Chapter 346 Pretending to be a Returning Businessman in a Historical Novel 19
After hanging up the phone, Deputy Factory Director Wang paced back and forth in his office, the floor beneath his feet so shiny that it reflected his anxious shadow.
"Tell me, what kind of mess is this?"
He plopped back into his chair and started talking to himself.
"Going abroad, going to Paris, what an honor that is! Why are you all like gourds with their mouths sawed off, keeping quiet?"
He couldn't understand it.
These young people fight tooth and nail for promotions and awards.
Why have they all become cowards at this crucial moment when they could be on the international stage?
He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and coughed violently from the smoke.
He can't do this.
That deep-seated lack of self-confidence couldn't be resolved by holding a few mobilization meetings.
It seems we'll have to wait for Director Zhou to return and then spend a lot of money to hire people from abroad.
The thought of having blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners wear their own silk and walk the runway representing the Flower Kingdom made Deputy Factory Director Wang feel suffocated.
...
Zhou Jue hung up the phone and, without wasting a minute, immediately called the driver, stepped on the gas, and the jeep headed towards the city.
The car stopped at the entrance of the city compound. Zhou Jue jumped out and walked straight toward Director Li's office building.
"Comrade, I'm looking for Director Li."
Just as Director Li's secretary was about to ask her if she had an appointment, she saw Director Li personally come out of his office to greet her.
"Ms. Zhou, why did you come all the way here? You could have just told me over the phone!" Director Li warmly invited her inside.
With the office door closed, Zhou Jue got straight to the point.
"Director Li, I've come to ask you for help."
Director Li was taken aback. In his memory, this young factory director Zhou seemed to be able to accomplish anything.
What difficulties have you encountered?
"We can't find models for Paris Fashion Week," Zhou Jue briefly explained the situation at the factory.
After listening, Director Li frowned: "Was the ideological work inadequate? Was the awareness insufficient?"
“No.” Zhou Jue shook his head: “They don’t lack awareness, they lack courage.”
She looked at Director Li, her tone becoming serious: "They are afraid of bringing shame to the country."
Director Li fell silent; these words struck a nerve.
It wasn't just the workers; even he himself had sweaty palms when he first shook hands with a foreign guest.
It is an instinctive fear and inferiority complex when facing the unknown and a wider world.
"Miss Zhou, so what do you mean?"
"This matter cannot be treated as just our factory's own business."
"This is to tell the world what kind of spirit the young people of our Flower Country have."
"Clothes are the skeleton, but people are the soul. We cannot let foreigners fill in our own soul."
"Therefore, I need the city to support them, to encourage them, and to let them know that they are not walking alone, that the whole country stands behind them."
Director Li's breathing suddenly stopped.
He looked into the eyes of the young woman before him, and found no shrewd calculations of a businesswoman, only clarity and openness.
He realized that this was not a commercial activity of a factory.
This is a cultural "expedition".
"Miss Zhou, please wait for me."
Director Li suddenly stood up, walked around the desk, quickly went to the corner, and picked up the telephone.
He dialed a number, his tone instantly becoming decisive and authoritative.
"Connect to the Municipal Publicity Department. Yes, let Lao Liu answer the phone personally."
The call was answered quickly.
"Old Liu, listen to me... So we need you to coordinate with the city's radio and television stations to broadcast an emergency announcement..."
"Okay, I agree to it!"
After hanging up, he didn't pause and dialed a second one.
"This is Li Changqing. Please have your station manager answer the phone!"
Throughout the afternoon, the city's propaganda system was like a calm lake that had been struck by a boulder, now churning up towering waves.
At the television station, a young editor who was preparing an evening news report was handed a handwritten draft by the panting deputy director.
"Quick! Type it out as fast as you can! There's a news flash today!"
On the radio, the announcer, who was broadcasting agricultural information, was abruptly stopped by a gesture from the director, and an urgent script, still smelling of ink, was handed to her.
That afternoon, around dinner time.
In the canteen of Huaxin Silk Factory, workers were eating and chatting while holding their lunch bowls.
