Chapter 64 Part 2

The photography site was still being set up slowly. Good news: the fashion department finally got the brand-provided outfits, and jewelry selections arrived early—but due to their high value, they’d only be delivered on shoot day.

Makeup and hair progress wasn’t smooth, though. The celebrity had a tight schedule and could only come once—no time for trials. They had to design everything in advance to ensure no mistakes.

Zhu Ran wasn’t good at makeup; he could only give vague concepts of the vibe he wanted. The makeup artists nodded along, but the results never matched his vision.

In the end, the beauty models and makeup artists got annoyed, complaining if Zhu Ran couldn’t make up his mind before directing them.

Zhu Ran was frustrated too—the revisions were worse than the first version. He suspected sabotage. But it was his project; he couldn’t just drop it.

Zhu Ran took a deep breath to steady himself, bought little cakes and milk tea, and coaxed gently, “Don’t be mad. Let’s try once more, okay? I know you’re all amazing—it’ll be perfect.”

The two girls exchanged looks. Seeing Zhu Ran’s pitiful pleading softened them, and they half-heartedly continued.

Professional makeup artists were indeed different. This time, they nailed exactly what Zhu Ran wanted.

Mission accomplished, Zhu Ran’s sweet talk flowed: compliments galore, providing ample emotional payoff.

The other side felt awkward refusing now. As they packed up, one said, “I’m not trying to make it hard on purpose, but you know you’ve pissed someone off. You should know who, and that you’re…”

Zhao Luyao walked over. The makeup artist shut up immediately and left with her things.

How could Zhu Ran not get it? But he had no proof, and these petty harassments were just infuriating without real damage—even if reported, it wouldn’t stick.

Still, Zhu Ran couldn’t swallow it. He confronted Zhao Luyao. “This is our joint project. What’s the point of sabotaging it like this?”

“Mind your own business?” Zhao Luyao pinched Zhu Ran’s slightly plump cheek, made a disgusted face, rubbed his fingers, and walked off.

Zhu Ran flipped him the bird.

The friction continued. Maybe because Zhao Luyao led the charge, Zhu Ran found no one called him for lunch.

The company had no cafeteria; everyone ordered takeout or went out nearby. People used to invite Zhu Ran, but by the time he noticed this time, the office was empty.

Too late for delivery now. Zhu Ran went to the convenience store and bought a boxed meal from Lawson to eat at his desk.

Zhu Ran didn’t mind. He preferred eating alone anyway. He just thought these people were ridiculously childish with their cliques—he looked down on that.

Zhu Ran opened a video and ate at his workstation.

Wu Tong burst in hurriedly with a sandwich, surprised to see Zhu Ran alone. “Just you?”

Zhu Ran nodded and greeted, “Director Wu.”

Wu Tong had been swamped prepping the annual gala lately, coming to the office less than twice a week.

She sat at the desk next to Zhu Ran’s, munching her sandwich while asking about his project. Zhu Ran said it was going well so far—smooth sailing.

Wu Tong finished her sandwich quickly. As she left, she patted Zhu Ran’s shoulder. “You’re doing great. Don’t take what those people say to heart.”

Zhu Ran knew she was looking out for him and nodded. “I get it. Thanks, Director Wu.”

Wu Tong left. That afternoon, she ran into Chief Editor Zhou Shuang and mentioned Zhu Ran’s situation roughly. “Can’t someone rein in that Zhao Luyao? He’s always messing with my department—don’t let him cause a big mess.”

They’d been friends for over a decade—no beating around the bush.

Zhou Shuang looked troubled. “You know his deal. He’s the Zhao family’s only heir; they treasure him to bits. He hasn’t caused real trouble. Just turn a blind eye.”

Wu Tong smiled. “Since it’s no big deal, why not keep him on your team, Chief Editor Zhou?”

“Spares me,” Zhou Shuang laughed, shaking her head. “I’m almost forty—I can’t handle spoiled young masters.”

Wu Tong wanted to speak up more for Zhu Ran—she admired his skills. But she was just middle management; she couldn’t challenge big shareholders like Zhao Sheng. Climbing to her position hadn’t been easy. All she could do was hope Zhu Ran fended for himself.

Zhu Ran couldn’t fend for himself at all, because he discovered the site setup had fallen behind again.

Song Jiangheng had already pushed them once, but the workers hustled for one day then slacked off. Zhang Muyu was coming tomorrow, and they still had half to do.

Zhu Ran urged them twice to no avail. He pulled the foreman aside, handed over a pack of smokes, and said, “Brother Wang, I know this isn’t your idea. We all work hard out here. What I’m about to say is about the issue, not you personally—don’t take it to heart.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Brother Wang took the smokes, noted the good brand, and warmed up a bit. He grinned lazily. “We’re all just working folks—no one’s targeting anyone. I’m issue-focused too, not picking on you on purpose.”

“Exactly,” Zhu Ran nodded. “But we set a delivery date. If the project delays because of you guys, whose responsibility is it?”

“No idea,” Brother Wang shook his head in deadbeat fashion. “We’re contractors—we follow orders. Boss says jump, we jump.”

Zhu Ran smiled, lit his own smoke, and squatted roadside, puffing as he spoke. “I know Zhao Luyao hates my guts and told you to stall my project, give me attitude.”

Brother Wang chuckled noncommittally.

“But this project’s got Zhao Luyao’s name on it too,” Zhu Ran pivoted. “If it flops, it’s his and VOG Editorial Department’s faces that get dragged. The celeb has her agency and fans—think they’ll let it slide if she suffers here? Someone’s gotta take the fall.”

Brother Wang stayed silent. Zhu Ran’s words didn’t scare him—he was just following orders.

“You think only I’ll suffer as the lead?” Zhu Ran smiled and shook his head. “I’m just an intern—what can they do to me? Worst case, I quit. No loss. But the sponsors and celeb won’t let it go. Who do you think they’ll hold responsible—Zhao Luyao, or the engineering department that dragged down the entire project?”