Chapter 65

In the afternoon, Meng Xinyu did help Yu Xia with her inquiry.

“I don’t think there’s much potential,” she couldn’t help but comment herself.

Meng Xinyu didn’t reject Yu Xia; one reason was that Yu Xia seemed particularly enthusiastic at the time, and she didn’t want to dampen her spirits. Another reason was that although Yu Xia could be a bit too “enthusiastic” at times and, in Meng Xinyu’s eyes, a bit too spendthrift, she did have one thing that caught Meng Xinyu’s attention: she spent her own hard-earned money.

Yu Xia loved dressing up and shopping. She was skilled at makeup and enjoyed it. In her past life, she had even teased Meng Xinyu for not knowing how to dress up and had also laughed at Ji Anning.

After teasing, she would generously take out her YSL lipstick and share it with Ji Anning, ignoring her protests, and would insist on doing her makeup. She would even say with a hint of envy, “Look at you, so beautiful, why don’t you know how to dress up! If I could look like you, oh boy!”

For Ji Anning, who had no friends, even when Yu Xia was overly enthusiastic, she would only give a mild response. But in her heart, when she counted the people she had gotten close to during her first year of college, Yu Xia was genuinely one of them.

“I don’t know,” Ji Anning said, “that’s something you self-publish on websites. If a business or a photography studio is interested in you, they’ll contact you.”

Meng Xinyu said, “I see. Then I’ll tell her to handle it herself.”

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“When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”

The desk that she was staring at seemed to turn into a mirror, and in that mirror, she could clearly see an ugly and distorted Ji Anning.

In the end, she closed her eyes and firmly set up a barrier within her heart, locking away the ugly inner demons.

You have been given a second chance at life to live a better life and become a better person, not to become like the people you despise.

In the end, Ji Anning decided to distance herself from Yu Xia and have no involvement with her in this lifetime.

However, during break time, Meng Xinyu held her phone and asked, “What’s the name of the photography studio you signed with?”

“Firewing,” Ji Anning replied, “Why do you ask?”

Meng Xinyu lowered her phone and said, “No reason, just curious.”

Ji Anning simply responded with an “Oh” and remained silent.

Meng Xinyu glanced at her and suddenly realized that what Yu Xia had said was true—Ji Anning was indeed somewhat cold towards Yu Xia.

If it were a normal situation with someone else, Ji Anning would have surely offered some advice or opinions. She appeared aloof but was actually a gentle and helpful person who was willing to share and assist others.

Meng Xinyu found it a bit strange.

During the weekend, they went to the pre-arranged photo shoot location, and Ma Ge was also present.

No matter where Ji Anning worked, whether it was in Firewing’s studio or on location, Ma Ge would always be there. Ji Anning admired his dedication to his work; he was an incredibly professional boss.

During lunch break, Ma Ge asked, “Anning, did you recommend a classmate to us?”

His question came out of the blue, and Ji Anning’s mind immediately spun, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

“No,” she denied immediately, “I didn’t recommend anyone.”

Ma Ge turned his laptop towards her and said, “I received a self-recommended email, claiming it was through your recommendation.”

As Ji Anning had suspected, the person who had sent the self-recommendation email was indeed Yu Xia. She was a very crafty individual. In her previous life, she had managed to catch Ji Anning’s attention with just a passing glance, stopping her and pleading for help as a fellow classmate. That’s how she got hired by NL.

In this lifetime, she directly found Firewing’s official website and, following the contact information provided, sent a self-recommendation email to the studio’s business mailbox. In the email, she claimed that Ji Anning had recommended her.

Ma Ge, in his thirties and experienced in the world, was not someone who would blindly believe everything he heard. If it truly was Ji Anning’s recommendation, he would need to think of a way to handle it. However, Ji Anning had never mentioned this matter to him, and given Ji Anning’s composed nature, she wouldn’t do something so abrupt.

He knew there was something fishy about it and intentionally brought it up to ask Ji Anning.

Sure enough, Ji Anning remained completely composed and said, “My classmate mentioned that a fellow villager asked me which photography studio I signed with. Is her last name Yu?”

Ma Ge understood the situation immediately. As a person trying to make a living in society, he wasn’t particularly bothered by Yu Xia’s overeager actions. He replied, “I’ll decline her request. This girl won’t do; she lacks experience.”

Ji Anning couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Ma Ge’s notebook and saw Yu Xia’s photo again. Though she dressed cutely and her makeup was well done, it was true that her external qualifications were lacking.

Just as Meng Xinyu appreciated Yu Xia’s ability to self-improve and spend her own money, Ji Anning also identified with this, and it was an important reason why she was willing to get closer to her.

But at this moment, Ji Anning suddenly wondered, what if Yu Xia were good-looking?

If she looked like Sun Yaxian, would she still be willing to work so diligently?

She worked hard because, compared to Ji Anning, she really spent too much money, and her family couldn’t support her personal expenses. It was just that the halo of “self-reliance” from her past life had overshadowed her intense material desires.

At this moment, Ji Anning suddenly realized that Yu Xia might actually be a low-budget version of Sun Yaxian.

They were both people with strong material desires.

It was the first Saturday of December, and work started very early on that day. They were busy all day, but the timing of the conclusion was well managed, not affecting Ji Anning’s prearranged dinner with Wen Yu.

Ji Anning felt lucky. She had been worried that she might make Wen Yu wait for her for a long time.

“Let’s go.” Ji Anning, now wearing a down jacket, emerged from the changing room and looked in a good mood.

Wen Yu had organized Ji Anning’s time and work very well, so he was in a good mood as well.

He drove her to a very nice restaurant.

Although Ji Anning was frugal, she didn’t want to compromise Wen Yu’s quality of life because of her spending habits. When Wen Yu took her to a good restaurant for a romantic date, she gladly accepted.

