Chapter 89

Su Yiqui’s first impression of Xiao Luyan was that the woman was quiet and kept her distance. She had already reviewed the background materials before their collaboration began, but after actually meeting and interacting, she felt those materials were too superficial.

To reach the position of vice president of Deyounian’s private procurement department at such a young age, one needed both family background and personal ability. Yet from the initial negotiations to finalizing the contract, and even their first communications, Su Yiqui never heard Xiao Luyan mention anything related to her family.

President Dai and Jason occasionally brought it up, but their implications differed.

Su Yiqui was no stranger to working with such people, so she wasn’t intimidated. She had seen her share of aloof types and didn’t consider Xiao Luyan’s reticence unusual.

After collaborating for a while, she discovered that while Xiao Luyan spoke little, her thinking was meticulous, and she had plenty of shrewdness hidden beneath that mask of indifference.

But none of that concerned her, as long as it didn’t affect their collaboration. She disliked excessive private contact with clients; business won through schmoozing could never compare to what true skill captured.

Tonight’s Xiao Luyan surprised her a little and also sparked some wariness.

The last time Xiao Luyan had spoken so much was during the meeting to set the photography style. She had nitpicked every item listed by the photography team, with demands so high they left a deep impression.

Su Yiqui took a sip of wine and said leisurely, “Why is President Xiao suddenly interested in this tonight?”

Xiao Luyan was momentarily taken aback, but her expression remained as calm as ever. She had finally shifted the topic from their collaboration experience to Trans Studio’s newcomer training, yet Su Yiqui had keenly spotted the anomaly?

They had chatted for a bit earlier, and while Su Yiqui wasn’t overly enthusiastic, she had answered every question. She had never raised such doubts before, but the moment the topic shifted, she noticed.

“I’ve long admired Trans Studio’s works. That Aswan past-and-present series still lingers in my mind. I hear your team is full of talent, so I wanted to learn more in hopes of more collaborations in the future.”

Deyounian placed great importance on this project but was relatively conservative, specifying the need for experienced personnel. Future opportunities might not be so restrictive.

Su Yiqui naturally hoped to give her newcomers more chances to train—that was Trans’s goal too. The original plan had Trans staying in Sea City the whole time, providing timely guidance without direct involvement. But shortly after arriving, someone fell ill; preliminary checks revealed complications from an injury sustained in Antarctica. Seeing that Su Yiqui and Xiao Luyan’s collaboration was going smoothly, that person flew back temporarily for treatment.

Now Su Yiqui was effectively in charge of Trans Studio’s operations in Sea City, so she naturally wanted to seize new opportunities for the team. Xiao Luyan had cast the bait first, so she took the hook just a bit.

“We do have some promising newcomers with great potential. Sometimes, even I feel threatened by them.”

Despite her words, Xiao Luyan sensed that Su Yiqui didn’t dislike these “threats” at all—instead, she seemed excited by the competition.

Over these days, she had witnessed Su Yiqui’s skill firsthand; the woman truly deserved her accolades. For her to hold such expectations for a newcomer, that person had to be exceptional.

“I’ve heard there’s a newcomer named River who’s quite capable and highly regarded. I wonder how much truth there is to the rumors?”

Su Yiqui raised an eyebrow. “President Xiao knows of River too?”

Xiao Luyan’s heart sank. Su Yiqui seemed quite familiar with this person, which meant River was closely tied to the Trans team. That made things even more urgent.

“I’ve heard the name a few times, but it always struck me as exaggerated since there aren’t many standout works yet.”

She phrased it tactfully, leaving plenty of face.

Su Yiqui smiled faintly. “Past achievements don’t mean much, and lacking representative works now isn’t important.”

She took another sip of wine, her gaze deepening. “But the future looks promising.”

The future looks promising? Xiao Luyan’s first thought was of Lu Yuezhi.

She felt Lu Yuezhi had a promising future too—her photographic talent was no less than that of the team members here this time.

But this wasn’t the moment to debate it. Xiao Luyan kept her smile. “It’s rare to hear you praise a newcomer so highly. Would you share a bit more to satisfy my curiosity?”

Su Yiqui studied her seriously. “President Xiao’s curiosity tonight is indeed surprising.”

Xiao Luyan remained unruffled. “When it comes to talent, my curiosity does run deep.”

Jason was nearby, entertaining President Dai. Neither was the star tonight. President Dai intentionally kept a low profile to let Xiao Luyan take the lead. Jason was there purely as executive window dressing, having failed to snag the deal and remaining an outsider from start to finish.

“President Dai, isn’t Luyan sticking to Sue a bit too much tonight?”

President Dai knew what he meant and merely glanced over. “Luyan’s the project lead, and Sue’s in charge of photography oversight. It’s normal for them to talk a lot.”

He gave Jason a meaningful look. “Luyan’s newlywed. You should watch remarks like that to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”

Jason hadn’t expected President Dai to side with Xiao Luyan so openly, but Madam Li’s touring exhibition did carry weight. He had nothing to say.

He gave an awkward laugh. “My bad, that’s not what I meant.” But he couldn’t help glancing grudgingly at the pair in deep conversation.

He just felt Xiao Luyan was off tonight—way too clingy!

Su Yiqui didn’t reveal specifics but was unstinting in her praise for River. “I’ve seen her work. Her early style was already good, but what surprised me most was the shift a few months ago.”

