Xu Chacha could sense a great emotional fluctuation in Wen Mubai's body, but she didn't become hysterical; instead, she displayed a fearless abandon born of extreme exhaustion.
After hanging up the phone, Wen Mubai leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed. She hadn't spoken for a long time when suddenly she felt a soft touch on the back of her hand. When she opened her eyes, she saw Xu Chacha's concerned gaze.
Xu Chacha patted the back of her hand gently, "Auntie, don't be angry. If Auntie is angry, Chacha won't be happy either."
"I'm sorry." Wen Mubai took her hand in his palm. It was soft and boneless, as if he could crush it with the slightest force. His heart softened for some reason. "I didn't scare you, did I, Auntie?"
"Don't say sorry." Xu Chacha rested her head on her knees, curling up like a cat. "Chacha isn't scared. Chacha knows Auntie is just unhappy. Auntie, please don't be unhappy. Chacha will tell you a joke."
"Okay." Wen Mubai lowered his eyes and gently tucked her hair behind her ear so it wouldn't block her eyes. "Go ahead and say it, Auntie is listening."
"A long, long time ago..." Xu Chacha was about to make up a story, but before she could finish, Wen Mubai had already started laughing.
"Auntie, you haven't said anything yet." Xu Chacha looked up, her brows furrowed. "Why are you laughing so fast?"
Wen Mubai gently rubbed her cheek, "Because I think you're cute."
Xu Chacha immediately lost her temper and buried her face back in her legs, "Then... then okay."
...
On Saturday, Xu Chacha woke up half an hour earlier than usual and vainly picked out clothes in front of the mirror.
When Wen Mubai picked her up from school the last time, they made a promise to go to the amusement park that night, and she had been looking forward to it since the night before.
Xu Chacha glanced at the time; it was only six past six, and their appointment was for nine. There was still quite a while to wait. Bored, she rolled around on the bed, her toes curled up in her pants.
After playing by herself for a while, she tilted her head and pulled a fashion magazine out from under the bed.
She secretly bought all of these with her pocket money. It was a habit she developed when she was a model, and she had to keep up with the latest trends and gossip every season.
After Xu Chacha finished flipping through this month's issue, barely half an hour had passed before she rolled over and sprawled out on the bed.
Can't time be moved a little faster, and jump directly to number nine?
"Ding-dong!"
Xu Chacha bounced up as if her bottom had springs in it, holding her phone in both hands to check messages.
It really was sent by Wen Mubai.
Dear Auntie: Chacha, Auntie's interview was suddenly rescheduled to today, so I can't go to the amusement park with you this time. Please remember this time, and Auntie will definitely go with you next week.
Xu Chacha's shoulders slumped instantly, and the dress she had spent so long choosing didn't look so good on her anymore.
She pouted and sent a sweet, childlike voice message.
"What interview? Can Chacha go check it out?"
Wen Mubai didn't send any more messages, but instead made a voice call directly, "Cha Cha? Are you awake so early?"
Her voice sounded less energetic than usual, and a little hoarse.
"Auntie, you stayed up late again, didn't you?" Xu Chacha scolded her over the phone, "You keep telling me to go to bed early and get up early, but you've never done it yourself."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Wen Mubai said, "I understand, I'll listen to you."
"So what kind of interview is Auntie going to do?"
"It was a magazine interview, and I took the cover photo while I was at it." Originally, her interview was scheduled for next month, with the male celebrity who was supposed to be on the cover of this issue. However, the other night, a domestic violence scandal suddenly appeared on the trending searches, and the editor-in-chief urgently contacted Wen Mubai to ask her to reschedule.
"Take pictures! Auntie must be dressed up beautifully today." Xu Chacha rested her chin on her knees, drawing out the last syllable, "Chacha really wants to see."
Wen Mubai was actually almost too late to get to the scene himself, and there was no way he could take a detour to pick up Xu Chacha. Hearing her soft tone, the words of refusal instantly stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them.
"How about this?" Wen Mubai came up with a solution. "Auntie will send the address to Grandma Zhang, and you and Grandma Zhang can come together."
