"Wenjing, why aren't you wearing any makeup? You're not skipping dinner too, are you?"
Yao An and Ye Xuan's verbal sparring came to a temporary halt.
Yang Jiajia turned her head and saw Han Wenjing sitting at the desk, fiddling with her phone, with no intention of putting on makeup.
"C-Can I?"
Han Wenjing looked up and asked weakly.
"Of course not!"
Yang Jiajia stopped what she was doing, stood behind the introverted girl, placed her hands firmly on her shoulders, and said sternly:
"What's wrong with all of you? An'an isn't going because she has something to do, but why aren't you going? Give me a reason that can convince me."
"I..."
Han Wenjing stammered for a long time but ultimately couldn't articulate a clear reason.
This girl from Hunan might not have had much contact with boys before, so the sudden mention of a co-ed dorm get-together made her a bit shy.
When everyone was discussing the dorm dinner earlier, she would occasionally speak up, but ever since the get-together was brought up, she had been standing silently to the side, like a wallflower.
"Can't say? Then you're going. Otherwise, only four of us will go, and the boys will really think there's a problem with our dorm's relationships."
Yang Jiajia made the decision for her unceremoniously.
"Where are your cosmetics?"
Han Wenjing hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a pile of cosmetics from her bag on the bed.
"Put on your makeup. I'll watch you here, just in case you try to slack off."
Yang Jiajia stood beside her with her hands on her hips, like a supervisor.
She had only applied makeup to half her face, which looked quite comical.
There was a hint of amusement in the eyes of the others who looked over. Ye Xuan merely glanced at her, clearly not too concerned with whether others were dressed up, and continued to busy herself with her own matters.
"Huh, you don't have concealer foundation? No eyeliner or eyeshadow either? Why is your lip gloss this color? This color is so ugly."
"And this primer... C, B, A? What brand is this? Don't use unbranded stuff for things that touch your skin, your face will break out."
Han Wenjing's face flushed red from what she said, looking very embarrassed.
"I... I don't know how to do makeup."
"I can tell."
Yang Jiajia looked helpless, took her own makeup bag, and sat beside her.
"I'll help you."
"Ah? Th-Thank you."
Everyone finally understood now. Yang Jiajia was truly straightforward and spoke her mind, and she was also quite warm-hearted.
She was probably the one who couldn't help but laugh first just now.
"For a girl not to know how to do makeup is like a soldier on the battlefield not knowing how to shoot. We're all university students now and will soon enter society. This skill must be mastered proficiently."
"Don't move."
More than twenty minutes later, Wu Tong and Tian Yuan, who were meticulously made up, also gathered around the two to observe their progress.
"Isn't her eyebrow drawn crooked?"
"The highlighter isn't applied quite right either; it looks so strange."
"Is your foundation not suitable for her skin? It looks a bit cakey."
They chattered around, annoying Yang Jiajia.
"What's all the fuss about? I only learned how to do makeup a few months ago. It's fine when I do it for myself, but it's inevitable to be a bit rusty when doing it for others!"
"Besides, makeup is better than no makeup. Just tell me, don't Wenjing's features look more refined now!"
The two fell silent.
"Actually... I think it might be better not to wear any. Can I say that?"
"+1."
Yang Jiajia was deeply struck.
"Move aside, I'll help her adjust it."
Wu Tong picked up the cosmetics and began to adjust Han Wenjing's makeup.
As a girl from Shanghai, she lived a relatively refined life, and her makeup skills were quite outstanding among her peers.
After five minutes of adjustment, Ye Xuan, who was playing on her phone on the bed, couldn't help but urge.
"Can you speed up a bit? It's five o'clock already. Don't make the seniors wait for us."
No one paid attention to her, as everyone was busy advising Han Wenjing on her makeup.
That's how girls are; they forget the time when they get dressed up, and they especially love to help others get dressed up.
They often get more enthusiastic when dressing up others, with a bit of an artist's mindset carving a work of art.
"Does it look better?"
Wu Tong asked the two beside her.
"Hmm, it's much better, but why do I still feel a bit strange?"
"I feel like our skills are pretty similar."
Yang Jiajia said something insincere with a straight face.
Tian Yuan clapped her hands.
"I know what's wrong! Wenjing has an oval face, and you have a melon seed face. Of course, it looks strange when you replicate your usual makeup on her face; she can't pull it off."
"Otherwise... otherwise, let's just leave it like this. I think it's fine."
Han Wenjing spoke weakly.
However, it was clear that the painters didn't care about the canvas's feelings.
"Your face shape is very similar to hers. Why don't you give it a try?"
Tian Yuan quickly waved her hand.
"No, no, I'm like Jia Jia; I only know how to do my own makeup, not good at doing it for others."
The three fell silent.
"Otherwise... just like this?"
Yang Jiajia sought the opinions of her two roommates.
It seemed that there was indeed no other choice. After all, they were all just high school graduates of two months, and their makeup skills were indeed not proficient.
Although their proficiency would definitely improve with frequent makeup application in the future, becoming more adept, that was a matter for later.
It was just a pity that Han Wenjing had to attend the get-together dinner with somewhat mismatched makeup.
"May I give it a try?"
