From then on, Qin Guan was in endless trouble. People who lay down with dogs woke up with fleas. Being around unreliable people made him seem like a bandit himself, which made the graceful Teacher Rong extremely dissatisfied.
She hit Qin Guan's legs and arms with a thin rubber stick.
"It's only been a few days, and you already look like a Hutong idler. Behave yourself! Sit straight and stand still! Where is your elegance? You are not a very good student. Real grace is in a person’s very core. Behavior reflects one’s spirit. You’re either noble or vulgar. Nobility maintains one’s countenance even when they fall down."
Qin Guan felt a chill as he imagined those two guys being taught by Teacher Rong.
That day, Qin Guan began his lyre-playing, chess, calligraphy and painting courses. They were all supposed to help his consistent good behavior.
Actually, Qin Guan had been reading cursorily about all these skills except for painting.
He could play Chinese chess, Chinese checkers, five-in-row, aeroplane Chess and military chess. Teacher Rong engaged in I-go though. She made a cross on Qin Guan's papers.
If his ancestors knew that Qin Guan considered
writing with a pen calligraphy, they would have laughed their heads off. Qin Guan couldn’t talk about a hard-tip pen to Teacher Rong for fear that she would make fun of him forever.
He had also considered playing the harmonica at primary school music class the same as Iyre-playing, which was even more absurd.
Wonderful! Now he had to spend all his spare time at Teacher Rong's house.
Time flew by. Busy people always felt that days speeded by. In October, the TV play "The Legendary Swordsman" finished its final editing, but it was just a simple page in Qin Guan's busy life. He turned that page easily. Qin Guan refused all other small parts in TV shows and films.
John kept sending him emails from the other side of the ocean. He sent him four emails a month. He would occasionally share interesting fashion news and trends from Europe and the US.
As Qin's best foreign friend (which was what he called himself), he was preparing Qin Guan for the frontline of the fashion industry.
Actually, Qin Guan wanted to tell him that no Chinese model could get a work visa.
There were more shows and
and opportunities overseas though, and many Chinese models would work abroad illegally with tourist visas. If they were invited to release conferences of top brands, their social status soared when they returned to China.
Long after the Capital Fashion Week, Cabben sent a notice to Sister Xue about the accident backstage. They also invited Qin Guan to their next show in China.
It was a compensation in disguise, which they would both benefit from.
The nine brands of the Fashion Week had all become long-term clients of Sister Xue’s. Qin Guan turned down several offers in other provinces and focused on Beijing.
The KTV club was flourishing.
The two tough guys knew it would take them at least two years to get their capital back.
The three small shops were phenomenally profitable though, which aroused Qin Guan's desire to make money that way.
The "Daming Palace", which he had become famous for, had been replaced by the hit show "Legend of Dagger Lee". Similarly, the leading actor’s classic hairstyle and handsome looks had attracted another group of crazy girls.
Fans were always forgetful. Except for some loyal fans stuck on Qin Guan, most girls had been attracted by the charming,
the charming, dagger-wielding man.
Qin Guan seldom showed his face, except during shows. His harvest those six months were Teacher Rong’s lessons and his full pockets.
In the past, Qin Guan had only been interested in his figure, not his spirit. After being trained by the good tutor though, he had changed a lot.
People always said that nobility could be cultivated in three generations, but Qin Guan was absorbing manners that should have been fostered in childhood.
He had become a gentleman by then. His movements had become as elegant as paintings, and there was a lingering charm in his gestures and expressions.
Cong Nianwei’s reflection was the best encouragement for him. When they stayed alone, she would get lost in thought as she looked at her educated boyfriend.
The memory of how he used to be was vague. He was getting more and more shining in time, and she was drowning in his spoiling love. A smile was on her face. She hoped those days would never end.
By the time Qin Guan was done with all his private affairs, 2000 had nearly ended. The new year would begin soon.
The decorations for his new house in the capital
in the capital had been finished, but there would be a model gala soon, so Qin Guan could not return to his hometown for the Spring Festival. His parents decided to celebrate the Spring Festival with their son in Beijing instead and see the new house.
Qin Guan picked them up in his car, which surprised them even more.
They were both conservative people, and they saw their son on TV and the fortune his modelling jobs had earned him.
They were worried that Qin Guan would be lured by the entertainment circle and abandon his profession.
For people their age, flowers blooming in the entertainment circle were like passing clouds. Their son might be handsome for some years, but that kind of success was like rootless duckweed. It had no solid foundation.
Getting a steady job was more important, even if the salary was not as high as it was in the entertainment circle. That kind of career choice would reassure them.
They felt relieved when Qin Guan told them about the certificates and his part-time job as an accountant. Our son is a dependable young man. He really is our child.
Their mentality was not quite the same though.