Joan straightened up, her gaze sweeping over the camera in Secretary Kim's hand with a complicated expression.
Secretary Kim was completely stunned, not expecting the opening to be so explosive.
"Mr. Qiao, let me explain. I was just doing a live stream to warm up the press conference."
"Does warming up the audience need to start this early?"
"I heard that the sunrise on Swan Island is very beautiful, and I want to amaze the audience."
"Yes, it's quite shocking."
While everyone was enjoying the gossip, the live stream camera suddenly tilted, followed by a series of clanging and banging sounds. It seemed that Qiao An was chasing after Secretary Jin. Due to the camera angle, all that could be seen were two incredibly long legs running at top speed.
[Hahaha, let's have a moment of silence for Secretary Kim, this is hilarious.]
I don't know why, but I especially love watching long legs in suits running at top speed. It feels so powerful and full of hormones.
[Hahahaha, who would run in a suit if they weren't forced to? Hahahaha, Mr. Ha has really screwed up this time.]
No, given Mr. Ha's personality, as long as he's not embarrassed, it's everyone else who's embarrassed.
Du Xiaoruo calmly looked in the direction where Qiao An disappeared. Being with Qiao An, life was always full of unexpected twists and turns, but she was used to it.
Lele sighed like a little adult. This dad is supposed to be very capable, so how come he always manages to embarrass himself like this?
It was around 9:30 in the morning when Mu Hua and the others arrived at the restaurant one after another. By then, Xiao Ruo had already made the cake base for the three-tiered cake and was preparing to make some mousse cakes.
Xia Qing was also helping out in the kitchen today. She tied on her apron and came in, looking at the various dessert ingredients laid out on the counter, unsure of where to begin.
"Xiaoruo, what am I doing?"
"Blend strawberries with yogurt into a smoothie, then crush chocolate cookies and mix with butter."
Du Xiaoruo also assigned Xia Qing some relatively simple tasks, and then turned to check the condition of the cupcakes in the oven.
Xia Qing noticed she was quite busy and felt awkward asking too many questions, but making desserts was really unfamiliar to Xia Qing.
She recognizes strawberries and yogurt, but she doesn't know how to blend them into a smoothie.
"Let me do it. It's strawberry mousse, right?" A gentle voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Du Xiaoruo looked towards the door upon hearing the sound and discovered that a strange woman was standing at the entrance of the dessert room, holding the hand of a little girl who was about the same age as Lele.
"Hello, I'm Fan Yue."
The woman greeted everyone politely and generously, then said to the girl next to her,
"Xiao Tong, say hello to your uncle and aunt."
The little girl had a high nose and big eyes. She wore a simple white shirt and wide-leg pants, had very short hair, and stood up straight, giving her a fierce look.
Hearing her mother's words, Fan Baitong smiled generously at them and said, "Hello, uncles and aunts, I am Fan Baitong."
Then she looked up at Fan Yue and asked, "Mom, what are we doing here?"
"Come help the uncles and aunties make cakes!" Fan Yue touched her daughter's short hair and looked at everyone with a smile.
As Fan Yue entered, Xia Qing quickly rushed to Du Xiaoruo's side. Seeing Du Xiaoruo's confused expression, Xia Qing explained in a low voice,
"Fan Yue is the manager of Xiyou, hey, she's Fan Yingjiao's older sister."
Upon seeing Fan Yue's uninvited arrival, the viewers in the live stream immediately became alert.
Why are the Fan family members back again? When will this ever end? One leaves, another arrives; it's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away.
[Calm down, upstairs. Fan Yue is the manager of Xiyou, after all. She's not on the same level as Fan Youjiao, and she doesn't seem to be here to cause trouble.]
[They're definitely not here to cause trouble, they're just here to clear their name. Because of Fan Yingjiao's matter, Jin Chan has been tirelessly trying to win over Qiao An to clear her name, and now it's Xiyou's turn to step in, right?]
Director Kang was also confused when he saw this scene on the monitor. It was the first time he had encountered such a thing as an uninvited guest. He left the monitor and hurried to the scene.
Director Kang, not wanting to offend anyone, rubbed his hands together, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Ms. Fan, what brings you here? Guests have to be screened by the production team before they can attend, so this is putting us in a difficult position."
