What To Do When The Boss Takes A Liking To You chapter 17
Very Beautiful, Perfect for the Camera
Xu Le instinctively clutched his shirt collar, blushing as he stammered, “Director Zhang, I’m a good citizen. I’ll sell my physical and mental labor, but I absolutely won’t sell my body!”
Director Zhang: “…”
Director Zhang rubbed his forehead and explained, “A male model is absent today, so the men’s sample display is lagging. I noticed you have a good physique, so I want to see if you can do it.”
Xu Le was even more surprised, “But I’m just a staff member. Isn’t it inappropriate to go on camera so hastily?”
He didn’t mind being on camera. As an experienced content creator, he wasn’t afraid of the camera. But being a model to showcase products was something he wasn’t confident about.
Director Zhang frowned, thinking it over…
Just as Xu Le breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Director Zhang had given up on this ridiculous idea, he saw Director Zhang slap his forehead and continue.
“No need to show your face, just your body. I’ll have the cameraman adjust the shots. Take off your shirt so I can see if you’re suitable for the camera.”
Xu Le looked around at the bustling scene. Although he was a man, he still felt embarrassed to strip in public.
Seeing his hesitation, Director Zhang urged, “Hurry up. If you’re suitable, I’ll arrange an extra performance bonus for you.”
Hearing about the money, Xu Le got motivated.
A man doesn’t cry easily. What’s the big deal about taking off a shirt?!
He closed his eyes and quickly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his well-proportioned upper body.
Despite being young, Xu Le’s upper body had a youthful slenderness without being overly thin. A thin layer of muscle wrapped around his beautifully shaped bones, pleasing to the eye. His skin was smooth and flawless, with elegant collarbones and perfect waist-to-hip ratio.
In summary, it was an ideal body for the camera.
Director Zhang’s eyes lit up, nodding in satisfaction. “Great, you’ll do!”
Xu Le pointed to himself in confusion. “Me?”
Director Zhang smiled excitedly, “Yes, you. You’ll be showcasing a few necklaces and waist chains. Xiao Xu, right? You’re a good lad. Maybe we can collaborate more in the future.”
Xu Le nodded blankly.
As long as he got paid, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t asked to display extreme jewelry like nipple rings or tongue and lip piercings, just to wear some items and get photographed. It should be fine, right?
Soon, he was brought near the sample display area. Someone handed him a waist chain and a necklace.
“Hurry and put these on. It’ll be your turn soon!” someone urged.
“Oh, okay…” Xu Le took the accessories, momentarily unsure of what to do.
The necklace was fine; he had worn one before. But the intricately designed waist chain seemed tricky to handle.
He wrapped the waist chain around his waist several times but couldn’t figure out how to put it on.
Seeing his slow movements, a nearby staff member, aware that the live broadcast couldn’t wait, stepped in to help him put it on.
Once the staff member had wrapped the waist chain around his lower abdomen and fixed the butterfly-shaped jeweled accessory at his navel, they couldn’t help but exclaim, “I have to say, your waist is just right for this chain. It looks great on you.”
“Really?” Xu Le felt a bit shy, wearing such an extravagant accessory for the first time. “So, is it okay now?”
The staff member stepped back to take a look, then said, “Wait, it seems a bit crooked. Let me fix it…”
“Oh, okay.” Xu Le stood still obediently, looking down as the staff member adjusted the waist chain.
“President Lan, the overall live broadcast plan is fine, but we have a male model who backed out due to Fashion Week. So, one of the male samples might not be fully showcased. Director Zhang found a well-built intern to stand in for now. We won’t show his face, just part of his body to display the samples.”
Lan Qing listened to the progress report from his side, responding calmly, “As long as it doesn’t affect the live—”
Just as he reached the entrance, Lan Qing’s steps halted, his deep blue eyes fixated on something in the distance.
The intern had his head slightly lowered, his white shirt fully unbuttoned and hanging loosely at his elbows, exposing almost his entire upper body.
He wore a necklace on his collarbone and a waist chain adorned with small diamonds around his slim waist. His head-down posture made him look particularly docile, allowing others to fiddle with the samples on his body.
It’s him? Lan Qing’s eyes darkened.
“President Lan, what’s the matter?” Noticing Lan Qing standing still, the employee cautiously asked.
Lan Qing was silent for a full ten seconds before he withdrew his gaze.
“This situation must not happen again,” he said in a strangely cold tone.
The employee sensed that the boss seemed somewhat displeased. He guessed that Lan Qing might be unhappy about the model’s lack of commitment, so he agreed, “Don’t worry, I’ve already emailed the modeling agency. Neither MissOK nor any other brand under Starlight will collaborate with them again.”
Lan Qing ignored the employee’s words and continued walking inside.
“President, President Lan…” The employee hurriedly followed.
Xu Le was curiously touching the waist chain, wondering if he should wear a crop top with it. Girls often wore midriff-baring clothes, but would a guy look too “gay” in a crop top?
Then again, considering today’s society’s high level of acceptance, with all kinds of strange outfits seen on the streets, a guy in a crop top wouldn’t be too unusual.
With the cold air conditioning in the live broadcast backstage, Xu Le shivered as he stood near the vent with his shirt wide open.
Just as he was about to move away from the vent, he looked up and saw President Lan approaching with some people.
Xu Le froze, instinctively thinking he was in the boss’s way.
He was about to step aside when he heard Lan Qing’s cool, low voice, “If you’re cold, why don’t you move away from the vent?”
