Chapter 30. Black tea and white tea are both tea; as long as they give you a buzz, they're both good tea. ...
The pleasant and harmonious atmosphere in the dressing room instantly turned icy. Zhu Qingzhi was completely different from the kind and cooperative person she had shown during the interview; her words were merciless, as if she had no intention of letting the matter pass.
Xiao Wenfeng is Xiao Tang's maternal uncle, and the two are indeed related. Since the beginning of last year, after Xiao Wenfeng became the editor-in-chief of FTYL, Xiao Tang appeared on the September cover, and her resources in the fashion industry have greatly improved.
So, if Xiao Wenfeng hadn't stirred things up, no one in the room would have believed it. The interview team has already sent him a message.
Dani called him several times, but no one answered.
Although Zhu Qingzhi's lotus-root-colored silk dress had an intricate design, it was light and flowing, allowing for unrestricted movement. She smiled and asked, "Can't get in touch?"
Dani shook her head, still unwilling to give up, and dialed again. In the quiet room, everyone listened to the monotonous "beep beep" sound from the receiver.
The members of the interview team exchanged glances before someone spoke up to smooth things over: "It seems the editor-in-chief is supervising on-site and probably doesn't have time to check his phone."
The makeup artist had clearly accepted the fact that the makeup needed to be changed now, and had already silently taken out her cosmetics: "Okay, anyway, the time for a set of photos isn't long."
Zhu Qingzhi picked up the mineral water bottle and took a sip, then made a move to sit down in the chair. Dani happened to look over at her, their eyes met, and they both knew what was going on.
Dani walked to the door and handed her phone to the girl blocking the doorway: "Dawn just sent a message, do you think this is what she means?"
Because her phone had a privacy screen protector, the girl had to turn to the side to see the screen.
Just then, a figure darted past from the side.
"Thump, thump, thump," the sound of high heels hitting the ground echoed in the corridor, and Zhu Qingzhi's smug voice floated in my ears: "If we're shooting with the same set, I'll go and observe from the side, otherwise we'll clash in style."
The girl was still unaware of what was happening and hadn't even had a chance to turn her head to look when she was pulled into the house by a strong force.
Then a loud bang on the door snapped her back to reality. She stared at Dani in disbelief, asking, "What are you doing?"
In an instant, the dressing room descended into chaos, with everyone talking at once and pushing each other, all trying to rush out the door.
"If this blows up, you'll lose face. Besides, the interview transcript isn't finalized yet!"
"Is your team doing this because you don't want to do any more shoots with fashion magazines?"
"Today was the day Katrina promoted the first issue of the season for Zhu Qingzhi. Are you guys trying to get rid of the endorsement by doing this?"
"Makeup and hair can really change things!!! This is my job!!! I'm not afraid of trouble!!!" The makeup artist gripped the makeup brush, her pupils dilated, and she uttered a call that struck straight to the soul.
Dani ignored them, focused solely on blocking the door. Though she couldn't outwit everyone, she could hold them off for a few minutes, especially with a small boat blocking the way outside.
The place was a chaotic mess, like a vegetable market, but Zhu Qingzhi, wearing sky-high heels, strode nimbly across the smooth, reflective tile floor.
In the past, even when she was careful with every step, she could still twist her ankle. It seems that when people are angry, they can really unleash unlimited potential!
Xiao Tang thought she was face-blind and sent her personal assistant to embarrass her, so why should she tolerate it? Today, she'll show Xiao Tang who really loses face!
In less than three minutes, Zhu Qingzhi arrived at the first photography studio. The first person she saw was Xiao Wenfeng, who greeted her with a smile: "Qingzhi, you should understand the sudden change in your work, right?"
Understand? Understand my foot! But as the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face. Zhu Qingzhi tilted her head and smiled, smoothing out her inner "Are you crazy?" as: "Editor-in-Chief Xiao, you are truly a rare talent."
The set design of Studio One is a typical Baroque style, with pearls and diamonds piled on the floor, shining brightly under the lights and reflected on the screen, making it even more beautiful. The screen is torn in the middle with a very aesthetically pleasing opening and decorated with flowers, pine branches and vines.
Unconventional, unique, and a rebirth from ruin—this design is indeed based on Katrina's brand style of "intense freedom," but it also aligns with Moli's tone of "dreams and power." So, was it directly used?
She looked around but didn't see Xiao Tang. She didn't give Xiao Wenfeng a friendly look either, and walked past him to Dawn, who was testing the lighting on a model.
Dawn was looking down at the photos in the camera, instructing his assistant to adjust the lighting. He glanced up casually, then casually looked down again. He knew Zhu Qingzhi wasn't so easily fooled: "Why did you take so long to arrive?"
With his deeply sculpted features, it's clear he's a strikingly handsome mixed-race man. At twenty-nine, he's at the prime of his life, radiating strong hormones.
But perhaps because he had been in Africa for too long, he was now almost as black as charcoal, and Zhu Qingzhi's attention was almost entirely focused on the teeth he showed when he spoke, greatly reducing the hormonal impact.
She twitched her eyelids slightly: "I'm here now, aren't I?"
Dawn glanced at her, and Zhu Qingzhi immediately spread her hands: "Don't look at me, I'm ready anytime."
He then asked Xiao Wenfeng in a serious tone, "Editor-in-Chief Xiao, now that the artists are here, can we begin?"
Xiao Wenfeng was genuinely a bit bewildered.
When Dawn was active in the industry, Zhu Qingzhi had not yet debuted, and the two had never worked together. How come they sound like they have a good relationship?
Xiao Wenfeng still had the proposal rolled up in his hand, but he didn't show much dissatisfaction. He still communicated in a good tone: "Dawn, Xiao Tang's side is being promoted by Moli. We just communicated that you would be in charge of the photography, and we've added a set at the last minute."
