Chapter 23

Song Shu, Tian Tian and Eve walked into the banquet hall side by side. The banquet had not started yet and people were chatting with each other in groups of three or four, having the polite and courteous exchanges that are typical of social occasions.

There were also popular stars like Tian Tian at the banquet, but they just followed the agents or celebrities like foils.

It is not their turn to speak in the conversation, they are just responsible for smiling on the sidelines. No matter how big their status is, they are just there to decorate the scene.

Song Shu and the other two walked in without attracting anyone else's attention. Others just glanced at them casually and then looked away without paying much attention.

Eve looked around and said to Song Shu and the others, "The party hasn't started yet. Go eat something over there while I take a look around."

See if there is any opportunity to make some connections.

Song Shu nodded, and walked towards the dining table with Tian Tian.

There were all kinds of exquisite food on the table, even lobsters and crabs, but no one touched them. It seemed that these things were just used for decoration. After all, celebrities didn't come to the banquet to eat.

Song Shu took a small cake with a small strawberry dotted on the cream. It looked extremely delicious.

Tian Tian didn't even look at the food, she just poured a glass of red wine and held it in her hand.

The two of them walked towards a small sofa in the corner. Because it was at the corner, there was no one sitting on the sofa, unlike other resting places where people were sitting.

The two of them sat down. Song Shu took a bite of the cake when she heard Tian Tian say, "Do you think what I did was stupid? Many people now say that I'm not in my right mind, that I'm a fool, and that I'm courting death. If I want to stay in the industry, I should apologize."

Tian Tian shook the red wine in his hand, as if he was just saying it casually.

Song Shu swallowed the cake and looked up at her. "If it were me, I would not only slap the person in charge, I would also punch him."

"Puff." Tian Tian laughed out loud, and inexplicably felt relieved. "Then we can each give him a punch."

Song Shu also smiled, then looked at her seriously and said, "You are right, you did a good job."

After hearing this, Tian Tian stopped shaking the wine glass and looked at her in a daze. It seemed that no one had told her that she was not wrong since the incident. They all said that she was wrong and she was the one who needed to apologize.

Tian Tian laughed softly, then raised her head. The depression on her face disappeared, and she smiled brightly, turning back into the confident and outspoken superstar. "Yes, I am right."

"Waiter." Tian Tian reached out and took a glass of red wine from the tray of a passing waiter and handed it to Song Shu.

Song Shu took it, and Tian Tian clinked her glass with hers. She looked at her with more sincerity in her eyes, "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Tian Tian, ​​not the famous star Tian Tian. Can we be friends?"

Song Shu also touched her glass and curled her lips. "My name is Song Shu, not the young designer Song Shu. I'm honored to be your friend."

The two looked at each other, and they felt like they had known each other for a long time. They raised their heads and drank the wine in their glasses together.

Tian Tian spoke more familiarly after drinking, and joked: "In the future, I will wear the clothes you design for you, and maybe I can even advertise for you, if I am still in the circle."

Song Shu smiled and said to her, "In order to thank the big star for advertising for me, I have to build up my brand and then I will ask you to be the spokesperson in the future."

Tian Tian raised her eyebrows. "Okay, I'll wait. I believe you can do it. Maybe I'll get the upper hand over you by then."

"I'll lend you my good words."

The two of them chatted happily in low voices in the corner, and the more they talked, the more they found that the other person was to their liking.

＊

At this moment, there was a sudden noisy sound from next door, and Song Shu realized that there was another larger resting area next to this small corner across the wall.

A male voice was heard, "Second Master Zhang, I heard that your female celebrity Tian Tian got into trouble."

Curious, he couldn't help asking before Zhang Zuwen, the second young master of the Zhang family, could speak: "What happened?"

Another male voice rang out, "You're not watching the news today, are you awake now because you had too much fun last night?"

"Don't tell me, this guy is really possible. I saw him bring three beautiful girls home last night. Tsk tsk."

"Get lost."

