Sha Xinyi smiled, patting Ziye's shoulder. "Sweetheart, no need to worry. My family owns a chain of beauty salons; the one in this mall opened when Mommy was considering receiving enrollment invitations, and I’m in charge of it now. You don't need to fret about the money—sister will sign the check."

Ziye hastily waved her hands. "No need to go through all that trouble, I can just—"

Before she could finish, Siyue cried out in surprise, "A beauty salon? Is 'Liren' yours?"

Sha Xinyi beamed, just like the top-tier beautician in her own establishment. "That's right, it's Liren."

Siyue pounded her chest dramatically. "I just had surface cell repair done at Liren yesterday! I even specifically signed up for a membership! Why didn't you say so earlier?" She pulled a card with a gold base and pink petal decorations from her bag. "See? This one."

Sha Xinyi took the card and inspected it. "This is a Gold Card, you get an 8.8 discount. Wait a minute, I’ll get everyone an SVIP card; you can get the lowest possible discount, 6.6."

Siyue was so ecstatic she nearly jumped. She hugged Sha Xinyi, offering profuse thanks, then turned to Ziye. "Ziye, you should listen to Sha Xinyi. Liren is ranked in the top ten among interstellar beauty salons; they are absolutely trustworthy."

Sha Xinyi had intended to persuade Ziye herself, but Siyue speaking up was even more effective than her saying it personally, so she just watched their interaction calmly.

However, what they didn't know was that Ziye was thinking she didn't need a specialized beauty treatment to restore her complexion. Her body had self-healing capabilities; she could just let it recover slowly on its own.

Seeing Ziye unmoved, Siyue continued her persuasion. "The cell repair procedure is extremely simple. You just lie under the surgical hood, and in less than ten minutes, your skin will be restored, with absolutely no trace of sunburn. Look at my face, you’ll see."

Ziye scratched her head, feeling awkward under the intense gazes of the four women. "But I really feel like it’s fine."

Sha Xinyi patted her shoulder. "Ziye, do you know what? A woman must always be good to herself."

Ziye nodded. "I am pretty good to myself."

Sha Xinyi almost knelt down in exasperation.

Finally, the four women gave up talking. As soon as they arrived at the mall, they immediately joined forces and forcefully dragged her into the Liren Beauty Salon. Sha Xinyi acted decisively, called over staff to push her into the operating room, and instructed, "Skin repair—use the best equipment."

Ziye lay down inside the surgical hood, still dazed. How had things escalated to this point? She felt even her ability to resist had been stripped away.

The only thing she adapted to was Sha Xinyi’s constant address: "Sweetheart" this, and "Sweetheart" that.

—At Liren Beauty Salon, all staff, including the robots, had only one term of address for every customer: Baby.

After finally resolving the complexion issue, the four women weren't done yet; they dragged her to the hair styling studio. Since their aesthetic tastes differed slightly, after a brief debate, the beauty mogul Sha Xinyi made the final decision: they gave her a hairstyle mimicking a cool, young girl.

Next came the carpet-style shopping spree, searching for clothes that matched her new style.

Each woman gifted her an entire set—hat, dress, shoes, and a bag, completing the overall look in one go.

Ziye kept saying she didn't lack anything.

Eventually, she gave in and changed her plea to: "Don't gift them, I'll buy them myself."

The four women, led by Sha Xinyi, unanimously scorned her. "You are the youngest among us. As older sisters, it’s natural that we should take a bit more care of you."

By nine o'clock in the evening, Ziye’s transformation was complete. The four women were finally satisfied, exclaiming, "See? How could Ziye possibly be ugly? Look now—a beautiful young woman! So much elegance! Let’s go take some photos!"

Ziye felt more exhausted than if she had completed a ten-kilometer cross-country run burdened with ten kilograms of weight. She simply rolled her eyes and stayed silent.

Around eleven o’clock, Ziye was finally released. Clutching a pile of clothes and accessories, she returned to the apartment and collapsed onto the sofa, utterly drained. Those four women were ruthless!

However, the effect of this makeover was immediate.

Predictably, on the day of the shoot, when Ziye appeared in her entirely new ensemble, the director and his crew were stunned. He appraised Ziye up and down, expressing deep satisfaction. "Oh my, you've saved me so much trouble. Yesterday I was fretting about whether we’d have enough time for the makeup artist to transform you. You've automatically completed the transformation. Very good, good girl."

His blunt words made Ziye blush furiously.

"Hey, can you leave the lady some dignity?" chimed in the makeup artist, a beautiful older sister, teasingly. Since the team members had all been students of Lingsi before, they felt a natural affinity for their junior, Ziye, and saw no need to maintain a stern facade.

The director said, "Don't waste time chatting. Get Ziye’s makeup done first; Tang Wen will be here soon."

As if on cue, Tang Wen arrived.

Everyone turned to look as Tang Wen walked toward them, accompanied by Blan, who positioned himself slightly behind Tang Wen in a more deferential posture.

Tang Wen’s gait was remarkably aesthetically pleasing—not stiff, not splayed outward, nor pigeon-toed. He walked with confident ease, like a darling of the runway, captivating in his bearing.

Ziye wanted to run up and greet him, but seeing the team members move forward to welcome him, she hesitated and lagged behind.

The makeup artist gave her a nudge. "You need to be more proactive when greeting the teacher."

Ziye stepped forward with forced resolve, only to find the team members automatically parted to create a path for her. They were laughing, "Witness the historic moment: Teacher Tang Wen and student Ziye successfully meet!"

Ziye awkwardly scratched her head. Tang Wen, poised and composed, walked up to her, giving a faint smile. "Nice hairstyle. Don't mess it up by scratching."

Ziye instantly didn't know where to put her hands.

Everyone laughed.

Tang Wen extended his hand, his voice still clear and light, yet carrying a hint of warmth. "Ziye, hello. This is my first time being a teacher, so I expect I'll fall short in many ways. I look forward to your guidance in the future."

This time, Ziye did not hesitate. She decisively extended her hand, grasping his. "Hello, Teacher. Please guide me often." She almost bowed and scraped in deference.

The crowd was slightly dissatisfied with the unoriginal meeting, shouting in unison, "NG, take it again!"

Ziye was so nervous her palms were sweating. A minor figure like her couldn't handle such a grand scene; it was too much pressure. The others, however, grew more enthusiastic in their antics, and she wished she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.

This was not how one wanted to embarrass themselves.

Finally, the director intervened. "Rerun, rerun. Blan, go sit in the audience for a while. Tang Wen, stand about three steps away, and when you stop, open your arms. Ziye, get ready; you must run forward and throw yourself into his embrace. Your posture needs to be natural, and your expression must be moving. Everyone, take your places."

The team moved with remarkable speed, finding their positions while laughing. The setup took three seconds.

Blan unexpectedly did not object this time. "It’s rare for you all to switch to filming romance. Truly rare."

The director laughed heartily. "The teacher-student romance theme is good. Of course, if we don't want to shoot a romance, we can just have him pull out a bottle of mineral water later and pretend it’s a commercial."