Chapter 104: Extra – Fashion Show at the Company’s Annual Gala

When Lin Hexi joined the company, there were only two or three months left before the New Year.

Every year, the company holds its annual gala before the New Year holiday. In previous years, the gala venue was always set in a five-star hotel, but this year it was chosen to be held at the city sports arena. Apart from company employees and leadership, the attendees would also include high-profile idols performing on stage and the company’s valued investors.

The fashion show at the annual gala was a staple program that never failed to make an appearance. All designers were required to submit their new creations, and from the pool of professional models who had long cooperated with the company, they would carefully select their ideal candidates to showcase their work together on the gala stage.

Although Lin Hexi had only recently joined the menswear department, he had already participated in the design of the following year’s spring menswear collection. After multiple revisions to the sketches and several rounds of prototype adjustments, the final sample design was finally finalized just in time for the annual gala.

A week before the annual gala, the company distributed invitation letters to everyone. The women in the department who were already in relationships were busy discussing plans to bring their significant others along. Led by Sister Ai, the group repeatedly nudged and teased Lin Hexi, urging him to bring his boyfriend to the event as well.

“Bringing my boyfriend is no problem,” Lin Hexi agreed casually, then joked, “But let me make this clear in advance—you all are not allowed to have any inappropriate thoughts about him.”

The others agreed quickly and obediently.

Only Zhuo Yisi showed no interest in Lin Hexi’s boyfriend, remaining focused at his desk, diligently working on his year-end report.

Sister Ai couldn’t help but sigh, “It looks like Sisi is determined to secure the spot for Intermediate Designer this year.”

Lin Hexi found it amusing, having heard since he joined the company that Zhuo Yisi was highly focused on career advancement. “When I first started here, he was worried I’d compete with him for the promotion.”

Sister Ai laughed as well. “Actually, what he wants isn’t just the Intermediate Designer title, it’s the chance to get close to his dream lover at the annual gala. Every year, those who get promoted are recognized as Outstanding Employees at the gala, and the person he has his eye on was the one presenting the awards for Outstanding Employees last year.”

Hearing this, Lin Hexi couldn’t help but grow curious. “If this person caught Zhuo Yisi’s attention, how come none of you are interested?”

“We’re not uninterested; we just don’t dare to be,” Sister Ai said, licking his lips as if savoring the thought. “But honestly, with that person’s looks and physique, he’s definitely an alpha among alphas.” Her voice dropped conspiratorially, brimming with excitement. “If I could spend one night with him, I’d even be willing to pay for the hotel room myself.”

Lin Hexi wasn’t particularly impressed by this.

For one, he hadn’t even seen this so-called “dream lover” in person. And second, with someone like You Chong already in his life, no matter how much Sister Ai and Zhuo Yisi hyped up this individual, Lin Hexi remained entirely unaffected, his heart as calm as still water.

That evening, after returning home, Lin Hexi asked You Chong if he was free on the day of the company’s annual gala.

Instead of answering right away, You Chong asked, “What’s the occasion?”

Lin Hexi took out the company’s invitation letter and slid it toward him. “Our company is hosting an annual gala,” he said with a slight smile, curving his lips. “I promised my colleagues I’d bring you along.”

You Chong took the elegantly designed black-and-gold invitation, glanced at it briefly, and smiled warmly. “I’ll be there, but I might arrive a little late.”

Not picking up on the hidden meaning in his words, Lin Hexi nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait for you at the venue.”

The day before the gala, Lin Hexi went to the private studio to pick up the shirt and trousers he planned to wear for the event. Back at home, he rummaged through his walk-in closet, searching for the cufflinks he had bought a few years ago.

You Chong commented that the mechanical cufflinks were too outdated and took out two pairs from his glass cufflink cabinet for Lin Hexi to choose from.

However, Lin Hexi playfully winked at him. “But I want to wear matching couple cufflinks.”

