With The Backing Of A Powerful Figure: He's Gone Wild In The Modeling World - Chapter 6

He smiled at the girl and greeted the group. “Hello, everyone. My name is Zhan Zhiqing.”

However, not many people responded. Only a few gave him a brief nod.

Zhan Zhiqing considered these to be childish games. He did not let it bother him and walked straight to the back to sit next to the girl.

“Wow! You are even better looking than in the videos and pictures online!” she exclaimed. “My name is Zhou Xing. You can call me Ah Xing. Can I call you Zhiqing?”

Her enthusiasm reminded Zhan Zhiqing of Ying Cheng. “Thank you. You are very cool yourself. And yes, you can call me Zhiqing.”

Zhou Xing was only slightly shorter than him, making her quite tall for a female model. Zhan Zhiqing could tell at a glance that her romantic preference leaned toward women.

While Zhan Zhiqing’s response was kind, it was not overly warm, which was simply his nature. Zhou Xing did not mind and began whispering about the other contestants in the corner.

She had a good memory. Every contestant had introduced themselves when boarding the bus, but when Zhan Zhiqing stepped on, no one had spoken except her.

“It is because you are already famous online,” she whispered. “They think it is unfair for you to compete with them. But they should look at themselves first. I am telling you, several of them have been in the industry for years and have walked plenty of shows, but they just never made it big.”

She shrugged. “I guess they are just jealous.”

Zhan Zhiqing, who rarely cared about the opinions of people he did not value, nodded and smiled. To thank her for the information, he quickly changed the subject. “I heard the filming starts now?”

Zhou Xing was blunt but possessed a girl’s intuition. Seeing that Zhan Zhiqing did not want to dwell on the negativity, she followed his lead. “That is right! These clips will be edited and uploaded to video sites. I heard the audience is part of the judging process, too.”

She leaned in closer to his ear and lowered her voice. “So, watch your words and actions in the house. The audience’s score will take many things into account.”

Zhan Zhiqing instinctively leaned back slightly, a move Zhou Xing noticed. She covered her mouth and laughed. “Do you dislike physical contact?”

Zhan Zhiqing felt a bit embarrassed, but Zhou Xing’s frankness helped him relax. “You caught that? I have a bit of a phobia regarding physical contact, but I am working on it. After all, as a model, it is impossible to avoid contact with makeup artists and stylists.”

Zhou Xing clicked her tongue. “That is such a pity. But on the bright side, that means you will not be one of my romantic competitors! Hahaha!”

Zhou Xing was so open about her orientation that Zhan Zhiqing felt he owed her the same honesty.

“In fact, I am also inclined toward men,” he said. When he spoke, he habitually looked into the other person’s eyes out of politeness. With friends, his tone became even softer.

His deep eyes, framed by long, curled lashes, looked particularly soulful. Zhou Xing stared for a few seconds before nodding knowingly. She theatrically patted her chest. “Then I am relieved!”

Her exaggerated expressions and funny movements made Zhan Zhiqing laugh. He realized that having a friend did not feel bad at all.

Having been taught by his mother since childhood that he was Chinese, he had often been bullied abroad, which prevented him from making close friends. Shortly after arriving in China, meeting people like Ying Cheng and Zhou Xing made him feel even more certain that moving back was the right decision.

The sixteen models would stay together during the show in a suburban villa. Just as they were approaching the villa, a staff member announced a new rule. Everyone had to hand over all electronic devices, including phones, tablets, and laptops.

The bus erupted in complaints. In today’s internet society, where people spend many hours a day on their devices, giving them up was no small task. However, the staff remained unmoved. They played a video of He Yu giving the final order that any model unwilling to follow the rule could get off the bus and withdraw from the competition immediately.

No one dared to complain further and everyone handed over their devices. Zhan Zhiqing was the fastest. He did not rely on electronics, had no friends he needed to message, and had no fan base to maintain yet, so he surrendered them quite readily.

On the bus, Zhou Xing had explained that several of the contestants were popular internet celebrities with large followings. Zhan Zhiqing figured the production team wanted to prevent contestants from influencing their fans during the competition.

To everyone’s surprise, the house was not dilapidated. It was large, new, and featured a small garden. Behind the villa, there was a long swimming pool and some outdoor equipment.

The bad news followed. Due to limited space, four contestants had to share a room. The excited models rushed inside to pick their beds. Zhan Zhiqing and Zhou Xing were the last to enter. Zhou Xing accidentally tripped and Zhan Zhiqing helped her to the living room to check her injury. Fortunately, it was not serious.

However, this meant only the worst beds were left in both the men’s and women’s rooms. Zhan Zhiqing helped Zhou Xing carry her luggage upstairs. Zhou Xing apologized sheepishly. “It is my fault you had to take such a bad bed.”

Zhan Zhiqing did not mind. “I have traveled through many countries and experienced all kinds of accommodations. Believe me, a bed like this is already great for me.”

He loved beautiful, expensive clothes and comfort, but he was not delicate. At his lowest points, he had even slept in houses with leaking roofs. Zhou Xing burst into a laugh and waved him off to his own room.

As Zhan Zhiqing returned to the living room for his luggage, a muscular male model in a tank top sneered. “Not bad, man. You picked up a girl already.”

This was a supermodel competition, but the mixed gender format and youthful hormones meant some contestants were indeed looking for romance. Zhan Zhiqing picked up his suitcase, glanced at him, and simply said, “Please respect yourself,” before heading upstairs.

For the safety of the contestants, the Top Model House prohibited physical fighting. This meant if contestants disliked each other, they could only trade insults. Zhan Zhiqing found such arguments meaningless. For people he disliked, he would not even spare a second glance.

Since the house was in the suburbs, there was no food delivery. The fridge was only stocked with ingredients, meaning the contestants had to handle their own meals.

Contestants who could cook were very popular. Three girls and one boy were quickly surrounded by others. Two leaders emerged: Cao Yan, the muscular model who had mocked Zhan Zhiqing, and Le Xin, a girl with an angelic face and a killer body.

Le Xin shared her tragic backstory, earning the sympathy of the group. By the end of the chat, she won even more praise by offering to cook dinner for everyone tonight.

Zhan Zhiqing and Zhou Xing, however, were excluded. They shared similar traits that set them apart, such as a striking difference in image compared to the others and their unique romantic orientations.

How should Zhan Zhiqing navigate the social dynamics of the Top Model House while maintaining his focus on the competition?