Chapter 29 I don't mind if you can't see through my feelings, I'll say it again. ...
As the elevator descended, a slight tremor and a feeling of weightlessness washed over her, and for some reason, Zhu Qingzhi felt a pang of anxiety.
A certain emotion, spreading inexplicably in her heart, like a drizzle in the damp air, gradually accumulated into a pool of water in her heart. The fluctuations of her thoughts became ripples on the water, one circle after another, impacting the "unrelated" dam she had just built.
Layer upon layer, densely packed, impossible to ignore, impossible to stop—she keenly sensed what this represented: an instinctive reaction to the perception of love.
However, this kind of love is not acting, not a routine, but real. It is something she doesn't expect, so she feels uncomfortable and unaccustomed to it, but it's far from being unbearable.
Zhu Qingzhi pretended not to care and leaned to the side, gripping the armrest of the room tightly with one hand: "Hmm."
“You should know my feelings. If you don’t…” Wen Qi suddenly leaned over her, the familiar amber scent becoming forceful. He pressed one hand against her cheek, blocking her escaping gaze and forcing her to look him in the eye.
His dark gray patterned tie had come undone at some point, and a few buttons on his shirt were undone, revealing a sharp collarbone and a strong chest. "I don't mind saying it again."
Zhu Qingzhi's breath hitched, her heart pounding so hard it made her panic; her acting talent was useless at this moment.
She barely had time to think; her gaze unconsciously swept over his collar, then instantly recoiled as if electrocuted: "No, that's not what I meant..."
Suddenly, a cold, rhythmic electronic ringtone interrupted her. It was Wen Qi's phone ringing!
As if seeing Guanyin Bodhisattva descend to earth, Zhu Qingzhi decisively shut her mouth and very proactively took out her phone from the suit pocket hanging on his arm and handed it over.
Wen Qi showed no abnormality on her face, as if the noise of a cell phone ringing could not reach her ears. Only the arm pressing on her face was tense, highlighting the veins on the back of her hand.
"No, please don't ignore my calls again! You're making me feel so awkward!" Zhu Qingzhi's silent cry echoed loudly in her heart.
The phone rang for a long time, and it didn't stop even after the elevator stopped at the second basement level.
Zhu Qingzhi steeled herself and moved the phone closer to his face again. The caller ID on the phone screen showed the letter A, but she didn't know who it was.
Wen Qi let out a very faint sigh, somewhat helpless, and finally picked up the phone and hung up. Then, he took her bag with one hand and pressed the other hand on her head, leading her out of the elevator without saying a word.
Zhu Qingzhi tried to break free, but couldn't, and could only obediently follow him.
The Wen family's parking lot is relatively independent, with guards at the entrance and exit. People and vehicles from other units generally cannot enter, so the parking lot is very quiet at this time, and there is no fear of being seen by others.
The chilly air, mixed with the fishy smell of engine oil, rushed over and soothed the heat on Zhu Qingzhi's cheeks.
Wen Qi took a moment to reply to the message before tossing his phone into his pocket, a slight softening in his expression: "I'm going to Xisha. Where are you going?"
...He went to the Xisha Islands in the middle of the day? What important business could he possibly have to do?
"Manager Yang from Xisha has something to report to me."
No, is her mind written all over her face? Or does he have mind-reading abilities? But having to handle work in the middle of the day? Manager Yang's life is so miserable.
She glanced down at the message Dani had sent: "I'm going to FTYL, I have a magazine shoot today."
"Yes, it's very close." Wen Qi didn't seem surprised at all, and had already taken the key off her bag chain. She seemed to press it casually, and the light came on of the brown sports car parked diagonally opposite.
Zhu Qingzhi's most prominent characteristic is laziness. To save time and walk fewer steps, she always parks her car in the spot closest to the elevator, and today was no exception.
Wen Qi didn't say anything, but the expression on his face betrayed his feelings.
Damn it, this feeling of being seen through is really frustrating and extremely annoying! Zhu Qingzhi ignored him and naturally gave him the driver's seat.
The car left the parking lot, turned onto the expressway, and merged into the traffic.
It snowed a little this morning, and there's still a thin layer of frost on the pine and cypress trees along the roadside. The sunlight is warm and not too bright. It shines through the car window, making people feel warm and cozy. Combined with the woody incense in the car, it creates a lazy winter afternoon atmosphere.
However, on weekday afternoons, everyone is on the go, and the traffic is constant, but the cars are not moving very fast.
Zhu Qingzhi sent her location to Dani, then checked the map for the locations of Xisha and FTYL before saying, "Could you drop me off at the FTYL parking lot and then drive my car to Xisha?"
Wen Qi responded, glanced at the time on the dashboard, accelerated, changed lanes, and overtook several cars: "Any other plans after the magazine shoot?"
"No, but you don't need to pick me up. The magazine shoot will finish around 8 or 9 pm, and I have a car to take me home."
Wen Qi didn't say anything more, but simply adjusted the air conditioner vents.
Zhu Qingzhi glanced at the navigation; it would take about ten more minutes to reach her destination. The time wasn't long, so she didn't say anything, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes to rest.
Upon arriving at FTYL's parking lot, Zhu Qingzhi immediately spotted Xiaozhou waiting at the elevator entrance.
She didn't intend to hide her affair with Wen Qi from Xiao Zhou, but Wen Qi didn't stop and parked the car in the west corner. So when Xiao Zhou was looking around at the elevator entrance, she only saw Zhu Qingzhi walking over.