Hearing this, You Chong’s lips curved slightly. He then retrieved his old watch and matching cufflinks.

The next day was the annual gala.

At the company, both men and women arrived carrying their beautifully tailored outfits for the gala. As soon as Lin Hexi sat down, his colleagues eagerly surrounded him, hoping to hitch a ride with him to the sports arena.

Aware that their real motive wasn’t just getting a ride but catching a glimpse of his boyfriend, Lin Hexi shrugged helplessly. “My boyfriend won’t be coming with me. He’ll drive to the venue later on his own, so I’ll actually need to hitch a ride with you guys.”

The group collectively looked disappointed but consoled themselves, saying they’d see him eventually—it wasn’t worth rushing for now.

Throughout the day, the most unusual behavior in the department came from Zhuo Yisi.

He remained in an excited and jittery state, and whenever Lin Hexi called out to him, it was obvious from his distracted expression that his mind was elsewhere.

After the morning’s work wrapped up, the designers received a company notice instructing them to head to the sports arena for an early rehearsal of the fashion show.

Lin Hexi and his colleagues left the company and made their way to the arena to meet up with their assigned models.

The entire afternoon rehearsal went smoothly. By around 6 p.m., everyone changed into their formal attire and entered the venue, walking the red carpet, signing in, and taking photos before heading to the seating area in front of the stage.

The fashion show was scheduled as the opening act. Designers and models had already changed backstage, waiting for their turn. 

However, just as the host took the stage to begin the event, a problem arose. Unfortunately, it involved the young male model assigned to showcase Lin Hexi’s work.

The model suddenly collapsed with abdominal pain and was rushed to the hospital by the staff. At this point, it was too late to find a replacement. Initially, the stage coordinator decided to have another model return to the runway after their segment to showcase Lin Hexi’s design.

However, upon noticing Lin Hexi’s height and overall appearance, the coordinator abandoned the earlier plan and decided to have the designer himself step in as the substitute model.

Having frequently observed the models’ routines, Lin Hexi picked up the necessary movements quickly. Under the coordinator’s guidance, he rehearsed a few times backstage with the other models.

As the board members and executives took the stage to deliver their speeches, Lin Hexi was already dressed and standing backstage. The staff worked quickly and efficiently to give him a basic styling.

The black sheer shirt he wore accentuated his broad shoulders and slim waist. Mimicking the models’ style, Lin Hexi tucked the bottom of the shirt into his waistband and left a few buttons undone at the top. He adjusted the collar into a V-shape, revealing a generous expanse of his chest.

Although he didn’t have the taut chest muscles of a professional model, his physique was far more appealing than that of most men. The shirt, designed to suit the proportions of a model-like “human hanger,” showcased his natural advantages perfectly.

The stage coordinator gave him a once-over and abruptly asked, “Do you have abs?”

Lin Hexi replied, “I do, but not a full eight-pack.”

The coordinator nodded. “That’ll do.”

Without another word, they pulled the hem of his shirt out from his waistband.

Two minutes later, the stage coordinator stepped back, taking another look at the adjusted styling they had crafted. A satisfied expression appeared on their face.

From the stage ahead came the voice of the host announcing the next segment. The designers and models lined up and began walking toward the stage.

First up was the showcase of the menswear department’s upcoming spring collection.

As the music began to play, each designer paired with their respective models emerged from the side of the stage, stepping in sync with the rhythm as they confidently walked toward the center. Each group consisted of a designer and a model—except for the finale, where only a single “model” walked out.

At first, the audience found this unusual, but they quickly recognized that the person in the finale wasn’t a professional model. It was the young designer who had only recently joined the company.

It was clear he was stepping in at the last minute. Though his stride was confident and striking, there was an unmistakable hint of inexperience and unfamiliarity in his walk.

He wore a single black shirt, its hem left untucked. All the buttons were undone from top to bottom, except for one strategically fastened just above his abdomen and below his chest.

