Chapter Text
The elevator ride was silent, only the light hum sound of the elevator can be heard. Lin XiaoXi and Yan Shou both kept passing each other some silent looks. But the second the man in front of them shifted even an inch, they both instantly went rigid and quiet. After a few seconds the doors of the lift finally slid open.
Shen Yu quickly entered the venue and walked straight towards the showroom. Lin XiaoXi and Yan Shou followed him from behind. After entering the showroom Shen Yu flipped open his laptop and immediately began setting up his workspace, his hands were moving quickly in a blur motion as he got his design materials ready.
“Hey! Where is this good news you promised?” Lin XiaoXi asked, his eyes darting around the room.
“Check your phones,” Shen Yu said, not even looking up as he continued arranging his materials.
Lin XiaoXi and Yan Shou pulled out their phones. Right on cue, a flurry of social media notifications popped up across their screens. They both quickly tapped into the apps, and as they scrolled through the updates, their jaws practically dropped.
“Wo cao!” Lin XiaoXi muttered under his breath, his eyes sparkling. “When did this even happen?!”
“Yesterday,” Shen Yu answered simply.
The official brand accounts for Shen Yu’s company had just uploaded the photos from their shoot. Both Lin XiaoXi and Yan Shou were fully tagged, and the likes were already rolling in by every second.
“Wow, these came out so well! I mean, I already knew I was handsome, but Yan Shou looks like a total model in these other styles,” Lin XiaoXi said, his thumbs flying across the screen as he saved the pictures one by one.
“Hmm. When I was striking those poses yesterday, I had no idea they would turn out this good,” Yan Shou admitted, staring at his own reflection on the screen with a look of quiet surprise.
“Right?! They are insanely good!” Lin XiaoXi cheered, throwing a casual arm around Yan Shou’s shoulder. “Just look at them. Every single shot has a totally different vibe.”
“Of course they have different vibes,” Shen Yu interrupted, his voice sharp and confident over the sound of his tapping laptop keys. “Who do you think directed that shoot?”
He finally paused, looking up from his screen, his gaze fixing on both of them with a steady, calculating gaze. The smirk from before had disappeared completely.
He walked toward one of the cabinets, then he pulled out two thick, identical manila folders from inside, and slid them across the table.
“Which brings me to the actual good news,” Shen Yu said, as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Open them.”
Lin XiaoXi and Yan Shou exchanged a quick glance—the sensation of their spinning car ride was still lingering in their stomachs—before cautiously opening the folders. They both looked at the papers inside. Printed at the very top of the first page in bold, elegant lettering were the words: EXCLUSIVE MODELING CONTRACT – SUMMER SESSION.
As Lin XiaoXi examined the papers he looked at Shen Yu with a little puzzled look. “A... a contract?! For the entire summer?”
“An exclusive summer contract,” Shen Yu corrected, with a small satisfied smile on his lips. “The engagement on those preview photos is already breaking our quarterly metrics, and the official collection hasn't even dropped yet. The internet wants more, and frankly, so do I. I want you two as the official faces of my brand for the upcoming summer campaign.”
Yan Shou scanned the pages, his eyes skipping past the legal jargon straight to the compensation clauses and scheduling. “Shen Yu, we’re still students and Lin XiaoXi still has many practice classes. A full campaign takes an incredible amount of time. What about our classes then?”
“I’ve already looked at your university schedules,” Shen Yu dismissed with a casual wave of his hand, as if rewriting their lives was just a minor administrative task. “The shoots are structured around your free days and weekends. You’ll have more than enough time to study. And if you look at section four...” He leaned forward, tapping the table with his finger. “...you’ll see the compensation package.”
Lin XiaoXi’s gaze flipped down to the numbers listed under section four. He blinked once. Then he blinked twice.
“Hey...what the” Lin XiaoXi whispered, his voice cracking slightly. He clutched his chest, looking over at Yan Shou with a face of pure, unadulterated shock. “Shou... look at the zeroes. Are those real zeroes? Is this legal? Am I hallucinating from motion sickness?! I have done so many shoots for this guy but he has never paid me this much. And suddenly when you have joined he is giving all his fortune.”
