Chapter 42: So the Big Shot She Was Going to Film Was Jing Zhuo

Upon hearing this, Ji You looked even more bewildered than him.

"That's not right. I've already notified Song Xi. How could she not be here?"

Chen Feng didn't care what he was saying and snapped angrily, "Get Song Xi over here within three minutes! Do you think President Jing has all day to just sit around waiting in your studio? The last listed company that made President Jing wait for ten minutes is already out of business!"

Hearing this, Ji You bolted straight to the commercial studio.

Just in time, he locked eyes with Lin Yan standing at the entrance.

He swept his gaze across the room and demanded, "Where is Song Xi?"

Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Before she could say anything, the man in the swivel chair unhurriedly put away his phone and smiled faintly.

"I heard Song Xi was busy and didn't have time to shoot with me. It doesn't matter. I'm quite free; I'll wait for her."

He was clearly smiling, but his eyes were cold and distant.

Cold sweat poured down Ji You's back.

He whipped out his phone and called Song Xi right on the spot.

"Song Xi, what is wrong with you! Didn't I tell you to come to the commercial studio at 2 PM? The client has been waiting for you for a whole hour! Where are you?"

"Don't give me any excuses. Get over here to the commercial studio within one minute!"

On the other end of the line, Song Xi was completely baffled.

Wasn't she told that the business client wasn't coming anymore?

How could he have been waiting for her for an hour?

She put down her camera, told the client they were taking an intermediate break, instructed Ye Zi to keep an eye on the set, and then took the elevator up to the commercial studio on the upper floor.

As soon as she walked in, she saw Ji You standing next to a man, offering a servile, ingratiating smile.

The man was seated in a swivel chair in the lounge area, his back to the door so his face was hidden, but the quiet, icy aura radiating from him filled the entire studio.

"Director Ji."

Song Xi walked inside and called out.

Seeing her, Ji You immediately unleashed a torrent of scolding: "As a photographer, making a client wait for an hour—where is your professional ethics? What kind of high-and-mighty attitude are you pulling?! Even President Jing isn't putting on airs, so what makes you so special? Apologize to President Jing right now!"

After enduring her boss's scathing reprimand, Song Xi finally pieced together what had happened.

It turned out the client had never said he wasn't coming.

Lin Yan had fed her false information.

She glanced sideways at Lin Yan, who was standing behind Ji You acting as if nothing had happened.

Coward.

Now that things had blown up, she didn't even dare to show any remorse.

However, Song Xi was no pushover. She walked right up to the man who still had his back to her and gave a sincere bow.

"I am terribly sorry. At noon, Sister Lin Yan told me the client wasn't coming anymore, so I stayed downstairs working. I had no idea you would arrive right on time. Failing to receive the message in a timely manner was our mistake."

"I deeply apologize for wasting your time."

The man's chair slowly turned around to face her, revealing a refined yet sharp-featured face.

"It's quite alright, Miss Song."

This voice... why did it sound so familiar?

Song Xi raised her head and instantly locked gazes with Jing Zhuo.

Why was it him?

Song Xi was stunned for two seconds before realization dawned on her.

So the prominent business tycoon she was supposed to photograph today was him?

No wonder he had specifically requested her name. Had Jing Zhuo known all along that he was coming for a photoshoot and designated her on purpose?

"Since Miss Song has arrived, let's begin."

Jing Zhuo stood up. With his broad shoulders and long legs, his steady presence instantly made the spacious studio feel a bit cramped.

Before stepping onto the stage, he dropped a meaningful remark: "It was my fault for not having the opportunity to liaise with Miss Song directly, which led to the miscommunication. Next time, I'll contact you directly."

Hearing this, how could Ji You possibly fail to read between the lines?

With a dark expression, he glared at Lin Yan.

"Lin Yan, who gave you the authority to take matters into your own hands and poach a colleague's project? Come with me to the office right now."

Lin Yan felt an instant wave of embarrassment and humiliation. She hadn't expected Director Ji to expose her in front of so many people.