The V-shaped neckline remained wide open, revealing his fair and firm chest, which appeared toned without seeming overly muscular. The hem of the shirt flared open on either side, and with each step he took, his navel and the defined abs below it became visible. The one button at his waist cinched the shirt just enough to emphasize his slim, sculpted waistline, the fabric outlining his lean silhouette perfectly.

The designer’s long, straight legs, perfectly outlined by the slim-fit trousers, and his strikingly handsome features, went without saying.

From the audience below, gasps and murmurs of astonishment rippled through the crowd.

Seated in the middle of the first row, You Chong’s gaze darkened as his eyes fixed on the person on stage, unwavering and intense, not straying for even a second.

Yet, despite all this, when You Chong heard the exclamations and praise for the designer on stage from the people behind him, he couldn’t help but darken his expression. He wanted nothing more than to march up there, pull the man off the stage, and personally button up his shirt, fastening each button all the way to the top.

Then he’d press the designer under him and make him admit that some things were meant for his eyes only—not for anyone else.

And for every time someone else caught a glimpse, there would be punishment.

Taking action first and explaining later? That would warrant an even harsher penalty.

Equally caught off guard was Lin Hexi himself. He hadn’t expected You Chong to arrive so early, let alone take a seat right next to the senior executives in the front row.

Of course, he only had a fleeting second to let this distraction occupy his mind. In the next moment, he quickly averted his gaze from You Chong’s dark, stormy eyes brimming with emotion and refocused on performing his role on stage with dedication.

The distance between their seats was significant, and after Lin Hexi stepped off stage and changed back into his own clothes, he couldn’t find an opportunity to speak with You Chong.

On top of that, he was once again surrounded by the group of men in the company who jokingly referred to themselves as his “sisters.” Amid the flood of compliments, some refused to give up and teasingly asked him if he really didn’t want to try what it felt like to be the “1” for once.

Lin Hexi politely declined, brushed them off, and made his way back to his seat.

His seat was right next to Zhuo Yisi.

One moment, Zhuo Yisi was muttering to himself, wondering if his performance on stage had caught the attention of his so-called dream lover. The next, he caught sight of Lin Hexi, now back in his original shirt and trousers, wearing the old watch on his wrist and the vintage cufflinks on his sleeves. Unable to hold back, Zhuo Yisi scoffed, “I’m starting to suspect you have a thing for collecting junk. A vintage watch is one thing, at least it’s a luxury brand, but now you’re pairing it with old cufflinks too?”

By this point, Lin Hexi had already developed a vague suspicion about who Zhuo Yisi’s so-called dream lover might be.

Lin Hexi merely smiled without saying a word. Hearing Zhuo Yisi dismiss the watch and cufflinks as “junk,” he decided to drop any intention of kindly revealing the truth. Instead, he casually said, “Both of these are part of a matching couple’s set.”

Zhuo Yisi, unconvinced, brushed it off without giving it much thought.

After all the employee performances concluded, and before the special guest star took the stage, the Outstanding Employee Awards were presented.

Since Lin Hexi was still in his probationary period, he naturally wasn’t among the nominees for any awards. Zhuo Yisi, on the other hand, achieved his goal and was awarded the Outstanding Employee Award.

Suppressing his excitement, Zhuo Yisi maintained a composed expression as he made his way onto the stage.

As expected, this year, You Chong was once again invited to present the awards to the employees. Walking past the recipients on stage, he handed each of them an envelope containing their bonus.

When You Chong walked up to Zhuo Yisi, the latter took a deep breath, nervously raising his eyes to meet You Chong’s as he reached out to accept the envelope—

Only to find nothing placed in his hands.

As Zhuo Yisi caught sight of the watch on You Chong’s wrist and the design of the cufflinks on his shirt, his outstretched hands froze mid-air, utterly stunned.

