I started as a spirited young man, and the system made me a male god.

The morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains, cutting a bright golden line across the carpet of the hotel suite.

Chen Fei woke up on time, picked up his phone from the bedside table, and saw several unread messages on the screen.

Meng Sixian posted several retouched photos of the event and a new message around 1 a.m.

Chen Fei's finger paused for a moment as the photo loaded after he clicked on it.

The first few pictures are of Meng Sixian cosplaying as Yoel.

She stood by the railing by the river, the night breeze blowing through her long hair, instantly creating a captivating atmosphere.

What's most eye-catching is her burgundy dress, the tight cut of which perfectly accentuates the curves of her waist and hips.

Black, opaque pantyhose tightly hugged her straight, slender legs, making them even more alluring.

Chen Fei's gaze lingered on the photo for a moment.

He had seen many of Meng Sixian's outfits and felt that she was changing more and more.

She wears simple work clothes when working, elegant long dresses when watching movies, and short skirts when flying kites.

Although this time it was a more conservative dress, perhaps because of Lu Ziyue's makeup and styling, or perhaps because it was her first time cosplaying, Meng Sixian's overall outfit was even more suggestive than the short skirt.

Chen Fei suddenly wondered if Meng Sixian's behavior of making black stockings emojis meant she was suppressing her true nature.

If that's really the case, then next time I do a cosplay, I probably won't choose such a conservative character...

However, Chen Fei would find out all this when he went to Shanghai at the end of the month. He continued scrolling down and saw a text message:

"My first time cosplaying was so much fun! I met so many new friends, and everyone was so friendly. [Screenshot]"

Clicking on the screenshot reveals a list of new WeChat friend requests.

At a glance, there were at least seven or eight new friend requests, each with a different profile picture. However, several of them had keywords like "photography" or "post-processing" in their nicknames or bios, and judging from the profile pictures, they were mostly male.

Chen Fei raised an eyebrow.

Meng Sixian is a girl with a quiet personality. Suddenly, she took the initiative to talk about meeting many "new friends" and even sent screenshots to me. This is not like her usual style of sharing her life, nor is it something she would specifically emphasize.

His first thought was that Meng Sixian's words had a hidden meaning.

Chen Fei immediately thought of Shen Shaoting and Lin Jingyi. Meng Sixian had most likely already figured out from their social media posts that they were already together.

This means that all the ambiguity surrounding the movie theater, the rented room, and the kite flying was like a joke played on Meng Sixian.

Chen Fei could almost imagine the awkwardness, grievances, and resentment in Meng Sixian's heart, otherwise she wouldn't have sent such a message.

It's like a silent declaration: Look, I can be very charming too, I can meet many people, you're not my only option.

Chen Fei thought for a moment, but instead of pointing out Meng Sixian's little scheme, he went along with her words and replied in a half-joking, half-serious tone:

"I saw the photos, they're quite beautiful. If you're in Shanghai at the end of the month, I'll take some for you; they'll definitely be better than what they take. [Sunglasses emoji]"

After replying with the good news, Chen Fei put down his phone and got up to wash up.

At 9:30, he got ready and came to the living room.

Jiang Che was already sitting on the sofa playing on her phone. She was still wearing a suit skirt today, but the color had changed to a more formal light gray.

Her hair was neatly tied into a low ponytail, and her face was covered in exquisite makeup.

But Chen Fei still keenly noticed that her complexion was worse than usual.

The pale blue under her eyes couldn't be completely covered even with concealer, and she looked tense and strained, as if she was trying too hard to stay alert.

"Good morning." Jiang Che looked up and greeted him, his voice a little hoarse than usual. "Let's go downstairs for breakfast now, and then we'll set off."

"What's wrong with your voice?" Chen Fei noticed she looked tired and helped her with her bag. "Didn't you sleep well? And you look a bit pale."

"Maybe the air conditioning wasn't set properly, I caught a bit of a chill." Jiang Che waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing, I'm often like this, it doesn't affect my work."

Chen Fei glanced at her but didn't say anything more. The two packed their things and went downstairs together for breakfast.

At 10:00 AM, they arrived at the International Expo Center.

The massive exhibition hall reflected a blinding light under the blazing sun.

Despite the sweltering heat, the number of people was still considerable, mostly fashionably dressed or business-like individuals, and the air was filled with conversations in various languages.

Today's main itinerary is to visit various garment factories to see their new clothes, as well as a variety of textile fabrics and accessories.

Upon entering the main exhibition hall, Chen Fei immediately felt what it meant to be "an ocean of clothes".

From sheer, gossamer-light silk to rich, luxurious Australian Merino wool.

From futuristic metallic fiber fabrics to handcrafted plant-dyed cotton and linen... as well as various intricate jacquards, embroidery, and digital printing.

