The seventh day, I didn't think.

Si Nian took a bite of her apple, thinking that no matter what, even if she just worked as a model and earned ten or twenty thousand a month, it would still be better than losing five years for nothing, receiving not a single cent, and being so thoroughly exploited for her looks.

It was her first time, after all.

Truly, some people are born with silver spoons in their mouths, appearing refined and elegant, the very image of high-society gentlemen, yet underneath, their characters are more despicable than the last—vindictive and calculating to the extreme.

Lu Shuyan had suffered absolutely no loss. He had enjoyed years of a girlfriend’s attentive service twenty-four hours a day, from meeting his basic physiological needs to the small things like never having to tie his own neckties in the morning. By any metric, he had come out ahead, yet in the end, he wouldn't even part with a single hair for her. He acted as if he had suffered some earth-shattering injustice, hating her with a burning passion.

Si Nian crunched loudly on her apple.

It was clear that Lu Shuyan had intended to break up with her that night anyway, yet he had manipulated the situation to make himself look like a heartbroken, infatuated lover who had been deceived. Not only did he break the rules of fair play by snooping through her phone, but by finding a loophole, he seized the moral high ground—not only avoiding a breakup fee but also escaping the moral debt of dumping his sweet, well-behaved girlfriend.

Si Nian bit into the apple even harder, as if venting her frustration.

Jiang Yihan, also munching on an apple, suddenly thought of something. She sat up from the sofa and said to Si Nian, "Oh, by the way, Niannian, our magazine's supplement launch event next month needs models. You’d be perfect for it. I’ve already submitted your portfolio, hehe."

"Hmm?" Si Nian looked up, distracted. "Your magazine needs models? Can I even apply?"

Jiang Yihan worked for one of the top five fashion magazines in the industry, the kind whose covers were fought over by A-list celebrities. They usually required professional high-fashion runway models over 175 centimeters tall. A print model like Si Nian, who lacked the height and focused more on a pretty face, was usually irrelevant to them.

Jiang Yihan explained, "It’s for a spin-off supplement. We’re planning a more down-to-earth, 'youthful' style for the launch. I’ve been so stressed over it lately; several celebrities turned it down because they felt it wasn't 'high-end' enough since it’s just a supplement."

Si Nian nodded and said, "Oh." Getting an introduction to a gig from Jiang Yihan was certainly a good thing, though she didn't hold high hopes. Hearing that Jiang Yihan was stressed, and unable to offer much help, she could only pat her shoulder encouragingly: "Good luck."

Jiang Yihan collapsed back onto the sofa. "Just kill me."

After finishing the shoot for "Mohe" bridal, Si Nian picked up a few scattered gigs here and there, and was currently in talks for shoots with two online clothing stores.

She wanted to make money quickly so she could rent her own place instead of sharing a bed with someone else every night. She spent her days sending out countless resumes and running to interviews, keeping her schedule packed.

Because self-media was so popular now, almost every girl working as a model ran her own social media account. Businesses were increasingly looking at a model's personal traffic and commercial value in addition to their looks. For the first time, Si Nian opened accounts on several major social platforms.

She used her old screen name, "Sui Sui Nian" (Murmurs).

After opening the accounts, Si Nian tried posting a few short videos—mostly focused on her appearance and daily life. Her editing and lighting skills were still raw, and she didn't have an MCN agency pushing her content, but because her physical attributes were so striking, the data for a new account was quite good. She received hundreds of likes and was steadily attracting followers.

The retouched samples from the new season of "Mohe" bridal photos were also finished.

The photographer sent the retouched samples to their work group chat first. Based on her own aesthetic intuition, Si Nian felt the photos were excellent. They weren't the typical, cookie-cutter "sugar-water" shots. The first set, featuring a fresh and quirky vibe in a flower house, was full of charm, while the second set, shot on location, was romantic and solemn, with oil-painting tones that felt cinematic.

She replied to the group chat with a few "thumbs up" emojis.

Finally, as her peers were all updating their new shoot themes to compete for clients, and after being urged by many fans, the "Mohe" official account—which had over 100,000 followers—released their new season's sample photos.

"Mohe" had two themes this season: a fresh, forest-style look and a romantic, oil-painting style. The forest style was relaxed and airy, while the oil-painting style was solemn and elegant. The two styles were in stark contrast, yet they used the same pair of models.

"Mohe" had regular models they used for samples, whose looks and temperament matched the studio’s style, but after this season's photos were released, fans noticed that the two models looked very unfamiliar. Not only had they never seen them before, but they were also incredibly eye-catching.

The girl was delicate and sweet; when shooting the forest-themed bridal photos, she captured that playful vibe perfectly. When they went on location for the oil-painting style, she pinned up her hair, and her temperament became so rich and vivid she looked like she had stepped out of a movie.

The male model in the samples was equally flawless. In the forest-themed photos, he and the female model were cozy, holding hands and sharing playful moments, while in the oil-painting photos, he appeared steady and mature, pressing a pious kiss to the female model’s forehead in the glow of the sunset.

For high-quality photos, the basic planning and theme were one thing, but the expressiveness of the models was another.