As if recognizing the familiar items from memory, Zhuo Yisi’s pupils trembled slightly, his eyes widening in slow realization. Instinctively, he turned his head to look toward Lin Hexi’s seat in the audience.

At that exact moment, Sister Ai, seated in the front row, turned around and asked Lin Hexi, “Is your boyfriend coming today?”

Lin Hexi, still seated in his original spot, seemed to sense something. He glanced up, meeting Zhuo Yisi’s gaze, and curved his lips into a faint smile before replying to Sister Ai, “He’s already here.”

His assistant, curious, followed up with, “Where?”

Lin Hexi raised his hand and casually pointed toward the stage, and a hint of amusement lighting up his eyes. “He’s on stage, presenting an award to Zhuo Yisi.”

The colleagues seated around Lin Hexi glanced back and forth between him and You Chong on the stage, momentarily stunned into silence as realization dawned upon them.

As for Zhuo Yisi, after receiving Lin Hexi’s smile from the audience below, he nearly broke down in tears from frustration right there on stage.

When it was time for the celebrity performances, You Chong walked straight from the front row and took the seat next to Lin Hexi, which had previously belonged to Zhuo Yisi.

Having just experienced the heartbreak of unrequited love, Zhuo Yisi couldn’t bear to see them together. He left and found an empty seat in another department’s area, sulking in solitude.

With so many eyes watching them, Lin Hexi refrained from being overly affectionate with You Chong.

However, You Chong couldn’t let go of the fact that someone in the company had tried to steal his “territory.” After sitting down, he raised his arm to drape it over Lin Hexi’s shoulder, and didn’t let it drop once.

Though no one spoke or commented, the atmosphere subtly filled with a sour, lemony undertone. The scent lingered in the air, starting faint and almost imperceptible, only to grow increasingly intense as it wafted over everyone’s senses.

The colleagues from the design department, who had been discreetly observing the two of them, found themselves unsure whether to envy Lin Hexi or You Chong.

After the celebrity performance ended, the food and drinks were ready, and the banquet portion of the gala began.

You Chong stepped away for about half an hour. Meanwhile, Lin Hexi and Sister Ai were at the buffet table, enjoying some food. Just as the two raised their glasses of red wine for a toast, a third wine glass silently joined theirs from the side.

Lin Hexi turned his head and was met with Zhuo Yisi’s seemingly innocent smile.

Sister Ai was quickly whisked away by others, leaving Lin Hexi to sip the red wine from his glass. He raised his eyebrow and looked at Zhuo Yisi, asking, “You’re not angry anymore?”

Zhuo Yisi, now appearing completely composed, cleared his throat and replied, “I’m not angry anymore.”

Lin Hexi clearly didn’t believe him. With a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, he asked, “What scheme are you plotting this time?”

“Getting angry with you is a waste of time. You’re still my best sister,” Zhuo Yisi said dramatically, lifting a hand to rest on Lin Hexi’s shoulder. “I don’t compete with my best sisters over men, so,” he paused, then gave Lin Hexi a playful wink, “does You Chong have any other top-tier ‘Type 1s’ like him that you can introduce to me?”

Lin Hexi’s mind immediately conjured up the image of Zhou Xuan’s straight-faced demeanor. He shook his head, as if to dispel the thought, then sighed regretfully. “Top-tier, yes. Type 1, no.”

Zhuo Yisi’s face fell instantly.

After the banquet, everyone gradually began preparing to leave for home.

Now that they had finally seen the face of Lin Hexi’s boyfriend, the department colleagues still jokingly talked about “stealing him away.” However, none of them actually intended to do something so underhanded—it was all in good fun.

When Lin Hexi and You Chong were ready to leave, everyone tactfully refrained from asking for a ride home, even when Lin Hexi offered.

Zhuo Yisi watched their figures disappear into the distance, feeling a fleeting pang of disappointment. He quickly pulled out his phone and began searching for videos of his idol to lift his spirits.

