She is perched on a tiny ledge while leaning against a giant column at the The Fullerton Hotel in spindly stilettos and a long flowing gown by London-based Singapore designer Ashley Isham.
There is barely any room to move but as the photographer snaps away, she arches her back, angles her arms and contorts her body to give him a different pose with each shutter click.
Did we mention that it is an unbelievably sweltering Sunday morning and Pei, 21, has not even had breakfast yet?
But she utters not a word of complaint as she keeps it cool for the camera.
This upbeat attitude is why the Anhui native has been able to advance so quickly up the modelling hierarchy.
In less than a year and a half since her international debut at Christian Dior's haute couture show in Paris last January, she has had many designers singing her praises.
'She's very cool. She is quite different from other Asian models. Sometimes, Asian faces are not strong enough but Emma is powerful looking,' Izumi Ogino, creative director of Anteprima, told Urban when she was in town for the SFF.
Pei, who looks as if she was born ready to strut down the runway, actually began modelling on a whim.
'I decided I wanted to be a model at 14 because I thought I was tall enough for the job,' said the 1.8m-tall model with a laugh.
'So my parents allowed me to take part in a modelling competition, where I took the second place and won the Miss Photogenic award.'
But she became a professional model only three years later, when she completed secondary school in 2006.
For now, she is enjoying being at the top of her game.
'Everybody has been very helpful to me. The designers and photographers I've met have all made this a positive experience for me,' she said.
She intends to stay on this ride for as long as she can. But when it ends, Pei knows exactly what she wants to do: 'I just bought an apartment in Shanghai and I realised I had a lot of fun decorating it.
'If I wasn't a model, I'd do what I am most interested in - interior design.'
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on Apr 24, 2008.
