It was just the beginning of this nightmare. A few more minutes and I'd be arriving in Beijing, China. Why? Because models get tossed around to different agencies sometimes, just like a rubber duck in a baby's bath; I am that rubber duck. 

So, for the next year, I'm living in a tiny apartment across the street from the agency; apparently, it's supposed to be this super prestigious place for a person like me, but honestly, how prestigious does it get in China? If people think slums and overcrowded people with chickens are prestigious, then they haven't seen America. America, with modern statues and warm weather and people that speak English, not some weird language. God, I miss America so much. 

Next to me, a teenage girl was playing some obnoxiously annoying music from her iPhone, blasted on its highest volume through her earbuds, past her tiny ears. I couldn't help but glare and just force myself to look forward. And I guess I had been at it for a while that she had noticed and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned my head to her and looked. Her arm offered her left earbud. I bit my lip, trying to think of what to say now; she probably couldn't speak English at all.

I smiled politely and shook my head at her, but she nodded and kept her hand out in front of me, waiting for me to give in and listen to her chinese music. 

"I know it's not Justin Bieber," she stuttered her broken english out of her. "but you should give a try, okay?" 

The way she smiled at me, I had no other choice but to take it. I plugged in my earbud and was so shocked by this piece of work... I think she saw my immediate facial expression because she giggled while looking at me. I looked at her with a surprised facial expression.

"She wanna ride she wanna fly so I say where? Come inside I'll change your life better prepare; Put in work in like the Renaissance. Bend that body like a gymnast. She ask me what I want: Blow it like a flute," the singer sang. 

"His name is Luhan," she smiled at me shyly. 

I continued to listen to her music until the plane landed and we unbuckled our seat belts. 

"My name," she paused and held out her left hand. "is Liu." 

I smiled at her once more and put her left hand down, gently grabbing her cold right hand and shaking it. "Rose-Lee."

~~~

"And this is your office right over here. There are a few other kids who work here in the other areas nearby, but they're off on a trip currently," the man, Mr. Guong, spoke while we continued walking past rooms through the main hallway. "They should be back in a few days." 

"And this is where the art happens." 

I was met with a huge room, currently being set up for an artist, I guessed. The walls were all painted black, almost matte looking. A man pulled down the screen to be used for the model's background while the strong lights aligned in a row on the ceiling shined light on it in a very elegant way. Men looked at me from behind the high-tech cameras, leaving me to awkwardly smile at them. 

"Now, unfortunately, you are our only foreign model, but thankfully, all our models have passed their high school English studies, and they're very nice, I can assure you." 

I raised my eyebrows and nodded, "o-okay."

He led me to a dressing room, but the door opened, revealing a beautiful Asian girl with a silk red robe tied around her small waist. I stood behind Mr. Guong while he motioned at me to the girl while saying something in Chinese. I was already sweating. The girl looked at me and smiled, revealing her pure white teeth with a little bit of juxtaposition between her cherry red lips and her teeth.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Chen," she put her right hand out for me to shake; I did. "Welcome to China, Rose-Lee."

I was in awe by her English. She had absolutely no accent. It's as if she were American.

"Well, I have to go, but I sincerely hope we can find time to have tea together sometime soon." And with that, she bowed to me and walked on. 

"She's my favorite," he whispered and then chuckled.

I forced a small laugh out of me to feel like a part of whatever this was, but inside, I knew I just wasn't a part of it, and to be honest, I hated it all. This country, this place, these people. Yes, the city looked aesthetic, but come on. The culture was so different. And I had barely been in this country and yet already, people were staring at me as if I were some joke. 

Have they never seen an American before?