Mo Fang returned to the table with a smile and sat down again. “Alright, all done. I’m sorry it took so long. I had to look through the menu for a bit to see what changed and used the opportunity to chat with brother Yao for a moment. I hope you don’t mind.”

Linghu Jiahao shook his head. “No, don’t worry about it. Anyway, this is a restaurant.”

Mo Fang nodded and then folded his arms on the table. “So, you said the blind date didn’t work out. I hope you’re not angry at Ah Tao for setting you up.”

Linghu Jiahao simply waved. “What would I be angry for? I let them talk me into it but it’s not like I was forced. Also, it was only one very awkward evening. Nothing I couldn’t get over.”

Mo Fang gave a hum. “I guess that’s the risk you take with blind dates. Anyway, I don’t want to bring up bad memories. Other than dating, how are you doing? You mentioned your courses. Are you still doing that?”

Linghu Jiahao nodded. “I am, although recently …” He leaned back and shook his head. “I guess I am getting a bit bored. It’s always the same. Even if I have new students every time, it’s not like the content changes much. It wouldn’t be so bad if there were more of the advanced ones but more than half my time is spent on those entry-level courses.” He sighed. “I guess it’s not that challenging anymore.”

Mo Fang sighed as well. “You were always the restless type. Are you thinking of switching to something else entirely? But you’ve planned your whole career around this.”

Linghu Jiahao raised a hand in resignation. “That is precisely what is keeping me from making that decision. It seems like a loss to throw away what I have now. Not doing it though … it doesn’t seem right either. I guess I could take a short break but there is a certain risk to be replaced by somebody else.”

“If you feel especially struck, just a break might not be enough.” Mo Fang lowered his gaze, feeling troubled. “Actually, I’m the same. I don’t know if I still want to model.”

Linghu Jiahao raised his brows. This was something he really hadn’t expected. “But you were always so eager to really get a foot in the door. Ah Tao told me that things were going especially well abroad. With those experiences, even after coming back, you should be able to make this your career for a few more years, right? Is that really the right moment to give up?”

Mo Fang looked up and smiled faintly. “Then what about you?”

Linghu Jiahao looked at him quietly for a while but then shook his head. “You can’t compare that. Being a model, you only have a certain amount of years to work in the job. When you get older, your chances will get slimmer, at least for the type of career you want.

“For one, there is the problem of you getting older yourself. Your body might even change. Right now, you are lucky that you don’t have to do much for upkeep but that can change soon enough. Wait until you hit thirty. You might already realize the difference. And on top of all that, there are fresh faces every year and new trends over time. Right now, your chances are good. Later on? Nobody can say.”

Linghu Jiahao shook his head, clearly not thinking that Mo Fang would be able to hold on if he dared to stop now. “For me, it’s different. Even if I take a longer break, I can get back into this.

“Yes, it might take more effort, but the experience I have can set that off. In fact, being older might even help because it will make people feel more reassured to hire me. Not to mention that I probably wouldn’t just go on vacation for this. I’d learn new things and use that to prod my CV. It wouldn’t necessarily be a loss.”

Mo Fang nodded faintly. “I guess that means you already have your answer.”

Linghu Jiahao chuckled. “Just because it’s possible, that doesn’t mean I want to take the risk right now. I’m not the type to do something arbitrarily. Since I have this idea, I’ll work toward it step by step.” He picked up the wine glass that was standing forgotten to the side and raised it to take a sip. At the same time, he watched Mo Fang carefully. “What about you? You’ve suddenly come back and now you’re thinking of stopping. Do you have anything planned?”

Mo Fang wasn’t sure how to answer that question. The honest response would be that no, he didn’t have a plan. He had nothing right now, not even the faintest idea of where he wanted to take his life. But then, he didn’t want to say too much about that.

Before he could come up with any kind of answer, a waiter came over bringing the dish he had ordered.

Mo Fang barely held back a sigh of relief and thanked the man before he watched him walk away. Taking a bite of the dish, he finally smiled again. “Oh, this really isn’t bad. Have you tried any of the new dishes yet?”

Linghu Jiahao raised a brow. This sounded a lot like Mo Fang didn’t want to answer him. Well, it wasn’t his life so if the other side wasn’t interested in talking it over, he also wouldn’t say anything. “I haven’t. I’m not that interested either, to be honest, but it indeed doesn’t look bad.”

Mo Fang gave a hum but his thoughts were still circling around what Linghu Jiahao had said before. He also knew that he was right: He couldn’t stop now if he wanted to continue in the future. But then, he didn’t want that as far as he was concerned now. And if he did … maybe the kind of model he wanted to be had also changed. In the end, was that such a bad thing?

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