"I'm not here as a guest." Fan Yue shrugged and smiled calmly. "It's because there's a press conference today, and I need to make a lot of desserts, so a friend asked me to come and help."
Director Kang looked around, and everyone shook their heads; no one recognized Fan Yue.
"It's me, it's me! Oh dear, I got so busy I forgot about it."
Mu Hua jogged in from outside.
"Excuse me, Fan Yue is my old classmate. The restaurant is too busy today, so I specially asked her to come and help out."
Du Xiaoruo looked at Xia Qingye, who shook her head, indicating that she didn't know that Fan Yue and Mu Hua were old classmates.
Today's press conference already has many people coming from outside to help, so adding Fan Yue is nothing.
Director Kang didn't say anything, glared at Mu Hua twice, and then left the camera's view.
Fan Yue truly lives up to her reputation as a strong woman; after the misunderstanding was cleared up, she quickly got into character.
"The kids are in charge of the drinks at the bar, right? Xiaotong, go to the bar and meet up with the kids."
Then he turned to Du Xiaoruo and joked, "Chief, what should I do? Please give your orders."
Du Xiaoruo was the head pastry chef in her previous life, but this was the first time someone had called her that in this life. Although she knew Fan Yue was joking, it instantly brought the two of them closer.
Although Fan Yue is the manager of Xiyou, since Du Xiaoruo planned all the desserts at the restaurant, she could only help out as a temporary addition.
Fortunately, Fan Yue didn't have the spoiled personality of her younger sister, and readily accepted Du Xiaoruo's arrangements.
Although Du Xiaoruo was initially a little uncomfortable with the sudden addition of another person to the dessert room, the work was indeed much easier, allowing her to focus on making the main cake.
In the live stream room,
Seeing this, I felt relieved; at least Fan Yue wasn't here to cause trouble.
No, to be fair, Fan Yue has always had a good reputation; she's the kind of person who's low-key and hardworking.
[Heh... the whitewashing has already begun.]
Fan Baitong walked over to the small bar and tilted his head to watch Lele and Xiaoshu making lemonade.
She watched for a while, a look of disapproval in her eyes, and suddenly spoke up.
"Today is a very formal occasion; serving only lemonade is not enough."
The three little ones stopped what they were doing and stared at her blankly.
Fan Baitong walked over to the bar, moved a stool over, stood on it, and took down a crystal glass and some drinks from the top of the liquor cabinet.
"Watch closely."
She blinked, picked up a slender swan-neck wine glass, turned it upside down, and dipped it in some rose syrup.
Then, take the stainless steel cocktail shaker and add red wine, lemon juice, passion fruit syrup, and rose syrup to the glass, and finally add ice cubes.
Fan Baitong raised an eyebrow and glanced at them. Her skillful and cool moves left the three little ones, who only knew how to make lemonade, completely stunned.
"Now, Shake."
Fan Baitong picked up the shaker and swung her wrist up and down quickly. Her movements were clean and crisp, and combined with the energetic feeling she exuded, she looked incredibly cool.
Finally, slowly pour the shaken rose-colored liquid into a crystal glass dipped in syrup, and a captivating and sophisticated cocktail is born.
Not only were the three little ones, who had never seen anything like it, stunned, but even the viewers in the live stream were dumbfounded.
I saw on Fan Yue's social media that Fan Baitong is only 11 years old, right? So amazing?
[Fan Baitong is really amazing. Her mother raised her with a hands-off approach, and she chose to learn bartending, rock music, and jazz dance on her own. She's incredibly talented; she's mastered each of them.]
[Fan Yue herself is amazing. She decided not to get married when she was 18, but she loves children. At 21, she chose a father for her child at a sperm bank in the United States. After that, she raised her child while attending university. She's a super cool woman.]
Wow, she's so brave. Why are Fan Yue and Fan Yingjiao so different, even though they come from the same family?
[It seems Fan Yingjiao was spoiled by her parents, while Fan Yue has always been quite independent.]
The children went crazy playing bartending under Xiaotong's guidance. Since no customers have arrived yet and no one is drinking the cocktails they've made, they're being handed out to their parents.
Du Xiaoruo drank two cocktails and started to feel dizzy.
Fan Yue glanced at the main cake, which was only half-finished, and quickly stopped the little ones from going into the kitchen.
The three-tiered main cake features a pure white design, with maltose used to create various translucent swan shapes along the edges, creating an ethereal effect that complements the white swans in the lake.
