Lin Jianqing stood at the guest bedroom door, the blue outfit clutched in his hand, his expression already stiff.
Shen Huaixue leaned against the doorframe, makeup box in hand, her expression as calm as if this afternoon’s task were simply for him to change into an ordinary jacket.
In Lin Jianqing’s eyes, though, this was undoubtedly a step-by-step maneuver to drag him into the so-called “Fairy” routine.
‘Would I really do this myself? Absolutely not, but… wearing something like this is way too humiliating.’
Yet from start to finish, Lin Jianqing seemed to be pulled along by Shen Huaixue the entire way. She had him running in circles, and she didn’t show even a hint of guilt.
She simply watched him, the corners of her lips lifted slightly, like someone waiting for a cat backed into a corner to walk into the cage on its own.
“How much longer are you going to keep staring?” Shen Huaixue’s tone was light.
“The clothes aren’t going to put themselves on. And you already signed the supplementary agreement. What are you looking at me for? It’s not like I’m actually going to do anything to you.”
Lin Jianqing slowly raised his head to look at her. “Shen Huaixue, did you plan this from the very beginning?”
Shen Huaixue leaned against the doorframe, her innocent expression entirely natural.
“Don’t put it so bluntly. I’m just having you do your part. Strictly speaking, you came to me to solve your problem, and you’re the one who agreed to the terms. You can’t push all the responsibility onto me just because the conditions turned out more troublesome than you imagined.”
Lin Jianqing stared at her for a few seconds before finally squeezing out one line: “You really are a bastard.”
Shen Huaixue accepted it smoothly. “Mm. So, are you going to listen to the bastard and go change your clothes first?”
Lin Jianqing was too angry to speak, but he couldn’t just turn and leave either. The photograph was still up on that same-city video. Both his roommate and Guan Ju had already seen it.
Heaven knows how many more people would see it in a few hours. Annoying as Shen Huaixue was, she really did have ways to suppress the buzz and keep the fire from spreading to him.
That was the most infuriating part.
Gritting his teeth, Lin Jianqing turned and went into the room. Before closing the door, he warned, “Don’t you come in. I mean it. If you dare come in while I’m changing, I’m calling the police.”
Shen Huaixue stood outside, her voice lazy. “Relax. I’m not that classless. I’m just more interested in how you’ll look after you change.”
“That line of yours isn’t any better!”
The door slammed shut. The guest bedroom fell quiet. After spreading the outfit on the bed, the more Lin Jianqing looked at it, the more he felt that choosing blue just now might not have been smart either.
Of the two outfits, blue really did look the most normal. The purple one… Lin Jianqing wouldn’t even consider it. At least blue looked clean at first glance. The light gauze, silver threads, and deep blue patterns interwoven gave it a cold, almost pretty look. Compared to purple, it wasn’t nearly as strange.
But that was only at first glance. Once he actually picked it up, Lin Jianqing realized that what he’d called “normal” was purely an illusion born from his addled mind after being angered by Shen Huaixue. The outfit had many layers, and even more ribbons.
A lot of parts looked like decoration, but had to be fastened when actually worn. The waist cincher cinched tight. The thin gauze hanging from his shoulders was absurdly light. The fabric against his skin carried an unsettling coolness.
Though the hem wasn’t exactly short, the tailoring was so form-fitting that it made his waistline and leg contours stand out uncomfortably.
Lin Jianqing looked down for two seconds, and his ears began to grow hot.
This outfit was much more troublesome to put on than he’d imagined.
The ribbons crisscrossed, and he studied them for a long time before barely figuring out which was the cuff, which was the waist cincher, and which were purely decorative to increase his sense of shame.
By the time he finally got it on and stood in front of the mirror, he fell completely silent.
The person in the mirror was still him, yet not the usual him. The blue gauze garment made his skin look paler, his waist clearly cinched.
The design at his shoulders and neck, with light gauze and silver threads, made him look cold and fragile. The deep blue patterns pressed down along the hem like a beautiful yet not-quite-clean shadow.
Lin Jianqing stared at the mirror for two seconds, then immediately looked away.
‘I can’t look. If I look too long, problems will really start. Besides, this outfit feels like wearing nothing at all. It’s chilly all over.’
When he finally dragged himself to open the door, Shen Huaixue was sitting in the living room organizing cosmetics. Hearing the movement, she looked up, then visibly paused.
Lin Jianqing’s scalp went numb under her gaze. “What are you looking at?”
Shen Huaixue didn’t answer right away. Her gaze slowly moved from his shoulder to the waist cincher, then swept from the hem back up to his face.
