"WeiWei! Look at the makeup Kevin did for me! Look at this lipstick on my lips! It's hideous! It doesn't suit me at all!" Tao Yuner started complaining the moment she saw Xiang QingWei.
Having made a comeback to the top tier through a web series, her spirit and appearance had greatly improved, exuding vitality. However, today, for some reason, she seemed a bit restless.
The makeup artist Kevin, standing to the side, retorted discontentedly, "Miss Xiang! Barbie pink is the trend this year, it's already popular abroad. Plus, Yun'er has fair skin, she can pull off this color."
Xiang QingWei examined Tao Yuner's face for a moment and said, "This shade doesn't suit her, let's try something else."
Indeed, Tao Yuner's skin was fair, but the Barbie pink, although not making her look darker, gave off a petty vibe. Xiang QingWei has always disliked the trend in recent years where, in the name of fashion, artists lose their unique traits and blindly follow the crowd.
Hearing Xiang QingWei's agreement, Tao Yuner immediately clung to her arm, cooing, "I knew your taste would match mine!" She even threw a smug glance at Kevin.
Knowing that Xiang QingWei was the decision-maker, and seeing her approval, Kevin had no choice but to compromise, "Alright then," and changed Tao Yuner's lipstick to another shade.
Tao Yuner's outfit was from Chanel's current season, a white blouse paired with a black silk ribbon tied into a bow, topped with a classic A-line skirt. Her hairstyle was a refreshing bun, perfectly complementing the curve of her head, making it an ideal choice.
Paired with a lemon-yellow Chanel chain bag, the ensemble created a light and fresh fashion sense.
"Does this look okay?" Tao Yuner asked nervously, twirling in front of Xiang QingWei.
"Very nice," Xiang QingWei said.
Tao Yuner was beautiful, with big eyes and a small mouth. Her face was slightly round, which made her look younger than her age and likable. However, she was never satisfied with herself, having once secretly taken Xiang QingWei's photo to a plastic surgery clinic to inquire if she could get a similar face shape.
Xiang QingWei, upon finding out, scolded Tao Yuner harshly, effectively dissuading her from undergoing any facial modifications.
"Isn't it too simple?" Tao Yuner stood in front of the mirror, seemingly still unsatisfied with her look for the day.
Kevin rolled his eyes, "Honey, you're just attending an anniversary event, not walking the red carpet."
"Is my eye makeup too light?" Tao Yuner leaned closer to the mirror, scrutinizing her eyelids.
Kevin finally noticed Tao Yuner's unusual behavior and looked at Xiang QingWei with a questioning gaze.
Xiao Yang, who had been with Tao Yuner for several years, naturally understood the reason behind her abnormality. With a worried look and hesitating to speak, he sought help from Xiang QingWei with his eyes.
Xiang QingWei nodded, signaling Kevin and Xiao Yang to leave the room first.
Now, only she and Tao Yuner were left.
"Don't worry about anything." Xiang QingWei hugged her from behind, her right hand gripping Tao Yuner's shoulder, exerting a gentle force, "You're not who you used to be anymore. Don't be afraid of meeting anyone. Plus, I'll always be by your side."
Tao Yuner pursed her lips, looking at her reflection and Xiang QingWei's arm around her shoulder in the mirror.
She took a deep breath, her beautiful face dimming, and her long eyelashes drooping to hide the sparkle in her eyes, "The media will surely write nonsense again today, saying how I'm now a brand ambassador, and that I want to snatch the makeup ambassador role."
Xiang QingWei turned her around to face her, looking deep into her eyes,
"Yuner, listen. I won't tell you not to compare yourself with others, only with yourself. In the entertainment industry, if you don't fight for yourself, you'll have to be content with being trampled on. If you're not content, then you must fight for what you want, keep holding your breath until you surpass the person you want to surpass."
Tao Yuner gazed at Xiang QingWei, stunned.
Xiang QingWei held her gaze, "Do you trust me?"
Tao Yuner nodded, of course, she trusted her!
"Then cheer up, leave everything to me. I'll set up the ladder for you; you just need to climb it,"
Xiang QingWei gently brushed the hair from Tao Yuner's ear, her lips curling into a slight smile, "Besides, the ones who should be anxious and restless right now should be others, not you."
When Tao Yuner stepped out of the room, her lips were curved upwards, showing she was in a good mood. Her eyes sparkled with vitality, casting radiant glances around her.
Waiting at the door, Xiao Yang glanced at Xiang QingWei with a mix of gratitude and admiration, silently breathing a sigh of relief.
This event took place at the Hengtai Mall in S CITY.
By the time Xiang QingWei and her team arrived, the mall was already crowded with both fans and passersby.
"You look so beautiful today, Yun'er!" a fan shouted while holding up a phone to take pictures.
Tao Yuner responded with a smile before quickly moving on, escorted by her bodyguards.
Nowadays, Tao Yuner is a different person from before; wherever she went, she had a massive following of fans.
For this Chanel event, six guests were invited, including Tao Yuner.
Besides her and other brand friends who frequently interacted with the brand but had not yet become official ambassadors, there was also an Asian brand ambassador—Qiao Xiyu.
