"What is the right fate?"
In 2019, at the weekend nugget restaurant, the waiter Qiu Zining preached to Sheng Yiqing, "Just one word, smooth!"
"What do you mean?" Sheng Yiqing asked with a straw in her mouth.
"1. When you are with him, just be yourself, no need to pretend; 2. Always be emotionally stable, no longer worrying about gains and losses." Qiu Zining's fingertips tapped the table: "More importantly, after meeting him, everything went smoothly, career, life, physical energy, and spirit, all went smoothly. A woman's youth is precious, half of it is given to career, half to sleep, and the little bit left must not be entangled with bad people."
"So he is not." Sheng Yiqing shook her head and said to herself, "I sprained my ankle the day I met him."
"Wow!" Qiu Zining widened his eyes and shook his finger, "That won't work. Cherish life and stay away from the wrong person."
"But..." Sheng Yiqing hesitated.
She didn't say she was a little moved. Nugget is located in the Hutong, the oldest and most fashionable place in Beijing. But Qiu Zining always felt that "fashionable" was a slightly awkward word for Beijing, because she found that the most fashionable part of Beijing was actually very "Shanghai". Perhaps the owner of Nugget also thought so, so the full spelling of the wifi password of Nugget, a restaurant famous for its fashion and style, is "shanghai".
It was a little dark in the afternoon, and the old locust tree in the yard was blown by the wind, and the locust flowers on the table fluttered. Qiu Zining did not talk about men, but gossiped about her: "By the way, how is your work recently? Did the sponsor you mentioned pass the exam?"
Sheng Yiqing rolled her eyes: "Don't mention it! My period came on the day of the exam, and it hurt so much that I guessed the last few multiple-choice questions."
"Do I have to take the exam again?" Qiu Zining gasped.
"It's the third time, ah." She leaned back in her chair, covered her forehead and sighed, "I need to pass the exam with 50 points. I got 45 and 58 points the first two times. I don't know if I can get 40 this time! I'm crazy!"
At the age of 27, Sheng Yiqing was working at Hongye Securities, a Chinese securities firm in the second tier of the market. She worked diligently for four years and accumulated a few projects. She was just waiting to pass the sponsor representative exam, take charge of her own affairs, receive allowances and signing fees, and be promoted to VP as soon as possible. However, she was so busy at work that she had to do countless dirty work. She didn't even have time to check her phone, let alone study and review. Her undergraduate major was finance, but the sponsor representative exam was half finance and half law, and the test points were biased and detailed, which specifically hit her soft spot.
Qiu Zining used his half-baked tarot skills to read for her twice, and only said: "You can't rely on your strength in the exam, it all depends on luck."
Before she had time to lament for too long, her boss, Mr. Hu, sent a WeChat message: "Yiqing, the due diligence time for the ranch project has been moved forward. You should prepare and fly to Hohhot tomorrow afternoon. Remember to ask your secretary to book the ticket."
"I don't have time to think about it." She put her phone in her pocket, pulled out the straw, drank the cold brew, and said goodbye to Qiu Zining with her bag, "Let's go, I have to go on a business trip again."
"Oh. What are you going to do this time? Go to a small city bank to get a bank statement or go to a county factory to work?"
Qiu Zining was answered by a resolute back: "Inner Mongolia, counting cows!"
Inner Mongolia is cooler than Beijing in summer. It was just that the ultraviolet rays were so strong, the bright sun was hanging in the sky, and the only thing left in the world was the blue sky and green grass, and the dark face of the advertising director Guo. He was wearing a pair of big shorts and scolded the producer: "The client wants a working mother! What is a working mother? It means an elite style and gentleness! At least 25 years old! The female college students you found have never attended classes, so where does the elite look come from?! I shoot art films! I want that style! These are all details!" The new client of "Mom World" magazine is a leading enterprise producing maternal and infant milk powder. The company is rich and powerful. It paid the first payment immediately after the contract was signed, and spent a huge amount of money to find a well-known advertising director to shoot a TVC advertisement with the magazine. The producer girl who was scolded could not help but complain in her heart: "If you want to find such an actor, you should have told me earlier in Beijing. You came up with this at the last minute. Now there are nothing but cows in the grasslands in the suburbs of Inner Mongolia. Where can I find a female elite for you?"
