He was to escort him to a mall opening ceremony.
Such medium-sized malls usually held entertainment performances before opening to attract customers, inviting some unknown models and entertainment teams to create buzz.
Wang Li's part-time job group had a model agent who specialized in taking on such events, organizing attractive men and women to form temporary performance teams.
These individuals were unprofessional and inexperienced, so they quoted low prices, allowing the agent to pocket a significant difference.
Although the earnings weren't substantial, these jobs weren't accessible to just anyone.
Without connections, someone like Peng Fei would never have encountered them.
This time, it was a coincidence. As the weather turned cold, one of the nine male models in a previously agreed-upon team backed out due to a price dispute. The agent, having no other options, approached Peng Fei.
It was Wang Li's first time taking on such a job, and she hadn't met the agent before. She led Peng Fei on a long detour to find the backstage area.
The agent, busy organizing the event, glanced at Peng Fei and was very satisfied, urging him to quickly get undressed and have his makeup done.
"You're going on stage in half an hour, hurry up. Do exactly as I say."
Peng Fei knew nothing and was asked to undress immediately. Moreover, it was open with no partitions, making him feel a bit embarrassed.
But seeing the other men and women acting as if nothing was wrong, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and take off his shirt.
After his shirt, he had to remove his lower garments. The makeup artist was going to do body painting, using it as clothing for them to walk the stage. This shocked him.
What kind of job was this? It was too embarrassing!
Wang Li explained to him that it was called performance art and was not illegal, otherwise, it wouldn't be performed in public.
Peng Fei still refused, even telling Wang Li coldly that he wouldn't do such jobs in the future, preferring to pack boxes for 50 yuan.
Since he was already there, he couldn't back out at the last minute. Peng Fei reluctantly let the makeup artist do his makeup.
Fortunately, no one recognized him, and with face paint on, he stiffly mingled with the crowd and walked around the stage twice. The job was then over.
After coming down, he went backstage to remove his makeup, and the agent paid him 300 yuan in cash on the spot.
Peng Fei, who had been very unhappy with the job, changed his perception of the industry upon seeing the 300 yuan.
He had only gone up and walked around a couple of times, and the money was in his hands?
It was more than he earned by working tirelessly and polishing parts all day at the factory.
This was the first time in his life he proactively sought a job. Looking at the crisp bills, he summoned the courage to ask the agent.
"Can I have your contact information? Please find me again if there are such jobs in the future."
The agent saw that he was inexperienced and obedient, much easier to manage than the seasoned veterans. He happily gave Peng Fei a business card.
"I'll remember you, brother. I'll definitely look for you again for future jobs. Cooperate well, and I'll help you make a fortune."
With this experience, Peng Fei gained connections and subsequently earned some pocket money through modeling.
Indeed, there were many opportunities in the big city. It was a mall opening one day, a bar opening the next, or performing at a wealthy family's house the day after.
In one month, just from modeling, he earned over 2000 yuan.
Combined with his piece-rate wages from the factory, it amounted to over 6000 yuan. That month, he sent 9000 yuan home.
9000 yuan was about the same income as a year's hard work in his village.
News of Peng Fei's success quickly spread throughout the village.
Peng's mother called, proudly saying her son had brought honor to the family and had become a village celebrity.
However, Peng Fei couldn't feel happy at all.
Only he knew the hardships he endured.
For some distant events, he had traveled across half of South City.
He spent several hours on the road to get there and back, only to have to work the next day, leaving him with almost no time to sleep.
Fortunately, this grueling period didn't last long before the model agent found him and told him to quit his job.
The agent had recently connected with an assistant director and gained access to new resources, asking Peng Fei to join him for something big.
It was a youth model competition jointly organized by a television station and an online platform.
Peng Fei's first thought was how much money he could earn from this competition.
The agent told him there was no money. Not only that, but if the competition went smoothly and he progressed all the way, he would have to spend over a month on it.
Peng Fei hesitated.
He had just tasted the joy of earning money, and now he had to stop so soon, relying on past efforts, and he felt insecure.
Moreover, with the Lunar New Year approaching, his family was waiting for him to repay debts.
The agent advised him, "This is called investing time, understand? If you win this competition and place, you'll be able to appear on bigger platforms in the future and take on better business deals. Then, you'll earn more in a single night than you do in a month."
"Even if you don't win, you'll become familiar to the audience. You can open an account and become an influencer, which can also bring in a lot of money."
Peng Fei didn't understand those things, but hearing the agent say that he would earn more regardless, he was still tempted.
He said he would consider it for two days. Outside of work, he constantly browsed his phone, cramming online knowledge and searching for various information.
Only then did he realize how diverse the ways to make money were.
Some people actually accumulated immense wealth in a year solely based on their looks and physique.
He wanted to get rich, desperately wanted to get rich.
He wanted to help his family repay their debts and find Zhan Jingchun to compensate for his guilt with money.
However, he also didn't want to rely on his looks and physique for his entire life, as it didn't fit his personality. He fell into a dilemma.
After a few days of no contact, Wang Li came to the workshop to find him again.
She was Peng Fei's only friend, and he told her everything.
Upon hearing that he was considering participating in the competition but was conflicted, Wang Li advised him.
"What's there to be conflicted about? People strive for progress, water flows to lower places. You can't be a polishing worker in a factory your entire life, can you?"
"This kind of life has a clear end in sight. At most, you'll earn 10,000 yuan a month. Even if you polish for 50 years, what then? While you're young, not utilizing such good resources is a waste of heaven's good intentions."
"Go for it. Earn money first. Once you've earned enough and don't want to do it anymore, you can quit anytime."
Peng Fei felt that he was too uneducated and slow-witted, unable to think flexibly. He hadn't considered these points.
He asked Wang Li how he could self-study and enroll in university online.
Wang Li only knew that he loved money and would risk his life for it, but she didn't expect him to be so ambitious beyond that.
He even wanted to improve his academic qualifications.
"Can you manage?"
Peng Fei felt he could.
He would never forget every word Zhan Jingchun had said.
That day, in the mountains, under the beautiful sunset, when she was painting for Fangfang, she had mentioned that she graduated from an art academy.
At the same age, she had a much higher education than him. He wanted to catch up as much as possible.
"Teach me how to register. I will cherish this opportunity and study hard. Wang Li, you are a good person. When I earn money in the future, I will definitely repay you."