Wen Nuan borrowed a sum of money from her good friend Tang Mandong, temporarily settled her mother and Wen Jing, and the three of them rented a small apartment. As the eldest in the family, she had to shoulder the burden of the family. Luckily, it was summer break, and there was no need to go to school.
She gently stroked Wen Jing's head and said softly, "Xiao Jing, before school starts, your sister will definitely gather your tuition fees."
Wen Jing stubbornly bit her lower lip and kept silent as Wen Nuan left the house.
She was an acting student at the A City Film Academy, and after the summer, she would be in her second year. She desperately needed money, and acting was not a realistic option for her since she hadn't formally signed with any agency yet. A senior of hers, who was already a slightly famous starlet, had introduced her to an audition. If she succeeded, she might have been able to sign a contract. It was for a period drama, where she would play a minor maid role. Though the part was small, she missed the audition—it wasn't a fit.
Wen Nuan didn't mind, she planned to look for some print advertisements and was willing to act in small plays—anything would do, as long as she could earn money.
Tang Mandong had already lent her a large sum of money, and the rest, she had to earn on her own.
For several days in a row, she interviewed with numerous companies. She wanted to do print advertisements, and those were small ad agencies she went to, companies that a few of her well-acquainted friends had referred her to.
Wen Nuan was tall and slender, with a pure and innocent face, and she could easily adapt her look—dusty if you wanted or innocent if you needed.
She was close to signing a few contracts, things were going smoothly, but they ultimately fell through. Wen Nuan wasn't naive; she knew someone was thwarting her efforts from the shadows: other than Fang Liucheng, she couldn't think of anyone else.
Having faced rejections all morning, Wen Nuan sat dejected outside the plaza, munching on the cheapest bread to stave off hunger. She had called all her past friends, and aside from Mandong, no one could help her, their goodwill unable to counter Fang Liucheng's sabotage.
Despite the bitterness in her heart, she always wore a smile. Wen Nuan was an optimistic and strong girl, her smile lived up to her name.
Just as she was about to pack up and head to another ad company for an audition, she suddenly saw an image appear on the big screen in the plaza—a luxurious room, an opulent bed, a woman lying on the bed, half-naked from the back, her hair scattered like clouds on the pillow, and as the camera zoomed in, a brightly colored butterfly tattoo on her shoulder stood out in the black and white contrast.
It was a brief commercial, just about ten seconds focused on the semi-nude woman, accompanied by beautiful music, and ended with four bottles of butterfly series perfume featured in the shot. The only line was,
"5203, I love you baby, come find me on your own initiative."
It was a very beautiful perfume ad, 5203 being the Code for Anning's butterfly series of women's perfume. Paired with the butterfly on the woman's shoulder and that line, it had an allure, tempting ladies to come out and seek the fragrance.
Extremely provocative, undoubtedly a very creative advertisement.
However, Wen Nuan felt as though she had been struck by lightning.
That woman was clearly her.
Unexpectedly, the ad was interspersed with an introduction, "This is an advertisement personally designed and shot by Ye Feimo, the president of Anning International Group, for the newly launched Butterfly 5203 perfume series. Miss, do you remember 5203?"
Perhaps others didn't understand what the last sentence meant, but to Wen Nuan, it was like a thunderclap suddenly resonating.
The man that night was… Ye Feimo?
"Wow, what a beautiful image."
"That line is so provocative!"
"This doesn't look like an ad at all; it's more like… suggesting something, right?" a woman said softly, "What's the relation between that woman and the ad? Who shoots a perfume ad like this?"
"Now that you mention it, it does seem like…"
Wen Nuan's mind went blank as she drifted ghost-like toward the bus station.