Chapter 13 He Actually Checked Out Male Models!

Chapter 13 He Was Actually Checking Out Male Models!

After lunch, the models arrived for their fittings.

The assistant director was briefing Lin Yunshu on the evening's arrangements, while Lin Yunshu listened, subtly observing his surroundings.

Each model was accompanied by at least one or two staff members. The garments they wore were all unreleased, next-season designs, intended solely for display—many were even one-of-a-kind pieces.

The staff were meticulous, and the models handled the clothes with extreme care.

Lin Yunshu's gaze swept across the room, landing on a familiar figure in the left corner of the dressing room.

Chen Shuyang was surrounded by two assistant designers, who were adjusting the fringe detailing on his collar.

He was clad in a grey-green suit, its design emphasizing a deep V-neckline worn without an undershirt. He was lean but well-built, with a good physique.

Among a host of supermodels, Chen Shuyang was one of the least known. His opportunity to walk in Cassi’s show likely stemmed from his exceptional height, distinctive aura, and that currently fashionable "resting bored face."

As a newcomer, the outfit assigned to him was merely from the current season's collection.

Yet, his perpetually aloof expression carried the undeniable swagger of an international supermodel.

Lin Yunshu felt a smile tugging at his lips.

"Please wait a moment," the assistant director said. "I'll fetch the materials for your review."

Lin Yunshu nodded. "Thank you."

The assistant director politely acknowledged him and hurried away.

From a distance, Chen Shuyang turned his head, his eyes suddenly meeting Lin Yunshu's.

Even across such a distance, Lin Yunshu could see his pupils dilate in an instant.

Chen Shuyang looked as if he’d seen a ghost. He abruptly raised a hand to cover his face, instinctively moving to flee, but the designers caught him, held him in place, and pulled him back.

His entire body stiffened like a wooden post.

Lin Yunshu walked over unhurriedly. The two assistant designers immediately beamed upon seeing him, calling out his name repeatedly.

"Secretary Lin!"

"Is Secretary Lin here to inspect the work?"

Lin Yunshu smiled in response. "Just looking around."

Chen Shuyang: "?"

He vaguely recalled that just a second ago, when these two assistants were holding him down, they had the worn-out, dead-eyed look of overworked employees.

What brought them back to life?

He turned his gaze to his cousin.

Lin Yunshu, on the other hand, showed no trace of being a mere employee; he somehow resembled a client, always maintaining that gentle, inscrutable demeanor.

Chen Shuyang’s brain short-circuited. He blurted out, dumbfounded, "What are you doing here?"

The designer beside him was aghast and quickly whispered a reminder: "Watch your tone! This is Secretary Lin!"

Chen Shuyang: "What?"

"……"

Lin Yunshu waved his hand to indicate it was fine and asked the designer, "Is he a new model?"

"Yes," the designer said. "A newcomer introduced by a third party. He’s still green—please be patient with him, Secretary Lin."

Chen Shuyang: "??"

Before Chen Shuyang could fully grasp the situation, the assistant director returned, bringing the chief director with him. Both were all smiles, exceedingly eager to please.

The chief director proactively began updating Lin Yunshu on the specific details of the event. The assistant director stood by, smiling along.

Chen Shuyang was utterly dumbfounded.

"Do secretaries have such high status nowadays?" he muttered.

The designer next to him looked at him with a "how clueless can you be" expression and mercifully explained:

"When the big boss isn’t around, Secretary Lin is the one calling the shots. It’s an unwritten rule. Even though you’re outsourced, you should still understand basic workplace etiquette, right? Don’t go around acting clueless all day."

Chen Shuyang: "???"

He finally remembered that Cassi was backed by Lin'an Group—the major financial sponsor.

And his cousin worked at Lin'an Group.

Big boss, Secretary Lin, the one calling the shots…

Chen Shuyang’s mind exploded.

Since when did his cousin become one of the big shots?!

His cousin was actually such a big deal?!

After the chief director finished reporting the progress, he said he would take Lin Yunshu to check out other parts of the venue. The two designers also joined them.

The group surrounded Lin Yunshu as they moved away. Lin Yunshu lingered a moment, turning back to glance at Chen Shuyang.

