"I am a totem."
Lin Qingye probably saw Xu Zhinan in the car, and as soon as he got out of the car, his eyes swept over him as if elusive.
Xu Zhenfan was in so much pain that he couldn't answer.
Seeing Xu Zhinan tilting his head and saying something to Gu Congwang, Gu Congwang had a lazy expression as if he was teasing her, which made the little girl raise her hand and lightly slap him on the arm.
"Isn't this work? I'm serious about it."
Lu Xihe was stunned, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and finally took a closer look. Then he turned his head to look at Xu Zhinan: "Is this your tattoo?"
"Which group are you from?" Lu Xihe asked.
Now Xu Zhinan no longer needed to explain these to him, but she also didn't want Xu Zhenfan to be misunderstood because of her, so she took a few quick steps to Gu Congwang's side and put some distance between herself and Xu Zhenfan.
After Xu Zhinan registered her name, she got a number tag and was assigned a position according to her group. She and Xu Zhenfan went to their respective work beds together.
"No, I'm going to the library too."
Xu Zhenfan looked fat and strong, and he didn't look like someone who was afraid of pain, so everyone put the blame directly on Xu Zhinan - the tattoo artist's skills were not good, so it was natural that he would hurt others.
"twenty one."
Xu Zhinan shook his head and said, "You came here when you were drunk."
…
Lin Qingye turned his head awkwardly and was the first to look away.
What Lu Xihe said is true. After deducting the costs after going to his shop, you can also get the hourly wage. In terms of income alone, it is definitely better.
“I actually saw a living Lin Qingye!!!”
But Xu Zhinan was reluctant to give up her store, so she seriously rejected him.
People who like tattoos generally have a cool and handsome style, regardless of gender. At first glance, even the hair color is colorful and can directly form a color palette.
It was like when he saw Xu Zhinan smiling at other boys in the dark in high school. He acted disdainful on the surface, but was jealous and crazy in his heart, like a peeping Tom.
But after just fifteen minutes, Xu Zhinan discovered that Xu Zhenfan's pain response was top-notch.
Xu Zhenfan paused, then quickly reacted and said with a playful smile: "Hey, sister An Nan, I didn't expect you to be so cruel and play with my feelings."
"… "
"But sister." Before it was their turn, Xu Zhenfan chatted with her, "I think the Assassin's store will definitely be the first in the selection. They have so many customers. If you just post something on WeChat Moments, many people will support you. You have to be good at canvassing for votes."
There were a lot of people bustling about when we walked in. This competition was very popular in the tattoo circle, and many tattoo artists from other places came specially to participate in the competition.
"Is there any water?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
She practiced on the practice field for a week, and finally the day of the competition arrived.
She frowned, then said generously: "But Lu Xihe and I are not in the same group."
Xu Zhinan paused, poured him a glass of water and placed it next to the workbench. Without saying anything, he walked back to the table and continued with his work.
"Brother, look at me!"
After all the photos were taken, everyone packed up and left.
The tattoo that Xu Zhinan was going to design for the competition was a test of his skills because of the time limit, the pattern couldn't be too large, and yet it had to demonstrate his skills and make people feel fresh.
Xu Zhinan glanced at the time: "It's not even seven o'clock yet. You don't usually get up so early. Go to bed a little longer."
Xu Zhinan was stunned for a moment, and noticed that the tattoo artist he was calling was the guy with tattooed arms whom he met when he went to submit his work before.
"Your back is inflamed. Drink less alcohol and remember to apply ointment." Her voice was very flat, as if she was giving instructions to an ordinary customer.
Someone else asked Xu Zhenfan with a smile: "Brother, is this your sister?"
She smiled and said, "It's okay, you don't have to be so nervous."
Soon, the organizer sent staff to take pictures, and then the pictures would be put on the website for voting.
Three business cars drove up from the front and back, with the program logo of "I Come for Singing" pasted on the bodies of the cars.
"Now all you can do is drive me away," he said.
The venue for the preliminary competition is very large. A number of work beds have been set up in the gymnasium of Yancheng.
"… "
"… "
Xu Zhenfan scratched his head: "Will this disturb you and your boyfriend too much? The size of my light bulb is too high."
Everyone around was amused by the scene and burst into laughter.
Xu Zhenfan rolled up his trouser legs, revealing his tattoo.
"Our shop is indeed in need of a professional tattoo artist of this style." Lu Xihe's attitude changed very quickly, "You can ask for salary or something, and you don't have to pay for rent."
Xu Zhenfan: "… The others are all the same."
Soon, a staff member came over to them: "Come, take a photo." Xu Zhenfan rolled up his loose shorts.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!!! Oh fuck!!!”
Like a little furry animal.
When she was a little angry, she looked lively and pretty, with her pink lips slightly pouting. She was not coquettish, but looked particularly delicate and pretty.
