Limited-Time Attachment - Chapter 9

Today, Song Ming became a minor internet sensation.

On several popular short video apps, a clip of a casually dressed woman with short hair catching a white pigeon at an amusement park went viral. The woman possessed exquisite, deep features and a perfect bone structure, her profile was stunning enough to outshine a crowd of female celebrities.

The cinematography was highly professional, pulling into a close-up exactly as Song Ming looked up. Her grey-green eyes reflected the approaching lens and the distant high-rises.

The sense of narrative was palpable, a single glance that felt like an eternity.

“Tell me, how much free ‘expert guidance’ did you give this little amateur team? Huh? You have time to teach some passing rookie how to move a camera, but you can’t come back and check on our six figure contracts, Boss?” Ji Shan hopped around his office, pointing at the video.

Song Ming leaned back in Ji Shan’s executive chair, aimlessly spinning the seat. She raised her hand and tossed a paper airplane.

“That was my contract with Universal!” Ji Shan grew even more incensed.

“Wasn’t that cooperation terminated?” Song Ming finally spared Ji Shan a glance.

Ji Shan was nearly fuming. “Didn’t you say not to bother you for half a month? This is what you were busy with? I mean, have you seen the other content on that account? What’s the point in filming such tacky videos?!”

Song Ming was annoyed. She clicked her tongue. “I was just passing by.”

“Passing by?” Ji Shan glared at her. “Are you that bored?”

Song Ming looked at him sideways with a blank expression, but Ji Shan, the blockhead who couldn’t read a room, remained wide-eyed and glaring.

Song Ming sighed and looked away. “I ran into Ruan Jinjin.”

The result of her last interaction with Ruan Jinjin hadn’t been very pleasant.

Technically, it was her own fault. For some unknown reason, she couldn’t summon the energy or the will to deal with Ruan Jinjin, and she ended up annoying the girl so much that she stormed off.

With Ruan Jinjin gone, Song Ming’s plans were already disrupted. Returning to the Song family home would be a buzzkill anyway, so she decided to wander. She ended up at a nearby park. She bought a marshmallow for a passing child, and a short-video team happened to capture the moment.

Out of boredom, Song Ming had a brief lapse into “professional habit” regarding their crude filming techniques.

And so, the overnight viral video was born.

“Ruan Jinjin?” Ji Shan repeated. “Oh, the lead model they found for the Lovis new collection?”

“Mhm,” Song Ming grunted in response.

“What about meeting her?” Ji Shan asked.

“Nothing much.”

Song Ming answered nonchalantly, but Ji Shan sensed something was off. He sized her up with suspicion. “You can’t be serious, right?”

Song Ming twirled the fountain pen in her hand and said nothing.

In that silence, Ji Shan understood her meaning. He wailed in despair. “Am I not working hard enough? Huh? Am I not working hard enough?! How is it that even this can’t stop you? Heavens! What did I do wrong? God gave me the hope of ‘Yue Xi’ rising, only to cruelly, CRUELLY…snuff it out right in front of me!”

An administrative assistant passed by the door, looking warily at their frantic boss and then at the chief photographer, who sat calmly in the boss’s chair with her head propped on her hand. The assistant wasn’t sure if they should call an ambulance for the boss.

Song Ming was amused by the assistant’s expression. She waved her hand to stop Ji Shan’s theatrics. “Nothing’s going to happen. Don’t act like the sky is falling.”

“What do you mean ‘nothing’s going to happen’!” Ji Shan glared. “Look at the heat of this video. It won’t be long before people start doxxing you. No, the well-connected ones are probably already doing it! First, they’ll dig up your ID, then they’ll dig up all the ‘shady’ things you’ve done over the years. If you don’t join them to make money with your face, they’ll use your scandals to ruin you! If it were anyone else, fine, but don’t you know your own history??”

With a click, Song Ming lit a lighter.

“They won’t,” Song Ming took a light drag and exhaled a thin plume of smoke. “No one will do that.”

“How could no one do that? Look at the trends and the comments,” Ji Shan shoved his phone in front of her face, scrolling through the comment section. “Look at all these ‘Wife, let’s cuddle,’ ‘That’s my husband,’ ‘Licking the screen,’ and… oh god, I can’t even say this one out loud. Your face is absolute traffic gold. There are plenty of people eyeing you.”

Song Ming gave a low laugh, her gaze sweeping across the screen. “Someone will take care of this.”

“Huh?” Ji Shan froze, looking back at his phone and then at her. “What? The comment section? Netizens are rebellious these days. If you’re planning to hire people to steer the narrative, I suggest you forget it.”

Song Ming looked down, idly flipping through the contracts on Ji Shan’s desk. Hearing this, she merely tilted her chin, her eyes still on a contract title. “Look again. The heat is dropping.”

Ji Shan blinked. Not believing it, he exited the app and logged back in, then switched through several different social media platforms. He said in surprise, “You’re right. Topics related to you are being shadowbanned. That’s weird… have you already offended some big shot?”

Song Ming didn’t answer. Ji Shan searched for a bit longer, but then he slowly realized something was wrong. He looked up at her.

Song Ming was frowning, reading a document intently.

Ji Shan asked, “What is it?”

Song Ming placed the contract on the desk between them, her expression serious. “The contract with Jiaxin has already been finalized?”

Ji Shan glanced at it, confused by her sudden interest. “Yeah, why?”

“…It’s nothing,” Song Ming fell silent for a moment before relaxing her brow and leaning back. “Why so fast? The concept exchange meeting hasn’t even happened yet.”

“Lin Yu said he trusts your technique.”

Song Ming, who had just forced herself to relax, suddenly sharpened her gaze. Her spine straightened involuntarily as she pressed, “He said that?”

“Uh,” Ji Shan was bewildered. “Yeah.”

That’s total nonsense, Song Ming thought. In the photography world, she was known for having very little “professional ethics.” Jiaxin wasn’t a new company, they had stable partner studios and photographers. Why were they so desperate to secure her through Ji Shan?

Between her and the Zhong family, strictly speaking, there was only that one bit of entanglement.

Song Ming didn’t want to think about it further. She would just take Lin Yu’s words at face value for now.

She had already experienced some people’s persistence. She only hoped…

Hoped for what?

What if Zhou Jibai was returning to City A…

“President Ji,” the secretary tapped lightly on the office door. She seemed unfazed by the sight of Song Ming sitting like a mountain while Ji Shan hopped around. She said in a steady tone, “There is a Miss Ruan outside asking for Teacher Song Ming.”

“What?!” Ji Shan was shocked.

Didn’t she just get rid of her? She followed her here already??

Ji Shan turned to Song Ming, his eyes full of condemnation: See! Look at the trouble you’ve stirred up!

Song Ming turned her gaze away as if nothing was wrong. “Mhm. Just tell her I’m not here.”