On the film set, there was a peculiar sight that the crew was forced to endure every single day—
Jiang Wei. Wayne. The man who lived on the edge of fashion death. The Human Peacock.
Today's "Wayne Look" consisted of:
A vibrant blue floral print shirt.
A shimmering gold sequined blazer.
A scarf so green it looked ready to undergo photosynthesis.
Rainbow-woven platform sneakers.
Standing in the sunlight, he reflected a seven-colored halo so blinding it could practically singe the retinas of any passerby.
As Ye Xiaoxiao shuffled past, lugging a pile of supplies, her eyes actually watered from the sheer glare of the sequins. She couldn't help but scream internally:
Wayne-ge, walking around the set like this... is this "fashion"? Or are you just a one-man Chinese New Year Lion Dance parade?
To make matters worse, Wayne didn't just walk; he strutted, flipping his blazer as if he were ready to take the stage at any moment.
"Ye Xiaoxiao! Look at my look today. It's called—The Golden Battle Armor! Spring/Summer Limited Edition!"
Xiaoxiao's hands trembled; her lip twitched. "...Uh... it's... very... eye-catching."
"Eye-catching?!" Wayne whipped his head around, his gold sequins scattering light like magical dust. "Darling, what do you know? This is called—Contrast! Art! Avant-garde! A Fashion Revolution!"
Xiaoxiao nodded frantically. "Yes! A revolution!"
She didn't dare speak the truth. She had always harbored a burning question: Why does Wayne dress like a walking Broadway set piece, yet the styling he does for the actors is always elegant, high-class, and perfectly suited to them?
Once, she had almost let it slip: "Wayne-ge... when you style others, it's so beautiful and unique... but when it comes to yourself..."
The words caught in her throat as she imagined Wayne's inevitable verbal counter-strike:
The "Heart-Stabber" Defense: "I like it this way! If I dressed more beautifully than the actors, what would they do?"
The "Pure Rage" Defense: "My standards for myself are too high! You want to challenge my aesthetics? In your dreams!"
The "Total Annihilation" Defense: "If I dressed like a normal person, no one on this set would notice me! Who would appreciate my genius then?!"
Faced with these possibilities, Xiaoxiao decided: Never ask. Never ever ask. She feared her self-esteem would be crushed into pieces too small to sweep up.
The set was a chaotic mess as usual. Amidst the moving light stands, shifting props, and sprinting crew members, there was only one "fixed point of brightness."
Wayne.
He moved through the set like a high-wattage searchlight. Every angle reflected the sun, even casting golden edges onto the shadows.
Xiaoxiao followed behind him, clutching her toolboxes, praying to God to make her invisible so she wouldn't run into Qin Mu. But of course, fate had other plans.
Qin Mu had just finished a scene and walked over to grab some water. He looked up—and was immediately hit by a blinding flash of gold.
Qin Mu: "...?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, like a cat reacting to a laser pointer. A second later, Wayne emerged from the center of the glare, his blazer fluttering as if he had a personal wind machine.
"Make way, darlings, make way—Fashion Itself is passing through—"
Xiaoxiao: (It's over, it's over, it's over...)
Qin Mu stared at Wayne in silence for three long seconds. In those three seconds, three things happened:
Wayne flicked his photosynthesis-green scarf.
Xiaoxiao nearly tripped over her own feet while pretending not to see anyone.
Qin Mu's breathing actually hitched for a moment.
Finally, he spoke: "...You are... very bright today."
Wayne spun around, preening like a praised peacock. "Right?! I told you this color palette was—"
Qin Mu added a dry follow-up: "So bright I mistook you for a reflector board."
Wayne: "..."
Xiaoxiao: "...Pfft—!"
She covered her mouth instantly, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Ye Xiaoxiao! You dare laugh at me?!" Wayne barked.
"N-no... I was just thinking that... reflector boards are quite... useful..."
Qin Mu lowered his head to drink his water, saying nothing more. But the tips of his ears turned a quiet shade of red—a detail even he didn't notice. It wasn't shyness; it was the realization that he had just broken his "cool" image to crack a joke.
That outfit was just too much, he thought. So bright I didn't even see Ye Xiaoxiao hiding behind him.
Realizing this, he glanced up again.
Xiaoxiao was dragging the toolboxes, the stray reflections from the sequins dusting her like golden powder. She was hunched over, trying her hardest not to explode with laughter, her eyes curved like crescent moons.
Qin Mu's gaze lingered for two seconds. In those two seconds, it occurred to him for the first time:
When Ye Xiaoxiao laughs... she's actually kind of... pretty.
But his face remained a mask of indifference. He simply looked away and walked off with his water bottle. Before leaving, he dropped one last line:
"...Remember to put the reflector board away when you're done."
"I AM WEARING COUTURE, NOT A REFLECTOR!" Wayne roared.
"Wayne-ge..." Xiaoxiao gasped between giggles, "Next time it's too bright, you should just join the lighting department..."
"SHUT UP!" Wayne stomped away in his rainbow platforms.
Watching Wayne's retreating back, Xiaoxiao thought to herself: One day, I want to be like Wayne. To ignore every judgment and shine just for myself.