CHAPTER 598: 232 SILENT GARDEN

Qiao Wan is a top-tier celebrity in Hua Country, well-loved in the entertainment industry. She was previously the youngest Hua Country model to walk the stage at the internationally renowned Lanxi Fashion Week, earning substantial recognition overseas.

With her mixed-race features and a style that blends sweetness with dazzling charm, transitioning from the modeling world to the entertainment industry was effortless for her. In just two short years, she climbed her way to the A-list, relying solely on her looks and figure.

As a model, her physique needs no introduction—standing at 1.75 meters with a perfectly proportioned, golden-ratio figure. She’s a natural clothes hanger, famously known as a fashion icon in the entertainment industry and a trendsetting influencer. Any item she’s seen wearing quickly becomes a viral hit, inspiring countless fans to emulate her style.

In short, Qiao Wan is a beacon for all things fashionable.

The two young college students idolize Qiao Wan without question, mesmerized by someone their age who stands at the pinnacle of the fashion world.

The more they looked, the more the girl sitting nearby struck them as resembling Qiao Wan—her figure, her style of dress, everything. Wearing a baseball cap and a mask, she exuded the aura of a celebrity.

The girl by the window pulled out her phone and found the latest photo: "Qiao Wan just posted this selfie this morning. Look at her nails—they’re freshly manicured. But check out that girl’s nails; they’re completely clean and bare. No way she’s Qiao Wan."

"Could be nail stickers," the other girl countered. "Haven’t you seen the fan reports saying Qiao Wan is in Chunzhou? Maybe that’s really her." As she spoke, she stealthily took a photo of the girl. When she noticed a flight attendant approaching, she quickly pocketed her phone.

The flight from Chunzhou to Jingzhou took two hours, a relatively dull stretch. During that time, the girl discreetly observed the nearby passenger.

From the moment she boarded, the woman had been engrossed in a book.

The two whispered to each other: "Qiao Wan is a top student at Siland University. The media has captured photos of her reading while waiting at the airport numerous times. She’s so diligent; it has to be her."

"Exactly. And she’s reading an original foreign-language book. Qiao Wan grew up abroad. Who else could it be?"

Trying to get her attention, one of them fished out a lipstick from her backpack, pretending to accidentally drop it. The lipstick rolled across the aisle and stopped at the woman’s feet.

Finally seizing the opportunity, the girl apologized shyly: "Sorry about that. Could you help me pick up my lipstick?"

The woman finally lifted her head from the book. From under the brim of her hat, glasses glinted faintly, obscuring her eyes in a vague, misty haze that inexplicably sent a chill down the girl’s spine.

At that exact moment, a passing flight attendant bent down, picked up the lipstick, and handed it back to the girl.

The attendant’s movement inadvertently blocked the view of the woman seated across.

Holding her lipstick, the girl sat dumbfounded.

Her companion nudged her: "What’s the matter?"

It was only then that the girl snapped back to reality: "She... she isn’t Qiao Wan."

The two hours passed quickly. By the time they disembarked, the mysterious woman was nowhere to be found.

The girl couldn’t wait to pull out her phone and post a message on Weibo.

Flying Bunny Qiao: On my flight, I ran into a girl who looked like Qiao Wan. Even resembling Qiao Wan by just a fraction makes her a stunning beauty. She’s so studious too—she spent the entire time reading a book. [Photo]

Because it included Qiao Wan’s name, the post attracted significant attention. Within just ten minutes, it had amassed numerous comments.

——Some random nobody trying to latch onto our Nana’s fame? Must be desperate for attention.

——Ha, copycats will always be copycats. Our Nana is still the most beautiful.

——I’ll admit, at first glance there’s a resemblance to Qiao Wan. But honestly, I think this girl has more elegance...

——If you can’t see properly, go get your eyes checked. Nana is a top student at Siland University, fluent in eight languages, and the youngest model to ever appear at the Lanxi Fashion Week. Do you even know how much those luxury designers adore Nana? Stop dragging some random wannabe into the picture.

——To Nana’s fans: don’t act so entitled. She’s just someone selling outfits—what’s the big deal? Siland University? When does she even attend class when she’s busy in the entertainment industry? Don’t make me laugh. FYI, the girl in the photo is reading "Spacetime Physics." Bet you can’t even understand the title! It’s a widely acclaimed book on space-time physics. Forget it, why am I even arguing with your brain-dead fandom? The girl’s clearly a young genius to make sense of "Spacetime Physics"—I’d love to meet her. @Flying Bunny Qiao

Shen You’an remained unaware of the online buzz sparked by her. Stepping out of the terminal, she immediately spotted a black business car parked by the roadside in the night’s embrace.

The car window was rolled halfway down. A man inside raised his hand in greeting, a cigarette perched at the corner of his mouth, exhaling wispy trails of smoke.

When he saw her approaching, he snuffed out the cigarette without hesitation, casually flicking the stub. It landed precisely in the ashtray of the nearby rubbish bin.