Zhao Lifei didn"t know why, but her wandering led her back to Imperial Star Mall. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, deciding to walk out, but paused. She needed a gown for tomorrow. Reluctantly, she walked towards the elevator. When the store representatives came forward, bowing, she waved them off."I can handle it by myself today."
They bowed again and excused themselves. When the elevator door slid open, Zhao Lifei strolled inside and by reflex, pressed the highest floor of the mall.
Without much motivation or any stores in mind, Zhao Lifei walked wherever her feet took her. Not long after, she stopped right in front of YRQ. She was surprised to find herself there, but she was even more surprised to see a familiar striking supermodel chatting with a store employee.
"Qinqin?" She called out, surprised to see her.
Yang Ruqin paused and turned around, a cold expression on her face — the same one her brother always had. Who was stupid enough to call her the nickname reserved only for her Feifei?!
Upon seeing who it was, a switch was flipped. "Feifei!" Yang Ruqin"s att.i.tude completely changed. Genuine happiness spread over her face as she practically ran to hug Zhao Lifei.
"What are you doing here?" Zhao Lifei laughed as Yang Ruqin enveloped her into a crus.h.i.+ng hug. After spending so much time overseas, Yang Ruqin had picked up several customs of foreigners, which wasn"t a surprise to Zhao Lifei.
"Wait, don"t tell me, you"re the designer behind YRQ?" Zhao Lifei gasped, nearly smacking herself for not realizing this sooner.
"Yep, was it a big shock?" Yang Ruqin bobbed her head, latching onto Zhao Lifei"s arm and guiding her into the store. She instructed the female employee to lock the doors. With Feifei here, the entire store was closed out so she could have all the time in the world to look around here undisturbed.
Yang Ruqin wanted to rush to Zhao Lifei right away when she saw the scandal in the media, but she wasn"t home and none of the employees back at the Zhao Mansion knew where she had gone.
"Well yeah. No one told me anything." Zhao Lifei snorted, sitting down on the plush couch as she took in Yang Ruqin"s appearance. She was dressed from head-to-toe in glamour, but unlike her usual casual attire, she was sporting very professional clothing.
"I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone." Yang Ruqin had a fond expression on her face. "I didn"t want to use my supermodel fame to gain exposure for the brand. It should succeed on its own."
Fas.h.i.+on designing had been a dream of hers ever since she was a child, but instead of being handed a brush and paper, she was handed a violin. And when the violin was abandoned, she was handed a modeling contract. With all of her hard-earned money from her career, she decided to finally turn her dreams into reality.
"Please don"t tell Feng-ge or my parents... They don"t know about this yet." Yang Ruqin added on, worried they might force her to give up her dream career. Her parents were always against the idea of her working, modeling was supposed to only be a hobby for her. If they discovered she wanted to be a lifelong designer and devote herself to the profession, there would be too much unnecessary conflicts.
Zhao Lifei bobbed her head. "Of course." She firmly said, her lips locked.
Yang Ruqin blew out a sigh of relief. If it was anyone else that said it, she would not believe them. From being constantly tricked because of her naivety, Yang Ruqin often had a problem trusting people. In this world, there was only a handful she dared to consult with and Zhao Lifei was the main person she trusted.
"By the way, Qinqin, you don"t happen to have a spare dress on hand, right?" Zhao Lifei tried her best to keep her voice from sounding too hopeful for fear of burdening Yang Ruqin.
Yang Ruqin"s eyes lit up. She clapped her hands and turned to Zhao Lifei, "Actually I do!" She squealed, happy the dress would finally be put to good use!
This morning, she had gotten into a dispute with the model that was supposed to wear this dress for a photo shoot, but after the horrible woman naively complained and insulted Feifei in front of her, Yang Ruqin kicked her to the curb. Hmph, so what if she had a pretty face? Feifei would definitely suit that dress better and with her elegance, make it s.h.i.+ne brighter than the stars!
- - - - -
The next day.
There was loud chatter within the socialite circle as they gossiped about the next big banquet held by Ling Conglomerate. Not only were the affluent and wealthy invited, but so were celebrities and renowned magazine editors. Ever since it was announced, the banquet had been the talk of the city. The invitations were limited and many were desperate to get their hands on one.
