The lights suddenly flooded the hall, and a group of models clustered around designer Virginie Viard for the final walk.
Stars stood up, some posing for photos, others exchanging polite pleasantries.
Once the entire routine had concluded, Lin Qian turned around to find her handbag missing from her seat.
"Looking for this?"
Pei Yanzhou appeared behind her. Lin Qian saw her bag dangling conspicuously around his neck.
Cameras were everywhere.
Lin Qian forced a standard smile, extended her hand toward Pei Yanzhou, and said with a note of threat in her voice, "Give it back."
"Look here."
Pei Yanzhou suddenly draped an arm around Lin Qian’s shoulder and flashed a peace sign at the cameras.
Before Lin Qian could react, he took the bag off and obediently placed it in her hands.
"No need to look at me like that. We’ll be seeing each other again."
Whether intentional or not, Pei Yanzhou brushed against Lin Qian’s ear as he spoke.
"Mr. Pei, could we get a photo with you?"
"Mr. Pei, may I ask what the upcoming development strategy for Guangqi is?"
Watching Pei Yanzhou being surrounded by the crowd, looking entirely at ease, Lin Qian turned and walked away.
A translator blocked her path. "Ms. Lin, Virginie Viard is waiting for you."
"Me?"
Lin Qian turned back to see the luxury brand designer beaming at her with the affection of a mother.
"Yes, and Virginie Viard would also like to ask if you have time to join her for lunch."
It was nearly evening by the time they returned to the nanny van.
Seeing Lu Yuanzheng in the seat, bobbing his head as he drifted off to sleep, Lin Qian leaned over and slapped him hard on the shoulder.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch… that hurts like hell! My dear lady, what are you doing?" Lu Yuanzheng rubbed his shoulder and hopped up.
"You’ve certainly gained some skills while I wasn't looking, managing to get on the good side of a top-tier show’s designer."
Lin Qian handed him her phone. "This is her daughter’s number. She said she needs help finding a Chinese tutor."
"What?!"
"Since you’re working so hard, I certainly can't drag you down. Kevin’s face was truly dark when he left, but I’m a bit worried about whether the follow-up press releases will run into any trouble."
"A character like him doesn't have a chance, don't you worry. But I’m curious, how did you end up sitting in the front row?"
"Wasn't that your doing?"
"If I had that kind of influence, would I still be begging you to make a comeback?"
Lu Yuanzheng looked at that string of digits as if he had just discovered the God of Wealth.
"Their contract for the Asian brand ambassador is expiring soon. Could it be that Virginie Viard wants to sign you as the new season’s spokesperson?"
An endorsement of that caliber would be fought over by every top celebrity; how could it ever fall to someone like her, who had been out of the spotlight for so long?
Lin Qian couldn't be bothered to entertain Lu Yuanzheng’s delusions; he said things like that dozens of times a day anyway.
Could the seat have been Gu Chenxi’s doing?
Lin Qian tentatively sent him a message: "Thank you for today."
Gu Chenxi replied quickly: "I couldn't be there, and Mrs. Gu is, of course, the most suitable choice."
*Suitable.*
Gu Chenxi was right. If anyone other than her had been sitting in that seat, one could only imagine how the domestic media would have spun it.
Lin Qian lost the desire to keep chatting and tossed her phone aside.
Unexpectedly, Gu Chenxi called immediately.
"How was the show?"
"Don't worry, I didn't leave a bad impression on Virginie Viard."
"She just contacted me, saying she wants to invite our family to her daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony next month."
"Sisi can’t go," Lin Qian refused flatly. "She’s too young; she couldn't handle an international flight."
"So, you *do* remember that you’re married."
The sudden sting in his tone was inexplicable.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Gu, I don't follow."
"In the future, notify the company in advance whenever you attend any event so we can prepare. Otherwise, once the press release goes out, the cleanup cost is a different matter."
What press releases? What costs? And what did her attending an event have to do with Deep Space Matrix?
Hadn't he previously told her to be sensible and not to contact him? Now he was demanding she report every little thing?
Lin Qian felt irritated. "If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."
"In such a hurry—not enough photos taken?"
"That’s right. Posing for photos is much easier than talking to you."
"Is that the kind you like, then?"
"???"
"…Never mind. Don't call me unless there’s something important."
A confusing dial tone followed.
"What’s wrong with him?"
"Maybe he’s on his period?" Lu Yuanzheng was still drooling over the phone number, half-closing his eyes as he drifted into wild fantasies about the future.
*This family would fall apart without me!*
Lin Qian felt the burden on her shoulders growing even heavier.
At Charles de Gaulle Airport, Lin Qian received another message from Gu Chenxi before boarding.
It was a photo of Pei Yanzhou at a club, embracing a well-known sexy star.
Pei Yanzhou had his shirt off, arm draped around the star’s neck, laughing. His physique was lean and toned, making the professional male model standing next to him look two sizes smaller.
When Lin Qian caught that glimpse at the show, she knew he was in good shape, but she hadn't expected him to be *that* toned.
"Nice photo."
Thirty seconds later, Gu Chenxi pressed his desk intercom.
"Block all press releases regarding Mrs. Gu’s trip to Paris."
This Paris trip had been a test run for Lin Qian’s comeback, and she had been full of anticipation.
But she had been back for three days, and while the media had picked apart every detail of the red carpets, they hadn't produced even three articles about her despite using a magnifying glass.
The only post with any semblance of discussion had been about her being outshone by Yang Yan, and by the time she went to check the comments, the original post had already been censored.
"They're all snobs! Just wait until I make it back, and when you bastards come chasing after news, I won’t give you a single hair!"
Lu Yuanzheng cursed fiercely, but then turned around and dialed a number: "Hey, President Wang, it’s me, Little Lu..."
Looking at the empty ramen bowls covering the studio desk and the overflowing ashtray, Lin Qian closed the door to Lu Yuanzheng’s office and pondered the contacts in her phone.
Before she could make her first call, a message from Lu Yuanzheng arrived with good news.
"Look at the trending topics."
[Pei Yanzhou praises Lin Qian’s authentic personality on livestream]
She clicked the link to a video clip.
In the video, Pei Yanzhou was eating hotpot while sharing the story of the "musical chairs" battle between Lin Qian and Kevin with his fans.
His admiration for Lin Qian was unmistakable.
Because of the taboo nature of their statuses, the topic quickly climbed into the top ten.
Pei Yanzhou, the troublemaker who loved to stir the pot, even posted on Weibo to add fuel to the fire.
He wrote that he hoped to have a chance to collaborate with Lin Qian and tagged her, asking if it would be convenient to add her on WeChat.
The comments below were a mix of gossip, spectators, and shippers.
Lin Qian didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the way her comeback test had gone viral.
Still, in this industry, bad news was better than no news.
Lin Qian logged into her main account and replied in the comments: "Difficult."