Just happened to meet Lin Qingye's dark eyes.
In his hand was the note that Xu Zhinan had written to him last night.
Xu Zhenfan was dumbfounded: "Brother Lu, your speed of poaching people is too fast, isn't it?"
There are not many photos of Lin Qingye, and the one on the banner is a cutout of his styling from the show.
Jiang Yue heard the noise, rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed: "Ah Nan, why are you here so early today?"
"Why are you here?" Xu Zhinan asked.
Jiang Yue yelled "Ah" a few times, stretched, and climbed out of bed unwillingly, saying: "Only those who endure the most hardships can become the best."
Xu Zhinan caught a glimpse of one of the familiar faces.
Promise her.
Xu Zhinan just noticed it now. No wonder she felt the tattoo on this brother with tattooed arms looked familiar the last time she saw him. It was probably because of the "same teacher" tattoo on Xu Zhenfan's arm.
Xu Zhinan put the business card away and thanked him again.
"Well, at Exit 2, I see a lot of people coming out."
Xu Zhenfan thought about the fact that the voice he heard on the phone just now was indeed a man's voice, and said casually: "The last time I went to your shop to get that crane tattoo, wasn't you still on the phone with your boyfriend? He was so busy that he didn't come to pick you up?"
The entire tattoo process lasted for 6 hours. Because Xu Zhenfan was howling so miserably, Xu Zhinan deliberately slowed down the process.
Xu Zhinan: "..."
Xu Zhinan was the last one to fall behind. When he was leaving, he ran into Lu Xihe again at the door. He looked over with a cigarette in his mouth, glanced at Xu Zhenfan, and smiled: "You are really the same as when I tattooed you last time. I heard the shouting on the other end."
There are all kinds of banners, featuring different celebrities.
Lu Xihe treated her like a child and even clenched his fist to cheer her up: "Come on!"
It's still early, there aren't many pedestrians or cars on the road, so it won't attract much attention, but it's still better to be cautious.
"Show me the skills of our future champion," he joked.
She unlocked the door and entered the shop. The curtains around the workbench were half-open, but from her angle she still couldn't see what was going on inside.
But now he began to envy others for being able to see more of her vivid expressions.
Soon, people got out of the business cars one after another, and the surrounding fans screamed loudly.
Later, Xu Zhinan always smiled at him, and Lin Qingye's obsession over the years was satisfied.
The next day, Xu Zhinan woke up very early, but Jiang Yue was still asleep.
"It's actually okay. I was just sad for a while." Xu Zhinan pursed her lips and smiled faintly, "I finally felt relieved later."
That youthfulness enveloped the outline of a grown man.
Assassin is the top tattoo shop in Yancheng, and all the resident tattoo artists there are top-notch.
Xu Zhinan laughed and patted her on the shoulder: "Keep going, graduate student of the Academy of Fine Arts."
"Hurry up."
"Then you will come with us?"
Inside the venue, there were tattoo artists and models, all with tattoos of various styles on their bodies.
At the same time, there was a sudden burst of screams and shouts outside. Xu Zhinan looked up and found a group of girls standing there holding banners.
Lu Xihe burst out laughing, watching Xu Zhinan walk over to the registration desk and put his arm around Xu Zhenfan's shoulders: "Brother, this little girl is pretty cool."
"He must be a hundred times more handsome than on TV!!"
Xu Zhinan stopped, looked at him, and asked softly, "Can you still hold on?"
Thinking back to the time when Xu Zhinan always smiled in front of him, had a good and gentle personality, he seemed to have never seen Xu Zhinan looking this cute and lovely now.
The spare key was not used, but that’s okay, as it would prevent him from coming and going freely here in the future when he has the key.
Lu Xihe's expression suddenly became very subtle. Although Gu Congwang had told them that she was very powerful, no one believed her and just thought that it was just nonsense said by her boyfriend to coax the girl.
"Thank you." Xu Zhinan said seriously, "You too."
She took out the starry sky drawing, revised it a few times, and after finalizing it, she took out the practice artificial skin, turned on the tattoo machine and started practicing.
Xu Zhinan nodded, followed Xu Zhenfan's lead, and politely said, "Hello, Brother Lu."
He raised his hand to press his brow and chuckled softly: "Did I bother you?"
The staff saw the pattern above and had noticed the group's movements just now. Now seeing the finished product, they couldn't help but be surprised. They looked at Xu Zhinan deeply, took a picture, and said leisurely: "Okay."
It turns out I had forgotten everything.
"I am the model for this tattoo artist, Anan." He patted his chest and said generously.
“Realistic.”
"Why am I here?" he asked, frowning.
Xu Zhinan raised her eyes to look at him, but Xu Zhenfan quickly looked away awkwardly.
