Chapter 20 I want to see you, but I need to find you…
The Conti team gladly accepted Liang Qi's invitation.
The group arrived at Menghe Island Resort on Saturday morning. Liang Qi arranged for someone to receive them and accompany them on a tour of the art center inside the resort.
In the evening, he flew from Beijing to Xiamen and personally visited Menghe Island.
The resort will be hosting an open-air music festival that evening, and Liang Qi made a special trip to attend with representatives from Conti.
He did not inform them of the itinerary beforehand, only having the staff give a brief introduction to the music festival.
As he expected, Julie and another female representative from Conti were present, while Candela and several other male executives did not show up.
Julie Conti is twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with long chestnut hair and eyes that match her hair color, possessing both soft features and delicate facial features.
She was slightly surprised to see Liang Qi at the event. Liang Qi, however, didn't say much, only humbly accompanying her as the host. Coupled with his casual suit and lack of a tie, he gave no impression whatsoever of a business meeting.
Liang Qi greeted the two ladies, and the three of them, along with the translator, took their seats in one of the areas of the venue.
This music festival wasn't a special event, but rather a regular activity held periodically by the resort. It wasn't large in scale, but the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.
The venue was built on an open grassy field, with stone slabs dividing the grass into several areas of varying sizes, where tables and chairs were placed, each independent yet not completely isolated from the others.
As the sun was about to set, the music festival officially began.
The first singer, holding a guitar, slowly opened the show with a lazy and pleasant blues R&B song.
The grassland is vast, and the sky hangs low; the orange sunset spreads across the horizon like mist, as if clinging to the surroundings, enveloping the area along with its soothing rhythm.
Julie had thought Liang Qi would take the opportunity to probe the negotiation's tone or steer the conversation toward the cooperation deal, but he did not.
Liang Qi chatted casually with the two men, appearing relaxed and speaking in a friendly manner. The topics included music, travel, art, and so on, without mentioning any business matters, only talking about feelings.
As she chatted with them, she couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
As darkness fell, the lights on the stage and in the area gradually replaced the sunset.
The style on stage suddenly changed, from smooth and relaxed mellow jazz to vibrant and passionate hip-hop.
"Akimoto!"
The usually composed Julie suddenly gasped, pointed at the stage, and then covered her mouth: "What...?"
“I happened to hear that you like her music, and since she’s on tour in China this month, I invited her to do a small show.”
Julie's eyes gleamed with excitement: "Mr. Liang, I... I'm so surprised! Grazie mille (Thank you so much)!"
Liang Qi said in Italian, "Un piacere (My pleasure)."
"You can speak Italian?!" Julie exclaimed in surprise. "You've been speaking Chinese the whole time... I never knew you spoke Italian so well!"
Liang Qi shook his head and glanced at the translator beside him: "'Good' is an understatement; we still need the translator's help."
Julie was clearly no longer convinced by his "appearances" and laughed, "You... are too modest."
Liang Qi smiled faintly, offering no further explanation.
The drumbeats on stage suddenly rose, and Julie nodded slightly in rhythm. At one point, her gaze began to narrow slightly.
She thought of the art center she had visited that morning. She had realized then that it wasn't just a gimmick to decorate the place, but a place with real substance.
And then there's this music festival...
She suddenly realized that the feeling she had at the art center might not have been a coincidence as she thought.
Liang Qi's appearance and all his arrangements seem to have a purpose that goes beyond simply being a good host, and is not merely a surprise to please her.
She turned her head to the side and said, "Mr. Liang, you are truly a strategist who keeps his abilities hidden."
Liang Qi turned his gaze, his expression indifferent, waiting for her to continue.
Julie met his gaze for two seconds, then spoke earnestly: "Would you be willing to tell me about the overall plan for building an art center and hosting music festivals in the resort?"
Liang Qi smiled faintly.
“Of course.” He met Julie’s gaze, his previous casual and personal attitude completely changed, and his tone was no longer casual.
"The resort's current customers no longer simply need a place for relaxation. They value the added value on a spiritual level."
They hope that every choice and action they take will be a reflection of their aesthetic taste, or even a label of identity they crave recognition for.
Julie listened intently.
Liang Qi continued, "So Yunjing's approach is to stimulate and guide this demand and sense of participation from customers. By transforming the resort into a space that integrates culture, art, and lifestyle, we can enhance the brand image and cultivate a group of target customers who truly identify with us in the long term."
