For most of the next day, they travelled together as a group of five.
Xu Tingsheng and Xiang Ning had originally planned to use this day to rest as they had no plans to go to any events. Huang Yaming had obtained fewer invitations from his connections.
Going overseas for the first time, being in a completely foreign environment and unfamiliar with the language, one would generally feel on tenterhooks and lack a sense of security. There were many people on the streets of Paris. There were men in skirts and bright nail polish and women who were basically not wearing much, their varied get-ups a sight to behold.
Even Xiang Ning who had always been vivacious had her arm in Xu Tingsheng’s as she dared not run around randomly.
Xu Tingsheng paid attention to that mother and daughter, seeing if it was really as Huang Yaming had said and they were really like two blank sheets of paper after having stayed at home for so many years.
Mother and daughter looked very alike. Han Xiu probably did not take after her father much.
One had to say that some people’s natural beauty really made one jealous. Despite not having done any maintenance, her mother did not seem old at all. When walking together with her daughter, the two of them seemed more like sisters than mother and daughter.
She had a kind of frailness and modesty that was already very rare in modern society. Still, her eyes and her entire body’s posture made it very easy to sense that she was always maintaining her vigilance.
It was just that there was a sort of determination amidst this vigilance and protection. It felt like ‘even if I myself am actually very scared too, I’ll clench my teeth, close my eyes and go all out’.
If a wild hare on the plains discovered that there was a hawk in the sky, they would usually take off and flee. Still, sometimes, because there were little rabbits behind it, they would also bravely gaze at the sky, shivering as they ‘overestimated their abilities’ and readied themselves to send a good kick at the hawk.
‘Overestimating one’s abilities’ like this was actually very admirable. Xu Tingsheng had a pretty good opinion of her.
Han Xiu was different. She maintained the naivety and romanticism of a young girl. Frequently, Xu Tingsheng was able to see a glow in her eyes which showed she was actually very excited.
She was like a child who was seeing something new, feeling excited as she wished to reach out to touch and feel it. Yet at the same time, she could not help but feel afraid and uneasy.
At times like this, her gaze would fall on Huang Yaming…
This gaze contained trust and reliance. She also seemed to look up to Huang Yaming like he had said, unconsciously feeling that there was nothing he could not do.
“It’s just like a little girl seeing a devil,” Xiang Ning secretly leaned in and whispered to Xu Tingsheng.
Actually, even Xiang Ning had always been a little afraid of Huang Yaming. This was related to how Huang Yaming had yelled at her fiercely at the hospital twice in the past and how he always emitted a dangerous aura nowadays.
This dude was no benevolent soul.
“A little girl seeing a devil? What do you mean by that?” Xu Tingsheng leaned into Xiang Ning’s ear and asked her, nibbling gently on her eartip while he was at it.
Her eartip being super sensitive, Miss Xiang cried out delicately and glared at ruffian Uncle before she said, “Adults run when they see devils. Little girls are insensible. Rather than immediately fleeing, they even run over, wanting to touch the horns on his head.”
Xu Tingsheng could not help but marvel at how accurate Miss Xiang’s analogy was.
Han Xiu was that little girl who did not know how perilous her predicament was. Following this, it was also unknown if the devil Huang Yaming would make use of this chance to gobble her up or choose to bend down, letting her stroke his horns.
Huang Yaming’s eyes were full of doting. If Han Xiu was interested in anything, he would step forward and communicate with others with his English which he had scored seventy for in the university entrance examinations and had left untouched for three years in university. He was using hand gestures to coordinate with his vocabulary.
This was not at all like the current Huang Yaming. Xu Tingsheng had only seen it in the initial stages of his relationship with Tan Qingling.
Actually, at the start of relationships, most men will dote on their girlfriends like their daughters a little. It is just that this sort of feeling is generally washed away by time and the trivialities of life.
Meeting Han Xiu who was like a blank sheet of paper was pretty much akin to Huang Yaming reconnecting with his warm, gentle side.
Xu Tingsheng did not speak much with Han Xiu and her mother that day. Instead, it was the affable Xiang Ning who quickly became friends with Han Xiu who was of a similar age to her.
Huang Yaming entreated her not to say bad things about him in front of Han Xiu. It was just like a boy always being careful around the good female friends of the girl he was trying to chase.
……
From the next day, Xu Tingsheng and Xiang Ning began attending some events. You Qinglan’s secretary Amy would appear, helping Xiang Ning match her clothes before bringing them to the scene.
People treated showing up at their very best as a form of respect for Paris Fashion Week. This was the greatest event of the fashion world.
