Because she had an appointment to have dinner with someone, Su Yi went out when it was getting dark. She didn't ask the driver to take her home, but took the bus by herself, then changed to the subway, and arrived at the agreed private restaurant before seven o'clock.
Xiao Yan booked a private room. Zhang Jiajia, Fang Yingying, and He Ye had already arrived and were chatting. Su Yi pushed open the door, and they all turned their heads, froze for a second, and then jumped up from their chairs and rushed towards her.
"Su Yi!"
"You ungrateful man, you're finally back!"
"Let me hug you!"
Su Yi was blocked at the door before she even closed the door, and they took turns hugging her.
To be honest, she missed their hugs a little.
It took a long while for them to let go, and they looked at each other's current appearance.
When they first met, they were still teenage girls. Now, ten years have passed. Both their appearance and temperament are much more mature than before. Zhang Jiajia and others have become the image of urban girls with a good life.
Although Su Yi is the one who has experienced the most and is the most active among them, she has changed the least.
She wears simple clothes and pants, a pair of flat shoes, and a neat ponytail. If she says she just walked out of school, people will believe it. Only her tall figure and delicate facial features always attract people's attention.
Before they had even said a few words after sitting down, Fang Yingying touched her face with an indignant look on her face, "Why is your skin still so good? You can't even see the pores. Didn't you say you went to Africa before? Where are the traces of sunburn?"
"Seriously, Su Yi, are you sure you don't want to tell us what skin care products you use?" He Ye joked.
In fact, they all knew that Su Yi's skin was natural. It was like this when she was sixteen, and it didn't change at the age of twenty-six. If she hadn't really grown taller and her facial features hadn't developed a little, they would have suspected that this friend was some kind of goblin. Otherwise, how to explain her series of extraordinary achievements from high school to now?
But that being said, looking at this face that the owner did not cherish but was still full of collagen, and thinking about how I tried my best to maintain it but still had fine dry wrinkles at the corners of my eyes, I couldn't help but feel jealous and envious.
The three people seemed to vent their anger, and one of them pinched her face.
Su Yi was quite used to this. After all, she had been surrounded by people since high school, and was touched by them from time to time.
The dishes were slowly served, and the few people ate while chatting about their recent situation.
"So you came back to China this time to take pictures of the artists in your brother's company?" Zhang Jiajia asked Su Yi.
Su Yi nodded and poured herself a bowl of water shield soup, "I also want to see grandma and you guys."
"You're just visiting us by chance." Fang Yingying pointed out bluntly.
Although the words were impolite, in fact, she had only admiration for what Su Yi was doing.
Speaking of which, they also love to travel, but it's completely different from Su Yi's.
Enjoying sunbathing on the beaches of Hawaii, diving in the Maldives, and enjoying symphony music in the Golden Hall of Vienna, this is what they call traveling.
And what about Su Yi? Sleeping with lions on the African savannah, wandering like a monkey in the tropical rainforest, and crossing the no-man's land alone.
At first, they couldn't understand why she had to suffer such a hardship when she had a comfortable life. Later, they gradually realized that it was suffering for them, but not for Sue.
There are always some people in the world whose pursuits and beliefs are different from those of ordinary people.
The three of them once discussed privately, if they had the same conditions as Sue, what would they do? Would they travel around the world without fear of danger like her?
The answer is no.
If they had Sue's beauty, they would probably become a star; if they had Sue's talent, they would find a way to turn wisdom into wealth; if they had Sue's family background, they would just lie on the money and live their life as they please.
Any one of these is enough for an ordinary person to live a superior life. Su Yi has all three, but she never thinks that these are special.
So they are just ordinary people, but she is not.
Zhang Jiajia said half-jokingly and half-seriously for the hundred and first time: "Your brother's entertainment company is thriving, why don't you go there and be an artist."
Su Yi drank a sip of soup, savored it in her mouth, and then said: "How can I be an artist if I can't sing, dance or act?"
He Ye shook his head slightly, "There are not many artists and stars who can do these three things now."
Zhang Jiajia said: "It's good to know one of them."
Fang Yingying said directly: "If you want to sing and act, you just need to have a good face. If you don't have a good face, don't be afraid. Go to Korea, have a few cuts, an injection, and cut your bones, and you will be a beauty."
"You are quite understanding," Zhang Jiajia laughed at her, "I remember your brother's girlfriend took this route?"
Fang Yingying asked back seriously, "Which one are you asking about? My brother has 17 or 18 girlfriends, all of whom were wholesaled from the same assembly line. Tell me the number so I can go back and ask him."
The others were amused by her.
After the meal was finished and cleared, several people ordered tea.
He Ye asked Su Yi, "How many days will you stay this time?"
"Not sure yet," Su Yi said, "Not too soon, I plan to stay for a while."
