Chapter 2852: Chance Encounter

Guo Xi'er watched as He Xiaoyue laughed so long and hard that tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes. The shop assistant beside them looked terrified, clearly wondering if a lunatic had wandered in, and stood there feeling incredibly awkward. When He Xiaoyue finally ran out of breath and squatted on the ground clutching her stomach, the assistant seized the moment to pull her upright, her face twisted with disgust. "What kind of fit are you throwing?"

"A sheep-horn fit!" He Xiaoyue replied, still weak all over but unable to resist the joke.

"Enough." Guo Xi'er hurriedly covered her mouth and waved apologetically at the bewildered assistant. "It's nothing, really nothing. We'll just browse on our own."

He Xiaoyue had recovered some strength by now. Bracing herself on Guo Xi'er's arm, she slowly rose to her feet. "Sorry, sorry—I really couldn't help it." With that, she opened the magazine again, studying it over and over, poking and pointing at the page as if she wished she could swallow the picture whole. The two of them would look for a while, then burst into laughter for a while, making the shop assistant's hair stand on end. Had two madwomen arrived? And yet they looked quite respectable!

"We've made it now!" He Xiaoyue declared. "Promotion and a raise are right within reach..."

He Xiaoyue was the lead designer for the "Drizzle on Duckweed" outfit, with Guo Xi'er as the secondary author. After all, designing and crafting an outfit entirely by oneself was rather strenuous. Together, they formed a freelance design team of sorts. Of course, He Xiaoyue played the principal role, and Guo Xi'er was well aware of this.

With "Drizzle on Duckweed" winning an award, He Xiaoyue would certainly soar to great heights. But Guo Xi'er would benefit somewhat as well—much like what Prefect Liu had said about a fly riding on a horse's tail.

Seeing her new sister rise so rapidly, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sourness in her heart. However, Guo Xi'er was not a scheming person. Moreover, she felt she had her elder sister to fall back on—someone who had promised she would "return to the Senator's side in the future"—and so her desire to fight for fame and profit had grown much weaker. As their "friendship" deepened over these past days, Guo Xi'er, who had never possessed much independent resolve, increasingly regarded He Xiaoyue as her "backbone."

While He Xiaoyue was the biggest beneficiary of this success, it was no small help to Guo Xi'er either. At the very least, in front of her sister, she was no longer a useless blunderer—she had actually achieved something.

"Let's go have a big meal!" Guo Xi'er proposed.

Originally, this behavior was simply subconscious on Guo Xi'er's part, not carefully thought out. But her sister had intended for them to deepen their "sisterly affection" and had told Guo Xi'er, whether intentionally or not, to "treat Xiaoyue well."

How should she treat her well? Interactions between young women mostly involved shopping and eating. Although Guo Xi'er's salary wasn't high, she had her sister as a backer, which kept her quite well-off financially.

"Okay, okay." He Xiaoyue nodded eagerly. "Where to?"

"Apricot Blossom Tower, of course!"

He Xiaoyue clicked her tongue. The predecessor of Apricot Blossom Tower was the Commercial Hall Restaurant. Before the Longhaowan Hotel opened, it had been the most luxurious and high-end restaurant under the Senate's rule. Senators typically chose this venue to banquet important guests; it was a place only "people of status" frequented.

"Too expensive—far too expensive."

"What are you afraid of!" Guo Xi'er said. "I have the supplementary card my sister gave me."

"Is that really okay?" He Xiaoyue remained somewhat hesitant. This "supplementary card" was needless to say issued by Senator Liu Xiang, the Prefect of Guangzhou.

She was a cadre from Guangzhou, so naturally she knew about the affair between Liu Xiang and Guo Xi'er. The problem was that Guo Xi'er no longer held the status of a Life Secretary. Using such a thing to pay seemed somewhat unjustifiable.

"There's nothing wrong with it. It's my sister's," Guo Xi'er said carelessly.

"In that case, I shall sponge off the rich!" He Xiaoyue knew Guo Xi'er had no guile, so there was no need to be too calculating in their dealings.

Both in excellent spirits, they turned to another rack to browse other clothes, not noticing the young man watching them from nearby.

He lingered for a long moment, seeming to make up his mind. Then he approached with light steps, bowed slightly, and said politely, "Ladies..."

Both were startled. Though the social atmosphere in Lingao was "ahead of the world" and quite open by any measure, strangers striking up conversations on the street was still somewhat abrupt.

He Xiaoyue was bolder, however, and not as flustered as Guo Xi'er. She immediately swept her gaze over him. The man opposite appeared to be only about twenty years old. Not exactly handsome, but his features were regular and pleasant. His wheat-colored skin, short hair, and "cadre suit" all marked him as a naturalized employee. Moreover, the texture and style of his clothes, the cut of his shirt collar, and his shoes suggested the newcomer was a "cadre" engaged in office work. The temperament he exuded also carried a certain quality of authority—he likely had a relatively deep connection with a Senator...

Her attitude toward him softened considerably. She smiled and asked, "What is it?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you two must be the designers of 'Drizzle on Duckweed' featured in this issue of Lingao Spring?" The young man spoke New Speech with a slight Cantonese accent.