Before she finished speaking, she caught a glimpse of Chen Zhuan's expression and quickly shut up. As the creative vice president, he was still calm and said to the director gently: "Okay, we will find it immediately."
Director Guo snorted and went into the studio, leaving the producer girl to look at Chen Zhuan in astonishment: "Where are you looking for it?"
"Didn't you say that this company is about to go public? There should be a branch in the city, and you can find a few people sitting in the office. You adjust the shooting plan and let the director shoot the cows first today."
"Can it be an actor?"
"Get the director first."
Under the blue sky, the grassland is vast, the sun is scorching, and not far away is a large park composed of low sheds. There is a circle of low walls outside the park, and a few bright yellow plastic boards at the main entrance are hung with black words "Beihe Dairy Farm". There were too few actors to be found at the moment. The executive producer sent a few sets of photos. Chen Zhuan looked at them and shook his head. There was only one person who caught his eye. He called and was quoted a price of 30,000 yuan without bargaining. The budget was just over 10,000 yuan. The executive producer asked cautiously if there was any possibility of compromise. Chen Zhuan glanced at the photo and said, "He is not an irreplaceable person. He is not worth this price. You can look for it again."
Several business cars drove up and happened to stop at the door of "Beihe Dairy Farm". Several young people in suits and leather shoes carrying computers entered one after another. The midday sun shone brightly. Chen Zhuan's eyes fell on the last figure. For a moment, he thought he had seen it wrong. He subconsciously took out his mobile phone and called the WeChat voice. After a few beeps, the figure not far away really took out his mobile phone. It seemed that he saw the name of the caller and was a little flustered.
With a plan in mind, Chen Zhuan's mouth corners rose a little bit, and he whispered to himself, "You really are..."
It can bring me good luck. The conditions at the ranch were much tougher than Sheng Yiqing had imagined. The client company was too big, and this due diligence involved more than 20 ranches of the client in Inner Mongolia and Northeast China. The grassland was dry and the sun was blazing. Qiu Zining laughed at her and said she would be at least a shade darker when she came back. So she was basically fully armed today, with suit pants and a champagne-colored long-sleeved mulberry silk shirt, a sunscreen mask and sunglasses on her face, hiding herself tightly.
Just after finishing the ranch in the south in the morning, the group arrived at the Beihe Ranch without eating. They only slept for 3 hours a night, and with the sunburn, Sheng Yiqing was dizzy. Just after getting off the car and walking a few steps, the phone in her pocket vibrated. She looked at the screen, her heart skipped a beat, and she almost threw the phone away——
Why did this man call for no reason?
"Hello." The voice on the other end of the phone asked her with a smile: "Is your foot okay?"
Sheng Yiqing's voice was muffled through the mask, and her ears were hot. She only said: "I'm on a business trip."
The other end laughed again and asked: "Isn't it hot? Cover up so tightly."
As soon as these words came out, Sheng Yiqing's brain crashed for half a second, and she looked around. It was noon in Inner Mongolia in summer, and the grassland was vast. Fifty meters away, a tall and graceful man seemed to be standing in the light and tilted his head towards her.
She was incredulous: "What a coincidence?"
"Yeah. I saw you at first sight."
Sheng Yiqing thought of the mask, sun hat and sunglasses at the moment, and complained that the man had sharp eyes.
"That..." Chen Zhan paused, "Stand still, I'll come to find you."
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Sheng Yiqing hung up the phone. He looked up in surprise, and saw this woman quickly entered the door of "Beihe Dairy Farm" with a brisk step.
