Chapter 2

At this very moment, Li Boxi was about to pull the Great God aside to review the highlights of his career from the beginning. However, he had only just started—after chatting about the championship match from three years ago, he realised that the staff coming and going around them were stealing glances at him, strange expressions on their faces.

He was a little out of character.

Li Boxi yanked the reins of his horse at the cliff edge. “Wow you’re so cool, so amazing.”

His acting skills weren’t up to par in the last part of the sentence and ended up sounding a little too stiff.

Suddenly adding such a stiff ending to proper words of flattery made it sound very odd, like some sort of trash-talk during a competition.1

[1] 阴阳怪气 (cryptic/odd) - odd/ambiguous behaviour (like yin and yang) that is indecipherable,

Cheng Ping couldn’t keep it up anymore.

He hadn’t slept well recently, so he was already temperamental. Furthermore, today he had encountered a gay who lived in a way he didn't even dare think about, so he instinctively felt repulsion.

Cheng Ping said mechanically, “Thank you for supporting me.”

Then he saw Li Boxi looking at him as if he wanted to say something. "That…can I…"

Li Boxi knew that he was going to do his Great God’s makeup today, so he kept a hat in his bag.

The hat was a commemorative merchandise that Cheng Ping's team sold when they won the championship several years ago. Now that Cheng Ping had retired and the hat was out of production, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to obtain an autograph.

But at this moment, enduring the gazes around him, he wondered whether he should take out a blank paper instead, so at least he wouldn’t reveal his shut-in attributes too much.

Li Boxi was warring with the heavens in his heart, but Cheng Ping understood clearly, “You want my WeChat, right?”

Li Boxi: ?

Whether it was playing esports in his early years or now as a celebrity, it was unavoidable for Cheng Ping to encounter fans who were related to his work and wanted to privately obtain his contact information under various pretexts.

As such, he had long learned the countermeasures, keeping a WeChat account that only discussed work. Now he even had a team to help him; whenever he encountered troublesome people chatting him up, naturally someone would sort it out for him.

Cheng Ping took out his phone out of habit, "Come on."

Li Boxi was startled.

He also felt slightly reluctant.

He only wanted an autographed hat, that was all.

How could he be unaware of what such disposable WeChat accounts were like? He had absolutely no interest in it; but at this moment, refusing would mean not giving face to his Great God, so he could only force a smile, “Wow, thanks.”

Cheng Ping: ?

Why does he look unwilling now?

After they exchanged WeChat accounts, Cheng Ping put down his phone, and when he turned his head, he inadvertently saw himself in the mirror.

Cheng Ping stiffened in shock.

Li Boxi remembered their business again, "This watch brand has a cold and hard style in its aesthetics, so I made the contouring slightly heavier, emphasising your brow bones and your lower jaw here,"—he made a gesture of drawing a line on Cheng Ping's face—"particularly the turn of the contour line here. It looks a little aged to the naked eye, but it shouldn’t look bad on camera."

Li Boxi’s words described it too lightly.

After all, Cheng Ping had just changed careers for half a year, so he didn’t have many opportunities to interact with many makeup artists. His limited experience could only allow him to vaguely feel Li Boxi’s greatness, but there weren’t enough comparison parameters that allowed him to truly realise how distinguished Li Boxi was.

So Cheng Ping took it as if it were nothing, "Yeah definitely. Looks pretty good overall."

Li Boxi paid no mind to it. Seeing the Great God’s face, he felt the long-lost itch in his hands returning, "You can actually try matching your makeup with the blue outfit you’re wearing today. For example, adding a subtle blue with the eyeliner here at the ends of the eyes, so within the coolness you have a little bewitching beauty..."

The two words "bewitching beauty" touched the sore spot Cheng Ping buried deep inside his closet, “Let’s not.”

Li Boxi sighed in his heart after another effort that resulted in a cold shoulder.2

Forget it—today wasn’t the first day he knew about the Great God’s temper. He had already been quite polite, actually.

He was quite tolerant to this Great God who was a few years younger than himself. Thinking about why a straight man would bother troubling another straight man, he smiled.

“Forget what I said then.” Li Boxi packed his things away and left.

Cheng Peng frowned as he watched his figure walk away briskly.

