'Model Angel Competition' was now in its third season.
The show itself hadn't had many viewers and had been controversial.
The previous two seasons featured swimsuits, beach catwalks and photo shoots, leading to many complaints from female viewers who felt the show catered to the male gaze and distorted female values.
Auditions for this season had just begun, and there were already many voices of opposition online.
On Douban, some people had already given the show a one-star rating, leaving behind comments such as "Get lost, unless you let male models show their abs!", "Let men walk in swimming trunks!" ......
Sitting in the audition studio, Bao Ruanruan scrolled through the online feedback with the expression of someone trying to decipher a complex traditional Chinese medicine prescription1.
She couldn't understand it.
The production team was so stubborn that even she admired them!
In the face of such criticism, they still went ahead with the show and insisted that it be based on female models.
Had it been her, she would have immediately brought in male models for the female audience!
Whatever they wanted to see, let the male models show it (bushi)!
"Alas."
Bao Ruanruan thought her agent, Xue Jing, was handsome, but wondered if they clashed astrologically.
She would be signed to the worst show he could find.
A masked Bao Ruanruan sighed as she looked around the crowded audition studio and noticed that everyone was busy and looked so tall.
Her height of 1.65 metres made her look like a child.🦊
The older sisters who caught her eye were, on average, half a head taller than her.
When she stood up, their pairs of beautiful long legs, so fair and slender, would come up to her waist.
Bao Ruanruan: ... very well. She decided to sit down.
"One by one, send in your resumes and then walk to the centre of the stage. The judges will evaluate you, and each person only has one chance."
Hundreds of people gathered in a large room, most of them professional models. Only a few were part-timers or amateurs who were still attending school.
There was no one like her, who had no modelling experience and was not tall enough.
Bao Ruanruan looked around and felt satisfied.
Her goal of only making it to the first round was definitely achievable.
Her mood relaxed as she watched the impressive performances of the auditioning contestants.
The older sisters were very tall, balancing on heels that were at least seven to eight centimetres high, a risky feat. Despite this, they still maintained a steady stride across the stage, swaying their slender waists, each with their own unique charm.
They looked stunning.
After watching over a dozen contestants, Bao Ruanruan, sitting on a small stool, felt somewhat forgiving towards Xue Jing.
It was a free fashion show for her to watch.
And she had the best seat in the front row, which was great.
After her walk in the first round, the production team had nothing to do with her.
Anyway, she felt that these beautiful sisters had nothing to do with vulgarity and only for male eyes.
Being a girl herself, she also found them very attractive.
Girls could also appreciate other girls.
Moreover, interacting with handsome guys and beautiful ladies with high levels of attractiveness while appreciating their beauty helped to lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Over time, you would be less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than others, easily adding four or five years to your life.
It was a win-win situation.
Bao Ruanruan wasn't in a hurry to leave, and humbly decided to be the last to go on stage, taking her time to admire the beauties on the side.
She sat there until five in the afternoon, watching hundreds of beautiful women and feeling like she had definitely added a couple of months to her life.
Then she took a photo and posted it on her Moments.
[Ruan: Today is also a healthy day.]
Only then did the staff shout from the centre of the venue, "Who else hasn't come up yet? The audition ends at six."
Alright.
Bao Ruanruan took a sip of water, stood up, stretched her shoulders and neck first, then raised her hand, "Over here."
She didn't know how to walk on the stage, and today she only wore a pair of flat shoes.
As she walked to the centre of the venue and looked ahead, she suddenly shivered.
It was as if someone were staring at her.
There were six cameras on either side of the venue.
Judges were evaluating the audition.
Were the judges observing her through the camera?
Bao Ruanruan looked around, didn't find anything unusual, and breathed a sigh of relief.
She believed in working hard and not holding grudges. Although she was not very skilled, she tried to imitate the walking style of the beautiful sisters in front of her, twisting her waist and taking a stroll.
After submitting her resume, she was ready to go home.
"Sister, goodbye," Bao Ruanruan smiled and bid farewell to the staff.
But just as she was about to leave, the staff called her back.
"Miss Bao, congratulations, you have passed the audition. Please wait a moment, the first round of preliminaries will be recorded tonight at nine."
Bao Ruanruan: "?"
Was the world not awake, or was it her?
A noob translator, きつね, translated this noob translation. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.site. If you read this in another location other than the site stated, it has been taken without the translator's permission. Please don't support this kind of act.
