Chapter 2954: You Are My Fashion Darling 13

The mermaid-themed photos of Jin Chen's group, after airing in the edited version of the competition night's program, unsurprisingly exploded online.

Under the high-definition camera, water droplets rolled down his pale skin, the waistline faintly visible beneath the soaked sheer shirt, his fragile neck held straight as he leaned back in surprise, his dazed yet stunning glance as he broke the surface, and the dazzling sapphire on his chest...

Every frame was clipped into a GIF or high-definition wallpaper, spreading wildly across all social platforms.

The saying "face and rivers and mountains" is embodied to the fullest in Jin Chen.

No matter how much criticism there was before about his laziness and lack of ambition, when his ultimate beauty was displayed in such an impactful way, most arguments temporarily died down, replaced by an overwhelming chorus of awe and screen-licking.

: I apologize, I used to raise my voice at Zhaige a bit. With this face and figure, I'd gladly watch him lie on the beach as a salted fish!

: Help, is he really human? Has he never been a mermaid before!

: Those who previously scolded him for dragging Min Heng down, come see—who's dragging whom? What did the judges make of Min Heng's set of photos this time?

: Although but, the brotherly bond between Zhaige and Min Heng is still great to ship...

: Wake up, you who ship the brotherly bond—didn't you notice they basically had no interaction on the show? And Manager Chen towards Zhaige… hehe.

: Manager Chen! Just mentioning Manager Chen drives me crazy! Opalus Chief Executive Officer! So young! So handsome!

The exposure of Chenshu's identity sparked an even bigger public discussion than Jin Chen's photos. Opalus Group, the true uncrowned king of the fashion business empire, has subsidiaries covering every aspect of the luxury sector; its influence has long surpassed pure fashion, permeating entertainment, capital, and even broader fields. And its helmsperson, constantly evolving, rarely appears in public.

Now he actually appears as a Special Observer on the model selection variety show—this is nothing short of a fantasy.

Countless reporters and self-media from the financial, fashion, and entertainment sections tried every means to dig up more information about Chenshu, but aside from the official's few dry sentences and the fleeting glimpse in the show, they could uncover nothing further.

The conference room at the headquarters of the agency where Jin Chen and Min Heng are signed.

The executives' faces were grim. Their initial strategy was to heavily promote the more audience-friendly Min Heng, using Jin Chen as a supporting piece and a disposable pawn when needed.

Jin Chen's face is a top-tier resource, but his personality is an unstable factor. They originally planned to wait until the show's mid-to-late stage, then use Jin Chen to create some topics or even dirt, thoroughly push Min Heng upward, while squeezing the last value out of Jin Chen.

But now everything has slipped out of control.

Jin Chen not only didn't get eliminated early or fade into obscurity as they expected; instead, he turned the tables with a set of photos, his heat rivaling Min Heng's and even faintly showing signs of surpassing him.

What's more frightening is that behind him seems to stand top-tier capital they cannot budge.

"What should we do now? If Jin Chen really borrows Manager Chen's influence…"

"We can't let him gain that influence!" the executive's eyes grew dark.

"That Jin Chen kid is just stubborn; he never listened to arrangements back at the company, and now that he's cozied up to Chenshu, won't his tail start pointing to the sky? If he really gains influence, then what's left to say!"

The executive scanned the people in the meeting room, "The contestants are on the island, cut off from outside opinion—this is our chance."

"What do you mean?"

"Do nothing or do nothing—while Jin Chen's heat is high, we'll put out some rumors, they don't have to be solid, just mix truth and falsehood. The point is to let Mr. Chenshu know what kind of guy Jin Chen really is: all face, nasty personality, unsubmissive, definitely not a caged songbird comfortable staying put."

"Big shots play their games, but who wants to invite a stink and get stuck with a huge hassle they can't shake off?"

——

On the island, a new day.

Today is the live broadcast day. Contestants arrived one after another, found their assigned seats. The chairs formed a half-circle facing the stage and the judges' bench. Behind the judges' bench stood a huge white canopy; the five judges had already taken their seats, chatting softly.

Jin Chen arrived neither early nor late, wearing the simplest white short-sleeve, slowly walking to his blue team area, he found a spot at the edge and sat down.

The sun was a bit glaring; he narrowed his eyes, leaned back against the chair, habitually reaching into his pocket for his game console—his fingertips met empty fabric, only then remembering that some petty person had ordered it confiscated.

Jin Chen, bored, lowered his gaze and idly swept the floor, happening to see a small paper bag placed beside a chair leg, its opening not sealed tight, revealing a glimpse of colorful packaging inside.

Jin Chen paused, bent over, and picked up the bag—inside was a full assortment of fruit candies, with several finely wrapped dark chocolates pressed at the bottom.

Jin Chen fiddled with the candies, tore open a wrapper, and the raspberry scent eased a bit of his fatigue and boredom.

He held the sugar in his mouth, tongue pressing against the lump to let it melt slowly, then lifted his gaze over the circular seating area to the main judge's seat.

Chenshu listened to Ava whispering something beside him, seemed to sense something, and turned his gaze the moment Jin Chen looked over.

Chenshu tilted his head slightly toward Jin Chen's direction, a flicker of smile crossing his eyes.

Jin Chen locked eyes with him for two seconds, then leaned back against the chair; unconsciously, he pushed the sugar lump to the other cheek with his tongue, creating a small bulge.

: Ahhhh, Zhaige looks great today too! White T, black pants—yyds!

: What was he just eating? Candy? Those puffed cheeks are so cute!

: Zhaige's condition this episode looks better than before; his complexion isn't as pale.

: Maybe he got enough sleep? After all, his game console was confiscated (dog head).