Chapter 86

Xu Gui and his group had already eaten breakfast, so after meeting up with the people from "fashion", the two sides headed directly to the filming location.

Twenty minutes later, their car stopped at a dock.

"This filming will be at sea, so we need to take a cruise ship out to sea first." The staff member explained as they led them to a cruise ship docked at the pier. "Originally, we were supposed to film in the nearshore area, but after Mr. Bear inspected the area, he felt that the seawater here was not clear enough and not suitable for filming. He strongly requested that we move the filming location to the deep sea."

Mom Bell is the chief photographer for the main brand of fashion, Denra. Yes, the chief photographer for Denra, not for the sub-brand fashion. There are even rumors that he is one of the shareholders of Denra, one of the owners behind it, and a nobleman from country Y with a powerful background.

In short, there have been many speculations about Mom Bell, but there has never been a definitive conclusion. However, one thing is certain: he definitely has a lot of influence in "Denla". Otherwise, he would not have been able to single-handedly select Xu Gui as the cover model for the fall issue of "fashion" magazine.

According to the information Kuang Ming received, initially, Mom Bell wanted Xu Gui to be the spokesperson model for the main brand of "Denla," but at the time, the executives of "Denla" pointed their fingers at him and scolded him for being crazy.

Kuang Ming: Actually, when he heard the news, he also thought that Mr. Bell was crazy, and even thought that he might have misheard.

You should know that "Denla" is a high-end luxury brand in Y country. In previous years, its models or spokespeople were all top international talents. Xu Gui is just a newcomer. What makes him worthy of being mentioned?

What else could Mr. Bell be but madness?

However, more than a businessman, Momo Bell is an artist. As one of the world's top photographers, he pursues creating more stunning works. To this end, he has traveled to remote, undeveloped forests and war-torn countries. His pursuit of art has reached a fanatical level.

Therefore, it doesn't seem so surprising that these words came from Mr. Bell's mouth.

However, the final result was obvious: the people at "Denla" did not agree to Mom Bell's unreasonable request. After all, Mom Bell was crazy, but they were not. If they really let Xu Gui, an unknown person with no fame or background, become their "Denla" model, "Denla" would probably be laughed at by the entire industry.

However, although Mom Bell's unreasonable proposal was rejected without hesitation, Xu Gui ended up becoming the cover model for the fall issue of "fashion" magazine after something happened later.

Kuang Ming: Although I don't know exactly what happened in the end, the final outcome was favorable to them. Sometimes, an artist's madness isn't a bad thing.

...

Xu Gui and his group had already boarded the cruise ship.

As soon as he arrived, a tall, muscular foreign man with a full beard warmly embraced Xu Gui, exclaiming, "Oh, my muse! I've finally met you!"

Xu Gui: !

Xu Gui took two steps back, looking at the other party with a wary expression.

The man stopped and looked at Xu Gui apologetically, saying in surprisingly fluent Mandarin, "Sorry, I got too excited... Don't worry, I'm not a bad person."

Kuang Ming, who arrived a step later than Xu Gui, stood beside her and hurriedly introduced her: "This is Mr. Mom Bell. Thanks to Mr. Bell, we had the opportunity to collaborate with 'fashion' magazine."

He gestured to Xu Gui with his eyes.

Xu Gui looked at the foreign man in front of him with curiosity and suddenly realized, "You are Mom Bell..." I have really heard a lot about you.

Bell smiled at Xu Gui and said, "I've watched your live stream. You're really amazing. How do you know things that haven't happened yet? Fortune telling... is this a special skill of yours in China?"

His tone was curious.

"Chinese Kung Fu?" Xu Gui thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I guess so."

Fortune telling is a unique product of China with a long history, and it can naturally be considered a special skill of China.

Bell was very curious and asked Xu Gui how he had calculated these things. Xu Gui could only tell him, "It's a talent! Just like how others are born knowing how to swallow and drink water, I was born knowing how to tell fortunes."