The sheer volume of visual and tactile information was astonishing, even to Chen Fei, who had seen plenty in his past life, and he began to explore with great interest.

Jiang Che also switched to work mode, shaking off the fatigue from the journey, and led Chen Fei through different areas with a clear goal.

"Let's first look at the domestic high-end wool and blended fabrics area in Hall 3, focusing on the new products of several established manufacturers. Then we'll go to Hall 5 to see the knitwear and silk, and in the afternoon we'll go to Hall 7 to see the fabric area."

She spoke quickly and clearly, briefly explaining the division logic and key brands to focus on as she walked, her steps light and brisk.

For the first hour or so, things went smoothly.

Although Jiang Che still looked tired, her professionalism and passion for the industry supported her efficient pace.

She exchanged pleasantries with the familiar supplier manager, chatting skillfully about company-related matters.

Chen Fei still carried his Pocket3 and camera, recording any suitable scenes he saw, thoroughly enjoying shooting in these new environments.

Around 11 o'clock, they entered a new area.

The area was extremely crowded, and the air conditioning seemed insufficient. With the increasing number of people, the air became noticeably stuffy and stale, and the oxygen seemed to be thinner.

Chen Fei noticed that Jiang Che's speech gradually slowed down, and he would occasionally pause during the conversation, seemingly becoming much slower to react.

As she squeezed out of a crowded booth, she raised her hand and gently pressed her temples. The movement was subtle, but it did not escape Chen Fei's eyes.

"It's too stuffy here. Do you want to go somewhere less crowded to rest for a bit? Have some water." Chen Fei took out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack, unscrewed the cap, and handed it over.

Jiang Che took it, tilted her head back and drank several large gulps; the icy liquid soothed her slightly.

She shook her head, her voice a little hoarseer than before: "It's okay, after we finish looking at the key companies in this area, we'll find a seat to rest."

However, for the rest of the day, except for lunch, Jiang Che hardly stopped to rest.

Especially when negotiating a collaboration with a new Chinese-style women's clothing brand, Jiang Che's work ethic intensified when they couldn't agree on a price.

Instead of going back to the hotel for a lunch break as planned, they insisted on revisiting all the places they had already visited in order to find design inspiration.

By the time she had finished shopping and was completely satisfied, it was already past four in the afternoon.

Jiang Che's face was flushed with an unnatural redness, but his mood was exceptionally high.

As she sorted through the sample booklets she had received, she said to Chen Fei:

"Although business has been bad in recent years, all the garment factories have rolled up their sleeves and produced very good products."

If I have time after filming the video tomorrow, I plan to come back again. I should be able to get the price from that new Chinese-style women's clothing distributor down to below 300,000, hehe.

Seeing her trying to keep a straight face, Chen Fei felt a little uneasy, but still nodded: "Okay."

On the taxi ride home, Jiang Che leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

The sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating her satisfied expression.

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Chen Fei asked. "The Hangzhou cuisine here is pretty good, or should we eat back at the hotel?"

Jiang Che opened his eyes, his gaze somewhat unfocused. "Sorry, I don't have much of an appetite... You eat first, I'll go back to my room to rest."

Seeing her listless appearance, Chen Fei didn't insist any further: "Okay, then you rest first. Let me know what you want to eat anytime, and I'll pack it for you."

Back at the hotel, the two parted ways. Chen Fei went to the hotel's buffet restaurant for a meal and reported his day's itinerary to Shen Shaoting and Lin Jingyi.

An hour later, Chen Fei returned to the suite.

The living room curtains were drawn, and the white sunlight that shone through turned into a dim orange hue.

Jiang Che fell asleep on his side on the living room sofa.

She was still wearing that light gray suit skirt, her makeup was still on, and her feet, encased in flesh-colored stockings, were curled up on the edge of the sofa, looking like she was sleeping soundly.

However, her bag was casually placed on the coffee table, and her high heels were scattered about, as if she had kicked them away carelessly so she could quickly lie down on the sofa.

Chen Fei's heart sank.

Not right.

This behavior would be normal for Shen Shaoting, but given Jiang Che's personality and habits, even if he were very tired, he wouldn't be so casual.

"Jiang Che?" Chen Fei called softly, slowly approaching.

The person on the sofa did not react.

"Jiang Che?" He raised his voice slightly and squatted down beside her.

Jiang Che kept his eyes closed, his breathing was heavy, and his cheeks were flushed an abnormally in the dim light.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were restless even in her sleep.

Chen Fei reached out and gently touched her exposed arm.

hot.

Amazingly hot.

His heart tightened, and he immediately placed the back of his hand on her forehead. The temperature was frighteningly high.

Based on my feeling, it's definitely over 39 degrees Celsius.