Chapter 39: What a Tough Shoot This Is

The bright white spotlight shone down on Gao Qinghe's head.

"Lift your head up, stop being so awkward!" Zhao Yuqi's voice was harsh. She put down the camera and walked directly onto the set to give directions, her tall figure carrying a sharp aura. "Why is this outfit still so bulky? Forget it, let's just shoot the front." She reached out and lifted Gao Qinghe's chin. "Like this, look down, don't purse your lips... tch, why is this so difficult?"

Gao Qinghe was manipulated like a puppet, her body stiff as wood. The lights made her irritable and unbearable, and fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead.

"...Forget it, makeup, touch up her makeup." Zhao Yuqi glanced at the sweat on Gao Qinghe's forehead, let out an exaggerated sigh, and walked to the side to drink water.

The air seemed electrified, tense and oppressive. The staff whispered among themselves, but no one dared to speak loudly.

The young makeup artist quickly motioned for Gao Qinghe to come over.

She hurried over, her ten-centimeter heels making her stagger, her ankles weak. Zhao Yuqi had said she was too short and insisted she wear heels to appear more imposing. But as she passed Zhao Yuqi, she clearly heard a "tch."

Frustration, however, far outweighed the agitation in her chest.

Gao Qinghe looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were drawn narrow, her face dusted with a thin layer of powder, with plenty of contour. Her plump cheeks gained some sharp angles, her nose appeared higher and straighter, and her overall look became much sharper. Her slender figure, wrapped in a loose-cut blouse and suit pants, gave her a certain office-woman vibe.

But no matter how she wore it, the outfit made her uncomfortable. The chest binding made it hard for her to breathe.

'How could I possibly hold my head up and look confident like this?'

"Was Zhao Yu... was Director Zhao always like this?" she asked quietly while the makeup artist set her makeup with a puff. "Was she like that with Lin Xi too?"

"Please close your mouth, it's hard for me to do touch-ups." The makeup artist had shed her earlier playful attitude, her face serious. Her eyes were fixed on Gao Qinghe's face but never met her gaze. "Getting the shot is what matters."

After finishing the setting powder, she put away her brushes and compact, then added in a low voice, "Lin Xi never asked questions like that."

The shooting light came down from above again, and Gao Qinghe felt she couldn't breathe. The white light glared, enveloping her, the heat seeping through her hair into her scalp.

Zhao Yuqi picked up the camera again, but still didn't focus or shoot. She just let out a long sigh.

Gao Qinghe felt a forced, twisted pain burning in her chest, making every breath a faint sting.

She just wanted to get out of this place.

Everyone's eyes were on her, but they all just wanted to see her mess up.

'Why did I even agree to be a fashion model? It wasn't my choice in the first place, was it?'

'Talking about "women-friendly" and "not exploiting female sexuality"—does Lin Xi even hear the nonsense coming out of her own mouth? My chest is squeezed so tight I'm about to throw up—how is this shoot, which goes against my very appearance, supposed to be women-friendly?!'

Gao Qinghe felt a surge of anger and grievance.

Fine. If Zhao Yuqi says one more word against her, she'd turn around and leave. She wasn't going to put up with this.

Besides, wasn't this supposed to be a test shoot? Gao Qinghe thought they'd just take a couple of photos, go through the motions, and be done. But now they'd been shooting for hours, right? Forget whether she could keep up physically, she hadn't even mentally prepared!

"Lighting, move to the side! Hit from the left." Zhao Yuqi picked up the camera, crouched down, and tried a couple of shots.

"What about the reflector? Where's the light going?" She pointed irritably at the man holding the reflector. He quickly adjusted, not daring to say a word.

"Adjust the model's belt." Just as Gao Qinghe reached out, she was stopped. "Don't move, model. Assistant, go do it. Have some situational awareness, will you?"

Huh?

What was this about?

Gao Qinghe was a bit puzzled, but she obediently let the assistant adjust the belt to a three-quarter angle.

"Alright, let's continue!" Hearing this, Gao Qinghe quickly put her hands in her pockets, turned sideways, and struck a pose she'd seen in magazines.

Oh no, Zhao Yuqi had just told her not to turn sideways. She was probably going to get yelled at again—

"What's wrong with the lighting guy?!" She instinctively shrank her neck, but was surprised that Zhao Yuqi wasn't yelling at her. "Don't make the top light so bright, okay? That defeats the contrast of the side lighting!"

"Reflector, move it a little to the left."

The technician holding the reflector moved slightly away from Gao Qinghe, head down, adjusting the angle of the reflector, lips pressed tightly.

Click.

"Stylist, hair." The woman who had blow-dried her hair earlier reached out and swept her hair to the other side, stepped back to look, then let it down again. She dabbed a bit of gel on her fingers, smoothed it, and then stepped back into the shadows.

Click. Click.

"Drop your shoulder." Gao Qinghe started to move, but the stylist reached out and signaled her to stand still. She walked over and gently pressed her right shoulder down a little.

"Um, that..." Gao Qinghe wanted to ask what she was doing, but she walked away without looking back.

Click.

"Reflector, a bit more left. Light from the right."

Zhao Yuqi moved to the right and clicked the shutter twice more.

"Hmm." She stood up straight, checked the camera, nodded, then turned and walked directly back to her small dedicated table nearby, handing the camera to her assistant.

With a look, the surrounding staff silently put away their props and dispersed.

A low murmur of conversation began.

"Wow, this shoot is really tough."

"Is Director Zhao still shooting? Ah, there are no other models scheduled after this, right?"

"Who knows what time we'll finish today... I'm going to grab a quick bite."

"Is there coffee? Did the assistant buy any?"

"Let me check the photos first... Should I start retouching now?"

The spotlight went out.

Only Gao Qinghe was left standing on the shooting set.

Her vision went dark. When she blinked, the halo of the spotlight lingered in her eyes. It took a while for her to recover.

She felt like she couldn't breathe. The chest binding was strangling her tightly, each breath bringing a deeper constriction.

Her steps in the ten-centimeter heels were unsteady. As she walked off the set, she almost twisted her ankle, stumbling forward a step—only to fall into a firm embrace.

"...Whoa, how did you end up like this?"

A familiar voice reached her ears. In an instant, Gao Qinghe felt enveloped again by the cold, woody scent of perfume. That oppressive warmth suddenly surrounded her, giving her an unexpected sense of safety.