Chapter 139: A Sudden Turn of Events

By the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the holiday rush began to wind down. Hongfen was set to return to work on the seventh. After having lunch at her eldest sister's house, Yu Wen and Wen Yu drove to the provincial capital. Since Yu Wen had left while the rest of the Yu family remained, Yu Qian and Wen Yu returned to stay with them.

"Sigh!" Yu Qian let out a heavy breath in the car.

"What's wrong?" Yu Zhen asked, glancing at her with curiosity.

"They're heading to work before even finishing the Lantern Festival. It breaks my heart."

In the past, when the company was still developing, Yu Wen and his wife were quite relaxed; last year, they had even given their employees time off until the Lantern Festival. But with the business picking up this year, let alone the staff, the two of them couldn't even afford to rest until then.

Wen Xiu rolled her eyes. "It's all to earn money to support you."

Indeed, if it weren't for Yu Qian agreeing to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, the couple wouldn't have pushed themselves so hard. Now that Yu Qian wanted to become a model, and their family business was in fashion design, they had to work even harder for her sake. One could only imagine how the employees at the company would be pushed in the coming days.

It had to be said that Wen Xiu understood the hearts of Yu Qian’s parents perfectly. The couple was indeed determined to work harder, aiming to take their brand international. This way, if Yu Qian’s modeling career went smoothly, their company wouldn't embarrass her; and if it didn't, they would be in a position to give her a boost. Such is the way of parents—often, their hard work and struggle are not for themselves, but to ensure a better life for their children.

Wen Xiu’s words put a lot of pressure on Yu Qian. She had already given up on the idea of being an actress, and she had never even considered being a singer from the start. If she failed at modeling now, it would truly be a disappointment to her parents.

By the tenth day, most of the relatives had visited, and classes at the Small Cave Heaven had not yet resumed. With nothing to do, the two girls began their training. In her previous life, Yu Qian had loved watching runway shows, but lacking money and influence, she could only watch videos. She followed Victoria's Secret and High Fashion shows, naturally developing favorites. Beyond the well-known Gisele Bündchen, she admired models like Natasha Poly, Mariacarla Boscono, and the "Queen," Eugenia Volodina. The Queen’s signature "nail-step"—where every stride seemed to pin itself into the viewer’s heart—was what had hooked Yu Qian during the 2005 Victoria's Secret show. Unfortunately, by the time she discovered her, the Queen had already retired to become a "travel blogger," leaving no chance to see her on a new runway.

With an idol to look up to, Yu Qian felt even more motivated. Though she couldn't start formal training yet, she could begin by adjusting her posture and stability. Thus, she began a regimen of standing against walls and balancing objects on her head, striving to steady herself as quickly as possible.

Seeing her own effort, Wen Xiu felt she couldn't slack off either. Leveraging the buzz around Zhou Jingchen, she made connections and secured valuable resources. She began inquiring about modeling training and searching for a top-tier teacher. Whether it was luck or misfortune, Director Xu knew of someone with the perfect qualifications to be Yu Qian’s mentor. However, this person had retired and had never taken on students. It wasn't that no one had asked; it was that no one could persuade her.

Wen Xiu gritted her teeth and dialed the number Director Xu had provided. If she couldn't talk her way in, she would throw money at it. As a boss, she lacked many things, but not money. After years of navigating the stock market, her net worth had multiplied beyond measure; if the couple hadn't been so indifferent and checked their accounts, they would have been shocked. The woman answered the phone, but no matter how generous the offer, she refused to come out of retirement, claiming there was no "fated connection" to teach.

"Fated connection?" How could you know if there was a connection without even meeting? At the end of the day, she simply didn't want to come out of retirement. Wen Xiu didn't tell Yu Qian; she couldn't give her hope only to crush it later.

That night in the Small Cave Heaven, Yu Qian asked Fuxi to conjure a training room and went inside to work on her form. Watching her, Wen Xiu felt even more discouraged. According to Director Xu, the path for Chinese models was difficult, and those who could break into the international scene were few and far between. Those who had succeeded in recent years were still active and naturally didn't want the next generation to replace them. The only one who had truly retired was this woman. With Yu Qian having such potential, Wen Xiu couldn't just find her an mediocre teacher. That would be ruining her.

"What's wrong? Why that face?" Su Daji walked over and pinched Wen Xiu’s soft cheek. It felt wonderful, she thought, squinting her eyes.

"We haven't found a teacher for Qianqian. The best one won't come out of retirement."

"That's no trouble. If she doesn't want to, forget it. I'll teach her." Su Daji was very confident in her own gait; if she hadn't walked gracefully, how could she have easily seduced King Zhou? One had to know that the King's harem had hundreds, if not thousands, of beauties.

"No!" Wen Xiu bristled, crossing her arms in a large X.

"Why not! Don't I walk beautifully?" Su Daji puffed out her chest, her voice louder than Wen Xiu's.

"No, no, no! You walk too seductively! A model is supposed to display clothes, not seduce men!"

"Hey, little one, are you looking down on me?" Su Daji was indignant. How could she say her walk was only meant for seduction? Though, admittedly, she *had* started walking that way to seduce the King. Thinking of that, Su Daji lowered her hands, which had been ready to fight. It seemed Wen Xiu wasn't entirely wrong.

Seeing the two finally quiet down, Fuxi, who was playing chess with the Heavenly Emperor, spoke up: "No rush. I will send a dream later."

"That won't be necessary."

Just as Fuxi finished speaking, the Heavenly Dao suddenly appeared. Everyone was confused. The Heavenly Dao said nothing, merely turning its gaze toward the training room.

"Hiss!" Everyone followed its gaze and gasped. They only then realized that arrays had been laid out one after another outside the training room, and Nüwa was still busy setting up more.

"Daoist, is this truly wise?" Fuxi asked with a complex tone.

"A world should have at least one person to bear the mantle of the Lord of Destiny. Rather than letting it benefit others, it is better to have someone we are familiar with," the Heavenly Dao replied flatly.

"But, will this affect her predetermined fate?"

"Fate? What is predetermined fate? From the moment she was reborn, her fate had already changed. Her subsequent development is uncontrolled and cannot be interfered with."

"But she is just a young girl," the Heavenly Emperor said, filled with concern. Could such a small girl really handle something so important?

"The fact that she could settle her mind so quickly when faced with rebirth and our existence proves her strength of character. Whether she can do it or not depends on whether she is willing," the Heavenly Dao said, glancing at him. He knew the Heavenly Emperor’s ninth son was still trapped in the cycle of reincarnation, and the Emperor was desperate to bestow new destiny upon him. "Do not harbor thoughts you shouldn't."

After issuing the warning, the Heavenly Dao departed. Wen Xiu had witnessed the entire exchange. She didn't understand what these supreme beings were talking about, but she knew it wouldn't harm Yu Qian.

Nüwa finished setting the arrays and walked over, patting Wen Xiu on the shoulder. "Treat her well."

"?"

"Tsk, tsk." Su Daji looked on with envy and jealousy. "Congratulations, you've hit the jackpot."

"???"

The Heavenly Emperor’s expression darkened. He looked at the training room, then at Wen Xiu, and walked away with a flick of his sleeves.

"???"

Wen Xiu was left even more bewildered.