While I was out shopping, my phone suddenly started buzzing non-stop. 【You'll go to a hotel with someone just for a little money, do you have no shame?】 【I'm warning you, we're getting married very soon. Stay away from my husband.】 【If this happens again, I'll expose you all over the internet.】 I quickly typed an explanation: 【Hello, I think you have the wrong person?】 As soon as the message was sent, a glaring red exclamation mark popped up. The other party had blocked me. I stared at the screen for three seconds, my head full of question marks. Excuse me, lady? You're getting married, why are you blocking me? I'm the bridal makeup artist your husband paid in full!! 1 I turned into the mall's rest area, sat down, and started venting to my best friend, Mia. 【Mia, you will not believe what just happened to me!】 【My client checked her husband's phone, cursed me out thinking I was his mistress, and then just blocked me!】 Mia quickly sent a string of voice messages: "No way? You do bridal makeup every day, and you still managed to get mistaken for a mistress by the bride?" "This girl must be having a severe case of pre-wedding anxiety, just biting anyone she sees, huh?" I felt like crying as I replied to her: 【How was I supposed to know!】 【I haven't even met her or her husband!】 【Her husband added me on WeChat out of nowhere, paid in full upfront, and asked me to do the bride's makeup.】 "So what are you going to do now? You already took the money; you can't just not show up on the wedding day, right?" "If she can't find a makeup artist then and accuses you of taking the money and running, what happens to the reputation you've worked so hard to build as a freelancer?" 2 Those words hit me where it hurts. I've been a freelance makeup artist for almost five years, relying entirely on word-of-mouth and referrals from old clients. If I mess up this job, the loss would be huge. I sighed and reopened the chat where I was blocked. Although I was blocked on WeChat, there were other ways. I clicked on his profile picture and opened his personal info. Sure enough, his WeChat ID was his phone number. I quickly dialed the number, and it was picked up almost immediately. "Hello, is this Mr. Smith?" "Hello?" A female voice answered, her tone cautious. My heart sank. It sounded like the bride herself. But on second thought, that's fine. Since she answered the phone, this was the perfect opportunity to clear things up. "Hello, you must be Mr. Smith's fiancée, Ms. Johnson, right?" "I didn't get a chance to explain on WeChat earlier, but I'm the makeup artist your husband hired—" Before I could finish, it was like a powder keg exploded on the other end. "You still have the nerve to call?! "Did you not hear a single word of my warning?!" I held the phone slightly away from my ear, which was ringing. "You've misunderstood. I called to say that your husband hasn't told me the wedding venue yet, I—" "Have you no shame? Are you that desperate for a man?" Her voice was shrill and fast, not giving me a chance to get a word in. "You know we're getting married soon, and you're still throwing yourself at my husband! "I'm warning you, don't think I don't know what you're scheming! "Are you planning to sneak in on the wedding day and steal the groom? "Let me tell you, no way in hell!" I took a deep breath, trying to interject while she caught her breath: "Please listen to my explanation, I am the makeup artist your husband hired—" "Explain what?!" She cut me off directly, her voice rising another octave. "I've seen plenty of shameless mistresses like you! You're disgusting!" "No, I'm really not—" "Get lost!" "Beep—beep—beep—" The call disconnected. I sat frozen in the chair, holding the phone, unable to process what just happened for a long time. In all my life, this was the first time I had been ruthlessly cursed out twice in a row. It took me a while to recover. I gritted my teeth and pressed dial again. No matter what, this needed to be cleared up, otherwise, it would be a disaster on the wedding day. But this time, it only rang once before an automated voice said: "The number you have dialed is currently busy, please try again later." I refused to give up and called again a minute later. Still busy. Again. "The number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time." Great. Blocked on WeChat, blocked on the phone. I looked at my phone, unable to laugh, unable to get angry. So, I received full payment, and now I don't even have the right to speak to my employer. 