She looked at Bell and asked, "Mr. Bell, would you like to give it a try?"

Bell was flattered: "Is that alright?"

Xu Gui gestured for him to sit down on a seat on the cruise ship. Kuang Ming's lips twitched slightly as he watched her move—anyone who didn't know better would think she was the owner of the cruise ship.

Bell readily agreed and sat down opposite Xu Gui.

“Mr. Bell, what do you want to calculate?” Xu Gui asked him.

Bell thought for a moment and said, "Miss Xu, just tell me anything, anything is fine..." He was more curious about Xu Gui's magical ability than what she was calculating.

Xu Gui glanced at him and nodded: "Okay."

She looked at him and said, "Mr. Bell, you were born into an extremely wealthy family. When you were six years old, you were kidnapped. This kidnapping almost cost you your life. You still have a bullet hole in your chest..."

As Xu Gui continued his narration, Mr. Bell's expression gradually became somewhat strange.

A staff member nearby watched and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Bell, did Miss Xu say something wrong?"

“No,” Bell shook her head and said, “She’s not wrong, on the contrary, she’s right, she’s right about everything.”

If he hadn't been a complete stranger to Xu Gui, or even never met her before, he would have suspected that Xu Gui was from his family. Otherwise, how could she know so much about his affairs?

"Chinese Kung Fu is truly amazing," Bell exclaimed, his eyes practically shining as he looked at Xu Gui.

Upon hearing this, Kuang Ming, who greatly admired Xu Gui's abilities, breathed a sigh of relief. Although he knew how capable Xu Gui was, he was also afraid that something unexpected might happen that would affect Bell's impression of them, which would be disastrous.

Fortunately, Xu Gui has completely won over Bell with his own abilities.

At this moment, the staff had already started the cruise ship and headed towards their filming destination. As for Kuang Ming, seeing Xu Gui and Bell chatting happily, he also walked to the side and discussed the filming with the staff of "fashion".

Meanwhile, only Xu Gui and Bell were left chatting.

"...Mr. Bell is going to a chaotic country soon?" Xu Gui asked this question suddenly, his gaze fixed on Bell with intense intensity.

Wow!

Bell exclaimed dramatically, looking at Xu Gui in amazement: "How did you know that? Did you calculate it too?"

After saying that, he added, "I do have this plan at the moment, or rather, it's just a future plan of mine, and it hasn't been finalized yet."

On this earth, there are peaceful and tranquil places like China, but there are also places in chaos and full of war. After finishing filming, Bear Grylls planned to go to such countries to gather material.

However, this matter is still just an idea. He has only mentioned it once to a close friend, and even he himself is not very sure about it. But now he heard it from Xu Gui.

Bell: This is really a shocking thing.

Xu Gui said, "I don't recommend you go there."

Bell: "Why?"

Xu Gui lifted his eyelids to look at him, his expression indifferent, and said, "Because it's very dangerous, you'll die there."

Bell was taken aback, then fell into deep thought.

"Are you sure?" he asked Xu Gui repeatedly.

Xu Gui nodded: "I'm quite certain that if you really insist on going on this trip, you will definitely die."

Bell frowned.

As an artist, although outsiders often say that they value art more than their lives, in reality, Bell values ​​his life very much and always makes ample preparations before going to chaotic places.

If he really was going to a war-torn area, he must have taken all necessary safety precautions, but even so, he still got into trouble.

Bell thought about it and decided to abandon the plan altogether. After all, he preferred to live rather than die.

"Miss Xu, you are indeed very capable." He couldn't help but praise Xu Gui again.

Xu Gui asked curiously, "I thought you would doubt what I said."

“Hey,” Bell waved his hand dismissively, saying, “There’s a saying among you Chinese: ‘Listen to what people say and you’ll eat your fill.’ I’m very good at listening to people’s opinions.”

