"This is a work of art."
The photographer, camera in hand, stood beside Jin He, shaking his head and exclaiming, "A work of art, a work of art..."
Jin He gave him a strange look, then hugged her thermos and moved away from him.
"Can you pose like this in a bit?" The photographer, with his large belly protruding, twisted his body seductively. "Venus de Milo!"
Jin He: "..."
"And this too, Coconut* brand coconut juice!"
Jin He: "..."
"Artworks, oh works of art..."
Jin He: "..."
Even if it's cured, it will still drool.
"Just take a couple of simple photos, preferably ones where you look healthy," Jin He stated her request. "Let's finish quickly, I want to go home and sleep."
He had been waiting here all day. His number was quite far back in the queue, and people kept cutting in line. Many people had already finished taking their photos and gone home. He waited here until dark.
But there's nothing you can do about it; that's just how the entertainment industry is. If you're not a big star or have a small background, you'll be bullied in all sorts of ways. Jin He was already used to it and prepared for it. He threw two goji berries into his thermos.
As you get older, you need to take care of your health.
Shouldn't your unique characteristics be highlighted?
The photographer just thought he was weird. "Other kids can strike a hundred different poses, they just have to show their coolest side. You strike a pose, look at me like this!"
The photographer started swaying again.
Forgive Jin He, but she really can't see the aesthetic appeal in twisting it into a pretzel shape.
He just wanted to finish filming quickly and leave.
Sleepy.
"Cameraman."
A young girl suddenly ran over to him in the dressing room, leaned down, and said, "Um, our artist is here. Could you let him take the photos first?"
"Huh?" The photographer glanced at Jin He, who had already stepped into the lighting, and asked, "I'll be quick here, ten minutes is fine, right?"
“Our artist is anxious,” the young girl said with a troubled expression. “As you know, he has more fans than the average trainee, and his debut position is basically secured, so he…”
"Then it's not surprising that he's in a hurry to catch up on his schedule, right?" Jin He suddenly appeared behind them, holding a thermos, her big eyes blinking as she looked at the two of them, making them feel inexplicably guilty.
“I’ve been through that time too, so I understand. You guys go ahead and take your pictures.”
"Thank you, thank you, Teacher Jin He." The young girl had thought it was already quite offensive to ask a senior like Jin He to make way for her, but she hadn't expected him to be so easygoing. She quickly bowed to Jin He, "Thank you, thank you!"
"It's okay, I don't have anything else to do anyway."
"I'm so sleepy." Jin He sat back down on the small stool and yawned. When the trainee who was rumored to be about to debut came out, he first expressed his gratitude to the teachers as usual, and then his gaze fell on Jin He sitting on the small stool.
Xu Yuxiang glanced at him and nodded, taking it as a greeting.
Jin He politely returned the greeting, took out her phone to order takeout. She had spent the whole day in this greenhouse, and although she hadn't done anything but wait, it had still been hard work for her.
Treat yourself to a nice meal tonight.
What should I eat...?
Xu Yuxiang was indeed demanding when it came to the shoot. He changed several poses and makeup but was still not satisfied. Now there are only two people left on set who haven't finished yet. Of course, Jin He is the last one.
Time slowly passed until eight o'clock in the evening.
Jin He plans to have roast chicken for dinner. Hmm, she needs to remove the skin. Even if an excellent idol is getting old or about to retire, they still need to pay attention to their image.
"Teacher An, shall we put your luggage in your room first? The production team will come to you for a meeting in a little while, but it won't be too late, and we'll make sure you get enough rest tonight."
"Yes." An Yi nodded. "Thank you all for your hard work."
"It's not hard work at all, Teacher An, just come with us."
At 9:30 p.m., An Yi ran into Jin He at the bus stop outside the venue. Jin He had just finished filming for ten minutes and hadn't had time to remove her makeup. She was sitting on a chair at the bus stop, wiping her face with a makeup remover wipe and a small stick in her mouth.
