Chapter 33: Little Country Dog
Gu Lingling patted An Yi on the back, hoping he would manage to stay alive.
After all, if Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart lost even one person, the whole studio would fall apart.
Seeing the worried looks on the two of them, An Yi declared that as long as he could still breathe, that meant he was alive.
And just so happened, he could breathe right now.
As the three of them headed inside, trucks carrying luggage arrived one after another.
Gu Lingling looked on enviously. “I hope one day I can live the kind of life where I go out with a whole truckload of luggage.”
An Yi and Lin Jiu turned to look at her.
If she really wanted to, then technically… she could.
The brand’s closed-off competition grounds were under extremely tight security. Earlier, when the small cargo trucks brought luggage in, guards had come out to question and register them. At first, they had thought there was only a single guard on duty, but when the three of them entered through the main gate and handed over their invitation letters for registration, they discovered nearly twenty security guards in black suits emerging one after another from the security room not far away.
All of them looked between twenty-five and thirty, broad-shouldered and sturdy, clearly the kind who could fight.
After Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart registered, a woman in formal professional attire came over to them. Her makeup was exquisite, and her smile perfectly trained. When she glanced at the freshly registered roster, the corner of her eye twitched slightly—but she quickly adjusted her expression.
“You’re the Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart Studio, correct? I’m the brand’s designated assistant. My main duty is to help solve any living-related issues your studios may encounter here.”
Lin Jiu whispered, “Why did she pause just now?”
An Yi whispered back, “Maybe our studio name is just too stunning.”
The designated assistant tucked Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart’s registration card into a folder already containing the cards of all the major studios.
Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart.
She really had not heard such a ridiculous name in a long time.
The last time had probably been back in the distant days of elementary school, when people were stupid and fearless, and she would stand on the platform introducing little groups with names like Pink Fairy Cuteness and the like. Just remembering it made her want to go back in time and slap herself twice.
And yet this studio had gone and used a name that outrageous as its actual official studio name.
Silently, the assistant looked the three of them over.
They were all adults now.
That really shouldn’t be the case.
The three of them, however, were in perfectly fine condition and showed not the slightest awareness of the assistant’s scrutinizing gaze.
They embodied the principle perfectly:
As long as I don’t think I’m embarrassing, then the embarrassing one is someone else.
It couldn’t be helped.
Their skin was too thick.
The assistant looked at the three of them and asked, “May I ask whether you’d like to go directly to the assembly hall first, or wait here until your staff have all arrived before heading over together?”
Gu Lingling answered at once, “We can go directly. Only the three of us came from our studio.”
The assistant paused. “The rules state that each studio should have between four and eight competitors. Is your studio certain that only three people are participating?”
Gu Lingling nodded. “That’s right.”
The assistant couldn’t help but look at them again.
From design inspiration, to design drafts, to sample garments—the whole process was busy enough as it was, not to mention doing it all in an unfamiliar environment, where nothing would go as smoothly as it did back in your own studio. Even after trimming things down to the bare minimum, it generally still took at least four or five people to keep up. She had not expected this studio to bring only three.
It seemed the three of them were fully loaded with confidence in their own abilities.
The assistant smiled. “Your studio must be very confident in your own strength, right? Other studios have about seven or eight people each. Yours has the fewest participants of all.”
Gu Lingling scratched her head. “Actually, that’s not really it.”
Assistant: ?
At the side, An Yi said quietly, “Our studio only has three people.”
The unspoken meaning being:
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to bring more.
It was that everyone who could come… already had.
Assistant: ……
With impeccable professional composure, the assistant’s expression did not change in the slightest as she led them toward the assembly hall, explaining as she went, “Once we reach the hall and confirm that all the studios have arrived, the executive officer will come speak. After that, we’ll assign everyone to dormitories.”
“Everything here has been designed primarily with competition and design work in mind. Though the accommodations may not compare to what you have back home, the brand has still carefully selected the environment so that everyone can create in peace, and we will provide whatever services we can.”
The assistant made the less pleasant part clear first. After all, when the brand built this place, the focus had never been on the dormitories. And with so many participants arriving, it was impossible for everyone to have a private room.
Most of the people coming here were highly capable and also carried some family background. At home, they were all pampered young masters and young ladies, and there were no shortage of finicky, delicate personalities among them. The living conditions here could not possibly compare with the standards they were used to back home.
So it was better to say it upfront.
If anyone was dissatisfied, they could leave directly and save everyone unnecessary trouble.
The three followed behind the assistant.
Though the venue had been built on short notice, the address had been chosen in a relatively quiet suburban area with a good environment. Aside from the very distinctive architectural style of the buildings themselves, the greenery inside was also extremely impressive. At a glance, all one saw were beautifully trimmed shrubs and lawns.
They passed a huge fountain that was currently in operation, and after that, they reached their destination: a two-story-tall glass building with one-way reflective panels.
