Chapter 133: A Major Crisis

Celebrity calendars were calendars featuring promotional photos of stars. Movie and television star calendars were the most popular, followed by the swimsuit calendars that were particularly trendy during certain periods.

You Le studied photography. He and a partner ran a small studio that provided photos to printing plants for calendar production. Occasionally, when he had the opportunity to take promotional stills for film crews, he would sign contracts with minor, unknown actors to photograph them for a meager fee. Those minor stars were more than willing; some even treated You Le to meals and entertainment, hoping he would make them look good so they could use the photos to negotiate for advertising work or other opportunities.

Chen Xin never expected her uncle to have this kind of background, and she was so shocked she was momentarily speechless.

"No thank you, I'm not interested. Please don't ask me." Chen Xin retreated half a step, looking as wary as if she had encountered a scorpion. Her reaction made You Le’s companion, who was watching the scene with amusement, burst into loud laughter.

"Lezi, looks like you’ve finally met your match," the man said, hands on his hips. "This young lady isn't one of those minor stars desperate for fame. Stop trying to rope her into your schemes."

"I'm not a con artist. We are professional photographers. Of course, if you are willing to authorize us to use your photos for a calendar, we would pay you the market rate." You Le felt that Chen Xin’s appearance and temperament were very photogenic. He happened to have a company looking for some natural-looking photos, and the moment he saw Chen Xin, he felt she was a perfect fit.

"I'm sorry, I'm truly not interested. You should ask someone else." Although Chen Xin was eager to get information out of You Le, she had no intention of agreeing to his proposal.

Seeing that Chen Xin was genuinely uninterested, You Le didn't press the matter. Instead, he handed her a business card and told her that if she ever changed her mind, she could contact him directly by phone.

Chen Xin had just been lamenting the lack of a way to reach You Le, and now, it was as if someone had handed her a pillow just as she was getting sleepy. Right in front of the two men, she tucked the card into a pocket in her backpack and watched as You Le and his partner headed up the mountain.

"Is that guy really a photographer? It seems a bit sketchy to me," Gou Xiangru said, full of suspicion regarding You Le’s proposal. She didn't think he looked like a good person.

"He is a photographer, that much is true," Chen Xin replied. "I saw him taking stills for the actors on the set earlier. The production crew seems legitimate enough."

Neither of them knew much about the industry, so after discussing it for a while, they dropped the subject.

Qin Qing and the others didn't make it to the top; they turned back after climbing about halfway. When they returned, Qin Qing’s expression was grim, and the other students looked equally uncomfortable.

"What happened? Did you reach the summit so soon?" Chen Xin stood up and looked over, noticing that the corners of Qin Qing’s eyes were red. "Qin Qing, what’s wrong? Did you fall?"

After looking her up and down and seeing nothing amiss, Chen Xin was about to ask again when another female student stopped her.

"Let’s head back first. We'll talk about it later," the girl said. Seeing the girl's expression, Chen Xin nodded, held her tongue, shouldered her bag, and followed the group down the mountain.

On the way down, Gou Xiangru walked with Qin Qing, the two whispering to each other occasionally while Qin Qing wiped her eyes. Chen Xin didn't join them; she deliberately lagged behind to walk with the girl who had spoken earlier.

"What exactly happened?"

"That fellow townsman of Qin Qing’s—the one who’s been pursuing her—was exposed for cheating on his girlfriend with two women at once. The other girl claimed that Qin Qing was the one who stole her boyfriend, and in a fit of rage, she went out and found a new partner. Now, everyone at school is calling Qin Qing a homewrecker."

"A what?" Chen Xin cursed under her breath. That woman was indeed starting trouble. "Everyone knows Qin Qing never accepted his advances. How can they act like they were actually dating?"

"You don't know the half of it," the girl lowered her voice further. "The person who called us said that Qin Qing had supposedly already been introduced to the boy’s family, and that they had plans to go on a trip together over the summer break."

What a mess! Qin Qing squeezed her eyes shut. She had warned them that this couldn't go on, that it would lead to trouble sooner or later. And look—barely a week later, it had all blown up.

The male students also felt awkward, but most of them didn't blame Qin Qing. After all, the boy had been the one pursuing her, and hardly anyone knew the Ph.D. student was already in a relationship, so Qin Qing was entirely an innocent victim of circumstance.

Back at the farmhouse at the foot of the mountain, most of the group scattered to do their own thing, leaving only a few close friends to brainstorm solutions for Qin Qing. After all, it wasn't their business, and there wasn't much they could do.

"What are they saying now?" Chen Xin asked, concerned about how the townsman was handling the situation.

"What can he say? My classmate just called me saying that if Qin Qing doesn't want to be branded as a homewrecker, she needs to clarify things immediately. The guy ended up beating someone up quite badly, and the victim is in the hospital now. The university security office has already detained the boy."

"Should we go back?"

"No! Why should I go back? This has nothing to do with me! We had an agreement—I was just helping him save face. Why should their mess be dragged onto me? When did I ever accept his pursuit?"

Qin Qing stood her ground, her face flushed with anger, tear tracks still visible on her cheeks.

"Yes, yes, we all know that, but others don't! If you don't clear your name, are you just going to let them pin this on you? I think you should go to your advisor right away, tell her what happened, and ask for her advice on how to handle it."

As graduate students, they were different from undergraduates; there were no restrictions on dating, but advisors cared deeply about a student’s character. If they got the wrong idea, it would be a huge loss.

"Exactly. Professor Jin is kind; you should go talk to her."

"I don't think going directly to Professor Jin is a good idea. Why not talk to Senior Sister Wei first and see what she thinks?"

"That’s a good point. Senior Sister Wei is also a doctoral student, so she’s definitely more plugged into the school’s grapevine. Plus, she’s Professor Jin’s assistant. If she helps us test the waters, I think it’ll work out."

It just so happened that Senior Sister Wei was also staying at the farmhouse, and everyone encouraged Qin Qing to go chat with her.

"No, I’m going back! I’m going to ask that guy what he means by this. It had nothing to do with me, so how dare he call me a homewrecker!"

Qin Qing was stubborn; she didn't even pack her things before rushing toward the stairs to catch a ride, only to be stopped by Senior Sister Wei just as she reached the landing.