**Chapter 15: Special Effects Makeup Artist**

When he arrived at the fashion show area, Luca went straight to the men's dressing section.

"Luca, why are you just getting here?"

Seeing him arrive, Ed put down his phone and his worries. He had been concerned that Luca might back out at the last minute, something that often happens with new models.

Luca smiled apologetically, "Ed, I'm not late, am I?" His phone had been confiscated by Kate to prevent him from checking the time. With such a bossy older sister, what could he do?

"No, but next time you should come earlier."

"Kate and Lima said there's no need to come too early for a fashion show. If you arrive early, there's nothing to do backstage anyway."

"Haha, did they say that?"

Ed shook his head teasingly, "They're supermodels. Do you know what that means? They're the big stars of the modeling world, but you're just a newbie. Can you really compare yourself to them?"

"Alright, next time I'll be here early."

Ed patted him on the shoulder but then noticed the dust on Luca's clothes. "Weren't you just taking a stroll? How'd you end up like this?"

Luca shrugged and replied as they walked, "On my way back, there was a car accident. A baby stroller accidentally rolled onto the road and nearly got hit by a car. I acted on impulse, ran out, and grabbed the little one. It went smoothly, and I wasn't hurt."

"You went and rescued someone just now?"

Ed looked at him in surprise.

"Just happened to be there," Luca smiled.

Ed shook his head and sighed, "You always do surprising things. Be careful next time!"

"I will."

"Come on, let's get you into makeup."

Ed led him into the makeup area.

In the makeup area, over 20 male models were there, all of them ridiculously handsome. The bearded German hunk Ben Hill, the blue-eyed British hottie David Gandy, and the ruggedly handsome Eric Rutherford—every type of model you could imagine, in all different skin tones.

In his previous life, standing among such an attractive group, Luca might have felt too self-conscious to even lift his head.

Now, he could walk among them with his head held high, even drawing envious glances from a few of the guys. This feeling was absolutely exhilarating!

Luca greeted a few models from his agency and headed into the makeup room. He took off his jacket and pants and sat down in front of the mirror, waiting for makeup.

"Wow, Luca, what happened to your arm?"

The makeup artist Tony exclaimed in a flamboyant tone.

"Luca, what's going on?" 

Ed saw that Luca had scrapes on both elbows, shoulders, and knees. He immediately became concerned.

Luca glanced at himself. He'd only been thinking about his back pain earlier and hadn't paid attention to anything else. Now that his clothes were off, he saw two more serious scrapes on his left shoulder and knee. They were red but hadn't bled.

"Tony, can you cover these up?"

Ed asked.

"No problem, I've done special effects makeup on set before. These little scrapes are nothing."

Tony took out his makeup kit and started applying special effects makeup. He used realistic skin patches to cover the serious scrapes, making them look like medical patches.

For the less serious injuries, he just applied makeup to hide them.

"Luca, does it hurt?"

Tony poked at his wounds with a makeup brush.

Luca rolled his eyes. Even a normal person would feel pain if poked like that.

"It doesn't hurt. Just do your thing, Tony."

"Oh, Luca, I just love tough guys like you."

Tony smiled coyly.

Luca closed his eyes. If all the makeup artists here weren't like this, he'd definitely ask for a mute one instead.

A little while later, when he opened his eyes, all his wounds had been covered, and it was impossible to tell there had been any injuries.

"Tony, now I believe you've worked as a Hollywood special effects makeup artist."

"Haha, I really have!"

Tony said proudly.

"Hah, Tony, didn't you once say you worked at a funeral home in Newark? When did you ever go to Hollywood?"

A bearded makeup artist nearby chimed in.

Upon hearing this, Luca's face turned dark. **WCTMD**, is that for real?

"Luca, I only worked at the funeral home for three years. You don't mind, right?"

Tony asked sincerely.

**Fuck**, it's true!

Luca's neck stiffened as he gritted his teeth and said, "I! Mind!"

"Well, too bad. I'm already done with your makeup, hahaha~"

Tony covered his mouth with his hand, giggling mischievously.

Luca was deeply frustrated. How unlucky does one have to be to run into a mortuary makeup artist?

After finishing makeup, Luca went to the dressing area and started putting on his first outfit.

Armani has 13 main fashion lines, and their fall-winter collections include suits, sportswear, and denim, like Emporio Armani and A/X Armani Exchange.

This year, the Armani series incorporated many Eastern elements—kimono-style shirts, Mao-inspired jackets, and even a robe-like trench coat.

Today, Luca had to wear three different outfits, one of which was a Mao-style jacket, a variation of the Zhongshan suit.

It felt quite familiar, though the fabric was rough. Without an undershirt, it chafed a bit.

"Luca, are you nervous?"

Ed asked with a smile.

Luca shook his head. Compared to rescuing someone earlier, walking a runway was nothing.

"Alright, guys, get ready! You're about to go on. Everyone, take your positions!"

Once dressed, the male models lined up at the exit under the director's orders.

They had all rehearsed over the past two days—who would go first, what order to walk in, what route to take, and where to stand. Everything had been pre-arranged.

The group quietly waited at the exit, each model looking cold and aloof, like a pack of zombies about to be released.

At 5 p.m., the music started playing.

Kate and Lima, the big-name supermodels, were on stage.

Modeling is a female-dominated industry. Not only do female models earn more than male models, but they also have higher status. Therefore, supermodel women usually open the show, while male models play a supporting role.

The female supermodels strutted onto the stage.

Kate led the way, wearing a white, low-cut women's suit with wide-leg trousers and T-strap heels. She looked dashing and full of energy as she circled the palace-like hall and walked back.

The rectangular runway was about 300 meters long, requiring about 400 steps and five minutes for a full lap.

As Kate exited from the left and re-entered from the right, she winked at Luca.

Luca froze for a moment, then subtly curled his lips in response.

Kate's expression quickly changed, raising her eyebrows in a way that seemed like she was about to hit him.

Luca thought to himself, **Is this a trap?** He immediately shifted to a zombie-like expression, staring straight ahead.

Kate smirked and brushed past him, leaving a trail of perfume.

A little while later, Lima walked by and threw him a flirty glance.

Luca didn't react at all, which seemed to annoy her as she walked off.

"Alright, boys, it's your turn!"

The upbeat music switched to a Britney Spears track as the male models took the stage.

**Hit me baby one more time**

**Oh baby, baby**

**Oh baby, baby**

**Ah, yeah, yeah**

(End of the chapter)