The magazine shoot went entirely too smoothly—so smoothly that both the photographer and Su Yun were somewhat astonished.

As everyone knows, the entertainment industry is a “circle.”

There are only a handful of individuals with truly outstanding fashion expressiveness. Most people are rather constrained and timid in this regard.

For example, a certain currently popular A-list starlet found it very difficult to land the covers of major magazines during the peak “Golden September and Silver October” seasons.

Her fashion sense was simply too weak, to the point of being somewhat “tacky.” She was always timid when shooting for magazines, but her status was there, making it difficult for photographers and editors-in-chief to deal with her.

Every time her cover came out, passersby would sharply criticize it. After fans controlled the comments in the public square to suppress the negativity, the magazine would suffer, inevitably getting flamed by fans in another round of attacks.

Neither Su Yun herself nor the photographers at Youth had been spared, so they kept a respectful distance from such artists, preferably hiding as far away as possible.

But at this moment, the two of them huddled over the camera to observe the photos just taken, rarely glimpsing a look of relief in each other’s eyes.

This time, Youth absolutely would not be criticized. Not only that, but Gu Qichi would stand on the high ground of aesthetics, looking down upon all living beings.

After the first outfit was shot, the staff immediately prepared the second one.

Su Yun glanced at what she was holding, turned her head, and asked Gu Qichi, “Darling, do you have an aversion to wearing skirts?”

Actually, even if he did, there was no way around it. The wardrobe had been decided long ago, and major changes were impossible. Su Yun was just giving him a heads-up so he wouldn’t lose his composure when he saw the skirt he would be wearing shortly.

Fortunately, Gu Qichi had always been professional. He wouldn’t make unreasonable demands regarding work, nor would he reject the client’s face.

He had no aversion to the skirt in the staff member’s hands; in fact, he accepted it quite well.

Before entering the dressing room, Gu Qichi specifically looked back at the corner where Bo Yu had been, but unfortunately, there was no one there anymore.

Bo Yu was hard. He had been hard from the moment Gu Qichi looked at him like that.

His black suit trousers were cold and noble, but a considerable mountain had risen in the area dormant beneath them.

Gu Qichi was working seriously. Although Bo Yu really wanted to grab him and make him deal with the trouble he had caused, it wasn’t very possible.

Bo Yu still retained a shred of reason. He knew that Gu Qichi was not only serious about his work but also passionate about it.

He liked acting, and he liked the feeling of being under the camera lens even more. He was born to be the center of attention.

Even though Bo Yu didn’t want to, he had to admit that he couldn’t lock Gu Qichi up, nor could he control him. The most he could do was ensure that Gu Qichi’s eyes could hold him.

That was already rare enough.

So, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Bo Yu had to go outside to blow off some steam in the cold wind and wear down certain urges.

Gu Qichi was a bit disappointed. He actually really wanted to see Bo Yu’s expression when he saw him in a skirt; it would definitely have been interesting.

Although it was called a skirt, it wasn’t that exaggerated.

The outfit was a light lavender style, the color extremely pale. The upper body was still a suit jacket with shoulder pads that elongated the shoulder line. Underneath was a pure white wool knit sweater with a high collar that perfectly wrapped around his pale neck.

The lower hem was where the skirt came in. The pleats were sharp, with a high slit design running all the way up from the right leg, stopping at a delicate position.

Fortunately, there was a corresponding lining inside the skirt, so there was no risk of exposure.

But Gu Qichi was still troubled…

Not because of the skirt, but because of his own problem.

He hadn’t thought about wearing a skirt before, and Bo Yu had a reckless personality. As a result, after putting on this skirt-trouser hybrid, the mottled marks on his right leg were completely exposed.

Anyone could clearly see what he had been doing last night.

Gu Qichi was rarely speechless. He dawdled in the dressing room for a long while without coming up with a solution.

His prolonged dawdling attracted Su Yun’s curiosity. She had been selecting usable photos, glanced at the dressing room a few times, and seeing no movement, walked over with the click-clack of her high heels.

“What’s wrong? Not satisfied?”

There was slight surprise in Su Yun’s eyes. This skirt wasn’t outrageous, and Gu Qichi’s acceptance earlier had been excellent. She hadn’t expected him to delay for so long.