The smile in her eyes surfaced little by little, like someone who’d worked hard preparing something for a long time and finally saw the results.
“I was thinking that blue really does suit you.” Her voice was light, almost earnest. “Better than I expected. A little clean, but not completely clean. Just right for the feel of this outfit.”
Hearing that, Lin Jianqing felt even more uncomfortable. “Can you not comment on me like you’re appraising a piece of work?”
“Why not?” Shen Huaixue picked up a makeup brush, her tone perfectly natural. “Though, I’m only evaluating. And in the end, you really did choose the blue one. Do you like blue-ringed octopuses that much?”
Lin Jianqing was speechless. “What’s a blue-ringed octopus?” He didn’t do heavy internet surfing, so he had no idea what Shen Huaixue meant by “blue-ringed octopus.”
“You don’t know? Oh~ then you’d better not know. But blue really does suit you.”
Shen Huaixue pointed to the spot by the sofa. “Come sit. The clothes are just the first step. The makeup hasn’t even started.”
Lin Jianqing didn’t move, watching the makeup box in her hand warily. “You tell me clearly first. What are you planning to put on my face? Don’t pull out a bunch of weird stuff later and claim the tutorial says so.”
“It’s just makeup to match the outfit. Don’t worry, I’m not going to draw a little turtle on your face.” Shen Huaixue opened the makeup box and took out several items in cool tones.
Lin Jianqing couldn’t tell what they were exactly. “Blue tones… silver glitter, slightly deeper at the outer eye corners, and cooler lip color. Otherwise this outfit won’t hold up.”
Lin Jianqing’s scalp prickled. “Can you speak like a normal person? What do you mean ‘won’t hold up’? I didn’t want to hold up this thing in the first place. Just do a couple casual strokes so it’s barely passable for the shoot.”
Shen Huaixue looked up at him, her voice calm.
“You’ve already dressed up like this. Demanding a couple casual strokes now would make all the embarrassment you went through earlier a complete waste. Lin Jianqing, don’t you think that’s a loss? You’re already this far in. Might as well go a little further, right?”
Lin Jianqing was speechless. How could she even persuade him from that angle? And the most infuriating part was, Lin Jianqing felt that Shen Huaixue’s twisted logic actually had a bit of truth to it.
Lin Jianqing sat down with a dark expression, his body rigid as if he were about to be led to the execution ground.
Shen Huaixue moved closer, reaching out to press his shoulder. “Relax.”
“I can’t relax.”
“If you’re this stiff, I can’t draw well.”
“Then don’t draw.”
“Think about the imagination atlas. The clothes are already changed. Besides, Lin Jianqing, aren’t you curious about the final result?”
Lin Jianqing shut his mouth, his face flushing red.
Shen Huaixue smiled slightly. Her fingertip lifted his chin. The movement wasn’t rough, but steady enough that Lin Jianqing couldn’t dodge.
“Don’t move. If the eyeshadow gets drawn crooked, I’ll have to redo it. Same with the lipstick. If you think you’ve been embarrassed enough already, then try your best not to make me do it twice.”
At the mention of “do it twice,” Lin Jianqing immediately stopped moving. It was highly effective on him, though rather underhanded. Shen Huaixue just wanted Lin Jianqing to behave.
When Shen Huaixue picked up a blue lipstick, Lin Jianqing’s eyelid twitched hard. “Wait. Don’t tell me that’s going on my lips.”
“Mm.” Shen Huaixue answered naturally. “It matches the outfit.”
“Blue lipstick to match the outfit? Shen Huaixue, do you actually know that normal people don’t put this color on their lips?”
“You’re not wearing normal clothes right now either, so there’s no need to judge by normal standards.” After saying that, as if afraid he’d keep making a fuss, she slowly added, “Don’t worry, it won’t be too exaggerated. I’ve tested the color. It’s cool-toned, and it’ll look good in the photos.”
Lin Jianqing caught the key point. “You tested it?”
Shen Huaixue’s hand paused. Lin Jianqing stared at her, his expression gradually growing complicated.
“You really practiced in advance? Just how long ago did you start preparing all this? Shen Huaixue, you usually look like such a proper CEO. What exactly are you researching behind the scenes?”
Shen Huaixue looked at him, her expression unchanged, but her tone carried a hint of mischief. “Researching how to make you look better.”
“I really do thank you for that.” Watching Shen Huaixue’s carefree expression, Lin Jianqing felt his veins bulging.
“Mm, of course. You’re welcome.”