The loudspeaker hanging on the wall suddenly stopped playing cheerful music with a crackling sound.
A solemn and serious female voice resounded throughout the cafeteria.
"...Now, we have an urgent announcement to make."
"To support Yancheng Huaxin Silk Factory and Yancheng Silk Group in representing my country at Paris Fashion Week and showcasing the spirit and cultural heritage of Chinese youth to the world, we are now publicly soliciting fashion models from across the country!"
"Any Chinese citizen aged 18 to 25 who is of good character, in good health, and has a pleasant appearance and demeanor is eligible to apply!"
"Those selected will represent the country in Paris..."
The cafeteria fell silent instantly.
Everyone stopped eating, looked up, and stared blankly at the loudspeaker.
"I...I didn't hear wrong, did I? Open to...the whole country?" a young male worker stammered.
"It was even broadcast on the radio... This... This is the city's radio station!"
......
The Zhou family, including Zhou Xiaoman, were watching a TV series on a black and white television when the screen suddenly flickered and the series was cut off.
A host dressed in a Zhongshan suit and with a serious expression appeared on the screen.
He repeated the notice again in fluent Mandarin.
"...Registration phone number: 0535-XXXXXXX, Registration address: Publicity Department of Yancheng City People's Government..."
Zhou Xiaoman's heart was pounding.
She stared at the scrolling text at the bottom of the TV screen, her mind blank.
"Sis! Go!" Her younger brother, Zhou Xiaoan, excitedly gave her a push: "It's on TV! The whole country can see it!"
Liu Guifen also put down her chopsticks, her eyes shining: "Xiaoman, go give it a try! What are you afraid of! We're no worse than others!"
"I...I'm afraid I won't walk properly..." Zhou Xiaoman's voice was trembling.
"What's there to be afraid of!" Liu Guifen slapped her thigh: "We're just going to walk! We'll bring honor to our family and our factory!"
Looking at her familiar face in the mirror, Zhou Xiaoman felt a burning desire deep within her to live a life of extraordinary ambition, which was now fully ignited.
She suddenly stood up, rushed into the factory, and prepared to sign up.
Throughout the night in the flower kingdom, countless young people like Zhou Xiaoman dialed that phone number; that small phone became a bridge to their dreams.
In the office of the Municipal Publicity Department, the phone rang incessantly.
Section Chief Zhang and his team shouted themselves hoarse, their table piled high with urgent telegrams and letters from all over the country.
"Director!" Section Chief Zhang rushed into Director Li's office, covered in sweat. "It's no use! We can't hold on any longer! The cultural troupe in Beiping and the film studio in Shanghai have both called! They all want to recommend someone!"
Looking at the scene before him, Director Li took a deep breath and a long-lost smile appeared on his face.
One week later.
A heavy list was placed on Deputy Factory Director Wang's desk.
After rounds of selection, ten people were finally chosen.
Five men and five women.
Deputy Factory Director Wang's hands trembled slightly as he picked up the list.
He looked down at the unfamiliar names, each carrying an aura from all corners of the country.
When his gaze fell on the last female model on the list, his eyes widened suddenly.
"Zhou...Zhou Xiaoman?"
He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
It really is Zhou Xiaoman from their factory!
A surge of immense pride and excitement overwhelmed him instantly.
He grabbed the list, rushed out of the office like a madman, and headed straight for Zhou Jue's residence.
"Director Zhou! Director Zhou!"
He pushed open the door and, breathless, slammed the list down in front of Zhou Jue.
"The list is out! Ten people! Zhou Xiaoman from our factory...she's been selected too!"
His face flushed red with emotion, and his eyes glistened with tears.
But the next second, the excitement faded, and an even greater anxiety surged up.
He looked at Zhou Jue, his smile turning into a bitter expression, his tone almost pleading.
"But...but Director Zhou, now that the person has been chosen, what's next?"
"How are they supposed to walk the runway? What shoes should they wear? What hand gestures should they make? I... I'm completely clueless, I don't know anything about it!"
"This matter still needs your help! You've seen the world! We can only entrust these children to you!"
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