Chapter 66: Raising a Daughter—or Keeping a Little Lover
Relying solely on makeup and styling to turn a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old kid into a capable female bodyguard in her twenties—John said this was truly pushing the limits of his skills.
“I’m eighteen already,” Su Keke quickly corrected him.
“She’s of age,” Qin Mochen added calmly.
One spoke urgently, the other unhurried and steady, yet they spoke at the same time.
John’s gaze drifted back and forth between the two before finally settling on Su Keke’s fresh, dewy little face. He smiled. “Is that so? Then your face really does make you look young. Once your features mature, you’ll probably grow into a real beauty.”
Su Keke was actually quite pleased to hear that.
Her master had once said that even when she grew up, the only difference would be a small bun face turning into a big bun face. Yet this man was saying she’d become a beauty?
Hehe—his words should be more reliable than her master’s, right? After all, this was his profession. His eye for these things had to be accurate.
Seeing the little girl secretly curl her lips into a smile, Qin Mochen tapped her on the head. “Go sit properly over there. John might put some strange things on your face later. Don’t move around—just bear with it for a bit.”
John laughed. Strange things?
Since when had the usually stern Fourth Master Qin become so humorous?
And the way Fourth Master Qin treated this little girl—
Was he raising a daughter… or keeping a little lover?
No wonder he’d come here. John was known for keeping a tight mouth—no matter what messy things he encountered in this circle, he never spread them around.
John studied Su Keke’s face, thinking about where to begin.
Su Keke studied him in return. “Are you the owner here?” She paused. “You don’t look like a foreigner, but you’re very handsome.”
Though his mannerisms were sometimes a bit soft and his voice slightly thin, the man was over six feet tall, dressed fashionably, with refined features—he was indeed quite handsome.
What Su Keke didn’t know was that this refined face was largely the result of makeup.
John burst out laughing. “I’m the owner here and also the chief image designer. I’m indeed not a foreigner, but I studied abroad for eight years. For convenience, I took a foreign name, and later—”
He glanced at Qin Mochen. “Later, Fourth Master Qin recruited me here. I do have a Chinese name, but when I was younger and competing in various international design contests, I used the name John, so everyone prefers to call me Designer John.”
“Alright, little girl, I’m going to start now. During this process, don’t move around.”
Su Keke nodded.
John brought over various bottles and jars along with all kinds of fine brushes, filling an entire table.
As he dabbed and painted on Su Keke’s face, she stared at herself in the mirror.
Her face slowly began to change—her eyes didn’t look as big anymore, becoming slightly longer and narrower. Her brows were thickened a little, and with the subtly upturned shape, Su Keke felt she instantly looked much more sharp and spirited.
“…Your face is too round and cute. I’m going to adjust it into more of an oval shape. I’ll extend the powder from the cheekbones down to the jaw, then use a darker foundation to add some shadow. That way, the face looks longer and more three-dimensional. Of course, it’s not actually longer—it just looks that way.”
Su Keke: “Oh, okay.”
“Your lips are very pretty—small, with a naturally rosy color, like a little red cherry. So I’m going to alter the lip shape a bit, turning the upper lip into a wider, shallower bow.”
Su Keke: “Oh, okay.”
Qin Mochen had been looking down at financial news on his phone, but at this moment he suddenly glanced up at the back of the little girl’s head. “Kid, you don’t need to respond to him. John doesn’t actually need you to respond.”
John laughed. “Oh my, Fourth Master, this little girl you brought is just too adorable. Where did you find her? I want to adopt one too.”
Many designers had a common habit: when working, they liked to talk to themselves—they didn’t actually expect clients to answer.
John himself hadn’t expected that every time he said something, this little girl would respond. It was unbearably cute.
Su Keke thought to herself: Why does everyone keep saying I’m cute? I’m really not cute. When I work, I’m very fierce. Even the ghosts in Peach Blossom Village are afraid of me.
Qin Mochen shot John a glance, then continued looking at his phone and said coolly, “There’s only this one.”
In other words—you can’t get one.
John marveled inwardly. That protective attitude… tsk, tsk.
“Now I’m going to change your hairstyle. A bun is too cute—we’re switching to a high ponytail.”
Su Keke almost reflexively responded with another “oh,” but remembering what her uncle had just said, she managed to hold it back.
John released her hair, sprayed it a bit, then gathered it up and tied it into a fluffy high ponytail.
“Finally, we’ll change you into the black fitted suit you want, and black chunky high heels…”
Ten minutes later.
John sighed. “Forget it—you’d better wear low-heeled leather shoes.”
In the end, John looked at his work and nodded with satisfaction. Though the shoes were a slight flaw, they didn’t detract from the overall effect.
“Come on, little one—look at yourself in the mirror. Aren’t you beautiful? You’re the prettiest bodyguard I’ve ever seen.”
Su Keke stared at her reflection, momentarily unable to recognize the person in the mirror.
“This… is me?”
John grinned smugly. “It’s you.”
Su Keke touched her own face, and the beauty in the mirror touched her face too.
Hey—it really was her.
“So amazing,” Su Keke couldn’t help but sigh.
It felt like she’d aged several years all at once. She no longer looked as childish, and the suit didn’t look out of place on her at all. The person in the mirror was beautiful and capable.
“Uncle, can you recognize me?” Su Keke quickly turned to look at Qin Mochen, smiling brightly as she asked.
Even though it was just a simple styling session, Qin Mochen had waited nearly an hour without showing the slightest impatience.
Seeing the little girl’s face, the man paused for two seconds before saying, “It’s not like you changed your face. How could I not recognize you?”
Then he glanced at his watch. “It’s about time. Let’s go.”
“Hey, hey, Fourth Master, aren’t you getting styled too?” John hurriedly called out.
“No need,” Qin Mochen replied calmly.
Most of the time, he was already impeccably dressed in a suit. This time was no exception—he hadn’t specially chosen an outfit or done any styling. To him, this was just going to an old friend’s place for a meal. How others looked didn’t matter to him, nor did he need to care.
John smiled. “From head to toe, everything about you is exquisite. It’s just that your hairstyle is a bit stiff. Fourth Master, are you sure you don’t want to consider changing it?”
“Not for now.”
John shrugged and could only give up.
The three left the VIP private room. John snapped his fingers at one of his junior apprentices. “He Rui, see Fourth Master Qin and this young lady out for me.”
He Rui responded with an “okay” and put down her work.
There were quite a few people in the shop. Su Keke hadn’t noticed her earlier, but seeing her now, her expression changed slightly.
She said nothing until they had walked out of the shop and there were fewer people around. Then Su Keke asked her, “Do you have a problem you need resolved recently? I work in this line.”
He Rui was taken aback. “Miss, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Su Keke frowned. “You don’t know? That’s impossible. The yin energy on you is so obvious—you’ve definitely been possessed more than once.”