Dragging his suitcase inside, An Yi saw that the interior design leaned toward a low-key metallic style. The second floor was hollowed out and open, visible with just a lift of the head.
Voices were loud and bustling everywhere. Most people were politely chatting and exchanging pleasantries, though compared with the previous review day at the runway venue, the crowd now was only about half as large.
It was said that, in order to avoid problems caused by some studios bringing too many people—situations that might create disputes or make things unfair, like one studio having more people and therefore more ideas—the brand had fixed participation numbers at four to eight per studio.
This time, a total of twelve studios had come.
At a glance, there were well over a hundred people.
And the assistants leading people around were not just the one helping them.
The only difference was that among all those people, only the three from Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart were still carrying their luggage in hand.
When the three of them entered, not a few people cast glances their way. But after taking just one look, they all quietly turned away in tacit agreement.
The first thing they always looked at was clothing.
Ordinary clothes, no obvious background. Not worth deliberately getting to know, then pretending to engage in friendly small talk.
The three found a place to sit—a sofa tucked off into a corner—and, like everyone else, waited for the brand’s executive officer to arrive.
Very soon, the executive officer entered surrounded by others, and amidst a burst of applause, he walked up onto the stage. He gave a few welcoming remarks and spoke briefly about the competition content and design philosophy. The specific details would be released tomorrow on the electronic screen hanging above the center of the hall. As for today, the studios should first take time to adapt to the environment here, settle in, rest, and begin work tomorrow in the best possible condition.
When he finished speaking, he didn’t linger at all. He stepped off the stage and walked straight out the door.
The remaining arrangements were left to the assistant.
“Now we will proceed to assign dormitories. Although you are all competitors in the contest, that competition applies only to your work. Since everyone will be living here together for half a month, in order to encourage friendly relations between the studios, we will not deliberately place members of the same studio in the same room.”
“Assignments will instead be based on age, since people of a similar age are more likely to get along harmoniously. Each dormitory is a four-person room, and all room setups are identical.”
“Let me emphasize once again: we hope everyone will live together peacefully. If any physical fights or brawls occur, the studio involved will be immediately disqualified.”
After all, these were all young masters and young ladies with tempers. If they truly started making trouble, handling it would be extremely difficult.
“I’m sure everyone heard before coming that outside media are paying very close attention to this place. The brand will also choose certain times to allow media interviews, and celebrities and public figures will participate in judging during the competition. Every word and action you make here represents your studio. We hope everyone gets along well and spends this half month pleasantly.”
When the people present heard that the dormitories were four-person rooms, most of them looked uncomfortable.
“Brother Ting, what do you think the dorms are like?”
A few flunkies standing beside He Ting asked him carefully.
Their studio was funded by this young master’s family, and the hardest one to deal with among them was him. Making him share a room with other people would be more painful to him than simply killing him.
He Ting’s family background was not something to be underestimated. In the business world, they held a place of their own, and in looks he too was first-class handsome. But the better-looking his face was, the worse his temper was. Very few people could put up with him.
“You’re asking me? How would I know?” He Ting said with a face full of impatience. “It doesn’t matter how they assign it.”
The one who had asked froze, not expecting him to be so easygoing for once.
The next second, however, He Ting continued, “No matter how they assign it, I won’t be satisfied.”
“……”
They’d known it.
He Ting stood on the second floor looking down at the crowd below, his gaze full of irritation.
Sleeping together with three other people? Just imagining it was unbearable.
His eyes moved over the others, assessing them. To be honest, there was not a single person there he actually wanted as a roommate. Then his gaze landed in one spot with faint disgust.
Best of all, he thought, would be not ending up with some sort of country mutt like that. It would ruin his taste.
Looking at the person in the white T-shirt and black pants below, He Ting’s brows drew together. Someone with taste that bad—how had he even gotten into this place?
The lackey beside him followed his gaze and also looked down with disdain.
But heaven never gave people exactly what they wanted.
He Ting was twenty-two this year, and since he was about the same age as the “country dog” in his eyes, he was forcibly assigned to the same room.
At that moment, An Yi had just received the key to his room and still had no idea that, in someone else’s eyes, Little Frog had already undergone a species change.
He just felt his nose itch and sneezed.
Little Frog instantly became alert: !
Someone was badmouthing him behind his back.
After seeing Gu Lingling off to the women’s dormitory, An Yi and Lin Jiu headed toward the men’s dorms. Lin Jiu was on the first floor, An Yi on the third. After they separated, An Yi huffed and puffed his suitcase up the stairs. Reaching the room, he unlocked the door and found that he was the first one there.
No one else had arrived yet.
The first thing visible when entering was the sleeping area. Four single beds stood side by side in the room, and on the right-hand side after entering there was another door leading to the bathroom and toilet.
He Ting walked toward the dormitory with a dark expression on his face. His luggage would be brought up later by someone else for him. People he formed a bad first impression of were not people he ever wanted to come in contact with again. The thought of sharing a room with some country mutt for what was clearly not going to be a short time made his mood drop to rock bottom.