Leaving right away after he finished—didn't he have to wait for the brand label to come for an acceptance check?

[2] 讨了个没趣 - trying to do something but instead of being received well, ending up looking bad yourself or given a cold shoulder.

After a period of time, Cheng Ping's team received videos and photos from the brand’s side, which evoked astonishment from everyone.

It was widely agreed upon that this was the peak of Cheng Ping's looks. Cheng Ping didn't seem to care on the surface, but he couldn't help sneaking a few more glances in private.

Not caked in heavy makeup, nor completely unrecognisable. That was still him, only sharper and more spirited, and restrained under his expression was a fighting spirit, taut as bowstrings, pointing in an undefined direction.3

Like a beast that had just sharpened its claws, beginning its solitary hunt.

[3] 引而不发 - a bow that is drawn but not released, Also means to be prepared for something but waiting for opportunity. 指向不明 - pointing in an unknown direction

"But I feel like there’s something missing," the agent said. "It's those kinds of…tiny details that are particularly eye-catching."

While on the subject, Cheng Ping said, "Last time the makeup artist said that the ends of the eyes can be drawn over with blue."

He recounted it too abstractly, not expecting the agent to ask solemnly in return, "The one from last time? Was it his suggestion?"

The agent immediately asked someone to photoshop the effect on him as a test.

Everyone: “Holy shit.”

Cheng Ping pursed his lips, dumbfounded.

The two blue streaks lowered the uplifting curves at the ends of his eyes, neutralising their original sharpness. His whole appearance seemed to have suddenly quieted down.

Cheng Ping had an indescribable feeling, as if the person who proposed these two lines had cracked open a secret only known to the heavens—even though he knew it was just an illusion he conjured himself.

The final product had employed Li Boxi’s creativity, so the team used Cheng Ping's WeChat account to send a few words of business thanks.

Li Boxi never expected that this disposable WeChat account would come alive. He felt a sense of accomplishment, not minding whether it was the Great God himself or his team who read his reply on the other side, instructing thoughtfully, "Mr Cheng has some dark circles and tear troughs, so he should massage more and stay up less. For under-eye concealers, I recommend using , it has a miraculous effect~”

The person who read the reply was Cheng Ping himself.

At this point, he had already fully comprehended Li Boxi's true strength, feeling some regret for his behaviour from last time. He didn't expect the other party to have such a professional attitude, not taking displeasure to heart at all.

Beside him, the agent was saying, "Lately, I've been thinking that we should change our makeup artist when our current contract expires. No harm can be caused without comparison一after witnessing his skill level, it turns out our Xiao-Cheng's beauty has been wasted this whole time!"

Cheng Ping looked at Li Boxi’s WeChat profile, “Why don’t we invite this person.”

The agent thought he was joking, “Haha, who doesn’t want to invite him?”

Cheng Ping said, “Then I’ll ask.”

The agent said, “...No, wait a minute. Weren’t you listening the last time I introduced you to this person’s background?”

He did not listen.

The agent didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "The other person’s clients are all big international personalities, he doesn’t have time to sign a long-term contract with you. Besides, he costs too much, we can't commit to that..."

An agent needed to take care of their entertainer’s feelings after all, so she did not frankly say the words "you aren’t qualified enough" out loud.

The agent said, “Ask him again in two years.”

Cheng Ping: …

Cheng Ping raised his phone, “I already asked just now.”

The agent made a pained expression as if her head was aching, “How many times have I said一you’re an entertainer now, if there’s anything going on you need to discuss it first!”

The agent said, “Don’t do that. Wouldn't that just make it easier to cause misunderstandings! Reply with a few pleasantries when he refuses you, don't offend anyone. "

Cheng Ping: …

Cheng Ping said, “I might’ve offended him already.”

After listening to the whole story, the agent craned her head up to the sky and sighed deeply, moving into a stance as if she was about to launch into a long heart-to-heart, "Xiao-Cheng, I want to use this as an opportunity to have a talk with you. I know what your personality is like, but the waters of this industry are very deep. If you offend a makeup artist today, even if he might not do you over..."

Cheng Ping raised his phone, “He replied.”

Li Boxi’s reply was a single line: “Really? I’m so honoured!”

The agent: ?