The "Mohe" bridal sample photos were an instant hit, attracting a lot of attention. The comments section was more lively than ever:

[Oh my god, the theme for this season is amazing! The model is so lively and beautiful! Is she a new face? I've never seen her before.]

[She's new. The previous model is pregnant and can't shoot right now.]

[I love both styles! Even though I'm single, this makes me want to get married, lol.]

[The male and female models they picked this time are just too easy on the eyes. This is so good for my eyes, please have more of them in the future.]

[I know they're just hired models, but are they a real couple? They look so good together, and their interactions are so sweet—they look like a real young married couple!]

[That forehead kiss is so atmospheric and beautiful, wuwu, honey, I want to take photos like this too @degi (preparing for wedding).]

[Okay, bookmarked. I'll come here to take these when I get married.]

[To the person above, from what I know, models are usually just acting out the bridal scenario. The chance of them being a real couple is slim. Often, when they finish the shoot, they might not even know each other well. In fact, real couples sometimes aren't this professional at posing.]

[Does the female model have social media? Please, she's exactly my type.]

[+1, her expressive power in the photos is also great.]

...

Si Nian saw that the engagement numbers for the "Mohe" studio's new season photos had hit an all-time high.

Not only did they gain a lot of followers, but the photos even went viral, reaching users who weren't currently preparing for a wedding, who left comments saying, "I'll shoot this when I get married."

Not to mention those who were already planning their weddings; seeing the samples, they immediately decided to book the same style. "Mohe" studio was suddenly flooded with orders, and their already hard-to-get slots were booked solid until next year. The boss was so happy he sent several red envelopes in the group chat and immediately booked Si Nian and Yuan Yu for the next season’s shoot, sending over the deposit right away.

Si Nian received the deposit, accepted the job for the next season, and noted the arrangement in her schedule.

Following the enthusiastic response to the "Mohe" samples, many people were curious about the eye-catching models. Si Nian noticed that some people had actually managed to find her "Sui Sui Nian" account. The two most liked comments on her latest short video were:

[Miss, are you the model from the "Mohe" samples this season? They look so good!]

[Ah, why are there so few followers? Fine, I'm following now, so I'm an old fan from here on out.]

Si Nian replied to the comments one by one: "Yes, thank you for liking them, *smile.jpg*," and "That's right, now that you've followed, you're an old fan, haha."

Since the samples were already out and the styling and theme were no longer a secret, Si Nian finally posted some behind-the-scenes selfies from the shoot on her social media.

In the photos, the girl wore an off-the-shoulder wedding dress, her veil slightly lifted by the wind. Behind her, the rugged and magnificent mountains were bathed in sunset light. She sat on a folding chair, resting her chin on her hand while waiting for the shoot, and wrinkled her nose playfully at the camera.

When the big data pushed this to new users, it occasionally caused some misunderstandings.

Some were attracted by the beautiful photos, but then saw that this "Sui Sui Nian" account had been posting daily life content a few days ago and was now suddenly posting selfies in a wedding dress, so they left comments asking: [Are you married?]

Si Nian hurriedly replied to explain: [It's for work, not married, I'm single~]

...

Rong Sheng Building.
26th Floor, President's Office.

After another day of meetings, Lu Shuyan had just finished his complex workload and noticed on his watch that it was almost time to get off work.

The man pressed his thumb against his aching brow.

There was still an unavoidable social engagement that night.

Lu Shuyan sat in his office chair, trying to clear his head.

For some reason, Si Nian's face appeared before his eyes again.

It had been some time since Lu Shuyan had returned to Mingjing Mansion, but thinking of Si Nian now, he felt a strange calm in his chest.

In the end, his anger had faded.

She was just a woman who had tried to get close to a wealthy playboy to secure a breakup fee, but hadn't done her homework and had mistakenly targeted the wrong person.

Lu Shuyan lowered his eyelashes.

He stared at the solid wood desk, remembering how Si Nian had hugged his waist and cried, begging him for five million after everything was exposed.

At the time, Lu Shuyan had been furious. He was angry about the five years of pretense and deception. He had thought his girlfriend was sensible, obedient, and simple, but she had been after his money from the very beginning, making him feel like a fool played in the palm of her hand.

To him, it was an insult.

But now that the anger in his chest had gradually subsided, Lu Shuyan’s expression softened slightly.

In the final analysis, he hadn't actually suffered any substantial loss.

In fact, he had intended to break up with Si Nian that day anyway.

Now, the result of the breakup had been achieved in a different way; the person who had been exposed had simply walked away on her own.

The fountain pen spun a graceful circle at the man's fingertips.

For the first time, Lu Shuyan began to feel that things had exceeded his expectations.

Five million wasn't even a number worth mentioning to him.

Lu Shuyan pressed the buzzer and called for Zhao Chao.

He signed a new check.

This time, the amount on the check was fifty million.

Zhao Chao left with the signed check, but not long after, he returned.

Lu Shuyan frowned, listening to Zhao Chao’s report, and the more he heard, the tighter his brow became.

"Can't reach her?" Lu Shuyan even thought he had misheard for a moment. "She blocked everything?"