A Sand Sculpture in the Red Dust - Chapter 11 PT1

Chapter 11 PT1 – Washing Mr. Qin’s Hair

　　”The studio is empty now,” the director took a deep breath after recovering from the shock, “Just paint there.”

　　Li Xiangfu shook his head: “I need a bigger space.”

　　The final venue was decided to be a stage that was to be renovated in the near future.

　　Li Xiangfu did not go on stage directly. He looked at his watch and said, “Wait a moment. The merchant we contacted will take another five minutes to deliver the goods.”

　　This is just like taking the time to load the bullet when the enemy is right in front of you. Due to Qin Jin’s presence, the director dared not say anything.

　　The merchant arrived ten minutes later than the agreed time, and the director’s face was already gloomy.

　　After delivering the things, the merchant left in a hurry. On the ground was a painting scroll specially customized by Li Xiangfu, which was more than ten meters long, and there were also five huge porcelain bowls.

　　After measuring the distance, he placed the porcelain pieces on both sides of the edge of the cloth and opened the small black bag.

　　With a splashing sound, dense paint was poured onto the ground. The bottom of the bag was a specially cut red cloth. He first squeezed the paint into a bowl, and then tied the red cloth tightly around his waist.

　　Director: “You are…”

　　Li Xiangfu raised his chin slightly, connected the Bluetooth speaker, and made a classic bullfighting dance gesture. When his arms and body were parallel, the loud and high-pitched trumpet sound spread from the speaker to the surroundings.

　　At this point, anyone could tell that he wanted to paint while dancing.

　　In Li Xiangfu’s mind, classical dance is the most graceful. Unfortunately, it is too difficult to control the strength with water sleeves, and it is difficult to switch the colors. It takes a lot more skill to use the strength of the soles of the feet.

　　Tango and tap dance are full of rhythm and very suitable, but he finally chose bullfighting. First of all, he had dabbled in it in college, and he already had a good foundation in dancing in the other world. The stage effect would be better if he swung his skirt.

　　The prelude of this piece is not very fast, it is just the alternation of a trumpet and a monosyllabic “ah”, coupled with the overly white skin under the light, it is like an adventure in a haunted house.

　　The director silently unscrewed the thermos.

　　‘I won’t say anything more. I’ll just drink some tea to calm myself down.’

　　”Thump, thump, thump–” the rhythm changed too quickly, and Li Xiangfu suddenly became like a butterfly, moving extremely gracefully. When he was on time, he did not forget to dip his dancing shoes in ink and dance on the blank long cloth.

　　”Ah——” An ethereal singing voice came out, and Li Xiangfu raised his head, revealing his graceful neck. Because the overall style of the song was sad, he looked like a white swan waiting to be slaughtered.

　　Assistant Director: “This piece has been edited.”

　　”I can hear it.” The director’s face turned pale.

　　The music and dances are specially choreographed.

　　It is difficult to perform the traditional bullfighting dance, and the second half has become more modern dance-like.

　　The long legs rotate and jump flexibly, switching between different dye vats with ease.

　　The assistant director also drank some water to calm himself down: “Will his legs…be tangled?”

　　There were times when it was so fast that only afterimages could be seen.

　　However, the person concerned remained very steady, turning around a few times on tiptoe, and the red cloth dipped in ink created lace patterns on the ground.

　　Assistant Director: “…”

　　The Olympics deserves your place.

　　Qin Jin stood at the front and no one could see his expression. At this time, Li Xiangfu’s performance was almost coming to an end. He raised his slender neck high again and swung his skirt hard.

　　The cloth fluttered in the wind and when it fell, it happened to hang over Qin Jin’s head from behind.

　　In order to facilitate painting, the cloth was specially cut into large pieces. The director and others were watching from a close distance, and Qin Jin, who was standing in the front, was completely caught in an unexpected disaster.

　　Director and assistant director: “…”

　　‘Good guy, he doesn’t even let his own people go.’

　　The song ended crisply and neatly, and Li Xiangfu bowed in salute to the empty seat in front of him.

　　He felt resistance the moment he leaned over, and caught a glimpse of Qin Jin’s direction with his peripheral vision. He was stunned for a moment, and then he pulled hard. A few hairs on the other person’s head stood up due to static electricity.

