The two girls, however, misunderstood Duan’s reaction, assuming he was upset about being featured in the same issue as a minor celebrity like Luo Ding. They began to gloat inwardly, anticipating drama between him and Ji Jiahe.
At that moment, someone entered the studio to inform the photographer, “Master Hu, Luo Ding and his assistant have arrived.”
Hu Qi nodded, checking his watch. Luo Ding was twenty minutes early.
Not late, but not too early either—a good impression. Hu felt his earlier dissatisfaction about having to photograph a relatively unknown star fade a little. However, seeing that Duan Xiubo was still on set getting ready, Hu frowned and scolded his assistant. “Can’t you see Duan Xiubo is still working? Make Luo Ding wait.”
He made sure to speak loudly enough for Duan Xiubo to hear. Hu had dealt with many celebrities and knew that most of them had fragile egos. Despite being constantly in the limelight, they still craved attention and validation, especially when it came to one-upping their peers. Hu had seen it many times—artists enjoyed it when a production team would deliberately ignore others but pay extra attention to them. He figured this would please Duan Xiubo and used the same tactic, though he had only worked with him a few times.
But Duan’s response surprised him.
“Is Luo Ding here?” Duan Xiubo asked.
Hu, caught off guard, quickly replied, “Yes, but it’s not his time to shoot yet. Don’t worry about him, Duan. We’ll continue with your shoot. There’s still one more set to go.”
Duan Xiubo waved him off. “It’s fine. Let him in.”
Hu hesitated for a moment but, seeing that Duan Xiubo was serious, gave the instruction.
He was now feeling anxious.
This situation had been handled poorly. Duan Xiubo , with his high status, wasn’t someone easy to get on board for a shoot like this. He rarely accepted commercial magazine features, and his agreement to this one was likely due to his friendship with Ji Jiahe.
But Ji Jiahe had chosen to feature Luo Ding in the same issue.
Who was Duan Xiubo ? He was an undeniable A-list superstar, the most famous Chinese actor in Hollywood, representing over ten international luxury brands. If people bought the magazine for him and then flipped to the inside pages to find… who? Some unknown singer?
It would lower Duan’s value.
Normally, magazines wouldn’t inform cover stars about other participants, but they typically exercised common sense and chose individuals of comparable status. If that wasn’t possible, they’d at least choose someone from a different field to avoid direct comparisons.
Ji Jiahe’s decision this time was risky, and Hu worried that Duan Xiubo might feel slighted.
He had never met Luo Ding before and couldn’t tell much from photos. Nowadays, anyone could be made to look stunning through photo editing. He could only hope that Luo Ding had the tact not to make things worse when he entered the studio. The last thing anyone wanted was tension on set that would disrupt the shoot.
A few of the crew who had been gossiping earlier gathered together, waiting for the drama to unfold.
The door opened, and a chubby man with blond hair walked in first. Though his expression seemed calm, the experienced eyes of the crew could spot the anxiety in his gaze. They inwardly mocked what they assumed was the nervous demeanor of a low-tier artist’s assistant.
Luo Ding followed closely behind, taking a step into the studio. Immediately, he sensed the odd atmosphere. He lifted his head, scanning the room, and his gaze briefly met the curious, hostile stares of several people. Though he frowned slightly in his mind, his face broke into a polite smile.
He’s pretty good-looking.
That was Hu Qi’s first impression of Luo Ding. Especially since he entered the room right after his assistant, who was dressed terribly, the contrast made Hu, a veteran photographer, feel like a breath of fresh air had entered the room.
The hostility from several women softened. Luo Ding wasn’t feminine or flashy in his appearance—he wore a simple black T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He was tall and lean, exuding a unique mix of youthful freshness and quiet maturity.
From a professional standpoint, Hu noticed Luo Ding had a small face, long neck, broad shoulders, and sharp facial features. His high nose bridge, large eyes, and well-defined lips made him highly photogenic.
On a personal level, Luo’s clear eyes, gentle smile, and refined aura immediately left a favorable impression. He was fair-skinned and clean-cut, making it easy for people to warm up to him.
Many in the room began to understand why Ji Jiahe had chosen him. Regardless of any rumors about how Luo Ding got the job, his presence was undeniably suitable for a photoshoot. In fact, many fashion models, despite being heavily praised, lacked his charm and looks.