Julie understood and applied the concept to other situations: "Just like music festivals, they are attractive to specific people. Once an influence is established, higher-caliber artists will participate, and the audience will become wider, thus creating a virtuous cycle?"
“That’s right.” Liang Qi nodded. “But there’s something different about Menghe Island.”
“We have introduced an art investment mechanism and a cultural tourism fund here, which means that customers can make very flexible asset investments and allocations while on vacation. In this way, the entire business model achieves a closed loop at the economic level.”
Julie fell silent this time, her gaze fixed on the distant stage, lost in thought.
She had envisioned this model before, but had never been able to find a suitable way to implement it. This experience, however, made her realize the appeal of combining culture and business to expand market boundaries.
Seeing this, Liang Qi didn't say anything more.
He already knew enough for Julie.
Julie pondered for a moment, then smiled to himself, as if he had found the answer.
She leaned back in her chair, returning to the atmosphere of the music festival.
As the song ended, she turned to Liang Qi and, without a translator, said directly in English, "Although this is part of your strategy, I like it."
She didn't specify what she meant by "like"; Liang Qi didn't ask either, and turned his gaze to the stage.
*
After two days of rest and evaluation, on Monday morning, Conti finally chose to cooperate with Liang Qi's team, while politely retaining the "high recognition" of Jing Yao's team in her wording.
Both parties signed a letter of intent for cooperation on the spot and scheduled a press conference for the following morning.
After the signing ceremony, Liang Qi went directly to the rehabilitation center.
After more than half a month of rehabilitation, the range of motion in my left shoulder has basically returned to normal, but I still cannot lift heavy objects.
After finishing his physical therapy, he came out of the treatment room with his coat. Peng Ze, who was waiting outside, stepped forward and said, "Mr. Liang, the arrangements for tomorrow's press conference are all in place, and the media invitations have been sent out."
Liang Qi asked, "What's the situation over there?"
Peng Ze said, "After the signing ceremony, President Yao left the headquarters. I heard he was very dissatisfied with the result... He probably won't attend tomorrow's press conference either."
Liang Qi gave a slight smile but didn't say anything.
He didn't think Jingyao would give up on the plan so easily.
Peng Ze added, "Miss Julie sent a letter inviting you to a cocktail party tomorrow night."
"What kind of cocktail party?" Liang Qi put on his suit jacket and pulled out a sleeve to adjust it.
“It wasn’t explicitly stated.” Peng Ze paused slightly, then added, “It’s most likely Miss Julie’s private trip.”
Liang Qi glanced at him, straightened his suit, buttoned it up, and said, "Tell her I already have arrangements."
"Understood." Peng Ze nodded.
*
The joint press conference was held as scheduled the following morning in the conference hall on the third floor of Tianqi's headquarters.
Although the date was only set the day before, the event's flow and setup were impeccable. The venue was packed, with major financial media outlets using their cameras and microphones, and flashes of light constantly going off.
The press conference was very brief, its core purpose being to announce this strategic partnership to the media and the market. After the concise presentation, senior representatives from both sides remained to answer questions from the media.
Zhu Li stopped Liang Qi, who was about to leave, among the group of executives: "Mr. Liang—"
Liang Qi stopped and nodded slightly: "Miss Julie."
Unlike Liang Qi's relatively formal attitude, Zhu Li's gaze towards him was relaxed and fluctuating.
She stated bluntly, "You declined my invitation yesterday."
Liang Qi smiled politely: "There is indeed a conflict in the schedule, I'm sorry."
“Well, a designer friend of mine was invited to tonight’s party, and she knew I was in Beijing, so she invited me to come along. But she already has a partner…” Julie raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Does that mean I really have to go in alone?”
Liang Qi said politely, "If you don't mind, I can arrange for someone else to come with you."
Julie shook her head and said, "I'm not very familiar with Chinese social etiquette. At fashion magazine events, it's not awkward for a lady to enter alone?"
When Liang Qi heard "fashion magazine", his expression changed slightly.
Julie, sensing an opportunity, added, "It's a Florian party. Are you interested?"
*
The evening reception was held in the ballroom on the second floor of a five-star hotel, where the Florian logo was prominently displayed on a giant backdrop at the entrance.
Several tall round tables stood in the transition area between the entrance and the reception desk, and Jiang Nuanyu was standing next to one of them.
