The Tyrant’s Photoshoot and a Sudden Departure

Gu Wei’s physical attributes were undeniably top-tier.

Her skin glowed with an almost ethereal paleness, her waist was devoid of any excess, and her long, straight legs exuded an aggressive beauty through the camera lens.

Click, click—

After fifteen minutes of shooting, Gu Wei seemed to grow impatient. She walked over, took the camera from Xiang Qing, and began scrolling through the photos, her gaze fixed downwards.

“Tch.” She let out a soft, discontented hum. “Lifeless, utterly devoid of spirit.”

She hung the camera around her neck, then pointed at Xiang Qing. “You, stand over there.”

“Huh? Photograph me?”

“What else?” Gu Wei raised an eyebrow. “I pay to keep you around precisely to look at your face. Stand properly, and smile.”

Xiang Qing obediently positioned herself beneath the flowering tree, striving to conjure a standard, professional, yet utterly fake smile.

Gu Wei raised the camera, focused, but hesitated to press the shutter. Her brow furrowed, her tone critical.

“Your smile is too forced.”

“Take off your jacket; it’s getting in the way.”

“Your lips are too dry. Lick them.”

Xiang Qing stiffly complied.

“No, this won’t do.” Gu Wei lowered the camera, seemingly having lost all patience. “There’s no feeling.”

She stared at Xiang Qing, her gaze deep and unreadable.

“Alright, close your eyes. Think of something that excites you.”

The first thing that flashed through Xiang Qing’s mind was the black card Gu Wei had given her. As she envisioned the astronomical figures on the card and the glittering luxury goods in department stores, the smile on her face gradually transformed, becoming both genuine and radiant.

Click!

Gu Wei finally pressed the shutter.

“Yes, that’s the feeling.” Her voice held a note of satisfaction. “Keep it up.”

Immersed in her blissful fantasies of wealth, Xiang Qing allowed Gu Wei to direct her into various poses. Until, that is, Gu Wei made a request that froze her smile.

“Unbutton two buttons of your shirt.”

Gu Wei’s voice reached her through the lens, calm and entirely matter-of-fact.

“I want to photograph your collarbone.”

‘Photograph my collarbone?’

‘Is this some new kind of CEO’s fetish?’

‘A boudoir shoot in a botanical garden?’

‘Even if there’s no one else around, doing this in broad daylight is a bit too bold!’

She instinctively clutched her collar, feeling a mix of shame and fear.

“CEO Gu, this… this isn’t right, is it?”

Gu Wei lowered the camera from her face, her incredibly beautiful features now etched with impatience.

“What’s wrong with it?”

She spoke with righteous indignation, her logic disturbingly clear. “Your body, I paid for it. Your collarbone falls within the scope of my services.”

‘…That’s so damn logical, I can’t even refute it.’

Xiang Qing mentally flipped her off.

‘See? This is the power of money. It can make lewd behavior sound as natural as signing a contract.’

Seeing Gu Wei’s patience wearing thin, and witnessing her long legs begin to move as if she intended to unbutton it herself, Xiang Qing quickly pleaded.

“No, no, no! CEO Gu, I’ll do it myself, won’t that suffice?!”

She certainly didn’t want to experience the drama of CEO Gu forcibly tearing off her clothes.

Xiang Qing tremblingly reached out and unbuttoned the first button of her white shirt, then the second. Her fair skin was exposed to the air, and she felt a slight chill. Her delicate collarbones became distinctly visible, shimmering with a faint glow in the sunlight.

Click!

Gu Wei swiftly pressed the shutter, her movements as quick as a professional photographer’s.

“Hmm, not bad.”

She glanced down at the camera screen, seemingly satisfied, but then lifted her head again, issuing a new command.

“Unbutton one more.”

“Huh? Again?”

Xiang Qing felt utterly numb.

‘Unbutton one more, and the scenery around my chest would be…’

Gu Wei remained silent, merely holding the camera, its dark lens pointed directly at her, radiating an oppressive presence.

‘Fine, you’re amazing, you’re rich.’

Resigned, Xiang Qing closed her eyes, her fingers trembling as she unbuttoned another button.

“Excellent.”

A hint of pleasure finally entered Gu Wei’s voice.

Click, click—

The shutter clicks continued without pause.

Xiang Qing felt like a puppet, stiffly standing there, even forgetting to breathe. Just as she thought this embarrassing ordeal was finally coming to an end, Gu Wei’s voice rang out once more.

“Lift the hem of your shirt a little.”

…

“I want to photograph your waist.”

Xiang Qing’s eyes snapped open.

‘My waist?!’

‘Absolutely not!’

‘Showing my collarbone was already the limit of selling my soul. Anything further down, that’s premium content, requiring extra payment!’

‘Bah! Not even for extra money!’

