"Okay, it's finished. Thank you, everyone." Jeina smiled and spoke to the team.
Jowed rubbed her sore neck and went back to the dressing room. She changed out of the clothes she wore for the shoot and gave them to the wardrobe assistant. Then she picked up her bag and checked her phone. There was a message from WeChat. The payment for the shoot had already been sent. The company accountant probably wanted to leave early, so they transferred the money before the shoot ended.
Her part-time job was modeling for online shops. She helped small brands take pictures of their clothes. The pay wasn't very high, but it wasn't too bad either. The hard part was how tiring it was. She often had to model more than a hundred outfits in one day. By the end of the day, she felt like her whole body was falling apart.
Jowed took her phone and quickly transferred the money she just received to her mother.
Her family was not doing well. Her father had been in the hospital for a long time and needed money for treatment. Her younger brother was in his final year of high school and needed money too. She only kept a small amount for herself and sent the rest to her family.
Just as she was about to leave, Jeina walked over and smiled.
"Jowed, have you thought about working here full-time? If you become a regular employee, you'll get a basic salary. And you'll earn more for each shoot too. You're about to graduate, so maybe it's time to think about it."
This was not the first time Jeina asked her that. Jowed only gave a small smile.
"Thank you, Jeina. But I still want to work in my own field."
She studied acting. She chose that major because actors could make money fast. She wanted to help her family as soon as possible. But after studying for a few years, she had grown to love acting. She wanted to become a real and skilled actress.
Jeina looked at her face and gave a soft sigh.
"Alright. I hope everything goes well for you. My door is always open if you need it."
Jowed bit her lip lightly.
She had never gotten a major role in any drama or movie. Some of her classmates were already becoming popular in the entertainment industry. But she couldn't even get a chance.
The reason was a scar on her face.
She wasn't born with it. When she entered university, she had a small dark mole on her face. Makeup could cover it easily. But one day, she trusted her roommate and went to a clinic to remove it with a laser. The mole was gone, but now she had a scar. It wasn't deep, but it was hard to hide. Her looks dropped a lot because of it.
When she went for auditions, she was always rejected because of that scar. So she had to work as a photo model instead. In photos, editors could remove the scar easily. But for acting, it was hard to fix in post-production. A new actress like her wasn't worth the extra work. There were many other pretty girls without scars to choose from. Of course, they didn't want her.
Jowed picked up her bag and walked out of the studio. Suddenly, someone ran toward her in a hurry and grabbed her arm.
"Jowed, can you help me? My wife just fell. I think she's having the baby early. I have to take her to the hospital now. Can you drive Mr. Li for me?"
It was Driver Sanro. She knew him well. He often talked about his wife's pregnancy. She didn't expect this kind of emergency.
Jowed didn't even think. She said yes right away.
"Go quickly. I'll take care of it."
She really wanted to lie down and rest, but this was something she couldn't say no to.
Sanro didn't even have time to thank her. He gave her the car keys and rushed off to get a taxi.
Jowed had her driver's license, so driving was no problem. She also knew Mr. Li. He owned an online clothing shop. Some of the clothes from today's shoot were from his store. They had worked together many times, so she recognized him.
In her mind, Mr. Li was the kind of person who was too clever. He was very rich, but always tried to save money. He didn't spend on things he didn't have to. For example, today he asked Jeina to send a company car to pick him up. That way, he didn't have to drive his own and could save money on gas. He said that since he already paid a high price for the shoot, his travel costs should be included.
Jowed found Mr. Li. He was in his thirties, with a round face and a fat belly. His suit looked like it could burst at any time. But he was always smiling and acted friendly. He was not difficult to talk to.
She told him what happened with Sanro and said she would drive him instead.
"Oh no, I'm not that kind of person," Mr. Li waved his hands. "His wife is having a baby. That's really important. If he told me, of course I wouldn't force him to drive me. At most, just give me some money for a taxi. I would have gone by myself."
Jowed: "..."
President Li got into the car. Jowed started driving and asked him where his house was. Even though she had seen him many times, she didn't know where he lived.
President Li smiled and said, "It's still early. Can you take me somewhere first?"
Jowed felt her eyelids getting heavy. She sighed inside. "Where?"
President Li smiled kindly. "The antique market."
Jowed almost cried.