A few people joked about it, and the man who spoke first continued, "It was just that the female star rode Mr. Zhang's horse at the racecourse last night, and then was warned by the Jockey Club. She also made a big fuss about how women can also race horses."

Someone mocked and said, "Really? That little star really said that. She really thinks she is a piece of cake. Horse racing has always been a man's activity. How can women like them have the final say?"

Someone glanced at Zhang Zuwen and shrugged, "Isn't it just that he saw that he had hooked up with the Second Young Master Zhang, and wanted to use the Second Young Master's power to show off his power?"

Another young man said without fear, "Second Young Master, just let this little star talk for you. This woman can't get used to it, or she won't know her own worth."

Others echoed, "Yes, Second Young Master, the Jockey Club is funded by our fathers. Isn't this a slap in our faces? Besides, if the elders at home find out, they will scold you for being ignorant."

After all, you have to raise a woman, but if the woman you raise brings shame to the family's reputation, that's not okay.

Zhang Zuwen listened to their words and thought about what was reported in the newspaper. He looked very irritated. He felt that Tian Tian was really incompetent. Maybe she was just like what they said, taking advantage of others and not knowing what was going on. "Who knows about her? She is just a little star who thinks she is so important. I raised her just to make her pretty and interesting to relieve my boredom. I didn't know she would cause so much trouble."

A young man said, "Young Master Zhang, you don't understand. The purer the woman looks, the more slutty she may be inside."

"Oh, it seems that Mr. He has a lot of experience."

…

Song Shu frowned as she listened to the conversation next to her and glanced at Tian Tian.

Tian Tian put down her wine glass, still with a smile on her face, as if she didn't care at all about the dirty words spoken towards her from the next room.

After putting the cup away, Tian Tian stood up, with her long curly hair draped behind her, and turned around the wall and walked to the next room in high heels.

Song Shu quickly stood up and followed her, thinking that she would be able to help when she took action.

Tian Tian stood gracefully in the rest area, glanced at the young men sitting there, and then smiled sweetly at the one in the middle, "Second Young Master, you are here too."

A group of young men looked at the two people who suddenly appeared, their expressions somewhat subtle. The person they were talking about just now appeared.

They didn't feel the embarrassment of being caught talking bad about someone behind their back. Instead, they looked at the two people with interest. One of them even said, "Hey, isn't this our big star Tian Tian?"

Only Zhang Zuwen looked uncomfortable for a moment when he saw Tian Tian appear, and then he looked at her with a frown.

Tian Tian smiled and said, "I am sorry to bother you gentlemen for thinking about me. I didn't expect that your mouths are stinkier than rats in the sewer. I am really impressed."

When the young masters heard this, their faces turned unhappy. Wasn't this calling them stinky rats and saying that they had foul mouths? Who was she? She was just a little star, yet she was so arrogant.

Someone couldn't help but say: "Where did this gossip come from? You're just a little star, and we gave you the face, but you're not even worthy of carrying our shoes."

Others echoed, "Pretty girl, be careful with your words, or you won't know how you'll die tomorrow."

Tian Tian stood straight with no fear on her face, while Zhang Ershao looked at her arrogant figure and sat there without saying a word.

Just as the other young masters were thinking about how to give her a taste of disrespect, an elegant-looking old man in a three-piece suit came over. He nodded and greeted the young masters first, then turned to Tian Tian and Song Shu and said, "My master has something to discuss with you. Please come with me."

When the young masters saw the old man appear, they all shut up, after all, they knew the man.

The old man is the housekeeper of Ms. Du, the host of this banquet, and he has been managing the Du family since Mr. Du was alive. Ms. Du respects him very much, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is like a half-father to her.

Therefore, they did not dare to be rude in front of him. From what he said, they wondered why Ms. Du would talk to this little star.

After hearing this, Song Shu glanced at the polite old man in front of her, and exchanged a look with Tian Tian. Although she was full of doubts, the old man just happened to help them out, so she quickened her pace and followed him.

The two walked side by side, and Tian Tian whispered to her, "This is Ms. Du's housekeeper, Housekeeper Du."

