Jiang Mian opened the door.
Nightwing leaned against the wall, holding a transparent square box in his hand, containing a palm-sized cocoa mousse.
"What, not inviting me in?" he raised an eyebrow, pulling down his cap like a hooligan.
Jiang Mian rolled her eyes and walked back, "If I don't invite you in, you'll come in yourself anyway."
"You know me best, Mianmian." He entered, closed the door, and followed closely.
His gaze landed on the clothes prepared on the bed, and Nightwing said lazily, "I've come at an inconvenient time, just when you were about to take a bath."
Jiang Mian chuckled, "I'm not going to take a bath now."
"Okay, then come have some cake first."
He carried the item to the bar, sat on a high stool, and waited for her.
Jiang Mian poured him a glass of water and handed it to him, unpacking the cake with one hand, "Why did you suddenly think of buying this for me?"
"Why so many questions? This place is delicious, and I just wanted to buy it for you to try." He rested his chin on his hand, staring at Jiang Mian.
A smile flickered in his eyes.
Jiang Mian nodded, "It looks good."
"Of course. I lived in Paris for four years, and I used to order this every day in college."
The rich texture melted in her mouth, and Jiang Mian was surprised, "You went to college in Paris?"
"Yes, the Ji family gave my mother a sum of money back then. We first went to Canada, then to Vancouver. After my mother passed away, I wanted to see a bigger place, so I went to study in Paris." He said it frankly and casually.
Jiang Mian paused, "Do you... have any thoughts about the Ji family?"
"Thoughts? What thoughts could I possibly have? I have nothing to do with the Ji family." Nightwing scoffed.
Jiang Mian looked down and took a sip of water to wash away the bitterness, then said, "You and your brother are quite alike."
"My brother??" Nightwing jolted, "No way, I won't admit it. That's like taking advantage of me."
"Okay, I misspoke." She scooped up some cake, "Have you guys ever thought about sitting down calmly and having a good chat?"
After all, she always felt that the affairs of the previous generation had nothing to do with the next.
Moreover, she always had a thought, perhaps Nightwing also wanted to... get closer to his brother.
Nightwing stared at the cocoa powder accidentally smudged on her nose and said without thinking, "Impossible."
Ji Zhixiu would probably hate him to death if he saw him.
Besides, what was there to talk about?
Jiang Mian: "Why?"
"Because... because it doesn't matter why, what matters is that Old Man Ji Zhixiu would never agree." he stated with certainty.
"You're so sure without even trying?"
"Why should I try? Why try something I know is impossible?"
Jiang Mian wiped the corner of her mouth, leaned on the counter, and moved closer to him.
Nightwing leaned back, "Why are you coming so close?"
Jiang Mian carefully observed his expression and then said seriously, "Are you scared?"
Nightwing froze for a second, then his voice suddenly became louder, "Scared? What am I scared of? What is there for me to be scared of?"
"You're afraid he won't accept you as his brother, you're afraid of his disgusted gaze, aren't you?" Jiang Mian said, spelling out the hidden secret in his heart.
Nightwing lowered his gaze, his bangs obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
After a long moment, he looked up and curved his lips into a smile, "No. It's me who hates him, I don't want to see him."
"Alright," Jiang Mian sat down.
"Believe me," Nightwing emphasized.
"I believe you," not.
Jiang Mian knew this guy was incredibly stubborn.
She threw the used trash into the bin, clapped her hands, ending the conversation. "Okay, I'm going to take a shower, you can leave now."
"Okay," Nightwing got up and walked towards the door.
At the doorway, Nightwing clutched the doorframe and poked his head in, "Take me with you for the shoot tomorrow?"
Jiang Mian crossed her arms and stared at him, "What do you want to come along for?"
"As your 'assistant,' shouldn't I be there to lend a hand?"
"Alright, then you can come if you're willing. We need to be there by seven o'clock tomorrow."
"No problem, good night."
"Good night."
Nightwing returned to his room.
He heard his phone ring. He opened it and saw an unknown number.
He didn't answer.
A few minutes later, the ringtone persisted.
Nightwing clicked his tongue and answered, "Hello."
"Is this Nightwing?"
A sweet female voice came from the other end.
Nightwing glanced at the caller ID, "You don't know who I am, yet you're calling me?"
His tone had clearly turned aggressive.
The other party didn't seem to mind and instead said, "That's good, I've finally found you."
Nightwing frowned, "And who are you?"
"Who I am is not important, what's important is that I want to cooperate with you. Are you interested, Mr. Night?"
A hint of playfulness flashed in Nightwing's eyes as he unbuttoned his jacket with one hand and leaned back on the sofa.
"What cooperation, tell me about it?"
"I think, Mr. Night, is there someone very important to you? Someone you can't reach, because of their identity or other reasons... it's all restricting you." Her voice was pleasant and flowed smoothly.
If you listened carefully, there was a hint of seduction.
Nightwing's smile faded, and he let out a soft "heh."
When someone who always smiled suddenly stopped smiling, it was definitely a sign of anger.
Unfortunately, the other party didn't know Nightwing well and thought this "heh" meant she had hit a nerve.
She continued, "I think I can help Mr. Night capture his beloved. What do you say?"
Nightwing: "There's such a good thing? What do I need to do?"
This was essentially him taking the bait.
The other party was overjoyed.
She suppressed the upward curve of her lips and continued softly, "You don't need to do anything, just follow my arrangements."
"Okay, so what are your arrangements?"
The other party was clearly not foolish. She paused and said, "Where are you now, Mr. Night? I'd like to meet you in person."
