370 Three Invitations

"I’m a contributing editor of W..."

"I know. Your card says that... I can read English."

Qin Guan felt strange around the excited man.

Why aren't you excited? Why aren’t you screaming out? Why aren’t you holding your breath like other models?

Before he could express his feelings, William heard Qin Guan's following words and choked.

"Front cover or back cover? What about money?"

William suddenly lost any interest in a detailed introduction. Forget it. Never make small talk with an ignorant foreigner.

"We are having an event about the fashion week. We are recruiting the best models to take a group photo. It will be in our latest octavo publication. It will distinguish us from our competitors. The payment will be symbolic. We will only compensate models for transportation. You must clearly not know about W..."

"Okay, if I can fit it in my schedule, I’ll be there."

"Oh… Okay." William choked again. They looked at each other in silence. Before he could say something to save face, an annoying voice came from behind him.

"Hi, William! You seem well these days. Are you an editor? Ha! Are you bullying this greenhand here?"

That man is really good at provoking me.

William looked so angry that he scared Qin Guan and made him take a step back. William clearly knew who that voice belonged to. That slut Richard!

Yes, Richard was there to talk to Qin Guan personally. He was afraid that if he didn’t, Qu would rush back from Asia.

VOGUE and W were among the top five fashion magazines in the US. Their hostility dated back many years. W had been founded in 1972, but it had been defeated by promising newcomer VOGUE in a single round.

This had been the beginning of a history of blood and tears. Like a Ferrari, VOGUE was quite far ahead from W’s conservative carriage. The gap between them was getting broader and broader.

His chief editor had come up with an uncommonly good proposal, but he hadn’t expected to meet there that disgusting Richard, who was basically VOGUE’s royal running dog.

William held his head unyieldingly high. The fact that he was 1.6 meters tall made the posture look ridiculous though.

Richard grinned. He had been born in Texas, so he was taller than most Americans.

He squatted down and waved at William. "I’ve got you. That distance was too long for us to communicate."

Grinding his teeth, William ignored Richard's provocation. He simply turned and told Qin Guan, "See you in late October... I’ll call you..."

Their different opinions made it useless to talk. Richard watched William go with a gentle smile. Then he held up his fist to greet Qin Guan. "Hello, I’m Richard."

How did he learn this way of greeting? Qin Guan was confused. He had no idea how to communicate with him.

Richard did not give a damn though. He would finish a whole set of greeting methods if that’s what it took to greet a Chinese person properly.

He bent his knees and brushed his hands heavily on his pants. With one hand hanging down at one side and the other stretched out, he took a standard Qing Dynasty posture.

"How are you, master?"

I wonder who taught you this.

Qin Guan was enlightened by the strong man’s card.

"I’m Richard. I work for VOGUE. This is my card. I wonder if you’re free on the weekend. I would like to invite you to take some pictures for our magazine’s inner pages."

This is exactly Qu Xuemei’s style.

"Okay, send me a notice." Qin Guan was straightforward with his new acquaintance. He took the card. "Did Qu send you to find me?"

"How do you know?" Richard took a surprised step back. Is every person who hangs out with that witch an enchanter?

"A top magazine would never trust a full-page spread to a newcomer in the fashion circle. Besides, I’m Asian. This must have been internal promotion. I only know one person who works for VOGUE, and that’s Qu Xuemei."

Richard was convinced.

"I see that you trust Qu a lot. You must have a good relationship."

"Of course we do. I always miss her." Richard smiled awkwardly. She is really the best editor. Not one of the best. The best.

People only experienced Qin Guan’s beauty when they met him in person.

Richard left in high spirits. Maybe she is my lucky star after all.

Qin Guan walked away as well. As he walked along the path, he realized that the gates of the New York fashion circle were gradually opening for him.

A taxi stop was nearby. Suddenly, a girl with cute freckles on her face jumped out from around a corner. 

"He... Hello..."

Her voice was as weak as a mosquito’s.

She handed Qin Guan an unshaped card with trembling hands. "This is my card..."

Qin Guan smiled and took the card, which was almost wet from sweat.

"I’m the editor of a magazine... I have watched all your shows during the fashion week... I think you are wonderful..."

"So, I was wondering if you have any spare time this week. We want to invite you to be on the cover of our magazine..."