Bell's assistant, standing to the side: ...That's the biggest lie ever. During filming, you seemed to have no idea what to say. You were more stubborn than anyone else. Your assistants tried to persuade you again and again, but you just kept going headlong into it.

The assistant, of course, didn't voice her inner thoughts, and even maintained an elegant and proper smile on her face.

...

Xu Gui and his team were filming in the deep sea area this time, which was at Bell's strong request.

The water in the deep sea is relatively clean and unpolluted, with abundant underwater resources, making it more suitable for the footage Bear Grylls wanted to capture. After the cruise ship reached its destination, it stopped. Before that, Xu Gui was taken to the dressing room for makeup and styling.

The theme of this issue of "fashion" is the sea, which sounds very elegant, but to put it simply, it's about people and the ocean (the sophistication suddenly disappears). As for the most important "person" in the theme, the brand's makeup and styling for Xu Gui this time is to make her look like a mermaid.

Mermaids have always been a very popular topic, and they have been photographed in countless ways both domestically and internationally. To capture a truly outstanding image requires a great deal of skill from the photographer.

Bell's choice of this topic is surely a testament to his confidence in his abilities.

About two hours later, Xu Gui emerged from the house, surrounded by Yuan Lu and the brand's makeup artist. When she came out, everyone on the boat was doing their jobs. When they heard the makeup artist's cheers, they all looked over at the same time.

Then, everyone's eyes widened slightly in unison.

Xu Gui was now dressed as a mermaid.

Her hair was originally jet black, and she used to tie it up. Now, the makeup artist had curled it and dyed it a dark green, a kind of dark green that was almost black. Only when you looked closely in the sunlight would you see a green reflection.

Xu Gui has a small face and fair skin. Against this color, her face appears snow-white and translucent, like a newly hatched egg, making her extremely pretty.

She also had makeup on, a thick layer, very heavy. The makeup artist said it was to make the shooting effect better. She was going to go into the water later, and if the makeup was too light, the shooting effect might not be good. So Xu Gui could only suppress the urge to touch her face.

As for her appearance, it was a typical mermaid outfit: a bodice, a fishtail, slender limbs, a waist so small it could be grasped in one hand, and fair, radiant skin that was dazzling in the sunlight.

However, everyone's attention was drawn to Xu Gui's face. Xu Gui had very regular features and an excellent appearance, but she wouldn't be considered stunningly beautiful. However, at this moment, she did look so captivating that it was hard to look away, because she exuded an inhuman sense of arrogance and coldness.

More than her beauty, they noticed another quality about her: danger, arrogance, and power.

She was standing right there, but she seemed to exist in another dimension, a distinct being completely different from humans. It was as if she, standing in front of them, was truly a mermaid with a human body and a fish tail.

How could such a unique, sharp, and alluring beauty not capture everyone's attention?

"Perfect!" Suddenly, an extremely exaggerated exclamation brought everyone back to their senses.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Bell walking towards Xu Gui with an exaggerated expression and burning eyes. He gently hugged Xu Gui and exclaimed, "That's right, this is the mermaid I've been looking for!"

Speaking of this, he wanted to curse. He wanted a "mermaid," a non-human existence, but what did others recommend to him?

A mixed-race person?! How could they even think of that?

Ha! What he wants is an inhuman feeling, not a mixed-race feeling. He wants that person to stand there and make people feel that she exists in another dimension, a powerful and dangerous being.

Bell had looked at many celebrities and models before, but he hadn't found the right one until he saw Xu Gui's photo circulating online.

The moment he saw the photo, he knew: Ah, I found it.

He found the protagonist he was looking for.

And as it turns out, his choice was correct, and Xu Gui, who is now standing in front of him, is the best proof of that.

"It's perfect! This is the best mermaid in my mind..." he exclaimed.

His reaction was exaggerated, his emotions were too intense, and his gaze towards Xu Gui was extremely ardent, as if he were looking at his beloved, filled with burning love.