Just as he had secured the swan to the white cream, Otto entered the restaurant with a group of people. He went straight to the dessert room, pushed open the door a crack, and...
"Madam, you might need to come out for a bit; you need some renovations done."
Du Xiaoruo clearly didn't know there was a makeup and styling step involved. She was truly juggling multiple roles today, not only as the pastry chef at Beibei Restaurant but also as the proprietress of Jinse. The cake wasn't finished yet, and now she had to do the makeup and styling as the proprietress.
“I’ll take care of the rest,” Fan Yue said decisively. “You have to look your best today. Don’t worry about the dessert area. I’ll handle the cleanup.”
Du Xiaoruo glanced at Otto's anxious face, and finally gave in, instructing Fan Yue...
"Use white chocolate to build up the Jinse logo on top of the cake. Pay attention to the layers; it shouldn't be too thin or too bulky."
Fan Yue smiled and said, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission."
Seeing this, netizens finally understood Mu Hua's good intentions.
[Mu Hua is so sweet. It really wasn't appropriate for Xiao Ruo to be busy in the dessert room all the time on this occasion. If Fan Yue hadn't come over, things would have been really difficult to handle.]
[It's all thanks to Mu Hua's thoughtfulness; in crucial moments, we still have to rely on the store manager.]
[Looking forward to seeing how beautiful Xiaoruo looks later, oh my, I love my wife to death.]
Around 6 PM, Qiao An and Yu Pan finished their company business and arrived at the restaurant ahead of schedule.
The outdoor runway and lighting are already set up, and the models are familiarizing themselves with the venue in advance. Everywhere you look, there are incredibly long legs, and the whole island looks like a spider's web.
Mu Hua had also changed into a more formal black suit and was standing at the entrance of the corridor greeting the guests who had arrived early.
Upon seeing Qiao An, Mu Hua smiled and waved, then stepped forward and gave Qiao An a tight bear hug.
Qiao An hugged Mu Hua for no apparent reason, then pushed him away with a look of disgust, catching a faint smell of alcohol in her nostrils.
"You haven't been drinking, have you?"
Mr. Qiao immediately lost his temper, "Can't you be a little more professional? I paid so much money to hire you, and you're drinking during working hours?"
Mu Hua pinched his waist. "Why are we family members arguing about these things?"
Joan jumped back a large step, looking like she'd seen a ghost.
"How much did you drink? You're behaving like this."
After saying that, Qiao An led a group of company employees in suits and ties away from Mu Hua, this dangerous person, as if their lives depended on it.
The viewers in the live stream were laughing so hard they almost choked.
[Mu Hua, how do you manage to be both reliable and unreliable?]
[Ha Zong looked so desperate when he was being teased; it felt like he would definitely beat someone up if Mu Hua touched him a couple more times.]
Hahaha, what a bunch of idiots!
Joanne inspected the restaurant and found that most of the staff at Beibei Restaurant had drunk some alcohol. The culprit was the bar staff, who were running a bar with a few kids, constantly serving up various kinds of drinks.
These are all unreliable things.
Qiao An grumbled and searched again, determined to find Du Xiaoruo first. That person was even more unreliable; she drank too much, and who knew how drunk she was now.
He called out to Lele, "Where's your mother?"
Lele was carrying an empty ice bucket to get ice from the freezer when she heard her father's words. She stopped, tilted her fluffy head, and thought for a moment.
"I didn't see it."
Joanne asked again, "Has she been drinking?"
"Mm." Lele nodded and held up two fingers to Qiao An. "Two cups."
Upon hearing this, Qiao An knew he was doomed. Knowing Du Xiaoruo as he did, two drinks would definitely make her drunk.
Remembering how Du Xiaoruo had gotten drunk at the bar and crawled under the table, insisting on finding a secret room, Qiao An subconsciously lifted the tablecloth to take a look.
At this moment, Du Xiaoruo had just finished her makeup and hair. She was wearing an elegant white lace cheongsam with a modified collar and sleeves that were strung together with pearls to create a hollow design. Her short hair was all combed back, revealing her clean and delicate face.
Because the clothes were rather cool and aloof, Otto specially gave Xiaoruo a slightly tipsy orange-toned makeup look, making her look elegant and sophisticated, with a touch of coquettishness.
