Floating Color - Chapter 4 - Limited Space vs. Vast Sky
Mi Chen took a deep breath answering, “I don’t think the PR director of Starry Cosmo would come to visit me at midnight…”
Waiting outside the door, Ann Yan burst into laughter uttering, “Firstly, I’m too busy. I don’t have any free time to meet you except midnight. Secondly, if I come earlier, you should still be working in the photographic studio. Do you want me to interrupt you when you are busy with your work?”
Meanwhile, Meow slightly pulled Mi Chen’s sleeve warning, “It’s too late now; we’d better not open the door for strangers!”
Mi Chen just felt the same way.
“Well, I’m really too tired and I’m going to sleep now! Miss. Ann, let’s talk about it some other day!”
Ann Yan didn’t get mad; instead, she simply touched her hair and said with a smile on her face, “Mi Chen, you are twenty four years old. Your mother is artistic director of KMN, the well-known international luxury brand, so you have been living in New York, Milan and Paris with your mother for a long time. You only spent three years studying in a domestic middle school. At age of nineteen, you was admitted to MAKE UP FOR EVER ACADEMY, the so called “Harvard in Cosmetic Circle”. Unfortunately, the academy is not famous in our country. Two years ago, your mother and her boyfriend died in an accident while they were traveling. Then you chose to go back from America. Am I right, Michelle?”
Mi Chen took two steps backwards in surprise. “How… How could you know all these things?”
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“Because I’m the head of PR department of Starry Cosmo. I can get all information as long as I want. So, please open the door now. It’s not polite to keep a guest outside the door.”
Mi Chen hesitated for a while and finally opened the door.
Ann Yan entered the room, keeping a mannerly smile on her face. But when she smelt the instant noodles, she couldn’t help knitting her eyebrows.
The living room was totally a mess. On the sofa heaped so many clothes which hadn’t been washed in time. Ann Yan looked around, only finding that there was no place for her to sit. Her assistant, who walked after her, quickly got a chair for her.
Meow immediately took away all the dirty clothes on the sofa and removed the stockpot into their kitchen. Finishing washing the stockpot, she nervously leaned on the door of the kitchen, trying to know what Ann Yan would say later.
“I’m just surprised. Why don’t you tell who your mother is? If you tell it out, I believe all large magazines and even photographic companies will be willing to hire you. By the way, do you think your style is suitable in an ordinary photographic studio?” Ann Yan crossed her legs, leisurely waiting for a response from Mi Chen.
“My mother don’t want me to rely on her reputation.”
Mentioning her mother made Mi Chen feel painful in her heart. She was a woman who pursuit love all her life. But true love relentlessly passed her again and again. When she finally thought that she had found the right person with whom she could spend her life, she went travelling around the world with him. Unexpectedly, Mi Chen was called to claim her mother’s remains in Baghdad several days later.
“All right.” Ann Yan took a breath and kept her words, “Those people who are unwilling to take advantage of their parents’ reputation are always confident in their capability. Let me introduce my assistant, Ai Li. To be honest, I’m always not so satisfied with her makeup. It looks so stuffy and not energetic enough. I can give you forty minutes to change it. If you did a good job, I will formally invite you to join our company. Though it’s not a fashion magazine, we are still pretty close to fashion. Starry Cosmo is a dreamy platform for all cosmeticians. If you can make me satisfied, I will promise you a suitable start.”
Meow got gradually excited while hearing their conversation secretly, shouting loudly in her heart, “Accept it! Accept it!”
It never occurred to Mi Chen that Ann Yan would send her an invitation. But she still kept herself calm replying in a peaceful voice, “Are you sure you are not going to make use of my mother’s reputation?”
Ann Yan shook her head and said confidently, “I’m the PR director of Starry Cosmo. I knew the public thought well. It’s true that your mother is famous in the international fashion world, but she is an oriental and has not been regarded as a master yet. Only a few people know her in our country. Furthermore, taking advantage of a departed is not a good choice for us as other companies of our field will attack us for that. The public will also be averse to this kind of behaviour. I’m not so stupid. And you are not equal to say these words in front of me because I haven’t decided to hire you by now.”
Her assistant who called Ai Li then walked up to Mi Chen, taking off her black-rimmed glasses. In front of Mi Chen was a smart face. Her makeup gave people a sense of coldness, making people keep her at a respectful distance.
“Okay, I accept your challenge.”
Mi Chen still remembered the day when she put makeup on Bai Yihan. She had come back for a long time but it was the first time that she had felt that her brushes came into life again. She set her mind at ease, sparing no efforts to make Bai Yihan perfect. If it could be true, Mi Chen hoped that she could keep this kind of state all the time.
The invitation from Ann Yan really sounded appealing.
“Let’s remove your makeup first,” said Mi Chen in a soft voice.
Ai Li slightly nodded and went to the washroom. When she left, Mi Chen quickly took out her desk lamp, adjusted the light and put all the cosmetics that she often used in order.
As Ai Li returned, the countdown had begun and there was only forty minutes left for Mi Chen.
