radicalducati Chapter 134 Seeing My Ex Again
Chapter 134 Seeing My Ex Again
The banquet hall of a five-star hotel in Lin'an City.
The crystal chandelier illuminated the entire space as bright as day, and the air was filled with the scent of expensive perfume, as well as that elusive atmosphere called "fashion".
Wang Bo stood in the corner of the buffet area, holding a white porcelain plate, carefully examining a Wagyu short rib that looked like a work of art but was pitifully small in portion.
His outfit today was personally arranged by Su Xiaoxiao under the supervision of the stylist—a dark blue velvet suit with a simple platinum brooch on the collar, a black turtleneck sweater underneath, and shiny handmade leather shoes.
"Looks like a human but looks like a dog." Wang Bo looked himself up and down at the reflective champagne tower and gave a fair assessment.
He's actually not very interested in these kinds of fashion events.
A group of glamorous people gathered together, exchanging insincere pleasantries, sizing each other up with their outfits, jewelry, partners, and unseen yet ubiquitous status.
But Su Xiaoxiao shut him down with one sentence: "The organizer of this event is Fashion Media, and their editor-in-chief is my college roommate. She got me the insider price for my first Google ad campaign. Now she's asking me for help, asking me to get the hottest celebrity to endorse the event. How can I say no?"
Su Xiaoxiao was leaning back in her office chair, legs crossed, tapping her fingers on the table: "Besides, this is the appearance fee."
She made a gesture.
Wang Bo glanced at it and immediately straightened his posture: "President Su, when do we depart? What do I need to prepare? Do I need to memorize my speech? Should I practice my smile beforehand?"
Su Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes: "Get ready. When you get there, talk less, smile more, answer whatever people ask you, and don't argue with anyone, especially those fashion editors; their pens are sharp. Also, stay away from those female celebrities who want to ride your coattails. You're a hot commodity now; everyone wants a piece of you."
So Wang Bo came.
They come, the security.
He decided to eat first. Food in these kinds of places usually looks good but doesn't taste good, but since it was from a five-star hotel, it shouldn't be too hard to swallow.
He picked up the Wagyu short rib and put it in his mouth.
Hmm, the taste is alright, but it's too small; it's gone in two bites.
Wang Bo then turned to a plate of caviar snacks next to him, scooped up a little with a shell spoon, and tasted it.
"Tsk, salty," he muttered. "What's so good about this stuff? It's not even as good as my mom's salted duck eggs."
"Because it's expensive." A smiling female voice sounded from behind.
Wang Bo turned around and saw a young woman in a silver sequined dress, with short hair and exquisite makeup, holding a champagne glass and smiling at him.
"Hello, Mr. Wang Bo." The woman extended her hand. "I'm Li Ya, an editor at Fashion Magazine, and one of the hosts for tonight's event. President Su mentioned you would be coming. Thank you for your presence."
Wang Bo put down the plate, wiped his hands, and shook hands with her: "Hello, Editor Li, just call me Wang Bo."
Li Ya looked him over, her eyes filled with professional appreciation: "You look stunning tonight. Velvet is all the rage this year, and the deep blue suits your style perfectly. The media will definitely take lots of pictures of you on the red carpet later."
Wang Bo smiled politely: "Thank you, the styling was arranged by the company."
"You're too modest," Li Ya laughed. "You've been quite the celebrity lately, with every episode of 'The Voice of China' being a hit. Even our fashion circle is talking about your outfits—although you wear shirts, sweaters, and jeans all the time, that effortless style that makes you look good has become your personal trademark."
Wang Bo thought to himself: I don't have money to buy new clothes, so I can only layer basic items.
But she still said, "Comfort is the most important thing."
As the two were exchanging pleasantries, a slight commotion suddenly arose at the entrance of the banquet hall.
Wang Bo looked up and saw a familiar figure slowly walking towards him from the other end of the red carpet.
Zhang Lei.
Tonight she wore a dark green velvet halter dress with a slit up to her thigh, revealing a section of her fair and straight calves.
Her hair was styled in an updo, revealing her slender neck and delicate collarbone. Two jade earrings dangled from her earlobes, gleaming warmly under the light.
She was as aloof as a bamboo stalk under the moonlight, yet her sexy dress added a touch of forbidden allure.
She was accompanied by her agent, Sister Mei, and an assistant, and was smiling and greeting the surrounding media with an elegant demeanor and a standard smile.
Wang Bo looked at her, feeling nothing.