Coincidentally, there was a live-streamed red carpet event happening that night, and Jiang Lian was among the invited stars. Zhuo Yisi eagerly followed the stream’s link to watch.

To his surprise, he was lucky enough to tune in just as the host on the red carpet was interviewing Jiang Lian.

Zhuo Yisi held his phone, engrossed in the stream.

Behind Jiang Lian on the red carpet were a few individuals who had also been members of WEEK two years ago. This was the first time this year that the four of them appeared together. The host asked, “It’s been a while since the four of you were seen together. Do you have anything you’d like to say?”

In the video, Ming Rang and Qiu Yi each greeted the other three members warmly.

Lin Ye simply nodded in response but didn’t say anything proactively.

Then Jiang Lian turned to Ming Rang and Qiu Yi, saying, “Come over for hot pot at my place sometime.”

The host concluded with a smile, “It seems that even after two years, although you don’t have many chances to meet up, the bond between all of you remains strong.”

The live stream’s comment section immediately exploded with scrolling messages:

【Ginger milk coconut (Jiangzhi Yenai) finally became canon! As a die-hard ginger coconut milk fan, I’m crying so hard. Ginger milk coconut is real, waahhh!】

Zhuo Yisi, a staunch solo fan of Jiang Lian since the show’s debut, grew furious at the CP fans stirring up trouble. He angrily pulled up the keyboard on his phone and started typing a response.

【CP fans, wake up! Your Jiangzhi Yennai has been ‘broken up’ for 800 years now. Everyone knows they only have a superficial colleague relationship. Didn’t you see just now when my Jiang only invited Ming Rang and Qiu Yi for hot pot?】

As soon as Zhuo Yisi’s comment appeared, several other viewers chimed in, supporting his point.

However, two seconds later, a new, uniquely perceptive comment popped up in the feed:

【But…what if he deliberately didn’t invite Lin Ye because he’s already been over to his place?】

【WFs^[1]“WF” stands for “唯粉” (wéifěn), which refers to solo fans in Chinese fan culture. Solo fans support only one specific idol or celebrity and often reject or oppose … Continue reading, hold on before you blow a gasket^[2]The phrase “WFs, hold on before you blow the gasket” essentially means:

“Solo fans, calm down and don’t get too angry.”. You all say Jiang Lian and Lin Ye have a bad relationship, but I think it’s the opposite. They’re too close and deliberately avoiding suspicion. Your ‘gege’ only invited Ming Rang and Qiu Yi, not Lin Ye. For all you know, Jiang and Lin are living together right now, seeing each other every morning and night, and have probably shared hot pot a thousand times by now. You insult me, I insult you, but at the end of the day, ‘gege’ and ‘didi'^[3]“Gege” (哥哥) and “Didi” (弟弟) are Mandarin Chinese terms that literally translate to “older brother” and “younger brother,” respectively. … Continue reading are sleeping together.】

Zhuo Yisi exited the live stream with a dark expression, and his chest heaving in frustration.

The person he’d finally taken a liking to already had a boyfriend, and now his idol of many years was being shipped in a CP. He, on the other hand, was left with nothing.

Thinking of this, he tilted his head back and downed the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp. Reaching out, he grabbed a passerby in front of him and, still fuming, declared, “I’m changing my name!”

The person he stopped looked utterly baffled. “What are you changing it to?”

After a two-second pause, Zhuo Yisi replied with a deadpan expression, “From today onward, I’m officially changing my name to Zhuo Si*.”

(*Note: Zhuo Yisi drops the character for “one (Yi)” in his original name and becomes “Zhuo Si”, symbolizing his frustration at being left out or always single. LOL)

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Translator’s Note:

Thank you all for reading this beautiful story, hope you enjoyed it!(≧▽≦)❤️

Would you like to try my other translation?

Please check this one, maybe you will like it.

• Who Says Online Dating Never Ends Well? (BL)

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