He was to accompany him to a mall opening ceremony.
Typically, medium-sized malls would organize entertainment performances before their opening to attract customers, inviting unknown models and entertainment troupes to create buzz.
Wang Li's part-time job group had a model agent who specialized in taking on such activities, organizing attractive men and women to form temporary performance teams.
These individuals were unprofessional and unfamiliar with the industry, quoting low prices, allowing the agent to pocket a considerable difference.
Although the earnings weren't substantial, these jobs were not accessible to ordinary people.
Without connections, individuals like Peng Fei would never come into contact with them.
This time, it was pure coincidence. As the weather turned cold, one of the nine male models in a pre-arranged team fell out due to a price dispute and refused to come. The agent, left with no other option, reached out to Peng Fei.
This was Wang Li's first time taking on such a gig. She hadn't met the agent before and had to lead Peng Fei on a long detour to find the backstage area.
The agent, busy organizing the event, glanced at Peng Fei's face and was very satisfied. He urged him to quickly undress and get his makeup done.
"You're going on stage in half an hour, hurry up. Do exactly as I say," the agent instructed.
Peng Fei knew nothing and was asked to undress immediately. With no privacy around, he felt a bit embarrassed.
However, seeing the other men and women acting as if nothing was unusual, he braced himself and took off his upper garment.
After his top, he had to remove his lower garment as well. The makeup artist was going to do body painting, using the paint as their attire for a runway show, which completely stunned 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, which was why it could be performed in public.
Peng Fei still refused, even coldly telling Wang Li that he wouldn't do such jobs in the future, preferring to earn fifty yuan doing odd jobs.
Since he was already there, he couldn't back out at the last minute. Peng Fei grudgingly let the makeup artist do his makeup.
Fortunately, no one recognized him, and his face was covered in body paint. With stiff limbs, he blended into the crowd and walked on stage a couple of times. The job was then completed.
Afterwards, he went backstage to have his makeup removed, and the agent handed him three hundred yuan in cash on the spot.
Peng Fei, who had been unhappy with the job, had a change of heart upon seeing the three hundred yuan.
Just walking on stage a couple of times, and the money was in his hands?
It was more than he earned from a whole day of exhausting work at the factory.
This was the first time in his life he proactively sought employment. Looking at the crisp bills, he summoned the courage to ask the agent.
"Can I have your contact information? Please contact me if there are more jobs like this."
The agent immediately recognized him as someone with little social experience, obedient and easy to manage, much better than the seasoned professionals. He happily gave Peng Fei a business card.
"I'll remember you, kid. I'll definitely look for you for future jobs. Cooperate well, and I'll help you make a fortune."
With this experience, Peng Fei had established a connection. He went on to earn some more money through runway shows.
Indeed, there were many opportunities in the big city. Today it was a mall opening, tomorrow a bar opening, or the day after, a performance at a wealthy family's home.
In a month, just from runway shows, he earned over two thousand yuan.
Adding his piece-rate wages from the factory, his earnings for that month exceeded six thousand yuan. He sent nine thousand yuan home that month.
Nine thousand yuan was roughly the annual income for a year's hard work in their village.
The news of Peng Fei's success quickly spread through the village.
Peng's mother proudly called, saying her son had brought honor to the family and had become a celebrity in the village.
However, Peng Fei couldn't feel happy at all.
Only he knew the hardships he endured.
For some distant events, he had to travel across half of South City.
Spending several hours on the bus to get there and back, and then having to go to work the next day, he barely had any time to sleep.
Fortunately, this grueling period didn't last long. The model agent found him and told him to quit his factory job.
The agent had recently connected with an assistant director and gained access to new resources, asking Peng Fei to join him for a significant undertaking.
It was a youth model competition jointly organized by a television station and an online platform.
Peng Fei's first thought was about how much money he could earn from participating in this competition.
The agent told him there was no pay. Not only that, but if the competition proceeded smoothly and he made it all the way to the end, he would have to spend over a month on it.
Peng Fei hesitated.
He had only just tasted the sweetness of earning money, and now he had to stop so soon, relying on his existing skills. He felt uncertain.
Moreover, with the Lunar New Year approaching, his family was waiting for him to repay debts.
The agent persuaded him, "This is called investing in time, understand? If you win this competition and place, you can gain exposure on bigger platforms in the future and take on better commercial deals. Then, the money you earn overnight will be more than you make in a month now."
"Even if you don't place, you'll become familiar to the audience. You can open an account and become an internet celebrity, which is also quite profitable."
Peng Fei didn't understand these things, but hearing the agent say that, regardless of the outcome, he would earn more than he was now, he was tempted.
He said he would consider it for two days. In his spare time from work, he constantly browsed his phone, furiously absorbing online knowledge and searching for various information.
It was then that he realized how diverse the ways of making money were.
Some people, relying solely on their looks and physique, could amass fortunes in a year.
He wanted to get rich, he desperately wanted to get rich.
He wanted to help his family repay their debts and find Zhan Jingchun, to compensate for his guilt with wealth.
However, he didn't want to live his entire life relying on his looks and physique; it didn't fit his personality, and he fell into a dilemma.
After a few days without contact, Wang Li came to the workshop to find him again.
She was Peng Fei's only friend, and he confided everything in her.
Hearing that he was considering participating in the competition but was also conflicted, Wang Li advised him.
"What's there to be conflicted about? People strive for higher ground, water flows to lower places. You can't be a polishing worker in a factory your whole life, can you?"
"This kind of life has a predictable end. At best, you can earn ten thousand yuan a month. Even if you polish for fifty years, so what? While you're young, to not utilize such good resources is simply a waste of heaven's kind intentions."
"Go for it. Earn the money first. When you've earned enough and don't want to do it anymore, you can withdraw anytime."
Peng Fei felt he had studied too little and was too slow-witted, failing to think of these things.
He asked Wang Li how he could self-study for university, as he had heard it was possible online.
Wang Li only knew he was money-minded, willing to risk his life for it, but she didn't expect him to be so ambitious beyond that.
He actually wanted to improve his education.
"Can you handle it?"
Peng Fei believed he could.
He always remembered every word Zhan Jingchun had said.
That day, in the mountains, under the beautiful sunset, she had mentioned while painting for Fangfang that she had graduated from an art academy.
At the same age, her educational background was so much higher than his, and he wanted to catch up as much as possible.
"Teach me how to register. I will cherish the opportunity and study hard. Wang Li, you are a good person. When I earn money in the future, I will definitely repay you."