The antique market was far outside the city, more than a few dozen kilometers away. She would have to drive him there, wait for him, then take him home, and finally return the car to the company. By the time she got back to her dorm, it would be night.
But she didn't have a choice. She had already promised Driver Sanro.
It took more than an hour to drive from the city center to the antique market. Jowed parked the car and said, "You go look around. I'll wait here."
She planned to rest while he walked around. Even a short nap would help.
But things didn't go her way.
"What if the things I buy are heavy and I can't carry them?" President Li looked at her with a weak expression.
Jowed gave in. She locked the car and followed him into the antique market.
Jowed had heard about this market in B City, but she had never been there. Many people sold antiques there, and others came hoping to find something valuable. People said that sometimes someone would buy something for a few thousand yuan and then sell it for millions. It sounded amazing.
But for most people, that kind of luck was just a story. The sellers were not stupid. If something was really valuable, why would they sell it cheap? Only people with good eyes and lots of luck could find a real treasure.
Jowed didn't expect that President Li would know about this kind of thing. With how smart he was, he probably wouldn't get tricked.
President Li walked slowly past the stalls. Sometimes he picked up an item and looked at it carefully. But he didn't buy anything. He ignored all the sweet-talking from the sellers. It was clear that he didn't see anything worth buying.
Jowed followed him for over two hours. Her legs were so tired she felt like they might fall off. But President Li still looked full of energy, not tired at all.
He stopped at one stall for a long time. Jowed had nothing else to do, so she looked around at the colorful antiques. She didn't know anything about them and had no plan to buy. She didn't have that kind of money.
Her eyes stopped on a ring. It had a simple, old design. The silver band held a light purple stone. It looked really nice. Inside the stone, there were faint patterns that looked very delicate.
The seller saw her looking and picked up the ring, handing it to her. "You have a good eye. Want to try it on? It matches your clothes."
Jowed took the ring. It was small. Her fingers were thin, but it only fit on her pinky finger.
Her skin was pale, and the ring did look beautiful on her hand. She couldn't help but want to buy it. She asked for the price and then gave up the idea right away.
"Twenty thousand?" She could hardly believe it.
The seller said, "This is from the Ming Dynasty. It's worth a lot. Twenty thousand is already a low price."
Jowed would never spend twenty thousand yuan on a ring. She liked it, but she still took it off and gave it back. With the money she had, even spending two hundred yuan was something she had to think about.
Just as she was about to walk away, President Li came over and whispered, "Miss Jowed, how about we make a deal?"
She was surprised. "What deal?"
She immediately became careful. Making a deal with a clever businessman like him?
If she got even one yuan of benefit, she would be lucky.
President Li pointed to the ring. "You seem to like that ring. How about this, I'll buy it for you and you treat me to dinner."
Jowed answered quickly. "No way. I can't afford that."
If he meant dinner at a fancy five-star restaurant, one meal might cost thousands. She wasn't going to fall for that.
President Li seemed to guess what she was thinking. He said, "Just KFC is fine. Only for me. No takeaway. Just let me eat until I'm full. Is that okay?"
Jowed looked at him with doubt. That ring cost twenty thousand, and he only wanted KFC in return? Was this really such a good deal for her?
"What's your real plan?" she asked as she looked him over.
She didn't think he had bad intentions. She had met his wife before, a gentle and beautiful woman. Every time he talked about her, he looked happy. He might be stingy, but he seemed like a good man. That's why Jowed had a good opinion of him.
President Li looked serious. "No tricks. Just say yes or no."
Jowed couldn't think of a reason to say no. After thinking for a while, she nodded. "Okay."
President Li smiled. He walked to the stall, picked up the ring, and said, "I want to buy this."
The seller didn't change the price. "This is a gem ring from the Ming Dynasty. It's twenty thousand. No discount."
President Li looked at the ring and said, "It's glass."
The seller argued, "It's a gemstone."
President Li took a small magnifying glass from his pocket and checked the ring. Then he started laughing so hard he almost couldn't breathe.
The seller was annoyed and was about to speak, but President Li handed him the magnifying glass.
The seller took a look and then started laughing too. "I didn't even notice that. Alright, name your price."
President Li said, "You can find this kind of thing in any accessory shop. Fifty yuan."
The seller agreed right away. "Deal."
Jowed stood there in shock as President Li handed over fifty yuan and put the ring, which was first priced at twenty thousand, into her hand.