CH 4

Today, they were shooting outdoors. Everybody arrived relatively early one by one. The one who arrived just in time yesterday came very early today. After everybody was there, they packed up the equipment and clothing and got into the vehicles.

The outdoor set for the morning was an old church in an old city. It had quite an old-fashioned vibe, and the shots taken were pretty good.

The location for the afternoon was a commercial area close to the church. They wanted to express the luxurious and prosperous feeling of the city, but it did not go well. Guo Zhi was not satisfied with the shots that were taken. She felt that they did not reach the expected results that she wanted.

Everybody stayed under shady areas to rest and drink water. Guo Zhi and the photographer stood together murmuring this and that. In the end, Guo Zhi decided to change it to a night scenery.

Clap, clap! Guo Zhi clapped her hands twice, “Everybody, let’s work hard today and do some overtime. After the shoot, I’ll invite everyone to eat some food.”

This type of situation was common, no matter if it was the models or the staff members, none of them complained.

The shoot at night progressed better than during daylight. The photos taken with the added effects of the neon lights gave the result that Guo Zhi was expecting.

“You two, unbutton two buttons and act a bit sexier.” She commanded.

The stylist immediately went over, opened two of Alex’s buttons, and sprayed some water on his hair and chest.

His shirt was opened, revealing the boy’s firm chest muscles, long neck, and Adam’s apple… Guo Zhi’s gaze stayed on him for some seconds more than necessary.

When Alex lifted his eyes, Guo Zhi immediately diverted her gaze and directed it faraway.

Her reaction time was exquisite!

Alex’s followed sister Guo’s gaze direction… ??, what good thing is there to see in the parking lot?

After work ended, some people who had to attend to other matters left. Most of the people stayed and followed Guo Zhi to eat snacks. In this aspect, Guo Zhi was very generous.

Every project had a budget. After the budget approved from above was given to the team, the team had the rights to decide how to use it. What was spent was considered the cost, and whatever remained was profit and could be shared with everyone. Of course, it was up to the leader to decide how it was divided. Generally, the team leader got a big chunk of it.

Some team leaders were very stingy, for example Liu Chan Yue. Everybody would work late until night and go back to their homes with an empty stomach. They could not even think about being invited to eat snacks or get a drink. Alex had worked with her in two projects, and the number of times he heard other people calling her stingy was not small.

Based on that, Guo Zhi was much better. She would generously invite other people to eat food and did not delay payments.

The most time-consuming part in a project was the proposal stage and the preliminary preparations. Shooting the photos would take at most one or two days, but it was also the most crucial stage. After this was done, everybody felt relieved, and since today was Friday, they could go out to play. Guo Zhi was very satisfied with the results. She could become a senior editor because she had what it takes, and her customers were ones that had worked with her for several years, so most of the times, if she was satisfied, the customers would not have any complaints.

Since she was the head of the project, there would be no lack of being toasted to. No matter if it was her co-workers or the models, everybody took turns to do it. Guo Zhi was also bold, so she rolled her sleeves and accepted the toasts of whoever came over.

Alex watched her drink cup by cup and was surprised by her drinking capacity. He hesitantly lifted his cup, thinking about going over to give a toast and form a good relationship with the editor, but he also felt that Guo Zhi had already drunk a lot, and if he went too, she would have to drink more. He hesitated more.

When all was said and done, he was young and inexperienced. He still had not adapted to the drinking culture of the Chinese.

“Come! Alex! Come and drink once!” Guo Zhi saw Alex’s hesitant appearance and understood.

Such a little kid, it’s obvious that no one taught him and that he doesn’t understand anything. In this kind of situation, it’s indispensable to toast to the editor. What are you hesitating for? Fine, who didn’t start from the same place? Since I met you, then I will teach you.

Alex hurriedly toasted to her. After finishing their drinks, she patted Alex on his shoulders and said: “Toast when it is time for toasting, what do you hesitate for? The other party decides if they want to drink or not. Would you be able to force me to drink? On the other hand, if you don’t toast, then in the eyes of the other person, you are in the wrong.”

Alex was stunned and hurriedly expressed that he understood.

While drinking, he thought, sister Guo… she is a very kind person…

At the age of 18, Alex was shut out of his home by his stepmother, becoming someone who had a home which he could not return to, and was forced to wander. He ran into many walls and suffered many losses. From a pure high school teenager, he became someone who could go to bed with a woman editor to get his money as fast as possible. The sadness and grief that he felt in-between was something that only he knew in his heart.

To the people who showed kindness to him, he was very grateful and cherished them.

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Friday nights in the capital were very lively.

At the time when the group of people who stayed for snacks scattered, many young people from the capital had only begun to go out to play. In fact, bars would normally open at eight o’ clock, but people would only begin to arrive after nine thirty. In places like 13, MIX, and VICS, the highest period was from eleven at night to three in the morning.

It was eleven when they scattered, and since it was Friday, it was still ‘early’, so people were in time to go to another place. The team was composed of mostly young people, and after notifying others, they all quickly left for their next destinations.

Someone also invited Alex to go with him. He was good looking, had no temper, and was kind to everyone. Everybody liked this young handsome boy.

Alex was about to accept, but his sight crossed over them and settled on a figure that was bent over while holding a tree…

“Sorry, I stayed up late yesterday and feel sleepy.” He declined. “How about next time? Remember to call me next time!”