The intense emotions he felt about Zhang Lei in the original owner's memories—love, hate, resentment, and pain—had been packed up and sealed deep within his consciousness at the very beginning of his transmigration.
For Wang Bo now, Zhang Lei is more like an old friend who was once familiar but is now a stranger.
"Zhang Lei is here too," Li Ya whispered from the side. "She has a period drama airing right now, and it's getting good reviews, so her fashion resources are picking up too. Tonight's outfit is a V-brand haute couture piece, and the jade was borrowed from the brand; it's said to be worth seven figures."
Wang Bo nodded but didn't reply.
"You... knew each other before, right?" Li Ya asked tentatively.
"Yes, I know him," Wang Bo said frankly. "We used to work at the same company."
"Oh..." Li Ya drawled, her eyes sparkling with gossip, but wisely refrained from asking any further questions.
After the red carpet event concluded, guests began entering the venue.
The event flow is nothing more than the usual things: opening remarks from the organizer, presentations from the brand representatives, a charity auction, performances by artists, and finally, a dinner and free social gathering.
Wang Bo was seated in the second row, next to several actors and singers he didn't recognize.
He adhered to the principle of speaking less and smiling more, maintaining a polite but distant demeanor throughout.
Until the charity auction.
A vintage jewelry brooch donated by a luxury brand has a starting bid of 50,000 yuan.
The host was introducing the history and design concept of the jewelry, and Wang Bo was getting drowsy when he suddenly heard a clear, cold female voice from behind: "Ten thousand."
It's Zhang Lei.
Wang Bo glanced back and saw her sitting in the fourth row, near the edge, holding up her number plate with a calm expression.
Someone else followed suit and raised the price: "120,000."
Zhang Lei: "150,000."
"180,000."
Two hundred thousand.
The price climbed steadily, eventually settling at 300,000.
Zhang Lei raised her sign and won.
Polite applause rang out from the audience.
Wang Bo was a little surprised.
Based on his understanding of Zhang Lei, or rather, based on the original owner's memories of Zhang Lei, she was not someone who was enthusiastic about charity auctions.
To be more precise, she is a person with clear goals and a focus on cost-effectiveness; spending 300,000 yuan on a brooch is not really in line with her style.
Unless... there is another purpose.
Sure enough, after the auction, Zhang Lei went on stage to receive the donation certificate, and the host asked her why she was so fond of this piece of jewelry.
Zhang Lei held the microphone, her voice coming through the speakers, clear and detached: "The design of this brooch reminds me of someone I've passed away. She loved collecting vintage jewelry and often said, 'Old things have a soul.' Sadly, she passed away last year due to illness. Seeing this today, I felt I should keep it for her."
Another round of applause erupted from the audience.
Wang Bo watched her standing under the light, her profile beautiful, her eyes carrying just the right amount of sadness.
"His acting is really good," Wang Bo thought to himself. "No wonder he's an actor."
During the dinner, Wang Bo found a relatively quiet corner and continued his battle with the food.
He had already finished three plates of Wagyu short ribs, two dishes of caviar, and several desserts that he couldn't name but tasted pretty good. He was now considering whether to go check out the dessert section.
"Good appetite." That cool voice rang out from behind again.
Wang Bo turned around and saw Zhang Lei walking over at some point, holding a glass of champagne, standing a step behind him.
"Teacher Zhang," Wang Bo put down the plate, wiped his mouth, "Congratulations on winning the jewelry you wanted."
Zhang Lei nodded slightly, her gaze falling on his face. She scrutinized him for a few seconds before speaking, "You've changed a lot."
"People always change," Wang Bo said with a smile. "Teacher Zhang hasn't changed much, she's still as beautiful as ever."
That was a polite but distant remark.
Zhang Lei twitched the corners of her mouth, as if she were smiling, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "You wouldn't have said something like this before."
"I was immature back then," Wang Bo shrugged.
A brief silence fell between the two.
The banquet hall was filled with the interplay of light and shadow, laughter and chatter, but their corner was eerily quiet.
Finally, Zhang Lei spoke first: "I watched every episode of 'The Voice of China.' The songs are great."
"Thank you," Wang Bo said.
"Especially 'Chengdu'," Zhang Lei said. "It made me cry."
Wang Bo was a little surprised. Given Zhang Lei's personality, admitting that she was moved to tears by a song was tantamount to exposing her weakness.
"That song is very sincere," Zhang Lei said softly. "A person who can write a song like that must have a lot on their mind."
We went to Chengdu together, which was supposed to be a trip, but it was so busy with fighting that we didn't leave the house for most of the time.