in the vehicle, she messaged Jiang Yihan that she might be home late tonight.

Then, someone gently tapped her shoulder.

Si Nian turned to see her male partner from the past two days holding out his phone screen displaying a QR code.

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The male model smiled. “Add me on WeChat.”

“We can call each other if there’s work in the future.”

“Oh, okay.” Si Nian nodded. Many jobs in their circle were arranged through personal connections. They had worked well together these days, so it wouldn’t hurt to know each other. She scanned the QR code he offered.

After adding him, the contact immediately sent his name: Yuan Yu.

Si Nian wondered whether it was a stage name or real name but replied with her own: Si Nian.

Yuan Yu leaned forward and asked, “Are you modeling part-time?”

Si Nian put her phone away. “Full-time for now.”

Yuan Yu said, “Oh, no wonder. You seem very professional.”

Si Nian wasn’t sure how to respond to the compliment, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Thank you.”

Yuan Yu didn’t continue the conversation, and exhausted, Si Nian leaned back in her seat and fell asleep, waking only when they reached the city.

After getting out of the van, she had to take a taxi back to her place.

The studio owner had already transferred the payment for the past two days’ shoots.

Si Nian checked the transfer and thought about finding her own place soon, feeling a bit awkward always sharing a cramped apartment with Jiang Yihan. Then she stopped by a fruit shop to buy some fruits she usually wouldn’t splurge on and carried them back to Jiang Yihan’s small apartment.

Jiang Yihan had returned earlier than Si Nian today.

Knowing Si Nian had been shooting wedding photos, she excitedly demanded to see the pictures. Si Nian showed her some mirror selfies taken after makeup, wearing the French satin gown.

Jiang Yihan gasped in admiration.

“Mohe” was moderately famous, especially for promotional sample shoots, and the wedding dress material was exquisite.

“I don’t want to get married,” Jiang Yihan said, zooming in on the dress with almost drooling envy, “but I want to take wedding photos.”

Si Nian had little special feeling about wearing wedding dresses, having worn too many beautiful clothes and dresses; it had become just her job.

Her only grievance over the past five years was that, to maintain the innocent, naive girlfriend image for Lu Shuyan, who had never been exposed to the world, she had forced herself to endure a mixed style of rustic and refined country attire, constantly mocked behind her back by a group of plastic rich girls.

Jiang Yihan hugged her phone, rolling excitedly on the sofa.

She looked at Si Nian in the vintage French wedding dress in the photos, imagining how stunning the final shots would be. Then she glanced at Si Nian, who was quietly peeling an apple for her.

There was no way someone like her would be ignored.

“Nian Nian,” Jiang Yihan sincerely considered another possibility. “If you had continued modeling back then, maybe started a self-media channel…”

“Maybe you would have become famous by now.”

Si Nian cut a small piece from the apple she had just peeled and fed it to Jiang Yihan.

She pondered the possibility Jiang Yihan suggested, frowned slightly, and then said,

“Maybe?”