‘I, Xiang Qing, have my limits! Though not many, I still have a few!’

“No! CEO Gu, this really won’t do!”

Xiang Qing’s face flushed crimson, like a ripe tomato.

Xiang Qing shook her head like a rattle-drum, her stance more resolute than ever before.

Gu Wei’s movements ceased. She lowered the camera, hanging it around her neck, and walked towards Xiang Qing, step by step. The cold, assertive aura emanating from her made Xiang Qing involuntarily take two steps back.

“What did you say?”

“I pay to keep you alive. Whatever I tell you to do, you must do. What right do you have to say no?”

Watching Gu Wei’s face draw closer, her expression growing increasingly displeased, the alarm bells in Xiang Qing’s mind blared at their highest level.

‘Run!’

‘If not now, when?’

Without a second thought, Xiang Qing spun around abruptly and took off running!

“Stop!”

Gu Wei’s furious roar echoed from behind her.

Xiang Qing dared not stop, pushing forward with all her might. Yet, how could a homebody weakling like her outrun a wealthy woman like Gu Wei, who clearly exercised regularly? Before she had run thirty meters, her wrist was seized tightly from behind. A powerful force pulled Xiang Qing back, her spine hitting a thick tree trunk with a heavy thud.

“Hiss—”

Xiang Qing gasped in pain, sucking in a sharp breath.

Gu Wei pinned her tightly between herself and the tree trunk, one hand braced against the tree, the other gripping her chin, forcing her to look up. Her breathing was unsteady, her chest heaving violently, and the curves accentuated by her tight white camisole swayed with each breath, a dizzying sight.

“Run?”

Gu Wei’s face was incredibly close, her warm breath caressing Xiang Qing’s face, carrying a hint of madness.

“Xiang Qing, did I tell you to run?”

“Why aren’t you obedient?”

As she asked this, her eyes gleamed with a possessive madness that sent shivers down Xiang Qing’s spine.

“I… I…”

She was so flustered, tears were on the verge of spilling.

“I, I saw you’d been shooting for a while, so you must be thirsty!”

In a moment of quick thinking, Xiang Qing concocted an excuse she didn’t even believe herself.

“Yes! I was going to buy you water! I ran so fast because I wanted to get it back for you sooner!”

She looked at Gu Wei with a sincere expression, almost ready to swear to the heavens.

Gu Wei’s grip on her chin didn’t loosen in the slightest. She simply stared at Xiang Qing, utterly silent. Just as Xiang Qing thought she was about to be strangled on the spot, Gu Wei suddenly smiled. The smile was cold and mocking.

“Buy water?”

She released Xiang Qing, straightened up, and calmly smoothed down her clothes. She pulled her phone from her pocket, opened a page, and held it out before Xiang Qing’s eyes. It displayed the order information for two plane tickets.

Departure: This City.

Destination: Beicheng.

Take-off Time: Today, 3 PM.

Xiang Qing was utterly bewildered.

‘What kind of move is this?’

“You…”

“I bought plane tickets for a trip to Beicheng.”

Gu Wei retrieved her phone, her voice returning to its usual languid yet domineering tone. “Pack your things. We’ll head straight to the airport after the shoot.” She paused, then added a sentence, finally revealing her true intention. “For the next few days, avoid seeing Shen Lanzhi.”

‘Go on a trip?’

‘Leave this home?’

‘Temporarily escape the suffocating battleground that is Shen Lanzhi?’

‘Holy hell!’

‘She’s not a tyrannical CEO!’

‘She’s my savior!’

‘My second parents!’

Xiang Qing, who had thought Gu Wei was a devil just a second ago, now looked at her with eyes full of gratitude and adoration. The fear and horror on her face vanished instantly without a trace, replaced by an incredibly bright and genuine smile.

“Yes, yes! CEO Gu!”

Her voice was filled with the joy of having escaped a disaster.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner! I absolutely love traveling!”

She eagerly stepped forward, almost ready to hug Gu Wei’s leg.

“Let’s go, let’s go! We’ll leave right now! I can’t wait!”

Watching Xiang Qing’s 180-degree change in attitude, Gu Wei’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. She knew that deep down, Xiang Qing was still on her side.

Gu Wei, in high spirits, reached out, wrapped an arm around Xiang Qing’s waist, and pulled her into her embrace. She lowered her head, leaned close to Xiang Qing’s ear, and spoke softly in an ambiguously dangerous tone.

“Don’t rush.”

“Once we’re in Beicheng, we’ll have plenty of time.”

“Then, we can continue our shoot.”

Her voice held a hint of amusement, heavy with insinuation.

“We’ll photograph something… more interesting.”

The smile on Xiang Qing’s face instantly froze.

‘Damn.’

‘A bad feeling.’