Xu Le was surprised that the boss was concerned about his comfort. “I was just about to move, thank you, President Lan!”
Lan Qing’s deep blue eyes looked at the somewhat nervous intern in front of him. The intern was clutching his shirt hanging from his arms, his chest almost fully exposed.
The intern’s body was lean but not weak, with a thin layer of chest and abdominal muscles.
As for the eye-catching colorful spot, it seemed perfect for being pierced and adorned with a beautiful ornament…
Lan Qing pushed aside these irrelevant thoughts and looked at the camera nearby.
To better showcase the products, the company used the most advanced film-grade equipment, which captured everything in high definition, even the smallest details of earrings, and would be clearly visible to the millions watching the live broadcast.
Naturally, this included the model’s body displaying the samples.
Seeing Lan Qing’s increasingly stern expression, the employee felt uneasy. “President Lan?”
“Using internal employees to replace models for sample displays must not happen again,” Lan Qing said coldly.
The employee was taken aback, then remembered what President Lan had said earlier.
So, President Lan’s “must not happen again” referred not to the model’s breach of contract but to the dissatisfaction with using an employee as a model?
“President Lan, rest assured, we won’t show the substitute employee’s face. Ordinary people’s expressions can’t match those of professional models. We’ll use close-up shots throughout! If you think this approach is inappropriate, we can skip his part and adjust the product display sequence as needed.” The employee explained nervously.
Hearing the conversation nearby, Xu Le’s heart skipped a beat.
He glanced at Lan Qing, who indeed looked displeased.
Although Lan Qing’s face rarely showed much expression…
Could it be that President Lan thought he wasn’t suitable for wearing these accessories and feared he might ruin the live broadcast? Xu Le thought about it and felt this was the most likely reason.
Seeing his potential bonus for substituting as a model slipping away, he felt a bit disappointed. But if the boss wasn’t satisfied with him, there was nothing he could do.
After all, the boss had the final say.
So, should he start removing the accessories? How did this waist chain come off again?
Lan Qing noticed the intern’s expression changing from confused to disappointed, then back to confused.
Although he didn’t know what was going through the intern’s mind, seeing him start fiddling with the waist chain as if figuring out how to take it off, he guessed that their conversation had been overheard entirely.
“No need to change it, let’s go with him,” Lan Qing said.
He glanced at Xu Le, who was hesitating with his hand on the butterfly-shaped ornament on his lower abdomen.
The high-level employees around him were stunned for a few seconds before quickly nodding, “Understood, President Lan. Should we retract the email to the agency of the model who broke the contract?”
Lan Qing said casually, “No need to retract the email. Also, from now on, none of the brands under Starlight, including all related resources, will cooperate with them.”
His words, though spoken calmly, carried a chilling coldness.
In other words, Lan Qing intended to completely blacklist that agency.
Given Starlight Group’s strong capital and intricate network of interests, even if the agency had some backing, it would be difficult to challenge the insurmountable mountain that Starlight represented. At best, the agency might just manage to linger on for a while.
“Understood, President Lan.” The employee’s tone was calm and agreeable, but inside, he was churning with emotions.
He hadn’t expected President Lan to be so enraged. It was just a model breaking a contract, yet he didn’t spare the company behind them…
Xu Le, listening nearby, couldn’t help but be astonished. Though young, he could sense the weight behind Lan Qing’s words.
That model’s company was likely in big trouble.
It seemed President Lan was indeed very formidable. Xu Le thought he had to be extremely careful not to make any mistakes at MissOK, or he might end up “blacklisted” himself someday.
He couldn’t help but imagine the scene in his mind.
President Lan, sitting nobly and arrogantly in a luxurious armchair, looking down at him as he sobbed and bowed repeatedly: “Xu Le, you can get out of MissOK. From now on, you won’t get a job in any reputable company in China.”
Those deep, dark blue eyes staring straight at him carried an intimidating coldness.
Just like the vampire boss in an anime!
Gosh, that’s terrifying! Just thinking about it made Xu Le shiver.
“Don’t worry, President Lan. I promise to complete the live broadcast task and absolutely won’t drag MissOK down!” Xu Le quickly wagged his figurative tail, smiling brightly.
He had to earn a good impression in front of the big boss. He needed to make sure President Lan thought well of him!
Lan Qing looked at the inexplicably energetic little intern: “…”
“Okay.” His response was flat, but his tone was noticeably softer than before.
Remembering the intern shivering earlier, Lan Qing gestured to the employee beside him.
The employee, looking serious, immediately leaned in to listen to Lan Qing’s instructions.
Lan Qing rarely initiated gestures for conversations with his subordinates, so it must be something important.
Perhaps it was a suggestion related to the product live stream, or a strategy for the upcoming international video conference, or maybe Lan Qing had a new idea about the company’s development direction.
In any case, at MissOK, President Lan’s words were like decrees, and every word had to be taken seriously.
As someone who had been promoted by President Lan himself, the employee had to follow every instruction diligently to live up to Lan Qing’s expectations and support.
“President Lan, please go ahead.” The employee’s tone was solemn, even taking out his phone to open the notes app.
He planned to work overtime that night to prepare a proposal and submit it by morning.
“The air conditioning temperature is too low. Turn it up a bit.”
“Understood, President Lan. I’ll make sure to send the proposal to you by tomorr—”
Realizing what Lan Qing said, the employee looked up abruptly, confused, “What?”