Bai Dexin

Ling was the first to pick up his luggage and leave by cab. Later, Wei had to let his family out of his house with all precautions.

The hardest part was telling them about the young man's death, even if it was imaginary. They would have to play their grief well...

Ling has arranged for a new apartment in advance. He is now Bai Dexin, an aspiring model. He already has a meeting with his agent tomorrow.

As he left the airport, he glanced cautiously at Wei a few times and his heart clenched. The man looked stern and cold.

In his heart Ling felt thousands of sharp needles digging into him, making him anxious and suffering from the unknown. But he pulled himself together and clutched the handle of his suitcase.

His new apartment was very nice. Well, how nice, compared to the last one, it was amazing!

Wei had given him so much money it was indecent, and he was in control of his own housing choices. So Ling moved into a bright spacious apartment.

Its main advantage was the location and the sunny balcony. Wei had thought about the fact that Ling liked to lie in the sun, and he might also want to paint again, then the balcony would be an ideal workshop.

Dropping his suitcase at the entrance, Ling went to inspect his house. There was water in the refrigerator. There were no plants in the house.

The bed in the bedroom was in the shade and seemed too large even for two people.

The kitchen was quite modern, one could cook at home and not have to go into town to eat.

Ling collapsed on the silver-gray couch and tried not to think about what was hurting.

****

Bai Dexin walked into the office of the Chongwu Agency [zhōngwǔ - noon] at exactly the appointed time.

Since he was always punctual, he had no trouble calculating how long it would take him to get here from his new apartment.

The agency was reputed to be one of the most expensive in the country. It employed about 200 people, and more than 3,000 models were shot at Chonwu projects each year.

A photoshoot Ling happened to take part in was for the promotion of a fashion magazine, which at one time was shining, but now, due to a change of management, has faded a bit.

Those photos created a sensation and the client was more than pleased. The editor of the magazine repeatedly asked for Ling's phone number, wanting to continue cooperation, but just found out that the young man was a dark horse, and the agent had to stall, inventing excuses.

So when Ling, showed up, this tormented man was finally able to find peace. So, the young man was escorted to a meeting with his agent.

He turned out to be a short man with black attentive eyes. He wore his glasses on his forehead and dressed like a token maiden. His skinny jeans were so tight around his legs and buttocks that he never seemed to sit down in them.

On top, he wore a short top and a fluttering shirt made of transparent material that looked like polyethylene. "Apparently very fashionable," thought Ling, holding back laughter.

The man praised the girl model in a gush, embellishing her charms, which brought waves of blush to her still childish face.

"Honey, beautiful people don't eat. You're so slim that the clothes from the latest collection fit you better than the others. Well, what do you need a salad for? Eat after the shoot, everyone wants to see your flat belly, not your stuffed drum, you know, sunshine?"

The man hovered around the red-haired beauty, putting different outfits on her and entangling her with his flattering words.

Finally, he saw Ling. Surprised for a moment, he put a finger with a large ring to his lips, propping his elbow with the other hand.

After a moment's reflection, he seemed to remember the young man's face and walked over to him. He was considerably shorter than Ling, even with the thick soles of his shoes.

Ling bowed first and introduced himself:

"Hello, I am Bai Dexin," he said politely.

"I remember you. You're the guy who ran away," The man cheekily held out three fingers of his hand to Ling.

Ling didn't know whether to shake them or kiss them, but before he could touch them, the man had already yanked them away. He walked around Ling in a circle and tsked his tongue.

"I wouldn't work with you, but that magazine you shot for really wants you," the agent somehow singled out the last words in his intonation. "Here's the phone number and address. Go straight there, and I'll give the editor the good news,"

He let Ling scan the QR code of the magazine and forgot about him the next minute, turning to the girl.

Ling arrived at the address indicated.

In the spacious lobby, people were scurrying about chaotically. Many of them were lounging in easy chairs, others were besieging the receptionist's desk.

Ling was taken aback for a moment, not knowing where to turn. Then as he looked more closely, he saw the door of an office on the side that said "editor.

"I wonder why this office is right there in the middle of all this chaos," Dean thought. Suddenly loud voices were coming from the editor's room.

A frightened girl with a pile of documents jumped out the door, and Ling practically bumped into her, and she stumbled out of surprise. The papers fell to the floor, and Ling bent over to help her up and picked up some of the papers.

No one paid any attention to what happened, as if it were a regular occurrence. The girl was followed out of the office by an enraged man. He caught up with her and began yelling at her, reprimanding her for her deadlines and some kind of mistake.

"I'm sorry" - said Ling.

No one even turned their head in the lobby, and Ling had the feeling it was a natural working environment for this place.

But someone was watching, nonetheless. In the office doorway, leaning lazily against the jamb, stood a tall, handsome man in a classic vest.