"?"
Damn! I didn't put on any makeup!
Luckily, she had a powder puff and lipstick in her bag. The restroom on the ranch was simple, with a barely adequate mirror stained with water. Her eyes were dark due to lack of sleep, and she moved her cheeks to do facial yoga while applying.
The phone was buzzing, and Chen Zhuan's voice came again. Fortunately, the remedy was effective, and she could at least meet people. She took a last look in the mirror, took out the earrings from her handbag and put them on, combed her hair, and then answered the phone, her tone calm: "I just had something to do. Ahem - we can meet now, where are you?"
Sheng Yiqing always remembered that it was their second meeting, only a month after the first meeting.
And Chen Zhuan's request was quite shocking - he asked her if she could spare half a day, and wanted to invite her to help shoot an advertisement for the company.
"No." Sheng Yiqing shook her head immediately, "We counted cows all day, and it wasn't until after six o'clock that we finished. We were exhausted."
But Chen Zhuan just said "oh", bent his mouth and looked down at her.
Sheng Yiqing touched her face uncomfortably and asked, "What are you doing?"
"You look better in the sun than under the lights."
"..." Her cheeks flushed. She didn't expect him to be so straightforward. Without waiting for her to raise her eyes, he spoke again, "I'm complimenting you. I have no choice but to say a few nice words to you."
Sheng Yiqing chuckled, "What do you want me to act? Will I be paid?"
"Of course. The payment is..."
The phone vibrated. It was the project team notifying the brokerage firm to hold a meeting. Sheng Yiqing lowered her head to read the message and didn't pay attention to what Chen Zhuan said. When she raised her head again, she saw Chen Zhuan looking at her and called out:
"Wife."
"...Ah?"
Chen Zhuan thought she didn't hear clearly, and repeated, "Yes, wife."
A gentle tone. Her heart was beating uncontrollably, her cheeks were burning, and the redness spread to her ears. Sheng Yiqing's voice was weak: "What... did you call me?"
Chen Zhuan was stunned and laughed, "Role. I mean, the role you play is the wife of a lawyer, that is, his——" As if deliberately teasing her, he dragged out the tone and looked at her with a smile: "Wife."
This was a deliberate remark. He wanted to tease her, but his throat was itchy.
"I don't believe in marriage." The project team sent another message. Sheng Yiqing turned around and left, saying, "It depends on my mood."
Chen Zhuan couldn't figure out her intention, so he quickly followed: "Then I'll pick you up when you're done."
"I didn't agree."
There was a temporary meeting room in front of him. Brokers entered one after another. Chen Zhuan knew that once she entered, this matter would really be over.
"Hey." Chen Zhuan pulled her to him with her wrist held, speaking quickly, "I'll pick you up in a while, and I'll pay you twice the highest price in the industry, which is 30,000. I'll take you back to the hotel at 8pm, whether it's over or not. I'll have a makeup artist to make sure you look as good in front of the camera as in real life. If anyone dares to embarrass you on the scene, I'll immediately turn against him. And..."
His skin was slightly red in the sun, probably because of anxiety, and he looked at her with a straightforward and warm look. After saying so much, Sheng Yiqing still just looked at him, so Chen Zhuan simply made up his mind and held her hand, a little pitiful:
"...Please, Yiqing."
"Elite, good-looking, about 25 years old. OK, OK, you can tell that she's someone who works overtime every day." The advertising director was very satisfied with Sheng Yiqing.
The temporary studio was in an old factory near the ranch, and the shooting period of this TVC advertisement was less than a week. When the makeup artist was putting makeup on her, Sheng Yiqing was still confused. Holding the script handed by the executive producer, she secretly felt lucky that the plot was simple: Fortunately, she only had to hold the computer and work overtime. After finishing the work, she would look at the baby in the crib, and finally stand up, open the door, and look at the vast sky. No acting skills or lines are needed, just follow the director's instructions.
