Chapter 19: Makeup Tutorial

The next morning, when Lin Jianqing woke up, his first reaction was still to check his phone.

No hospital call. No message from Shen Huaixue either.

‘Sigh… Not having those two things is good news for me.’

Lin Jianqing sat on the bed, staring at the phone screen for a few seconds, then finally let out a slow breath, as if confirming the world hadn’t continued to fall apart while he slept.

The rest of the dorm hadn’t woken up yet.

The sky outside the window was overcast, gray clouds pressing down over the school, the air carrying a hint of mugginess.

After washing up and changing into ordinary men’s clothes, Lin Jianqing slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed out.

Today he had to go to work at Lingqi Network, and then attend class in the afternoon. At least he’d have some time to rest in the evening—provided Shen Huaixue didn’t torment him.

To be honest, Lin Jianqing had complicated feelings about the word “work” now.

Before, when he worked at a milk tea shop, the worst he felt was tired.

But now, going to Lingqi always gave him the feeling of walking into some strange trap.

And what made it worse was that the trap looked perfectly legitimate on the surface.

The company was in a high-end office building, the employees were friendly, the pay was good, the benefits were great, and his colleagues were all warm and helpful. If it weren’t for Shen Huaixue, Lin Jianqing would be laughing in his dreams.

What was this if not a gift from heaven?

Too bad the gift was bait. Underneath the pastry was a gleaming fishhook—a barbed one at that.

When the bus dropped him off at Qingtian Building, Lin Jianqing looked up at the towering structure in front of him.

The glass curtain wall reflected the gloomy sky, making the whole building look like a cold metal slab standing in the middle of the city. He took a deep breath and walked inside.

The front desk receptionist and security guard already recognized him.

When they saw him, someone even greeted him with a smile.

“Morning, Student Lin.”

“Morning.”

Still not quite used to that kind of warmth, Lin Jianqing could only nod in response.

He swiped his card, took the elevator, and reached the company.

Everything went smoothly—almost too smoothly.

Quite a few people were already in the Lingqi Network office. The clatter of keyboards, the sound of the coffee machine, and the low murmur of colleagues chatting blended into a fairly comfortable working atmosphere.

Lin Jianqing walked up to the time clock and pressed his fingerprint.

“Check-in successful.”

The crisp notification sounded.

Just as Lin Jianqing felt a wave of relief while looking at the time on the screen, his phone buzzed.

He looked down.

A message from Shen Huaixue…

‘Oh no.’

Even without reading the content, his heart skipped a beat.

“Come to my office.”

Lin Jianqing: …

The joy of checking in lasted less than three seconds.

He almost suspected Shen Huaixue had been watching the check-in records in real time.

The moment he pressed his fingerprint, her message arrived.

This was no longer a coincidence.

This was precision tracking.

Lin Jianqing stood there, staring at the message for a while, then finally resigned himself to heading toward the President’s Office.

On the way, Sister Zhang happened to walk out of the break room with a coffee cup in hand.

Seeing Lin Jianqing, she smiled and asked, “Jianqing, President Shen called you?”

Lin Jianqing nodded.

“Yeah.”

Sister Zhang gave him an expression that said “I knew it.”

“Go ahead. President Shen came in very early today.”

Lin Jianqing immediately felt a bad premonition. He got called over right after checking in, and Shen Huaixue came in early—those two pieces of information together didn’t sound like anything good.

All the warning signs were there.

He reached the office door and raised his hand to knock.

Shen Huaixue’s voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Lin Jianqing pushed the door open.

The office was very quiet.

Shen Huaixue sat behind her desk. Today she wore a casual light-colored blouse, her long black hair loosely draped over her shoulders, and a pair of thin-rimmed glasses perched on her nose—making her look a little less aggressive than usual.

Of course, that was just on the surface.

Lin Jianqing had already learned not to be fooled by Shen Huaixue’s appearance.

Even if she dressed like a kind older sister, she was most likely scheming about how to mess with him.

Shen Huaixue looked up and saw him standing still at the door. The corner of her lips curled slightly.

“Why stand so far away? Afraid I’ll eat you?”

Lin Jianqing paused for a second.

She seemed to have said that before.

And it was never convincing.

“What business does President Shen have with me?”

Hearing that title, Shen Huaixue raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Didn’t I tell you in private? Call me by my name.”

“We’re at the company now.”

“This is my office.”

“It’s still the company.”

Shen Huaixue watched him argue seriously, then let out a soft laugh.

“Fine, suit yourself.”

She picked up a small bag from the desk and placed it on the sofa nearby.

Only then did Lin Jianqing notice that there were quite a few things laid out on the coffee table.

Foundation, brushes, eyeshadow palette, lip gloss, contouring products—and some small tools he couldn’t even name.

Lin Jianqing stared at those items, his expression gradually stiffening.

He had a very bad feeling about this.

“What are these?”

Shen Huaixue stood up, her tone relaxed.

“Makeup.”

“I know these are makeup.”

Lin Jianqing took a deep breath.

“I mean, why are they here?”

Shen Huaixue walked over to the sofa and sat down, patting the spot beside her.

“Come here.”

Lin Jianqing didn’t move.

Shen Huaixue looked at him.

“Lin Jianqing, I’m not asking for your opinion.”

Great.

The familiar Shen Huaixue was back.

Lin Jianqing sighed inwardly, but in the end, he walked over and sat on the single-seater sofa across from her.

