I entered Huayu Entertainment in 2016.

Zhang Ruonan started university in Hangzhou last year, majoring in fashion design.

Through a friend's introduction, she started working as a print model for a Taobao store.

Her face is definitely suited for this job.

She doesn't have the heavily made-up look of an internet celebrity; she has a clean, sweet, and non-threatening beauty.

When she smiles, her eyes curve into two small crescent moons, making you want to scroll down the page to see what you think of the clothes.

Prince An met her purely by chance.

Last December, it was incredibly cold, and Luoyang had already experienced a snowfall.

He wanted to buy a thick down jacket for winter, and after browsing online for a long time, he finally placed an order in a Taobao store.

The down jacket that Wang Zian ordered was modeled by her on the product details page.

It happened to be her first GG (Golden Got) in her career.

At that time, Wang Zian had a vague feeling that he had seen her somewhere before.

After the package arrived, Wang Zian discovered a problem with the clothes and contacted customer service. It turned out that the customer service representative was Zhang Ruonan.

Because this online store is run by her mother; it sells clothing made in local factories in Wenzhou.

Wang Zian said that the sleeves of the clothes he bought were not the same length, but Zhang Ruonan did not believe him and thought he was deliberately picking a fight.

His return request was rejected in less than two minutes. The reason for rejection was written in a long paragraph, and although the tone was polite, every word carried the certainty that "there could be no problem with our clothes."

With no other option, Wang Zian put his clothes back on and took a picture in front of the mirror.

After the photo was sent, the chat window remained silent for almost half a minute.

Then the other party sent a message, with a completely different tone than before: "I'm so sorry! It was our problem! I'm really very sorry!"

Wang Zian ignored her and prepared to file a complaint against her.

Zhang Ruonan later said that she was sitting in her mother's living room with a pile of shipping labels spread out on her lap, and she confidently told her mother, "I have checked this dress and there is definitely no problem with it."

As a result, someone used a single photo to directly confront him, leaving him speechless.

When her mother found out, she made her responsible for removing the negative reviews.

Then Zhang Ruonan added him on WeChat through his phone number and began to patiently persuade him to cancel the negative review.

After a while, the two of them started chatting.

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"Did you earn your own money to buy this BMW?" Wang Zian leaned back in the passenger seat, turning his head to look at her.

The air conditioning in the car wasn't turned up very high. Outside the car window was the street scene of Hangzhou at the end of May. The camphor trees were already fully green and rustled in the afternoon breeze.

Zhang Ruonan nodded: "I earned eighty or ninety thousand yuan as a model, plus two hundred thousand yuan from my dad."

"Holy crap!" Wang Zian was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

"Hahaha~! This is the first time I've seen a joke come true."

"Hahaha~! It seems your parents really treat you well~!"

"Of course!" Zhang Ruonan said, raising her chin slightly.

The car drove along a tree-lined avenue filled with banyan trees, their aerial roots flashing past the car window.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting fine patches of light on the dial.

Wang Zian looked at Zhang Ruonan, his mind racing with thoughts.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the hotel.

After checking in, Wang Zian told her he was going to have dinner.

She said that since she was already there, she would let him do as he pleased.

The two went to a Western restaurant near the hotel, which was chosen by Wang Zi'an. The decor was warm yellow lighting with dark wood tabletops, and there were small vases of daisies on the table.

···

"I'm paying for the first meal on your turf!" Wang Zian took a sip of his lemonade and looked at her through the rim of the glass.

Zhang Ruonan was using a fork to cut a steak.

She had to cut the medium-rare filet mignon several times before she could get a piece. She put it in her mouth, her cheeks bulging, chewed it a couple of times, and then lowered her head to continue battling with the beef on the plate.

Hearing him speak, she looked up at him but didn't respond.

"I'd also like a plate of spaghetti bolognese!" She pushed the steak plate aside and casually wiped the black pepper sauce from the corner of her mouth with a tissue.

Wang Zian helplessly raised his hand and said to the waiter in the distance, "Another order of pasta, please!"

"Next time you talk too much, you have to treat me to another meal!"