She tilted her head, attempting to brainwash Gu Qichi: “This outfit is a new runway piece. Baby, you’ll definitely look good in it. Don’t be shy.”

“Come out and let me see.”

Her tone carried a hint of teasing, but it didn’t make one uncomfortable.

Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, glanced at his right leg, adjusted the position of the hem, and walked out. He shifted the high slit to the back, cleared his throat, and tried hard to maintain a clear and bright look in his eyes.

Gu Qichi: “I feel this skirt needs something added. My legs aren’t very nice looking; I need something to embellish them.”

He desperately needed something to cover the marks on his legs.

Given that he had just used red wine to deliver a visually stunning feast, Su Yun’s first reaction wasn’t to find him troublesome, but rather to be extremely intrigued.

She looked Gu Qichi up and down. His bone structure was small and lean, blending perfectly with the outfit. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see the high-slit part he was intentionally hiding from this angle, which was a pity.

Su Yun’s eyes curved slightly: “What do you want?”

It was still early, much faster than the expected shooting time. Gu Qichi’s rate of usable shots was extremely high, so Su Yun rarely put down her hurried pace to ask for Gu Qichi’s opinion.

Su Yun: “You can talk about your ideas. If they are reasonable, I’d be happy to adopt your suggestion.”

Gu Qichi sighed silently, roughly thinking about the distribution of those marks. Concealer might be too late, and having the makeup artist grab his thigh to apply makeup wasn’t very appropriate either.

He thought he could only rely on some other props.

“Do you have silk stockings?”

“The first snow is in winter, and the temperature will inevitably plummet. Bare legs are unlikely in most regions. Besides, some stocking designs can be very beautiful and fit the eustoma element shot earlier.”

He added word by word, “Also, I think this will attract more people.”

Having briefly stated his idea, Gu Qichi’s gaze remained very calm, his tone flat, without even a hint of emotional fluctuation.

The dirty thoughts rising in Su Yun’s mind were completely dispelled upon seeing his clear eyes, replaced by a sense of shame.

Gu Qichi was an exceptionally excellent partner. Not only was he unconditionally obedient to the shoot, but he was also willing to sacrifice his looks to increase the magazine’s selling point. It was truly vulgar of her to speculate about him with such dirty thoughts.

There was a white dress in the studio used for a top-tier starlet’s spring magazine shoot earlier in the year. If she remembered correctly, that starlet had poor leg shape and decisively rejected the pair of white lace thigh-high stockings that came with the dress.

Unworn, brand new.

White would also suit this light purple suit-skirt outfit.

Su Yun immediately called her assistant to find them.

Gu Qichi breathed a sigh of relief and took advantage of this gap to duck back into the dressing room.

The white lace thigh-highs were found quickly. However, since they were designed for women, they were much shorter on him.

Stockings that originally reached the top of the thigh just barely stretched twenty centimeters above Gu Qichi’s knee. They perfectly covered all the marks on his legs while exposing a small section of snow-white, glowing skin.

Gu Qichi’s leg lines were straight, flesh and bone well-proportioned. These white lace thigh-highs were hand-knitted, with some gorgeous diamonds sewn onto them. Gu Qichi’s legs could be said to have no flaws; the white lace didn’t expose any shortcomings but instead added a sense of coldness.

Even more ascetic.

Like an iceberg with perpetual snow that is hard to melt, glowing with a cold light under the pale moonlight.

Compared to the previous set with the red wine-soaked white eustoma, this was a different kind of stunning.

Luo Qianqian, watching Gu Qichi walk out slowly from a distance, clearly heard herself swallow. Several shouts from Gu Qichi’s small but highly active Super Topic inevitably popped into her mind—

Wife is so hot!

Wife kills me!

Please mount me from the front, wife!

Don’t pity me, please ravage this fragile flower that is me to your heart’s content!

Luo Qianqian dared to guarantee that when this magazine went on sale, it would definitely be snatched up like crazy. After all, really, who could refuse a Gu Qichi like this…

…

Su Yun also couldn’t control herself and cursed, “Fuck, so hot.” Her thoughts even drifted, starting to consider the possibility of using the “casting couch” on Gu Qichi.

But after scrutinizing him for a long time, Gu Qichi remained that unapproachable, coldly noble figure looking down on everything, without a trace of worldly desire.