The most attractive thing for her is that she has gone through the years of studying and the two years after graduation. She plans to slow down and stay at home with her grandmother for a while.
And now she has accumulated a lot of photos, which need to be sorted out, and those that should be sent to magazines should be sent out, and those that should be published should be published.
She didn’t know until the year she went abroad that the bank card given by the Xiao family had a lot of pocket money deposited into it every month, but at that time she was already able to live on scholarships, and later she traveled around and made a good living on the copyright of her photos. The card has never been touched and is still under the drawer in her room.
Su Yi occasionally thinks of it and is curious about how much money has accumulated in it, but she forgets it in the blink of an eye.
Now her living expenses are almost all from her photography income. She is not very rich, but although she loves money, she is not obsessed with it. As long as she has enough to spend, it is fine. The biggest expense is just on food and photography equipment. It is more than enough to support herself. In the past two years, she has started to give living expenses to Mrs. Qu, and she did not refuse and accepted it with a smile.
"Is it true? Don't tell us that you are not leaving, and then run away without a trace."
Su Yi asked back: "When have I ever lied to you?"
This is true. I have known her for so long, and I have never seen her lie to anyone. It's just that she always surprises people, just like when she said she wanted to apply for an exchange student, she really went abroad two days later.
Zhang Jiajia and the others felt relieved when they heard her say that. They quickly asked gossipingly, "Su Yi, tell us the truth. You have been to so many places, but you didn't meet one or two handsome guys who made your heart beat?" They were
not young girls. Even He Ye, the most obedient girl, had a boyfriend in college, but Su Yi, who was the most beautiful, had no news at all. They were curious and concerned. After all, if she could find someone with the same interests, they could travel around the world together, which would make people feel more at ease.
Su Yi ate a piece of cake with tea, tilted her head and said honestly, "There were quite a few handsome guys."
But I didn't make my heart beat. The others completed the story for her in their hearts and couldn't help but look at each other.
To be honest, they have discussed Su Yi's situation in private, but they just can't figure out whether she didn't get the hang of it or got the wrong hang of it.
After all, they haven't forgotten that she had a scandal with Zhang Na in high school.
"By the way, Zhang Na is also an artist under your brother's company. Did you see her yesterday?"
Su Yi had a hint of confusion on her face. Before she asked who Zhang Na was, Zhang Jiajia rolled her eyes and said, "You wouldn't have forgotten, right? She sent you milk tea for almost a month in your first year of high school. We were really scared."
"Ah... I remember her." Su Yi said. To be more precise, she remembered the other person's milk tea.
Zhang Jiajia continued, "I heard that after she was rejected by you, she went back and worked hard. But I didn't expect her to take the art exam, and was admitted with the first place in liberal arts subjects. She debuted in her sophomore year. In recent years, she has produced several good works. She is not a top-tier traffic star, but she has become a first-line star and is quite popular. How could you not know that?"
Su Yi was too lazy to explain that Zhang Na had never pursued her and that she had not rejected him. She was talking about a bunch of trivial things, making things worse. She just said, "I don't pay much attention to these things."
Fang Yingying touched her chin and smiled maliciously, "Then you have to be careful. They are all in your brother's company. You will meet each other sooner or later. If you meet her, and she still has that kind of intention, well, well."
Su Yi chuckled.
Several people were talking about this and that, and it was almost eleven o'clock in a blink of an eye. He Ye's house was locked, so they were ready to go home, and the rest of the people got up.
"Su Yi, are you driving? Do you want me to take you there?"
Su Yi was about to say yes, when her cell phone suddenly rang. She answered the call and then said, "My brother is nearby and picked me up on the way."
Several people walked out of the door, and a car happened to stop slowly. Xiao Yan got out of the driver's seat. Although it was late at night, he was still dressed in formal clothes. The well-tailored clothes revealed his broad shoulders and slender waist. His slender legs were wrapped in suit pants, and his figure was tall and straight.
He walked over the front of the car, nodded slightly to Zhang Jiajia and others, and opened the door for Su Yi.
Su Yi got in, waved to the window, and the car slid into the night.
Fang Yingying covered her chest and sighed, "Why are they both brothers, but other people's brothers are like princes, but my brother is a dead dog?"
After she finished speaking, she waited for a long time but no one responded. She turned around and looked at the other two, "What are you thinking?"
"Don't you think...Su Yi and her brother look a little strange?" Zhang Jiajia looked at the direction the car left, with a thoughtful look on her face.
"What's strange?"
He Ye whispered, "I feel the same way."
She and Zhang Jiajia ignored Fang Yingying and communicated silently with their eyes.
Neither of them had brothers or sisters, but perhaps it was precisely because they didn't have any brothers or sisters, so they saw too many brothers and sisters getting along with each other, and from the perspective of an outsider, there was a contrast.
