Chapter 270

Xiao Shengzhou picked up the four girls from Xiao Qi's dormitory. Seeing four very youthful and pretty young girls, each with her own characteristics, he inexplicably felt old. As freshmen, they gave off an aura of endless youthful vitality.

Xiao Qi sat in the passenger seat. Xiao Shengzhou turned his head to look at the young girl. She was dressed about the same as usual, very simply. The only difference was that today's jacket was a brighter color, which made her look even fairer.

Mi'er brought her professional makeup kit and asked Xiao Qi to prepare a set of clothes, just in case. She had probably watched too many TV dramas and felt that something dramatic might happen, so they should be prepared with a change of clothes anytime.

Yunshu didn't say much. She didn't expect that the student council president would drive Xiao Qi, so she figured nothing would happen.

Among the dormmates, she and Xiao Qi, the person involved, were the calmest.

Wei Cheng didn't say anything, but she was actually very nervous.

Mi'er was so nervous that her mouth hadn't stopped the whole time.

Xiao Qi had asked the staff member from the TV station who contacted her if she needed to prepare any clothes. They said no, so she hadn't prepared anything special. After all, why would a seventeen-year-old girl need to prepare formal or evening gowns?

Xiao Shengzhou drove very steadily and thoughtfully told the girls they could rest in the car if they wanted.

Xiao Qi dozed off, knowing a clear mind would help her answer questions better.

In the interview show in Lvshan City last time, she had felt that there were traps everywhere in adults' questions. She would need to be alert to handle them.

She didn't feel like she had napped long before the president said they had arrived.

The TV station building in Meng City was very distinctive.

The exterior looked like a tower made of stacked treasure chests, towering into the clouds.

Xiao Qi called the staff member who had contacted her, a young man who came jogging out to meet them.

The president didn't follow them in, just said to call him when they were done. Xiao Qi had told them beforehand that she was bringing her roommates, so the young man had temporary visitor passes ready for the four of them. They went in together.

"Security is tighter nowadays because sometimes celebrities come to tape shows, and their fans always try to rush in. In the past you could just sign in," the young man explained.

As lively and daring as ever, Mi'er asked, "Are any celebrities taping shows today?"

Li Ming saw that the college students all had very young, innocent faces but seemed quite spirited. He smiled and said, "A singer is taping a show on the 18th floor, but he's pretty old so you probably don't know him."

Mi'er asked who it was. As Li Ming said, none of the girls recognized the name. He must be a star their parents' generation liked.

Their floor for taping was the 11th.

As soon as they got off the elevator they could see the Meng City Sports Channel sign, with introductions of various hosts below it.

Xiao Qi saw the track athlete Li Miaomiao, who had broken the record with her last time. She was apparently going to be interviewed with Xiao Qi today. The two girls were in a dressing room with a makeup artist.

Li Miaomiao was getting her makeup done when Xiao Qi's dormmates arrived.

Xiao Qi remembered she seemed like a girl with a shortish face and bright eyes when running, but with the makeup now Xiao Qi could barely recognize her.

"Wait a minute while they finish her makeup, then I'll have them do yours," the assistant said.

Seeing the coach was also getting makeup done, Xiao Qi asked, "Can we do our own? Any particular requirements?"

"Don't look too pale on camera. Nothing else special," Assistant Li Ming said.

Xiao Qi nodded.

Her skin was good to begin with. Despite all her running she wasn't tanned or porous, given her age.

The skin of a 16 or 17 year old girl was just about flawless.

She had experienced studio lights before on stage. They were different from stage lighting that made you shine brightly. You didn't need heavy stage makeup, but still needed some dimension or you'd look flat on camera.

She had decent features, but still some baby fat, giving her a rounded, chubby look that made her seem very young.

They used the makeup Mi'er had brought, with some additions from Yunshu.

The eyebrows were darkened a bit, eye makeup accentuated, a light coat of foundation kept her close to her natural skin tone.

The little mole above her eyebrow wasn't covered up.

Her hair was still in little pigtails, livelier than if it was just hanging down. Otherwise she'd probably keep brushing her bangs when nervous, like she used to do with her glasses. The lip color matched her outfit, both orangey red, quite coordinated.

The finished look was like her face had been artfully beautified, more refined and dimensional but still herself.

Meanwhile the makeup artist had done Li Miaomiao's and her coach's makeup to look sharper, probably for the camera. It made them look fiercer and more mature than in person.

With time to spare, Xiao Qi went ahead and did her roommates' makeup too, since the assistant had said they'd be sitting in the audience and might be on camera.

Xiao Qi's makeup skills were top notch. If she couldn't make a living later she could probably get by doing makeup for people.

For Mi'er the main task was evening out her skin tone. She loved food and had an easy-weight physique, so her skin tended to be oily. With her skin evened out, the rest of the makeup was easy. She had very bright features, sort of like young Zhao Wei, with big eyes and a tall nose, very easy to make up.

For Yunshu you just had to mind the distance between her brows and eyes, sculpt her nose more dimensional, or she tended to look silly. With makeup she was a cute, demure beauty.

Wei Cheng was actually the most malleable, with a top grade face shape. Her face was a little square, but Xiao Qi could always bring out different vibes with Wei Cheng's makeup.

Based on mood, today she was wearing an oversized hoodie from Mi'er, with skinny jeans to accentuate her height. The finished look with makeup was very casual, almost model-esque.

Li Miaomiao was also observing Su Xiaoqi. She had thought it was ridiculous for the girl to do her own makeup - as if she could do better than the TV studio! But seeing the results, the originally fair and smooth girl looked even prettier with makeup, with a heroic aura.

Especially the tall girl she had done, who didn't look remarkable at all until Su Xiaoqi worked her magic. The transformation was stunning.

Looking in the mirror, Li Miaomiao felt uneasy no matter how she looked at herself. Her face was flawed with a short chin and generally short appearance. The makeup hadn't changed that, just made her look much more mature, maybe normally a 21 but now a 28 with makeup.

The contrast with the youthful Su Xiaoqi across from her was even more stark.

Wei Cheng's bob highlighted her long neck when she swept the hair behind one ear, instantly chic and elegant.

After they finished makeup it was time to go. For recorded shows, things move quickly if they go smoothly but slowly if they don't, with no time allotted for meals.

Wei Cheng had brought sandwiches, so Xiao Qi ate one to fill her stomach. She got hungry easily but didn't drink much water, afraid she'd need the bathroom and blank out when nervous.

The studio hall was spacious and magnificent, with many audience members. Mi'er and the others sat in the audience while Xiao Qi followed the assistant to the sofa up front, surrounded by cameras on tripods of varying heights.

Li Miaomiao and her coach sat nearby.

It was a much bigger production than the studio in Lvshan, with the hall far larger and many more cameras.

The backdrop was a large screen looping footage of the marathon.

The sofa was soft and easy to sink into. Xiao Qi kept her back straight facing the camera, fully exhibiting the strong aura she had built up. The crew adjusting lenses easily focused on her.