She lowered her head and looked at her legs, which were long but nothing compared to the beautiful tall sisters.
[Lan Zhi: Xiao Bao, I just saw your Moments. Did you go to that modelling competition? My college classmate is the director of that show. How did you do in the competition, did you pass smoothly?
I can help you, consider it as using a life-saving card.]
Goodness me.
There's really no need.
How could she let her waste a life-saving card on such a trivial matter?
"Sis," Bao Ruanruan was so scared that she immediately made a phone call: "No need, really no need. Just let me be eliminated naturally. We can't use the back door."
"Ah," Lan Zhi sounded somewhat regretful. She wanted to repay the favour of the life-saving card she owed early, "You've already been eliminated, then it's fine. I'll use it next time."
Bao Ruanruan was stunned, "Sis, didn't you just tell the director to let me in through the back door?"
"I just wanted him to take care of you for a bit. The qualifications for advancement may not be possible. But I haven't contacted him yet. Isn't it better to ask you about the situation first?"
Bao Ruanruan: "?"
Then how did she get to advance?
Could it be that her natural talent can no longer be hidden? D*mn it!
"Sis, that's good. Don't contact any directors. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to the other contestants. I still want to rely on myself to get through." Bao Ruanruan advised her.
After hanging up the phone, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Every life-saving card was crucial.
One card could very well be a life.
They couldn't be used carelessly.
But no sooner had she hung up the phone than she heard a slight chuckle behind her.
She turned to see a silhouette against the wall behind her.
A man, at least six feet tall and lean that she had to look up to see his face, was leaning against the wall in the corner.
He wore a smart white shirt paired with light blue jeans. The trousers were embroidered with cloud patterns in silver thread on one side, and he had white casual trainers on his feet.
On the surface of the shoe was a matching silver thread embroidered Spencerian Script —————— Gene.
This word seemed to be a brand name.
Bao Ruanruan felt a sense of familiarity as if she had seen it somewhere before.
But for the moment, she couldn't remember.
Bao Ruanruan took a step back and noticed that the man had slicked all his hair back with gel. It was slightly curly and damp, seaweed-like.
But his high cheekbones made his black eyes seem deep, and his thin lips, not intentionally pursed, were slightly upturned, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
He also had a faint scent of aftershave, with a hint of sea salt, making him seem aloof yet alluring.
In other words, he was trying way too hard to impress.
He was the kind of person she found troublesome.
With just a glance, she was about to turn away, but the man reached out, lowered his black eyes, and stopped her.
Bao Ruanruan: "?"
"Do you want to advance by your own efforts?"
The man smirked, his cold, clear eyes revealing a devilishly charming glint.
"I didn't expect you to have some backbone."
She is not the pushover she was rumoured to be.
"But unfortunately, you failed."
He curled his thin lips.
"It was me who helped you advance."
Bao Ruanruan: "???"
Who are you, Big Bro?
She was immediately stunned, and her gaze went up to meet those noble black eyes that were full of interest, with a mixture of mockery and amusement.
Just now, she felt a sense of danger. Was it him?
"Are you a judge?"
The man lowered his brows, clenched his jaw, and nodded slightly. "You are very smart. Qu Ji'en, the head judge of this session."
Indeed.
Bao Ruanruan also felt like a genius, having anticipated this in advance.
But in a split second, her expression changed.
Surname... Qu?
At that moment, she remembered Qu Feifei, whom she had considered a good friend in the 'Island Restaurant', but who had emotionally betrayed her (she concealed her identity then).
In the final episode, when her big cat headgear fell off —
It was destined that from then on, she would be Qu Feifei's number one enemy.
Qu Feifei was a loyal fan of the actress Tang Yuxin.
"We can't let our sister suffer the slightest grievance, let's defeat the Z-list Bao!", "Are you leaving the entertainment industry today, Bao Ruanruan?"...
Every day, Tang Yuxin's fans would gather and do team building on her Weibo.
Just thinking about it made Bao Ruanruan's scalp tingle.
So you cheated the young one, and now the old one is here?
It is like a legendary TV drama!
Where father and son fight side by side!
"What is your relationship with Qu Feifei? Are you her father? Uncle Qu, please listen to my explanation. I didn't mean to..." Bao Ruanruan pleaded innocently.
"!?"