"Sis, let me tell you, Xiao Tang is here today too. It seems she's shooting for the February supplement." Xiao Zhou led her up the elevator and whispered in her ear, "We only found out when we got here. I really don't know what the magazine editor-in-chief was thinking."
Zhu Qingzhi tapped her forehead: "Dani didn't lose her temper, did she?"
"Hmm... I'm teetering on the edge of going berserk." Xiao Zhou instantly became obedient, pursed her lips, and made a zipping motion.
The cover of this issue of FTYL magazine was promoted by Katrina, a luxury brand that Zhu Qingzhi had been in contact with for some time.
Katrina's brand style is "a strong sense of freedom and rebirth," which matches Zhu Qingzhi's image very well. Therefore, Katrina has always wanted to sign Zhu Qingzhi as its brand ambassador for Greater China.
The brand repeatedly promoted Katrina, participated in promotional activities, shot creative materials, and invited her to attend fashion shows, etc., and had been evaluating her for nearly a year. Even though Zhu Qingzhi was previously embroiled in a public opinion storm, Katrina's willingness to cooperate remained strong, and the two parties completed the signing a few days ago.
The brand is expected to make an official announcement across all platforms in early March. This March issue of FTYL is one of the materials prepared for the official announcement. Because the filming of "Yunshuiyao" will start in February, the brand was worried that Zhu Qingzhi's schedule would be difficult to coordinate if she joined the crew, so they shot the film in advance.
The secrecy was well maintained this time; the news of the signing between the two parties was not leaked.
Zhu Qingzhi knew that Dani was quick-tempered and had a fiery temper, but she knew her limits and was aware of the seriousness of the matter, and would never cause any trouble at this critical juncture.
"Anyway, we're not filming in the same studio, so if we can't see it, we'll just pretend we don't know."
The two went straight into the dressing room. Thanks to extensive preparation beforehand, the makeup and hairstylist had already determined the makeup and hair style based on their outfits. Shortly after, the magazine team arrived at the dressing room as well. With a tight schedule, makeup and the interview proceeded almost simultaneously.
After her hair and makeup were finished, Zhu Qingzhi changed into the silk dress that was the finale of Katrina's latest season show, and wore heavy jewelry from LR.
After filming the interview video, Zhu Qingzhi was about to go to the First Studio for the shoot when a girl knocked on the door. She brought a message somewhat shyly: "Hello, the shooting order has been temporarily changed. The first set will be the one with the black swan."
"Who are you? I've never seen you before. Was this a last-minute change? You just notified me like this?"
The makeup artist frowned, stopped tidying up the cosmetics, and crossed her arms, clearly unhappy. "The shooting order of the three sets was determined long ago based on the complexity of the makeup. It's easy to change from this set to Black Swan, but to change it back would require redoing the makeup, and there's not enough time."
"Because of the Moli brand's promotion, Xiao Tang's team changed the plan at the last minute, so we are currently using the First Studio for the shoot."
"Katrina's brand PR agreed? Why didn't he come to inform us?" the makeup artist retorted without holding back.
The interview team hadn't left the dressing room yet when they heard this, and they exchanged glances in unison.
The girl's face was unfamiliar; she didn't seem to be an employee of FTYL. Could she be a photography assistant brought by Dawn?
Moreover, the girl seemed timid and only told the truth out of desperation, but even if the magazine wanted to shift the blame for something as shameful as occupying the photo studio, they couldn't just openly state the reason without any attempt to conceal it.
If things escalate and there's no time for public relations, it will become a laughing stock in the industry. Even if the magazine chooses a newcomer to deliver the message, it's still necessary for someone to teach her this lesson.
What's more, the relationship between Xiao Tang and Zhu Qingzhi... well, it might not be considered discordant, but everyone knows they should try to avoid each other. Yet today, they managed to arrange for both of them to come to shoot for the magazine at the same time, and now this whole studio-grabbing thing has suddenly happened.
This is blatant provocation.
Dani realized this as well. She was originally sending messages to Katrina's brand PR, but she immediately switched chat windows to prepare to confront the chief planner.
Zhu Qingzhi didn't seem to react much. She bent down, took a sip of mineral water through a straw, and said slowly, "If I may ask, were the sets for Studio One changed at the last minute? Or did they just use them directly? Was it a last-minute plan, or was it arranged beforehand? If they suddenly proposed to shoot at Studio One, would Dawn, with her temperament, agree?"
Dawn is considered a hot star in the photography world, but he has shot very few magazines in recent years, almost living like a wild man in Africa. This time, FTYL was able to find him and get him to agree to take the photos, which surprised everyone in the industry, and everyone is looking forward to the final images.
"Our chief planner is Editor-in-Chief Xiao Wenfeng, but what about Xiao Tang's side? The February supplement is scheduled for the same day, are we going to share the same planning and photography team?"
Zhu Qingzhi, wearing 10-centimeter high heels, placed one hand on the table, leaned forward slightly, and adjusted her teardrop diamond earrings in front of the mirror. The diamonds sparkled and shone, and she smiled with a charming smile.
"Dani, do you think this is a mistake by the magazine? Or do they just not respect us?"
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Author's note: Kiyoshi [resting her chin on her hand]: Something's not right.
Wen Qi [laughs loudly]: [dog head with rose in mouth]
Author [Glasses]: Aha.
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