With The Backing Of A Powerful Figure: He's Gone Wild In The Modeling World - Chapter 4

Five minutes before the show began, Ying Cheng returned to the backstage area on the second floor with a broad smile. Zhan Zhiqing was already waiting by the staircase.

Ying Cheng stepped toward him and reached out to adjust the slightly wrinkled lining of his vest. Being shorter than Zhan Zhiqing, he stood fully within the taller man’s shadow. Zhan Zhiqing noticed the slight tremor in the designer’s hands and realized that even this seemingly optimistic and lively man could get nervous.

Out of politeness, Zhan Zhiqing lowered his head slightly and offered a soft word of comfort. “Relax. I will not mess this up.”

Ying Cheng looked up and caught the smile on Zhan Zhiqing’s face. The model’s pupils were large and his eyes were framed in a narrow, elegant shape, giving his face a sense of wild beauty. When he smiled, it carried a hint of enchantment. Ying Cheng felt his heart skip a beat. Hearing that gentle reassurance, he finally understood exactly what kind of person could capture his cousin’s iron heart.

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and his confidence in the show surged. This was a man handpicked by his cousin. With this face, this physique, and this aura, if the show did not become a hit, Ying Cheng vowed to retire from the fashion world forever.

The time arrived. The classical sonata began on cue, its melodious and spirited notes echoing through the exquisite building. Zhan Zhiqing stepped to the rhythm of the music, descending the stairs one step at a time.

The lights were dimmed. The mother of pearl wall along the staircase shimmered like a captured galaxy, casting a soft glow that accentuated his peerless face. As Zhan Zhiqing moved down several steps and fully emerged before the audience, Ying Yuan, sitting directly across from the staircase, heard a collective gasp from those around him.

A strange sense of pride welled up within him. Ying Cheng had asked if he wanted Zhan Zhiqing’s contact information, but he had refused. In his eyes, Zhan Zhiqing was still young and fragile, untouched by the harsh winds of society. That single glance on the plane had confirmed the boy’s dream of becoming a model.

Although Zhan Zhiqing was beautiful, he was not yet mature. Ying Yuan wanted to be the wings and the wind that carried him upward, helping him reach the clouds. He would wait until Zhan Zhiqing stood at the pinnacle of the modeling world before appearing before him. Perhaps then, they could have a proper relationship.

Ying Yuan had never been in love. He did not know if his desire to watch Zhan Zhiqing from the shadows, silently support him, and wait for him to reach the top before fully possessing him qualified as obsessive or even twisted. He simply felt that if a child like this followed him too early and experienced the vanity of the world before being discarded, the fall would be too great. It was better to let him broaden his horizons first.

He would not admit how deep his feelings for Zhan Zhiqing truly were. He told himself it was merely a case of being swayed by beauty. However, the impact of this attraction far exceeded his expectations.

Zhan Zhiqing’s runway walk was steady. He looked straight ahead as if he were already intimately familiar with every step, treading perfectly to the melody. The silk draping from his left side swayed rhythmically with his movement, adding a sense of ethereal fluidity to his firm stride.

Ying Yuan’s mind was now void of all other thoughts. As Zhan Zhiqing reached the bottom of the stairs, he was walking directly toward Ying Yuan’s seat. His black hair was slicked back and he wore the expertly tailored suit with an air of nobility. With his hand in his pocket and his eyes unblinking, he looked like a medieval aristocrat: proud, cold, steadfast, and wild.

He drew closer. The black velvet runway was not long. Ying Yuan felt as though every one of Zhan Zhiqing’s steps was landing directly on his heartbeat. Though the model’s pace remained steady, Ying Yuan’s heart beat faster and faster.

Zhan Zhiqing reached the front of the stage. At the closest point, the distance was barely a meter. Ying Yuan could not help but take a deep breath, trying to catch a hint of Zhan Zhiqing’s scent amidst the stale air of the room. It was a scent he had fixated on for over an hour during the flight from Norway to Copenhagen.