Xu Gui: "..."

She couldn't help but purse her lips.

"Don't move! And don't laugh, you won't look good when you laugh!" Bell suddenly shouted, his expression stern.

Xu Gui: ?

I always felt that this person had suddenly become neurotic.

“That’s just how Mr. Bell is,” a staff member from Fashion explained to Xu Gui. “When it comes to filming, he becomes very sensitive, and everything has to give way to his filming.”

Kuang Ming casually remarked, "People who are involved in art always have some quirks."

Xu Gui nodded thoughtfully.

"Teacher Xu, drink some water." Yuan Lu handed over a water bottle with a straw and let Xu Gui drink some water. After Xu Gui finished drinking, she applied sunscreen to Xu Gui to make sure that every part of her exposed skin was protected.

The weather was very hot today, especially at the ocean, where the sun was even more intense. Everyone's exposed skin was burning hot. If we didn't take any precautions, Xu Gui's skin would probably peel after the shoot.

The staff were preparing for filming when one of them came up to Xu Gui and asked, "Teacher Xu, can you swim?"

Xu Gui was obediently drinking water from his water bottle when he heard this. He raised an eyebrow and said confidently, "I can swim!"

Upon hearing this, the staff member nodded slightly, then asked again, "Can Teacher Xu hold her breath underwater?"

"Sure."

"How long can you hold it in? Two minutes?"

Xu Gui pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I haven't calculated it precisely."

The staff member said they understood and then asked, "Could we test it? Because for the upcoming filming, Ms. Xu, you may need to hold your breath underwater. We need to know exactly how long you can hold your breath so we can make arrangements during filming."

Xu Gui had no objection to this, but Kuang Ming repeatedly confirmed the safety issues with the staff.

A few minutes later, everything was ready, and Xu Gui put down his phone and prepared to go into the water.

Before her phone screen went out, you could vaguely see the image on it. The image was of a user searching for information, and the search bar contained the sentence: "How long can a human hold their breath underwater?"

thump!

With a splash, Xu Gui jumped into the sea.

This is a shallow area in a remote sea area. Compared to the artificial lake in the park last time, the water here is obviously much clearer, with a bright blue quality. After Xu Gui jumped in, he felt that all the pores of his body opened up, and his limbs stretched out in all directions with great comfort.

As a turtle, she loves water. Every night when she washes up, if conditions and time permit, she will definitely take a bath, otherwise she always feels dry.

However, the narrow fish tank could never compare to the vastness of the ocean. In the ocean, Xu Gui felt her stiff body relax. She didn't even need to adapt when she entered the water, since she herself came from the water.

Beside her were staff members wearing diving suits and oxygen tanks. Their main purpose was to ensure Xu Gui's safety. If Xu Gui showed any signs of being unable to hold her breath, they would immediately rescue her to prevent any accidents.

Xu Gui glanced at the people but didn't pay them any attention. She swam around the area first and then began to dive down.

As she dived, she kept track of the time.

She had just looked it up; the person who could hold their breath the longest did so for twenty-two minutes. She was only slightly behind; she should be able to hold their breath for about eighteen minutes.

Eighteen minutes? That's still a while!

As Xu Gui thought about it, he felt even more relaxed and carefree.

Those on the sea noticed that the rope tied to Xu Gui was getting longer and longer.

Everyone: ??

"What's going on?" Kuang Ming asked nervously, pointing at the rope.

The staff quickly reassured him, "Mr. Kuang, don't worry, I'll contact the people underwater right now..." To facilitate communication, their underwater personnel were also equipped with communication devices so they could communicate directly.

At this point, the staff busied themselves contacting the people underwater.

"...What's wrong with Miss Xu? Why is the rope binding her still falling down?"

"Uh, Miss Xu is diving down. We stopped her, but she seems to be in good condition and doesn't seem to need our help for the time being."

Staff: ? ? ?