However, that didn’t mean the crew wasn’t still eager to watch some drama unfold.
Duan Xiubo walked down from the shooting platform, his brow slightly furrowed as he made his way toward Luo Ding.
Whoa, Duan Xiubo rarely showed this kind of expression. Normally, he always wore a friendly smile, but now he looked serious. His imposing aura made several staff members’ hearts race with anxiety.
The gossipers nudged each other with their elbows, signaling that something juicy was about to happen.
Duan Xiubo stopped in front of Luo Ding, his sharp eyes scanning him up and down.
Then he reached out his hand and plopped it right on top of Luo’s head.
“Have you been skipping meals again? You’re getting too skinny. Wu Fangyuan, how are you taking care of him?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The studio fell into a stunned silence. Wu Fangyuan jumped out from behind, full of complaints: “I’m innocent! No matter how much we try, he won’t listen. He’s been dancing all day, which burns a ton of calories, but when it’s time for real food, he refuses to eat. He’s been living off Snickers bars, and when I went to his place in the afternoon, I found empty cups of instant noodles in the kitchen! You know how much instant noodles he has? Four entire cupboards full of them!”
Luo Ding’s face twitched with frustration, and his smile nearly froze. “Shut up.”
Wu Fangyuan, now that it was a matter of principle, though clearly scared, stood firm. “No! We can’t control you, but Duan Xiubo Ge can!”
Duan, still ruffling Luo’s soft hair, frowned even deeper. “Why are you eating instant noodles? Just have a proper meal.”
“…The food doesn’t taste good,” Luo Ding muttered, a bit embarrassed as he reached up to swat Duan’s hand off his head. “There are a lot of people watching, let’s not talk about this here.”
Duan Xiubo acted like he hadn’t heard Luo’s plea. “The food doesn’t taste good?”
Thinking back on their time together, Duan Xiubo recalled Luo Ding eating more whenever there was…
“You like strong flavors?”
For example, dishes like braised pork, stir-fried beef with green peppers, or sweet and sour pork—Luo Ding always seemed to eat a bit more of those. And that time they had lamb spine stew, Luo Ding had eaten almost half a pot of the spiciest one.
Luo Ding did indeed prefer strong flavors. However, at Yaxing Studio, most of the artists followed strict diets to protect their voices, and their meals were light. Luo Ding had been through the same thing in his past life when he spent an entire year eating nothing but bland, boiled vegetables, avoiding meat and spicy foods altogether. It was only after he was released from that self-imposed exile that he became obsessed with richly flavored dishes like Sichuan and Hunan cuisine.
Back then, he had no choice but to endure the bland diet, so it wasn’t as difficult. But now, after experiencing the joys of good food, going back to a monk-like diet was torture. He tried to control his cravings, but when it got too hard, he turned to instant noodles as a substitute.
Duan Xiubo didn’t have to worry about his voice, so he ate spicy food freely, and he immediately understood how hard it must be for Luo Ding to force himself to eat bland food.
Unable to resist, Duan Xiubo rubbed Luo’s head again and sighed. “Hang in there,” he said, then grabbed Luo’s arm and led him over to the photographer.
Hu, who had been momentarily stunned, quickly snapped out of it. “Duan… Duan Xiubo Ge?”
Duan Xiubo replied, “Luo Ding isn’t feeling well, so let’s not make him wait. Go ahead and get his outfit ready. Once I’m done, he can take his turn, and we can wrap up early.”
Hu, as if burned, immediately nodded repeatedly. “Oh! Oh! Yes, yes! Uh, Luo Ding, you can follow Xiao Zheng to change clothes.” He turned to shout, “Xiao Zheng! Hurry up!”
From the back, a girl with curly hair scurried out. Duan Xiubo glanced at her, and his frown deepened—it was the same girl who had been gossiping about Luo Ding earlier. *Fashion Weekly* was really dropping the ball here, hiring a wardrobe assistant with such low personal integrity and a big mouth. Even after so many years, Ji Jiahe still couldn’t manage to control the cliques within the magazine. Allowing staff members like her to spread malicious rumors only harmed Luo Ding’s reputation.