Song Shu nodded in sudden realization. She had also heard of Housekeeper Du and the origins of the Du family, but she didn't know why Ms. Du would look for two small people like them. She leaned over and whispered to Tian Tian, ​​"Why would Ms. Du look for us?"

Tian Tian was also confused and shook her head, "I don't know, maybe Sister Eve and Ms. Du are connected?"

But she was a little uncertain in her heart, as from what she knew, Sister Eve probably didn't have that much power.

The young men here watched Tian Tian and another woman leave, wondering, "How did that little star end up hooking up with Ms. Du?"

Others shrugged, "Who knew? It seems this little star is really amazing."

"If you're not strong, how can you get close to our Zhang Er Shao?"

Zhang Ershao's expression had been unpredictable since just now. When he heard what they said, he was furious, "Get lost. No matter what, you are my woman. Keep your mouth shut."

The young masters looked at each other in bewilderment. Did this young master get kicked in the head by a donkey? Just now they looked down on the female star, why did he turn around and defend her now? However, seeing the look on his face, they did not dare to say anything more, thinking that it seemed that the female star had not fallen out of favor yet.

＊

Song Shu and Tian Tian followed Butler Du to the second floor, walked through the corridor, turned a corner, and pushed open a door. Inside was an elegantly decorated lounge.

A row of green bamboos separates the door from the space inside. When you walk around the bamboos, you can see a cowhide sofa in the middle. The sofa is surrounded by a wooden table, on which is a set of tea sets.

A woman with her hair tied up was leaning sideways and making tea. Above her sat a short-haired woman wearing a cheongsam. Next to her sat a young woman wearing a black dress whose face looked 50% similar to the cheongsam woman. The young woman was holding the short-haired woman's arm and talking intimately.

Hearing the voice, the short-haired woman raised her head first, and Song Shu met a pair of sharp eyes. Seeing them, the short-haired woman raised her mouth slightly, "I'm here, sorry to trouble Uncle Du."

Steward Du showed a rare trace of tenderness on his face, "Miss, it's no trouble, I'll leave first."

"Okay." The short-haired woman, Ms. Du Youyi, was used to hearing his address. Uncle Du had been calling her Miss for so many years, even after she got married and became the head of the family, he still called her Miss, as if she had always been the Miss.

This sometimes made Du Youyi feel much more relaxed, as if she had returned to the carefree days when she was a young lady, instead of the fierce and powerful President Du who had just walked out of the fight between brothers and sisters.

Du Youyi only thought about it for a moment, then he came back to look at Song Shu and Tian Tian carefully, with a friendly expression of an elder to the younger generation, "Hurry up and sit down, don't be restrained. It's mainly because I heard Sister Lan mention the two of you, so I couldn't help but ask the housekeeper to bring you two over to see."

When Tian Tian and Song Shu heard her mention Lan Mei, they were confused for a moment, as they seemed not to know this person Lan Mei.

At this time, he leaned over to make tea, looked up at the woman and looked at Tian Tian, ​​"Why, you don't even remember Sister Lan from your company?"

When Tian Tian saw the woman's face, her eyes widened. Wasn't this Lin Lan, the top girl in their company? "Sister Lan?!"

Lin Lan nodded and explained to Song Shu who was still puzzled: "My name is Lin Lan, and I work in the same company as Tian Tian."

Song Shu looked at her carefully and remembered that this was the movie queen often reported in entertainment reports, Lin Lan.

Song Shu and the other person came to their senses and sat down at the bottom as instructed, their eyes moving around the three of them.

Lin Lan made a cup of tea for each of them and introduced them one by one, acting as a go-between. "This is Ms. Du and her daughter Du Jiali, and this is Tian Tian and Song Shu."

When Song Shu was introduced, Du Jiali looked at her and her eyes lit up. "You are Song Shu. I have read your report and I agree with what you said."

Ms. Du patted her daughter's hand, her face full of doting, and said to Song Shu: "Miss Song, don't you know that my daughter heard that you were coming to the banquet and she is clamoring to see you."