If it wasn't a big deal when we were in school ten years ago, the situation just now was different. When a brother picks up his sister, will he get out of the car to open the door for her? Will he considerately protect her with one hand behind her? Will he protect her head from collision?
Even the most filial boyfriends are not so considerate! Not to mention siblings who are not actually related by blood.
And the look in his eyes when he looked at Su Yi... that is something that cannot be explained in words.
Thinking about the fact that he is young and handsome, successful in his career, and has artists who are more beautiful than each other, but has never been involved in a scandal...
Tsk, things seem a bit serious.
He Ye and Zhang Jiajia looked at each other, and they both saw this sentence in each other's eyes. They were silent for a while, and at the same time stretched out their hands and made a zipper-like gesture on their mouths.
Some things can be joked about as friends, but some things cannot be said at all.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Fang Yingying looked mad.
The other two shrugged, one looked at the sky and the other at the watch, "It's so late, go home."
"Yeah, if I don't go home, I will miss my beauty sleep."
"You guys--" Fang Yingying wanted to ask more, but they pushed her into the car and dragged her away.
On the other side, Xiao Yan's car drove onto the avenue and merged into the traffic.
Su Yi's head was full of gossip tonight. Looking at Xiao Yan's profile as he was concentrating on driving, she was curious. "Brother, where is your girlfriend?"
There was a traffic light ahead. Xiao Yan slowed down the car until it stopped completely, then turned to look at her. "What girlfriend?"
Su Yi shrugged lightly. "It's what people of this age should have. They all say so."
Xiao Yan heard this and asked instead, "Are you also in this age range?"
"I think so." Su Yi looked at the jumping red light numbers boredly.
"So you are going to find a boyfriend?" Xiao Yan said calmly.
Su Yi shook her head, "I'm not interested. What I said before is still applicable now."
Xiao Yan knew that she was referring to what she said at the New Year's Eve party in high school. Although many years had passed, he still remembered it.
She said that she didn't have time to fall in love, nor was she prepared to fall in love.
Ten years later, it's still the same.
He couldn't remember how he felt when he heard this at the beginning, but now when he heard it again, he actually felt that this was not bad.
She would not belong to anyone and would not stay for anyone.
This is good.
Su Yi rested at home for a few days and took a look at the information of the actress she was going to shoot. She needed to talk to her later and get a little familiar with her so as to analyze what style she was suitable for.
The second time she went to the entertainment company, she went directly to the top floor from the exclusive elevator in the parking lot with Xiao Yan.
With the introduction of Assistant Huang, Su Yi met the actress and her agent.
The first contact went smoothly. Actress Qin Mingming had been warned by her agent that the photographer she found this time was quite famous. The key was that he had the support of a big boss, so she would cooperate well.
Qin Mingming didn't believe it at first. Who was the big boss Mr. Xiao? How many colleagues wanted to get close to him, not expecting to become the president's wife, or even his girlfriend, but just wanting to spread some groundless gossip, but no one succeeded. Now suddenly saying that he had a deep relationship with a female photographer?
Who would believe it?
Qin Mingming was a little hesitant until she saw that the other party was personally introduced and arranged by Assistant Huang. After the first chat with the person, she walked out of the conference room and saw the big boss waving at this side not far away. When the young and beautiful female photographer beside him walked over very naturally, she really opened her mouth and looked at her agent.
"Sister Lili——"
"Shut up and don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask." The agent said concisely.
"...Okay." Although she was young, Qin Mingming still knew the way to survive in this circle.
In the past, so many female stars wanted to have scandals with big bosses and take the opportunity to get promoted. Are they so stupid that none of them succeeded? Of course not.
But what if he succeeded? Even if he tried every possible means to deliberately let others take ambiguous photos, what would it matter? Has anyone ever seen any relevant content in the media?
Their boss looks young, but his skills and energy are not small at all. Those female stars who wanted to use him to gain popularity later became more and more silent.
It has almost become a tacit rule within the company now. Daydreaming about the big boss? Sure, just think about it.
So even if Qin Mingming had a hundred more courage, she would not dare to offend her top god.
Xiao Yan came to find Su Yi because he had some temporary situation and needed to go out. He originally planned to have lunch with the two of them, but now he had to give up.
"Do you want me to arrange a driver to take you home?"
Su Yi shook her head, "No, go and do your important work. I heard that your company cafeteria is good, and I want to try it. Do you need an employee card?"
The two of them happened to walk to Assistant Huang's office. Xiao Yan knocked on the door and explained Su Yi's needs to the other party. He also asked Su Yi to rest in his office after dinner, and then left.
Su Yi and Assistant Huang stared at each other, "So... take me to dinner?"
The brother and sister really treated him as a chores! Assistant Huang was indignant, but he had to do it.
Just after finishing the meal and sitting down, Su Yi heard Mao Tuan jumping in his consciousness and the heroine was nearby.