Yet, Xu Tingsheng did not know what fashion was. Because Xiang Ning was beside him, he could also not look at the breasts and thighs of models or whatnot. Thus, he became even more bored.
He fell asleep during the show. Fortunately, he was not in the front row. Fortunately, Amy was accompanying Xiang Ning and chatting with her as they watched.
Feeling exasperated and furious, Xiang Ning pushed him awake.
Xu Tingsheng retorted, “What’s so exciting here? Can these clothes be worn on the street?”
Amy answered, “Most of the clothes for the fashion week can be worn on the street. Many of them will even be the upcoming main styles of the various big brands. Of course, there are also those that are like you say, that cannot be worn on the street for the time being. Those are concepts, like concept cars that may not immediately run on the streets of the city but represent future trends. Also, a portion of their elements will enter circulation very soon.”
Xu Tingsheng nodded without committing to anything.
Amy observed him in earnest for a time, confirming that he truly did not know anything at all as she muttered to herself, “Why do some people say that he’s a genius whose brain is filled with designing creativity that’s far ahead of his time? This is obviously someone who doesn’t even know how to wear his own clothes!”
Meanwhile, Xiang Ning got to see many celebrities from China and overseas, well known and unknown over this time. They dressed up as best they could and walked the red carpet in their various brands.
Afterwards, a bored Xu Tingsheng casually surfed the web and found that apart from some Chinese websites, overseas websites and magazines virtually did not care about the photographs of Chinese celebrities at all…
In truth, when they walked the red carpet, if one were to look at the camera angles of the cameramen by the sides, one would find that they were always averted. Most of the time, no one was shooting them whatsoever.
As for those photos they posted on Chinese websites or Weibo where they were ‘the focus of all’ or ‘city-levelling’, the truth was that it was mostly from their assistants deliberately producing the effect through camera angles.
Of course, perhaps it was already praiseworthy that they were able to attend. It was not everyone in the entertainment industry who could walk the red carpet.
This was what he had thought. In the end, Amy told him that for most invitations, let alone celebrities, it would actually not be difficult for ordinary people with money to get them if they wished to do so. The actual stars of the fashion week were always those models and designers.
“Is there anything that’s especially difficult to get then?” A curious Xu Tingsheng asked.
“Of course there are,” Amy said.
“But I see some minor celebrities attending every event.”
“Make use of some connections to walk the red carpet. Not knowing who you are, others will not shoo you off the stage. Then, after you’ve walked the red carpet and taken the photos, going to the back and returning to the hotel...sometimes, they just aren’t able to enter the venues at all.”
“...”
That could happen too? Xu Tingsheng and Xiang Ning exchanged looks.
On the fourth day, Amy brought two overseas magazines over and said, “Xiang Ning’s in the magazines, walking on a street.”
“Did she do a photoshoot?” Xu Tingsheng turned to look at Xiang Ning.
“It was taken on the street! Sometimes, photographers see something on the street, find that the feeling is right and don’t want to miss it. They may not ask and just capture the photo first. Most of the time, for mainstream magazines, they’ll pass over a name card after doing so, do some self-introduction and the like,” Amy said.
This sort of situation had really happened a few times. Seeing that it was common, Xu Tingsheng had not rejected it. Who knew that it would really have been published.
“These are overseas magazines. It should be fine, right?” Amy asked Xu Tingsheng.
“Am I inside?” Xu Tingsheng asked.
Amy looked disdainfully at him, pointing at his clothes, “The way you’re dressed, no one will be interested in taking a photo of you.”
“It’s fine then,” Xu Tingsheng said.
Following that, Xu Tingsheng was a bit surprised as Amy retrieved an English-style suit and handed it to him.
“Sis You said that Boss Xu seems only to have a single high-end custom-made suit but doesn’t wear it often at all...she got someone to custom-make this for you. In the upcoming designer’s space, she hopes that you can dress up more formally, to better match with Miss Xiang Ning.”
“Me? Do you guys have my measurements?” Xu Tingsheng asked curiously.
Those two times he had met You Qinglan, she had never expressed any intention of creating a custom-made suit for him in the first place, much less taken his measurements.
“Why not just try it,” Amy said.
In the end, it was unexpectedly a great fit and looked unexpectedly good.
Xiang Ning exclaimed in startlement as even Amy could not help but nod, saying, “Who would have thought? When Boss Xu dresses up properly, it’s really not bad. Very captivating.”
Xu Tingsheng himself fell into a daze somewhat. This was his second high-end custom-made suit.
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