Chapter 350 Pretending to be a Returning Businessman in a Novel (23 Chapters)
On the day of the show.
Backstage was like a boiling battlefield.
The glaring lights, the cacophony of music, the shouts in a mix of languages, and the overwhelming smell of perfume and hairspray in the air.
Blonde, blue-eyed, and incredibly tall models moved through the narrow aisles.
The designers and their assistants were arguing loudly about something.
The dozen or so people from Huaxin Silk Factory were placed in an inconspicuous corner.
They instinctively formed a circle, like a flock of sheep that had strayed into a pack of wolves, nervously watching everything around them.
Everything here is completely different from the simulation they had in the warehouse.
The invisible pressure, the feeling of being surrounded by countless scrutinizing eyes, made it almost impossible for them to breathe.
Zhou Xiaoman's hands and feet were ice-cold, and she could hear her own heart pounding like a drum.
Sun Li kept taking deep breaths, but the air he inhaled seemed to carry a suffocating tension.
"Alright."
Zhou Jue appeared behind them at some point, holding several bottles of water, and handed them over.
"What's there to be nervous about?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have a magical power, silencing the surrounding noise.
"Just like the catwalk in our factory warehouse."
She glanced at the pale faces of the crowd, a slight smile curving her lips.
"Even if you make a mistake and fall, it's okay."
"Just stand up and walk the whole way. Those foreigners backstage are no different from the factory workers. Foreigners all look the same."
"Pfft."
A young female model couldn't help but laugh.
That smile was like popping a taut balloon, and everyone relaxed.
Yeah, what's there to be afraid of?
We survived the most rigorous training.
I walked past hundreds of people in the factory, and I even tripped and fell in front of city leaders and foreigners.
They even made it through the barrage of flashes.
This is just a different place with a different audience, isn't it?
"Go and get ready," Zhou Jue clapped his hands. "Show us your true abilities."
Everyone nodded. Although their hearts were still beating fast, their eyes had regained their fighting spirit.
They walked to their clothes racks, where the words "Beautiful Mountains and Rivers"—a testament to their countless hours of hard work and hopes—hung.
Just then, several tall, heavily made-up white models, carrying coffee and chatting and laughing, passed by them.
One of the blonde women paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the crimson phoenix cheongsam that Zhou Xiaoman was about to change into.
She spoke a bird phrase to her companion in a flippant tone.
Immediately afterwards, the models all looked over here, their eyes filled with undisguised contempt, and then burst into a small burst of laughter.
The laughter was sharp and piercing.
The entire corner fell silent instantly.
The models couldn't understand the words, but they could understand the look in their eyes.
Standing to the side, Section Chief Zhang's face changed instantly, and his hand, which was adjusting his glasses, trembled slightly.
Lin Wanwan was about to help a model adjust her accessories when she heard that bird language. Her movements suddenly froze, and she slowly raised her head.
She probably understood what they were saying.
Zhou Xiaoman and the others couldn't understand what they were saying, but they could see the undisguised sarcasm and contempt on the faces of the white models.
That shrill laughter, like a cold knife, stung their faces.
The relaxed atmosphere in the corner instantly froze again.
"Director Zhou, what... are they laughing at?"
Sun Li couldn't help but ask, his brows furrowed tightly.
All eyes were on Zhou Jue.
Zhou Jue's expression remained unchanged, even carrying a faint smile.
She turned her head and looked at the tense, angry, and bewildered faces of her team.
"fine."
Her voice was very soft, as if she were soothing a group of frightened little animals.
"They said that the silk from our Flower Kingdom is very beautiful, and they have never seen it before."
Section Chief Zhang suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhou Jue in disbelief.
Lin Wanwan was also stunned. Looking into Zhou Jue's calm eyes, she felt a huge wave of emotions surging within her.
Zhou Xiaoman and the others were still somewhat skeptical, but the tension on their faces eased a little.
"Really?" a female model asked in a low voice.
“Of course.” Zhou Jue nodded, his gaze passing over them and landing on the white models who were still covering their mouths and chuckling.
In that instant, a faint golden light flicked through Zhou Jue's hand.
Unseen by anyone, a wisp of spiritual energy flicked from her fingertip and silently and precisely entered the mouth of the blonde woman and her few laughing companions beside her.
"ah!"
The blonde woman's smile suddenly froze, and she abruptly covered her mouth, letting out a short cry of pain.
The people around her also changed their expressions almost simultaneously.
"What's wrong?"
"My mouth...it's so hot!"
"My tongue! My tongue hurts so much!"
They looked at each other in horror, making strange "hoarse" sounds in their throats, as if someone were strangling them.
That boisterous laughter turned into panicked sobs.
Their mouths and tongues felt like they had been doused with scalding hot chili oil, burning and stinging.
This sudden turn of events drew the attention of everyone around.
Zhou Xiaoman and the others were also dumbfounded.
"What... happened to them?"
"It looks like you choked on something?"
Zhou Jue seemed not to have seen it; she looked away and clapped her hands.
"Alright, stop watching the show."
"Come here, everyone. I'm going to do one last check on your clothes and makeup."
She was like the strictest homeroom teacher, forcibly drawing everyone's attention back to the classroom.
Section Chief Zhang stared blankly at the chaotic group of foreigners, then at Zhou Jue, who remained calm, his mind reeling.
Lin Wanwan followed behind Zhou Jue with her head down, her heart pounding.
"Zhou Xiaoman, come here."
Zhou Jue called out.
Zhou Xiaoman was startled and quickly walked up to her.
Zhou Jue reached out and carefully straightened the neckline of her cheongsam, then smoothed out an invisible wrinkle on her shoulder.
"Take a deep breath."
Zhou Jue looked into her eyes.
"This is not a warehouse, nor is it the road in front of our factory."
"This is Paris."
"But so what?"
Zhou Jue's lips curled up slightly.
"The road is still walked on foot."
"They have two legs, and so do we."
"Nothing is different."
Zhou Xiaoman looked into Zhou Jue's eyes, and there was a calming power in them.
The pent-up anger in her chest from being mocked seemed to dissipate instantly.
yes.
Nothing is different.
"Sun Li, your collar is crooked."
"White Dew, touch up your lipstick color again."
Zhou Jue directed the operation methodically, and her composure inspired everyone.
Instead of looking at the foreigners who were still groaning in pain, everyone devoted themselves to the final preparations before going on stage.
The noisy music suddenly changed, and the rhythm became strong and powerful.
A staff member holding a walkie-talkie was shouting something loudly into the backstage area.
The big show is about to begin.
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