She looked around and found a girl sitting at the table in front of her left. Unlike other tables where people were chatting and laughing in groups, she was the only one sitting at that table. In contrast to the lively surroundings, she looked particularly out of place, as if isolated.
Su Yi didn't see clearly last time, but this time she took a closer look. As the heroine of a book, she was naturally good-looking, with big eyes, a small mouth, and fair skin, but she didn't look very energetic. She looked a little pitiful as she lowered her head and ate quietly.
"She has only been working for a few days, and she is being bullied so soon?"
Mao Tuan hummed in response.
Who among the people here is not a shrewd person and has a sharp eye? The heroine was dressed in ordinary clothes, without any valuable jewelry, and her family background was revealed by a few words. A girl without any background was trying to survive in an entertainment company. What did it matter if she looked good? Her good looks might become a reason for some people to dislike her.
Although it was only a few days, it was enough for her to suffer and wipe out the joy in her heart when she was hired by her favorite company.
Su Yi was secretly observing, and suddenly someone sat down opposite her, blocking her line of sight. She looked up and was a little surprised.
A few days ago at the dinner party, Fang Yingying asked her to be careful not to run into Zhang Na in the company, but now the person was sitting in front of her.
In fact, the two had only a little interaction in the first year of high school, and they had not even met each
other in all these years. It was no wonder that Su Yi could not remember who Zhang Na was at the time, but now that she saw her, the image of her in the past popped up in her mind. "Why, don't you recognize me?" It was Zhang Na who spoke first. Her facial features were still the same as before, but more delicate and elegant, and there seemed to be an invisible aura around her.
"I remember, but it was a little unexpected." Su Yi said.
Zhang Na used chopsticks to fiddle with the food on her plate, "I was going to say the same thing. I heard that there is a new female photographer working with the company who is highly regarded by the senior management. I didn't expect it to be you."
Su Yi blinked slowly. She felt that Zhang Na seemed to be much more amiable than before? You know, she threatened her when they first met.
What she didn't know was that since her debut, Zhang Na has been following the route of aloof sister Yu. She is also a famous cold beauty in the company. Many people don't get along with her, but she has acting skills, a good figure, and a good family background. She has the capital to be aloof.
And just now, she took the initiative to share a table with Su Yi and talked to her, and I don't know how many people dropped their jaws.
She said that she heard that there was a new female photographer in the company, but in fact it was her agent who said it. Ordinary employees have no way to know this. Just now, Assistant Huang accompanied Su Yi to the cafeteria, which has caused some people to talk. Assistant Huang just left for something, and the cold beauty came to eat at the same table. Now most of the people in the cafeteria are curious about Su Yi's identity.
The heroine Gu Xiao, who Su Yi had just secretly observed, also secretly looked at their table.
Gu Xiao remembered the girl opposite. She came for an interview that day, and the two sat together in the waiting area. At that time, she thought that the other party was also here for an interview, and looked at her curiously for several times.
At that time, she was full of nervous expectations and yearning for the future. When she received the employment call, she was full of unbelievable joy. It was all just in the past, but now she was exhausted.
And the people who thought they were here for the interview like her had a completely different situation.
She now knew that the person who came downstairs to pick her up was the big boss of the company, the man of dreams in the eyes of the old employees who bullied her, and the person that no one could reach, but he went downstairs in person to pick up the girl.
And the person who was having dinner with her now was a famous female star, someone that others could only say bad things about behind her back and had to put on a smile.
She looked at the way they spoke, so confident and casual, as if nothing in the world could make them frown. Almost everyone in the company cafeteria was talking about them. The two parties seemed so comfortable, calm and elegant, and it was obvious that they were used to being the center of attention and didn't care.
Gu Xiao pursed her lips tightly.
Is it possible that one day, she can become one of them?
Su Yi and Zhang Na were chatting, and she felt it was quite novel. When they were in school, they had never talked to each other properly, but now they were chatting like friends who had not seen each other for a long time.
"Do you have plans for the afternoon?" Zhang Na asked her when they were almost done eating.
Su Yi said, "Nothing, my brother asked me to wait for him."
Zhang Na knew who her brother was, and raised her eyebrows slightly, "Do you want to come over to my place? My assistant makes great coffee."
So Su Yi went.
Zhang Na came to the company today to listen to her agent discuss work arrangements. The agent gave her information about several variety shows and asked her to choose from them. Su Yi nestled in the sofa, drinking coffee from a mug. Zhang Na's assistant was very surprised to see her have friends, and in his enthusiasm, he offered all his snacks to her, so Su Yi nestled in more comfortably.
In the afternoon, Xiao Yan returned to the company, fully expecting to see Su Yi in his lounge, but the whole space was deserted, and he called her to find out where she was.
It took him a second to recall the rumor about Sue in high school. Although he knew there was nothing between the two of them, it still didn't make him feel unhappy.