As she walked out of the makeup artist's room, the live stream chat was already buzzing with excitement.
My wife looks absolutely stunning when she dresses up.
[I was thinking while I was doing my makeup just now, that's enough, there's no need to be so stunning.]
[Many celebrities will be attending today; is this a race to outshine everyone?]
Xiaoruo is very low-key and never intended to outshine anyone; her talent simply speaks for itself.
[Hahaha, you bunch of looks-obsessed people, don't you care whether CEO Ha lives or dies? He's busy lifting tablecloths one by one looking for his wife.]
[Mr. Ha, don't be ridiculous. Whose wife lives under the table?]
Hahaha, this couple is hilarious!
Qiao An searched the hall but couldn't find Du Xiaoruo. He went straight into the dessert room and bent down to look under the counter.
This strange behavior left Fan Yue dumbfounded. She stood there blankly, staring at him as if he were an idiot.
"Have you seen Xiaoruo?" Qiao An asked.
Fan Yue pointed behind Qiao An.
Qiao An turned around and her gaze met Xiao Ruo's, who had returned after getting ready. Qiao An was stunned when she saw the jade-like beauty.
Xiaoruo looked away shyly and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
Qiao An straightened up, and in her nervousness, she blurted out, "You're so beautiful, why did you come from over there?"
In the live stream room,
[Hahaha, Mr. Ha, do you want to hear what you're saying?]
[Boss Ha is so captivated by Xiaoruo's beauty that he's practically speechless; this is exactly the effect we wanted.]
Xiaoruo's looks are so strange, sometimes she's tall, sometimes she's even taller, hahaha.
Look at Fan Yue's expression, hahaha, it's just like me watching this drama unfold on screen.
Secretary Jin saw Qiao An from outside and hurried over. "President Qiao, I've been looking for you for ages. There are a lot of guests outside. Could you please go and greet them?"
Qiao An looked at Du Xiaoruo and stretched out her arm towards her.
Du Xiaoruo also knew that couples were usually expected to attend such occasions together, so it wouldn't be good to hide. If she didn't appear by Qiao An's side, who knew what kind of marital discord would trend on social media tomorrow.
She reached out and took Joanne's arm.
Joan gently squeezed her fingertips with her other hand as if to comfort her, and whispered in her ear, "Tell me if you're nervous."
Long, narrow dining tables have been set up on the island, covered with champagne-colored tablecloths, with a row of fresh flowers in the center and various exquisite cold dishes on both sides.
Elegant light music filled the air above the island, and guests gathered in twos and threes, exchanging pleasantries.
Seeing many unfamiliar faces, Joan whispered to Secretary Jin beside her,
Who hired these people?
Secretary Jin also lowered her voice and said, "Those big shots in the entertainment industry are all connected to Mu Hua, and Xia Qing also invited those bosses over there. In short, they are all very high-profile. You should go over and greet them personally later."
As they were talking, a charming woman walked over from the opposite side.
Secretary Kim immediately whispered in Joan's ear, "She's in the entertainment industry, she just won Best Actress last year, Momo."
Joanne immediately put on an expression of delight at meeting an old acquaintance.
"Momo, long time no see."
"Mr. Qiao, congratulations."
As Du Xiaoruo accompanied Qiao An through the crowd, she gradually became less nervous.
Qiao An handled most of the social interactions, so Du Xiaoruo only needed to respond with a polite smile when someone praised her.
Lele was immersed in her role as a little waitress, carrying a glass of wine and darting through the crowd. When she saw Du Xiaoruo, she happily handed her a glass of champagne.
Qiao An calmly took the wine, pinched Lele's cheek, and warned him, "You're not allowed to give Mom any more wine."
In the live stream room,
[Mr. Ha, you're too good to be true. You'll suffer the consequences of unrequited love sooner or later.]
[Looks like Xiaoruo drinks quite a bit these days. The moment she picked up her glass, President Ha got all nervous, hahaha.]
Always remember, the more you love your wife, the more likely you are to become wealthy. Just look at those who cheat; they all end up badly.
[Qiao Qingchuan: Just give me your ID number.]
A commotion arose at the entrance. Qiao An looked up and saw that Jin Jin had arrived.
Everyone in the industry knows that Jin Jin's wife doesn't like to be in the public eye, and usually Jin Jin brings a male secretary to these public occasions.
