Chapter 9: An Unexpected Encounter
Yun Xinyu quickly packed her meager belongings and moved to a small suburban motel she'd scouted earlier. While affordable, the accommodations were far from comfortable.
She kept rushing between modeling gigs, sometimes eating just once a day and stealing only an hour or two of sleep on buses.
Her body grew visibly weaker. She caked on makeup to hide deepening dark circles and layered blush over her ghostly pale cheeks.
Yet she found joy in this relentless pace—each show meant more earnings for her father's medical treatments.
Malnutrition and sleep deprivation made her stagger in her towering heels, though she'd never admit it.
The upcoming show carried exceptional weight—a showcase for a prestigious subsidiary brand. More crucially, rumors swirled about the parent company's reclusive CEO attending, making this event potentially career-defining for many staff.
The manager drilled into them: "One misstep means no payment. Perfection only."
Yun Xinyu's head swam as she half-listened. She changed mechanically, then froze upon learning she'd open the show.
Runway walking normally felt automatic—she could've done it asleep. What was dizziness compared to muscle memory?
She hadn't anticipated this variable.
The CEO was him. Luo Fan!
He occupied the front-row seat facing the runway's end.
She spotted him midway down the catwalk. Every instinct screamed to flee, but protocol demanded she finish. She advanced, praying he wouldn't recognize her.
As the lead model, she stood unmistakable. Luo Fan's posture stiffened when he saw her, his penetrating gaze sweeping from her face to her trembling heels.
His scrutiny prickled like needles down her spine. Breath short and movements wooden, she fantasized about the floor swallowing her whole. Each step toward the turnaround point felt like wading through tar.
At the runway's end, she pivoted too sharply. Her heel caught her dress's trailing hem—
She pitched forward, certain she'd meet the ground headfirst.
Instead, she collided with arms as cold as their owner's expression.
Her eyes fluttered open to Luo Fan's sharply handsome features inches from her own. No trace remained of the warm youth she'd known—only frosty detachment that screamed "Stay away."
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, an overfilled cup spilling over. Darkness swallowed her consciousness, and she went limp in his arms.
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Yun Xinyu had imagined countless reunions.
She'd pictured chirping "School Heartthrob, I've missed you!" with playful grin, certain he'd at least offer a "Long time no see."
At worst, she'd envisioned polite nods before passing like strangers.
Never this humiliating encounter—her disheveled and vulnerable, him coldly superior.
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She'd once declared her dreams to Luo Fan with radiant confidence: "I'll become a great screenwriter! I'll pack our story with all the best scenes—doesn't that excite you?"
Back then, his smile had warmed like sunlight, revealing perfect teeth and faint dimples. "Of course," he'd chuckled. "Our future auteur."
Now she was a fallen angel with broken wings—exactly why she'd never wanted him to see her like this.
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Luo Fan studied the woman in his arms. She retained her beauty, but something fundamental had changed.
He'd assumed her life flourished. Now her bloodless lips, hollowed cheeks, and raw-rimmed eyes revealed harsh truths.
A decade's resentment—against her cruelty, against cherished memories that now haunted—softened unexpectedly. Seeing her fragility, his heart clenched faintly.
Perhaps he didn't hate her after all.
(End of Chapter)
