KM: Chapter 28

Ji An's eyes widened even more, repeating dumbly, "Personal… makeup artist?" Chu Longyu nodded with a smile, suddenly covering his mouth with his hand as he leaned closer to speak. "You Chen secretly brought me over, saying Jiaxing's makeup artists are lacking in skill, and he doesn't like them." Ji An's heart raced wildly, unable to stop himself from speculating about You Chen's true intentions, yet he dared not believe his own suspicions. Chu Longyu was about to say more when You Chen approached from behind, standing next to Chu Longyu and saying, "Stop the chatter, let's begin." Chu Longyu made a sound of protest, gesturing an OK sign to You Chen and softly complaining, "You're no fun, You Chen." You Chen cast him a cold glance. "Do the makeup as you see fit." The two standing together created an inexplicably harmonious picture. Chu Longyu was about 1.8 meters tall, very tall and slim, with shoulder-length hair dyed blonde and curled. His skin was very fair, and his features were deep, with light amber-colored pupils, making him look like a mixed-race person. His striking beauty was impossible to ignore, and he matched well with You Chen's imposing features. It seemed like only someone as beautiful as him could stand beside You Chen. Looking at them, Ji An felt as if he was being submerged in water, his whole body freezing cold. His speculations suddenly seemed utterly ridiculous. Noticing You Chen looking over, Ji An hastily averted his gaze, lowering his head as if trying to isolate himself from the world. You Chen frowned; he could immediately tell that Ji An's emotions were off. Did he not like Chu Longyu? But wasn't the previous makeup artist even more disliked? You Chen didn't know what Ji An was thinking. Chu Longyu gave him a push, then walked over and hugged Ji An like coaxing a child, gently saying, "Anbao, do you like curly hair? I can style hair too. How about I give you a perm? You'd look very cute with it." Ji An was pushed into a chair, and Chu Longyu skillfully combed his hair, chatting with him as he curled it. "Anbao, your hair is so soft." "Anbao, have you ever considered dyeing your hair? You'd look great with dyed hair, though you look good as you are too." "Anbao, do you want to get your ears pierced?" You Chen frowned, wanting to kick Chu Longyu. His incessant chatter was annoying, and he was getting too close. It irked him, but he was surprised to find that Ji An could speak fluently with someone else. Why was he still stuttering when talking to him yesterday? Was it because he was afraid of him? You Chen tugged at his collar in frustration and turned away. Ji An continued to answer Chu Longyu's questions in a low voice. Chu Longyu spoke softly and intimately, and Ji An found himself unable to dislike or feel hostile towards this beautiful makeup artist. Instead, he felt a deeper sense of inferiority. He suddenly hated himself. Why was he so useless? Why was he the only one unlikable? Why was he so ordinary and cowardly? Why was he so foolish and rigid? Why was he so boring and slow? Ji An held back the tears that kept welling up. It seemed like all he could do was cry. How annoying. "Anbao, I'm done curling!" Chu Longyu excitedly showed Ji An the mirror, repeatedly saying, "So cute," and then whispered, "Good Anbao, let's keep it quiet for now. I'll finish your makeup, and then you can go in front of You Chen and be so cute it'll blind him with your beauty." Ji An pressed his lips together without speaking. While he felt an endless goodwill towards Chu Longyu, he also secretly thought, You Chen wouldn't be affected; you're the beautiful one. "Anbao, why is your mouth injured?" "Ah," Ji An blushed, "I accidentally bit it." "Let me put some lip balm on it." Chu Longyu touched the wound on Ji An's lips and took out a lip balm from his makeup bag, applying a thick layer before wiping his hands and starting to do his makeup. Chu Longyu asked for Ji An's opinion while doing his makeup, and his movements were very gentle. Ji An could feel that Chu Longyu was very skilled. After finishing the makeup, Chu Longyu pushed Ji An to stand in front of You Chen, showing off, "Look, isn't he cute?" You Chen glanced over, and Ji An shrank back in fear, not daring to look at him. You Chen said coldly, "Lift your head, let me see." Ji An trembled as he raised his head, looking at him timidly. You Chen paused, feeling as if his heart had been thrown onto a pile of cotton. He knew Ji An's features had great potential, but he hadn't expected them to be so stunning. Seeing no reaction from You Chen, Ji An lowered his head in disappointment, then heard You Chen respond with a hum. "Very cute, like a little puppy." Ji An's breathing faltered, and despite having just been self-deprecating, he couldn't help but feel happy because of You Chen's words. "Then let's start." Ji An nodded, obediently walking to the camera and listening to You Chen's instructions. He was especially cooperative today, his makeup making him look very well-behaved, with curled bangs resting on his forehead, truly resembling a little puppy. You Chen was in a good mood, so the shoot went smoothly. Afterward, he went to liaise with the brand representative, glancing at Ji An with a warning look. Ji An didn't dare to sneak away again. Chu Longyu was helping him remove his makeup when suddenly there was a commotion, seemingly because the brand wanted to treat everyone to a meal. Chu Longyu smiled and turned to Ji An, saying, "Anbao, look, because you're so good-looking, the boss is very satisfied and wants to treat us to a meal." Ji An blushed, shaking his head, "It's thanks to you and You Chen." "Oh, we all contributed." After quickly removing Ji An's makeup, Chu Longyu put his arm around him and joined the group. You Chen walked ahead, his pace slow. Whether intentionally or not, when everyone was seated, Ji An found that the only empty seat was next to You Chen. He froze, hesitating to move forward. You Chen turned to look at him, his gaze clearly threatening. Ji An could only brace himself and walk over to sit down, shrinking into himself, not daring to move. Only after everyone started eating did he cautiously pick a few slices of green vegetables into his bowl, chewing slowly. Someone joked, "Why isn't Ji An picking food?" "Ah, he's a model, he has to maintain his figure." "But he's already very thin." Without much expression, You Chen placed a piece of fish and a shrimp into Ji An's bowl. Ji An was momentarily stunned, then forced himself to eat the shrimp, but when he picked up the fish, he couldn't hold it in any longer. Covering his mouth, he stood up, bowed to everyone apologetically, and stumbled out of the room. You Chen frowned, put down his chopsticks, and quickly followed him out. Everyone was taken aback, but Chu Longyu waved his hand, saying, "Maybe Anbao isn't feeling well. You Chen will handle it. Let's continue eating." "Ah, alright." In the restroom, You Chen stood outside the stall, listening to Ji An's continuous retching, his hands slowly clenching into fists at his sides. When the sounds finally stopped, You Chen knocked on the door. "Ji An, it's me." The lock clicked, and he pushed the door open, stepping inside and closing it behind him. He bent down, pulling the barely standing Ji An into his arms. "Are you sick?" Ji An lifted his eyelids to glance at him, then weakly closed his eyes, not speaking. "Ji An, you'd better tell me clearly," You Chen's expression darkened, "or I can't guarantee what I'll do here."