Jiang Shuangying carried Ye Suqi out of the rental apartment. Ye Suqi noticed that it was an old-style building, only six stories high. There were no elevators, only staircases, and a corridor outside the rooms where many clothes and quilts were hung out to dry.
From his vantage point, he could barely see a few university buildings directly across the corridor.
Jiang Shuangying took him to the bicycle shed on the first floor. Ye Suqi realized that Jiang Shuangying's financial situation seemed quite average. She wheeled out a small-capacity electric scooter, which, according to Ye Suqi's memory, couldn't be worth more than a thousand yuan. It was really tough for a young woman to struggle on her own.
Ye Suqi's owner, Jiang Shuangying, was a student studying away from home. Her family couldn't provide much support, so she had to work hard to find part-time jobs and auditions to make a living. However, because she was beautiful and diligent in her studies, an agency had taken an interest in her and signed a contract with her.
The agency, called "YiXing," didn't seem to be very powerful. Her agent focused on cultivating famous artists under his wing and had limited resources to offer Jiang Shuangying. This time, he had given her a rare opportunity to audition for a video advertisement.
Jiang Shuangying carefully placed the puppy in front of the scooter seat and secured the leash to the vehicle. She murmured, "Handsome, you have to sit still and not move around. Be careful not to fall off."
Ye Suqi found it amusing that Jiang Shuangying was so cute, talking to the dog like that. Even real dogs wouldn't understand such words. Of course, Ye Suqi obediently squatted down. After all, he was still a puppy with a fragile body, and being reckless could be harmful to his health.
Seeing how well-behaved and obedient the handsome guy was, Jiang Shuangying let out a sigh of relief. She turned the handle, and the scooter slowly started moving. She was also quite surprised that the handsome guy had suddenly become so well-behaved, not acting like a typical "dumb Husky" at all.
However, this well-behaved handsome guy did cheer her up a bit, as it was always easier not to worry about taking care of a little puppy.
After riding the scooter for quite a while, which Ye Suqi guessed was over half an hour, with Jiang Shuangying constantly muttering "can't be late, can't be late," they finally arrived at their destination.
Jiang Shuangying locked the scooter, smoothed her wind-tousled hair, and tucked the stray strands behind her ears.
Ye Suqi looked up at her, and the only word that came to his mind was: beautiful. Forgive him for being a simple person who didn't know many fancy adjectives.
Then Jiang Shuangying looked at him, frowned, bit her lip, and hesitated for a while before picking Ye Suqi up. She couldn't bear to leave the puppy waiting outside. If she got scolded, so be it; she would be a little spoiled this time!
Li Mingyu was impatiently smoking a cigarette. He took a drag and checked his watch. It was already seven past one. The new talent had dared to be late when they had agreed on seven o'clock.
As he was thinking this, he glanced up and saw a woman in formal attire walking towards him. The well-fitted clothes accentuated her curvaceous figure, and her long hair fluttered slightly in the wind. Even in ordinary makeup, she was incredibly stunning.
Li Mingyu snorted inwardly and was about to speak when his eyes fell on the little dog in her arms. He was immediately horrified!
Li Mingyu, who had lived for thirty years, hated dogs more than anything! Ever since he was chased by a vicious dog as a child, he had developed an intense aversion to dogs. Every year during the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, he would eat several large pots of dog meat to vent his anger.
However, facing a live dog, even a small one, he couldn't help but feel a sense of panic.
"What is that in your arms!"
Ye Suqi was comfortably lying in Jiang Shuangying's arms, rubbing against her chest, when he suddenly heard a shrill outburst. He looked up to see a man in his thirties, dressed in a suit and with a slicked-back hairstyle. The man's face was trembling as he took two steps back and shouted at Jiang Shuangying, "You came for an audition with a dirty dog? Are you an idiot!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Jiang Shuangying knew it was her fault and had no way to defend herself. She just bowed her head and apologized sincerely.
"I told you to be here at seven, and you're late. Do you not respect me at all!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Jiang Shuangying bowed and apologized again, but her movements were somewhat inconvenient because she was holding the puppy.
"Damn it, I hate you newbies the most!" The agent, Li Mingyu, spat out and cursed viciously.
Ye Suqi felt a bit guilty. It was his insistence on coming along that had caused the young lady to get scolded.
But!
They weren't late at all!
And it was just a dog!
Was it necessary to keep scolding like this?
This angered Ye Suqi. What was wrong with dogs? They were so cute and loyal!
Moreover, this place was so shabby. It looked like a building from some era last century, and the people at the entrance seemed like a mixed crowd. It didn't look like a good audition spot at all.
Although Ye Suqi had never been in the entertainment industry, he had some understanding. He knew that an artist's initial resources largely depended on their agent. If the agent provided poor resources, even if the artist had talent, it would be hard to make a breakthrough.
Clearly, this was not a good opportunity.
"Ow——!" Ye Suqi kicked his little legs and poked his head out of Jiang Shuangying's arms, barking at the agent.
However, the puppy's bark had no real threat. It was thin and soft. Instead, Jiang Shuangying covered his mouth and quietly soothed him.
"You still dare to bark, you dog!" The agent's eyes were full of disgust. He cursed loudly because he couldn't help but shudder at the sound of a dog barking. He could only cover his fear with a louder outburst!
There were quite a few people in this area. Some of them, hearing the shouting, gathered around to watch the commotion. Seeing a beautiful woman holding a puppy being scolded by a middle-aged man in a suit, they started gossiping curiously.
"Wow, this girl is really pretty. Why is she being scolded?"
"No idea. Look at her holding a dog."
"Is it something, you know, that kind of thing?" The speaker made a lewd face and smiled slyly.
"What are you talking about?" Some passers-by found the person too vulgar and walked away in disgust.
The agent, seeing the crowd gathering, felt embarrassed and shouted at them, "What are you looking at? Get lost, get lost!"
"Humph." The onlookers were pushed away and left, but they kept whispering as they walked:
"He's definitely the bad one."
"The girl might have a problem too."
"Oh, isn't this the place where those third-rate models like to hang out?"
"Oh~ I see~"
Jiang Shuangying, hearing this, felt quite embarrassed. Her originally fair face turned bright red, and she lowered her head.
But she didn't regret bringing the handsome guy. Seeing how bravely he protected her by barking at the agent, she felt a bit happy inside.
"You," the agent pointed a finger at Jiang Shuangying, "Didn't I tell you to dress sexier? What are you wearing? Get rid of that dog right now!"
Naturally, Jiang Shuangying wouldn't listen to him. She just held Ye Suqi tighter.