Chapter 47: In a Dilemma Part 2

She winked at Jiang Ruoning, signaling her to take good care of her. Jiang Ruoning lowered her head awkwardly. Wu Jie stepped forward to chat politely with Jiang Nuan. Zhao Miaomiao was beside Jiang Ruoning. “Ning-jie, LESS really values you.”

Jiang Ruoning glanced at her and muttered, “Why are you here making a fuss?”

Zhao Miaomiao leaned in. “I heard from Sister Wu.”

Jiang Ruoning’s heart thudded, emotions surging. She played tough. “Heard what?”

Zhao Miaomiao whispered, “About Ai Wen. LESS did it.”

She cursed, “That damn Ai Wen—serves her right!”

Jiang Ruoning remembered seeing several model group chats buzzing about it when she woke up at noon. Ai Wen was under investigation by headquarters, dragging up several incidents, including using her resources to promote Du Youran. When things blew up, Du Youran immediately cut ties with Ai Wen.

Now Ai Wen could barely save herself. She’d taken kickbacks at least five times, each hefty. The groups were saying she was done for. Several friends who’d walked the T-stage with her sent red packets celebrating in the group chats, and some messaged her privately.

Happy?

Of course. Who wouldn’t want to see an enemy fall?

But thinking it was LESS pulling strings—even handing over a store—mixed her joy with something indescribable.

Conflicted. She couldn’t fully rejoice, yet denying happiness felt dishonest too.

Jiang Ruoning stewed, her expression darkening, tense. Zhao Miaomiao didn’t get why she was like this today. With Ai Wen down, shouldn’t she be thrilled? Why did she look in a bad mood?

As they neared the changing room, Jiang Ruoning’s phone vibrated. Zhao Miaomiao pulled it from her bag and handed it over. Unknown number. For a split second, Jiang Ruoning wondered if it was Shi Sui.

Then her former boss’s voice came through.

Jiang Ruoning lowered her eyes, a flash of disappointment in them. She answered half-heartedly. “Got it, I’ll consider.” She brushed off, “Okay, okay, goodbye.”

She rolled her eyes after hanging up.

Wu Jie came over. “Who was that?”

“Dell’s director,” Jiang Ruoning said. “Asking if I’m interested in going back to Dell. Offering double my old pay.”

She had kept it under wraps just fine, but being so straightforward made Wu Jie laugh.

Jiang Ruoning asked, “Is Ai Wen’s situation really that big of a deal?”

They had even mobilized a director to pull her back and fix the public opinion mess.

Wu Jie replied, “It’s probably at the level where everyone in and out of the industry is avoiding her like the plague.”

Jiang Ruoning was amused by her internet slang and pursed her lips.

Jiang Nuan pushed open the changing room door. Wu Jie asked, “Is President Shi coming today?”

Jiang Ruoning was caught off guard and tensed up instantly.

Jiang Nuan’s sharp eyes caught the movement. She said, “She might not make it today. Such a shame—President Shi really, really wanted to come, but she’s sick and bedridden…”

Was it that serious?

Last night at Shi Sui’s place, she hadn’t seemed bedridden at all. She had even held her and pinched her cheeks.

Jiang Ruoning lowered her gaze.

Wu Jie quickly expressed concern. “Is it that bad?”

Jiang Nuan coughed awkwardly, as if she’d gone too far. Luckily, a call from a colleague saved her. She nodded to Wu Jie and Jiang Ruoning with her phone in hand. “I’ll head out first. The stylists and photographers are all inside.”

They weren’t strangers; Jiang Ruoning had worked with them once before. Before she could even greet them, Wu Jie enthusiastically went up to them. Jiang Ruoning just smiled and followed behind, and soon they settled on several looks. They were shooting twenty outfits this time, with seven or eight models trying them on together to select the best fits from the twenty sets. Simply put, the clothes picked the people, so styling was crucial.

One slip-up, and none of the twenty outfits would work.

That was why building good relationships with the stylists and photographers was so important.

The stylist grinned. “Don’t worry, Wu Jie. Ningning is a natural clothes horse. Don’t you trust her?”

Wu Jie smiled too. “Everyone’s excellent.”

But who didn’t want their own kid to shine the brightest?

During makeup breaks, Wu Jie bustled around buying coffee and afternoon tea, attending to everyone thoughtfully. The stylist put in real effort too, tirelessly trying different makeup and outfits, one set after another. The photographer stood by, offering opinions on the overall looks and simulating shooting angles.

The changing room buzzed with activity, snippets of conversation drifting through.

“Too tight?”

“It’s fine.”

“This set’s good. Add a blue flower to the hair later—it’ll have real style.”

Jiang Ruoning was like a Barbie doll peeled from its packaging, dressed in all sorts of pretty clothes and hairstyles. She sat in front of the mirror, her head spinning from the busyness, feeling a bit unfamiliar with the person staring back. Zhao Miaomiao timely handed her some coffee, and Jiang Ruoning took a sip, regaining a bit of energy.

The shoot dragged on until six in the afternoon. In the group chat, Jiang Ruoning saw Ye Yu say there was a sudden meeting that would end at nine, asking if they could wait. No one minded.

Jiang Ruoning thought of Shi Sui.

She wondered if anyone had notified her.

Ye Yu probably had, since it was her event.

Jiang Ruoning leaned back in her chair, watching the photographer select photos. There were over a hundred shots. Wu Jie pointed at a few. “This one, this one, this one’s repetitive—no need. These poses are off, and this lighting’s bad.”

As she spoke, the photographer deleted them, quickly narrowing it down to just over thirty. Wu Jie said, “This’ll do for now.”

“Got it,” the photographer replied. “I’ll edit them when I get back and send them over.”

