Jiang Cenglan sat through a lingerie show hot enough to rival Victoria’s Secret, shifting uncomfortably the entire time. As a fashion designer, he really shouldn’t have been reacting that way, but throughout the entire show, even though he sat up perfectly straight, there was always a pair of eyes next to him not watching the models, but watching him.
And he also did it… With a hint of indecency. Jiang Cenglan really didn’t want to use that word to describe his muse goddess, but facts were facts.
Finally, the show ended. The lights came back on, the crowd began to disperse, and the man beside him smiled as he asked: “So… Are you heading backstage now to change into your lingerie?”
Jiang Cenglan was about to cry. “No! I came to the wrong venue!”, he tried to explain. “I’m not walking in a lingerie show!”
Only then did Jiang Cenglan finally realize why the hall had been so full of women’s fashion, and why, as he walked further in, it gradually shifted from dresses to swimsuits and lingerie.
Because he had gone to the wrong exhibition hall!!!
His senior’s brand was supposed to be in the gender-neutral clothing section!!!
Jiang Cenglan pointed to the outfit he was wearing, trying to explain: “This is what I’m showing. The piece I’m wearing right now.” He then turned around to let Li Que see the back before continuing: “The stars are hand-embroidered by me. Flip it over and it becomes a cloud.”
Li Que’s hand came to rest on his back. Even though the fabric wasn’t thin, and the touch was feather-light, it still somehow sent a shiver up Jiang Cenglan’s spine. To his despair, he quickly realized that his imagination was way too vivid. He could practically feel what it would be like to have that long, slender hand truly stroking his skin…
“Stop!”, Jiang Cenglan’s rational mind screamed. “This is not okay!”, he scolded himself.
“Such delicate stitching,” Li Que remarked mildly. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. I figured out you were in the wrong place.” His fingertips trailed upward in a lazy, almost playful line, just like he was patrolling his territory. Finally, his whole palm wrapped around the exposed curve of Jiang Cenglan’s slender neck, gently but firmly turning his head. “Well?”, he asked. “Wanna take me to your friend’s booth now?”
…………………….
“…And that’s what happened,” Jiang Cenglan recounted. “I couldn’t say no to him.”
Was there even a single soul in the world who could say no to Li Que?! Jiang Cenglan swallowed. When his neck had been turned like that, Li Que’s lips were so close he could almost feel them brush his cheek.
However, it looked like his senior sister had completely lost it as well. “You brought me a supermodel!”, she said, almost hyperventilating. “A supermodel! Richard! At what level is he, huh?! Do I even deserve this?”, she shrieked before continuing. “Do I?! I do! I DO! HAHAHAHAHA! I deserve it!!”
Jiang Cenglan: “…”
His boss continued to cup the wrist she’d nearly squeezed purple in a burst of affection, and with a look of deep, motherly emotion, declared: “Your bonus is doubled!”
Jiang Cenglan: “Okay. Thanks, senior.”
Next to them, the man in question gave a polite little cough, as if he hadn’t heard a single word. The senior sister quickly gave Jiang Cenglan a shove, signaling him to hurry up and fetch Li Que a drink.
Jiang Cenglan pulled a cheap bottle of spring water from a box, unscrewed the cap, and apologized somewhat sheepishly, saying: “Sorry, this is all we have.”
“No problem,” Li Que answered with a gentle smile. “I really like your embroidery work and I want to try wearing the same outfit as you.”
Hearing his words, Jiang Cenglan silently repeated to himself: “Don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it!”
Li Que grew up abroad, so maybe that was just the way he usually talked, open and awfully direct. It wasn’t flirting, right?!
So, he chose to ignore the remark entirely and shifted to introducing his senior’s brand instead, explaining the parts he’d worked on.
Li Que seemed genuinely interested and even mentioned that he’d like to visit their studio sometime. But Jiang Cenglan figured that was probably just something polite people said.
People continued trickling in, and his senior signaled that Jiang Cenglan didn’t need to help with customers… There were better things for him to do, such as focusing solely on entertaining their VIP guest. She and Xiao Zhang were enough to handle the rest!
