Translator: Lan Editor: Efydatia

  With a moneygrabber’s insistence, Qin Guan brought the price down from 800 yuan to 200 yuan each.

  Qin Guan’s unkind fellow townsman smiled to himself as Qin Guan was about to leave the counter with his trophies.

  The fake frames that cost 50 yuan to buy in South China could be easily sold for 200 yuan. The buyer looked very satisfied. It was the greatest pleasure to cheat an acquaintance.

  (Readers with glasses might have had a similar experience. Glasses were horribly expensive during one particular period.)

  Peace didn’t last for long. Suddenly, the sellers in the market became nervous. Several staff members in uniforms were running along the paths between the shops with briefcases under their arms. They were like a storm sweeping through the market.

  "Hurry! They are looking for fakes! Hide them quickly!"

  "Run! Run! Run to the stock room with the fakes!"

  Several sellers who put fakes openly on their stands hastened to hide them.

  The young man closed the case immediately and tried to hide it under the counter.

  "Hey! You! What are you trying to hide? Take it out! And you, the young man! Did you buy anything from this stand?" A staff member with sharp eyes had spotted them.

  Qin Guan held his stretched foot back, acting nonchalant. "Nothing. I just greeted my fellow townsman."

  The staff member came over uncertainly and knocked on the counter impatiently. "Take it out quickly. I saw it!"

  The woebegone young man pulled the case out and opened it before the man’s eyes.

  "Who said that there were no fakes here? I just found some. And you! Don’t leave. What did you buy from him? Those men sell fakes because customers like you buy them. Tell me, how much had you ordered?"

  He had mistaken Qin Guan for a peddler purchasing stock there. Qin Guan breathed out in relief. Putting on the most innocent smile he could manage, he told the staff member, "I’m not a peddler, just a student at the nearby college."

  The man was dazzled by his shining smile. He unconsciously tried to block the nonexistent light before his eyes before sighing. "Young man, you might not be a peddler, but you still shouldn’t be buying fakes. Besides, you are a student at a famous college. Why are you deliberately breaking the law?"

  Qin Guan’s smile became even more splendid. Putting on the fake glasses, he went on shamelessly, "You have misunderstood. How could I associate with a criminal? I’m here to buy some daily use products. When I was passing by his shop, the young man here said my glasses were quite fashionable. He chatted with me out of professional curiosity. I didn’t buy anything from him."

  The young man was weeping to himself as he looked at his confiscated case. "Liar! Liar! Don’t believe him! Look at his glasses carefully. He bought them from me! Don’t be fooled by his handsome face!"

  The official was nearly convinced by Qin Guan, but he added seriously, "To be honest, I’m also a part-time model. You often have to deal with famous brand fakes. You have to pay attention to the fashion trends. I have appeared in many fashion magazines."

  The official believed Qin Guan, who was even more dazzling without the glasses. He waved the fake glasses before the young man, looked at the number of the shop, and made a final note. "How could you try to sell fakes to such a handsome young man? Stop dreaming! Come pay your fine at my office tomorrow!"

  Then he caught up with his workmates, holding his war trophies.

  The young man almost choked from sobbing. I had just made several hundred yuan! Why are the gods treating me so unfairly?

  Qin Guan bowed his head in regret and ran away from the market, leaving the sad young man behind him.

  Despite his roommates’ opinion about his unreasonable style, Sister Xue was satisfied with him. He is preparing for the possibility of becoming famous! I’m so happy!

  At the LEE headquarters, the editor of Rayli magazine and Sister Xue were watching the director of the Advertising Department, who was scanning Qin Guan from head to toe. After a long time, he nodded in approval.

  They were all relieved. Qin Guan got his first advertisement without advocacy. Sister Xue was over the moon about the dollars going into her account.

  Qin Guan could earn foreign currency now. This would pave his way to the international stage. He sighed as he saw the money Sister Xue gave him. The salary for a few photos was more than five times the payment for his last T show. The money had exceeded his expectations.

  Qin Guan arrived at the studio accompanied by LEE staff. He had been told that he would cooperate with an American model called John. They would promote the classic LEE style, including worker jumpsuits and jeans with typical ‘LAZYS’ Z series stitches.

  It was the first time LEE had chosen an Asian model for its formal advertising campaign since its formal launch in Asia in 1995.

  The general manager in Asia looked to further expand in the Chinese market. Japan and South Korea hadn’t been treated the same way.

  Qin Guan considered himself lucky and just wanted to do a good job. (Actually, he was just after the money.)

  In the studio, Qin Guan was shocked by how much LEE had spent on the background. They had built three backgrounds for only a series of posters, none of which was jerry-built. One was a flight of safety stairs outside the building. The mottled, rusty steps were tangled together, depicting the decadence of the isolated city.

  This had to be the first shooting site. Sister Xue nearly burst into tears when Qin Guan came out of the dressing room. Nobody informed me that he would have to have a haircut!

  The excelsior make-up crew had cut Qin Guan’s hair down to three centimeters. If it had been any shorter, Qin Guan would have looked like a monk.