The history between Tao Yuner and Qiao Xiyu is traced back many years. At that time, Tao Yuner's aura as a movie queen hadn't faded, and Qiao Xiyu was just a small supporting actor making cameo appearances in TV dramas.
It was unlikely for two people of such different statuses to become close friends, but back then, Tao Yuner hadn't been hardened by life's challenges and was without guile, while Qiao Xiyu approached her with a purpose in mind, leading to an unlikely friendship.
Although Tao Yuner had a bit of a princess temperament, her childhood obsession with martial arts novels made her believe in being genuinely loyal to friends, even to the point of sacrificing herself for them. Qiao Xiyu often played the victim in front of Tao Yuner, triggering Tao Yuner's hero complex.
She went out of her way to support Qiao Xiyu, including taking her to events she couldn't have attended on her own, introducing her to resources, and sharing her own.
Qiao Xiyu's name began to be tied to Tao Yuner, increasing her exposure significantly. Moreover, by using the occasions Tao Yuner brought her to, she met industry bigwigs she could never have dreamed of meeting before.
In less than two years, the situations of Qiao Xiyu and Tao Yuner almost completely reversed.
And their friendship quickly fell apart.
Tao Yuner had fought hard for a movie role, even taking promotional photos, only to be suddenly replaced by Qiao Xiyu.
Rumors had it that this incident led to a complete fallout between Tao Yuner and Qiao Xiyu, with Tao Yuner even slapping Qiao Xiyu at the backstage of an event they both attended.
Regardless of the rumors, Qiao Xiyu's career took off after that movie, winning her the Golden Lion Award for Best Supporting Actress and paving the way for her to become a leading actress among the post-90s generation.
She had already arrived early.
Qiao Xiyu, with her long black curly hair, wore a black velvet dress and a pearl necklace. Her makeup was exquisite, but her dark skin tone created a noticeable difference between her face and neck.
Her looks were average in the entertainment industry, with an surgically altered nose. She might not be as pretty as Tao Yuner, but she exuded a natural femininity.
Xiang QingWei had seen Qiao Xiyu from afar at an event before, but this was the first time she saw her up close. Her first thought was that Qiao Xiyu's nose job was a bit excessive.
"Xiang!" The tall and handsome foreigner, talking to Qiao Xiyu, lit up upon seeing Xiang QingWei enter and excused himself from Qiao Xiyu to stride towards Xiang QingWei.
He warmly grasped her shoulder, leaned in for a cheek-to-cheek greeting, and said in Chinese, "Xiang, long time no see!"
At such close proximity, Xiang QingWei had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze: "Jack, it's been a while. Your Chinese has improved a lot."
"Really?!" Jack blinked his beautiful blue eyes and said in a funny accent, "I also kind of feel it!"
Qiao Xiyu turned around, and her smile froze for a moment when she saw Tao Yuner, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Yuner? It's been a long time."
She approached with a surprised look and even gave Tao Yuner a hug.
Cameras nearby clicked away, capturing these moments.
When Qiao Xiyu saw that the photo had been taken, she immediately tried to let go of Tao Yuner, only to be enthusiastically hugged back by Tao Yuner.
With a smile, Tao Yuner patted Qiao Xiyu's slender back firmly, "Long time no see."
As they parted, the smile on Qiao Xiyu's face stiffened, and with a forced grin, she said, "Congratulations, you made a comeback with a web drama."
Tao Yuner brushed a stray hair behind her ear, "Yeah, I didn't expect it either. Just casually shot a web drama and it blew up like this."
She blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at Qiao Xiyu, "You have to work hard too, sister. I heard your recent drama 'Secret Enemy' isn't doing well in ratings and reputation.
I've seen a lot of people criticizing you online, it made me so angry. You're not getting any younger, sister, you should be more careful in choosing scripts."
Qiao Xiyu's mouth twitched slightly, managing a strained smile, "Thanks for your concern."
"Are you friends?" Jack asked. His Chinese wasn't very fluent, but he insisted on speaking it.
"No, we just know each other," Tao Yuner sweetly said before Qiao Xiyu could respond.
"This is my artist, Tao Yuner," Xiang QingWei introduced in fluent English to Jack.
"Hello, Tao, I'm Jack, a friend of Xiang's!" Jack enthusiastically wrapped his sturdy arm, which his suit couldn't conceal, around Xiang QingWei's shoulder and boasted, "We've known each other for three years!"
"He's also the head of Chanel in China," Xiang QingWei added.
Tao Yuner looked at Jack in surprise. He appeared to be under thirty and already held such an important position.
"I started learning Chinese because of Xiang," Jack said.
Tao Yuner blinked and her gaze towards Xiang QingWei suddenly became gossipy.
With composure, Xiang QingWei joked in English, "That's right, I'm just that charming."
Jack burst into laughter.
Tao Yuner joined in the laughter.
Qiao Xiyu left out of the loop, smiled along when she saw everyone else laughing. If one observed closely, they could see a hint of embarrassment in her smile, because she didn't understand what they were saying.
She didn't speak English and hadn't anticipated that there would be foreigners present today, nor had she arranged for a translator.
Previously, Jack had been communicating with her in Chinese, but now they had switched to English, and she could only understand some very simple English words. When strung together, she couldn't comprehend at all.
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The entire book has been translated, with a total of 414K words and more than 1,200 pages.
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