So Jiang Cenglan and Li Que chatted quietly in a corner. At one point, they even wandered over to the food court and got some ice cream, with Li Que choosing an orange-flavoured one, while he bought a vanilla cone for Jiang Cenglan.
When Jiang Cenglan stood there holding his cone, dazed and staring at him, Li Que explained: “I usually go for chocolate. But recently, my doctor suggested I get more vitamins.”
Westerners tended to be more private when it came to health, so Jiang Cenglan simply nodded. Even though he was dying to know more, he didn’t dare press the matter any further, worrying that if he asked something too blunt, Li Que would be put off, and the calm, pleasant atmosphere between them would disappear.
Because truthfully, their relationship was in a very awkward stage.
As the time for his fashion showcase drew near, his senior sister started gathering the clothes. Their slot was early in the lineup and would be over quickly, and since most attendees would flock to the runway, there wouldn’t be much foot traffic at the booth anyway.
By the time the show wrapped up, it would be eight or nine in the evening, so there was no point in sticking around anymore… They might as well pack up now, avoid fighting other brands for exit time, and beat the traffic.
Li Que picked up the same jacket as Jiang Cenglan, which surprisingly fit him perfectly, and a pair of sneakers he’d just bought from another brand’s booth, making his way to the changing room.
“Wait!” Jiang Cenglan called out, hesitating a little. “Are you sure? You’re so famous…”
Li Que raised an eyebrow. Earlier, he’d already taken off his sunglasses and tucked them onto the top of Jiang Cenglan’s head, and what looked like high fashion on his face, suddenly had a youthful, boyish charm while nestled in Jiang Cenglan’s soft chestnut hair. So now, Li Que strolled back over in just a few steps. With one hand, he pulled the sunglasses down to cover Jiang Cenglan’s eyes, then leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll do it happily every day for such a sweet reward.”
And with that, he turned and walked off toward the changing room, calm and stylish.
Jiang Cenglan couldn’t help but lift his hand to his cheek. It still felt soft and scented, like the warmth of a kiss lingered there.
Second meeting. Third kiss.
This time, it tasted like oranges.
…………
With Li Que stepping in to walk the runway in his place, Jiang Cenglan sat down with his boss to watch the show, while Xiao Zhang went off to pack up. Jiang Cenglan and his senior found the best spot in the audience, eyes glued to the runway in anticipation.
Their brand was number 69 on the list, but the rotation of models was fast, meaning they’d be seeing Li Que in less than twenty minutes.
Jiang Cenglan actually… Really wanted to slip backstage and stay by Li Que’s side, but he couldn’t bear missing the chance to take photos. He struggled for a while, and in the end, it was Li Que who told him to stay in the audience. “Xiao Yun,” the man said. “I’ve spent the whole afternoon with you. I need a little time to catch up on work.”
Jiang Cenglan felt a little embarrassed for being so clingy and went off to find a seat, accompanying his delighted boss with his arms crossed. Soon enough, the show began. With background music playing, his senior sister leaned over and whispered: “I saw him kiss you. What’s going on between you two?”
As she spoke, she nudged Jiang Cenglan with her elbow.
Jiang Cenglan: “We… Just know each other.”
The relationship between him and Li Que was too complicated and awkward… How was he even supposed to explain it?!
So he just laughed it off.
Seeing that he didn’t want to talk about it, his senior assumed they were still in the “secret relationship” phase and didn’t want to make it public just yet. She clicked her tongue but in the end, dropped the subject. The two of them then focused on the catwalk.
When it was Li Que’s turn, he came out wearing a basic streetwear look, with his hands in his pockets and his face expressionless. Unlike some models who deliberately slowed their pace to show off the details of the clothes, Li Que’s walk was smooth and precise, almost making the streetwear look like a tailored suit.
However, when he reached the end of the runway, he stopped. Just before turning back, he smiled… Right at Jiang Cenglan who was busy frantically snapping pictures with his phone.
The whole venue erupted as people around them started talking so fast, fast enough that Jiang Cenglan’s English listening skills couldn’t keep up. However, one thing was for sure… Various deities came out to play, accompanied by explicit exclamations.
It was only then that the crowd finally confirmed that the model they’d just seen was Richard. Or rather, they’d already recognized him, but couldn’t quite believe their eyes.