3 This situation gave me a massive headache. I slumped in the rest chair, staring blankly at my phone screen. Maybe I should just let it go. This thought popped up uncontrollably. If worse comes to worst, I'll just refund the money and drop the job. I can't risk the reputation I've built over years for a measly $400. I opened the chat history with Mr. Smith and scrolled up, trying to see if there was any other contact information. As I scrolled, I remembered. He was the one who added me. After I accepted his friend request, he immediately called me on voice chat. He said he saw the bride's makeup at a wedding a few days ago, thought it looked great, and wanted to hire me for full-day bridal makeup. Even when I explicitly stated that my rates were significantly higher than average and quoted him $400. He didn't hesitate at all. He immediately said no problem, price wasn't an issue. He added that the wedding date was set for the end of this month, but the hotel was still being finalized. Once it was settled, he would send me the address and specific itinerary right away. Then, I could just go directly to the bridal suite at the hotel to do the makeup. Having been in this industry for five years, I've met quite a few grooms who thoughtfully handled wedding arrangements, so I didn't think anything was weird. I just repeatedly reminded him on the phone that he absolutely had to send me the hotel address and the bride's preferences at least three days in advance so I could prepare the appropriate makeup products and hair accessories. He readily agreed, promising he wouldn't delay anything. As soon as we hung up, the $400 was transferred over. I accepted the money and replied: 【Received, I will definitely be at the hotel on time.】 And then there was nothing. He didn't contact me again, and I didn't ask. After all, he said the hotel wasn't booked yet, so rushing him was useless. Until today, when his fiancée, Ms. Johnson, inexplicably cursed me out and blocked me. I glanced at the date in the top right corner of my phone. Today is the 23rd. I remember he said on the phone that the wedding is on the 28th. Doesn't that mean... it's in five days?! My head was buzzing. I was so shocked by being cursed out earlier that my mind was full of exasperation. Only now did I realize the wedding date was right around the corner! I shot up from the chair. $400 is a small matter. But in five days, if there's no makeup artist, then what happens to this bride's wedding...?! Given her current state, it's absolutely impossible she prepared a backup makeup artist. And since it's peak wedding season, there's no way she can find a reliable makeup artist in three days. A once-in-a-lifetime wedding, if she has to do her own makeup and hair... that wedding is completely ruined! 4 Although I felt stifled, emotions are emotions, and work is work. Even if I don't take this job, I have to find Mr. Smith, refund the money, and clear things up. I took a deep breath, sat down, and calmly sorted things out. First, to find him, I needed to figure out how he found me. He said he saw my makeup on a bride at a wedding a few days ago and asked the host for my contact info. That was twenty days ago. That means the wedding he attended should have been roughly a week before that. To be safe, I decided to look back over the past month. Fortunately, last month wasn't peak wedding season, so I didn't have that many couples. I opened my client files, found those dozen or so clients, and messaged them individually on WeChat. 【Sorry to bother you! Just wanted to ask if any friends asked about makeup services at your wedding last month?】 【A client named Smith said he found out about me through your wedding, so I just wanted to verify~】 I waited the entire afternoon. Everyone's reply was either "No" or "Don't know him." I felt a bit discouraged. I scrolled through my WeChat Moments, trying to dig up some clues from my memory. But honestly, in our line of work, we see so many faces on the wedding day. Aside from the couple... I couldn't match any names to faces. Just as I was thinking, a WeChat message popped up. It was Leo. His fiancée had done a makeup trial with me before, and their wedding was set for next month. I clicked to open it. 【Hey Chloe, my wedding is canceled. You don't need to refund the deposit. Sorry for the trouble.】 5 I stared at the message, stunned for two seconds. The wedding was canceled? What a shame. I remember when his fiancée came for her makeup trial, he came with her. He was bustling around, getting her water, his eyes completely focused on her. Only after chatting did I find out that he had been chasing this girl since high school. But she always had someone else in her heart. It wasn't until that person was about to get married that she finally turned around and saw this fool who had waited ten years for her. I was quite moved when I heard that and told him he had to treat her well. His eyes crinkled into a smile, and he said, "Of course, Chloe. I waited ten years, finally got her, I will definitely treat her well." And now he's telling me it's canceled? I sighed. Just as I was about to reply with a comforting cliché, something flashed in my mind. Wait. The time of his fiancée's makeup trial... seemed to be right before Mr. Smith contacted me? I quickly scrolled up through our chat history. Leo's fiancée came for her makeup trial on the 1st of this month. And Mr. Smith added me on WeChat on the 2nd. —Right on each other's heels. Leo and Mr. Smith look to be about the same age. Maybe Leo really did recommend me! I typed a line and sent it: 【Leo, is it okay to ask if you know a groom with the last name Smith?】 