Even President Jing of the Baihe Group had spared her a shred of decency.

What right did Ji You have to chew her out right on the spot?

With a grim face, she followed Ji You out of the room.

Once they had left, Song Xi had no choice but to ask Ye Zi to look after the downstairs floor and fetch Director Ji to resolve the situation down there.

She stayed behind in the commercial studio and resumed work using the professional DSLR upstairs.

"Your suit color is a bit too dark. Would you like to change into another jacket?" Song Xi suggested, adjusting her stance.

There were many sample outfits in the commercial room.

All of them were designer labels with exceptional texture.

"I'll defer to Teacher Song's judgment," Jing Zhuo replied.

Song Xi felt embarrassed. "Please don't call me 'Teacher'. I'm just an ordinary photographer."

She had no idea what was wrong with the entertainment industry these days.

Internet celebrities had to be called "teachers."

Stars had to be called "teachers."

Even moderately well-known photographers in studios were addressed as "teachers."

The lighting assistants were even called "lighting teachers."

She had never quite gotten used to this form of address.

Jing Zhuo chuckled softly. "Alright, then I shall address you as Te—"

"Just call me Song Xi!"

Before he could finish that last word, Song Xi hastily interrupted him in a panic.

Don't go shouting titles around, big brother, there are other colleagues right here!

Fearing that whatever opened next from Jing Zhuo's mouth would become a gossip mill, Song Xi took advantage of his silence and hurried over to the wardrobe room to pick out a jacket for him to change into.

"You don't need to change the tie, do you?" Jing Zhuo touched the red tie at his neck. "I like this one."

This one... was a gift from her.

Song Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded.

"Okay."

She stepped forward. Once he had put on the jacket, she adjusted the angle of the exquisitely textured tie with her fingers.

Mhm, a breathtakingly striking face.

He truly lived up to the rumored persona of a towering, cold-blooded CEO.

"Get ready. Shooting starts now."

Song Xi clapped her hands. The lighting and set design had all been adjusted into position, leaving only Jing Zhuo alone within the camera frame.

Song Xi composed herself and threw herself into the shoot.

She was extremely focused when working: wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, hoisting a camera lens twice the size of her hands, with faint muscles visible on her forearms.

Small, slender, yet radiating power.

As Jing Zhuo looked through her camera lens, all he could see was the lower half of her face, her pointed chin, and her slightly pursed lips.

When he kissed her last night, they had been soft, cool, and wonderfully tactile.

His gaze darkened slightly.

Even under the dazzling, blinding flurry of her camera flashes,... dark, improper impulses sprouted within him.

He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her.

Kiss her hard.

Outside the door, Lin Yan watched the bustling scene inside, her fingers gripping so hard she felt as though she might snap them.

Earlier, she had been summoned to Ji You's office and given an absolute earful, chewed out from head to toe.

He even warned her that if she ever pulled another stunt of internal sabotage out of self-importance, she would be fired.

She had worked diligently for Sansan Studio for so many years, slogging away with all her might, only to be threatened with termination just for the sake of an inexperienced newcomer who climbed the ranks purely on her looks.

She was determined to make Song Xi fall right into a trap over this project.

There was no way it would go smoothly!

After the session concluded, there was still an hour left before the end of the workday.

Song Xi bid farewell to Jing Zhuo and returned the jacket to the wardrobe room. During this time, she went back downstairs, where the internet celebrity fairy rushed up to her and began complaining tearfully.

The celebrity claimed that the photographer assigned to her studio slot for the second half of the day completely failed to capture her beauty, and all the raw shots looked hideous; she still wanted Song Xi to finish the shoot.

Otherwise, she would post online to warn people away from Sansan Studio.

Song Xi: "..."

In the end, she worked an extra hour of overtime to finish shooting all the creative photos for the internet celebrity beauty.

Song Xi rubbed her aching hands and headed back upstairs, intending to extract the raw images from the commercial camera and send them to the retouching department.

Only to discover that the memory card was gone.