Excitement rippled through the audience, especially in the area that hosted tourists and random visitors at the back. Jiang Cenglan noticed that at some point, a sizable team of security guards had also gathered, probably at the request of the always attentive Li Que.
Thanks to the security, there was no stampede, and the scene didn’t spiral out of control. Still, Jiang Cenglan couldn’t help but worry. What if someone slipped through and tried to harass Li Que? After all, the backstage area was still packed with random people.
Right then, someone approached, bent down, and introduced themselves softly in English, saying they were Richard’s assistant and that Li Que was waiting for him.
Jiang Cenglan glanced at his senior sister, only to see her smirking happily. “Go on,” she said. “I’m done here, go enjoy your date~”
“And thank Richard for me.”
After that wave of exposure, her brand was sure to gain an unimaginable boost!
She practically wanted to worship Jiang Cenglan for bringing Li Que into her life!
“Mm. You take care, too,” Jiang Cenglan nodded before quietly slipping away.
With Li Que’s assistant running interference, Jiang Cenglan made it through the crowd safely and found Li Que waiting at the now-empty booth.
“Hi, Richard.” Jiang Cenglan was a little out of breath. “Do you want to change first?”
However, the man shook his head. “No need,” he said. “Let’s just go eat.” Turning around, he instructed his assistant to grab the clothes he’d changed out of earlier, not even waiting for his bodyguards to catch up before walking off with Jiang Cenglan.
Li Que was clearly familiar with the venue. Without taking a single wrong turn, he led Jiang Cenglan straight to a sleek, blue vintage convertible in the underground garage.
“That’s so cool!” Jiang Cenglan’s eyes lit up. “I’ve never seen you drive this one before.”
Of course, what he meant was: I haven’t seen it in any entertainment news.
Naturally. A vintage convertible wasn’t exactly suited for commuting in the crowded traffic of New York.
It was the kind of car one used to pick up a date.
“Hop in,” Li Que said.
He started the car with a casual flair that put even movie leads to shame, and on that kind of night, Jiang Cenglan had to constantly remind himself not to imagine anything romantic.
It truly wasn’t like that… At least not between him and Li Que.
To distract himself, Jiang Cenglan searched for a new topic. “My senior asked me to thank you, and I want to thank you too,” he started. “You know, for covering for me. Let me treat you to dinner, okay? Richard.”
“We can talk about that later,” Li Que said. “Xiao Yun, help me put on my sunglasses. There’s a mask for you in the glove box as well.”
Given Li Que’s level of fame, there was a real chance an army of paparazzi was already staking out the parking exit, so Jiang Cenglan quickly helped him put the sunglasses on. Thankfully, Li Que was driving slowly inside the garage, so wearing sunglasses didn’t affect his vision.
Then Jiang Cenglan found the disposable mask and put it on.
As the vintage car rolled out of the underground lot, the light-polluted New York sky looked unusually bright for nighttime, with a crystal clear view.
Jiang Cenglan sat quietly in the passenger seat, offering no opinion on where to eat.
“Wanna listen to music?” Li Que asked.
“Mm.”
The man reached out his hand and turned on the radio. Jiang Cenglan had already been glancing around nervously, but now his gaze was drawn to his movement, suddenly noticing something.
Because Li Que had stretched his arm out, the sleeve of his jacket rode up, showing a couple of unmistakable scars on his exposed wrist.
In an instant, images and scenes from movies started flashing through Jiang Cenglan’s mind as his pupils contracted, unable to stop himself from asking: “Richard, is that why the doctor told you to get more vitamins?” Reaching this point, Jiang Cenglan’s breath already started to hitch. “Did you… Hurt yourself… Was it because of me?”
Overcome with anguish, Jiang Cenglan felt like he could no longer breathe, as the truth started unraveling right in front of him: Li Que had fallen into depression, and he was responsible for that.
He’d ruined his marriage and pushed him to the brink, so far he’d started self-harming…
Jiang Cenglan’s chest tightened as his vision began to darken. Somewhere in the blur, he thought he heard the man next to him say, with an almost breezy calm: “It’s not self-harm. Just a necessary treatment method. For things like… Hypersexuality, you know…”
“Xiao Yun, are you okay?”
Thank you for the extra updates!