The next moment, she heard Nightwing utter a profanity that hit her eardrums, startling her, "Shen Tingyu, who are you trying to fool?"
Trying to find him as an ally? Did she even deserve it?
Shen Tingyu's face changed. She gripped her phone and finally admitted, "How did you know it was me?"
Nightwing sneered, "Besides you, who else would be focused on this kind of thing? You're still up to no good even with your eyes closed?"
Shen Tingyu's face turned pale and then flushed. She lowered her voice, "Nightwing, let's be straightforward. You want Jiang Mian, and I'll help you."
"I don't need it."
As if guessing he would hang up in the next second, Shen Tingyu quickly stopped him, "Don't hang up yet, I'm serious. You like her, right?"
If he didn't like her, why would Nightwing give her the best resources at Fan Hua?
There were so many artists in the company, yet he only interacted with Jiang Mian on Weibo.
A woman's intuition told her that Nightwing definitely had feelings for Jiang Mian.
Nightwing paused, his tone dangerous, "Shen Tingyu, who I like has nothing to do with you. You'd better put away your self-righteous little schemes."
"Don't you hate Ji Zhixiu?" she asked urgently, "He forced you and your mother to leave your homeland."
Nightwing chuckled, "Are you crazy?"
What right did the son of a mistress have to hate the son of the legitimate wife?
The latter was the rightful one, and what was he?
Shen Tingyu stared at the phone screen that had been hung up, her expression unreadable.
She thought Nightwing would definitely agree if she brought up Jiang Mian.
To her surprise, he refused.
Well, if this path didn't work, then so be it.
...
Nightwing blocked the number and slept soundly.
The next morning, he knocked on Jiang Mian's door, "How was it, punctual?"
Jiang Mian smiled, "Quite punctual, come in."
"I brought you breakfast," Nightwing placed the items on the table.
Jiang Mian tied up her hair, securing it with a clip, "Wait for me, I'll put on some makeup."
She planned to wear light makeup, and there would be makeup artists to do her full makeup on location.
The weather in Paris was not as hot as in Kyoto.
Jiang Mian was wearing a fitted long-sleeved pink sheath dress indoors, accentuating her curves.
Her chestnut hair was casually tied up, with a few strands falling down, adding a touch of alluring charm.
Nightwing whistled, "You're beautiful even without makeup, simply my lucky goddess."
Jiang Mian ignored him and entered the bathroom, "Did you eat?"
Her voice came through the half-open door.
Nightwing tapped his feet on the floor and spun his high stool, "No."
"Then you eat first."
"I'll wait for you to eat together."
As he said this, he froze.
He found himself really enjoying this simple, everyday conversation.
It felt as if they were truly living together...
Jiang Mian walked out, poured two cups of milk, and brought them over, "We'll be shooting on the Champs-Élysées later, an outdoor shoot."
Nightwing shrugged, "Whatever, wherever you go, I'll follow."
Jiang Mian yawned, "Okay, let's eat first."
After breakfast, the three of them followed the magazine's staff to the Champs-Élysées.
The partner had already set up a temporary studio.
The theme of this shoot was "Youth Power."
Accordingly, Jiang Mian's makeup and attire were also quite sharp and grand.
She wore a high ponytail and a red suit.
Nightwing exclaimed, "Cool girl!"
Jiang Mian exchanged a few ideas with the photographer in English and then prepared to start shooting.
For both the internal and external magazine covers, Jiang Mian was to shoot two sets.
She also changed into two different outfits.
All of them were haute couture in collaboration with the brand.
This attracted quite a few curious onlookers.
The shoot ended close to noon.
Jiang Mian wanted to explore a bit more and declined the staff's offer to escort her back.
Li Zhuyi tidied up her things, "Sister, I want to go back first."
Jiang Mian nodded, "You can go back with them."
Nightwing stood behind her, "I'll stay and wander around too."
The two of them strolled down the street.
The street was bustling and lively, with a strong romantic atmosphere.
It had just rained lightly that morning, and the air was still a bit damp.
Nightwing walked beside her, "What do you want to buy? Shall we go shopping on the west street? There are clothing stores and perfume shops there, which you should like."
Jiang Mian stopped, "Sure, but I want to drink some water first, I'm thirsty."
During the shoot, to prevent lipstick from smudging on her cup and to avoid touch-ups, she hadn't drunk any water.
When she finally remembered, she realized her water cup had already been taken away by Li Zhuyi.
Nightwing looked around. There were no shops on either side of the street at the moment.
"You wait here for me, I'll go buy you some," he looked down at her.
Jiang Mian found a street bench and sat down, "Okay, I'll wait for you here."
Nightwing's figure quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Jiang Mian took out her phone and sent a message to Ji Zhixiu.
Jiang Mian: 【Just finished work, I should be able to go back tomorrow】
Just as she was about to hit send, Jiang Mian heard a voice from above.
"Are you Jiang Mian?"
Jiang Mian thought she had been recognized again and looked up with a smile, "Yes."
The two men standing in front of her, one tall and thin, laughed twice, "Good, we've been looking for you."
His smile had a strange quality.
Jiang Mian suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. Just as she was about to step back, her arms were grabbed from the sides.
At the same time, the cold, hard object pressed against her waist made Jiang Mian realize this was no joke.
The shape and outline of it... immediately made her abandon any thought of shouting for help.
Seeing her obedience, the two men exchanged a knowing glance.
In the struggle, her phone fell to the ground, the screen briefly lit up before going dark again.
The two men shoved Jiang Mian into a car and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
The whole incident, from beginning to end, took no more than a few seconds.