"How did you know she's He Xiaoyue?" Guo Xi'er widened her eyes and blurted out.

"Although I haven't met you before, both of you are carrying Wanzi Pavilion bags, and your dress and demeanor are unlike those of seamstresses or shop assistants. The way you examine clothes in the store also differs from ordinary customers..." The young man spoke calmly, without the nervous unease young men often displayed when meeting women. "As far as I know, there are only two young female designers fitting this description at Wanzi Pavilion."

He Xiaoyue couldn't help glancing down at her own attire. This young man's powers of observation were truly impressive!

"You guessed exactly right!" He Xiaoyue saw no need to hide it at this point and admitted openly. "What can we do for you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Chen Shixin. I work in the Mass Arts Division of the Propaganda Department, and I'm currently interning at the Coconut Grove Photo Studio on rotation." Chen Shixin paused. "Although it's a bit presumptuous, I have two requests. I wonder if you ladies might agree?"

Seeing that he was polite, well-featured, and a naturalized cadre, Guo Xi'er had already formed a favorable impression of him. "Just say it!"

He Xiaoyue smiled helplessly. "As long as it's within our power..."

"First, I'd like to ask for your autographs..."

Guo Xi'er happily agreed upon learning his intention and tugged He Xiaoyue to sign one quickly as well.

"...The second request is a bit more forward," Chen Shixin continued. "I'm interning at the photo studio and want to take a few portrait photos for window display. Both of you are very photogenic—you'll look wonderful in photographs." As he spoke, he produced a Propaganda Department work identification. The work unit column indeed read "Internship at Coconut Grove Photo Studio."

Although photography was a novelty that had only gradually appeared in recent years, it wasn't rare to them. The fashion industry itself maintained a close relationship with painting and photography, so the concept was far from strange.

"Taking photos is no problem, but displaying them in the window..." Guo Xi'er hesitated. "My sister probably won't agree. She says I might still..."

Here, her foot was stepped on by He Xiaoyue, and she quickly swallowed the rest of her words.

"I don't mind." He Xiaoyue was quite comfortable with these "public appearances."

"That's wonderful!" Chen Shixin nodded his thanks. "Photography and photo studios are new things—people don't yet understand the principles behind them. With your assistance, everyone will come to accept this innovation more readily."

"It's a pity photos are only black and white. If only they could be colored like paintings," Guo Xi'er said with regret. "Take that 'Drizzle on Duckweed' outfit—such beautiful color matching, but the magazine doesn't capture it at all."

"Indeed, my master says the same. He claims that for photography to rival painting, it will take another hundred years! But the Chief says it won't take nearly that long..."

"Your master is probably a Senator, isn't he?" He Xiaoyue probed.

"Not at all." Chen Shixin laughed. "He's an Italian—Master Trini."

"So it's him!" Both girls knew of this Italian. Master Trini was probably the most famous European in all of Lingao. Starting from doing renovations for the Senate, he had become the proprietor of Lingao's largest art training school. Not only had he paid off the enormous debt he owed after being tricked by Lando back then, but he had also made a fortune. Now he accepted commissions only from Senators and the wealthiest individuals in Lingao.

"You're his apprentice?!" He Xiaoyue looked him up and down in disbelief. "Truly?"

"Of course." Chen Shixin nodded. "Senator Hong recommended me for study there back then."

"Hong Huangnan!" Guo Xi'er suddenly cried out.

This surprised Chen Shixin somewhat. This particular Senator Hong didn't have high visibility outside Lingao, and he had been stationed in Guangdong for the past few years, rarely returning.

He Xiaoyue seemed to be mulling something over. "So you're also a painter!"

Chen Shixin gave a slight nod. "Barely one, I suppose. I can't compare with my master and senior fellow apprentices."

"Oh, oh, don't be so modest." Guo Xi'er laughed even more happily, though it was unclear what exactly had delighted her so.

"We agree to the photo shoot," He Xiaoyue said, suddenly speaking with newfound fluency, "but I have a request of my own."

Now it was Chen Shixin's turn to look surprised. "What might that be?"

"Could you give us some guidance on painting techniques?"

This wasn't a whim on He Xiaoyue's part. Since becoming a fashion designer, she had gradually come to feel that the painting skills she had learned in the "Garment Craft Training Class" were too shallow. Currently, when she drew fashion design renderings, she could only work on pre-printed figure templates. She couldn't sketch the human body and clothes freely, the way some Senators did, to demonstrate various wearing effects.

Chen Shixin hesitated slightly. "Painting? It's not impossible..." Perhaps feeling his response seemed evasive, he quickly added, "It's just that painting is a long-term endeavor—not something that can be explained in a few words..."

"Of course, of course." He Xiaoyue nodded vigorously. "How about this: since you want us to be models, and we'd like to learn from you, why don't you join us for dinner? We can talk over the meal."

Guo Xi'er had little personal interest in painting, but she had formed a good impression of him and wanted to hear more about photography and art. So she chimed in with her agreement.

"Isn't that too forward?" Chen Shixin hesitated.

"It doesn't matter." He Xiaoyue knew her invitation was quite bold. But if he wasn't boasting and truly was Trini's disciple, then her boldness today might yield new—perhaps very rich—returns.

(End of Chapter)