It had been almost five years since he left, and in another month it would be exactly five years since they last met.
His sudden return had left Meng Jingwei somewhat flustered.
Qing Muye was speechless.
In this lifetime, Meng Jingwei was the only woman audacious enough to be so unrestrained and full of lies in his presence.
Knock, knock, knock—
There was a sudden knock on the hospital room door. Meng Jingwei turned her head to look and saw Shu Yao and Ivan walking in from outside.
"Weiwei, are you alright?" Shu Yao walked in and went straight to her, concerned. "I was so scared when I saw you faint earlier."
Ivan placed the fruit basket and milk aside. Although Qing Muye's presence was expected, he still respectfully said, "Master Qing is here as well."
Qing Muye gave a slight nod, and with a single indifferent glance, turned and walked to the sofa to sit, making space for the two of them.
Towards other women, Qing Muye was always so cold, indifferent, and carried an arrogance that kept them at a distance, like an unapproachable celestial being.
Ivan watched Qing Muye walk to the sofa. Even with just his legs crossed, he exuded an aura of royalty, his presence so powerful it was suffocating.
Yet, she had to admit, this man's stunningly handsome face was overwhelmingly beautiful.
"Ivan."
Seeing Ivan gazing dotingly at Qing Muye, Shu Yao gently nudged her with her elbow, reminding her.
Ivan was two or three years older than Meng Jingwei and Shu Yao, but she still possessed a girlish heart. When she saw a handsome man, she couldn't help but steal a few extra glances.
She turned back, showing no embarrassment for being caught staring. Instead, she couldn't help but chuckle and say softly, "Master Qing is much more handsome in person than in photos."
"Of course,"
Shu Yao nodded, then gave Meng Jingwei a look, as if saying: Everyone finds Qing Muye handsome, only you seem blind and unaffected by him.
"I'm fine," Meng Jingwei said, feeling helpless about Ivan's infatuation with Qing Muye, and simply responded to Shu Yao.
Then, remembering something, she asked, "You came so suddenly, what about that high-heeled shoe, is it still with you?"
"After I got the shoe, I examined it. There were very obvious signs of intentional damage. I told Ivan. She's having people investigate, so don't worry. I'm sure we'll have news soon."
Shu Yao was, of course, a sharp person. When she received the high-heeled shoe Meng Jingwei threw down after the fashion show, she instinctively took a look and noticed something was wrong with the shoe.
When Meng Jingwei fainted and was sent to the hospital, Shu Yao hadn't followed immediately. Instead, she had gone to find Ivan to discuss this matter and have her investigate the situation.
"Little sister Jingwei, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect something like this to happen today." When it came to business, Ivan immediately forgot her infatuation with Qing Muye and sincerely apologized to Meng Jingwei. "Commercial competition is a common occurrence, but I didn't expect the other party to be so reckless as to cause you injury."
As she spoke, she took out a check from her bag. "This is one hundred thousand yuan. Our Zhongling Jewelry boss said you worked hard this time, and the remaining fifty thousand yuan is compensation for you."
Although Meng Jingwei fainted suddenly on the runway, her status as the god-granddaughter of Old Mrs. Qing, coupled with her recent immense popularity, had caused the live broadcast of Zhongling Jewelry's fashion show to generate a significant response.
Within half an hour of the live broadcast ending, sales had already surpassed twenty thousand items.
"No, no, that's not necessary."
Meng Jingwei waved her hand.
Although she liked money, she had her own principles.
Before going on stage, she had discussed with Ivan that she would only accept fifty thousand yuan as an appearance fee, and she intended to stick to their verbal agreement. "It's fifty thousand, as agreed."
"This..."
Ivan was a little surprised, her gaze flickered to Shu Yao: You liar, didn't you say she was easy to 'bribe'?
Now that she's refusing this compensation, how am I supposed to say the rest?
Receiving Ivan's look, Shu Yao immediately said to Meng Jingwei, "Actually, Ivan isn't just here to pay your appearance fee, she also wants to..."
She paused hesitantly, then tilted her head to look at Ivan, leaving the rest to her to say.
"What is it?"
Stuttering and sounding anxious.
Ivan glared at Shu Yao, then gave Meng Jingwei a sheepish smile. "Hehehe, it's nothing really, it's just... that... after the Zhongling Jewelry exhibition ended today, the jewelry was immediately put on the official website, and sales exceeded twenty thousand items within half an hour. This... this is an unprecedented achievement. It's all thanks to your performance today, so my boss asked me to come and ask if you would be willing to... endorse our company?"
"What? Endorse?"
Meng Jingwei's mind buzzed. She widened her eyes in astonishment. "Are you kidding me? You're Zhongling Jewelry. If you're not looking for A-list celebrities to endorse for you, then asking me, a model from the eighteenth tier, to endorse for you, isn't that ridiculous?"
After speaking, Meng Jingwei shook her head and sighed. "I think your boss must have a problem with their brain, perhaps they've been stimulated."
Besides this reason, Meng Jingwei truly couldn't find any other logical explanation for today's events.
Endorse?
Endorsements came with endorsement fees, after all.
The thought of money made Meng Jingwei's eyes gleam. "By the way, how much endorsement fee is your boss going to give me?"
"Ah?"
Ivan seemed a bit bewildered. She hadn't expected Meng Jingwei's reaction to be so sudden, which caught her off guard.
After a moment's thought, she said to her, "As for the endorsement fee... it's a one-year contract. We'll give... only three... thirty thousand."
When saying the number 'thirty thousand', Ivan lacked confidence and even felt embarrassed to speak it out.
After all, signing Meng Jingwei as an endorser for thirty thousand yuan, with the Qing family behind her, indirectly meant establishing some connection with the Qing family.
However, regardless of how you looked at it, Meng Jingwei was a country girl who had emerged from the fields, and this amount was given because Meng Jingwei was Qing Muye's god-sister.
As for the fifty thousand appearance fee that Ivan had promised Meng Jingwei earlier, it was a reluctant, impromptu agreement made by Ivan. Afterwards, she was even reprimanded by her boss after discussing it.
It was only when the jewelry officially went on sale and more than twenty thousand orders were placed within half an hour that the stingy boss immediately decided to have Meng Jingwei endorse.
However, the original instruction was... 'First, ask her if thirty thousand yuan for a one-year contract is acceptable. After all, she's from the countryside and hasn't seen much of the world; this amount is not insignificant. If she doesn't agree, ask her what's the minimum price she'd accept for an endorsement, but not exceeding one million yuan.'
"Thirty thousand?"
Meng Jingwei lowered her gaze, contemplating.
She needed money for her future plans in esports. Although thirty thousand yuan wasn't a lot, it was still a sum of money, better than nothing.
Moreover, after not working as a model for so many years, this time her appearance fee for the show was fifty thousand, and now she'd snagged a thirty thousand endorsement. Wasn't that like pie falling from the sky?
If you're not enthusiastic about eating, your brain is faulty; if you're not enthusiastic about earning money, your thinking is faulty!
Of course, she would take this money!
Qing Muye, sitting to the side, was looking at his phone, not intending to interfere in Meng Jingwei's affairs.