She recalled a set of photos Trans had shown her, still unforgettable. “She made a huge breakthrough and quickly entered a new realm. I don’t know what caused the change, but I know she found an exceptional source of inspiration.”

Beyond the praise, there was an envy she couldn’t quite hide.

For a photographer of her caliber to envy someone’s inspiration—that was rare indeed.

River not only had Trans’s endorsement but also this stroke of luck with inspiration. Lu Yuezhi clearly fell behind.

Xiao Luyan couldn’t help frowning, a wave of discomfort washing over her.

Su Yiqui had been observing her covertly, unsure why Xiao Luyan was prying so actively tonight, but it was clear River had piqued her interest.

She had thought Xiao Luyan was just overly focused on shooting details, watching her all evening for that reason. Turns out it was because of River.

That was intriguing, but…

She subconsciously glanced at Xiao Luyan’s hand holding the glass. That wedding ring had been there since their first meeting; rumor had it she’d had a grand wedding recently.

Su Yiqui snapped out of it, chiding herself for overthinking. Having seen too many messy relationships in the industry, she defaulted to suspicion.

Xiao Luyan didn’t strike her as fickle or the flirting type. Someone with such strong boundaries usually had high standards—for herself and others. Maybe her interest in River really was just for future collaborations.

Xiao Luyan chatted a bit longer, and another glass of wine emptied unnoticed. She realized she couldn’t probe deeper into River; Su Yiqui clammed up beyond a point.

She called for another drink, wanting to steer the topic toward Lu Yuezhi.

Her sense of crisis was strong now, fearing Lu Yuezhi would lag too far behind. She couldn’t help wanting to fight for more opportunities for her.

“Actually, Sea City has seen quite a few rising young photographers lately. The Cultural Heritage Bureau’s new project features some of them.”

More than just Lu Yuezhi were involved in the Cultural Heritage Bureau project, so Xiao Luyan’s comment wasn’t too pointed.

Su Yiqui’s lips curved slightly, as if she had guessed her intent all along.

Xiao Luyan hadn’t expected her to end the conversation abruptly, claiming she was overcome by drink and leaving first.

Even after the reception ended, Xiao Luyan still pondered Su Yiqui’s meaningful expression at parting. It was as if she had seen through it all but refused to continue for some reason.

Cheng Yanran was responsible for taking her master home—not because Xiao Luyan was heavily drunk, but because she was exhausted.

The high-intensity schedule lately, plus quite a bit of drinking tonight, made the mild buzz and fatigue torturous. Fortunately, her master didn’t push herself and agreed to be driven home.

Lu Yuezhi had her own reception tonight—a Cultural Heritage Bureau event she couldn’t skip—but it wasn’t without gains. She heard plenty about the touring exhibition, mostly from the organizing body’s perspective.

Sea City Government placed great importance on it too, offering special approvals and leeway. Lu Yuezhi felt the burden on Xiao Luyan’s shoulders had grown heavier.

When people occasionally teased her for insider info, she just smiled and shook her head, saying they rarely discussed work at home.

She waited at home for Cheng Yanran to bring her back, thinking honey water probably wouldn’t cut it tonight—she’d need hangover tea.

When Xiao Luyan arrived, her eyes were still clear. But after Lu Yuezhi helped her to the sofa, she softened noticeably.

Lu Yuezhi tucked a cushion behind her. “I’ll wipe your face first, then you can have some hangover tea later.”

She moved quickly. After she left, Xiao Luyan finally registered it and wrinkled her nose in mild annoyance.

Lu Yuezhi soon returned with a hot towel and carefully wiped Xiao Luyan’s face, then gently tucked the stray hair behind her ear. That pale pink earlobe caught her eye again, tugging at her heart.

She had guessed tonight would involve heavy drinking, but not that the alcohol scent would be so strong. Lu Yuezhi felt heartache mixed with irritation. “Why did you drink so much?”

She wanted to go to the kitchen to get the hangover tea, but Xiao Luyan pulled her back.

Xiao Luyan was indeed a bit drunk, but more tired. Still, while she was relatively sober, she wanted to seize the moment to tell Lu Yuezhi about River.

“Don’t go yet.” Xiao Luyan gripped Lu Yuezhi’s wrist tightly, keeping her by her side. “I have something to say.”

Lu Yuezhi thought she was talking drunk nonsense but couldn’t bear to pull away, so she indulged her.

The hot towel still held warmth, so she wiped Xiao Luyan’s hands too.

“Forget those chores.” Xiao Luyan tossed the towel aside, demanding Lu Yuezhi’s full attention.

Lu Yuezhi looked at the towel discarded on the coffee table and smiled helplessly. She thought drunken Xiao Luyan was kinda cute—like a kid with a little temper, and her demands weren’t much.

“Alright, no more chores.” Lu Yuezhi sat up straighter and smiled. “What do you want to say?”

“Tonight, I talked a lot with Su Yiqui.” Xiao Luyan struggled to stay clear-headed, weighing how not to overhype River.

But if she didn’t make it sound serious enough, Lu Yuezhi might not feel the urgency.

Lu Yuezhi hadn’t expected her to still remember Su Yiqui even when drunk. And even more surprising, the first thing she said while holding her hand was about that woman.

She had heard plenty tonight from Cultural Heritage Bureau leaders praising the “spark” between Xiao Luyan and Su Yiqui, but knowing it was business, she had already processed it mentally.

Still, hearing Xiao Luyan say it like this made her a little annoyed.