At the entrance of the residential complex, Cheng Zhu and Wang Anquan—who lived in the same neighborhood—said their goodbyes.
After returning home, Cheng Zhu immediately hid the "local specialties" he'd brought back from Guanyun.
If his family discovered those things, there'd be no way to explain it.
Yes, for now, Cheng Zhu also had no plans to tell his parents that he intended to do e-commerce and sell QQ products.
That way, he could avoid getting beaten a few extra times.
"I was raised painstakingly by Old Cheng—how could I not understand him?" Cheng Zhu thought to himself.
Late at night, after Yunlai Restaurant closed, Old Cheng and Xu Yun finally brought Little Youzi home.
After not seeing her brother for several days, Cheng You had become even more clingy.
Today, she hadn't tied her hair into little Nezha buns. Instead, it was all let down, casually draped over her shoulders.
Cheng Zhu casually ruffled her hair twice with his big hand, messing it up. The little girl immediately fixed it herself—already a bit vain.
"It's time to brush your teeth and wash your face," Cheng Zhu said, glancing at the time.
"Brother, can you tell me a bedtime story tonight?" Cheng Youzi looked up at him with her big, round eyes, like a little pet begging for snacks. Her gaze was full of "please, please."
"That's hard to refuse," Cheng Zhu thought, then said, "Sure."
"Yay!" Little Youzi jumped up, raised both hands over her head, cheered, then prepared to run to the bathroom.
"Put on your slippers," Cheng Zhu said.
"Oh!" She obediently turned back, slipped her little feet into her cartoon slippers, then pattered quickly toward the bathroom.
"Don't half-ass brushing your teeth!" Cheng Zhu didn't forget to shout after her.
After washing up, Little Youzi climbed onto her small bed by herself, dimmed the desk lamp to its lowest setting, tucked herself under the air-conditioning blanket, then lay there obediently, looking at Cheng Zhu with eyes full of anticipation, fully prepared for her bedtime story.
"You're already almost six and still want bedtime stories," Cheng Zhu said as he pinched her little cheek, then began telling the story.
It was an adapted version of a gag story.
"A king wanted to choose a princess for the prince, but he had a strange requirement—the princess had to weigh exactly one hundred jin, not a bit more or less.
A princess went, but when she was weighed, she was just a little short.
On her way home, she met a fairy. The fairy gave her an idea, saying she could hide in her ear and cast a spell so her weight would be exactly one hundred jin.
The princess, full of hope, went back to see the king. When they weighed her, it was exactly one hundred jin. But in her excitement, she accidentally shook the fairy out."
At this point, Little Youzi was so nervous that her long eyelashes trembled, her small hands gripping the blanket tightly.
"The king was furious and demanded, 'Who are you? Why were you hiding in her ear?'" Cheng Zhu said vividly.
"The fairy replied…" He deliberately paused, then leaned close to Little Youzi's tense little ear and whispered, "I was telling the little princess a story!"
Understanding it, Little Youzi laughed happily—unaware that the original version of this story involved a little shrimp and a little turtle.
Cheng Zhu had once told it to Jiang Wanzhou, where it was about the Dragon King choosing a son-in-law. A turtle went but didn't meet the weight requirement, so a shrimp hid on him to add weight.
The final line naturally became: "I was telling the little turtle a story."
After hearing it, Jiang Wanzhou had rolled his eyes furiously, lifting his pinky and pointing at Cheng Zhu repeatedly.
"Say that again! Say it again if you dare!"
…
…
After coaxing his sister to sleep, Cheng Zhu tiptoed back to his own room.
He booked the hotel for the photoshoot online.
At the appointed time, he brought the samples and headed out in the afternoon.
Yes—he really didn't bring Wang Anquan along.
"He's still young and a student. Let me shoulder this kind of worldly business alone."
If he said he wouldn't bring you, he really wouldn't. You didn't think he was joking, did you?
Since Ye Zi still had to work at Shen Minglang's bar at night, the shoot could only take place between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Five full hours—more than enough.
To ensure enough shooting environments, Cheng Zhu even booked a suite, truly spending big.
As soon as Ye Zi entered the room, she couldn't help saying, "This luxurious? Just for photos? You're not staying here tonight?"
She'd clearly dressed up carefully today—her makeup was even more refined than when she went to work. She also carried a large bag, though it was unclear what was inside.
"What's the point of staying out alone? I still prefer my own bed," Cheng Zhu shrugged. "If you want to sleep here, you can take the room card after we're done."
"Sure," Ye Zi said happily. That way, she could take some selfies later and post them to her Moments.
People who worked night venues often went to cities far from home. Some even had two WeChat accounts.
One was a work account, used for performance—Moments filled with every possible tactic to lure spenders.
The other was a personal account, showcasing a refined, peaceful lifestyle.
Cheng Zhu understood this perfectly and just smiled. "Then can the model fee be discounted a bit?"
Ye Zi ignored him, opening her bag and taking out various lipsticks, powder compacts, contour and highlight kits, curling irons, and other tools.
"Tsk, no wonder you used to be a model. Pretty professional," Cheng Zhu praised.
Then he noticed other items in the bag and couldn't help asking, "Why did you bring makeup remover and face wash too? Skincare products as well? Wow—even a phone charger? What's that supposed to mean?"
These were all classic overnight-stay supplies.
Hearing his teasing, Ye Zi wasn't shy at all. Instead, she shot back, "And you really do deserve being a former model—sharp eyes, know quite a bit. Boss, what do you think I mean?"
Then she increased the firepower. "Hey, handsome, help your sister grab some drinks. No mineral water—I want something cold from the mini fridge."
When she said "cold drinks," she deliberately blinked.
Prepared to stay over, body able to handle cold drinks—clearly came ready.
Unfortunately for her, Cheng Zhu's reaction disappointed her.
There wasn't a trace of a shy young man's embarrassment on his face. Instead, he urged, "Let's hurry up. We agreed on hourly pay—chit-chat time doesn't count."
Ye Zi put on a speechless expression, picked up the samples Cheng Zhu brought, and asked, "Which one first?"
"Secretary," Cheng Zhu said, naming the style.
Shoots required a warm-up. It was best to start with pieces using more material, progressing step by step.
Ye Zi nodded, about to head to the bathroom to change, but couldn't help lifting one of the items lightly between two fingers.
Rather than clothing, it was more like a few strings.
"Wait, this wasn't agreed on beforehand. I'm not shooting this kind," Ye Zi said.
Cheng Zhu sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, crossed his legs, and said, "I always keep my word. This one was never meant to be shot."
"Then why bring it?" Ye Zi felt he was contradicting himself.
He leaned back into the sofa, grinned, and said, "First collaboration—consider it a small gift for you."
"A modest token, not worth much," Cheng Zhu said deliberately, having brought it to test Ye Zi's boundaries before speaking.
Ye Zi lightly held it between two fingers, then gently set it down, smacking her lips.
"It is pretty thin, huh?"
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup