Chapter 61 Scheming Sweet Love: From Brother Gu to Brother Qing

"You're talking nonsense!"

Xu Lanyan instinctively retorted, but only realized after she blurted it out that her attitude had been a bit too harsh.

She took a deep breath.

“If Miss Song is unhappy with me because I exposed you for wearing counterfeit goods in public, I can completely understand. But to turn around and accuse me of wearing a fake outfit is just too outrageous.”

"I won't make things up without evidence," Song Ying said calmly.

"Alright, then please provide the evidence, Miss Song!"

Xu Lanyan walked to the sofa next to her, sat down with an air of pride, and looked at Zhuo Rui next to her.

"Director Zhuo, could we postpone today's event for a while? I think everyone here, as well as the viewers watching the live stream, are very interested in this so-called evidence."

Zhuo Rui naturally sided with Xu Lanyan, "Okay, let's postpone it then."

Xu Lanyan then looked at Song Ying.

"Miss Song, please tell me."

Even if I told Miss Xu, she might not believe me.

Song Ying walked forward leisurely, glancing lazily at Zhuo Rui.

"Director Zhuo, aren't we going to the British Museum today? The evidence I mentioned happens to be on the way, so why don't we all go and take a look together?"

"Then let's wait for Actor Gu to come down and set off together."

As they were talking, the elevator doors opened.

Gu Junting hurriedly walked out, looking apologetic.

"I'm so sorry, I had a script discussion with the domestic production team just now, which took up some time. Thank you all for waiting."

"It's not hard work, it's not hard work, we didn't have to wait too long anyway."

When he saw that it was Zhao Qingluo who responded, Gu Junting was taken aback. "Aren't you that little fan from last night?"

Could the young girl be a member of the film crew?

"Mr. Gu, you arrived late yesterday and I forgot to introduce you. This is Ms. Zhao Qingluo, your simulated partner. She will be filming four episodes of the dating reality show with you throughout the entire season."

Unlike other variety shows, "Princess's Romance" sometimes includes married couples, sometimes couples in a committed relationship, and sometimes it even plays matchmaker between complete strangers of the opposite sex.

Different relationships lead to different collisions, bringing a thrill akin to unpacking a blind box.

Gu Junting clearly belongs to the last category.

But the director's introduction still caught him off guard and left him extremely surprised.

"Oh, Miss Zhao...you're not an adult yet, are you?"

Zhao Qingluo quickly raised her hand and puffed out her chest to defend herself.

"I'm 21 years old this year! I just don't look that old."

She didn't want Gu Junting to treat her like a child.

Gu Junting glanced at the little girl who was just up to his chest and was still wearing a puffy dress.

"..."

He's still just a child!

The first eight seasons of "The Princess" brought together more than a dozen high-quality couples.

Since Gu Junting became a widow 28 years ago, many male celebrities around him who are the same age as him have had several relationships, not to mention his former classmates, some of whom even have children.

Some time ago, he took on a new script, which is different from his previous political dramas; it's a romance drama.

During the audition, although everyone thought he was alright, he knew that there were still some parts where he couldn't quite capture the emotional scenes.

He tried many times and tried every possible method, but still couldn't find the right feeling. So Gu Junting attributed the reason to his lack of dating experience.

That's why he chose to participate in this variety show, hoping to find the feeling of getting into character.

But this little girl in front of me...

Gu Junting felt a chill run down his spine.

I always feel like I'm teetering on the edge of committing a crime.

There's no other reason; Zhao Qingluo is just too young.

It always made him feel guilty, like an old cow eating young grass.

I can't relate to it at all.

Unfortunately, the little girl was quite clever and mischievous. She took small, quick steps to stand in front of him, blinked her eyes, and looked at him with her round, pouty face.

"Actor Gu, may I call you Brother Gu?"

Zhao Qingluo had a very clear plan: first become Brother Gu, then Brother Qing.

As for Gu Junting: Emm, the child is too young, so a girlfriend is out of the question, but a brother and sister... at least it doesn't sound so unacceptable?

Relieved, Gu Junting patted Zhao Qingluo's head and said, "Okay."

"Really?! Yay!"

Zhao Qinglu jumped up excitedly and even rubbed her hand against Gu Junting's palm again.

Gu Junting quickly withdrew his hand, clenched his fist, covered his mouth, and coughed lightly.

They're so cute, I just couldn't resist.

Once they arrived at Gu Junting's location, the group, led by Song Ying, headed towards the place she claimed they could find evidence.

Are we going to walk to the British Museum?

Gu Junting was completely unaware of what had happened in the hall earlier, so he asked Zhao Qingluo in a low voice, "What's today's mission?"

"Brother Gu, don't be in such a hurry! Let's watch a good show first, and then we'll think about the mission."

Not long after, Song Ying, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.

"arrive."

The storefront, decorated in the style of traditional Chinese painting, is elegant and sophisticated. It doesn't look like a clothing or jewelry store, but rather like a landscape corridor.

"SLOVEY?"

Gu Junting looked up. "Isn't this their flagship store in London?"

"Brother Gu, do you know their family?"

"This brand was founded by Chinese female designer Slovey. In recent years, she has been promoting Chinese culture. Many of her works combine Eastern classicism with Western modernity, making them both fashionable and profound. I really like this brand."

