Pulling herself out of her memories, Lan Man saw her ever-clueless son standing there, pale-faced as if he’d suffered a great blow.

Lan Man could guess a little about what had happened.

Hopefully, this experience would help the child grow up a bit. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"You owe her an apology. Treat her well from now on, and don’t throw your spoiled-brat tantrums anymore."

Jiang Shengyao opened his mouth, but in the end, it turned into a helpless sigh as he lowered his head dejectedly.

The secretary, holding coffee, waited at the office door. The door opened, and Jiang Shengyao walked out, head hanging low.

The secretary handed him the coffee.

Jiang Shengyao took it, drained it in one go, then threw the cup back onto the tray and strode off.

The secretary glanced at the youth’s retreating figure and chuckled softly, "This kid has it tough inside, huh."

~

On a sunny day, Shen You’an and Jiang Shengyao were called to the school’s sports ground by the administration, where an entire photography crew was setting up their equipment.

Lanya Group wasn’t short on funds; the hired photography crew was top-tier, one of the go-to teams for magazine shoots starring A-list celebrities.

A makeup artist accompanied them, twirling his orchid fingers as he assessed the young man and woman in front of him, repeatedly exclaiming, "What a perfect match—talented and beautiful, a union destined by the heavens."

He quickly approached Jiang Shengyao, his eyes burning as he stared at his face. "With a few touches, you’d rival the top idols of the entertainment industry. Interested in making your debut?"

Jiang Shengyao frowned, took a step back, and shot him a disgusted look. "Stay away from me."

The assistant principal assigned to supervise wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stepped forward to smooth things over. "This student, Jiang, has limitless potential ahead of him. There’s no way he’d run off to show his face in the entertainment industry. Sir... or ma’am, please tone down the jokes."

Lanya Group’s Crown Prince dabbling in showbiz? President Lan would break his legs.

Besides, Jiang Shengyao didn’t have a good impression of the entertainment industry—especially not of the ambiguously... individual in front of him. Could this person drop the orchid fingers? He was afraid they might corrupt the Crown Prince and Shen the top scholar.

The makeup artist sighed regretfully, turning his gaze onto Shen You’an. His eyes lit up even more as he studied her face, becoming increasingly intrigued.

"Your face... How peculiar."

A veteran makeup artist is deeply familiar with the skeletal structure of the human face. At first glance, the girl’s height and shoulder-neck lines were exceptionally fine, even her skull was beautifully proportioned—she had all the makings of a great beauty.

However, upon closer inspection, while her features were fully present, it felt like they were shrouded by a faint mist, a mysterious veil that made her seem lacking in some undefined way.

Beautiful though she was, her beauty radiated an icy, transcendent quality.

The gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose added an extra layer to her elegance and noble air, making her seem distant and untouchable, as if commanding "Do Not Approach" to those around her.

Sun Wei rubbed his chin, squinting as he pondered. The strange quality of her face lay in that pair of glasses...

Soon, Sun Wei’s lips curled into a smile as he picked up his tools of the trade. "Which one of you will go first?"

Jiang Shengyao frowned so hard it looked like he could crush a fly with his furrowed brows. "I’m a man! How can I wear makeup like a woman?"

Sun Wei chuckled at his words. "Young man, who says makeup is exclusive to women? Men can wear makeup, too, to make themselves look better. Beauty isn’t gendered. Besides, I’m just putting on light makeup for you, so your face doesn’t look overexposed under the lights. I heard the pictures are going up on your company’s website; you wouldn’t want bad photos of yourself, right?"

Jiang Shengyao stole a glance at Shen You’an standing beside him. Sun Wei caught his sly look and couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to himself. Ah, youth.

"And with such a pretty girl standing next to you, if you don’t look good, aren’t you afraid your classmates will secretly gossip that you don’t deserve to stand beside the school beauty?"

Jiang Shengyao gritted his teeth. "Fine, but you absolutely can’t make me look feminine."

"Relax, I promise you’ll like it."

Sun Wei quickly finished the makeup for Jiang Shengyao. He had to admit, his skills were extraordinary—he highlighted Jiang Shengyao’s best facial features, transforming him into a handsome young man with thick eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding sunny vitality.

Holding his brush, Sun Wei smiled at Shen You’an. "Your turn, classmate. Shall we begin?"

Today, he was determined to take off those glasses.

Shen You’an raised an eyebrow. "I’ll handle it myself."