Shen Huaixue glanced at him.

“Sitting that far? How am I supposed to teach you?”

“Teach me what?”

“Makeup.”

Lin Jianqing’s head shot up almost immediately.

“Why do I have to learn this?”

“Because you can’t count on me to do it for you every time.”

“Then I won’t do it at all.”

“And what do you think about that?”

Shen Huaixue smiled at him with a sweet expression.

Lin Jianqing fell silent.

He felt it was best not to think about it.

Shen Huaixue picked up a bottle of foundation and shook it slowly.

“Don’t worry, it’s not hard. Your face has a good base—just a little bit will do.”

“That’s not the issue.”

“Then what is?”

“I’m a guy. Why should I learn makeup?”

Shen Huaixue looked as if she had heard something amusing.

She put down the foundation, leaned forward slightly, her dark eyes glinting with obvious amusement.

“Oh?”

“Is that what you thought yesterday when you were wearing that dress?”

Lin Jianqing’s face immediately started to heat up.

“Don’t bring up yesterday.”

“Why not? I thought it looked pretty good.”

“Shen Huaixue.”

Lin Jianqing gritted his teeth.

“You’re really annoying.”

Instead of getting angry, Shen Huaixue only laughed more.

“I know.”

She reached out and pulled the chair beside her closer.

“Sit a little closer.”

Lin Jianqing hesitated.

Shen Huaixue stared at him.

“Or do you want me to come over and carry you here?”

Lin Jianqing practically shot up and moved to the spot she indicated.

His reaction was so quick, as if he was terrified she would actually do it.

Shen Huaixue watched him sit down, barely able to suppress her grin.

“That fast?”

Lin Jianqing turned his head away.

“I just don’t want to waste time.”

“Oh.”

Shen Huaixue drew out the word.

“I thought you were blushing.”

“I’m not.”

“Your ears are red.”

“It’s too hot in the office.”

“The air conditioner is set to seventy-two degrees.”

“It’s my body type.”

Shen Huaixue laughed out loud.

Lin Jianqing felt like she would drive him crazy one of these days.

And right now, he was sitting very close to her.

Close enough to smell the faint perfume on her.

Not too strong—a cool, woody scent, like branches dusted with snow on a winter night.

This proximity made Lin Jianqing deeply uncomfortable.

He instinctively scooted back.

Shen Huaixue reached out and pressed against the chair’s back.

“Don’t dodge.”

Lin Jianqing froze.

“I’m not dodging.”

“Then why are you moving back?”

“Adjusting my posture.”

“That’s a pretty unique way to adjust your posture.”

Lin Jianqing shut up.

Arguing with Shen Huaixue was his first mistake of the day.

Shen Huaixue picked up a small sponge, opened the foundation, and squeezed a bit onto the back of her hand.

“Let’s start with the base.”

Lin Jianqing watched her movements, a guarded look on his face.

“Are you sure you won’t make me look weird?”

Shen Huaixue lifted her eyes to look at him.

“Doubting my aesthetic sense?”

“I’m doubting your character.”

Shen Huaixue paused.

Then she let out a soft laugh.

“Your nerve is growing.”

Lin Jianqing was about to say something when Shen Huaixue reached out and cupped his chin.

The moment her fingers touched his skin, Lin Jianqing’s entire body stiffened.

Shen Huaixue’s hands were a little cold.

Her movements, though, were light—even gentle.

But Lin Jianqing still instinctively wanted to pull away.

“Don’t move.”

Shen Huaixue’s voice dropped slightly.

“You’ll smudge the foundation.”

Lin Jianqing had no choice but to force himself to stay still.

The soft sponge brushed lightly across his face, carrying a cool, damp sensation. Shen Huaixue was very close—so close that Lin Jianqing could see the faint shadow cast by her lowered eyelashes.

When she was focused, she looked different from her usual teasing self.

She was just quietly studying his face, her movements precise and steady.

Lin Jianqing’s tense body slowly began to relax.

But the moment that thought crossed his mind, Shen Huaixue suddenly spoke.

“Your skin is really nice.”

Lin Jianqing immediately tensed up again.

“Don’t say things like that all of a sudden.”

“I’m complimenting you.”

“It doesn’t sound like it.”

“Then what does it sound like?”

“Like you’re appraising a piece of fabric.”

Shen Huaixue chuckled softly.

“That’s actually pretty accurate.”

Lin Jianqing: …

He should have known.

This person couldn’t stay quiet for long.

After finishing the foundation, Shen Huaixue picked up an eyebrow pencil.

“Look at me.”

Lin Jianqing lifted his eyes.

Their gazes met.

Shen Huaixue paused for a moment, then her smile deepened.

“Don’t be so tense. I’m not going to draw your eyebrows off.”

“The more you say that, the more nervous I get.”

“Then close your eyes.”

Lin Jianqing closed his eyes.

With darkness, his other senses became sharper.

He could feel Shen Huaixue’s fingers gently supporting his face, the eyebrow pencil brushing along the ends of his brows—light movements that tickled.

Lin Jianqing couldn’t help but frown slightly.

“Don’t move.”

“It itches.”

“Suck it up.”

Watching him with his eyes closed and his lashes trembling, Shen Huaixue found herself in an inexplicably good mood.

It was just drawing eyebrows, but Lin Jianqing was as tense as if he were undergoing some dangerous experiment—and yet he was trying so hard to act calm. The contrast was irresistible.