He had just gotten out of the van when he looked up and saw Jin He sitting alone under the streetlight. The dim streetlight cast a long shadow of him, which stretched all the way to An Yi's feet.
An Yi, as if possessed, raised his foot and stepped on his shadow.
Jin He was looking down at the ground. The black fog in front of him gradually dissipated. He looked at his phone screen. The ride-hailing car was getting closer and closer to him. Suddenly, a pair of black sneakers appeared in his field of vision. He looked up and saw An Yi standing in front of him, completely blocking the streetlight.
He was backlit, so Jin He couldn't see his expression.
Why are you still here?
Jin He raised her chin: "Just got off work."
An Yi immediately understood what had happened. After all, it was perfectly normal for people to bully each other in the entertainment industry. It's always the case that when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter, and when a wall collapses, everyone pushes it down. Moreover, Jin He had been down for many years.
But seeing Jin He sitting here all alone waiting for the bus, he felt inexplicably irritated.
"Are you stupid? You came so early, are you just going to wait all day?"
"What else can I do? Go and argue with the production team? Tell them I'm Jin He, and they'll let me film first?" Jin He took the lollipop out of her mouth and pointed it at An Yi from afar: "Wake up, you aloof young master, how come you haven't improved at all?"
“You’re trying to outdo me.” An Yi was getting a little annoyed by his stubbornness. “Why don’t you use your sharp tongue in the right place?”
"cut."
What are you cutting!
The ride-hailing car stopped in front of the station. Jin He put the lollipop in his mouth again and prepared to leave. He really didn't want to see him. At least now that An Yi was in his sight, he felt that he was an eyesore.
Seeing that the person was about to leave, An Yi subconsciously grabbed Jin He's arm: "Hey, you..."
Jin He felt as if he had been branded with a hot iron. The moment An Yi touched him, he was thrown back, his waist slamming into the car door with a loud "bang".
He reached out and slapped An Yi's hand away: "What are you doing!"
"Could you... could you please stop bothering me?!"
An Yi felt a numbness in the back of his hand; Jin He's slap had been quite forceful, and a clear finger mark quickly appeared on the back of his hand. He curled his fingers slightly and withdrew his hand. "I just wanted to tell you not to go out alone like this anymore; it's not safe."
"That's none of your business." Jin He calmed herself down and took a deep breath. "I know you'll be participating in this show, but let's just pretend we don't know each other."
“I’m not even sure I can make it to a few rounds. I… I know you hate me. I’ll retire from the entertainment industry after this show.” Jin He sat in the back seat of the car. “It’s getting late. Teacher An, you should get some rest.”
“I knew you were coming to participate in this program!” An Yi pried open the car door, refusing to let Jin He leave no matter what. “To be precise, why did I return to China? I just wanted to come back for a reason.”
He stared at Jin He, his eyes reddening, his knuckles clenching so hard they turned white: "Why did you break up? You didn't give me a reason back then, and I want to know why."
Jin He lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression.
"Everything was fine before. Even if you dumped me, you should at least give me a reason. Why?"
Jin He suddenly looked up, her face full of sarcasm. Her harsh expression was like a sharp blade that pierced directly into An Yi's heart: "What's wrong, Teacher An? Coming to reminisce at this time, you don't still like me, do you?"
An Yi's face turned pale, and he asked, "Wh-what?"
"It's nothing. I just think it's a bit funny that you're thirty and still playing the innocent game. We're all adults, we can let go of things easily. Dating doesn't mean I'm tied to you and have to be together. I just don't need you anymore. Let's part amicably and pretend we never met."
Jin He closed the car door and told the driver to drive away.
An Yi was still banging on the car door outside, saying something. Jin He couldn't hear clearly, but guessed it was some annoying stuff again. After the car had driven a distance, he turned around as if possessed and saw An Yi still standing under the streetlight, all alone, looking rather pitiful.
With just one glance, Jin He immediately turned her head away, touching her aching and stuffy chest, and took a short breath.
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