To Sweep Across Like Wildfire - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

As they headed downstairs, they spotted a trending photo studio. It was packed with people posing for shots, some even carrying professional lighting and camera gear.

“I bet most of them are content creators,” Shen Qingruo remarked. “Don’t they have tons of those ‘shop-tour’ review accounts online these days?”

Meng Chi didn’t spend much time surfing the web and wasn’t very familiar with the scene. Shen Qingruo, on the other hand, seemed to practically live online; she and Jiang Sitian probably had endless things to talk about. Sometimes Meng Chi wondered where Jiang Sitian found the time—between clubbing and reading novels, she still managed to stay updated on every viral trend. Jiang Sitian’s excuse was always: “It’s not that I’m working hard at it, you’re just not interested. One glance at the trending topics is all it takes.”

Shen Qingruo said, “We haven’t taken a photo together today, and there are ready-made sets right here. Come on, let’s go in.”

“Weren’t you tired?”

“Taking photos doesn’t take much energy,” Shen Qingruo insisted.

Meng Chi recalled Shen Qingruo’s social media feed; the woman certainly posted photos frequently enough.

The studio was divided into various themed sets. The spaces weren’t large, but they were more than enough for selfies or group shots with friends. Shen Qingruo avoided the popular themes where crowds were waiting and found a relatively quiet corner.

“I’ll take some solo shots of you first,” Shen Qingruo said.

“…” Meng Chi hesitated for a moment. “I should take them of you instead.”

“You don’t want solo photos?”

“I’m not used to it. I feel awkward,” Meng Chi admitted.

“Why awkward?” Shen Qingruo noticed a few strands of long hair resting on Meng Chi’s shoulder and reached out to smooth them. “You’re so beautiful.”

When her gaze met Meng Chi’s striking eyes, a flicker of an unusual emotion rose in her heart. She blinked, immediately tucking the feeling away. Not wanting to force her, she said, “Fine, then you take mine.”

“Okay.”

Shen Qingruo gave her a few quick pointers on portrait photography, then stepped into the center of the set. She began to pose with a natural, practiced ease. What impressed Meng Chi the most was Shen’s ability to act as if no one else was in the room—a trait she had only ever seen in professional models.

They had only taken a few shots when a stranger approached, heading straight for Shen Qingruo. “Excuse me, Miss, are you that influencer from Weibo, XXXX…?”

Meng Chi didn’t catch the name.

“No,” Shen Qingruo replied simply.

The stranger didn’t look disappointed; if anything, he looked more excited. “On closer inspection, you actually look even better than her. Are you currently signed with an entertainment agency?”

He immediately pulled several crisp business cards from his bag and handed one to her. “You’ve heard of Huayi, right?”

Shen Qingruo scanned the card: “Dreamweaver Film & Media Co., Ltd.” She had never heard of it. “Is this a subsidiary of Huayi?”

The stranger replied smoothly, “We are in the building right next to the building next to Huayi.”

“You’re very humorous,” Shen Qingruo noted dryly.

“I think your look is outstanding. Would you consider joining our company?” He had been focused on Shen, but as soon as he noticed Meng Chi, he added, “Is this your friend? Her look is excellent as well… would you two consider joining us together? I guarantee you the best resources.”

“Does it require an ‘onboarding training fee’?” Shen Qingruo joked.

Being a celebrity had become a coveted career, so people were naturally wary of “scouts.” Many had been scammed by such agencies in the past.

“Look at what you’re saying! We’re practically neighbors with the giants of the industry; would we be a shady company?” the stranger insisted. “I guarantee no fees, and all work-related expenses are reimbursable. Most people get standard contracts, but if you two join, we can negotiate the commission splits.”

“Well, this is a big decision. I’ll have to go home and discuss it with my husband and the kids.”

The stranger, who had been talking a mile a minute, nearly bit his tongue. He looked horrified. “You… you have a partner? And kids?!”

He immediately looked at Meng Chi. “Then your friend…”

“Oh, she’s still a student,” Shen Qingruo said, letting him relax for a split second before the second half of the sentence crushed his hopes. “But she’s been betrothed since she was young. She’s just waiting to graduate so she can go back to her hometown to get married.”

Meng Chi: “…”

The stranger looked at her pitifully, seeking confirmation.

Meng Chi: “Yes, I have an arranged marriage.” She accepted the “betrothal” Shen Qingruo had just assigned to her.

As the stranger finally left, he didn’t forget to offer some parting advice. “Such a good girl, and so young… don’t just think about marriage. Men can’t be relied on. Now is the time to build your career. Once you’ve made it big, you can bring your parents from your hometown to the city. Wouldn’t that be better?”

Meng Chi: “…”

The stranger looked at Shen Qingruo, wanting to say something but realizing he couldn’t exactly tell her to get a divorce. He settled on: “Go back and discuss it with your partner and the kid… but I have to say, a woman must rely on herself.”

Shen Qingruo replied, “Indeed… safe travels, watch the steps.”

Once he was out of earshot, she fanned herself with the business card. “Just the other day I said I should sign you up for a talent show, and now look, a scout comes knocking on his own.”

Since her outfit had no pockets, she tucked the card into the side pocket of Meng Chi’s backpack. “Let’s get back to the photos.”