With the physique of a natural clothes hanger3 standing like a pine tree4, Qu Ji'en was naturally stylish and handsome. However, as soon as he heard her speak, his five facial features immediately took off5.
He was hailed as 'the young man that modern women most desire to possess... physically'.
And he was only twenty-nine this year.
"I... am her brother."
"Oh, I misunderstood then. I didn't know how much fine your family had to pay back then for exceeding the birth limit. It doesn't matter. Now the policy allows up to three children, so it's legal."
"........."
Qu Ji'en took three deep breaths to hold himself from revoking her advancement qualification on the spot.
"It's okay, you can take it back quickly. There is no need to show me extra kindness because I saved your sister. By the way, do you know about the incident where I saved your sister in the kitchen? I can show you the video. This is not a life for a life situation as long as you appreciate me in your heart."
Qu Ji'en: "......"
Bao Ruanruan shivered with fear for a moment.
This elder brother was very cunning.
Was he letting her advance to trick her into the programme in order to harm her?
"It has nothing to do with my sister, she just wants you out of the competition."
"You don't have any professionalism as a model at all."
Qu Ji'en looked down at her from top to bottom.
"You should thank your sister."
"......"
Qu Ji'en didn't want to waste any more time listening to this nonsense. "I'm willing to let you advance."
He raised his head and went straight to the point, "My sister is a fan of Teacher Tang Yuxin."
"And so am I."
?
!
!!
When she went out today, she definitely read a fake almanack from a street stall.
Are you that proud to be a fan too?
Do you think your family is the most devoted?
Bao Ruanruan stared at him.
In an instant, she remembered the plot of the novel in which a male supporting character always strongly supported the female lead.
In his early years, he was an international supermodel, appearing on the cover of seven world-class fashion magazines and endorsing two French blue-blood brands as a model with a Chinese face.
This person became famous very early, but retired at the age of 22 and went to study design. After graduating, he started his own independent fashion brand—she couldn't remember the English name, but it was called Jí in Chinese.
This brand was very popular in the high-end market, with high sales both domestically and internationally.
He quickly became the maverick of the capital circle.
Bao Ruanruan lowered her head and looked at the English embroidery on Qu Ji'en's trainers.
Gene, Jí, Qu Jì'en...... FYI
He was actually a big shot.
Bao Ruanruan's heart sank halfway.
The methods of this big shot were so sinister; was he forcing her to enter a modelling contest just to slowly torture her?
"No, I just want to cultivate you."🦊
"?"
Qu Ji'en put his hand into his pocket. "I'm serious."
"I'm a fan of Teacher Tang's career, so I hope she can concentrate on her film career for a while. She still needs a breakthrough film to have a chance of becoming the youngest double Best Actress winner at the age of 25, instead of turning down invitations from three famous directors and getting married.
Her partner is a despicable man who cheats."
Bao Ruanruan hesitated to speak.
What did this have to do with her?
"So," Qu Ji'en looked at her with lowered brows, "I hope you can step up your game."
Bao Ruanruan: "?"
"Teacher Tang is currently engaged, not married. You still have a chance to make her single again by letting her see that this unreliable man is not worth it."
Bao Ruanruan was shocked.
That made some sense, but she didn't stand a chance, buddy!
That dog of a man, Lu Wenyao, would probably kill her if they met.
"It's because you're too incompetent. Acting, variety shows, musicals, none of them can make that man wary of you or even look at you."
"But if you become a valuable and perfect model, it's different."
Qu Ji'en adjusted the buttons on his shirt.
He shifted his weight to his right foot, stretched his left leg naturally, and struck a pose as if he were at a photo shoot.
"I can help you."
"I'll teach you how to shine in front of the camera and win back the man you like."
Help!
Bao Ruanruan was terrified.
What a trashy scumbag, even if he was given to her, she wouldn't want him!
What's there to fight for?
"I don't like..."
Qu Ji'en lowered his head and chuckled slightly when he saw her panicked expression.
"Be more confident. Although you're not tall enough, it will be no problem for you to be great at photo shoots under my guidance."
"I'm betting on my judge's qualification. If you can't make it to the finals after advancing,
Bao Ruanruan was slowly hit by an exclamation mark.
Don't be impulsive! Big brother!
How about you retire right where you are now?
*
"Oh, you made it to the next round?"
Chen Feng's surprised voice was heard in a WeChat conversation between the three members of the workgroup.
