Chapter 6: Secrets  

Just as Shen Simo was agonizing over how to find an excuse to meet Lu HuaiChuan again, the man unexpectedly showed up at her doorstep with a new opportunity.  

[Selva needs models for their new season campaign. Want to give it a try?]  

Selva?  

Wasn’t that the Italian original jewelry design brand she frequently bought from? Selva was relatively niche, with limited purchasing channels—either through their only physical store in Italy or via international shipping from their official website. But their designs and pricing had always appealed to Shen Simo, especially the latter. It was the kind of brand that let you flex without breaking the bank.  

In Shen Simo’s memory, Selva’s official website had never featured an Asian model before…  

“Because the brand is expanding into the domestic market. Naturally, they’ll need local models for that.” A tall, broad-shouldered man walked up to Shen Simo as he spoke.  

“This is Lu HuaiLin, Selva’s domestic distributor,” Lu HuaiChuan introduced. “HuaiLin, this is my friend, Shen Simo. She’s a print model.”  

“Lu Huai… Lin?” She murmured the name under her breath, then stole a glance at Lu HuaiChuan.  

“HuaiLin is my younger brother.”  

Brothers? Shen Simo studied the two men. Aside from their gender and shared surname, they looked nothing alike. The older brother had upturned eyes and downturned brows, while the younger was the exact opposite.  

“Ah, nice to meet you.” Shen Simo extended her hand toward Lu HuaiLin, who shook it without hesitation, giving her fingertips a light, playful squeeze. Seated in his wheelchair, Lu HuaiChuan clenched his fists silently before clearing his throat. Immediately, HuaiLin released her hand and moved behind his brother, taking over the wheelchair.  

While Shen Simo went to change for the test shoot, Lu HuaiLin wheeled his brother into an inconspicuous corner and began pestering him with questions—how they’d met, what their relationship was, where she was from, how old she was—circling around until he finally got to the point.  

“Can you introduce her to me?”  

Lu HuaiChuan answered firmly, enunciating each word: “No. You. Can’t. Go chase after that livestreamer of yours. Leave her out of this.”  

The mention of that streamer instantly soured HuaiLin’s mood. Who knew how that hidden gem of a hostess had been discovered by some other big spender, who’d knocked him off the Top Supporter spot overnight? If he couldn’t even rank as her top supporter, how could he hope to meet her privately? Dream on!  

“Lu HuaiLin, I’ll say it again—don’t even think about making a move on Shen Simo.”  

“I heard you. I’m not deaf.”  

The brothers turned their attention to the woman under the fill light. Beneath her satin-smooth long hair was the bone structure of a near-perfect beauty. Her petite face was adorned with delicate features, like a hollow mannequin displayed in a store window—yet the innocence in her expression couldn’t mask the ambition simmering in her gaze.  

That contradiction was what made Lu HuaiChuan unable to resist. He lowered his head with a quiet chuckle, then raised his camera, zooming in until Shen Simo filled the frame—just as she noticed the lens trained on her from off-set.  

Lu HuaiLin glanced sideways at the man in the wheelchair before leaning down toward his brother’s phone screen. “Bro,” he murmured, “what if I insist on having her?”

Lu HuaiChuan quietly admired his newly acquired artwork and said lightly, “As you wish, the choice is hers. But I’m afraid someone might back out halfway.”

With that, he beckoned to Shen Simo, who had just signed the long-term contract.

“Lu HuaiChuan and this young Mr. Lu, do you have plans later?” Shen Simo stood radiantly before the two brothers, clutching the long-awaited contract. “Shall we go for afternoon tea? My treat.”

“Sure, I’m free. As for HuaiLin, don’t you have to return in the afternoon—”

“I’m free too.” Lu HuaiLin pushed Lu HuaiChuan toward the exit of the studio. “Let’s go. There’s a nice tea restaurant nearby.”

Shen Simo was quite pleased to have a meal with both brothers.

One sheep or two made no difference to the shepherd. If she could win over both of them, there wouldn’t be any harm in it.

As soon as the three were seated in the private dining room, Lu HuaiLin immediately shooed the waiter away and began cozying up to Shen Simo—pouring water, ordering dishes, even treating Lu HuaiChuan as if he were air. Shen Simo was baffled but managed to respond to Lu HuaiLin’s overtures.

The two men flanked her like stone lions, one on her left and the other on her right. For the first time in a while, she felt out of her depth and even wanted to escape.

“Simo is 22 this year, so we’re the same age.” Lu HuaiLin glanced in Lu HuaiChuan’s direction, his lips curling into an unconscious smirk. “He’s 27.”

Lu HuaiChuan took a sip of hot tea, unusually uneasy. He forced a laugh and lowered his head. “Yeah, I’m almost 30. You two probably have more in common as peers. I’m older, so there’s bound to be a generation gap. And my leg—”

His brother really knew how to twist the knife, deliberately bringing up his sore spot. Now Shen Simo had to clean up the mess.

Seeing Lu HuaiChuan’s pitiful expression, she immediately patted the back of his hand and comforted him warmly, “Not at all. Brother, it’s amazing that you can complete large-scale paintings despite your leg. Both of you—one a renowned painter at 27, the other about to take over the family business at 22—and both so handsome. You’re really leaving no room for others.”

“Simo, do you have a boyfriend? You’re pretty and sweet-tongued—I bet you have plenty of suitors.”

Shen Simo inwardly scowled and sneered but licked her lips and feigned distress, about to tease him, when Lu HuaiChuan unexpectedly came to her rescue. “HuaiLin, you just met Simo today. Why keep asking her such personal questions?”

“Brother, I didn’t mean anything by it. Well, I’ll just be upfront.” Lu HuaiLin took a deep breath. “Simo, you’re a girl too. Can you teach me how to chase a girl?” He pulled out his phone and showed Shen Simo Lu Yong’s profile. “I want to pursue her.”

When she saw her own social media account on Lu HuaiLin’s screen, her heart skipped a beat. She never imagined that a small-time, faceless streamer like her would encounter an online fan in real life.

After over five years as a print model, she’d never once met someone who recognized her offline.

Shen Simo looked at Lu Huailin’s level 48 account named “Xiao Sen of Lubao” and immediately recognized him as her former Top Supporter. However, one day, a private account suddenly dethroned him from the top spot.  

Thanks to these two, Shen Simo had achieved temporary financial freedom.  

She took a sharp breath, hesitating whether to give him advice as usual. Even if Lu Huailin spent millions on her, she wouldn’t meet him offline.  

While receiving money was a good thing, what if her identity as a streamer was exposed in front of the two brothers? It would be hard to explain. So, she took another sip of tea, narrowing her eyes as she calmly pondered her next move. Even the smile on her face grew increasingly stiff.  

“I still think you need to send more gifts. Otherwise, how can you get their attention?” Lu Huaichuan conjured a small paper crown out of thin air and cheerfully placed it on Shen Simo’s head. “What do you think, Sisi?”