“This is a big deal; I should discuss it with my fiancé,” Meng Chi said out of nowhere.

“Psh, I was just trying to save us some trouble, otherwise he would have pestered us for ages.”

Meng Chi wasn’t angry; she just felt that Shen Qingruo’s tongue really couldn’t be trusted. As she took the photos, she asked, “So, you have a partner and kids?”

Shen Qingruo suddenly looked at her intently, a smile playing on her lips and her “peach blossom” eyes twinkling. “What do you think? Should I join that company?”

Meng Chi’s heart skipped a beat. Was Shen Qingruo implying that she was the partner?

Just as she was about to give a serious answer, Shen Qingruo changed tack. “You are my ‘kid’ after all.”

Meng Chi: “…” Meng Chi replied coldly, “Suit yourself.”

Shen Qingruo, finding the whole thing hilarious, took her phone back, opened WeChat, and held down the voice message button. In an affected, cloying tone, she said: “Darling, someone just scouted me! He said he wants to make me a star, but I’m worried he’s a liar. I bet he just wants me to go to all those business dinners and drink… what do you think, darling?”

The voice message whooshed away. The reply came back almost instantly, concise and blunt: “None of my damn business.”

“Zhen-er, talking like that really hurts my feelings,” Shen Qingruo sent back. She then handed the phone to Meng Chi to continue the “photo shoot.”

The poses were normal at first, but they gradually became more… provocative.

Looking through the lens, Meng Chi watched Shen Qingruo licking her lips and biting her fingers. It was clearly a “vixen-style” shoot. By the time they finished, the tips of Meng Chi’s ears were slightly red.

Shen Qingruo flipped through the photos, looking satisfied. “For a beginner, you’re very good. Even though I’m a perfect 100, you captured at least a 60. Not bad at all—much better than Xie Zhen. That woman has zero patience. Forget portraits, if you ask her to photograph a flower, you can’t even tell the species. You’re great. I hereby appoint you as my Lead Photography Intern. Keep it up, and you might just get a full-time offer.”

Shen Qingruo’s “corporate-style” dangling of carrots was exactly like the smooth-talking scout from earlier. Meng Chi didn’t buy into the act, but she was happy to photograph Shen, so she gave a small nod of agreement.

After admiring her solo shots, Shen Qingruo said, “Let’s take a photo together. You won’t find a group shot awkward, right?”

Meng Chi didn’t actually like taking photos, likely because no one in her family did. But for a photo with Shen Qingruo, she was willing. She thought to herself: This is our first photo together.

“Come on, smile. Don’t look so serious, people will think I’m kidnapping you.” Shen Qingruo held the phone in one hand and rested the other lightly on Meng Chi’s shoulder. Through the lens, it looked like she was pulling Meng Chi into an embrace.

Meng Chi suddenly remembered something. “Wait a second.”

She reached into her bag, pulled out her little starfish plushie, and held it to her chest. “Okay, ready.”

With the starfish in her arms, a small hint of a smile appeared in Meng Chi’s eyes.

Throughout her years of struggling on her own, Shen Qingruo rarely showed any genuine emotion except with her few close friends. She was used to putting on an act. But now, her lips curved into a sincere smile. “Cheese.”

The shutter clicked. In the photo, the vibrant, radiant woman was smiling provocatively, her arm draped over a girl with a cool temperament and youthful eyes. The girl had a faint smile, and the cute starfish in her arms made her look much more adorable.

They changed sets and took a few hundred more photos before finally leaving the studio. After much deliberation, Shen Qingruo decided the first few shots were the best. she added a simple filter and posted them to her “Moments” with a few lines of text:

Out playing with the kid She insisted on taking photos together Wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer Insisted I post them to Moments too Sigh

Xie Zhen replied immediately: “Can’t you just say it in one sentence? Formatting it line by line like a poem, honestly.”

rr replied to Xie Zhen: “Hater. You don’t reply to my texts but you come find me on Moments? I am a renowned unpublished contemporary poet.”

Xie Zhen replied to rr: “Psh. I’ll call you the ‘Enter-Key Poet’—you can’t make a poem without it.” Xie Zhen: “And stop blaming everything on Little Meng. You look pretty willing to me. Wow, you posted a lot of photos.”

rr replied to Xie Zhen: “You’re just salty.”

When Meng Chi saw the post, she didn’t know what to say, so she simply left a short, meaningful period in the comments.

Shen Qingruo had taken the subway to meet her earlier to avoid traffic. As they walked out of Wuzhou Plaza, they hit the evening rush hour. Knowing a taxi would be stuck in gridlock, they decided to take the subway together. Shen’s place was right near a station, anyway.

They squeezed into the station with the massive wave of commuters. After letting two trains pass, they finally managed to shove themselves in. They had to transfer twice. Shen Qingruo was a veteran of the subway crush; she shielded Meng Chi in her arms, acting like a copper wall amidst the crowd of men. During the final transfer, their positions swapped. As the crowd pressed in, Meng Chi practically had Shen Qingruo circled in her arms.

Shen Qingruo’s warm breath hit Meng Chi’s neck. As if discovering something, her eyes lit up, and her slender fingers brushed against Meng Chi’s collar.

“My lipstick got on your collar.”