“It’s very real, and it's the standard industry rate for talent that brings in this much immediate traction,” Shen Yu said, his tone entirely professional. “Plus, you'll get the first pick of the entire summer wardrobe before it hits the runway.”
Yan Shou, though far more level-headed, felt his chest tighten slightly at the figure written on the page. It was a massive opportunity, but knowing Shen Yu, there was always a catch in it.
“And what exactly is the reason behind this all of sudden.” Yan Shou asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Because till now we have done shoot for you but there was no need for any contacts. And all of this is still sudden, there must be a reason behind it for you to do it.”
Shen Yu let out a low sigh, then looked up to meet Yan Shou's gaze. “You're too smart. Yes, there is something else that brought me to this conclusion. First, even though we’ve done plenty of informal shoots before, it's completely unprofessional of me to keep doing this without properly compensating you guys."
He paused, his expression turning serious. "Second, having a legal document establishing the two of you as official models for the company is a protective measure. Lin XiaoXi’s debut is coming up, and he needs a brand to sponsor him. Here I am. He needs to be an official member of the brand, otherwise, he might face some backlash or legal hurdles down the line."
"And finally," Shen Yu added, pulling out his phone and tapping the screen, "there's one more thing you need to see.” He sent a file over to Yan Shou.
Yan Shou opened his phone and looked through the document. It was the original agreement Feifei had signed regarding her debt to the hotel. But the time frame she had been given to pay it off had been slashed from three months down to a mere thirty days.
“When did this happen...?” Yan Shou muttered, looking up at Shen Yu in surprise.
“I managed to get ahold of the footage showing her tampering with the chandelier, as well as proof of the bribe she paid to the waiter," Shen Yu concluded smoothly. "With all that evidence, she basically walked herself straight into hell. The hotel pressed formal charges, so now, she and her friends have to pay back every single cent within thirty days.”
“She deserves that. And if I think carefully about it, she might've received the notice yesterday, but she still had the audacity to come to us. So shameless,” Lin XiaoXi said, shaking his head.
“Oh, nothing too terrible,” Shen Yu said, leaning forward. “She just made trouble for herself. And it originally gave us the opportunity to make things even more difficult for her.”
Yan Shou remained silent, still looking through the document. Lin XiaoXi and Shen Yu exchanged a look, then Lin XiaoXi slowly patted Yan Shou's back.
“What happened? What are you thinking about?” he asked in a low voice.
“Nothing much. I suddenly understand why this cunning fox wanted me to sign that contract,” Yan Shou said, picking up a pen from the table.
“Of course, even I can tell,” Lin XiaoXi said. “Because Feifei's reaction made it look like she already knows ShouShou has a hand in it. She will definitely attack him in every possible way she can. She might even find ways to hurt him.”
“Yes,” Shen Yu agreed. “And if he signs a contract with us, his face and body are under our legal protection. If she dares to hurt him in any way, we can simply press charges against her.”
Yan Shou let out a soft sigh. “You're really a cunning fox.” He leaned down to sign the contract when suddenly—
“Don’t sign it yet, you idiot,” Lin XiaoXi hissed, grabbing Yan Shou's wrist before the pen could touch the paper. He looked back at Shen Yu with a teasing smile. “Give us at least five minutes to read the fine print. We need to make sure you didn't sneak in a clause adopting him as your actual son.”
“Even if I did, he would be more than willing to be my son. Isn't that right, son?” Shen Yu said with a wink.
“Hey, don't think ShouShou will fall for—” Before Lin XiaoXi could finish, Yan Shou spoke up.
“Actually, I don't see any issues with it. I mean, he's rich and he's got money,” Yan Shou said with a calm smile.
“See!” Shen Yu gloated.
“Hey, you two are teaming up against me!” Lin XiaoXi whined.
“Fine, fine, let's just sign the contract first,” Yan Shou said.
They both signed the papers and handed them back to Shen Yu.
“Out of curiosity, what exactly will we have to do?” Lin XiaoXi asked.
Shen Yu smiled, sliding the papers back into the cabinets and locking it. “Just a daily schedule of high-concept outdoor shoots, endless promotional vlogs requiring 24/7 energy, and absolute, unconditional obedience to my creative vision for the next three months. I hope you didn't plan on sleeping. Because now, your time belongs to me.”
They were both doomed.