Chapter 1

"Hey miss, over here!" Evangeline turned around to face a woman, around thirty years old, with bleached-blonde hair cut into a bob, and a heavily made-up face. "Are you interested in modeling?"

"No thanks," Evangeline muttered, turning away.

"Please reconsider your choice, you're practically perfect for this job! Nowadays in the modeling industry, a pretty face alone isn't enough to make someone successful, but you? Not only are you the perfect height and physique, but you also have a very unique flair and an unforgettable face. Your eyes are a gorgeous shade of blue, and your foreign-looking appearance will definitely make you stand out from the others ¹! You are from...?"

"I'm half Italian." Evangeline stared at the floor, feeling giddy from the flattery.

"Wonderful! Well, what I'm saying is, you have lots of potential as a model. Judging by your uniform, you probably have school to attend, so I won't hold you up for much longer. Here's my card, give me a call if you're interested."

Once the woman walked away, Evangeline looked at the cream-coloured card in her hand. It read:

Chen Zhimei

Talent Agent

Mingzhu Talent and Modeling Agency

XX1X-XXX0

XXX@mingzhu.com

⁂

During recess, a small crowd of girls had gathered around Evangeline to listen to her talk about her summer vacation. "You're so lucky! I can't believe you got to spend your summer vacation at your family's yacht in Sorrento!" One girl with long, purple hair gushed, hanging onto Evangeline's every word with stars in her eyes.

"Well, my family IS amongst the most affluent ones in the country, if I must say so myself," Evangeline beamed, twirling a piece of black hair around her finger.

Soon enough, the group dispersed. Evangeline noticed her best friend standing behind her with her arms crossed, her silky chocolate-brown locks bunched up into her usual pigtails, secured by pink ribbons. "Your lies just keep getting bigger and bigger, next week you'll be telling them that your dad got you a pet unicorn at your floating castle in Monaco. How long can you keep this up for?" She questioned, lifting a brow.

Evangeline rolled her eyes as she reassured her concerned friend, placing her arm around her shoulder. "Come on Ah-Fei ², why are you being so stuffy? Aren't you supposed to support me as my best friend?"

"I AM supporting you." Clearly annoyed, Yingfei shook Evangeline's arm off her shoulder. "Your lies will lead to even more lies, to the point where you'll start contradicting yourself and your entire network of lies will fall apart." Evangeline opened her mouth to reply, but as if right on cue, the bell rang signaling the start of class. For once, Evangeline was thankful towards the ear-piercing bell, having been saved from an earful of nagging from her friend.

After class, Evangeline spotted Yingfei waiting for her by the gates, her face buried in a novel. Seeing Evangeline approaching her, she nodded in acknowledgment and put down the book.

Waving the business card she was handed this morning, Evangeline said: "So I got scouted by a modeling agency this morning. I looked them up online and they seem to be reputable."

"Have you tried searching up the agent's name? She could be a scammer posing as an agent from a legitimate company."

"Right." Evangeline typed Zhimei's name into the search engine; clicking on the first site link, she was taken to a page of the company's website. At the very top of the page, she saw Zhimei's name, photo, and contact details. "That's her, Chen Zhimei."

"Well, the website is most likely real, seeing as the padlock icon by the address bar indicates that it's encrypted. Plus, the details from the card match the contents on the page; it seems like this agent is the real deal. Are you going to call that number?"

Evangeline paused. "I'm considering it..."

"Wanna grab a drink, by the way?"

"Nah, I have to work tonight, so I need to get back home early. See you tomorrow though!"

"See you."

⁂

Evangeline found herself standing outside a French restaurant, the meeting place her client had arranged. She glanced at her phone; it was seven o' clock, just in time. It seemed that her client hadn't arrived yet, so she stood there, waiting for him.

Suddenly, Evangeline saw a man in his forties rush towards her. Judging by his suit and gel-slicked hair, he seemed to be a salaryman. "Are you Celine?" He asked, using the fake name she used for her job.

"Yes, that's me."

"Sorry, I'm running a bit late, something came up at work," the man apologized, panting. "Anyway, shall we get started?"

After being seated, the man handed her an envelope filled with cash. Evangeline counted out a sum of 730 yuan, and it seemed like the client had left a rather generous tip on top of the fee she charged for a two hour date.

Overall, the client was polite during dinner, and the two hours passed by quickly enough. Heading outside the restaurant, Evangeline bid him goodbye and started to walk away when he grabbed her arm, trying to bring her close to his body. Pulling away, she frowned at him: "Sir, you are not allowed to make physical contact with me; it's against my terms of service."

"You insolent girl, why else did you think I paid you an excess? Since you're wh*ring yourself out anyway, why don't you do as I say?" The man hissed at her, not letting go of her arm.

"We had already agreed that my task was to accompany you for dinner, nothing more. I had clearly stated my terms of service before we arranged to meet, and any extra you pay me is a gratuity. Now please, let go of me."'

"You-!" The client raised his arm, when a stranger suddenly intervened, pushing him onto the ground. Evangeline managed to get a good look at the stranger's face. He was quite handsome in a peculiar way, with dark purple hair, downturned brown eyes, and a tear mole under his right eye, framed by rounded glasses.

"Leave her alone this instant," the stranger growled in a menacing manner.

The client glowered at him. "How dare you!" He barked.

"I told you to leave. Must I repeat myself?"

The client gulped, sizing up the situation. A few seconds later, he took a running start and disappeared from the corner, leaving a dazed Evangeline with the stranger.

The stranger looked at her with a concerned expression. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I think so." Evangeline murmured, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Brushing off her skirt, she scoffed: "Thanks for your help, but I could have dealt with it myself.".

"Whatever you say," the stranger chuckled. "Anyway, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Yang Zixuan, what's your name?"

"Evangeline. Evangeline Russi, or Lu Yiwan. Either is fine."

"What a beautiful name! Well, it was nice to meet you." Zixuan smiled, extending a hand towards Evangeline. She shook it, regaining her composure. "I'll see you around," he said, walking away.

⁂

That night, Evangeline lay face down on her bed, tears down her face, mentally recoiling from the client's actions from earlier. She was sick of her job, sick of her family, and sick of everything. If only she could find a proper job that paid enough, then she could apply to become an emancipated minor and live on her own, without being burdened by her father.

All of a sudden, Evangeline remembered the modeling offer she was given that morning. Scrambling to dial the number, she prayed that it wasn't too late in the evening. Her father was probably out drinking until late, so this was her chance to call the agency without interruption. She breathed a sigh of relief when a voice at the other end spoke: "Chen Zhimei of Mingzhu Talent and Modeling Agency speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I'm interested in becoming a model..."