"Isn't height a strict requirement? Oh, you seem very confident. I have heard that the modelling industry likes confident and flamboyant personalities."
Bao Ruanruan: "..."
Being flamboyant was really foreign to her.
"How did you pass?" Xue Jing seemed to understand her a little.
After holding back a lot of grievances, Bao Ruanruan finally had someone to confide in, "It's a long story. I was forced to join a scumbag cleanup operation."
"…?"
Xue Jing never thought that his career would hit a snag so quickly.
He couldn't even understand what the artist was saying.
Was it because he had been too stubborn before and took too long of a break?
"I don't want to get involved in this scumbag matters. Rest assured, I will work hard to eliminate myself. If I can't do it in the first round, I'll try it again in the second round."
Bao Ruanruan solemnly declared.
"It's dinner time, talking while eating can make the food go down the wrong pipe. Let's leave it at that for now. I'm hanging up."
"............"
"Brother Xue, did you understand, how she advanced in the end?"
"......"
He... didn't know either.
They ended the WeChat call and waited for the announcement of her elimination in the preliminary round so that they could arrange for the nanny car to pick her up.
But they were unexpectedly kept waiting.
It was almost time for her to go to Hengshan to participate in the second recording of 'With Dreams as Horses' and she still hadn't been eliminated from the modelling competition!
Surprisingly, there was a scheduling conflict between the two shows.
Xue Jing tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep until three in the morning.
He couldn't figure out how she managed to do it.
For the first time in his career, he suffered from insomnia.
578 people auditioned for the 'Model Angel Competition', and only 50 were selected for the preliminary round.
As the eliminated contestants left one by one, only the production team and the successful contestants remained in the studio.
"Isn't she... the mistress of the Lu Group heir?"
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. Can Mr Lu really be interested in her? The rumour about the mistress is false. His fiancée is the beautiful and talented Tang Yuxin, who comes from a prestigious family of Beijing opera performers. He wouldn't cheat; it's all slander. She's desperate for fame."
"She's quite good-looking, but she lacks intelligence."
"Lower your voice, don't let her hear you. Look at the trouble she's causing; even with her tarnished reputation, she's still getting job offers, isn't she?"
"I've been following the gossip lately. It seems that she appeared on a show wearing a mascot head and tried to flirt with the second heir of the Lu family, Lu Wenhao, from that boy group. I thought she'd be blacklisted, but then every show keeps inviting her. The audience scolded her, watched her get bullied by the second son of the Lu family, and still went crazy with the likes and shares. The ratings went through the roof, didn't they?"
"Then our show can also be considered to have discovered the secret of success. Several TV stations are all fighting for us melon-eating viewers to be their audience, hahaha."
"Exactly, how else could this petite girl walk on the runway, even with her height? It's a joke. It's just that the production team see potential in her controversial popularity!"
"She's lowering the standard."
A few of the staff gathered to discuss quietly.
Bao Ruanruan walked by and stopped.
She looked down at her 1.65-metre height.
In fact, being this height or even a bit shorter wasn't a bad thing.
"Do you know how many times the heart beats in a day?"
Everyone: '!'
"10,000 times.
Every time your heart beats, it works hard to pump blood around your body. Every time your height increases by 10 centimetres, magnified by 100,000 times, the burden on the heart becomes..."
Bao Ruanruan, holding a thermos cup, got into the habit of chatting to the elderly in Hengshan Village.
The staff were startled.
When they turned around, they saw Bao Ruanruan's pink and tender face, eagerly teaching them about cardiology with a gentle expression.
They were all embarrassed!
Some particularly tall male staff, probably over six feet tall, looked a bit flustered.
Clearly, they were good at maths.
100,000 heartbeats, each time having to pump blood over a distance of more than ten centimetres, twenty centimetres... Wouldn't that be a lot more than others!?
They suddenly felt a bit suffocated and uncomfortable as their hearts beat faster.
They even thought about reports that men generally have a shorter life expectancy than women!
Could it be because of the difference in height?
"Ahem, it's almost time for the shoot, let's go."
The crowd dispersed awkwardly.
However, a few tall staff members walked to a corner and took out their phones, their faces tense, seemingly checking to see if what Bao Ruanruan said was true.
Suddenly, the space in front of Bao Ruanruan became empty.
"... I haven't finished yet," she blinked.
