"Is that so? It's not easy for you to come all this way. Our expo is mainly to facilitate industry development and exchange. We're not trying to make things difficult for you, but according to the regulations, this probably won't work." The director said as he returned the invitation to Lu Feng.
After hearing this, Lu Feng turned to look at his translator and asked, "Are you sure he meant what he said, according to the rules?"
"No translation error!"
"I understand now." Lu Feng realized what was going on, took out all his money from his pocket, mostly in US dollars, probably several thousand US dollars, and handed it over in front of them, saying, "Thank you for your hard work. We are a small company. If this is not handled well, I'm afraid I will lose my job when I go back."
The director was a straightforward person. He counted the money in front of Lu Feng, put it directly into his pocket, and said, "I understand. I'll go change the name for you. Please wait a moment."
After the two returned, the translator stood aside and clicked his tongue, saying, "Sometimes I really feel hopeless about this corrupt world."
“Once you have money, you’ll find the world is different. We can’t change the rules; we can only submit.” Lu Feng lit a cigarette, turned around, looked at the tourists in the square, and stopped talking.
After waiting for almost an hour, the receptionist at the window finally came out and handed Lu Feng a new invitation, this time with Lu Feng's name on it.
"Alright, let's go back." Lu Feng looked at the invitation in his hand, feeling quite pleased.
The sun was shining brightly in Paris today, and a breeze blew through the sweltering air, making one not want to hide in an air-conditioned room. Zhang Fengxia had been here for two days and had adjusted to the time difference, spending her days wandering aimlessly on the streets.
She couldn't understand what the people around her were saying, and everything around her seemed somewhat unfamiliar. Yesterday there was someone promoting tour groups, but today there wasn't a single person to talk to.
Pedestrians hurried by, and she looked lonely walking alone on the busy street. She found a shop and bought an ice cream. Just as she stepped out the door, a slightly weathered white man pointed his camera at her and snapped a picture.
The man stepped forward and showed Zhang Fengxia the photo, speaking in broken French. He was essentially saying that the photo was beautiful and artistic, and that if she wanted it, she could pay him a sum of money; otherwise, he would keep it.
Zhang Fengxia frowned slightly as she looked at herself in the camera's image and said in English, "Please delete my photo."
"No, no, no, money, give me money, you're very beautiful." The man was still praising Zhang Fengxia with simple words.
"I don't want it, delete the photos!" Zhang Fengxia snapped.
Seeing that he couldn't get any money, the man shrugged and prepared to leave. These unsold photos would be packaged together and sold to magazines or other companies that needed the rights to use the photos, in order to earn some money from the film.
Before the man could leave, a woman in her thirties rushed up and started talking to him in a string of gibberish. Helpless, the man threw the rubber sole into the trash can.
"Are you alright? These people often do this kind of thing, mainly targeting tourists," the woman said to Zhang Fengxia in fluent English.
"It's nothing, thank you so much." Zhang Fengxia said politely, "I don't know how to thank you enough. How about we have a meal together?"
The woman didn't hesitate and nodded in agreement. During these past few days in this foreign land, Zhang Fengxia had mixed feelings. She was still wavering over the same issues.
Now that he had finally met someone he could talk to, he told her his whole story at the dinner table. The woman across from him ate her meal and listened to the story. She then said, "I think a man like that isn't worth your time. You should have a better life. Actually, no man is any good."
"But I can't let go of it now. I feel like I'm squeezed between two mountains. No matter which way I go, it's wrong. I don't want to let Xiaoyan down, but I can't go against the feelings deep in my heart." Zhang Fengxia picked up her wine glass with a slightly troubled expression and drank it all in one gulp.
"You've wasted the best years of your youth on this. Everything you have now is thanks to him. You're still waiting for him in a strange city. This relationship is entirely your own doing. Let me tell you, all men are like this. Men are the most disgusting creatures in the world, bar none," the woman said viciously.
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