Chen Shuyang instinctively straightened up. His face still looked arrogant, but his eyes vaguely revealed a touch of bewilderment.

"Good work," Lin Yunshu said, unable to suppress a smile. "Keep it up. Aim for a spot closer to the front."

Chen Shuyang: "Huh? …Oh, okay, okay!"

·

Outside the venue, Guo Shengyao held a large black umbrella, standing with two subordinates, ready to welcome the boss.

"Shengyao," one of them whispered in a gossipy tone, "any progress on the big boss’s arranged marriage? Do you know any inside info?"

Guo Shengyao’s fine eyebrows arched as she recalled the prenuptial agreement Lin Yunshu had asked her to draft a couple of days ago.

Clearly, the chairman’s wife had already been chosen.

Although she didn’t know who it was, the fact that Lin Yunshu hadn’t used the company’s legal team but had instead sought out Lawyer Li privately at least indicated that the matter couldn't be disclosed for now.

She shot a glance behind her. "Why ask about that? Don’t pry into the boss’s private affairs."

"Ah, Ms. Guo, don't keep us in suspense," the girl said with an eager, nosy look. "Everyone knows this is practically office business. The several families Old Zhou favors are all here for the celebration. Everyone's waiting to see the drama unfold!"

Cassi's anniversary celebration was the biggest event recently. The marriage candidates Zhou Xingde had chosen for Zhou Yu were also the group's business partners, so they were invited for both professional and personal reasons.

But with the news of Zhou Yu's arranged marriage spreading like wildfire, everyone's attention had turned to the personal side, wondering if Zhou Yu would use the celebration as an opportunity to announce the wedding directly.

"See, see, what's so interesting about it?" Guo Shengyao said. "Be careful not to lose your job over this. Will you get a raise or a promotion if the boss gets married? Just focus on your own work and don't ask too many questions."

Her tone was stern, and the two girls exchanged glances, shrinking away and closing their mouths.

A luxury car with a flashy logo pulled up slowly, and Guo Shengyao hurried forward with an umbrella.

The big boss got out of the car, followed closely by Assistant Li and the branch manager.

Zhou Yu was tall with long legs, his expensive, well-tailored suit perfectly accentuating his physique.

He walked with an air of authority, casually waving off the two behind him to attend to their own tasks, then ducked under Guo Shengyao's umbrella.

Guo Shengyao quickly raised the umbrella higher.

"Where's Lin Yunshu?" Zhou Yu got straight to the point.

"Mr. Lin is backstage," Guo Shengyao replied.

"Take me to him."

"Okay."

Backstage, every department was busy but organized.

Having enjoyed the boss's free lunch at noon and been hinted at bonuses upon completion, the staff greeted Zhou Yu with genuine smiles, eagerly calling out to him.

Zhou Yu responded to each one, occasionally asking how they were, seeming to be in a good mood.

Guo Shengyao was still thinking about that contract.

Lin Yunshu had her revise it twice. The first version was extremely harsh on the other party, but the second turned into a genuinely fair contract.

Although Lin Yunshu was the most trusted person by Zhou Yu's side, Zhou Yu's marriage was his own business. The second version of the contract must have been changed at Zhou Yu's instruction, reflecting his own intentions.

From this perspective, the big boss seemed quite caring of his marriage partner—at the very least, there was genuine feeling involved, not just a business deal.

The more Guo Shengyao thought about it, the more surprised she became.

She couldn't figure out when Zhou Yu had found the time to develop feelings for someone else. The man spent twenty-four hours a day with Secretary Lin and didn't even know what his blind dates looked like.

Zhou Yu suddenly stopped, and Guo Shengyao, lost in thought, almost bumped into him, barely stopping in time.

The smile had vanished from the big boss's face, his eyes turning dark and deep, his good mood completely gone.

Guo Shengyao was startled, unsure who had angered the boss this time, and quickly followed his gaze.

In a corner not far away, Lin Yunshu was talking to a male model. Not only that, but he was actually smiling—a gentle, encouraging smile.

Heaven knows how captivating Secretary Lin looked when he smiled. It was almost hypnotic, gentle and full of warmth.

Yet this kind of smile rarely appeared in front of Zhou Yu.