Su Yun had to give up that thought.

The direction of this shoot was entirely towards asceticism. Originally, the photographer, Su Yun, and the person in charge of theme planning were considering whether to lean towards “desire,” but they decisively dispelled that idea during the process.

The shooting location changed slightly to a snowy ground paved with artificial ice and snow. In the center of the scene was a lonely, growing withered tree. On the trunk were ice-crystal-shaped snowflakes, blooming intensely.

“The snowflakes are made of artificial resin. They will look transparent and crystalline like real snow.”

Su Yun explained to him while directing him to walk into the frame.

The photographer asked him to lean against the snowflake tree, clicking the shutter while adjusting the angle.

“Tear off a piece of lace and let Teacher Gu hold it.”

“Use the blower to create that ethereal, fairy-like atmosphere.”

“Teacher Gu, give me some movement. Yes, make your eyes colder. Imagine yourself in a world of ice and snow.”

The composition was perfect, the lighting angle just right. The sound of the shutter clicking rang out continuously. The photographer silently lamented that Gu Qichi’s face was too expensive; if not for his actions earlier, it would be hard to find anything suggestive about him.

He was like an exquisite, luxurious piece of high art that should be placed under bright lights and encased in a hard, thick glass cover so people could admire his beauty.

After shooting for a while, the photographer stepped forward to adjust his pose: “Teacher Gu, you can grab a handful of snow. Preferably a large handful, the kind where your hands can’t close and it spills out.”

Gu Qichi followed his instructions.

“Props team, grab a handful of snow and sprinkle it down…”

“Lighting team, adjust to white light, make it brighter…”

Gu Qichi was quite cooperative. After posing for who knows how many shots, they finally stopped. The photographer flipped back and forth through the photos taken and nodded in satisfaction.

It was almost done. Gu Qichi’s waist and legs were sore and weak. Seeing everyone busy with their own tasks, he finally couldn’t suppress the tension in his thighs and sat down leaning against the tree behind him.

He bent one leg halfway. The high-slit design perfectly exposed the trousers inside. It didn’t reveal too much, but one could faintly see a very light red smear spreading like ink wash under the lining of the trousers.

His expression was somewhat despondent, his posture loose. One arm rested on his bent leg, eyes half-closed, eyelashes trembling.

The photographer, suddenly catching this scene with his eyes: “!”

He quietly made a “shush” gesture. The staff present fell silent in unison. Taking advantage of this scene, the photographer snapped many photos from different angles.

The shutter sound didn’t stop. Gu Qichi’s ears twitched slightly, hearing the noise. Just as he was about to open his eyes, the photographer shouted loudly: “Teacher Gu! Don’t move!”

Gu Qichi: “?”

Gu Qichi: “…”

He didn’t know what the other party was doing, but this request was the easiest to maintain. Gu Qichi simply let himself rot and stopped moving.

The white lace ribbon from earlier “floated” lightly onto Gu Qichi’s face. The photographer dropped it several times before finally capturing the desired effect, withdrawing his hand in satisfaction.

When work finally wrapped up completely, Gu Qichi was bleary-eyed and dazed.

After bowing to the photographer and the props master, with a hint of tears in his eyelashes, he glimpsed Luo Qianqian out of the corner of his eye, handing out milk tea to the staff one by one.

It was the flavor he had wanted to drink in the mall but couldn’t.

Gu Qichi changed back into his own clothes and slowly shuffled over. He looked around but didn’t see Bo Yu, which was strange. Just as he was about to ask Luo Qianqian, she shoved a cup into his hand.

“Teacher Gu, Teacher Bo asked me to order these. He said we should reward the staff and help you manage interpersonal relationships.”

Luo Qianqian spoke while observing his expression. After waking up last time and seeing Bo Yu’s message and the transfer, she had been startled. She hadn’t dared to accept the money. Firstly, the amount involved was too large, and she felt unworthy of it. Secondly, it felt like betraying Gu Qichi. So, Luo Qianqian firmly rejected Bo Yu, but she honestly told him about Song Zhian’s recent harassment of Gu Qichi.

Song Zhian was simply too bullying. Sometimes, during filming breaks, he would try every means to take advantage of Gu Qichi, buzzing around him like a disgusting fly.