Song Shu was surprised. She didn't know this Miss Du and didn't know why she was so enthusiastic towards her. She nodded and said, "Hello, Miss Du."

Lin Lan saw her confusion and said, "Ms. Du graduated from LCF College. She majored in fashion design."

Song Shu was stunned when she heard this. She also graduated from this school in her previous life. She didn't expect that she and Miss Du were still alumni across generations.

Lin Lan continued, jokingly, "But Miss Du is going to major in business, after all, she will come back to inherit the family business."

Ms. Du divorced her husband through marriage ten years ago and never remarried, so she has only one daughter, and it is not wrong to say that she will inherit the family property.

Miss Du smiled and said, "Sister Lan, my mother is young and strong, she can still do it for many years, I will just follow her and be her little girl, isn't it easier?"

No one was competing with her for the family property, and her mother was very capable, so she still wanted to live a leisurely life for a few more years.

"She has great potential." Ms. Du tapped her forehead unhappily, but in her heart she was very satisfied with her daughter. Although she didn't seem to be very motivated, she was smart and always did well in what she was asked to do. After a few years of training, she would be able to catch up with her.

Ms. Du took a sip of tea and explained to Song Shu and Tian Tian why she had invited them: "I have also read what you said today. If it were me when I was young, I would have made the person in charge swallow every word he said."

As Ms. Du said this, her face showed an expression of pride and disdain. Song Shu thought that based on her personality, she might really do this.

Ms. Du continued, "What do you mean women can't race horses? I think his head was kicked by a donkey. Those old men who take advantage of their age in the Jockey Club must have popped out of a rock. When their mothers gave birth to them, they forgot to give them brains."

Miss Du covered her mouth and laughed, "Mommy, you still speak so nicely. If those old men heard it, they would probably scold you for being vulgar and rude behind your back."

"Huh, your mother always talks like that." Ms. Du put down her teacup and said nothing.

Song Shu was a little surprised. When she first came in, she saw Ms. Du looking very elegant, but she didn't expect that she could speak so casually. She was filled with admiration for her.

Ms. Du looked at Tian Tian and said, "I agree with your statement that 'men can race horses, and women can race horses too'. I plan to open a women's horse racing training club, and the other ladies are also interested in sponsoring it. As for what the person in charge of the Jockey Club said, you don't have to worry about it. Humph, it's not his turn to call the shots in the Jockey Club."

After all, the Jockey Club has been providing funding from Mr. Du to her, and she gets a share of the bulk of the funding from the Jockey Club. As for the other old men, she has her own ways to deal with them.

Tian Tian felt relieved after hearing this. It would be a lie to say that she was not worried. Now that Ms. Du was there to help her, the problem was solved. She couldn't help but express her gratitude: "Thank you, Ms. Du. Tian Tian will never refuse if Ms. Du needs anything in the future."

Ms. Du smiled and waved her hand, "If you want to thank someone, thank my sister Lan. It was she who came to me to lobby for you."

When Ms. Du was young, she drank with others at the dinner table for the sake of her career and almost got tricked. It was Lin Lan, a little girl who worked as a waitress in the club at the time, who was soft-hearted and risked offending others to remind her. After that, the two became good friends. Although they were almost ten years apart in age, they were very close.

When Tian Tian saw Sister Lan here just now, she guessed that she must have helped. Otherwise, how could Ms. Du know her, a little star? She couldn't help but say to Lin Lan, "Sister Lan, thank you so much."

Normally, she was not very familiar with Sister Lan, and they were just ordinary colleagues in the company. She did not expect that Sister Lan would help her this time.

Lin Lan turned the teacup and looked up. "You're welcome."

In fact, she would help her, but she saw the way she was at the press conference, and that kind of impetus was just like when she was young.

Miss Du clapped her hands. "That solves one problem. Perfect. Now it's my turn."

Miss Du looked at Song Shu and said, "Miss Song, I think the dress you are wearing tonight must have been designed by you."

Song Shu nodded, "I designed it."

"You are really talented, and your skirt is very beautiful." Miss Du praised, and then said: "Actually, I came to you today to discuss a business deal with you. I also read the report, and I believe Miss Song also knows that because of this, your clothes will definitely sell well in the future, so I plan to open a clothing factory with you. I wonder if Miss Song is interested."

Song Shu's heart moved after hearing this. It was obvious that the order volume would surge after all these things happened. She had been worried about the surge in orders before, but she had the problem of insufficient supply. After all, the current supply was only provided by a few female workers.

Originally, she planned to look for Sister Li, who used to sell fabrics, to see if she was interested in opening a small clothing factory with her, and she would invest in it with her drawing skills.

Otherwise, if this wave of traffic comes and she doesn't have the supply, and other pirated products emerge, then her achievements will be taken away by others.

Although Hong Kong has comprehensive laws to protect copyright and combat piracy, it is not easy to implement. In the end, she will only have to work hard to combat piracy while missing out on this wave of money-making traffic.

Now we are working with Miss Du. She has a large business, a large clothing production volume, and complete sales channels, so it doesn't take much time to set up a stall.

Ms. Du continued, "We have a complete sales channel. These clothes are not only sold in Hong Kong, but also sold to the mainland and neighboring countries."

After all, Hong Kong is one of the Four Asian Tigers, and the 1980s and 1990s were the most popular time for Hong Kong style. Neighboring countries such as Japan and South Korea were also deeply influenced by Hong Kong trends. As long as something is popular in Hong Kong, they will definitely follow it.

Song Shu thought through the pros and cons and decided that cooperating with Miss Du would definitely bring more benefits than disadvantages. Although it might be inevitable that she could only invest in technology and not hold a large share because she did not have sufficient capital, it would allow her to quickly accumulate initial capital and then build her own clothing factory.

Song Shu nodded and smiled, "It is my honor to work with Miss Du."

Ms. Du also smiled. "It's a pleasure to work with you. Ms. Song, you just need to invest in the technology. The shares will be 6:4 between you and me. I wonder if Ms. Song has any objections."

Song Shu was surprised to hear this share. She thought her share was lower. This share was entirely due to Miss Du making a concession. "No objection. In this case, I am still the one who got the advantage."

Ms. Du smiled and said, "No, my mom told me that sometimes you have to be ruthless in business, but sometimes you can take a step back appropriately, right, mom?"

Ms. Du shook her head in amusement, "You, you."

Everyone laughed after hearing what Miss Du said.

Song Shu thought for a while and said, "Ms. Du should know that I have created a clothing brand. I plan to make this brand independent from the clothing factory here. The clothing factory needs to get my approval before producing any of my clothes."

Ms. Du nodded and said, "I understand. I will make this clear to you in the contract."

The two discussed the contents of the contract in general and agreed to sign it tomorrow when the contract is ready.

"Then let's go to the banquet." Ms. Du stood up and spoke first, and several people followed her to the first floor.

Arriving at the banquet hall, Ms. Du walked through the crowd, nodded to everyone who greeted her, and then walked to the stage in the middle where there was a microphone.

Ms. Du stood behind the microphone with a smile on her face and said, "Thank you all for coming to my party. I hope you all have a great time..."

Ms. Du was standing on the stage and speaking, and everyone in the audience was watching her with smiles on their faces or nodding in agreement.

At this time, Ms. Du changed the subject and said, "I saw some interesting reports today. A dozen years ago, someone pointed at my nose and scolded me, saying that a woman should not come out to embarrass herself and go home to take care of her husband and children. In response, I told him to pack up and go home to find his ancestors three generations ago. Oh, that is, his ancestors before he became rich."

When the people in the audience heard her words, those who had not yet cultivated themselves sufficiently changed their expressions and whispered to their companions, while the older ones still managed to keep a dignified look on their faces.

Ms. Du continued, "Today I heard something similar, 'Horse racing is a man's thing, not a woman's thing'. I laughed out loud. I wonder if the person who said this still remembers that he once had a horse race with me and his leg was broken by the horse. But I think that person may have said this because he was kicked in the head by the horse. Here, I want to tell him, just like Ms. Tian said, 'This horse can be raced by men as well as women'."