"She's here?" Dawn gestured to the camera assistant to adjust the side lighting.
Xiao Wenfeng glanced at his watch: "We're already adjusting the makeup and styling according to your requirements."
Dawn immediately grabbed Zhu Qingzhi and pulled her into the set: "It's okay, the photoshoot will be quick. By the time she's done, I'll be done too."
The same set of scenery cannot be used twice. Xiao Wenfeng had planned it from the beginning: Xiao Tang would shoot the set first, and then Zhu Qingzhi would have to use the backup plan.
Generally speaking, unexpected situations can arise during magazine shoots, and there have been precedents for changing sets and styling at the last minute. As long as the reason is plausible, the artists will not refuse to cooperate.
Moreover, he had already worked with the Katrina brand PR person in charge of this project, and the other party was satisfied with the backup plan; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to proceed.
However, since things have come to this point, Zhu Qingzhi must have taken the photos for this set. After all, since the little tricks weren't explicitly stated, everyone could pretend not to know. If they were to stop her now, the scene would really be ugly.
But where exactly did things go wrong? At this moment, he couldn't just walk away in a huff, so he could only clutch the proposal tightly in his hand.
Zhu Qingzhi struck a couple of poses in the set, then suddenly stopped, her eyes blinking as she looked at him, appearing innocent and naive. Two dimples even appeared on her cheeks as she smiled: "Planner Xiao, could you please call the makeup artists and Katrina's brand PR?"
"Planner Xiao"—this explicitly states his current role: he should coordinate and arrange everything for her.
Dawn also put the photo she had just taken onto the monitor and called Xiao Wenfeng over: "The makeup and hair do need to be adjusted on the spot, but it's very simple, quick, and won't take up much time."
Xiao Wenfeng nodded without any airs: "Okay, just a moment. I'll be right there."
His departing figure was resolute. Zhu Qingzhi stood beside the monitor, half-resting her chin on her hand, watching his retreating figure, a pitiful expression on her face.
It was something that could have been resolved with a simple phone call, but Xiao Wenfeng took the opportunity to leave. Tsk tsk tsk, he must have gone to confront someone.
Before she could even voice her opinion, Dawn flicked her forehead and then slapped her on the back: "Don't hunch over! You have no masculinity at all!"
*
Xiao Tang is currently revising her makeup according to Dawn's plan.
Dawn's suggestion is actually quite simple: change the blush on your face to an orange-pink color, and remove the glitter from your eye makeup, replacing it with a smoky eye in the same color family.
The complicated part is the hair. It needs to be taken out, straightened again, and then made into a wool curl. It also needs to be highlighted with four or five colors. This whole process takes at least half an hour.
Agent Huang Shan had just received the magazine's new proposal and was very satisfied. When she pushed open the door, she saw Xiao Tang with her eyes closed, letting the makeup artist reapply her eye makeup.
Huang Shan tossed her bag onto the sofa and asked, "Where did Arou go?"
Arou is Xiao Tang's newly hired personal assistant. She hasn't been with Xiao Tang for very long, only a month and a half. She's a stranger to him and not very skilled at her job. She's caused a few minor problems several times, so Huang Shan is quite attentive to her.
Xiao Tang half-opened her eyes and casually replied, "It seems she went to the bathroom."
"That's good." Huang Shan didn't think much of it and walked to Xiao Tang's side. "If you seize the opportunity and get Dawn to film it, your set will definitely become a hit."
Xiao Tang was also happy. This time, thanks to the help of her cousin Xiao Wenfeng, things went so smoothly. However, there were still outsiders present, so it was best not to say certain things.
Just as the makeup artist finished adjusting the eye makeup and was about to change the blush with a powder puff, the door was suddenly pushed open.
It was Xiao Wenfeng. His face was expressionless, but everyone could tell he wasn't in a good mood.
Xiao Wenfeng presents a friendly and approachable demeanor to outsiders, but he is almost demanding at work. So after the makeup artist greeted him, she continued to bury herself in her work, afraid of detonating this time bomb.
Seeing this, Huang Shan was about to say a few polite words, but Xiao Tang suddenly lowered her head. As she lowered her head, the makeup artist's powder puff rubbed off a large area of foundation.
She was so frightened that her eyebrows almost reached her hairline. She hurriedly took out her foundation to touch up her makeup, but Xiao Wenfeng said, "You go out first. I have something to discuss with the artist's team."
The makeup artist ran away immediately.
As Huang Shan was pondering Xiao Wenfeng's attitude, she saw Arou walk in dejectedly, looking like a wilted eggplant.
The moment the door closed, Xiao Wenfeng slammed the project proposal onto the dressing table. His face was dark as he yelled at Xiao Tang on the forehead, "Do you even have a brain? If you don't want to acknowledge us as relatives, you don't need to film today!"
Huang Shan quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Editor-in-Chief Xiao, there might be some misunderstanding here, please don't be angry."
"A misunderstanding?" Xiao Wenfeng was genuinely amused.
He had no idea how he felt when he went to Zhu Qingzhi's dressing room and saw a group of women dancing wildly!
He took a deep breath, glanced at Arou who was standing trembling to the side, and snorted coldly, "You tell me, what misunderstanding is there?!"
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Author's Note: Qingzhi [rolls eyes]: If the tiger doesn't roar, do you think I'm Hello Kitty?
Dawn [sunglasses]: Not bad, not bad.
Dani [angry]: Go!
Xiao Wenfeng [Joker]: You're insane!
Author: Yoho [starry-eyed]
An extra chapter will be released at 2 PM! [Applause] Stay tuned! [Applause]
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