Although, in reality, the probability of heart disease in tall people was relatively low.
This was because their heart blood vessels were naturally thicker.
But if tall people were obese, the risk increased exponentially because their capillaries became longer and thinner.🦊
So the conclusion was that whatever your height, it was good to keep exercising.
"Forget it, I'll tell my grandmas when I go back."
Bao Ruanruan took a sip of warm water, turned around, and started walking around the venue again.
She had no idea that she had frightened a group of male staff members so much.
......
The production team delivered dinner boxes on time.
Four dishes, two meat and two vegetarian, one soup and three portions of rice.
Nutritionally balanced, with eggs, chicken, vegetables, and also fruit and yoghurt, enough for both men and women to eat to their fill.
Bao Ruanruan was satisfied, but she noticed that many beautiful girls in the contest area didn't eat much.
However, since she didn't know them all, she couldn't intervene, so she enjoyed the meal at her own pace, savouring every bite.
Next to her, however, was a beautiful short-haired lady with a heroic posture, who was surprised to see that her plate was almost empty.
"The measurements of a female model, 85:60:85, usually have only five centimetres of elasticity above and below the waist."
"Strict designers only allow for a one to two-centimetre error. Unless you plan to focus on lingerie ads in the future, you must control your intake."
Bao Ruanruan blinked, closed her mouth, and swallowed the last bite of food.
Short-haired lady: "..."
"It's okay, pretty lady, I'll definitely be eliminated and sent home later."
She wiped her mouth with a tissue.
If Qu Ji'en did something behind the camera again this time to ensure her advancement, she would strongly oppose it.
Just now, Qu Ji'en said that the top 50 contestants had already been decided, and leaving the show would be scandalous, so she stayed on as a gesture of goodwill.
Otherwise, the production team and the TV station would resent her. Offending one meant offending a group of people.
She was not foolish, so she stayed.
During the preliminary round, the judges would decide on the spot who would stay and who would go. If Qu Ji'en tried to make exceptions, she would refuse on the spot.
This way, there would be no issues.
Beautiful.
She wanted to applaud herself.
"Miss, what's your name? Can I add you on WeChat? You're so pretty; I don't have such a beautiful lady on my friends list."
She looked at the short-haired beauty with pleading black watery eyes.
Adding the lady to her WeChat would mean seeing beautiful photos in her Moments every day.
Good mood, low blood pressure, slow heart rate, longevity √
"Um, you're also pretty too." Fang Lei's angular eastern face blushed inadvertently. "Then... scan me."
Bao Ruanruan had the beauty of a foreign doll.
Her skin was as white as porcelain as if it had just been reset to factory settings.
When she spoke, her small and delicate nose twitched occasionally, and she looked at you with eyes that seemed to be soaked in the spring lake.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and her natural cherry-blossom lips opened and closed, making you want to take her home and look after her every minute.
Not to mention, her little mouth was exceptionally sweet.
Even beauties like Fang Lei, who were used to being praised by the people around them, couldn't help but be completely enchanted by Bao Ruanruan's all-encompassing flattery.
Soon, she felt a little light-headed, as if she had been boiled in a hot spring.
"Wow, this photo in the blue shirt is too beautiful; look, Sister, I feel so nourished as if I had eaten ginseng..."
So ridiculous.
What ginseng eating?
Fang Lei couldn't help but laugh.
"Ah, Sister is wearing a bikini, ugh, my heartbeat is over 70! Ugh, my heartbeat is over 70! Help, I usually only have 63 beats. These extra 7, each one is because of Sister; what will Sister compensate me? Wu wu, I can't look at it anymore, my heart needs a break......"
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Fang Lei laughed.
'Hey, Sister Fang's friends are all beauties. Indeed, only beauties can attract beauties. I've decided, from now on, I will live in this circle of friends. Sister, please update seventeen or eighteen times a day. That way, I'll breathe in extra oxygen every day~"
Fang Lei couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.
This girl was so sweet, surprisingly not as annoying as rumoured, and a bit cute.
An hour later, the production team announced that no one was allowed to leave.
The first round of preliminaries was about to begin.
Fang Lei's face changed at that moment.
She hurriedly took her phone and went to the bathroom.
"How's it going?" Qu Ji'en, holding a cigarette in the bathroom corridor, nodded when he saw her.
"With only an hour of cramming, how did she do? If she goes all out, along with your talent, learning about fifty or sixty per cent of the routines should be no problem."
