Unfortunately, Miss Li has already done her best to negotiate, but for now, the outlook still seems bleak.
"Sister Bingbing?"
Miss Gu noticed Miss Li’s delayed response and somewhat distracted look, and couldn’t help but speak up again.
Miss Li snapped out of it, seeing Miss Gu’s eager expression, she couldn’t help but frown slightly.
The invitation to Jingwang Club’s opening wasn’t sent to Miss Li, but rather to Miss Gu, for which Miss Gu specifically canceled another engagement.
Initially, when Miss Li heard that Miss Gu was going to support a friend’s new store, she didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until Miss Gu’s agent quietly informed her that Miss Gu spent three to four hours just on makeup and getting dressed, and even went to the beauty salon for a treatment in the morning, that Miss Li realized something was amiss.
With Miss Gu’s somewhat carefree nature, what kind of ordinary friend could make her go through such trouble?
Under Miss Li’s questioning, a hesitant Miss Gu reluctantly revealed that the so-called "friend" was actually Zhou Wang.
Knowing she couldn’t stop her, Miss Li, feeling uneasy, had no choice but to come along.
Thinking back to when they arrived at the club, Zhou Wang greeted her with that calm and gentle smile, Miss Li felt somewhat uncomfortable—
She wasn’t sure if it was the stereotype left from their first phone call or because she came uninvited, but she always felt there was a certain mockery in Zhou Wang’s smile.
Now that they’re inside, because Miss Gu’s constant chattering revolved around Zhou Wang, demonstrating a strong interest in him, a slightly annoyed Miss Li started to speak out some "rumors" she’s recently heard.
Sure enough, seeing Miss Gu’s nervous expression, Miss Li became somewhat angry and a bit incredulous.
This silly girl, could she really be infatuated with Zhou Wang?
Come on, you’ve only met him once, and under such an awkward circumstance...
She couldn’t understand Miss Gu’s thought process, but she knew this girl was a genuine "romantic," and if she couldn’t promptly squash her inexplicable fondness for Zhou Wang, who knows what absurd things might happen later on.
With this thought in mind, Miss Li nodded and spoke seriously:
"Yes, it’s simple logic, ’A standout tree in the forest is sure to be blown down by the wind,’ and you must understand that this is the Beijing Circle... Some people in this circle have a herd mentality. When your sister here wanted to break into the circle back then, she was battered and bruised even with someone introducing her. Not to mention Zhou Wang, who’s purely an outsider."
Seeing Miss Gu still looking confused, Miss Li knew her intelligence was just like that, so she had to explain further.
"Let me give you an inappropriate example. When you first became famous, do you think there were more people in the circle willing to support you, or more people wanting to bring you down?"
"Uh, of course, there were more people wanting to bring me down, or why else would someone leak dirt about me from my ex-boyfriend..."
Mentioning this incident, Miss Gu showed a very angry expression.
"Isn’t that right?"
Miss Li shrugged, "Zhou Wang hasn’t integrated into this circle yet, but he’s already causing a stir. There are just as many people who don’t like him, and besides, you’re aware of what this place used to be."
"What place?"
Miss Gu blinked her large eyes.
"The Jingcheng Club, silly sister!"
Looking at the beautiful fool before her, Miss Li reluctantly said, "This was once a benchmark for the wealthy and affluent of Beidou. Even though it’s fallen from grace, it still carries such a significant reputation. Would you say the previous owner couldn’t keep it running just really because they lacked connections or strength?"
"Ah, I get it, just like how actors need more than just good acting skills?"
"Hmm, something like that."
Miss Li nodded, speaking softly: "Whether it was the previous owner or Zhou Wang, in many people’s eyes, they lack a bit of qualification to become the master of this place."
While Miss Li was explaining the pros and cons to Miss Gu, the doors of the banquet hall opened again, and Zhou Wang, wearing a well-tailored custom suit, walked in with what was probably the last batch of guests of the day.
This wave of guests, exuding a strong business elite aura, seemed to have shown up together by appointment. Many of them were foreigners with blonde hair and blue eyes, attracting amazed glances from the crowd.
"Hey, Sister Bingbing, look, isn’t that Mrs. Kelly?"
Miss Gu, who looked over the moment they walked in, couldn’t help but have her eyes sparkle when she saw Zhou Wang.
As a die-hard fan of good-looking people, her aesthetic tastes are fixed and singular. When she first came across Zhou Wang’s videos, she secretly followed him with a secondary account. She’s utterly defenseless to this kind of sharp-featured, manly handsomeness... especially considering Zhou Wang has such a beautifully toned set of abs!
As her gaze inadvertently landed on those foreigners, Miss Gu suddenly noticed something.
"Mrs. Kelly?"
Prompted by Miss Gu, Miss Li quickly looked up. When she spotted the foreign woman walking beside Zhou Wang, chatting with him warmly, she indeed realized that it was Mrs. Kelly, and Miss Li showed an incredulous expression.
Mrs. Kelly, the current executive president of Hermes in the Greater China region, is undeniably one of Hermes’ core executives.
Huaxia, being Hermes’ most important market globally, has Mrs. Kelly as its representative, attesting to her close ties with the Hermes family.