　　“…”

　　The assistant director spoke up to ease the atmosphere, laughing dryly, “I guess this song must be called “The Servant Under the Skirt”.”

　　Li Xiangfu: “…”

　　‘You really know how to talk.’

　　Fortunately, the dye only soaked the edge of the skirt and it was almost dry in the end. Even so, there was still a curved diagonal mark on the back of the head.

　　”Sorry.” Li Xiangfu apologized and thought about a solution.

　　Qin Jin was taller than him, and the moment he lowered his head, he cast a shadow: “Repaying kindness with enmity?”

　　Li Xiangfu thought about it and took the initiative to suggest: “Would you like to go to the sauna?”

　　Qin Jin did not express his opinion immediately.

　　The director and assistant director were no longer paying attention to them. They just stood there with their hands behind their backs, admiring the performance and saying, “It’s amazing!”

　　To be honest, when Li Xiangfu first started performing, he didn’t feel much.

　　As a director, he had seen a lot of talent. Some time ago, he saw a similar video by a foreign guy. But the ones he had seen before had one thing in common: the final products are mostly messy cartoons with complicated colors.

　　It looks good and can get applause, but it is not amazing.

　　The advantage of Li Xiangfu’s works lies in the final feeling they present, which is clarity.

　　He only painted one flower, which was not a shy bud about to bloom, but a bud that bloomed to the extreme. However, the color of the petals and leaves was very light, soft and warm yellow, which formed a sharp contrast with the painter’s red dress.

　　When he looked up again, the director’s eyes had completely changed. This is a guarantee of high ratings!

　　”Very nice.”

　　Li Xiangfu smiled slightly: “Really?”

　　Director: “This is the first time I’ve seen such an hilarious performance.”

　　“…”

　　”Don’t get me wrong, I’m complimenting you.” The director expressed his true thoughts: “The first half has the weirdness of the night of the dead, the crossed legs in the middle are like a knotted bow, and the final product is like a secluded orchid in the valley.”

　　Li Xiangfu emphasized, “This is the Sigga cactus flower.”

　　When he spoke, he paid attention to Qin Jin’s expression.

　　However, if Qin Jin’s thoughts were so easy to figure out, he wouldn’t be the one.

　　Standing in a corner of the canvas, Qin Jin gazed at the work calmly, looking at every detail from the petals to the branches.

　　It was also at this time that Li Xiangfu caught that slight…extremely subtle change.

　　Not noticing the temptation and pretense between the two, the director smiled with his front teeth showing: “Do you need us to arrange the materials for the performance?”

　　Considering the stage effects, these are too rough and may go wrong if used on a formal stage.

　　Li Xiangfu nodded: “I will send you a list of the specific materials needed.”

　　”As soon as possible,” the director said, “The show will be recorded on Sunday, and including rehearsals, we need to prepare more than one set.”

　　•=•=•

　　Gao Xun did not go up with them. He waited in the lounge and could see people passing by through the glass window at any time.

　　He had to wait for an hour until the boss showed up.

　　Li Xiangfu was delayed because he had to sign the contract, so he came down a little later.

　　Gao Xun pushed the door open and was stunned when he saw Qin Jin.

　　The circle of light yellow and tender green at the back of the head is particularly eye-catching.

　　”Something unexpected happened.” Li Xiangfu walked quickly and said, “I searched for nearby barber shops on my phone and found one with good reviews.”

　　Although he didn’t know the inside story, Gao Xun did some research: “The boss has his regular barber, but he has to make an appointment in advance.”

　　Li Xiangfu asked the key point: “How much is it per time?”

　　Gao Xun: “A massage therapy session costs tens of thousands.”

　　“…”

　　Li Xiangfu was silent. There was not much balance left in his card after buying the supplies needed for the performance.

　　Just then, a cool breeze blew in from the door. Li Xiangfu’s long hair fluttered in the wind, and Gao Xun’s hair was also messy. Only Qin Jin, who was standing against the wind, was the least affected because he was covered with paint.

　　Li Xiangbu felt guilty: “Besides dancing, I have another great talent.”

　　Qin Jin narrowed his eyes: “Oh?”

　　It was then that Li Xiangfu noticed for the first time that the person in front of him actually had a pair of peach blossom eyes.

　　”Washing hair.” In order to appear convincing, he deliberately exaggerated: “It’s totally the level of opening a barber shop.”