With that, she picked up tools from the makeup box and immediately began touching up her face in front of the mirror. She moved with practiced ease, as if she had done this hundreds of times.

Sun Wei froze for a moment. In just around a minute, the girl had put down the tools and nodded in satisfaction at her reflection.

Previously makeup-free, she didn’t need any foundation or concealer because there wasn’t a shade paler than her skin.

Her brows arched gracefully, soft yet commanding. Her highlighting technique enhanced her facial contours, making her skin look much more radiant and luminous. The blush and lip color she selected were ideal for her, elevating her entire complexion to the next level. Her face became a bright, healthy canvas of rosy lips and pearly teeth, truly captivating.

Sun Wei’s gaze deepened. Her simple techniques all hit the mark, touches of brilliance in their precision. Someone her age already possessing such mastery of makeup was truly remarkable.

Standing behind Shen You’an, Sun Wei stared at the luminous and beautiful face in the mirror. He reached out with both hands to remove the gold glasses from her nose.

"I think this pair of glasses is a bit distracting."

Just as his fingers were about to touch the glasses, his hand froze—it couldn’t move an inch further.

The girl’s long, slender fingers had caught his wrist. Without exerting much force, he suddenly felt his wrist grow numb and drained of strength, shocking him deeply.

The girl’s lips curved in a faint smile, and her eyes behind the lenses were as deep and mysterious as the ocean—capable of both beckoning and intimidating.

"Taking someone’s belongings without their consent isn’t polite behavior, wouldn’t you say so, Mr. Sun?"

Her voice was incredibly pleasant to the ears.

Sun Wei forced a smile as he awkwardly withdrew his hand. "You’re right. That was rude of me—sorry."

"No problem. I trust you didn’t mean it intentionally."

Shen You’an stood up and, under the dumbstruck gaze of Jiang Shengyao, walked towards the photography team.

The machines had been set up and were ready to begin shooting.

The vice principal nudged Jiang Shengyao curiously, "What are you staring at? Go on!"

Jiang Shengyao snapped back to his senses, scratched his nose nervously, and quickly walked over.

He had seen Shen You’an without her glasses before, but words failed him in describing her beauty accurately. Even with her glasses concealing her full allure, she stood as a flower unmatched in the world—graceful, poised, and confident.

A sudden wave of self-reproach washed over him for being so shallow. Shen You’an likely despised his infatuated gawking more than anything.

Stepping closer to her, his body stiffened awkwardly; he wasn’t sure where to place his hands.

Meanwhile, Shen You’an faced the camera with impressive ease and grace, surprising even the photographer.

This girl seemed born to be in front of the camera, imbuing the standard school uniform with an aura of high-fashion chic found on professional runways.

Her proportions were flawless—a perfect mannequin.

If thrown into the fashion world, she’d dominate effortlessly.

The boy beside her, tall and big, looked more like a "bystander" who had wandered into the shoot by mistake.

The photographer sighed in frustration. "Relax, young man. Let your hands drop naturally—don’t clutch your clothes... Let them fall naturally..."

Jiang Shengyao’s cheeks flushed bright red, unsure where to put his hands.

Beside him, the girl’s calm voice fell gently in his ears, "Don’t be nervous. I won’t bite you."

This half-joking remark helped quell Jiang Shengyao’s nerves slightly. He mumbled an apology, saying softly, "Sorry..."

"Apology accepted."

Jiang Shengyao whipped his head around.

"You really accept my apology? Can... can I treat you to a meal?"

Under the scorching sun, the girl faced the camera with confidence and poise while the handsome, tall boy beside her turned to look at her, sincerity visible in his eyes.

The photographer chuckled, his fingers rapidly pressing the shutter, capturing this moment forever with a series of clicks.

Sun Wei felt that something wasn’t quite right. As he packed up the makeup kit, inspiration struck suddenly, and he looked up abruptly.

From start to finish, he hadn’t introduced himself, yet the girl somehow knew his last name was Sun.

The original makeup artist had an emergency and canceled. Sun Wei was called in as a last-minute replacement, so the school couldn’t have been aware of his involvement beforehand.

Sun Wei turned his head in disbelief. The girl didn’t behave like someone taking her first portrait session—every movement was so natural and unhurried, as if she’d grown accustomed to the flash of studio lights.

At that moment, in Sun Wei’s eyes, the girl seemed just like her mist-cloaked glasses, radiating a strange and inexplicable aura of mystery.

Suddenly, Sun Wei shuddered, the hairs on his back standing on end.

How eerie.