Chapter 38: Another “Boss Falls in Love With Me” Trope

"...And then, Brother Xiang sat down behind Lin Xi. Lin Xi shot up and moved to a seat farther away from him. I kept apologizing to Brother Xiang, then ran over to Lin Xi and kept doing her makeup."

The young makeup artist drew eyeliner on Gao Qinghe, her movements practiced and light. The brush flicked gently at the outer corner, pulling the brown liner into a sharp arc, then she softened it with her fingertip.

"Brother Xiang's expression was so surprised that I thought they were going to clash and start arguing," she said, holding a powder puff but covering her face, looking starry-eyed. "Now that I think about it, it's totally that 'Boss falls in love with me' scenario! 'Woman, you've managed to pique my interest.'" She mimicked a CEO's tone, her gaze suddenly turning serious, her voice deepening, which made Gao Qinghe laugh.

Driven by curiosity about what Zhao Yuqi, the photographer and art director, had said, Gao Qinghe couldn't help asking the serious-looking young makeup artist for details about how Lin Xi and Xiang Bei had met.

To her surprise, the makeup artist immediately opened up and began to vividly describe the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

According to her, the entire fashion magazine had been founded by Xiang Bei's mother. Naturally, the magazine's publishing house was also under his mother's name. The office building in the city center where the publishing house was located—unsurprisingly—also belonged to the Xiang family.

Xiang Bei had just returned from the US not long ago. He planned to pick up his mother, who was stopping by the publishing house, to have a meal together. But the board meeting ran long, so he wandered around to kill time and happened to run into Lin Xi during a shoot.

"Lin Xi sat off to the side chatting with her college classmate," the young makeup artist said, finally dusting powder onto Gao Qinghe's face with a gentle touch. "Ah, that classmate is Director Zhao's younger sister—she's the one who introduced Lin Xi to Director Zhao."

The "Director Zhao" the makeup artist referred to was the short-haired woman who had just personally wrapped Gao Qinghe's chest—the one Lin Xi called Yuqi. Gao Qinghe glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She was currently shooting another model, her expression serious. Her hair, cut short in a way that didn't look quite feminine, was neatly styled, and she gave orders with an air of authority.

As for the model being photographed, Gao Qinghe felt like she'd seen her face on some big poster before. The model posed with extreme professionalism, her expression exactly like those big-name celebrities—all arrogance and an aloof, asexual coolness.

"You'd never guess—Lin Xi was pretty different back then from how she is now. She would even agonize over whether her blush was too dark or if she'd look good on camera." The young makeup artist picked up a blush brush and dabbed it in some apricot color. "Then they seemed to be discussing some scholarship or competition thing—I didn't really understand."

The brush swept gently over Gao Qinghe's face, the sensation tickling her. "Director Zhao's sister kept saying that with Lin Xi's abilities, she'd definitely get it, but Lin Xi kept saying forget it—those people were all really good, with national awards and project experience, and first author or second author or whatever. They talked about it for a while. Even I felt conflicted listening, but in the end, she decided not to apply."

The makeup artist put down the blush brush, studied Gao Qinghe's face for a moment, and thought to herself. "Hmm, I might need to add some contour."

With that, she picked up a medium-sized angled brush. "Who would have thought? Brother Xiang had been listening to them the whole time. Can you imagine? That Xiang Bei—actually taking an interest in what other people were saying?" The young makeup artist looked thrilled.

Huh? Interested? Wasn't this the same Xiang Bei who had come up to her on the street? Gao Qinghe pursed her lips at the thought.

"You won't believe it—he just stood up, walked over to Lin Xi," the young makeup artist continued, not waiting for Gao Qinghe's response. She suddenly straightened up, striking a pose that was somehow both casual and upright: "'If you won't even try, you might as well live in 'what ifs' forever.'" Holding the brush, she lowered her voice, clearly imitating Xiang Bei's tone, but her hand gestures with the brush were wildly exaggerated.

"Then Lin Xi froze. I froze too. Before that, I'd only seen Brother Xiang a few times. He'd never approached anyone to talk first, and I'd never even heard of him just jumping into a conversation."

"Then what?" Gao Qinghe wasn't interested in her commentary.

"Then Lin Xi got mad. She said, 'Who are you? What do you know?'" The makeup artist mimicked Lin Xi's tone, glaring with wide eyes—quite cute. "But Brother Xiang just gave a faint smile and said, 'Applying has only benefits. Instead of wallowing in self-pity here, go to the professor's office, show your face, and ask for a recommendation letter. That'll help your future applications too.' Then he waved his hand and left." She pressed her hands to her chest, the brush flailing through the air. "That back view! He was just so—cool! If I were Lin Xi, I'd have been head over heels on the spot... Well, Lin Xi might be used to it, but it was like a living, breathing CEO! Handsome, rich, well-educated..."

"So he just left? Didn't leave his contact info?" Gao Qinghe rolled her eyes, cutting off the starry-eyed rant.

"Listen, after that, Brother Xiang came every day, about a week. Later, Lin Xi started talking to him first, asking him about applications." The young makeup artist brushed contour onto Gao Qinghe's nose bridge. "Oh, did you know? Brother Xiang graduated from Stanford. Even though he studied finance, it's a top school—he must know all about applications! If you ask me, he and Lin Xi are a perfect match—talented and good-looking! Or should I say 'golden boy and jade girl'? Anyway, they're a great fit in both talent and looks..."

The makeup artist rambled on. She seemed to rarely have the chance to tell this story, and now that she'd caught Gao Qinghe, she wanted to lay it all out clearly. "Hey, did I tell you about the day Lin Xi left and Brother Xiang came by only to find her gone? I've never seen that look of loss on Brother Xiang's face before..."

"Over there! Is that Gao—whatever—done or not?" Zhao Yuqi's voice cut off the makeup artist's sharing frenzy. "What are you dawdling for? Do you know we're behind schedule?"

"Right away! Almost done!" The makeup artist nearly dropped her brush in her panic. She quickly schooled her expression, sped up her movements, as if the previous conversation had never happened, and focused silently, pursing her lips as she continued doing Gao Qinghe's makeup.

Zhao Yuqi's yell was a genuine relief for Gao Qinghe.

Even though she wanted to hear more, she was thankful the topic had been interrupted. She felt a tightness in her chest, a dull ache spreading from her heart, as if something was stuck in her chest.

It was like she could barely breathe, squeezed by layers and layers of binding cloth.