Chapter 240: YOU’RE ALL THE RANGE

"Practice the hallway walk every evening this week, even just ten minutes." Lin Yansu added, tucking her tablet under her arm again. "Small, consistencies beats one long session before the show."

Guiying exhaled, grateful for the small mercy of the rest, wiping the sweat from his collar as his legs finally stopped shaking.

"Before you go." Jiang Wenxi waved him over toward a rack of garments near the fitting area. "Let’s handle wardrobe and measurements while everything’s still fresh."

A tailor stepped forward with a measuring tape already looped around her neck, gesturing for Guiying to stand still on a small raised platform.

"Arms out, please." She worked quickly, calling out numbers to an assistant jotting them down on a clipboard. "Waist, twenty-eight. Chest, thirty-six. Inseam..." She continued down his frame, methodical, unbothered by his faint discomfort at being measured so thoroughly in front of others, still catching his breath from the walk.

"You’ve grown half a centimeter since the last shoot. Seems your partner was feeding you well." Jiang Wenxi glanced at the numbers over the assistant’s shoulder, amused. "Barely noticeable, but we’ll adjust the hem regardless."

Guiying laughed nervously, all he had gone the past month was eat.

Once the measurements were recorded, Jiang Wenxi pulled a garment bag from the rack and unzipped it, revealing a sleek black ensemble with subtle silver stitching along the seams.

"This is one of the piece you’ll be wearing for your segment." Jiang Wenxi held it up against him, studying the fit critically. "Nothing overly flashy. We want the focus on how you move, not just what you’re wearing."

Guiying studied the fabric, running a hand along the sleeve. "It’s lighter than I expected."

"Yes. It’s intentional. You’ll be walking in it for several minutes straight under hot lights. The last thing we need is you overheating halfway down the runway."

A small group of models lingered near the practice runway, some of them having watched the tail end of his training. Jiang Wenxi gestured Guiying toward them.

"Let me introduce you properly, since you’ll be training alongside them this week." Jiang Wenxi nodded toward a tall, sharp-featured model adjusting his cuffs. "This is Ouyang Jinhai, he’s been with us for two years now, one of our strongest walkers."

Ouyang Jinhai extended a hand, offering a brief, easy smile. "Watched your last few passes. Not bad for a first session."

"Thank you." Guiying shook his hand, still slightly out of breath.

"And this is Su Nianzhen." Jiang Wenxi gestured to a shorter model with striking features, currently retying the laces on her boots. "She’s walked in three of our shows already. If you have questions about pacing or nerves, she’s the one to ask."

"Everyone gets nervous the first time." Su Nianzhen looked up, offering a reassuring nod. "You’ll be fine. Just don’t look directly at the front row, look slightly above their heads instead. Helps with the nerves."

"Noted." Guiying filed that away alongside everything else he’d been told that day.

"Last but not least, Cao Zhiwei." Jiang Wenxi pointed toward a model leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone, who looked up just long enough to offer a lazy wave.

"Don’t mind him, he’s like this with everyone." Su Nianzhen rolled her eyes fondly. "He warms up eventually."

Guiying laughed under his breath, already feeling slightly more at ease among the group despite the ache still settling into his legs.

He checked the time on his phone as he finally gathered his things to leave, and his stomach dropped slightly. Two in the afternoon already, far later than he’d expected, and his meeting with ChuanXiang Ramen was in less than an hour.

"I need to get going." Guiying pulled his jacket back on, already moving toward the door. "I have another meeting across town."

"Go, go." Jiang Wenxi waved him off. "We’ll send over the top three proposals tonight."

Guiying gave the room a quick wave before hurrying out, Haiyan already waiting by the car when he stepped outside.

---

Haiyan pulled away from the curb the moment Guiying settled into the back seat, glancing at him in the mirror.

"Rough morning?" Haiyan asked, catching the slight limp in Guiying’s step as he’d climbed in.

"You could say that." Guiying rubbed at his calf, wincing. "I didn’t know standing in one spot could hurt this much."

Haiyan chuckled, easing into traffic. "Wait until they put you in heels for it."

"Don’t remind me." Guiying groaned, letting his head fall back against the headrest. "Traffic looks bad today. Are we still going to make it on time?"

"Should be fine, there’s a shortcut past the second bridge." Haiyan glanced at him in the mirror. "You’ve got about forty minutes before the meeting starts."

"Thank you." Guiying exhaled, letting some of the tension ease from his shoulders. "Any plans this weekend, or is Uncle Wang keeping you working through it again?"

"Not this time, thankfully." Haiyan laughed under his breath. "Nowhere better to be either way, if I’m honest."

"Small mercies." Guiying smiled, pulling out his phone to skim through the ramen brand’s earlier proposal while the car wound through the city.

The conference room at ChuanXiang Ramen’s headquarters was warmer than he expected, sunlight pouring through floor-to-ceiling windows onto a table already set with tea. Meng Zhixuan rose to greet him the moment he walked in, offering a handshake before gesturing him toward a seat.

"Thank you for making time for us." Meng Zhixuan gestured toward the tea set on the table. "Please, help yourself."

"I’m fine, thank you." Guiying settled into his seat, folding his hands over the folder Meng Zhixuan had slid toward him earlier. "I was curious about the proposal. Tell me more about what you have in mind."

Meng Zhixuan didn’t push the offer further, simply nodding and pulling the folder back toward himself instead.

"It’s a two days shoot, both here in Beijing." Meng Zhixuan opened it and turned it toward him. "Warm lighting, steam rising off the bowl, your face as the centerpiece. We’re not looking to overproduce this. Simplicity sells better with our audience."

"What made you choose me for this, specifically?" Guiying asked, curious.

"Honestly?" Meng Zhixuan leaned back slightly. "Our research team pulled engagement data from your Weibo. People don’t just look at you, they linger. Comments, shares, the works. Plus, you’re all anyone talks about right now."

Guiying considered that for a moment, something quietly pleased settling behind his expression. "That’s flattering."

"It’s just data." Meng Zhixuan smiled. "But data doesn’t lie."

"And the compensation?"

"Five hundred thousand yuan for both days, plus a percentage of ad revenue if the campaign performs above projection." Meng Zhixuan tapped the relevant line. "We’d also want final approval on the campaign concept, though creative direction on your side stays flexible. Wardrobe, expression, all of that’s yours to shape."

Guiying read through the terms slowly, taking his time over the payment schedule and the usage rights clause before looking up. "What happens if the campaign underperforms? Does that affect the base pay at all?"

"No." Meng Zhixuan shook his head firmly. "The base is fixed regardless of outcome. The percentage is only ever additional, never a deduction. We don’t believe in penalizing the face of a campaign for factors outside their control."

"Good." Guiying scanned the proposed shoot dates. "These two days work fine for me."

"Wonderful." Meng Zhixuan made a note, then extended a hand across the table. "We’re glad to have you."

Guiying shook it, satisfied, and gathered the folder before standing to leave.