Joanne strode over.
Jin Jin smiled and waved to him, "How are the preparations going?"
"Everything is fine, Uncle."
The uncle and nephew walked into the main venue together, chatting and laughing, while flashbulbs popped and snapped away all around them.
The electronic screen began a countdown, and at eight o'clock, all the lights dimmed, and the soft, elegant music was replaced with a more rhythmic drumbeat.
Models wearing Jinse's new autumn/winter collection walked one after another into the runway lights. The pearls adorning the dark-colored clothing emitted a low-key and warm light under the refraction of the lights. The cuts of the clothing were also much more novel than Yase's previous designs, and the audience occasionally uttered a few words of praise.
After the models finished walking the runway, Joanne walked from backstage to the center of the catwalk, where she was greeted with enthusiastic applause.
He raised his hand to signal everyone to keep a low profile. Just as he picked up the microphone, someone shouted "Boss Ha" and then there was another round of good-natured laughter.
Joan stood on the stage, helplessly waiting for the laughter to subside before picking up the microphone again.
"You guys interrupted me and I forgot all the script I had memorized. So I won't say anything more. Everyone, have a good time. There's clubbing and pool activities tonight."
"Mr. Ha, won't you give me a kiss?"
The atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant. Qiao An's public image is that of a funny guy, so everyone is not going to let him off the hook and continues to tease him.
Qiao An quickly glanced at Du Xiaoruo and saw that she was almost hiding behind a tree. If people continued to make a fuss, she might start digging into the tree hole on the spot.
Knowing she was shy, Qiao An naturally protected her. He glanced at the group that was cheering.
"You're a reporter from Big Entertainment, right? I didn't even look for you, but you came to me on your own. This morning I was eating cake at the restaurant, and what did your Big Entertainment report say? 'Shocking! Chairman Qiao An of Jinse was caught stealing cake in the kitchen!' Do you know how heartbroken I was when I saw that headline? Stealing cake! Cake! Please be more specific next time. Luckily my wife was there, or I wouldn't have been able to explain myself."
Suddenly, a chubby little boy stood up from the audience. Little Shu, clenching his fists, loudly questioned...
Why didn't you invite me to eat cake?
The audience burst into laughter again.
The atmosphere reached a small climax. Qiao Anben thought that was enough. He suggested that everyone could have free time for themselves, as many of the people present were there to socialize and he wanted to give them space.
Just then, Kim Hee-jin walked onto the stage with the help of a girl, and the two of them walked towards Joan with smiles on their faces.
Qiao An's face remained calm, but alarm bells were ringing in her mind.
Kim Hee-jin walked onto the stage, taking Joan's hand with one hand and the girl who had helped her onto the stage with the other. She smiled and looked at the audience; her expression and composure suggested it was a pre-arranged performance.
"Today is a day of double happiness for the Qiao family. My daughter, Qiao An's twin sister Qiao Qingmeng, has returned to China. From today onwards, the Jinse Group will be jointly managed by the two siblings. I also believe that with the brother and sister working together, Jinse will definitely be able to overcome the current crisis and reach new heights."
Kim Hee-jin's words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples on the scene.
No one had ever heard that Qiao An had a twin sister, and Jinse's crisis was all brought about by Qiao Qingchuan. Qiao An had finally completed the acquisition, and now someone else was being inserted into the picture. Saying that the siblings were of one mind was just a lie; it was obvious that he was there to steal credit and power.
Something seemed to explode in Qiao An's mind. He subconsciously looked at the girl next to Jin Xizhen. She had the same gray-blue eyes as him, and at first glance, they looked somewhat similar. It would be quite plausible to say they were twins.
But Joanne isn't naive enough to believe she's really her twin sister. So who is she? And what's going on?
Kim Hee-jin took their hands and placed them together, looking at the two children with the tenderness of a loving mother.
"From now on, I'll entrust Jinse to the two of you. I believe you won't let your mother down."
The once lively and cheerful venue is now completely silent. Everyone has different expressions: some are confused, some are worried, and some are just watching the drama unfold. Faced with this sudden bombshell, everyone has their own ulterior motives.
Du Xiaoruo's phone vibrated in her bag. She took it out and saw a message from Chen Ding.
[At 11:23, arrive at the dressing room. Remember to hide beforehand.]
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