She also remembered the time when he came to her shop drunk and seemed to have misunderstood the relationship between her and Xu Zhenfan.
Sure enough, the next second Xu Zhenfan introduced her: "Here, this is Lu Xihe, also a tattoo artist. The blue dragon and white tiger on my arm were created by him. He is also the store manager of 'Assassin'."
Xu Zhinan thought of what he said last night, from the cold and stern "Do you really think that others like you? It's just because of your face" to the last lonely "An Nan, you don't like me anymore."
"Just finished, cleaning up, almost done."
The cars stopped in front of the stadium. A staff member got out of the leading commercial vehicle and ran to the security guard to ask, "Is the field cleared?"
The phone rang at this time, Gu Congwang: "Is it over? I'll wait for you outside."
She took out a tattoo mask from the drawer and gave it to him: "Wear it when you go out."
Lu Xihe raised his eyebrows. Everyone knew that realism tested one's skills, and among the four groups, the realism group had the fewest people.
Xu Zhinan puffed up his cheeks: "Then I will rely on my strength."
Xu Zhenfan closed his eyes and made up his mind: "Just tattoo it!"
"I'm eager to recruit talents, would you like to come, Sister Anan?"
Lu Xihe laughed loudly, slapped his thigh, pointed at Xu Zhinan and said to Xu Zhenfan: "I've seen this girl before!"
Xu Zhinan hadn't thought much about this before.
He was awake, both physically and mentally. The fragile state he was in last night was no longer there, and he had returned to his normal self.
Lin Qingye narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his narrow eyes revealed a sharp edge.
Xu Zhinan put his index finger to his lips and shushed, "Don't brag for me."
Lin Qingye gradually stood up straighter. He stood against the light, his sideburns were shaved very short and his jawline was sharp. Even a hangover did not affect him.
Lu Xihe smiled and didn't say much about their last meeting. Instead, he asked, "Zhenfan, why are you here?"
In the past, Lin Qingye was defined as a teenager, free and casual, without the constraints of adult frameworks. But now, his eyes still have the usual unbridled boldness, but something seems to have changed.
"I really underestimated you." Lu Xihe looked at her carefully again, "How old are you?"
She walked forward a few steps, took off her schoolbag and put it on the table, then looked sideways.
"That's not my boyfriend, that's a good friend of mine. It's okay, he has a very good personality and will definitely be willing to give you a ride."
The two people's eyes met in the air for a second, and Xu Zhinan was the first to calmly retract his gaze.
She has black hair and fair skin, without a single tattoo on her body. She wears the simplest short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts. The edges of her shorts are turned up to reveal a lighter denim color, which wraps around her legs that are so eye-catching.
"..." Xu Zhenfan patted her shoulder, "At your age, it's normal to be heartbroken. Don't be too sad."
After everyone was present, the organizer came on stage and said a few simple words, and then the competition began without any nonsense.
"Something happened in the store." Xu Zhinan glanced at her, "Did I wake you up?"
Xu Zhinan took out a tissue from her bag and gave it to him. Xu Zhenfan wiped his tears and finally looked at the tattoo without tears in his eyes.
Just like last time, she had a blackout.
"Ah?" Xu Zhinan was stunned and looked at Xu Zhenfan.
The more he spoke, the more exaggerated he became. Xu Zhinan felt embarrassed and pulled his clothes.
Even though it was the outside of his thigh that was hurt, he was still howling in pain. His voice was hoarse, and as soon as he howled, everyone around him would immediately look over.
She nodded: "Yeah."
Xu Zhenfan opened his own shop, which is located on the way to Pingchuan University.
Putting down his work bag, Xu Zhinan took out the things he would need later and arranged them neatly.
Vivid and engaging.
Xu Zhenfan was a very outgoing person, and soon he started chatting with several tattoo artists around him. He pointed at Xu Zhinan and continued to introduce him to everyone, "This is tattoo artist An Nan, who is very good. He majored in painting in college, which is a rare professional among you tattoo artists."
Lu Xihe was not surprised and handed her a business card: "If you change your mind in the future, feel free to contact me. You can find me if you have any problems in the future."
"Fortunately, the last customer had already left by then." Xu Zhinan told the truth.
Xu Zhinan paused as she extended her hand over to him and glanced at him.
The fans looked so excited that they were about to faint, and they shouted desperately while holding banners.
When Xu Zhinan walked into the venue, visually she looked like an innocent little deer that had strayed into a tiger's den.
Xu Zhenfan's arms are already covered with tattoos, and this time he chose to tattoo the outside of his thigh, where the skin is rough and the pain is not obvious.
He paused, looked sideways at her, and raised his eyebrows.
Xu Zhinan blinked: "I saw it written on the process sheet that contestants are not allowed to canvass for votes, as it will cause malicious competition."