After the words were spoken, some young girls in the audience could not help but applaud, "Ms. Du, you said it well, I support you."

Some ladies also applauded. It seems that Hong Kong has become quite lively recently.

The other young masters had completely different expressions, very sour.

The older men couldn't help but frown. Du Youyi actually cared about such a small matter. Considering her personality, some of them decided not to get involved.

Song Shu and Tian Tian couldn't help but applaud. Looking at Ms. Du on the stage, Song Shu seemed to have a glimpse of her elegance when she was young.

＊

When they came out of the banquet, Song Shu and Tian Tian both breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more relaxed than before.

Tian Tian said happily: "We have met a noble person. Oh, this matches the fortune-telling I found at the beginning of this year. That fortune-teller is really amazing. I will introduce her to you. You can go and have your fortune told when the time comes."

Song Shu laughed and said, "Then the fortune teller you found is really accurate. I don't need her to be introduced to me. I don't need fortune telling."

Such a miraculous thing happened during her time travel, so there was no need to calculate her fate.

"Go ahead, it's really effective."

The two of them walked towards the door while talking. Sister Eve was already waiting for them by the car. Just as they were about to walk over, a man came over and grabbed Tian Tian's hand, "Tian Tian."

Song Shu looked up and found that it was the second young master Zhang. She curled her lips. When she met him at the horse racing before, she thought he was a rich second-generation who was stupid and had a lot of money. But tonight, she saw that he was definitely a second-generation rich man who was arrogant and did not treat others as human beings.

Tian Tian was pulled up and called him sweetly, "Second Young Master."

Then he turned his head to Song Shu and said, "You go over first. I want to talk to Young Master Er T."

Song Shu looked at her worriedly for a few times, and finally walked towards Sister Eve.

He walked up to Sister Eve and called her "Sister Eve", then stood with her beside the car and looked at Tian Tian and the others from a distance.

Eve glanced at the two people in the distance and said to Song Shu, "Don't worry, Tian Tian can handle this matter. But you actually hooked up with Ms. Du."

This was totally unexpected for Eve.

When she went to greet someone tonight, she turned around and found that the two were gone. It was housekeeper Du who told her that Ms. Du had invited them to meet.

Song Shu told her what happened tonight.

Eve was surprised and said, "It turned out to be Lin Lan's idea."

As far as she knew, Lin Lan didn't seem to owe her and Tian Tian anything, so she didn't understand why she would help them.

But now the situation is completely good for them, and Eve thinks that she will repay them next time when she has the chance.

The two waited here for a few minutes, and then Tian Tian came over alone. Young Master Zhang looked at her.

Tian Tian said, "Let's go."

Eve looked at her and raised her eyebrows: "Dumped?"

Tian Tian shrugged, "Sister Eve, that's Young Master Zhang, it's not that easy to get rid of him. Okay, I won't say it anymore, or it will bring trouble to our Ah Shu."

Song Shu couldn't help but blurt out, "I'm not a pure and innocent person."

Even though she had never been in love in either of her past lives, she had been involved in the entertainment industry when she was a designer, and she had seen a lot of love affairs.

Tian Tian slapped her forehead and said, "Oh, I forgot that our Ah Shu is already married."

Song Shu was embarrassed when she heard this. Although this was an obvious fact, she was the only one who knew whether it was true or not, and she couldn't speak to defend herself.

＊

The car drove along. It was already late at night and there were not many cars on the street, but the neon lights were still on dutifully.

The car drove into a street she was familiar with. Song Shu got out and said goodbye to them. After watching the car go away, she turned around, stepped onto the stairs and walked home.

Suddenly, there was a "click" sound of a lighter. In the quiet night, the sound was unusually clear and startled Song Shu.

She couldn't help but twist her fingers around the shawl that Tian Tian had just put on her in the car, and raised her eyes to look at the figure standing against the wall in the light of the fire.

The flame of the lighter was not bright, but Song Shu still recognized the familiar figure through the weak light and called out in surprise: "Chen Zonghao."