Fang Lei: "......"
I forgot!
She was praised by Bao Ruanruan for a while, and then they chatted and gossiped until she forgot the time!
Who would have thought that they would be so engrossed that an hour passed by?
"Will the first match still take place on the stage? If she can't advance..." Fang Lei panicked.
Qu Ji'en frowned but quickly relaxed. "No problem. The first round is a two-person group match. The top and bottom contestants from the audition will be in the same group."
"Based on your position as one of the top three in the runway performance, it shouldn't be a problem to get you two into the next round."
Fang Lei breathed a sigh of relief.
But her expression soon changed. It turned out to be a group stage.
Rainbow farts9 had disturbed her!
If she had taught Bao Ruanruan a little just now, at least it would have been a King with Bronze, not a King with a blank slate10!
One's success was everyone's success, and one's loss was everyone's loss.
But then she thought of Bao Ruanruan's sweet little mouth calling her 'Sister' with such admiration.
Her heart even beat seven times faster for her...
Fang Lei softened for a moment and gritted her teeth, "Teacher, rest assured, I will do my best to take her to the next round of the competition!"
"Achoo!" Bao Ruanruan suddenly felt a chill on her back.
Her sharp sixth sense quickly scanned the vast fifty-person venue.
What's going on?
Is someone trying to take advantage of this little girl?
"Could it be of the cold air? Has the air conditioner been running for too long?" Bao Ruanruan wondered.
*
Soon Fang Lei returned.
The staff gathered all the contestants, divided them into four groups, and took them from the audition venue on the first floor to the rooftop of what used to be a twin office building.
Bao Ruanruan had always been cautious and walked at the back of the contestants, staying close to Fang Lei.
She also felt that this young lady was quite formidable.
The other forty or so contestants were very polite when they saw Fang Lei and did not dare to make fun of her in front of Fang Lei.
As she was admiring her own taste in beautiful women, the lift reached the 11th floor. Suddenly, a scream pierced through the air, accompanied by the sound of sharp, anguished gasps.
It sounded like a terrified girl screaming.
The scream echoed through the lift, travelling through the cement and steel reinforced ceiling between the 12th and 11th floors.
How many girls must have been frightened?
Bao Ruanruan: "..."
A miscalculation.
She had been so focused on the longevity brought by beautiful women that she had let her guard down.
But the lift was moving fast, not giving her any time to think. The doors to the 12th floor opened quickly, and Fang Lei took care of her, guiding her out of the lift area.
Bao Ruanruan, who wanted to escape: "..."
This friendship is really a burden.
"It's okay; don't be nervous. I heard that the technical requirements for the first round of the preliminaries are not high; you can do it," Fang Lei comforted in a low voice, showing a great elder sisterly demeanour.
Bao Ruanruan: "?"
No, she couldn't.
Every inch of her body resisted, for as soon as she stepped out of the lift area, she saw more than a dozen tall girls huddled together, taking small steps back towards the lift area!
On each of their young faces, whether distinctive or sweet, there was a look of panic, fear and resistance as they tried to escape.
This expression was all too familiar to Bao Ruanruan.
She often displayed such a look in the game.
But Fang Lei was oblivious and continued to lead her forward.
After taking a few steps, Bao Ruanruan saw four judges standing by the heart-shaped flowerbed on the rooftop, along with nearly twenty photographers.
And at the edge of the rooftop, there was a glass walkway extended outward.
From a distance, the glass walkway seemed wide enough for only one person to pass through.
A fall from there would be fatal.
"What's this for, are we supposed to walk on it from up here?"
"No way! This is the twelfth floor! What if someone falls off?"
"Seriously! I'm here to compete, not to do extreme sports!"
One by one, the models protested in panic.
"Do we really have to walk on such a narrow catwalk at such a high altitude?"
Unconsciously, Bao Ruanruan felt her legs tremble, but the person beside her was one step ahead.
Suddenly her arm sank.
She glanced to the side and saw Fang Lei, who had just been so elegant and composed, now looking pale and uncomfortable, with her two slender legs seemingly to be bound like iron blocks.
Bao Ruanruan wanted to be scared, but she didn't have the chance.
"Sister Fang?"
She called out twice, but Fang Lei didn't respond. Instead, she grabbed onto Bao Ruanruan anxiously and turned to ask the person in front.