Socialites persuaded their boyfriends, daughters pleaded with their mothers, sons consulted their fathers, but it was not so simple to get into the banquet, no matter what connection one had. The security was tight and the reporters all fought for the best spot in the front to capture the best pictures.
At the most respectable and high-end hotel in all of Shenbei, a ruby red carpet was laid out from the pavement leading into the banquet hall. Security guards were equally s.p.a.ced at the edge of the velvet ropes. Helicopters swirled in the air, drones spun about, and multiple police cars were on sight to ensure the security of the people.
Whenever a car pulled up to the sidewalk, the clicks and flashes went off faster than water falling into scalding oil. Because so many celebrities were coming, fans lined up outside the entire block, enough to wrap a full circle around the hotel. Ear-deafening screams were heard whenever a celebrity stepped out.
"Are you nervous?" Yang Ruqin asked Zhao Lifei who was sitting opposite her inside the Lincoln Limousine. She had received word at the last minute that her brother would be running late to the banquet, thus, she rushed to accompany Zhao Lifei for fear that something might happen.
"No, it"s just a banquet." Zhao Lifei nonchalantly answered, lifting her eyes from the black window and s.h.i.+fting it to Qinqin, a relaxed smile on her face.
Upon seeing how calm Feifei was, Yang Ruqin felt rea.s.sured.
Being a world-renowned supermodel whose fame stretched overseas, Yang Ruqin frequented red carpet events. Posing at the perfect angle, not cracking under the pressure of the blinding lights, and walking with elegance before an enormous crowd just waiting to point out every flaw, she was practically immune to the pressure at red carpet events and, for a period of time, so was Zhao Lifei. But it had been two years since she attended such a major gathering, thus, Yang Ruqin was worried for Zhao Lifei.
"Yes," Yang Ruqin mused, "It"s just a banquet." She echoed, a pleased smile on her face.
"Speaking of which, that tramp duo would also be there. Are you worried?"
"They"re insignificant people in my life, what"s there to worry about?" Zhao Lifei mused. She refused to allow a repeat of what happened at Zhao Linhua"s banquet. This time, she came prepared for war, and her weapons were already sharpened for the battle.
Upon seeing this haughty side of her beloved Feifei, Yang Ruqin couldn"t help but squeal like a fangirl witnessing her favorite celebrity conquering a big fight.
"You"re so cool, Feifei!" She cheered, scooting to the other side of the limousine, just so she could hug Zhao Lifei"s arm the way she used to.
Zhao Lifei gently patted Yang Ruqin, a chuckle emerging. "It"s been a while since you"ve clung onto me like this."
Yang Ruqin pouted as she quickly seized this opportunity to complain about her oldest brother. "It"s all Feng-ge"s fault! With him hovering around you, I can"t hug you like this! He"s so controlling and last time when you guys got into an argument, he bullied me by locking me at home! He"s so mean to me Feifei." By the end of her rant, her puppy-eyes were on full display for Zhao Lifei who looked at her with an amused expression.
"Oh Feifei, you have to do something about his controlling behavior! Please tell him not to irrationally punish me anymore. He"s my brother, not my father!" Yang Ruqin whined, shaking her savior"s arm, continuing to act like a spoiled brat.
"Alright, alright, I"ll try to pacify him, but I can"t make any promises." Zhao Lifei laughed. She felt like a mother protecting her daughter from her strict husband.
Right when Yang Ruqin was about to respond, the driver spoke up. "Young Misses, we have arrived."
"Open the doors. We"re ready." Zhao Lifei spoke up right as Yang Ruqin unwrapped her arms and soothed her hair.
Yang Ruqin turned to her best friend, a mischievous smile on her face. "Ready for war?"
"Of course."
The door opened, blinding flashes greeting them, followed by the loud screams and noisy chatter. Breathing in deeply, Zhao Lifei closed her eyes, counted to three, and reopened them, different emotions hiding within the deep hazel hues: arrogance and determination.