Wang Zian smiled but didn't respond to the question.

The two ate quietly for a while, the crisp sound of knives and forks hitting porcelain plates mingling with the faint sound of jazz piano in the background of the restaurant.

The sky outside the window gradually changed from the bright white of the afternoon to the warm orange of the evening.

After a long while, Wang Zian looked up, gently tapped the empty steak plate in front of him with his fork, and suddenly said, "Zhang Ruonan, why don't you come with me from now on!"

Zhang Ruonan was swallowing beef when she stopped and almost choked.

Her almond-shaped eyes were wide open, looking as big as two freshly peeled lychees.

The steak was stuck in her esophagus, unable to go up or down; she raised her hand and slapped her chest several times.

Seeing her choke, Wang Zian was startled and instinctively reached out to help, but his hand stopped halfway through.

He didn't know where to touch; those places were forbidden and couldn't be touched.

It's fine in private, but in public; won't people say it's affecting public order?

He could only quickly hand over the orange juice next to him.

Zhang Ruonan took the cup, tilted her head back, and gulped down the orange juice. It dripped down the rim of the cup, and she swallowed several mouthfuls before finally getting rid of the urge.

"I almost choked to death," Zhang Ruonan said, raising her hand to wipe away the tears streaming down her face.

Then she glared at him fiercely: "What nonsense were you just saying?!"

Wang Zi'an quickly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and apology. "Sorry, I misspoke!"

"What I mean is, you can work for me from now on, and I'll help you make money!"

Zhang Ruonan crumpled up the tissue she had used to wipe her tears and threw it aside. Leaning back in her chair, she tilted her head and looked him up and down several times.

The panic that had nearly choked her in her almond-shaped eyes was gone, replaced by scrutiny and assessment, like a businessman looking at a letter of intent suddenly handed to him.

"You're just a novelist, what good would I do with you?"

"From now on, these novels of mine will need to be managed!" Wang Zian said.

Zhang Ruonan thought for a moment, but didn't ask how to operate it or what she could do.

These questions are too abstract.

She went straight to what she cared about most: "How much are you willing to pay me?"

Wang Zian did the math in his head. "Twenty thousand a month. Five days on, two days off, five social insurances and one housing fund, plus year-end bonus and vacation."

"Wow!" Zhang Ruonan's eyes lit up. "These conditions are amazing!"

A distinct and undisguised excitement flashed in those almond-shaped eyes.

She leaned forward slightly, and the shoulder straps of her overalls slipped down her shoulders a little before she pulled them back up.

But the next second, her expression turned cold.

She crossed her arms over her chest, leaned back in her chair, slightly raised her chin, and began to settle accounts with him in a tone befitting a negotiating table.

"I earned over 20,000 yuan last month as a model!"

"A face like mine—cute, energetic, sweet, innocent, and non-threatening—is very popular in the fashion modeling industry!"

She didn't even flinch when she said those words; her tone was as if she were stating an objective fact, and she even made a small gesture next to her face.

"I can now balance my studies and modeling work in my spare time. If I were to work for you full-time, my time would be less valuable."

She tapped her index finger lightly on the edge of the table, as if marking a clause in the contract. "The income has clearly decreased! It's not worth it!"

She leaned back, her chin still slightly raised, her round almond eyes sparkling with shrewdness, and tapped the table one last time with her finger.

"I can manage on my own, why should I follow you?"

Zhang Ruonan's speech left Wang Zian speechless. He stood there for several seconds, then raised his hand and applauded her.

"I can't tell you much right now, but if you have any ideas in the future, remember to contact me!"

Zhang Ruonan leaned back in her chair, a slight smile playing on her lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Then she suddenly asked, "Why did you fall for me?"

"Judging from your businessman-like demeanor just now, you truly live up to your reputation as someone from Wenzhou!" Wang Zian said with a smile.

"Did you think of that song?" Zhang Ruonan raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth changing from shrewd to cunning.

"Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, the Jiangnan Leather Factory!"

Seeing Zhang Ruonan's forced smile, Wang Zian pursed his lips, not daring to sing along at all.