He glanced at the rope that was still falling, and only one thought crossed his mind: How deep have they dived to?

Fortunately, this was a diving area, and soon the rope tied to Xu Gui stopped moving. At this point, Xu Gui had reached the seabed.

The seabed in the shallow water didn't seem too dark. There seemed to be dappled light and shadow falling on the bottom of the water, swaying from time to time. Xu Gui swam to the seabed, and a school of fish swam past her. She reached out her hand, and the fish were not afraid of her at all, gently touching her fingers with their mouths.

Xu Gui also saw sea urchins. This place was sparsely populated, and the sea urchins underwater were all growing bigger and bigger. Xu Gui wanted to dig some up to take back, but she didn't have any tools on hand at the moment, so she had to give up with regret.

The staff around him kept an eye on the time, waiting for Xu Gui to show signs of exhaustion so they could take him up. But as time passed, Xu Gui not only showed no signs of being exhausted or breathless, but instead seemed even more at ease.

She swam with the agility and freedom of a real fish, and seemed even more at ease than the others who were wearing diving suits.

Underwater worker: So, is this reasonable?!

The underwater workers were unaware of the shock felt by those on the surface. Only the worker holding the stopwatch kept looking up and down, watching the time tick by, feeling the veins on his forehead throbbing.

Five minutes had passed, and looking at the calm, waveless sea, Kuang Ming couldn't stand it any longer. He looked at the staff next to him and couldn't help but ask, "Why haven't they come up yet?"

Staff member: "...Let me ask again."

The underwater worker who was contacted: "..."

They looked at Xu Gui, who was surrounded by and playing with the fish, and said in a somewhat subtle tone, "Miss Xu seems to be having a lot of fun with the fish right now."

Kuang Ming and the others were somewhat bewildered.

Bell stood on the deck, looking into the water, then turned to the person keeping time and asked, "How long has Miss Xu been in the water?"

The timekeeper's voice held an unconscious gasp: "Eight minutes have passed."

Bell took a breath, looked at Kuang Ming, and exclaimed, "Mr. Kuang, did you know Miss Xu could hold her breath this well? I originally thought that being able to hold her breath for three minutes was already quite impressive!"

Kuang Ming: ...To be honest, this is the first time I've ever known that she can hold her breath underwater so well.

Bell was rather pleased. The better Xu Gui held his breath, the easier the subsequent filming would be. Underwater filming really tests an actor's breath-holding skills, and now it seemed that Xu Gui was simply the chosen one for their "fashion" theme.

I have such good taste!

Bell is very proud.

*

For the next while, everyone on deck remained quiet, especially as time passed and the people underwater still hadn't surfaced, making the atmosphere on deck even more subtle and tranquil.

After the staff repeatedly tried to contact the underwater personnel but were repeatedly told that "everything is fine," Kuang Ming became increasingly uneasy.

At this moment, he even started to have a scheming mindset, wondering if something had happened underwater, if Xu Gui had been in trouble, otherwise why hadn't she come up after ten minutes?

Kuang Ming was starting to regret it. He felt he should have gone into the water with Xu Gui. At least with him watching over Xu Gui, he would have noticed immediately if anything happened to Xu Gui. He had forgotten that he couldn't swim at all and was even a little afraid of water.

"Why haven't they come up yet?"

Finally, before Kuang Ming could ask the question for the first time, a wet figure appeared in front of everyone on the deck with a splash of water.

In the water, Xu Gui, holding a lively, wriggling fish in his arms, excitedly shouted to Kuang Ming on the boat, "Kuang Ming, look! I caught a really big fish! This fish must be delicious!"

Don't ask her how she knows the fish is delicious. If you do, it's the hunting instinct of the sea's overlord. Instinct tells her that the fish is absolutely delicious.

After being filled with anxiety for a long time, Kuang Ming saw Xu Gui jumping around and said, "...Please call me manager."

You rude brat.