As she took off her coat at the restaurant, Wen Yu’s eyes lit up.

“Is that a new outfit?” he asked with a smile.

Ji Anning blushed slightly. She was naturally beautiful, and she looked good in anything, rarely putting in much effort into dressing up. Her clothing choices typically prioritized durability, comfort, and practicality.

“Just something from today’s photo shoot,” she replied. “I found out that we can get a discount on the samples.”

She hadn’t paid attention to it before, but today she heard one of the studio’s assistant girls talking to a store about getting a couple of pieces of clothing, which made her realize she could buy them at a lower price.

The dinner with Wen Yu had been planned several days in advance. When she was getting ready to leave today, she had actually picked out an outfit from her own clothes that she thought was decent enough.

However, the clothes she had bought from the wholesale clothing market or found at particularly low prices couldn’t quite compare to the sample garments used in today’s photoshoot.

After some hesitation, Ji Anning overcame her frugality (partly because she now earned more money than before). In any case, she picked out a new outfit and changed into it in the dressing room after finishing work.

Her usual style was simple and modest, with a student-like appearance. Although she always looked beautiful, a little refinement now revealed a hidden charm that was normally overshadowed.

But what truly made Wen Yu happy was the fact that Ji Anning, someone so frugal with herself, had spent money on a new outfit and dressed up for their date.

After all, they say, “A woman will make an effort to be beautiful to please someone they like.”

In that case, he was Ji Anning’s “someone”!

Wen Yu couldn’t help but smile broadly, complimenting Ji Anning’s beauty without holding back.

Normally, when he said such things, Ji Anning would just brush it off. But today, perhaps because she had genuinely dressed up and had a makeup artist help her with a subtle look, she suddenly cared about his words.

However, Wen Yu was never one to hold back in his exaggerations, and Ji Anning blushed at his compliments.

Under the warm restaurant lighting, her eyes sparkled, and her lips were soft and enticing. Wen Yu’s gaze became increasingly heated.

Wen Yu, a grown man, actually took out his phone and requested a selfie. Ji Anning suppressed her laughter and leaned in close to him, letting him snap numerous photos.

“I have to show off a bit,” Wen Yu said with a chuckle and posted it on his social media.

Ji Anning picked up her phone and glanced at it. To her surprise, he had captioned it with, “My little darling!”

He was even this flirtatious on social media!

Ji Anning couldn’t help but hide her face and laugh.

The waiter brought the dishes promptly.

Wen Yu also ordered some wine.

“You should try this,” he said. “This wine pairs perfectly with this meat for the best taste. I won’t drink; I’ll be driving later.”

Seeing Ji Anning cautiously lift her glass and take a small sip of the wine, Wen Yu smiled and picked up his glass, taking a sip of lemon water. With his other hand, he casually scrolled through his phone, checking if there were any responses to the recent social media post.

Wen Guoan: “Can my son make a successful synthesis today¹

Can you score (s3x) today? Because my other novel, MMLHRB also has a Guoan, I almost forgot that this is Wen Yu’s dad and not his friend.?”

“Pfft!”

Wen Yu: cough, cough, cough

“…” Ji Anning asked, “Are you okay?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, just got a bit choked!” Wen Yu waved his hand, turning his face to the other side to cough.

He had almost been killed by his disrespectful old man!

Truly a man who had played around in the first half of his life and then settled down to marry a beautiful young wife in middle age!

Wen Guoan, wearing reading glasses, looked at the screen of his phone, where his eldest son was hugging a stunning young girl.

He knew his son well. When was the last time he had seen him post such pictures on social media? This was almost certainly a sign that he was truly smitten.

Thinking about the prospect of becoming a grandfather, he couldn’t help but reveal a kindly smile.

Suddenly, the door to the study opened, and Cheng Lian entered without knocking.

“Your son isn’t coming home again today?” she said coldly. “He’s turning wild. You should talk to him!”

Wen Guoan remained unruffled, removed his reading glasses, and calmly replied, “Young people have active social lives. He’s out having dinner with his girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Cheng Lian sneered. “More like a bunch of flings.”

Cheng Lian had married a boss over ten years her senior, becoming a boss’s wife, and she had never considered herself part of such a crowd.

She graduated from a prestigious university, was beautiful, came from a well-off family, and even had a handsome boyfriend from the same school at the time.

It was the wealthy boss who had lavishly pursued her, treating her like a princess.

The temptation of crossing social classes was truly enticing.

Her parents had first lost their control on her and then strongly persuaded her.

She hesitated. Even though her boyfriend came from humble beginnings, he was not only outstanding but also handsome, and his gentleness was enchanting.

When she tearfully told her boyfriend that she couldn’t disobey her parents and had to let him down, the handsome young man tenderly kissed away her tears, holding her face gently. “I understand. Cheng Cheng, you’re a princess, and you deserve a better life. I won’t hold you back.”

That day, they made passionate love.

Since then, Cheng Lian felt indebted to him for a lifetime.

She looked at the old man in front of her, feeling restless and uneasy in her heart. He had found leverage over her, and even though he had made it clear that he wouldn’t harm her because she was his son’s mother, and he wouldn’t let his son know, he had taken back many of her privileges, making her feel uncomfortable every day.²Dun dun dun… Did you guess it already?

What was even more troubling was her fear that he might discover even bigger secrets. If that happened, she would have no way out, and this kept her up at night.

“You talk to him!” she said angrily. “He avoids me like a mouse seeing a cat and doesn’t want to spend an extra minute with me. Aren’t I his mother?”

After saying this, she turned and walked out.

Wen Guoan held his reading glasses, expressionless and with cold eyes.

---

Sansukini: Wen Yu is obviously disgusted with his mom.

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