His heart drummed against his ribs. To Ying Yuan, Zhan Zhiqing’s movements seemed to slow down. He saw the model begin to turn, his eyelids lowering slightly before his pupils shifted. The movements of his body and head were not perfectly synchronized; there was a gap of a fraction of a second. In that fleeting moment, Ying Yuan clearly felt those eyes sweep across him.

His mind went blank. He could only stare at Zhan Zhiqing’s back until the model stepped behind the curtain and vanished. When he finally regained his senses, only one thought remained: he was looking at me.

The show ended while Ying Yuan was still in a trance. During the finale, Ying Cheng had placed Zhan Zhiqing in the very center. The model leaned against the staircase railing with his body slightly turned. His gaze was no longer as sharp as it had been during the walk. It had softened. Ying Yuan sat in a relaxed posture, watching until everyone disappeared backstage, feeling a profound sense of loss.

The backstage area was now a chaotic mess. Ying Yuan skipped the after party and returned to his car to rest. Only after receiving a message from Ying Cheng did he go back up to the second floor.

The security guard at the stairs greeted him and prepared to report that the collections on the third floor were undamaged. Ying Yuan, feeling restless, raised his hand to stop the report and walked into the room.

Ying Cheng was eating a meal brought by his assistant. The clothes the models had taken off were being hung up by staff. Ying Cheng waved his hand and the staff understood, leaving the room and closing the door behind them.

Ying Yuan immediately saw the deep gray suit hanging in the lead position. He walked up and could not resist reaching out to touch it. This was the garment Zhan Zhiqing had just been wearing. His movements were slow and appreciative. Ying Cheng, not yet realizing his brother’s fixation, wiped his hands and walked over.

“How was it, Brother? My design is not bad, right? Your investment did not go to waste! If you like it, I will send you one from the whole series. How is that for generous?” Although Ying Cheng was generally cheerful, he was particularly lively in front of his family.

Ying Yuan held the silk drape in his hand, recalling how it had swayed with Zhan Zhiqing’s stride. He smiled. “I do like it. But just send me this one.”

Ying Cheng did not understand. “Sure, Brother. I will have someone custom make one to your measurements and send it to your house.”

Ying Yuan arched an eyebrow. “No. I mean, I want the one in my hand.”

Ying Cheng froze for a second before the implication hit him. He twitched his lips. “Brother, seriously? Are you that obsessed? You want to take the clothes he wore home for your collection?”

Ying Yuan did not answer directly. He walked a circle around the floor before speaking. “Do not talk nonsense. I simply think he is beautiful. Clean this place up today. From tomorrow on, no outsiders are allowed into this villa.”

This was Zhan Zhiqing’s first step into the modeling world. The collections on the third floor would be moved elsewhere. He would turn this villa, the Yu Garden, into a vault for every trace Zhan Zhiqing left in the fashion industry. Once they eventually went their separate ways, it would serve as a nice memorial.

This idea had begun to form the moment he saw Zhan Zhiqing on the runway and was solidified when he saw that gray suit. In the beginning, the relationship Ying Yuan envisioned with Zhan Zhiqing was an unhealthy one of equal exchange: he would provide money and Zhan Zhiqing would provide beauty.

He was naturally calm and rational. Before meeting Zhan Zhiqing, his mind was occupied only by challenges and corporate affairs. He believed he had simply fallen for Zhan Zhiqing’s beauty for a short time and that they would naturally part once he grew bored. He had wondered why he wanted to hide in the shadows rather than stand openly by the boy’s side. After a night of consideration, his answer was simple: he might just be obsessive.

As for whether Zhan Zhiqing would like him, he did not consider it at all. In every respect, he was a favored son of heaven. Even if Zhan Zhiqing did not like him, he did not care. He only required that Zhan Zhiqing be with him, not that the boy fall in love with him.

Ying Cheng was used to his brother’s dominant behavior, but this was the first time he had seen him this fixated. He had a premonition that Zhan Zhiqing might actually end up as his brother in law, even though his brother claimed to view the boy as a mere distraction.

He will regret it, Ying Cheng thought.