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A sleek black limousine rolls up in front of an elegant red carpet, surrounded by the clicking of camera shutters. Each flash glares garishly like an artificial diamond and all of them are directed at the limousine’s doors.
The chauffeur steps out, face stoic, as he reaches a gloved hand to the door.
Black loafers greet the cameras first, sleek and polished with not a single speck of dust. The figure that follows causes the camera flashes to light up in a frenzy. Their owners are no different—each one shouting to get the attention of the man himself.
He practically oozes indifference, icy eyes scanning the crowd of paparazzi as if to say, know your place.
From head to toe, he is shrouded in black. His slim fitting suit hugs his figure wonderfully and even an untrained eye can see it was designed specifically for him.
His long ink black hair matches his outfit and it spills over his shoulders like a curtain. On one side, the locks fall over his eye, almost shielding it from view, but on the other, it's tucked behind an ear. The man smirks slightly, shifting his head just enough for the light to catch his jewelry—a shiny golden ear cuff that radiates outwards, mirroring the sun’s rays.
He turns and extends his hand outside the door for the person inside.
All the photographers can see the abundance of affection that softens his gaze as he directs it into the limo.
The hand that takes his is small, but fits snugly as if it belongs there. The difference is almost laughable—French-tipped fingers adorned with rings and a delicate wrist encircled in bangles compared to plain calloused hands.
The man in black steps to the side, allowing for the cameras to focus on his company.
Each person behind a camera sucks in a collective breath when he steps out. The man does an endearing little hop to allow his gown to fall down elegantly behind him and he smiles softly up at the man whose hand he holds before turning to the cameras.
If the first man to step out was gorgeous in the most cool, sleek way, this man brought all the warmth to the carpet.
The skirt of his gown falls just around his feet with a smattering of pale green leaves and a thigh-high slit that immediately draws in attention. The gown belts at his waist, dividing the playful skirt from its black halter top.
His chocolate brown locks are gathered in a poofy ponytail that swings behind him with each step and his silver teardrop earrings follow too.
They take their time walking across the carpet, both seeming to have a silent conversation with their eyes.
At the photo backdrop, they pause and the man in black shifts to encircle the brunet’s waist with his arm.
The paparazzi gobble it up like sharks.
“Shi Qingxuan, over here please!”
“He Xuan, can you look at Shi Qingxuan for me?”
Shi Qingxuan raises a hand in a small wave, his other resting lightly over He Xuan’s.
They shift positions, parting just for a moment so the paparazzi can take individual shots.
Shi Qingxuan smiles with his chin turned over his shoulder and back to the cameras. He then changes his stance, dropping the smile to look to the side. The fluidity between his motions screams how comfortable he is in front of a camera.
He Xuan trails behind, but unlike his partner, keeps his expression neutral. A hand tucked in his pocket. One foot slightly in front of the other. The changes in poses are subtle, but show off his clothes wonderfully.
The two gravitate towards each other immediately after. He Xuan’s hand finds Shi Qingxuan’s again and they make their way over to the interviewers whose cameramen follow behind like dogs.
“He Xuan, Shi Qingxuan, it’s a pleasure to see you two!”
He Xuan nods but Shi Qingxuan grins sunnily, “It’s a pleasure to be here!”
The interviewer starts, “So Shi Qingxuan—I know for a fact many people are curious—is that a He Xuan original you’re wearing?”
Shi Qingxuan laughs, “Why of course! Gege showed this gorgeous piece to me and I couldn’t just not wear it, you know?”
He punctuates his answer by doing a twirl.
“Now you two dating, to put it lightly, shook the fashion industry. Can I ask, what pushed your decision to let the world know and did you do so with the intention of sparking so much conversation?”
“Let me get this straight,” He Xuan opens his mouth to speak for the first time, tone ever so cold. “Our relationship is not a publicity stunt. It is not for Fu Gu to get attention, it is not for Qingxuan to boost his career—we made the decision to come out because neither of us wanted to hide it anymore.”
“Yeah, what Xuan-ge said. Also, we went into it knowing people were going to talk—that people were going to direct their unsavory opinions at us—but like any piece of news that’s expected. If anything, I’m glad people are even talking about our relationship at all!” Shi Qingxuan pipes up.
“Wonderful. Well it was so nice to see you two and I wish you all the best,” the interviewer smiles.