While heading upstairs, someone patted him on the shoulder. “Young Master Ting, long time no see.”
Two people stood behind him.
Their families could also be considered modestly well-off, the kind of second-generation rich kids with some background, but compared to He Ting, their family situations weren’t impressive enough. Having grown up in the circle, they’d naturally absorbed the rule that you needed to build good relationships with those more powerful than yourself—it might be useful one day.
Within the rich kids’ circle, He Ting was fairly well known. His only flaw was that his temper smelled bad. But it was said that he was very generous as long as he accepted you. If you asked him for help, he was never the sort to stand aside and do nothing.
In He Ting’s memory, however, he had absolutely no recollection of these two faces. He ignored them completely and continued walking upstairs.
Even after being brushed off, the two still wore smiling faces and went on flattering him at his side. “What a coincidence that Young Master Ting also came to compete this time. Fate really has it in for us, even putting us in the same room.”
He Ting kept his face cold.
Fate my ass.
If he had known from the start that he’d be forced to stay in a dump like this, he never would’ve come in the first place.
One of them continued, “Though I heard our other roommate is a little… less than ideal.”
An Yi’s clothes were simply too ordinary. He was carrying a gray suitcase in his hand, and along the whole route only one or two people had dragged their own luggage. He had been one of them.
It would’ve been fine not to mention it—but the moment that “country dog” of a roommate was brought up, He Ting’s mood instantly darkened again.
The person beside him went on, “But I guess for him, it’s lucky too. Being able to come into contact with someone like Young Master Ting—this will probably be the only chance he has in his whole life.”
“I bet the whole contents of that suitcase of his together still wouldn’t match even one of Young Master Ting’s sneakers.”
As he said this, he lowered his gaze to look at the shoes on He Ting’s feet.
“These shoes of Young Master Ting’s are custom-made. They’re second only to that limited-edition pair released last month.”
“The limited ones were way too hard to get. There were only a hundred pairs worldwide. But of course, Young Master Ting didn’t even like that limited edition very much, otherwise he would never have had a custom pair made instead. Right, Young Master Ting?”
The more the two spoke, however, the darker He Ting’s face became.
Neither of them realized they were tap-dancing directly in a minefield.
Back when the promotional images for that limited-edition pair first came out, He Ting had taken a liking to them and wanted to buy them. But before the release even officially happened, they’d already been privately reserved and sold out.
Seeing that He Ting still wasn’t responding, the two tried to shift topics. Just as they reached the room, one of them said, “I bet that country mutt of our roommate has never even seen anything good in his whole life.”
“Well of course not. What good stuff could a country mutt have?”
But the moment He Ting twisted open the door and stepped in, he saw the country mutt taking out that very limited-edition pair of sneakers from last month and placing them beside the bed.
He Ting: ……
The two others: ……
The pair standing behind He Ting were both dumbfounded.
What was going on here?!
Looking at An Yi’s plain clothes, plain suitcase, every inch of him declaring I am poor, I am a pauper—how could he possibly own a globally limited-edition pair of sneakers?!
An Yi was sitting on the carpet sorting out his suitcase. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he turned his head and saw the three roommates standing there with highly expressive faces.
The three of them were short-tall-short, forming the shape of the Chinese character for mountain.
Since they would be living together for half a month, Little Frog produced a friendly sound.
“Hello.”
Earlier, most people had only seen the country mutt from the back, not from the front. After all, nobody had been curious enough to look.
Now, sitting on the floor, the young man had smiling eyes and brows, skin as white as snow, and was looking at them with friendly kindness. His grape-like eyes were bright and carried an obedient sort of goodwill.
The two beside He Ting were momentarily transfixed.
Country mutt or not, that face was still something worth looking at.
People like them kept all sorts of partners around them, both men and women. As long as someone looked good, that was enough. They had seen every type imaginable, but An Yi’s kind of rustic simplicity was the first of its kind they had encountered.
Yet compared with his looks, what they cared about even more was how someone they viewed as a country mutt could possibly own a pair of sneakers so rare you couldn’t buy them even if you wanted to.
He was an unfamiliar face. From childhood, they had followed their elders to banquets and business dinners, so for the most part the circles of people their age all overlapped. In their memories, no such person had ever existed.
The two simply couldn’t figure it out.
Could it be that this country mutt had bought a fake pair just to prop up his image?
He Ting stared at those sneakers for a few seconds, then looked away.
He did not respond to An Yi at all.
Instead, he surveyed the room. Four beds stood next to each other, each separated by only about a meter. He didn’t want the middle bed, nor the one closest to the door, so his gaze settled on the one by the window—An Yi’s.
Keeping his face cold, he strode forward and kicked the gray suitcase on the floor.
Looking down at An Yi from above, He Ting said, “Hey. I want this bed.”