This is an excellent vantage point, offering a clear view of every guest present, ensuring she doesn't miss any key guests who require her personal attention.
The peak season for visitors hasn't arrived yet, so Jiang Nuanyu has some free time to organize the content of her conversation with a fashion critic on her notebook.
The other person had just returned from Milan Fashion Week and shared some of their latest impressions and analyses of this season's fashion.
This is all firsthand information she prepared for her trip to Paris Fashion Week a few days later.
After sorting through the key information, she glanced around the scene and caught a glimpse of Shi Youning's figure at the entrance.
Shih Yu-ning was dressed in a neat turtleneck long-sleeved shirt and trousers, holding a camera in her hand, clearly indicating that she had come with a work assignment.
Before she could look away, Shi Youning happened to be looking at her.
After that far from pleasant dinner, this was the first time she and Shi Youning had met. Their eyes met unexpectedly, and without knowing who initiated it, they nodded to each other from a distance, as if to say hello.
Facing Shi Youning, Jiang Nuanyu still felt quite uncomfortable. Even after he had walked away, she remained frowning and secretly brooding for a while.
At the bottom of the stairs, Ji Meng was leading a foreign guest toward the venue.
Tonight's cocktail party has invited many international fashion professionals. As one of the few editors at the magazine who can communicate fluently in English, Jiang Nuanyu's other task that day was to represent the organizers in greeting and maintaining relationships with the international guests.
She composed herself and went to greet him.
Ji Meng took the initiative to introduce her: "This is Eric, a senior editor of Chaleur. He flew in from Paris specifically to attend today's party."
Out of politeness, Jiang Nuanyu glanced at Eric; but instinctively, her gaze was drawn to the row of sparkly earrings on his ears.
Only after Ji Meng finished speaking did Jiang Nuanyu make direct eye contact with her.
“Welcome, Eric.” She extended her hand. “I’m the editor of Florian. You can call me Nora.”
Eric gave a very friendly smile: "Nora...a beautiful name. It's nice to meet you."
Jiang Nuanyu smiled and said, "I have always liked the perspective of Chaleur, and I like the fashion sense you convey and your commitment to content."
One article in last September's issue, about "aesthetic simplification in an era of social overload," really left a deep impression on me.
"You remember that so clearly?" Eric raised an eyebrow. "I did that feature."
Jiang Nuanyu answered truthfully: "Yes, I know."
Eric joked, "If you're saying this to make me happy—well, you've succeeded."
Jiang Nuanyu laughed: "I'm telling the truth." She became slightly more serious and said, "This project has given me a lot of inspiration. After thinking about it, I created an extension project to explore how individuals can establish their style and be seen in silence without using language."
“Oh! You did that?” Eric’s eyes widened, almost revealing his green pupils. “I remember that feature, it was in the March or April issue of Florian this year, right?”
Jiang Nuanyu was surprised and delighted, and nodded: "It's March."
Upon hearing this, Eric turned to Ji Meng and boasted, "See? I told you, I read every issue of your magazine."
Ji Meng, who had known him for many years, said helplessly, "Okay—"
Eric looked back at Jiang Nuanyu: "Nora, now I completely believe you weren't just flattering me at the beginning. Because I also remember the feature you did, and I liked it. Again, I didn't say that to make you happy."
Jiang Nuanyu smiled and said, "Even so, I still want to say I'm very happy because you remember it and like it."
Their back-and-forth, tongue-twisting greetings made the atmosphere of their first meeting surprisingly relaxed and intimate.
Eric smiled, looked at Jiang Nuanyu for a moment, then turned to Ji Meng and said, "I'm really a little envious that you have someone like that in your team."
Ji Meng smiled but didn't reply. After gesturing to Jiang Nuanyu, she entered the venue with Eric.
Jiang Nuanyu watched the two figures enter the venue, trying to calm the surging excitement in her heart.
Her happiness was genuine, not just a social nicety.
Chaleur is a magazine she reads every issue of, and she even labels key features and makes lengthy annotations.
How could she not be happy to receive recognition and affirmation from the magazine's senior editor?!
With a heart full of excitement, she returned to her "strategic observation point" for the evening.
This place definitely has its advantages; she can spot whoever comes tonight immediately.
But as she stood back and looked up, she realized that this might not be entirely a good thing.
because--
She saw Liang Qi.
And beside him, he was arm in arm with another person.
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