Translator: Lan Editor: Efydatia

  "Time is pressing though. There’s only two months left, and I only work part-time. I wonder how many shows I will be able to get in the fashion week……"

  Ye Dong was very excited about this, even though he had no idea which were the top four fashion weeks.

  He was a go-getter though. After calming down, he suddenly realized something.

  "Qin Guan, did you just say that you could steal high-tech textiles developed by top brands? Are you aware that domestic textile production is limited to a simple repeated process?"

  Qin Guan felt like slapping his own face. You foolish boy! The fox caught your tail! You couldn’t do such a thing! It would be a crime!

  No one knew if top brands were overconfident about the uniqueness of their high-tech textiles, or if they thought textiles were hard to analyse and produce.

  Tailors, designers and buyers didn’t care about that. Leftover materials were just piled up on the floor of every studio.

  I can’t promise him this. I gave him an inch and he reached for a yard. I could abandon the plan after a successful beginning……

  Qin Guan turned down Ye Dong’s unreasonable demand. "F*ck off! Do you want to land me in jail?"

  "Let’s get back to the topic at hand. I will be doing you a great favor as a national celebrity. How are you going to pay me back for it? My job is related to yours, right?"

  Ye Dong laughed. "The government knows about you, so you’ll get a satisfying compensation. You must be really happy about that."

  "Really?" Qin Guan opened his eyes wide. "What will it be? Which division needs an accountant? The National Railway? The coal, electricity or oil supply?"

  Ye Dong was speechless. "Please! Your profit will be relative to show business! You’ll become famous all over the world!"

  "Are you kidding me? If the government decides to shoot a film, it would definitely not air all over the world."

  Speechless, Ye Dong opened his handbag.

  "The film will be directed by Zhang Yimou and financed by all ministries, the National Olympic Committee and the General Administration of Sports! It will be a short documentary that will be played during the Athens Olympics in August 2004 as the preview of the Beijing Olympics."

  "Our government is treating you very generously, isn’t it? Do you feel like doing something for your country now?"

  "You misunderstood!" Qin Guan cried out. "I will give you a helping hand!"

  A second later, his expression turned to surprise.

  "F*ck! You fooled me! Stop using flattering words! I only want to know what the payment will be!"

  As night fell, Ye Dong turned on the lights. Qin Guan was sobbing sorrowfully. "You cheated me! There will be no pay…… And I will have to return to Beijing…… Do you know how much money I can make in a minute?"

  Ye Dong patted his own stomach, which was inclined to get bigger in the future. "My comrade, do you know how many people would kill for such a chance? You should be content with what you got. Both the party and the people need you. It’s difficult to impress a director, you know……"

  "If you complete this task successfully though, many revolutionary directors will welcome you on board. You could be a spy on both sides!"

  "Do you mean that I could only play a traitor?"

  "You do look like a high-ranking KMT officer."

  "Okay, your treat tonight."

  "As you wish!"

  "I’m craving some Alain Ducasse at Dorchester. I want their most famous table, the Table of Light."

  "You do realize we are not lovers. What about some fish and chips?"

  "……"

  Neither time nor distance could separate the two friends. The two of them talked and laughed till midnight.

  The next morning, they parted ways at the entrance of the hotel, both of them feeling energetic despite the dark circles under their eyes.

  Sister Xue followed Qin Guan to the production car, talking about the promotion plan for her Chinese models. They belonged to different agencies, so their treatment would differ in a lot of ways.

  Lv Yan had agreed to do three top shows for IMG. Du Juan had also done well in commercial spots. The other girls had begun to work in runway shows of second-level brands. August was the busiest month of the year. The Fall-Winter collections of all brands would be released one month later.