Lovers, confusion flitted across her eyes. How was she supposed to answer that?
"Very good," Sister La quickly snapped a photo. "Next, pretend to be enemies."
Enemies? The confusion turned into helplessness.
Yu Xiaonan was also watching, perplexed. Lovers was one thing, but what was this about enemies? It was hard for someone like Xia You, who had sailed through life from birth to graduation as smoothly and plainly as plain water, to grasp such a term.
"Finally, family," since the previous two were lacking, the last one must be everything to her.
Like a meteor streaking across the quiet, dark night sky, Xia You’s smile blossomed from within, stunning Yu Xiaonan.
Her family must be the most important part of her life. Sister La ground out her cigarette butt under her foot, very satisfied as she covered the camera lens.
"She’s different from you; no need to adjust the camera because she’s naturally expressive." Sister La’s perception was keen; to her, Xia You was too simple, her mind uncluttered by the usual mess, only the most essential things could touch her.
"Natural? What natural? Are you saying I’m artificial? I call that camera presence, it’s innate charisma," Yu Xiaonan rambled on and on until Sister La silenced him half an hour later with the developed photos.
His five photos were, unsurprisingly, on par with today’s wildly popular male idols. Any one of them could be showcased in a promotional booklet.
Xia You, however, could only choose one; her first two photos merely set up the last one.
"The smile is good, the current trend, how do they describe it? A healing smile," Sister La finally found the appropriate term.
Yu Xiaonan casually picked one photo while ripping up the rest, but Sister La didn’t mind. After leaving the circle, this kid just couldn’t wait to erase all traces of his past life, but unfortunately, some things can’t be erased.
After bidding farewell to Sister La, Yu Xiaonan drove his car leisurely down the road, with streetlights merging into two ribbons of light, while the two people in the car each lost in their thoughts.
"Have you thought of a name yet?" Xia You broke the silence.
"I’ve been in the circle," Yu Xiaonan focused on the steering wheel, thinking Xia You would be eager like most women to dig for more gossip after hearing rumors.
His response was off-topic, and by the time Yu Xiaonan caught up with Xia You’s question, he had already blurted out half of what was on his mind.
Embarrassed, the steering wheel twisted awkwardly as Yu Xiaonan inwardly wailed. No wonder Boss Lu said he could never be the mastermind—the kind who can’t help but expose their secrets.
"I’ve decided. I’ll be called You Xia." Xia You put the lid back on that steaming "pot." She had no interest in other people’s secrets; the more she knew, the more problems she might have to face. To her, the early Yu Xiaonan was her means for military merit exchange, and the current Yu Xiaonan, a fellow traveler.
Their small vessel had only just left the shore, and any wave could tip them over.
"Ah, you were pondering, that’s good then. How about I go by Bai Xiaosheng? I am considered the most well-informed person in the Armed Department," Yu Xiaonan laughed it off, his foot tapping the gas pedal lightly, thinking that according to Boss Lu’s standards, Xia You was a rare, qualified comrade, tight-lipped.
"Bai Xiaosheng, hmm, not a bad name," Xia You responded, glancing at the clock on the car’s dashboard, which had hit half-past nine.
Qinyang, the Dark Rose that reveals all its beauty and darkness only at night, seemed even more enchanting from the swift-moving car.
"You Xia and... Bai Xiaosheng, these names are too cumbersome, let’s just go with Xiao Xia and Xiao Sheng," the supervisor promptly dissected their names, giving them pet-like monikers.
"The photos actually turned out pretty good," the supervisor, having seen his share of handsome faces, couldn’t find anything to critique about the two photos produced by Sister La.
"According to the rules, newbies are supposed to be at the very end of the promotional booklet. The first month is always the toughest," the supervisor was aware these two were personally recruited by the manager. The one called Xiao Sheng, needless to say, had a decent appearance and was handsome and dashing; reportedly with a singing voice that could dominate the room, he should heat up quickly with just a few gigs accompanying clients.