After the people left, he walked over. Sure enough, that person was Guo Zhi. He had felt that the figure looked similar.

“Sister Guo, sister Guo… are you okay?” He helped her by patting her back.

Guo Zhi remained silent and retched for a while. She raised her palm and waved it two times to indicate that she was fine. That movement was sluggish and exaggerated. She was very drunk.

Alex looked around, went to buy a bottle of mineral water, opened it, and handed it to Guo Zhi: “Drink some water, you’ll feel better.”

Guo Zhi accepted the bottle and took some gulps. The nausea was suppressed but she still felt dizzy.

“I’m fine.” She massaged her temple, determining that she felt better. She pushed Alex, “Go your way, you don’t have to worry about me…”

As she said so, she started walking to the side of the road.

In a zig-zag pattern.

Her legs felt soft, and she almost fell.

Alex speechlessly looked at the starless night sky of the capital, walked over, grabbed her arm, and helped her up: “Don’t force yourself, I’ll send you back.”

As a rookie, he did not have to be very active on the dinner table, so he did not drink a lot and was still sober.

In this moment, Guo Zhi was still a little bit clear-headed. She also knew that she had drunk more than she should have today, so she probably would not be able to back by herself.

“Call a taxi.” She slurred. After getting into the taxi, she said her address with her remaining bits of reason.

A taxi driver’s life was not easy. It was June at night, so there was not much activity for them. To save on fuel, the driver did not turn on the air conditioning. Warm breeze blew in through the open windows. This breeze took away Guo Zhi’s remaining consciousness.

When they arrived at their destination, Alex half carried and half dragged her down. The taxi driver also came over to help. Alex was very careful and told him to open the door, preventing him from touching Guo Zhi.

“What is she to you?” The driver looked to be in his forties and his gaze was a little ambiguous.

“My sister.” Alex coldly replied.

The lad was tall and firm, and the muscles under his T-shirt were very clear. When such a cold and cautious gaze looked at him, the driver rubbed his nose and drove away with a forced smile.

Fortunately, I prevented sister Guo from taking a taxi by herself, Alex thought. There were many bad people in the world, and it was not safe for a woman at night.

He lifted his head to look at the residence community. It was a pretty good residence, with a good environment. He vigorously shook her awake: “Sister Guo, sister Guo! Which floor?”

Guo Zhi was woken up by him and took a long time until she finally said her apartment number in a daze. Alex supported her until her apartment entrance and knocked for a long time without anyone opening the door. Guo Zhi mumbled a word: “Key…”

Does sister Guo live alone? Or is her family away?

Alex shook Guo Zhi’s bag, paid attention to the sounds, and found the keys. Opening the door, the apartment was completely dark. He fumbled around and turned on a light. With illumination, Alex first carried Guo Zhi to the sofa and laid her down. He then stood up and looked at the apartment.

The interior design was very warm, and there was a woman’s touch to it.

Alex closed the door properly, and when he turned around, he saw that all the doors in the apartment were open. He went around to glance into them. The master bedroom and studio had traces of activity, but the guest bedroom seemed like no one had lived there for a long time. He was immediately able to determine that Guo Zhi really lived alone.

Is this her own apartment? Alex looked around the living room and confirmed that this was her apartment.

He was someone who had rented an apartment. He knew that there was a big difference between a rented apartment and a home. The most obvious one was that a person who rented would not hang so many photo frames on the wall. That was because the landlords would not give permission to make holes in the wall.

Those frames all contained scaled down posters, and many of them were ones that could be seen in his daily life. Alex never thought that they were all projects from Guo Zhi, she’s truly incredible!

Once he finished looking around, he glanced at Guo Zhi again and was in a bind.

“Sister Guo, sister Guo…” He squatted down and tried to wake her up again.

Guo Zhi was once again woken up by him. She dazedly opened her eyes, saw a handsome face, and instantly became happy.

“Alex huh!” She slapped both of her hands on Alex’s face. Alex was stunned by the slaps, what’s happening?

“You’re reaaallly very handsome!” Guo Zhi stared at Alex’s handsome face, foolishly laughing. “Your face… can’t look at it enough…”

“And your chest muscles…” As Guo Zhi said so, her hands moved up and down, unreservedly touching them. Suddenly yeling, “AAAHHHH! YOU HAVE! EIGHT PACK AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

Her hands restlessly touched around, making Alex’s body feel hot and bothered.

Alex looked at her stiffly.

Guo Zhi touched and babbled with compliments about how good-looking Alex’s face was.

Alex slowly understood what he heard. Turns out… the cold and serious Guo editor in the photo studio… is a beauty lover!

beauty lover: someone who has a fetish for beautiful faces

As he thought so, Guo Zhi’s arm hooked his neck.

“How is it possible…. for you… to be this good-looking?” Guo Zhi said while smiling.

While talking, her arms tightened and closed the space between her and the big boy. Slightly raising her chin, her lips pressed up.

Between their lips and teeth, there was a lingering fragrance of wine.

Does she… want to the same thing Liu Chan Yue did to me?

If she does… I don’t plan on resisting. Compared to the helplessness I felt with Liu Chan Yue, if it’s with Guo Zhi… In Alex’s heart, there was a bit of anticipation.