Chapter 18: The Invitation

“So, the reason you looked for me was to—”

I paused, looking at the face leaning far too close to mine.

“…Treat me to a meal?”

Lin Tian’s hand was still gripping my arm.

She held on tight, as if she were afraid I might bolt.

Hearing me speak, she blinked in surprise and slowly let go.

“Hehehe…”

She scratched the back of her head, a faint blush creeping across her face.

“It was to thank you, Senior! I mean… we just thought… if we could thank you in person…”

Her voice trailed off into a whisper.

I stared at her.

That early morning, she had been hunched over a vanity mirror rummaging through an eyeshadow palette, her eyes sparkling with light.

Beside her, Xia Wan had been leaning against the wall yawning, with heavy dark circles under her eyes.

“You idiot!”

Xia Wan rushed forward from behind and smacked Lin Tian on the back.

“You actually managed to snatch Senior Alice! Do you have any idea how scary that is?”

“Ow! I—I just got too excited…”

“Even if you’re excited, you can’t just grab people!”

I stood there, watching them.

A bath towel was still draped over my shoulders.

I hadn’t changed out of my swimsuit yet.

The bandages were still wrapped tight.

The place Lin Tian had chosen was a hotel.

It wasn’t some casual little eatery; it was the kind of place where you see crystal chandeliers the moment you walk in, where the waiters wear vests, and where they bow slightly just to hand you a menu.

In the lobby, my swimsuit was incredibly conspicuous.

A white bandeau top, white shorts—the bow at my hip had long since come loose, and the ribbon trailed down against my leg.

On my feet were the slippers I’d worn during the photoshoot—the thin, disposable kind that made a ‘patter-patter’ sound against the floor.

As they bickered, my mind raced.

How did they find me?

Did the sudden crowd today have something to do with this?

What do they want?

Is it really just a thank-you?

Or is there another motive?

If I were Alice on stage, I could have come up with the perfect response within three seconds.

I would smile sweetly, say “It’s no problem~” in a soft voice, and then find an excuse to slip away.

But right now, I wasn’t the Alice from the stage.

I was Lin Zou—the guy who had just finished a shoot, who had been wrapped in bandages all day, whose brain had stopped functioning, and who only wanted to go home and take a shower.

So I just stood there, watching the two of them swat at each other, saying nothing.

Then it hit me.

…I forgot.

I forgot I could have just said no.

Damn it.

“And then,” I said, “I’m full.”

I don’t have much of an appetite, so I finished quickly.

Lin Tian looked up, her eyes widening slightly.

“Eh? You ate so little…”

“Ahem—”

Xia Wan suddenly reached out and poked Lin Tian hard in the waist.

“Would you like to come visit our company?”

Lin Tian flinched from the poke and turned to look at her, her face a mask of confusion.

Xia Wan poked her again.

Lin Tian still didn’t get it.

I saw it.

I also pretended not to.

“Not interested,” I said.

“Can I go now?”

Lin Tian opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words.

Xia Wan’s expression stiffened for a moment.

Silence lasted for three seconds.

Then, Lin Tian suddenly spoke up again:

“That… Oh, right! Your swimsuit photos look amazing, Senior—look!”

She pulled a phone from her pocket, lit up the screen, and held it out toward me.

“You idiot!”

Xia Wan lunged to grab it, but Lin Tian had already held it up.

A photo was on the screen.

I was standing by the water with the setting sun hitting me from the side.

My pink hair was blowing in the wind, and the white swimsuit glowed with a soft light.

It was a great shot.

But that wasn’t the point.

The point was—that was a photo I took yesterday.

“I think you’re the one taking me for an idiot.”

I looked at Xia Wan with a cold gaze.

Xia Wan realized she’d been caught.

After a moment of hesitation, she handed me the phone.

I took it and swiped twice.

Two photos.

Both were taken yesterday.

They were from the perspective of Rika and Mayu.

One was from the sunset silhouette set; the other was the one where I was sitting by the pool, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

But even that wasn’t the main point—the point was that they posted these publicly!

In the comments section:

[Wow! It’s the Gemstone Princess!]