Jiang Ruoning stood and politely said her thanks. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“No trouble at all.” The photographer packed up the camera while Zhao Miaomiao helped out. Wu Jie asked, “Got plans tonight?”

They’d just wrapped, and Jiang Ruoning had already checked her phone three times.

Jiang Ruoning said, “Ye Yu’s treating us to dinner.”

Wu Jie nodded. “Don’t drink too much. You’ve got a shoot tomorrow.”

Jiang Ruoning knew that. Wu Jie added, “I’ll have Miaomiao drive you.”

“It’s still early, no need…” Midway through, Jiang Ruoning paused. “Alright, have her take me.”

Wu Jie stayed behind to handle communications. Jiang Ruoning and Zhao Miaomiao left the changing room. The sky held a faint red glow on the horizon, dyeing the heavens pink. For no reason, Jiang Ruoning thought of Shi Sui’s feverish cheeks, as scorching and flushed as the sunset.

Zhao Miaomiao asked for the address. “Ning-jie, which hotel?”

Jiang Ruoning said, “Drop me off at Sister Xiao Man’s place first.”

Zhao Miaomiao turned. “To see Sister Xiao Man?”

Jiang Ruoning hummed nonchalantly. Zhao Miaomiao didn’t think much of it—Jiang Ruoning often visited friends, and she knew all the spots. She drove straight to Zhou Man’s home. On the way, Zhao Miaomiao asked, “Are you seeing Sister Xiao Man or Xiao Guai?”

Neither.

But Jiang Ruoning didn’t want to explain. “Xiao Guai.”

Zhao Miaomiao asked, “Should we grab some snacks from the supermarket?”

That reminded her. Jiang Ruoning smiled gratefully at Zhao Miaomiao. “So thoughtful.”

Zhao Miaomiao was dazzled by her sudden bright smile. Who said models weren’t pretty and were just clothes racks? Pure jealousy! Naked jealousy!

She herself was often stunned by Jiang Ruoning’s beauty.

Zhao Miaomiao sneaked another glance at her in the mirror.

So pretty.

She let out a breath and pulled over at the supermarket, hopping out to buy chocolate, candy, and some puffed snacks. Jiang Ruoning took the bags, picking out a candy for herself.

Suddenly, she remembered how Shi Sui had fed her medicine that day—and a candy after.

Shi Sui had always loved coaxing her to take her meds like that.

Jiang Ruoning unwrapped a candy and popped it in her mouth. Orange flavor—sour at first, then intensely sweet. She took a sip of mineral water to wash down the sugar coating her throat.

Half an hour later, they arrived downstairs at Zhou Man’s. Jiang Ruoning got out and told Zhao Miaomiao, “Head back first. I’ll cab it to the hotel later.”

Zhao Miaomiao hesitated. “I’ll wait.”

“It’s fine,” Jiang Ruoning said. “Zhengzheng might swing by and pick me up anyway.”

That reassured Zhao Miaomiao. She waved goodbye and drove off. Watching the taillights vanish, Jiang Ruoning looked up at the high-rise, biting through the candy in her mouth. The gooey center spilled out.

Tch, too sweet.

She stood at Zhou Man’s door with a bag of snacks and knocked. The nanny answered. Zhou Man and her husband were busy with work and often couldn’t handle pickups, so they hired help. Xiao Guai heard the noise from her room and thought Zhou Man was back, excitedly calling, “Mommy!”

She came out and lit up. “Jiejie!”

Jiang Ruoning scooped her up. “Look what jiejie brought you.”

She’d pocketed the chocolate and candy for herself, leaving only tooth-friendly snacks. Xiao Guai hugged them happily. The nanny set out cut fruit on the coffee table. She knew Jiang Ruoning and asked, “Miss Zhou isn’t off work yet. Should I call her?”

“No need,” Jiang Ruoning said. “I’m here for Xiao Guai.”

The nanny was fine with that. “I’ll go make dinner then.”

Jiang Ruoning nodded. Once she left, her eyes darted mischievously. “Xiao Guai, come here.”

Xiao Guai toddled over blankly. Jiang Ruoning whispered a bunch of instructions in her ear. “Got it?”

Xiao Guai nodded vaguely, as if she half-understood.

Jiang Ruoning patted her back. “Jiejie believes in you.”

Xiao Guai dashed to the door in three steps, opened it, then ran to Shi Sui’s door and knocked.

It was all one smooth motion, not giving Jiang Ruoning time to back out. She hid around the corner and saw Shi Sui’s door open, a hoarse voice saying, “Xiao Guai?”

Xiao Guai said, “Jiejie, are you feeling better?”

Shi Sui pulled her inside and smiled. “Did Mommy tell you?”

Xiao Guai thought for a moment and nodded.

Shi Sui asked, “Want something to eat?”

Xiao Guai eyed the oranges on the table, and Shi Sui handed her one.

Jiang Ruoning waited at the corner for about twenty minutes before the door opened again. She quickly ducked out of sight. Xiao Guai’s soft voice said, “Jiejie, rest up. I’m heading home.”

Shi Sui smiled as she watched her go.

The moment Shi Sui closed her door, Jiang Ruoning slipped into Xiao Guai’s place.

She asked Xiao Guai, “How was it? Is she still feverish?”

Xiao Guai shook her head.

No fever? Then why did she look so weak? Her face was pale, voice hoarse. Jiang Ruoning pressed, “Did she take her medicine? Did you touch her forehead? Was it hot? What did you talk about in there? Did she say she felt bad? Did you tell her to go to the hospital?”

She rapid-fired the questions.

The next second, her phone buzzed in her bag.

Jiang Ruoning casually pulled it out and saw a WeChat from Shi Sui: [Don’t make things difficult for Xiao Guai.]

Whoa!

Jiang Ruoning flung the phone onto the sofa.