"Really!" Xu Chacha's voice immediately perked up.
"You can't run around here. You have to listen to Grandma Zhang. Auntie will come to keep you company after work."
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll do whatever Auntie says!"
...
Wen Mubai must have informed the staff beforehand, and with their height and height making them easily recognizable, Butler Zhang led Xu Chacha in without any hindrance.
The sounds coming from the photography studio are the clicks of cameras that Xu Chacha has heard countless times, sounds that have become tiresome.
Wen Mubai was facing the camera and didn't notice that Xu Chacha had arrived. In her filming state, she seemed more distant than usual, but also very professional.
Her figure was superior to many professional models. She had a long head, long legs, and right-angled shoulders. Her waist was as thin as a willow branch when her belt was lightly pinched. She was wearing a plain black velvet dress, which Xu Chacha recognized at a glance as a high-end brand's current season haute couture.
—A dress that ordinary people can't even borrow money for.
The dress was rather exaggerated in length; even a 1.78-meter-tall model would need to wear high heels to avoid dragging on the ground, but on Wen Mubai, it seemed to blend perfectly with her.
Her snow-white skin contrasted sharply with the dark fabric of her clothes. Wen Mubai tilted her chin up at the camera, her downcast eyes exuding a natural air of noble arrogance. Her makeup was clean, with almost no extra color except for basic contouring, and only a striking red lip, making her the center of attention.
"What's their background? They came here with a cover photo."
EV's covers have never been exclusively featuring international supermodels or A-list or super-A-list celebrities. Popularity and prestige always have to take a backseat.
"I don't know, I heard she's the daughter of the editor-in-chief's old friend." The person who answered looked a bit older, but only around twenty-five. She held up an iced Americano and gestured with her chin towards Wen Mubai. "At least this one is much better than that male idol from before. All those photos of him were lifeless and timid. I spent all night editing it, and the editor-in-chief still rejected it mercilessly."
"After the result was posted, the fans raved about it, and I thought it was a god descending to earth."
"That's right."
The photographer called for a stop, and the assistant went to bring water to Wen Mubai. A middle-aged woman, who had been standing by and dressed noticeably more elegantly than the others, went to talk to her.
Wen Mubai said thank you softly, took the water, and turned to the side. While listening to the person speak, his face remained expressionless.
"I suspect someone's playing a prank on me. We finally managed to get you on the cover, and then the child model from the designer next door, Qin, got sick and hospitalized. Is EV destined to have to open a window of opportunity in one issue?" Hua Jing, the section chief of EV, felt like she was going bald. "Mu Bai, do you know any child models around four or five years old, shoe size 26, and about one meter tall?"
“Your standards are so precise, down to the shoe size. Where am I supposed to find that?”
Wen Mubai took a leisurely sip of water, and as his gaze swept to the side, it inadvertently caught sight of that figure. "Cha Cha?"
"You know her?" Hua Jing followed her gaze, looked the little baby girl up and down, and decisively decided, "This one's fine, I'll take her."
Wen Mubai was no stranger to her decisive and efficient work style, but this time he couldn't just go along with her.
"Take her away?" She shook her head. "It's not up to me. You have to let her do it herself."
...
"Cha Cha, come here." Wen Mubai beckoned to Xu Cha Cha.
The staff around turned around and then discovered that a cute little creature had somehow sneaked in from behind.
Xu Chacha hesitated for a moment, then took small, bouncy steps and trotted over.
"Auntie." She took Wen Mubai's hand and called her sweetly, "You look so beautiful today."
"You too." Wen Mubai pinched her cheek and introduced Hua Jing to her, "This aunt is the editor-in-chief here, and she wants to ask you for a favor."
"Pretty auntie, what do you want Chacha to do for you?" Xu Chacha looked up at Hua Jing.
Hua Jing is fifty-three years old this year, but because of her temperament and frequent cosmetic procedures, she looks only about thirty. She wears a pair of black-rimmed glasses, but she doesn't look old at all.