It was past dinner time, and more than 20 people in the small crew were busy. The night rose from the horizon, and the lights in the studio were as bright as day.
Chen Zhuan and several producers stood behind the director with their arms folded. Two monitoring screens showed different camera positions. The woman on the screen wore a shirt top with a skirt, which showed her slender waist. Even though the proportion was widened by the lens frame, she was still thin. The small round face of the powder puff, the cheeks were slightly fleshy, and the eyebrows were hazy with water vapor. The high-definition close-up shot allowed him to see her face clearly for the first time, but somehow, he always felt that there was a faint mist in front of her.
He just looked at her straightforwardly, not noticing his expression. Until the person next to him bumped his arm, "Your friend? Pretty. Single?"
It was the assistant director.
Chen Zhuan raised his eyebrows and asked, "Interested?"
"Give me your WeChat. I think she has potential."
Chen Zhuan took a few seconds to answer, "Don't think about it."
The assistant director reacted and was surprised, "Your type? You turned out to be straight?"
He has worked with Chen Zhuan for more than 4 years. He usually meets many beautiful public relations and models when shooting commercials. They look attractive, but they are still single. Whenever someone takes the initiative, he is indifferent. After a few rounds, everyone has speculated that it is normal for men in the advertising industry to be gay.
"No. It has nothing to do with me." Chen Zhuan touched his nose and said shamelessly, "It's her. She is not interested in other men."
"?" The implication is that she is only interested in you?
"I also..." Chen Zhuan's mouth curled up: "I feel helpless."
After the lighting was adjusted, the official shooting began. It was summer, but Sheng Yiqing's hands and feet were cold. She sat alone in the public eye and could only hear her own heartbeat.
The lights in the studio were too bright, which hurt her eyes. The huge camera was against her face. Sheng Yiqing rubbed her hands imperceptibly and took a deep breath, fearing that her behavior would be stiff.
In the earphone, the director instructed: "Actors, don't be nervous. Just work overtime normally."
She wanted to do it too! Sheng Yiqing found a comfortable position as much as possible and sat cross-legged on the sofa. The laptop in her hand was her workbook. When the laptop was opened, a series of messages and emails popped up -
Yes! The nervous feeling disappeared instantly, and she smiled bitterly in her heart: "Very good, I got into the working state in seconds."
The director's voice came from the earphone again: "You look very good! The tiredness is very good, and there is a sense of depression that is instantly defeated by work. But this back is a little hunched..."
Sheng Yiqing on the director's monitor was frowning and clicking on the messages in the work group one by one. Until she saw a colleague's message:
"The insurance agent's results are out! Did you pass? We all passed!"
Damn! The cold came up, and she straightened her back instantly.
The next second, the director praised from the earphone: "Good job! Just sit so straight!"
The shooting went much smoother than everyone imagined. After work, he drove her back to the city hotel. The ranch was silent under the night sky, and the starlight on the grassland was like the lights of the city.
The small city on the 18th tier actually has nightlife. There are several barbecue stalls on the food street in the old city after 9 o'clock. The tables and chairs are all outdoors. In front of the barbecue grill stands a worn plastic board with white words on a green background. The price list is printed. The lady boss spoke with a northeastern accent and asked them to sit down.
Sitting down at the barbecue stall, Sheng Yiqing took the initiative and said, "I look good today?"
Chen Zhuan was frightened by her. He glanced at her and looked away, "Not bad."
"You have been looking at me since we entered the studio."
"Oh, it seems you have looked at me a lot." He lowered his eyes and filled in the menu lazily. Without waiting for Sheng Yiqing to answer, he said, "I just think it's amazing."
"What?"
"Nothing..." He smiled with a curved mouth, "But after meeting you, my luck has been particularly good. Do you know? I just sent you home that day, and the boss called and said that the client was confirmed. Before the project