Chaotic lights and shouting voices, the crowd growing larger and larger, she cried out and leaned entirely on those arms for support.
Her faltering steps steadied, and before she could even thank him, those hands calmly secured her own and lifted Su Ziceng off her feet.
Then everything went dark before her eyes. Su Ziceng felt her nose pressed against the chest of this kindly stranger, her view completely blocked.
"Thank you, ah, please let go," Su Ziceng was frantic, unsure if the "Japanese" man who held her in his embrace could understand her. She felt her waist tightly encircled, her entire body pressing against the man’s, as a suffocating heat overca her.
The stage performance was coming to an end, and Jim, who had not seen Su Ziceng, had to lead lin in accepting the audience’s praise.
"Please let go," Su Ziceng gasped for breath, while the man’s hands stayed provocatively on her.
The September night was a bit chilly, and the man, wearing a coat, had Su Ziceng tightly wrapped in his arms. Everyone else was focused on the stage, and Su Ziceng’s increasingly faint calls were drowned out by bursts of applause.
"You!" Su Ziceng shouted, feeling the man’s chest heave dramatically. His hold loosened slightly, and she sensed an intense gaze from above. Her hair was pushed aside, and a soft, moist sensation touched her. The man was kissing her, and Su Ziceng was terrified. She wanted to scream imdiately, but the curtain call was underway, and she could not ruin this perfect show.
Thankfully, the despicable pervert did not proceed further. He just held her, gently nipping at her earlobe. As the crowd began to disperse, Su Ziceng’s brain was still oxygen-deprived; suddenly, the light brightened, her support gone, she sat down on the ground.
"Ziceng!" Jim and lin ca down from the stage and saw the flush on Su Ziceng’s face, "Where did you go just now?"
Unable to explain properly, Su Ziceng could only make up an excuse: being pushed away by the crowd, she had missed the curtain call. With everyone already gone, Su Ziceng could find no trace of the man in the coat. Her ears throbbed - red and swollen. "Pervert," she cursed under her breath.
Despite the scare, Su Ziceng quickly recovered her mood, thanked the Japanese crew that helped organize the show, and personally expressed gratitude to the models and the staff.
Back at the hotel, just when she thought of taking a relaxing bath, an angry Jim knocked on her door. Unfortunately, there was a communication barrier between them; through signs and gestures, Su Ziceng finally understood that Jim and lin had argued.
They had cooperated well during the show. How co as soon as it ended they started fighting? Su Ziceng, exhausted, had to find lin.
In lin’s room, a bouquet of pink roses still stood. Su Ziceng entered, and lin was sitting on the bed, visibly agitated.
"What happened? Why did you argue with Jim?" Su Ziceng didn’t want to bother Sister Mu and had to diate by herself.
"He has the nerve to play the victim first. Right after the curtain call, several Japanese dia outlets wanted to interview , and he turned them all away," lin threw a pillow onto the floor, feeling wronged. She beca an overnight sensation and needed to promote herself, but Jim had rejected those opportunities.
"You can’t bla Jim; he was following the plan we discussed beforehand. You’re not a professional model yet, and during interviews, you might slip up. Once we return to Mo City, we’ll have similar shows lined up. Then we can arrange the interview details and select a batch of qualified dia. It won’t be too late for interviews then." Su Ziceng explained the plan, hoping lin would understand.
"I can let go of the interviews, but what about my salary?" Seeing the interviews falling through, lin shifted to inquire about her salary. Before the show ended, she saw other casually invited models receiving a handso catwalk fee, but she, the most hardworking finale model, had received nothing.
"Of course, you’ll have a salary, but Jim hasn’t yet decided on which pay scale to settle your wages. Just be a little patient." Su Ziceng was also troubled, as lin had been a friendly cao without runway experience, lacking standard remuneration for reference. It was difficult for Jim to settle the paynt arbitrarily.
"Why complicate it? Just use Lin Ying’s rate; I replaced her after all," lin said arrogantly, convinced that even if Lin Ying had walked the show in Shibuya herself, the outco wouldn’t have been better than lin’s. Besides, Lin Ying’s fa was fading, while lin, a rising star, was sure her future salary would not fall short of Lin Ying’s.
"lin," Su Ziceng grew impatient with lin’s unreasonable demands, "You must watch your words. The show’s success is thanks to Sister Mu’s design, Jim’s organization, and you’re a fresh face who had the montum to rise. Any decent model replacing you could have found fa on this show."
"If that’s the case, then don’t expect to find for future shows. Either pay or I’ll leave," lin gestured to see Su Ziceng out, not giving her a second glance.
Su Ziceng shook her head and walked out, helpless. lin was young, after all, and would understand in ti.
Once Su Ziceng left, lin hastily dialed the number included with the pink roses and spoke in a coquettish tone: "Darling, where are you?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please co to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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