Hua Jing squatted down, held her shoes up to hers with her hand, and said after confirming that they were the right size, "Auntie would like you to take some photos, just like your auntie did earlier. It won't take up much of your time, and I'll even give you payment, is that okay?"
"Taking photos?" That's my old profession.
Hua Jing had someone take a children's clothing magazine from the side, opened it for Xu Chacha to see, and said, "The photos will be in these magazines. Then, as long as our Chacha wears a pretty dress and finishes the photoshoot, she can take the money to buy delicious food."
Wen Mubai, who was listening nearby, felt something was off and said, "Aunt Hua, don't sound like you're trying to kidnap a child."
“I wasn’t telling the whole truth,” Hua Jing said matter-of-factly.
"Auntie?" Xu Chacha looked up at Wen Mubai with a questioning look in her eyes.
Wen Mubai placed his palm on the top of her head and rubbed it gently. "Think for yourself. If you like it, go for it. If you don't, refuse it."
"I love it!" Xu Chacha grinned. "Chacha also wants to wear pretty clothes and take beautiful photos, just like Auntie."
and earn a lot of money.
Wen Mubai glanced at Butler Zhang and gave him a look. The latter immediately called Xu's mother to inform her of what had happened and inquire about her opinion.
Xu's mother was open to this, saying, "Cha Cha can decide for herself. You just need to watch over her and make sure she doesn't bump into anything."
Housekeeper Zhang agreed, hung up the phone, and told Wen Mubai and the others the result.
Hua Jing put her arm around Xu Chacha's shoulder. "So, this girl is mine now."
"No! No! I'll go back to Auntie!" Xu Chacha retorted, grabbing Wen Mubai's arm.
Wen Mubai smiled and patted her back, "Auntie is right here. If this auntie bullies you, come and tell me right away."
Hua Jing and her deceased mother were old acquaintances. It could be said that they watched Wen Mubai grow up, and their relationship was so close that they could ignore their generational relationship and joke around freely.
"Stop trying to sow discord." Hua Jing picked up Xu Chacha and said to her, "Don't worry, Auntie is a very nice person. As long as you are good, Auntie will treat you gently. I'll only scold those disobedient kids."
Xu Chacha felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this, and futilely stretched out her short arm and waved it in Wen Mubai's direction.
Help! Help! This auntie is acting strange.
...
Hua Jing carried Xu Chacha on two elevators to another photography studio, where she put her down.
"Here you go, the one you wanted. Four or five years old, shoe size 26, one meter tall." She lowered her head and poked Xu Chacha's soft cheek with her finger. "She's also very pretty."
Xu Chacha's eyes widened, and she didn't dare to move an inch: Is this really not a human trafficking transaction scene?
"But what about the designer..."
"Just go tell her, my magazine won't be available until his baby is discharged from the hospital." Hua Jing's tone was forceful, making everyone afraid to utter a sound. "After you're done with your makeup, send him a photo. If it works, great; if not, forget it. There are so many designers in the world, do you think I, EV, can't afford someone else?"
"Aunt Jingjing," Xu Chacha tugged at the hem of her clothes, "You can't be so fierce."
The baby's clear, innocent eyes filled Hua Jing with a sense of guilt. Just minutes before, she had boasted that she was a gentle aunt, and her face went dark.
"Auntie isn't being mean, don't be afraid." Realizing she hadn't set a good example for the girl, Hua Jing cleared her throat and added, "Once this is resolved, go and deliver a gift to that hospitalized model, in EV's name."
"Okay, Sister Hua," the stylist said, then took Xu Chacha's hand. "How about we go change clothes together?"
Xu Chacha nodded obediently and placed her soft hand in her palm.
The two walked into the dressing room, and only when Hua Jing's back was no longer visible did Xu Chacha finally let out the anger she had been holding in.
"Sister, I'm not five years old, I'm seven."
The stylist hadn't expected that this person, who had been frowning and looking sullen the whole way, would suddenly smile and say, "I know, you're the big kid, right?"
"..." Why is he still treating her like a child?