Shi Qingxuan waves, and the backs of the couple are the last thing the camera is trained on.
“Hey guys! My name is Shi Qingxuan and I’m going to be doing this Autocomplete Interview thing so let’s go!”
Shi Qingxuan sits perched on a stool, dressed casually in a button-up shirt and jeans.
“Alright, first one! Who is Shi Qingxuan... ?”
He tears off the slip of paper to reveal blank space.
“Oh! Well it’s me, I’m Shi Qingxuan,” He says with a giggle. “I’m a model, I guess? Wait, that’s not a guess, I am a model.”
The next question reads ‘who is Shi Qingxuan dating?’
“Damn you guys are really into the juicy stuff, huh?” Shi Qingxuan winks at the camera.
“I’m dating this guy named He Xuan, you guys might know him.” He smiles playfully and flips his hair over his shoulder. “He’s kinda famous.”
With another giggle, he continues, “Who is Shi Qingxuan… brother...? Who is my brother?”
Shi Qingxuan clears his throat, “Well, my brother is Shi Wudu who you also might know. I’m kind of surprised this is a question actually—we literally have the same last name...?”
He stares behind the camera, gesturing with the board, and stage-whispers, “What do I do with this?”
A voice replies offscreen, “Anything you want.”
“Mm, okay!” Shi Qingxuan tosses the board behind him. “Keep ‘em coming!”
The prompt for the following board reads ‘does Shi Qingxuan.’
“Does Shi Qingxuan… take his own pictures?” Shi Qingxuan snorts, “You guys, how am I supposed to pose and take a picture?”
He waves his hands immediately after, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered you think so highly of my abilities, but the only pictures I can take of myself are selfies and self-timer pictures.”
Shi Qingxuan scratches his temple, “Honestly, photography is really hard so shoutout to all of my photographers for always capturing me so nicely.”
He picks off the next paper, “Does Shi Qingxuan… love He Xuan?”
His cheeks redden and he stares behind the camera again, “Is this really a question? Do people actually want to know this?”
Shaking his head, Shi Qingxuan mumbles, “I mean I’m dating him so of course I do. And you should too!”
He makes eye contact with the camera this time, shyness replaced with assertiveness, “Xuan-ge treats me so well, he’s such a silently kind soul and I really appreciate everything he’s done for me.”
Shi Qingxuan falls silent before grinning cheekily, “Oh, but don’t love him too much because then I might get jealous.”
An excerpt from Black Water Sinking Ships’ most recent interview with Vogue.
Around how many articles of black clothing do you own?
Too many to count.
If you could tell your younger self that was just starting out in fashion anything, what would it be?
You are not prepared. But it will get better.
Cats or dogs?
Fish. But Qingxuan wants both.
Favorite spot to grab a bite?
Recently we have been frequenting a bao restaurant.
It is a well known fact that the fashion industry is very competitive. What are some of the things that keep you grounded and focused on putting out high quality work?
As many know, Fu Gu is a brand that has been carefully curated overtime. I know the expectations people hold for both myself and the brand and that pressure is grounding in itself. Naturally, it isn’t always smooth sailing and for those times I have my partner, Shi Qingxuan, to thank for keeping me afloat.
Top 10 Moments Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan Proved How Cute of a Couple They Are
- This photo showing He Xuan shielding his boo from the sun.
- Shi Qingxuan throwing a surprise party for He Xuan on his birthday. It’s the most emotion we’ve seen He Xuan show!
- This photo that went viral because of how lovingly He Xuan looks at Shi Qingxuan.
- When Shi Qingxuan got real about how much he loves He Xuan in his Autocomplete Interview.
- Shi Qingxuan standing on his tiptoes to kiss He Xuan on the nose.
- He Xuan constantly referring to Shi Qingxuan in his Vogue interview. He even described his partner as the one who keeps him “afloat.”
- This candid photo of Shi Qingxuan feeding He Xuan a dumpling.
- When He Xuan let Shi Qingxuan practice nail art on him and even posted it on Instagram.
- All of the candid photos of Shi Qingxuan that end up on He Xuan’s Instagram story. At this point, he could rival any Shi Qingxuan fan account.
- At this awards show where they solidified just how devoted they are to one another and made it abundantly clear that their relationship is one of true love.