She looked around the door with her tool bag on her back before stepping in. However, Xu Zhenfan had already spotted the familiar face and called out in his powerful voice, "Brother Lu!"
The man he called turned around and said, "Hey! Zhenfan!"
Xu Zhenfan laughed: "How can this be called bragging? I am telling the truth. Your strength is really beyond reproach."
Most of those looks were curious and a bit contemptuous, and they did not regard her as an opponent.
Xu Zhenfan choked, and for a moment he felt that no matter what he said, he would be poisoning the pure heart of the girl in front of him, so he had to shut up.
"Um."
Finally, the business car was pulled away. The first thing that came into view was a pair of straight long legs, black pants, and then a white shirt. Lin Qingye came out of the car.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Xihe had already left with his companions. Xu Zhinan asked Xu Zhenfan how to get back later. The two of them had just come here by taxi, and it would not be appropriate to leave him behind now.
Lin Qingye went into the bathroom in the inner room, washed his face, put on a mask and prepared to leave.
She then realized that he had probably said that on purpose to avoid embarrassing her.
Xu Zhenfan quickly put his pants down: "Keep it a secret, we need to use stillness to overcome motion."
Xu Zhinan almost blushed at his praise, so he stopped and leaned over to whisper in her ear: "Tactics, right? Now we have to make them underestimate the enemy."
"What a coincidence." Xu Zhenfan slapped his forehead, "Oh, how could I forget that you tattoo artists should know each other to some extent, right?"
She did tell him to leave several times last night. I don't know how I got through this, but I still remember what she said.
Xu Zhinan had guessed it before and nodded.
She began to feel lucky that she didn't choose a large tattoo pattern, but such a realistic tattoo would require more delicate processing of various details, which also meant that the tattoo needle would be inserted more frequently.
Xu Zhenfan said, "Don't mention it, don't mention it, save your face."
Lin Qingye tilted his head back and drank the glass of water directly, his Adam's apple sliding up and down. She poured warm water, and after drinking it, his burning stomach felt much better.
After washing up, the two of them went out together, had breakfast in the cafeteria opposite the dormitory building, and then separated. Jiang Yue went to the library, and Xu Zhinan went out from the south gate to the store.
He looked at her and raised the corners of her lips, and replied obediently: "Okay."
Xu Zhinan didn't expose him. After giving him the mask, he said nothing more.
"You got a tattoo on your legs?" Lu Xihe asked.
"… "
Xu Zhenfan made an "OK" gesture: "I understand."
Xu Zhinan's shop has become somewhat famous now, and occasionally people come here to get tattoos. He has put a lot of effort into it.
He gave a thumbs up and said with sincere admiration, "My elder brother is like a father!"
It was not completed until the deadline.
After seeing it carefully, I was even more impressed by Xu Zhinan's technique.
It’s not Lin Qingye, a senior student in the Department of Music at Pingchuan University, but the singer Lin Qingye.
Xu Zhinan paused, blinked slowly, uttered a low "ah", and then said: "I broke up with him, so I should be very busy now."
Xu Zhi understood. It was not easy for someone like him who was used to drinking to lose consciousness from beginning to end. Perhaps he felt that he was too humble and embarrassed last night, so he pretended not to know.
After exiting from Gate 2, Gu Congwang leaned against the car door and waited.
Lin Qingye's eyes passed through the banner that stretched across the middle, and his expression became colder.
"You're over 20, I can't tell." Lu Xihe put down his cigarette, stood up, and stretched out his hand, "Are you interested in joining our store?"
"Actually, the subway station is quite cool with the air conditioning on." Xu Zhinan smiled, "Are you outside now?"
His old illness has come back again.
"That's awesome." Xu Zhenfan said, and after two seconds, he couldn't help but say again, "That's awesome!"
Xu Zhinan realized belatedly, yes, he has already graduated.
"That's right." Xu Zhi murmured.
Xu Zhenfan had a good relationship with him, and since everything would be available online soon anyway, he didn’t hide it from him. He just kept it a secret before rolling up his trouser legs: “Don’t be scared.”
Lin Qingye was in her shop last night. Xu Zhinan kept thinking about it and couldn't sleep well, so she got up early.
The three colors of blue, purple and white perfectly depict the misty light and shadow between the galaxies, as if they were painted on bit by bit with a brush.
Xu Zhinan withdrew his gaze and silently put away the spare key that was originally placed on the table.
Gu Congwang: "It's so hot, and I still ask you to squeeze into the subway."
"What's wrong?"
Not only Lu Xihe, but many tattoo artists present cast their eyes on her. Xu Zhinan was beautiful enough to attract attention.
"Are you really 18 this year?" Xu Zhenfan said with a smile, "'Assassin' is the most famous tattoo shop, with so many employees. Even if Lu Xihe doesn't canvass for votes, there are still many people who help him canvass for votes."