[Alice in a swimsuit! Oh my god, oh my god—]

[Wait, where was this taken? Does anyone know?]

[Mayu is the best! Post more, we love to see it!]

I stared at the screen.

Mayu.

That big mouth.

It finally clicked.

Blacklisted!

I am absolutely blacklisting those two from now on!

No wonder there was a sudden crowd today.

It wasn’t a coincidence.

The photos they posted leaked the location.

I took a deep breath.

Looking at these two fresh-faced rookies, I lowered my guard a little.

I couldn’t be bothered to keep up the act anymore.

Anyway, my social anxiety only makes it hard to deal with peers and kindness; I can still act casually in front of juniors.

“What else are you hiding from me?”

My voice was a bit colder than before.

Xia Wan turned her head, not daring to look at me.

“…I was the one who went to Rika,” she said.

“I wanted to ask… for your location, Senior…”

I looked at her.

This girl.

Just a moment ago, I thought she was more reliable than Lin Tian.

At least she knew how to drop hints with a poke, how to grab the phone, and how to feel guilty.

Turns out, she was the mastermind.

And Rika too!

Just like this Xia Wan, she’s the “still waters run deep” type!

“Anything else?”

My tone dropped even lower.

“No… really, nothing else…”

Lin Tian suddenly stepped forward.

“That… it’s my fault, Senior.”

She stood in front of Xia Wan, her face flushing bright red.

“I’m the one who said I wanted to find you… Xia Wan, she… she was just helping me think of a way…”

“Lin Tian!”

Xia Wan pulled at her.

“You don’t have to cover for me—”

“But I was the one who wanted to come in the first place!”

The two of them stood before me, one blocking the other, one pulling the other, starting to take the blame for each other…

Starting a display of “deep sisterly bond.”

I crossed my arms and watched coldly.

“Do you both think I’m invisible?”

Silence fell for a few seconds.

They finally realized I was watching.

Lin Tian stopped first and turned to look at me, her face turning even redder.

“So-sorry… for leaving you hanging, Senior…”

Xia Wan also stopped, keeping her head down.

“Sorry… Senior Alice.”

I sighed.

Fine.

At least the shoot was over for today.

Otherwise, there would have been even more people tomorrow.

The thought gave me a bit of a chill, but I’d survived it.

At least for the next year or two, I wouldn’t have to suffer the torture of a swimsuit shoot again.

‘Maybe I can even enjoy looking at a real girl’s swimsuit shoot out in the open.’

I thought of Su Nian.

If she grows quickly, I could relax and enjoy the “perks” as her male President—instead of being the one providing the perks.

Thinking of the “Alice” in those photos, I grumbled to myself.

At the thought of a potential slacking life in the future, my mood improved slightly.

I looked back at the two girls in front of me, who were now as quiet as kittens.

“Lin Tian.”

“Eh?”

“Smile.”

She blinked in confusion, then complied.

“Haha—”

The corners of her mouth were pulled too tight; her eyes didn’t crinkle.

I reached out and adjusted the corners of her mouth.

“Too loose.”

I lifted them a bit higher.

“Like this.”

She stared at me with wide eyes, her expression frozen, but the angle of her mouth was just right—not exaggerated, but sweet.

“Got it?”

“Mm… Yes!”

I turned to Xia Wan.

“Next, you.”

She reacted quickly, blinked, and then gave a slow smile.

It was light and shallow, but her eyes crinkled.

“Too tight.”

I knew she was intuitive, so it would be better not to be too direct with her.

Therefore—

“Fix it yourself.”

She stunned for a moment, then her smile widened.

“Okay.”

I went back.

In the dressing room, I changed out of the swimsuit and unwound the bandages layer by layer.

When the hot water hit me, I felt like a rubber band that had been soaked soft.

It was finally over.

By the time I walked out of the studio, the sky was pitch black.

There weren’t many people on the street, and the streetlights stretched my shadow long.

As I walked, my pace slowed.

I was relaxed.

Truly relaxed.

And then—

“President Lin?”

A voice came from behind me.

Very close.

I froze.

My steps halted.

My heart skipped a beat.

‘It just never ends, does it?!’ —by Lin Zou.