After all, the big boss didn't need his subordinates to show him affectionate encouragement—that would be crossing a line.

At first, Guo Shengyao didn't think much of it. Lin Yunshu often smiled at them like that too; Zhou Yu just never saw it.

Instead, she took a closer look at the male model. Not bad—quite young, well-built, with an uninterested look, though his eyes seemed a bit blank.

Huh... could it be...

The spirit of curiosity rose in Guo Shengyao's eyes.

Could it be that her master liked this type?

She glanced back at Zhou Yu. The big boss's face had darkened, his jaw tight, as if he were clenching his back teeth hard.

Guo Shengyao's gossip spirit quickly faded.

Having worked under the boss for so long, instinct often took over before conscious thought.

"Mr. Lin!"

She called out loudly, directly interrupting Lin Yunshu's conversation with the male model.

Lin Yunshu turned his head.

He saw Zhou Yu, spoke briefly with the directors, sent them away, and walked alone toward the two of them.

Zhou Yu stood with his hands in his pockets, not walking up quickly as usual, just waiting where he was.

Lin Yunshu subtly sensed something was off, but couldn't think why, so he pulled himself together:

"Boss?"

He smiled slightly.

Zhou Yu glanced at it and felt the curve of the smile wasn't as wide as the one he'd given the male model, so he snorted.

Lin Yunshu: "?"

"Come take a walk with me," Zhou Yu said.

"Okay," Lin Yunshu replied.

Guo Shengyao instinctively followed, but Zhou Yu raised a hand. "You stay here."

She stopped in her tracks again, watching Lin Yunshu's back as he left with concern.

Backstage was busy with people moving around. Lin Yunshu walked with Zhou Yu for a while. Seeing that Zhou Yu remained silent, he asked cautiously, "Did you have lunch?"

He didn't bring up work, instead starting with daily life, showing concern for Zhou Yu's well-being.

The boss's expression softened slightly.

"I did," the boss said, acting formal. "Did you like the dishes I ordered for you? Were they to your liking?"

"I liked them very much," Lin Yunshu said. "Thank you, boss."

The boss was a little happier.

"Were you just meeting with the directors and models?" he asked casually.

"Yes," Lin Yunshu replied, "we were confirming the schedule for tomorrow evening."

"How was his figure?" Zhou Yu suddenly inquired.

"?"

Lin Yunshu was stunned. He had been considering which key tasks to report to Zhou Yu and took a moment to catch up with the abrupt shift in topic.

"Yes," he nodded, "he fills out the clothes well."

That Chen Shuyang—his appearance was pretty good, nothing wrong with him as a model.

Not wanting his younger brother to be seen as getting special treatment, Lin Yunshu avoided mentioning their relationship and offered an objective assessment.

Zhou Yu didn’t ask more, as if it were just a casual remark.

Lin Yunshu didn’t elaborate either but noticed the boss had suddenly started walking faster.

Having a hard time keeping up, he called out, "Boss?"

Zhou Yu was furious!

His mind was filled with nothing but Lin Yunshu complimenting the male model.

Lin Yunshu praised the male model.

He actually complimented a male model!

I’ve worked so hard to achieve such a good physique, walking around shirtless in front of you every day, and you don’t even bother to look, don’t even ask!

Yet you turn around and praise some male model?!

What’s so appealing about a skinny, chicken-like body?

Standing there like a telephone pole—what does he have that beats me?

He’s not even taller than me!

Burning with jealousy, Zhou Yu turned to Lin Yunshu and said, "You don't need to worry about backstage matters anymore."

Startled, Lin Yunshu asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"The air backstage is awful!"

Zhou Yu said irritably, "Full of dust and sweat—it’s making you uncomfortable! It’s not good for you!"

Lin Yunshu: "...?"

Author's Note:

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Zhou Yu (totally losing it): He looked at the male model! He looked at the male model! He looked at the male model! Ahhhhh!!

——

PS: The next chapter will be updated the night after tomorrow; no update tomorrow. Before the VIP chapter, we need to slightly keep the word count down, so the update frequency will be adjusted these two days. All details will be clarified in the author's notes~

Post-VIP, daily updates! The big fat chapter for the VIP entry is already written! Rubbing my hands excitedly [star-eyed].