As one of the few people who knew Song Zhian’s true nature, Luo Qianqian had already lost a good job and lost Jiang Yang, who had “fought side by side” with her for their dreams.

She didn’t want to see Gu Qichi become like Jiang Yang—maliciously targeted and deliberately retaliated against until there was no way out, forced to quit the entertainment industry burdened with sky-high breach of contract fees.

If Bo Yu really liked Gu Qichi—even if he was just a nouveau riche—Luo Qianqian believed that as Teacher Gu’s partner, he would definitely do his utmost to protect Gu Qichi.

Bo Yu, receiving Luo Qianqian’s reply, didn’t say much. He simply sent a bland “Thank you” and then added another 100,000.

Seeing that Luo Qianqian kept refusing to accept it, the other party somehow got the information and directly transferred the 200,000 to her card number. Luo Qianqian was shocked when she received the bank text message on her phone.

She wanted to return it, but he simply wouldn’t accept it. Luo Qianqian had no choice but to carefully set the money aside for now and report it to Gu Qichi when she had time.

…

Hearing Luo Qianqian’s words, Gu Qichi was stunned. Seeing Bo Yu nowhere around, he had to ask her, “Where is Bo Yu?”

“Ah…” Luo Qianqian picked up Gu Qichi’s phone and handed it to him, murmuring, “Teacher Bo should be waiting for you in his car.”

Gu Qichi was noncommittal, picking up the mango pomelo sago beside his hand and taking a sip.

In the hot summer weather, this cup was slushy. The rich sweetness of mango mixed with the tartness of grapefruit, diluted by the mellow taste of coconut milk. The crunchy bubbles burst with a wonderful texture in his mouth—chewy and refreshing. One sip was cool and soothing.

Gu Qichi narrowed his eyes slightly, then released the straw, a thin smile spilling from his eyes: “Why call him Teacher Bo? He’s probably never heard that title before…”

There was a faint intimacy in his voice; one could tell he was very close to Bo Yu.

Luo Qianqian blushed and scratched her head: “Teacher Gu, Teacher Bo added me on WeChat just to get your schedule. But I don’t know his full name, only heard you call him with the character ‘Bo,’ so I had to call him that.”

“But that’s the only relationship I have with him. Teacher Gu, you can rest assured, there is absolutely nothing else.”

Gu Qichi didn’t mind at all. He took another sip of the mango pomelo sago in his hand. When mentioning Bo Yu, a brilliant smile unconsciously revealed itself in his eyes. His peach blossom eyes curved slightly, his aegyo-sal bulging盈盈, his whole person bright and vivid.

He explained to Luo Qianqian: “His name is Bo Yu.”

“‘Elegant and refined in appearance [Yu], profound in knowledge, steadfast in integrity, pure as ice and snow.’ ①”

“It means beautiful appearance.”

“It’s also the ‘Yu’ from Xun Yu.”

Luo Qianqian nodded in understanding, a huge light bursting from her eyes as she sincerely praised: “Teacher Gu, you’re so amazing. I’ve never heard that classical Chinese sentence. You really know a lot.”

Gu Qichi’s fingers paused, feeling a bit strange. Logically speaking, he hadn’t read that book, but for some reason, that sentence appeared prominently in his mind.

It was as if someone had told it to him over and over again.

But immediately after, Luo Qianqian explained the money Bo Yu had transferred to her, her brow furrowed with uneasiness. She really didn’t know how to handle such a huge sum of funds.

Finishing in one breath, Luo Qianqian opened her Alipay, intending to transfer the money back, but Gu Qichi held her hand down.

The beauty smiled brightly, seemingly in a very good mood. “Since he gave it to you, just accept it. Consider it a bonus paid to you in advance. Don’t think too much about it.”

Luo Qianqian looked up: “Ah, but Teacher Gu, this is too much.”

Gu Qichi casually picked up his things and led her outside: “Didn’t I say? He’s a nouveau riche. This amount of money is nothing to him. Just accept it with peace of mind.”

Outside the magazine office, Gu Qichi saw Bo Yu leaning against the car waiting for him, the corners of his eyes curving slightly:

“Let’s go, let’s go find Teacher Bo together.”

---

Author’s Note:
① This quote originates from “Li Shi · Jiangshan Yang Taishou Zhu Mu Hou Bei”. This is the true origin of Bo Yu’s name.