Su Xingyu gritted her teeth against the pain: "Qin Mu, let go."
Off to the side, Su Xingqi curled her lips slightly, covering her face delicately with one hand as she slowly stood up to advise, "Qin Mu, why are you here? Let her go, I don't think she did it on purpose."
Qin Mu frowned: "Xingqi, you're always so kind-hearted."
His gaze towards Su Xingyu turned colder: "To even lay a hand on your own sister; are you even human?"
Su Xingyu's arm was still twisted behind her, and the pain was enough to bring cold sweat to her forehead, yet she stubbornly stared at Qin Mu and said with difficulty, "You're the one who's not human. I truly regret ever liking you."
Her voice was as icy as clear ice, piercing into Qin Mu's heart.
Staring into those eyes, clear as a spring, Qin Mu suddenly felt an inexplicable frustration, unable to understand why. He gripped Su Xingyu tighter, sternly demanding, "Apologize to Xingqi!"
"Why should I?" She clearly hurt intensely, yet sneered coldly.
At this moment, a powerful force pulled her and Qin Mu apart effortlessly — it was Ling Weilong.
He looked at Qin Mu: "Get lost, didn't you know that unauthorized persons are not allowed in the studio?"
Qin Mu was suddenly pulled away, secretly surprised by the man's incredible strength and quite displeased: "Do you know who I am?"
"I don't care who you are," Ling Weilong casually picked up a tripod, "acting tough on my turf with my assistant, are you? Get out, or I'll hit you."
Though not tall, his body was well-toned from years of exercise. Coupled with how easily he lifted the heavy tripod, his intimidating presence made Qin Mu flinch.
So Qin Mu frowned: "What era is it for people to still go around hitting others, low-class people will always be low-class."
"Oh, acting important here on my turf?" Ling Weilong really swung the tripod at him. The hit landed, making Qin Mu's face change in pain. Ling Weilong didn't let him off, swinging again, "What kind of skill is it to bully my assistant? If you have the guts, don't bully women, fight me!"
This time, Qin Mu finally dodged. Beside him, Su Xingqi screamed anxiously: "Stop fighting!"
But Ling Weilong completely ignored her.
Su Xingyu clutched her arm, standing behind Ling Weilong, watching the scene unfold with complex emotions. Suddenly, she couldn't understand why she ever liked Qin Mu. Even a stranger like Ling Weilong would stand up for her in trouble, yet Qin Mu, whom she'd known for so many years, never stood up for her.
All grievances were swallowed down into her heart alone.
Qin Mu dodged repeatedly, his light gray, high-end suit marked with dirty imprints from Ling Weilong's strikes. Finally, finding a gap, he grabbed Su Xingqi's hand, saying, "Xingqi, let's go! I'll have the magazine replace the photographer for you!"
Wearing high heels, Su Xingqi was dragged away, yet did not forget to turn back and say to Ling Weilong: "Just wait, an arrogant little photographer, Qin Mu will fire you tomorrow!"
"I'm so scared!" was answered by a flying tripod.
Startled, Su Xingqi shrank behind Qin Mu, the two scurrying out of the studio in a sorry state.
The place was a mess.
Only then did Su Xingyu slowly catch her breath, saying to Ling Weilong: "Sorry for causing you trouble."
Ling Weilong turned back to look at her, raising an eyebrow as he smiled thinly: "Quite the background, aren't you?" He hadn't missed Qin Mu's mention of 'your sister'; the girl before him was the sister of that pretentious model?
Su Xingyu shrugged: "In that situation, did you think I looked like someone with a great background?"
Ling Weilong glanced at her again, noticing a significant difference between the sisters. The younger sister surrounded by glamour, the older reduced to a mere assistant. "I don't care about you and your sister's issues," Ling Weilong crouched to pick up the tripod he had thrown, wincing at the damage, "such a big dent."
Su Xingyu also felt a pang for the tripod; photography equipment is the most precious thing to a photographer. Though Ling Weilong had swung it as if it were nothing, he had made a significant sacrifice for her.
"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely.
Ling Weilong was impatient: "This is why I don't like working with women, always so fussy."
After fiddling a bit with the tripod: "Still usable. You, go turn off those lights over there, we're done for the day."
Considering the day's outcome, there would be no more shooting. Ling Weilong called the fashion editor, reminding her to retrieve the outfit Su Xingqi had taken. All the clothes used for shoots were borrowed from brands and had to be returned afterward.
Whatever was said on the other end, Ling Weilong cursed a few more words.
Su Xingyu looked at him worriedly: "The man you hit earlier is Qin Mu, the second son of Qin Corporation. If he wants to make things difficult for you, you'll be in trouble."
Ling Weilong stopped cursing and looked at her mockingly: "Worried about me?"
Su Xingyu: "..."
How could someone's expression be so punchable?
So she said: "It seems you don't need my worry. Well, actually, you hitting him was quite satisfying for me."
"Sounds like there's quite a lot of bad blood," Ling Weilong, packing the equipment back into cases, effortlessly carried them outside the studio, his voice echoing, "Worry about yourself first."
Su Xingyu shook her head, wondering what kind of people she was encountering.
The first day at work wasn't smooth.
She returned home, took a shower, and braced against her exhaustion to wait for Lu Shifeng to come back.
Lu Shifeng returned late; she had already fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room. Her soft silk dress fell halfway to the ground, and her small, delicate face and serene sleeping face looked very charming.
Lu Shifeng didn't disturb her.
He walked to her side, taking off his own coat and draping it over her.
Her feather-like eyelashes fluttered slightly as she awoke. Seeing him, she panicked a little: "Lu Shifeng?" Grabbing onto his jacket as she sat up, "Sorry, I didn't even realize I fell asleep..."
"If you're tired, rest in the bedroom," Lu Shifeng's voice was deep and slow, "It's okay not to wait for me sometimes."
She didn't know what to say, feeling like a child caught doing something wrong. In fact, she had wanted to rest in the bedroom, but it was her first day at work, and if she appeared to neglect Lu Shifeng, what if he changed his mind about letting her continue?
"I'm fine..." she unconsciously grasped his jacket, she said.
"What happened to your hand?" he suddenly asked.
Following his gaze, she realized her wrist was bruised, a glaring sight against the white lining of her home silk robe.