Mi Chen didn’t hurriedly begin her work. She closely observed Ai Li’s face from different directions, touching her brow ridge to feel its line with her fingers. Then she spent ten minutes measuring the angle between the corners of her eyes and her mouth. Then she began to put on foundation for her.
Ai Li was more like a robot. She kept the gesture that Mi Chen told her to make in the following thirty minutes.
And Ann Yan sat at the seat, staring at Mi Chen putting on the makeup. At that moment, Mi Chen looked like a patient artist, creating shadows and lights on Ai Li’s face step by step.
It was until the last minute that Mi Chen put down the cosmetic box and the brush in her hand. She loosened Ai Li’s hair for her. With the black wavy hair falling, Ai Li slightly opened her eyes.
“Good job. Time is just over now.”
Ann Yan slowly raised up and walked to Ai Li. With folded arms, Ann Yan kept silent for a long time.
Mi Chen stood aside quietly too, while Meow was going to fall asleep in the kitchen.
“You come to the twelfth floor of our company to look for Director Kang tomorrow. He will sign the contract with you. I hope you can spare no efforts to do your job well in Starry Cosmo. You will start as an ordinary cosmetician and I will follow my words to hide all information about your mother in front the others. No people could get a high position only because of their parents in our company.”
Finishing her words, Ann Yan walked to the doorway and left directly.
Meow, who was in kitchen at first, rushed out and held Mi Chen tightly with her arms saying, “Mimi! You have a new job now! You are not the bullied cosmetician in a terrible photographic studio anymore. It’s Starry Cosmo! You will work for those good-looking people! Pinch me now! Am I dreaming?”
“It should be my dream rather than yours even if it’s really a dream!” replied Mi Chen with a big smile.
Ann Yan went downstairs, lighting a cigarette, with the wind blowing through.
Ai Li walked after her with her eyebrows knitted and then said, “She was just a cosmetician. Though her mother was eminent and famous, the leader of the signed cosmetician group can actually do the work for you.”
Ann Yan burst out laughing, shrugging her shoulders. She petted Ai Li’s shoulder with her fingers and then said, “You think too simply, Ai Li. Don’t you know people will treat their peers unfairly? Starry Cosmo is not an ordinary company. Plot filled every inch of the place. Anyway, I really like your makeup now.”
Ai Li raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t seen her face after the makeup was finished.
Ann Yan took the last drag on her cigarette and got on her car.
The dark black luxury car ran on a cold, silent road, and the light of the street lamps was broken into pieces as it passed by.
The clean, black window reflected Ai Li’s face. As soon as she saw it, Ai Li got stunned.
Was she the charming girl reflected on the window?
Neither her facial features nor face outline had changed a bit.
However, her face was extremely attractive in the darkness of the night, making people have a special feeling in their heart as long as they saw it. They would be addicted to it if they couldn’t control themselves well.
At that time, Ai Li not only looked as smart as an elite, but also seemed to be quite tender. All people would like to trust her.
Ann Yan noticed that Ai Li was gazing at her reflection on the window, a smile appearing on her face.
Then she made a call, lying against the window of the car with her eyes closed. “Run’an, she was really an excellent student of you. Her gesture of putting on makeup for others was just the same as yours.”
The voice of the other side of the phone sounded peaceful.
“She didn’t tell anyone else and just went back. I have been trying to get some information about her for so long. If you didn’t tell me that someone used the similar technique with me, I would still have no idea where she is now.”
“Your excellent student has a strong sense of self-respect. She is not willing to tell out who her mother is or the fact that her teacher is you. It will be hard for her to be successful at home.
“She didn’t mention me because she didn’t want to be my shadow any more. She always wants to have her own sky and I’m in for her too. I really hope that you could give her the chance.”
“Run’an, do you know what your tone sounds like when you talk about Mi Chen?” questioned Ann Yan smilingly.
“Like she is my daughter?”
“Actually, you sounds like a gentle man, holding a generous attitude to his beloved who is looking forward to experience the outside world. You know that your limited space can’t retain her. But you are confident that she will come right back to you as long as she experiences all those things and becomes mature.”
“I watch her grow up.”
“Well, well… You watch her grow up but I don’t. I can only tell you Starry Cosmo was just like a coin that has two sides. It provides people with a number of opportunities but it’s also as dark as the hell. Besides, happy divorce!”
Finishing her words, Ann Yan directly hanged up.
“Ai Li, what kind of position do you think I should give Mi Chen?”
“How about cosmetician for new comers? Especially those new stars that our company is going to support.”
“Why?” Ann Yan turned around and averted her eyes to Ai Li.
“These new comers are not recognized, so our company will not spend too much money on them. Mi Chen’s cosmetic method could make them look pretty natural. People like natural, pretty boys and girls now. Mi Chen can work for them, and after that, we can send them to some low cost entertainment programs or living programs. I believe the result must be satisfying.”
“As you said, Mi Chen would be a master to create stars. What do you think director Li should do in this case?”
“Though Mi Chen is talented, it’s our company that gives these new stars chances to show up.”
Ann Yan touched her chin, and her smile got more meaningful.