【His WeChat profile picture looks like this.】 【[Image]】 Message sent, I stared at the screen, full of anticipation. About two minutes later, Leo replied. 【Yeah, I know him. What's up?】 I sat straight up. 【Is he getting married on the 28th of this month?】 Leo's side showed "typing..." For a long time, he finally sent one message: 【Chloe, how did you know?】 【Did my fiancée tell you?】 【What else did she say to you?】 I stared at these three messages, my fingers hovering over the screen, not knowing what to reply for a moment. Why did this suddenly involve his fiancée? I instinctively typed a line: 【Didn't you recommend Mr. Smith to come to me for a makeup trial?】 6 I was just about to hit send when my finger suddenly stopped. Wait. Wait, wait, wait. This didn't seem that simple. I tried hard to recall and think. I suddenly remembered that Leo's fiancée looked very sad the day of her makeup trial. I casually asked her then, "What's wrong? Pre-wedding jitters?" She shook her head and said it was nothing. Later, halfway through the makeup session, she suddenly spoke up: "Chloe, tell me, if someone liked you for ten years, would you marry him out of being moved?" I was drawing her eyeliner at the time, and my hand jerked, almost drawing it crooked. I said, "You shouldn't be asking me that; you should ask yourself." She didn't say anything else. After the makeup was done, she looked in the mirror for a long time. Her eyes were a little red, but finally she smiled and said, "It looks great, thank you, Chloe." I thought she was touched at the time. Thinking about it now... That look in her eyes didn't seem like she was touched. It was regret. It was a farewell. It was "I know I should let go, but I'm still a little sad." And the very next day after her makeup trial, that Mr. Smith added me on WeChat. He said then that he saw a bride's makeup at a wedding, thought it looked great, and asked the host for my contact info. But I just checked. That wedding simply never existed! I gripped my phone, my head buzzing. And that person who made Leo's fiancée wait for years, who was finally getting married soon... couldn't be... Mr. Smith, could it? No way. No way, no way, no way? So, the reason Mr. Smith came to me was because... that afternoon, Leo's fiancée met with him? 7 【Chloe?】 The phone buzzed again. Leo's message popped up, carrying a hint of cautious urging. I took a deep breath, suppressed those messy speculations, and typed on the screen: 【I was busy just now, only have time to reply now.】 【It's nothing, I just lost contact with this guy. You two are about the same age, and our town isn't that big, so I thought I'd ask you to test my luck. I didn't expect you two actually knew each other.】 After thinking about it, I still couldn't suppress my curiosity. Like being possessed, I tested the waters: 【Leo, you and this Mr. Smith were high school classmates, right?】 After sending it, I stared at the "typing..." indicator, my heart beating inexplicably fast. A few seconds later, Leo replied. 【I didn't know him originally. I met him because he's my fiancée's childhood friend; we had dinner together a few times.】 Childhood friend. And the wedding dates for both couples were so close. All those messy speculations in my head seemed to slowly be confirmed. I couldn't help but sigh: No way, I actually ran into such a melodramatic plot? No, no. Now is not the time to eat melon (gossip), it's time to figure out how to contact Mr. Smith! I shook my head, throwing those gossipy thoughts away. 【Leo, I have a situation here, I'm not afraid to tell you even if you laugh at me.】 【This Mr. Smith booked me for bridal makeup earlier, but his fiancée mistook me for a mistress trying to intervene and blocked all my contact info.】 【The wedding is in a few days, and I have absolutely no way to contact him now.】 Leo replied very quickly: 【His fiancée comes from a wealthy family and has a rather fiery personality. Please bear with it, Chloe.】 Bear with it. I smiled bitterly, thinking to myself, I was cursed at until my ears rang, and I'm supposed to 'bear with it'. But I couldn't say that to Leo, so I kept typing: 【Leo, do me a favor.】 【Act as a middleman for me. Ask him for a bank account number so I can refund this money to him.】 【Given this awkward situation, I don't want to do this job anymore.】 The other side showed "typing...". Still typing. Typing for a long time. I stared at that status bar flashing, feeling a bit nervous. This request was indeed too presumptuous. His own wedding was canceled, he must be in a bad mood, and here I am asking him to pass along a message... Just as I was about to say "forget it, it's fine," Leo's message popped up. 【I'll help you, Chloe.】 I opened the transfer interface and refunded the $100 deposit Leo had paid previously via the original payment method. Then I sent a message: 【Leo, I've refunded your deposit. Thank you so much for doing me this huge favor. I'll treat you to dinner sometime.】 This time he replied quickly: 【Chloe, it's no trouble at all, don't mention it.】 【Wait for my news.】
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