Hearing the voice behind them, everyone turned around and saw the dorm's beauty queen.
Yao An had been watching them fiddle around for a long time; it was simply beyond words, so much so that she couldn't help but intervene.
"Hurry up! It's almost five-thirty! It's not like she's unpresentable; a little less-than-perfect makeup doesn't matter!"
Ye Xuan was already getting impatient. Han Wenjing wasn't the main character tonight, and she didn't know what they were agonizing over.
Ignored * 2.
She was ignored again; her roommates were already immersed in their art, unable to extricate themselves.
Yao An had only applied very light makeup today; the traces of makeup on her face were not obvious. If one didn't look closely, they would think she was barefaced.
But she had a very authoritative face. When she said her makeup skills were superb, everyone believed her.
So, when Wu Tong saw the beauty queen step forward, she didn't hesitate and immediately gave up her spot.
"Hey? What are you doing?"
Yang Jiajia saw Yao An applying makeup remover to a cotton pad and couldn't help but question her.
"Can't you just adjust it based on this makeup?"
Wu Tong also began to frown. She actually thought the makeup she had done was quite good and could be salvaged.
Yao An wiped the makeup off Han Wenjing's face with the cotton pad while gently explaining:
"Wenjing's skin is quite dry, which is why her makeup looks cakey and also a bit greasy, not holding up to close inspection."
"It's like building a tall building; if the foundation isn't laid well, no matter how skilled the construction workers are, the building will ultimately be crooked."
Hearing her speak so professionally, everyone immediately stopped arguing.
"So what should be done in this situation?"
Yang Jiajia asked, seeking knowledge.
"Moisturize?"
Wu Tong looked at Yao An inquiringly, and the latter nodded, confirming her idea.
"But it's almost five-thirty. Won't it be a bit too late to reapply makeup?"
"No problem, don't worry."
Yao An didn't look back, her expression serious as she applied makeup to Han Wenjing's face.
With only twenty-something minutes until five-thirty, such a short time would certainly not be enough for beginners, but Yao An possessed the "Enterprise-level Makeup Master" skill.
Twenty minutes was more than enough for her.
Han Wenjing felt like a puppet now, being manipulated at will by her roommates, but she had always been an introverted person and was too shy to refuse others.
She no longer cared what she would be made to look like; she only hoped to quickly end her fate of being manipulated.
Please, let me go, my butt is numb!
"Done."
More than ten minutes later, as the milk tea-colored lipstick was applied to her lips, Yao An also stopped what she was doing.
The three observing roommates watched wide-eyed as Han Wenjing transformed from a girl-next-door into a campus 'white moonlight' level beauty, each of them utterly astonished.
Their emotional journey could be summarized in three simple words: doubt, acceptance, and reverence.
"Take a look, are you satisfied?"
Yao An held the makeup mirror in front of her chest.
Han Wenjing wasn't wearing glasses, so she had to squint to see herself clearly in the mirror.
She hadn't held much expectation, but once she saw clearly, she was immediately stunned.
Her reflection in the mirror had eyebrows like delicate crescent moons, eyes like sparkling autumn water, a pink and fair complexion, and soft, warm lips.
To summarize in one sentence: a glance of autumn waves, a thousand pearls would not seem too many.
"This... Is this me?!"
Han Wenjing uttered a soul-searching question.
Yao An smiled gently, giving her approval.
"Your base is naturally very good; makeup merely restores your beauty. Time was a bit tight, otherwise, braiding your hair would have an even better effect."
However, braiding hair is not within my scope of work.
Han Wenjing's base was indeed good; after makeup, she had a touch of Jiang Jingya's charm.
"By the way, you have contact lenses, right? Don't wear your black-rimmed glasses; they really affect your appearance."
"Mmm! An... Sister An'an, thank you."
Han Wenjing's gaze towards Yao An was filled with gratitude; she probably hadn't seen herself this beautiful before either.
"So beautiful."
Yang Jiajia exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.
"An'an! You didn't used to be a makeup artist, did you? Otherwise, how could you do makeup so beautifully?"
Yao An smiled and didn't explain.
"Jia Jia, why don't you finish your own makeup first..."
Tian Yuan pointed to her side face.
Yang Jiajia was stunned, suddenly realizing that she was still sporting a half-done face, and immediately let out a shriek.
"It's over, it's over, I'm going to die! How am I supposed to meet anyone like this? An'an! Help!"
"I think... my makeup could also use some adjustment."
"Me too."
... "Can we go now! It's five-forty!"
Seeing all her roommates become incredibly refined under Yao An's hands, Ye Xuan would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous.
If it hadn't been for her sarcastic remarks earlier, she actually would have wanted the other person to do her makeup, which would surely elevate her beauty to another level.
"What's the rush? Don't we have to get dressed before going out!"
Yang Jiajia retorted testily.
Actually, her allegiance had already shifted towards Yao An, but she hadn't realized it herself.
It was the same for the others.
Not fitting in? That's not a thing. When a person is excellent enough, not fitting in becomes having personality.
Although Yao An was delayed and missed the get-together, she wasn't absent. The makeup on everyone's faces was the best proof of her presence, wasn't it?