　　Subconsciously, he thought Qin Jin would not care and would probably end his conversation with a “no problem” or some cold sarcasm. Unexpectedly, the other party actually nodded and said indifferently: “Thank you for your help.”

　　“…”

　　The car drove into an ordinary residential area.

　　”There is a meeting at four o’clock in the afternoon.” It is unclear whether Gao Xun was reminding Qin Jin or Li Xiangfu.

　　Looking around, Li Xiangfu was a little surprised: “It’s different from what I imagined.”

　　He didn’t expect Qin Jin’s residence to be so simple.

　　”This is just a place to stay,” Gao Xun said as he got out of the car, as if he could see through someone’s thoughts. “The boss will come here to live during the busy year-end period. It’s close to the company.”

　　“…”

　　Gao Xun still didn’t follow. He sat in the car waiting and checking the meeting materials needed for the afternoon.

　　As they were about to reach the unit door, Li Xiangfu turned sideways to take a look and had to admit that Gao Xun might be a negligent boyfriend, but he was impeccable at work.

　　Because it was just a temporary residence, he bought a model house directly.

　　The bathtub is not built properly. The faucet is too close to the wall. It is definitely not suitable to put your head in to wash.

　　Li Xiangfu found the shower head and moved a small stool for him to sit on.

　　The picture of an adult man sitting on a small stool is very interesting.

　　Li Xiangfu tried not to laugh: “Lower your head and lean forward.”

　　Qin Jin was very cooperative.

　　The warm fingertips rubbed the skin on the back of his neck, causing a layer of tiny bumps.

　　Li Xiangfu was stunned: “Is the water too cold?”

　　”It’s okay.” Qin Jin: “You can continue.”

　　The shampoo in the palm of the hand was rubbed into rich foam, and the fingers were running through the black hair. Neither of them could see the other’s expression.

　　Li Xiangfu lowered his eyes, thinking about something else.

　　It was really strange that the general manager of an esteemed company took the opportunity to ask him to go to the other party’s house to wash his hair.

　　His fingertips accidentally scraped the outline behind his ear, leaving some white foam. Li Xiangfu pursed his lips, and his elbow touched the facial cleanser when he took the conditioner. Qin Jin was clearly lowering his head, but he seemed to notice something, and he reached out and caught it steadily at the first moment based on his intuition.

　　Li Xiangfu narrowed his eyes. With such a quick reflex, there was no reason why he couldn’t dodge the moment the red cloth came over.

　　The foam was rinsed away completely, and Li Xiang floated over the sink and caught a glimpse of a hair dryer in the half-open cabinet, so he decided to use it right away.

　　Qin Jin raised his head, his hair was wet, and because he didn’t get enough rest, his eyes were bloodshot. At first glance, he looked like a fragile little animal.

　　Li Xiangfu’s heart moved, and he suddenly asked a bold question: “Have we met before?”

　　Qin Jin raised his eyelids and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He didn’t seem to care about the question at all. “The circle is so small. Maybe you’ve bumped into me at some event.”

　　After a while, he added, “It may have also been at the parents’ meeting.”

　　”A parents’ meeting?”

　　”You attended the same high school as my brother when you were in China.”

　　There are hundreds of middle schools in this city, and only a dozen of them are well-known, of varying types.

　　The middle school that Li Xiangfu attended was a private high school with excellent teaching quality. Half of its graduates were admitted to top universities every year. Anyone with a little wealth and influence in the city would try to send their children there.

　　Now the topic shifted to Qin Jin’s younger brother, and Li Xiangfu subconsciously asked: “What’s his name?”

　　Qin Jin was silent for a moment: “Qin Jiayu.”

　　There was a sudden sharp pain in his head, and Li Xiangfu lost his balance.

　　Qin Jin caught him in time: “Headache?”

　　Li Xiangfu: “It’s an old problem.”

　　Qin Jin stood up and unplugged the hair dryer: “Go to the sofa and rest for a while.”

　　Li Xiangfu once again felt the overbearing style of his doing things. Even his words of concern still sounded like orders.

　　Qin Jin had something to do at four o’clock, so he left his key to indicate that he could rest here for a while.

　　Li Xiangfu was not the kind of person who could use other people’s courtesy as a lever to climb up, so after thanking him again for the TV station, he left with him.