She had already messaged her friend overseas that she would be coming to stay with her for some days. Although she didn't know what lied ahead of her but she was confident that she would make it. She carried her portfolio along with her, which one of the fashion designers, Lucino had created for her out of interest.
Lucino was an Italian designer and had been to the country number of times. It was during these times when once he had to showcase his collection that he met the carefree Feng Xinying. He was captivated by her looks and had shown a lot of interest in her. Being a photographer also, he knew that she looked perfect in front of the camera.
He had been after her to join the modeling industry and told her repeatedly that she was at the right age to enter the industry. With her looks and figure she would easily get assignments. He told her that she was a natural though she didn't know what he meant by saying that.
She had remembered his words and had texted him about her future plans without revealing that she had left her house. When he received her message, he tried calling her but she her phone was switched off. He was happy with her decision and thought that rather than studying she had taken his words for serious. He had to support her because she had shown so much confidence.
Lucino texted her back,
"Everything will be arranged when you reach California. Let me know your address where you will be staying and we will take from there."
It was a long flight in which Feng Xinying had woken up only twice to eat food.
She landed in Los Angeles fifteen hours later. Her friend was there to pick her at the airport.
Within the next one month, Luciano had given her some of his assignments to work on. Her work caught attention of several fashion designers and her up rise in the industry skyrocketed. Very few models of her age could achieve that. As the years went by she showed her professionalism in the industry and bagged many modeling contracts. Her position became very strong as she became a super model.
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Five years later…
Feng Xinying was supposed to celebrate her twenty-third birthday a month later. She had received many emails and messages from her friends to celebrate her birthday in London. She was beginning to like the idea and had been making arrangements for her close group of friends to go to London a month later.
One of her friends, Keira was her agent and also her best friend in this ruthless world of modeling. She had been specially annoying her to go to London and take a break.
Feng Xinying woke up with a startle during one such pestering call from Keira. It was 5AM in the morning.
"Feng Xinying I have some terrible news for you," she said from the other end.
Thinking that it was her prank call, Feng Xinying said, "Keira, please just tell me what you want. It is so early in the morning and I don't want to spend my weekends getting up early!"
Keira paused a little and said, "Feng Xinying, I just received an email from your company in China. Your father has died yesterday morning and they are waiting for you for the rituals."
Feng Xinying's brain stuttered for a moment. She couldn't take the morning light that was entering through the windows. Every part of her body felt numb while she tried to catch up on Keira's words. When she comprehended, it was as if someone had whipped her. Her pain was endless. It was such a huge impact that every wisp of air in her lungs was knocked out, as she dropped back on her pillow and lay there struggling to inhale or exhale, to do anything.
She had left him because she wanted to take revenge. But now he was no more… On whom would she take her revenge? She lay there on her bed as the image of her father bounced inside her skull. She looked at the two photographs that were a permanent fixture on her bedside table – her father and her mother.
A tear rolled out. She had to see him, to show him that she had succeeded.
"Xinying, Xinying?" shouted Keira from the other side. But she couldn't find words to reply her. Her mind had stopped working. There was so much vengeance filled in her system and she wanted to purge it. She disconnected the call and curled up on her bed. She remembered the day when she had left the house.
She didn't know for how long did she cry but two hours later she found herself on a plane back to her country. Keira had arranged for her departure tickets and accommodation in her city.
Feng Xinying landed in her city and the first thing she did was to go to her house to see her father.