Gu Junting has a very high opinion of this brand.

"The embroidered tuxedo I wore at the last Magnolia Awards ceremony was from their company."

[Oh no! I remember now! When Gu Yingdi's studio released photos last year, they mentioned this embroidered swallowtail coat! Back then, that coat was ranked number one on the fashion editor Hong Ying's "red list"!]

[I remember it too! The gilded embroidery was absolutely gorgeous, seemingly inherited from Suzhou embroidery, and it had different colors under different lighting!]

[This is getting interesting. The embroidered swallowtail coat worn by Actor Gu is officially recognized by the brand, so it's definitely legitimate; Xu Lanyan, a wealthy young lady, wears cheongsams all the time, so she shouldn't be mistaken; isn't it obvious who's the fake?]

[What's that saying again? "You have a path to heaven but choose not to, so you willingly walk into hell." Just wait to be proven wrong!]

“All of SLOVEY’s orders are processed from the head office. This is the best place to check orders and product flow.”

Hearing Song Ying's words, Xu Lanyan laughed, leaned closer, and whispered in Song Ying's ear.

A thoughtful reminder delivered in a voice that everyone can hear.

“Miss Song, we haven’t even entered the door yet, so you still have one last chance to salvage the situation. Once you take this step, the rest may be beyond our control.”

"I would also like to say the same to Miss Xu."

"Since Miss Song is so confident, let's go in and take a look."

After saying this, Xu Lanyan turned around and leisurely walked into the store.

Soon, a staff member came forward to greet her, and Xu Lanyan spoke in fluent English.

"Please call your store manager here."

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Here's the thing, we're recording a program right now. I'm an SVIP customer of your store and I'd like to check my order history."

"If that's the case, then there's no need to bother the store manager. Also, order records are considered customer privacy and are generally not disclosed to the public. However, you can check your own order records by providing your personal identification."

As she said this, the shop assistant's gaze fell on the cheongsam Xu Lanyan was wearing.

"The cheongsam you're wearing looks somewhat familiar."

"Are you new here? This is the 'Mountain View' set that your company released last year."

Xu Lanyan spoke eloquently, "In addition, I've also bought the sets of Sparrow's Song, Exquisite Meaning, Dreamy Desolation, and Frosty Branch. Speaking of which, I'm quite a regular customer of your store."

From the moment the debate began about whether it was true or false, the all-knowing netizens started to educate people about the basics of SLOVEY.

For example, Xu Lanyan's "Mountain View" set was originally priced at 500,000 yuan, but it has now been speculated to be worth 2 million yuan on the black market.

As for the other sets she mentioned, they were also priceless, with the most expensive set fetching five million.

SLOVEY itself isn't expensive; the most expensive clothing line is only 1.3 million.

The key point is that each set is basically sold in limited quantities and there are purchase requirements, so most people are not eligible to buy them.

As a result, these people had no choice but to find other ways to collect the goods, and before long, the price skyrocketed.

[No wonder she's from a wealthy family; she's hoarded so many of these expensive cheongsams.]

Jealousy has distorted me beyond recognition.

[Previously, it was revealed that Song Ying's total salary wouldn't even cover the cost of one cheongsam, right? I'm even more convinced that the one she's wearing is fake.]

[Don't worry, guys. The SLOVEY store in Beijing is right next to my house. I'll go check it out for you guys and see if that limited edition set is still on display.]

Faced with Xu Lanyan's sense of superiority, the shop assistant looked puzzled, wanting to say something but holding back.

He politely said, "Please show me your ID so I can check your records."

"I'll enter the ID number myself."

"I'm sorry, miss, but given the frequent leaks of personal identification numbers in recent years, we need the original identification documents to protect our clients' privacy."

Worried that Xu Lanyan might not have understood the English, the shop assistant repeated it in Chinese.

He even gestured as if he were holding up a small card.

"Sorry, I think I left my ID at the hotel..."

Remembering something, Xu Lanyan's expression suddenly became somewhat awkward.

The clerk added, "A passport is also acceptable."

"I...I'm sorry, the original is also at the hotel."

"Where are the photocopies of the passport's first page and visa page?"

"...and no photos were taken."

The shop assistant's expression became subtle.

The expressions of the others also became subtle.

"But isn't it common sense to carry photocopies or photos of your passport's first page and visa page with you? How can you shop without these things?"

Zhao Qingluo directly pointed out the suspicious point, "Xu Lanyan, what you're wearing, it's not really a fake, is it? Are you feeling guilty?"

"I didn't!"

Xu Lanyan explained, "I was just careless for a moment."

"It's alright, Miss Xu is careless, but I'm here for you."

Song Ying's voice drifted over.

The shop assistant's gaze fell on her, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Sparse shadows cast obliquely?"

However, the salesperson soon murmured, "This isn't a collector's edition; it's not for sale to the public?"

But when worn by this woman, the sheen, stitching, and materials don't seem fake.

The shop assistant was also a little confused.

At this moment, Song Ying walked up to the shop assistant and said a few words to her. Soon, the shop assistant showed a surprised expression and then became even more polite.

"Okay, ma'am, please wait a moment."

With that, he returned to the service desk and made a phone call.