"What are you talking about? Are we going to walk the runway on the rooftop? Right here on this flat ground beneath our feet?"
Fang Lei's voice was trembling.
The one who answered her was a judge.
There were four judges, with Qu Ji'en in the middle, supermodels Liu Min and He Qian, and world-renowned fashion photographer Xiao Minghua, from left to right.
They were all well-known figures in the industry.
But the words they spoke scared the aspiring model contestants who wanted to be on the top stage.
Supermodel Liu Min smiled and scanned the 50 contestants, "Preliminary theme: Crossing the clouds at a height of 34 metres!"
There was a moment of silence.
Fang Lei was already trembling.
She was shaking even more than Bao Ruanruan.
"This transparent glass skywalk has always been a landmark for the city's daredevils."
"It is 34 metres high from the ground floor, 25 metres long and 0.6 metres wide, connecting Building A to Building B of this skyscraper. We hope that each of you can embark on this journey of courage and kick off our competition!"
"!"
"!!"
The group of female contestants paled.
But Liu Min continued to smile as she explained, "We will be waiting for you in Building B, and we will score you based on your performance on the catwalk."
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the first round of the preliminaries is a two-person group competition. The group with the lowest score will be eliminated together."
This was destined to be a brutal yet beautiful competition.
The large screen temporarily erected on the roof already displayed eight fixed cameras, which captured the glass walkway from different angles.
Girls of different colours walking in the sky in this hazy moonlight, dressed in elegant clothes and high heels, must be very beautiful.
However, it was also extremely difficult.
The faces of the female participants didn't look good, some of them were on the verge of tears.
Bao Ruanruan gently patted Fang Lei's arm, "Let's abstain together. In the group stage, maybe you can meet a teammate who isn't afraid of heights and likes extreme sports. She will help raise the group score, and you won't be eliminated."
She observed that half of the girls there were genuinely afraid, while the other half were just pretending to be nervous in front of the cameras.
Not everyone was afraid of heights.
Fang Lei could rely on her teammates to excel.
But when Fang Lei heard her words, she gasped and remembered what Teacher Ji'en had just said about the groupings, and everything went black before her eyes.
The next moment, the group pairings were also announced on the big screen.
[Group 25: Fang Lei * Bao Ruanruan]
Bao Ruanruan: "!"
Surprisingly, in this prosperous era, her wish was not even granted.
This is embarrassing.
"Sister, let's get eliminated together."
Fang Lei: "......"
*
Following the other judges, Qu Ji'en arrived at the top floor of Block B and sat in the rightmost C position.
With his handsome face exuding a sense of high fashion, he turned towards the screens in front of the table.
The screens flashed with the current situation of each waiting contestant.
The first contestant, scared, tied the safety rope but hesitated to move forward.
The girls lined up behind her didn't even dare to take a step closer.
Ridiculous.
So timid?
With the safety measures in place, the 60cm wide walkway is wide enough to accommodate their straight model walk.
Qu Ji'en had always been strict with the younger generation of models.
"It seems that only a few established professionals won't disappoint me."
Professional models had to meet various tricky requirements from major brands, shows and photographers.
This glass walkway had been visited by over 30,000 adventurers across the country, so it was very safe.
What were they afraid of?
Hopefully, Bao Ruanruan will show some spirit and give him hope for her training!
Following Fang Lei might help her for now, but eventually, she will have to rely on her own strength!
Qu Ji'en calmly picked up the pen and said, "Let's begin."
But to his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, a figure collapsed on the screen in front of him.
This figure looked familiar.
"Someone fainted!" exclaimed Liu Min beside him.
"Ah, it's Fang Lei!"
Qu Ji'en: "??"
Photographer Xiao Minghua sighed, "The last time I photographed her, I asked her to stand on a tree, but she couldn't. I told her to find a way to overcome it, but I didn't expect it to get worse now."
Qu Ji'en: "???"
"Let's see who was grouped with her. Oh, that actress, Bao Ruanruan... This... Do we have a resurrection system?"
The pen in Qu Ji'en's hand almost broke.
The first time he used his authority to set up a grouping rule, and now it had all gone wrong?
Had he eliminated Fang Lei, who should have been the champion, along with Bao Ruanruan in one fell swoop?
Doubting his life choices, Qu Ji'en focused on Bao Ruanruan as the big screen camera zoomed in on her.
