Chapter 1: Getting a Hair Makeover
Sunlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains.
Shen Qing slowly opened his eyes, his unfocused gaze gradually sharpening—a petite, curvaceous figure was slowly rising and falling, her back to the light.
A bodhisattva?
Shen Qing clasped his hands together: “Finally, it’s my turn to have this kind of dream!”
Then, he closed his eyes, ready to feel it with his heart.
“Something’s not right!”
“How can a dream feel so real?”
“Which female customer snuck into my bedroom again?”
“I remember… yesterday I only served a divorced young woman who lived in Gubei No. 1. She booked a month in advance for me to do her hair… She was very beautiful and had a great temperament… This figure should be her.”
Not a loss.
Shen Qing enjoyed it with composure.
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a flood of memories rushed into his brain.
“2005?”
“Sprite’s My Type My Show preliminary selection, eliminated in the first round.”
“Got drunk alone at a bar and met Zhang Liangying, who was also eliminated in the preliminary selection… After drinking, she and I went to a cheap motel for 60 yuan a night…”
Shen Qing suddenly sat up in bed, looking at the dim room in disbelief. The bodhisattva, however, wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Hiss, isn’t this what happened when I came to Shanghai at 18 to participate in Dragon TV’s talent show and failed to achieve my dream? How does it feel like it happened yesterday?”
“Could it be… I’ve been reborn!?”
As soon as this thought arose, it began to ferment wildly.
Shen Qing was eager to verify it.
But he could no longer distinguish between dream and reality.
In the dim room.
Only the warm touch of the bodhisattva in his arms could pull Shen Qing back to reality.
Shen Qing moved and got out of bed, letting her hang on him like a sloth. He pulled open the curtains, and the morning sun poured into the room like a waterfall.
Outside the window.
The bustling street scene came into view.
On the top floor of a building not far away, the slogan “Revitalize China” was particularly striking; across the street on the first floor, a KFC 15 yuan combo billboard was eye-catching; by the roadside, a red public telephone booth had a few migrant workers queuing.
The pedestrians coming and going on the street all had very thick hair. The young men and women who occasionally passed by were both tacky and trendy, wearing low-waist jeans with belts and straight bangs from an ionic perm…
Directly below the window, a Jinbei van, trailing black smoke and moving slowly, suddenly let out a series of urgent honks, jolting Shen Qing back from his daze, “Heh, it really is 2005…”
For some reason, he felt a little excited.
Although the previous life’s Shen Qing had done quite well, he was famous in the Shanghai hairdressing industry, with people queuing up for two months to get a haircut from him.
His income was substantial, over 200,000 yuan per month.
He not only bought a large house in Shanghai but also drove the BMW X5 he had always dreamed of. He could be said to be better than some and better than many.
However, his romantic life had always been bumpy. By 2025, at the age of 38, he was still single.
It wasn’t that there were no women, but rather that there were too many women.
His daily clients were top beauties from all walks of life, even including entertainment stars like Yang Mi and Nazha, who were both his regular clients.
Shen Qing was handsome, and these female clients liked him. Often, after getting their hair done, they would continue to his bedroom, leading to constant romantic entanglements. Few decent girls could tolerate the nature of his work.
As a result, Shen Qing chose to remain single.
Now.
Returning to 2005, Shen Qing was extremely excited.
But he wasn’t thinking about love or marriage, but about what men cared about more—career. In his previous life, he drove a BMW X5; in this life, I want to buy 100 Rolls-Royces and let them gather dust in the garage.
Thinking of this, Shen Qing was filled with excitement.
He looked down at the fair-skinned bodhisattva, placed her on the windowsill, and as he saw her face, Shen Qing’s lips curved upwards, “Liangying, it’s my turn!”
……
Several tens of minutes later, Shen Qing put on his clothes and sat on the sofa.
Zhang Liangying was a bit exhausted. She propped herself up on the headboard, looking at Shen Qing with a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
Shen Qing: “I’m leaving.”
Zhang Liangying: “Can you not go…”
Shen Qing: “I was eliminated from My Type My Show, and my dream of being a star is shattered. If I don’t leave… should I learn music with you? Look forward, I’m planning to start a business.”
Speaking of ‘My Type My Show’, Zhang Liangying felt very sad.
This was a singing talent show jointly produced by Dragon TV and Universal Music, sponsored by companies like Sprite and Leica.
It began last year.
The champion of the first season was Zhang Jie.
Later, it produced artists like Qi Wei, Xue Zhiqian, Liu Wei, and Yuan Chengjie.
Without exception, these individuals had ‘trendy’ appearances and temperaments, at least for that era.
This was also the selection criterion for ‘My Type My Show’.
Shen Qing had sufficient appearance conditions, but his singing was truly terrible, so being eliminated was understandable.
However, the reason Zhang Liangying was eliminated was deeply hurtful.
Although her singing skills were online, her unfashionable appearance displeased the judges. In the preliminary selection, she was eliminated by Xu Zhiwei for “image and style issues.”
See, it wasn’t that her rap was bad, but an issue with her image and style…
Naked contempt!
This incident became an unforgettable experience for Zhang Liangying.
Even years later, when Zhang Liangying talked about the reason for her elimination, she still felt sad.
Unfashionable…
He actually called me unfashionable!
How detestable.
Zhang Liangying suddenly sat up, the blanket slipping down. She faced Shen Qing with a serious expression, “Shen Qing, am I really unfashionable?”
After failing in the talent show in his previous life, Shen Qing became an apprentice in a hair salon. With his 20 years of experience in the hair industry, he could see that the current Zhang Liangying was indeed not fashionable enough.
It wasn’t that she was unattractive, but rather that she didn’t know how to dress up.
Or rather, Zhang Liangying hadn’t found the hairstyle and makeup that suited her.
On the day of the preliminary selection, Zhang Liangying’s makeup and styling were too casual.
She wore shoulder-length hair with straight bangs, a gray long-sleeved T-shirt, low-waist jeans, white canvas shoes, and just applied some moisturizer before the competition… Few people could pull off such an outfit.
“To be honest?”
“Yes, I’m willing to hear your honest opinion.”
“It’s indeed a bit unfashionable.”
“Wuwuwu…”
“Don’t cry, actually, you have a lot of room for improvement.”
Zhang Liangying sniffled, wiped away her tears, and asked aggrievedly, “How can I change it? I already tried my best to dress up…”
Shen Qing shrugged.
This look was worse than not dressing up at all.
Even my grandmother in my hometown dresses more stylishly than you.
Seeing Shen Qing’s indifferent expression, Zhang Liangying felt another pang of sadness, crying and wiping her tears, her two small breasts trembling.
“Actually, besides singing, I’m also a highly skilled makeup and styling artist. If you trust me, I can help you with a makeover.”
“Really… really?”
“Of course, we’ve shared intimacy, I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Her face flushed, and she nodded:
“Then let’s go out for lunch first, then buy clothes, and then you can cut my hair? I want to… go to Sichuan tomorrow to participate in the Super Girl preliminary selection…”
Super Girl?
He remembered.
The 2005 season of Super Girl could be said to be the hottest talent show in the country, bar none.
Countless crazy fans took to the streets to campaign for votes for their favorite idols.
Back then, how many people secretly used their parents’ mobile phones to send text messages to support their favorite singers?
Li Yuchun, Zhou Bichang, Zhang Liangying, He Jie…
Familiar names, one after another.
All singers from that season.
Shen Qing smiled, an idea suddenly struck him. He stood up, picked up Zhang Liangying from the bed, and said, “Don’t go to Sichuan, it’s not suitable for you.”