The sleeves of his spotless white shirt were elegantly rolled up, exposing his handsome hands.

An expensive watch glittered on his wrist and, looking at the stranger, one could mistake him for a world-class top model.

His posture, his proportions, especially his slim waist and beautiful line of hips were perfectly visible thanks to his elaborately tailored pants.

Three strands of gold chains adorned the top of his pants. Even the very combination of his clothing details spoke of the man's impeccable taste.

He did not look more than twenty-five years old. His thick hair lay in an obedient style, accentuating his handsome cheekbones and the graceful line of his chin.

He stood, lazily covering his eyes as if he didn't want to look at this mortal world.

The girl kept gathering documents and apologizing to whoever scolded her.

"I can't work under these conditions, I need normal data!" He shouted and walked away.

Ling began to slowly walk away from the epicenter of the scandal with a desire to hide. At that moment, someone gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

A pair of hypnotic green eyes stared at him calmly and confidently. Ling froze and didn't move.

A hand squeezed his shoulder harder, forcing him to move behind him. So the young man found himself in the editor's office.

The man with the green eyes slammed the door loudly and then turned to Ling.

Sparks danced in his eyes, and he looked like a cheetah: supple, impetuous, and confident.

When he returned to Ling, he forced him to sit down on a sofa piled with papers. Then he stood across from him and stared at the young man for a long time.

Apparently, he liked the result because after rubbing his hands together in satisfaction, he spoke:

"Bai Dexin, where have you been wandering around all this time, you son of a bitch? We've been knocked off our feet looking for you...!"

Such an introduction made Ling feel his ears begin to burn.

"Master..."

"Tai, I'm Tai Bin," the man introduced himself.

"Mr. Tai Bin..."

"Just Bin," the director interrupted again.

"Uh...Mr. Bin..."

"You're hopeless, aren't you?" stared Tai Bin with an expression of extreme disappointment.

"..."

"All right," Tai Bing pulled out a bottle of water from the mini-fridge and tossed it to the young man.

Ling took the water and continued to sit in silence.

The man walked around behind him and put his hands on Ling's shoulders and began to massage them. This made the young man even tenser, and he jumped to his feet and wanted to leave.

But Tai Bin beat him to it and blocked the exit. He did move quickly, like a predatory animal, though he looked very attractive.

"Escaping already?" he whispered with a slight smile, "get back to your seat."

Ling strode dolefully to the couch and removed whatever was in his way before he sat down. Looking at him, Tai Bin took papers from the table and held them out to the young man.

"This is your contract, as soon as you sign it, you can get to work."

Ling accepted the papers from his hands and studied them carefully. In the end, he added the obligatory condition, no nude shoots.

Tai Bin smirked as he read the note and then signed it. He summoned his secretary and asked him to show Ling where he would be working.

"Not only do our models shoot, but they work two hours each in our magazine. You can join any department, too, but I'd rather see you as an assistant."

Ling blinked in bewilderment.

"The way you were sorting papers on the couch and reading the contract made me think you were familiar with office administration, am I wrong?" Ty Bin, with the look of the world's best detective, backed Ling into a corner with his question.

The young man was glad to be able to do familiar work but also surprised at what a shrewd eye Tai Bin had.

"Yes, I am," Ling said calmly, "I have experience as an assistant. If you like, I'll help your secretary."

"All righty then," Tai Bin concluded cheerfully. The very same girl timidly entered the office. The tears on her face had already dried, and she looked more or less calm.

Nodding to Ling, she led him after her into the office.

It turned out that this room was on the other side of the hall, and the entrance was the same as the editor's office.

As soon as they stepped through the threshold, Ling had to suck in her stomach and turn sideways.

Stacks of papers, magazines, clippings, and other paper trash lined either side of the narrow entrance.

It was easy for the girl to get through, as she naturally had a childlike, frail figure. Ling pushed his way to the desk with difficulty and remained standing.

Everywhere he looked, there was the same atmosphere. Ling vaguely guessed that there was a sofa and what appeared to be a coffee table in the corner of the room.

He turned carefully so as not to accidentally hit the boxes and stacks of magazines.

"Secretary Zhao, do you work alone?" asked Ling, reading her last name on her nametag.

"Mr. Bai, I am. They send me an assistant from time to time, but who would want to stay here? It's a little awkward, I'm not going to get anyone to do my job either."

The girl hesitated, but then, determined, she added:

"You don't have to do anything here either; you're a handsome man, apparently successful as a model. Of course, you won't like fiddling with paperwork, I won't blame you, that's okay, thanks for stopping by."

"What?" Ling just didn't expect to be fired after half an hour of work. "No, Secretary Zhao, I'm here to help. And no, I don't find this job humiliating. In fact..."

Ling wanted to talk about his experience as an assistant, but he didn't, "Secretary Zhao, I want to help you. Just tell me what I can do."