"How are you feeling now? You are the only inexperienced contestant, and your teammate has fainted. It's highly likely that you won't be able to compete in the end."
When asked, Bao Ruanruan, dressed in a black dress, stood in the corner of the contestants, looking particularly delicate and white.
The smooth silk fabric made her look as if she could be blown away by the night wind at any moment.
Her delicate face now wore an expression of timidity.
"One shouldn't bask in the arrogance of past glory."
Bao Ruanruan looked solemnly at the big screen.
In her momentary confusion, she decided not to leave the audition that had led to such a dangerous thing now.
"Arrogance ultimately harms oneself!"
Qu Ji'en: "!"
I feel subtly roasted.
*
Qu Ji'en was absent-minded throughout the whole process, mentally writing a confession titled 'I am a stupid donkey following the hidden rules', which was close to an 800-word essay.
Meanwhile, Bao Ruanruan remained in front of the camera, her clear eyes carefully observing the situation around her.
She could have escaped five minutes ago.
But now she couldn't.
Fang Lei's fainting spell had put her in a difficult position. She has to choose between completing the preliminary round and continuing to be friends with the little sister, which would extend her life by five years but also put her at risk of falling from the building or giving up the competition, abandoning the little sister, and making one or more beautiful enemies, but without the risk of falling.
It's a dilemma.
Bao Ruanruan immediately borrowed some paper and wrote down a SWOT analysis table.
S for strengths, W for weaknesses, O for opportunities, and T for threats.
Then she evaluated each side.
Finally, she discovered that since the previous 24 contestants had fastened their safety belts and not fallen down, and if she checked the safety ropes carefully three times before stepping onto the walkway, the risk of falling would be reduced by over 90%.
In this way, it was better to remain friends with the little sister by not withdrawing from the competition.
Bao Ruanruan's eyes light up.
As long as she tried her best, even if she left with a score of 0, the little sister should also see her sincerity.
She looked up at the qualified contestants and quickly continued her calculations on paper.
"What are you doing?" the staff and contestants passing by asked curiously.
"Nothing, just adding some life-saving factors."
"? "
"Ok, I will wear two red ropes to ward off evil spirits, fasten two safety ropes, walk across the glass walkway within 39 seconds, increase the friction coefficient of the high heels to reduce the skirt interference and add the possibility of falling onto a safety air cushion without harm. My probability of death decreases by 99.9%!"
"??"
The cameras filming her trembled.
But Bao Ruanruan clenched her left fist, tapped it against her right palm, and in a second, she stood up in the wind, lifting a corner of her long skirt.
She looked into the camera.
"Who has risked her life for the beautiful sister? Me."
It happened amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.
After a group of losers wiped their tears and staggered away...
She walked slowly towards the glass walkway.
Like a gymnast walking on a balance beam, she lifted her slender arms out to the sides.
Then, her fair face lifted.
With astonishing speed, astonishing strides, and astonishing stability, she passed in an instant!
In the darkness.
Her black skirt fluttered.
She was beautiful and breathtaking.
Author's note:
Ruanruan: I was so scared at that time.
Footnotes Full List
- fig. bewildered
- Does this mean that a woman who is 1.59m tall (me) looks like a baby?
- a well-proportioned and attractive body
- a straight and upright posture
- This is a figurative expression used to describe someone's facial features becoming animated and expressive, often in a surprised or excited way.
- Qu Ji'en's brand Jí and the Jì in his name are 2 different characters. His brand is Jí (吉), which means 'lucky', while the Jì (冀) in his name means 'hope'.
- Bao Ruanruan's expression must have conveyed her true thought, so Qu Ji'en noticed it.
- Oh, is that because their fat is squeezing on their capillaries?
- (slang) over-the-top praise. Coined by Chinese netizens, this term describes the scenario where fans can see nothing but good in their idols. First catching on in 2017, this term jokingly points to the fact that in the eyes of a die-hard fan, even the bad-smelling flatulence from their idol can be compared to something as beautiful as a rainbow. In a word, this term is roughly equivalent to the English slang of "kissing one's ass," only in this case, the person who flatters another may have said their flatteries sincerely. - EYESHENZHEN
- This sentence is a metaphor comparing the character's teaching ability to a video game. In the game, a "King" is a highly skilled player, while a "Bronze" is a beginner. A "blank slate" is someone with no experience or knowledge at all. - POE AI
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