Xiao Zheng, who had already been nervous, felt her legs go weak when she saw Duan Xiubo ’s stern gaze. The malicious satisfaction she had felt earlier was now gone. Caught gossiping about Luo Ding and then seeing how close Duan Xiubo was to him made her realize just how deep she was in trouble. If Duan Xiubo decided to make things difficult for her, as a lowly wardrobe assistant, she didn’t stand a chance.
Duan Xiubo stared at her for a while, weighing the pros and cons of various ways to handle the situation. In the end, he chose not to confront her.
Luo Ding was still new in the industry, and gossip was inevitable. If Duan Xiubo stepped in and made a scene, it could easily create unwanted rumors and negative attention.
“Go ahead,” he said, finally releasing Luo’s arm and offering a gentle smile to the now-terrified girl. “Thank you for your hard work.”
Xiao Zheng blushed from her neck to her ears, a mixture of shame and embarrassment washing over her as she bowed to him. When she turned to face Luo Ding, her voice was barely audible: “Luo Ding Ge, please follow me.”
Luo Ding was puzzled by the odd interaction between Duan Xiubo and the girl, but wisely chose not to ask.
After Luo Ding left to change, Duan Xiubo resumed the photoshoot. Instantly, the gentle demeanor he’d shown around Luo Ding vanished. His gaze became cold and piercing as he stared down the camera lens, his aura commanding and impossible to ignore.
The gossipers, now scattered farther from the set, were whispering again, but this time much more quietly, fearful of Duan Xiubo catching wind of it.
“Who is this Luo Ding? Why is Duan Xiubo Ge so nice to him?”
“I don’t know… but damn, he’s handsome… You think maybe he’s some rich heir? He sure has that vibe.”
“Yeah, he really doesn’t seem like some minor star. And he’s gotten popular so quickly online. He must have powerful backing…”
“I’ve heard Duan Xiubo Ge’s background is pretty mysterious too. Do you think they’re family friends?”
“I doubt it.”
Before long, the theory that Luo Ding was a rich heir had spread throughout the studio, and suddenly, his status was elevated. Even though people liked to mock rich heirs behind their backs, whenever one actually appeared, they were inevitably showered with attention and flattery. In this age of materialism, money, status, and power were seductive forces. Compared to struggling artists, rich heirs, even if they had limited talent, would always receive adoration in their other spheres of influence.
Now mistakenly assumed to be some sort of wealthy heir, Luo Ding had barely finished changing into his outfit when he found himself being treated like royalty.
He was guided to a soft, newly-brought chair, handed a bottle of perfectly warmed Evian water, and given concerned looks from the crew.
“Luo Ding Ge,” one of the previously gossipy staff members now beamed at him, all hostility gone, “It must be hard on you! Duan Xiubo Ge only has about ten more minutes left. You just rest here, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
On the other side, Wu Fangyuan had also been surrounded by staff members, all showering him with compliments. They had nothing substantial to say, so they kept praising his hairstyle.
Feeling a bit self-satisfied, Wu Fangyuan proudly grinned, thinking that perhaps he did have a better sense of fashion than Gu Yaxing, who had been urging him to dye his hair black again.
Luo Ding realized that everyone had gotten the wrong idea about him, but it wasn’t a bad thing. After all, he hadn’t deliberately misled them.
He opened the water bottle and took a sip. *Huh,* he thought, *why do people pay so much for this water? Tastes just like Wahaha.*
In the dim studio lights, Luo Ding, dressed in an elegant three-piece suit, quietly sat in the corner. Tilting his head back as he drank from the bottle, his Adam’s apple moved with each swallow. Perhaps drinking too fast, a drop of water escaped from the corner of his mouth, trailing down his sharp jawline and catching the light, making it glisten.
Hu Qi caught this scene out of the corner of his eye and froze.
He glanced at Duan Xiubo , who was fixing his outfit on stage, and then back at Luo Ding, who was calmly inspecting the water bottle in his hand.
“Uh… Duan Ge, would you mind taking a few more shots?”
An idea had suddenly flashed through his mind, and Hu couldn’t help but blurt out the question. Seeing Duan Xiubo turn to him, he gestured toward Luo Ding in the corner. “Just a few more. How about the two of you take a few shots together? I have a great idea!”
Rain : This Hu Qi .. what kind of idea he got hhhh
Ge = Brother (Big brother)
Jie = Sister (Big sister)
Wahaha = A soft drink, kinda yogurt like Yakult if you know
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