Chapter 143: Two-in-One (2)
Gu Wanrong wore a faint smile as she continued to elaborate on her ideas. “We can combine traditional culture with modern design to create luxury treasures that possess both Eastern charm and contemporary fashion.”
“That is indeed an excellent direction. As long as it is executed well, it will surely capture the eyes of countless consumers.” Tong Shenyi nodded slightly in agreement.
“At the same time, we must focus on shaping the brand image,” Gu Wanrong added. “We want people to think of high-end, exquisite, and elegant the moment our brand is mentioned.”
“Exactly.” Tong Shenyi nodded again. “We can invite some well-known designers to collaborate, enhancing the brand’s visibility and reputation.”
As the discussion deepened, the two grew increasingly excited, as if they could already see the future prospects of this brand.
Gu Wanrong suddenly thought of something. She turned her head, casting her gaze toward Butler Liu, who had been listening silently on the opposite side, and asked, “I remember having several sets of Hanfu in my wardrobe. You were the one who found someone to custom-make them for me, right?”
Without hesitation, Butler Liu replied, “Yes, Miss.” She continued, “I specifically sought out masters to design and craft them for you to match the antique jewelry you won at the auctions. Whether it is the fabric, the cut, or the embroidery, the craftsmanship is top-tier.”
Gu Wanrong nodded, acknowledging the craftsmanship mentioned by Butler Liu. Just one look at those exceptionally exquisite Hanfu sets had left a deep impression on her heart.
“Butler Liu, give their contact information to Tong Shenyi.” Her gaze returned to Tong Shenyi. “I believe you can surely invite them to cooperate with us, right?”
Along the way, the two established the initial foundational direction for the Eastern luxury brand that would one day draw the world’s attention.
Long ago, Gu Wanrong had drawn a 45% stake in Pǔlán Kōngkè through the system, making her the largest shareholder with absolute control over the board of directors.
However, since the headquarters of Pǔlán Kōngkè was not in the country, Gu Wanrong had handed it over to Tong Shenyi to manage and put it in the back of her mind. She hadn’t expected that upon flying to Paris, Butler Liu would lead her directly to a luxury mansion on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Only then did she realize that Pǔlán Kōngkè had arranged this for her.
“The CEO of Pǔlán Kōngkè, Mr. Richard Labette, expressed his hope to meet you in person, Miss.” While Gu Wanrong was lazily lying on the sofa playing with her phone, Butler Liu walked over and spoke softly near her.
“Did he mention the reason for wanting to see me?” Gu Wanrong asked in a languid tone.
She didn’t get up, only raising her eyes slightly to look at Butler Liu.
Butler Liu shook her head, indicating she did not know the reason.
Gu Wanrong thought for a few seconds and decisively refused. “It’s likely just business matters. Let Tong Shenyi handle it; I won’t go.”
Professional matters should be left to professional people. Besides, wasn’t the reason Tong Shenyi flew to Paris with her specifically for these things?
“The manager of Wùjìng Jiǔ knows you have a mansion on the Champs-Élysées. They were stood up by the venue for their magazine shoot and hope to obtain your permission to film here.” Butler Liu continued to inquire about another matter that required Gu Wanrong’s consent.
“Let them come. Anyway, I came to Paris wanting to see how they are doing,” Gu Wanrong agreed indifferently.
She asked further, “It was Lùyìxuān who did it, right? After all, as soon as I offended Karl, trouble arose for Wùjìng Jiǔ’s magazine shoot.”
Butler Liu remained silent, but her expression confirmed Gu Wanrong’s suspicion.
“Tsk.”
Gu Wanrong was a bit irritable. Using such petty, underhanded tricks didn’t cost her a cent of profit, but it was just disgusting.
Gu Wanrong waved her hand. “You may go. I have nothing else here.”
Having received Gu Wanrong’s answer, Butler Liu left downstairs as instructed. She now had to relay Gu Wanrong’s orders to Tong Shenyi and notify Endless-9.
In the room, Gu Wanrong stopped playing with her phone. Instead, her interest was piqued, and her eyes carefully scanned the mansion Pǔlán Kōngkè had arranged for her on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Her mind wandered with wild, imaginative thoughts.
As always, the system had kept her information extremely well-protected. Both the Lùyìxuān Group and the Pǔlán Kōngkè headquarters were located here, both being top entities in their respective industries, yet they couldn’t share information about her.
The luxury families led by the Arnault family were eyeing her greedily. What would they do if they knew her status within Pǔlán Kōngkè?
The previous major shareholder of Pǔlán Kōngkè was the Western European Six-Nation Consortium; back then, Karl Arnault was likely just a small second-generation rich kid.
The mansion arranged by Pǔlán Kōngkè showcased a magnificent and flamboyant style through every bit of its decoration. The interior was filled with 17th and 18th-century French furniture and various art collections. Complex carvings and elaborate ornaments adorned every corner.
At this time, the magazine shoot team for Endless-9 had arrived. Butler Liu accompanied Gu Wanrong on the sofa as they listened to the manager’s continuous praise of the mansion.
The members of Endless-9 had completed their hair and makeup early on. After a quick touch-up, they immediately dove into the magazine shoot.
The luxurious and grand decorative style was perfectly consistent with the theme of this magazine issue, as well as the style of their debut album’s title track music video. No wonder they weren’t afraid to ask for her help to finish this shoot.
Gu Wanrong thought to herself while watching the filming site.
Shifting her attention to the faces of the nine boy group members, Gu Wanrong nodded slightly. It was truly worth her specific requirement from the beginning—not a single “crooked or ugly” face was allowed to appear.
Look, in this nine-member debut group, there wasn’t a single unattractive person. It was a visual-center group.
Eh?
The person being filmed now—I didn’t notice his body was lacking when I watched the program!
Gu Wanrong stared at the person currently shooting solo photos, her brows furrowing. No wonder Tan Dingcheng had so many “gender-bending” fans. The muscles in those photos of his abs circulating online were probably just a result of being thin, and his height definitely didn’t exceed 1.8 meters.
Gu Wanrong shifted her gaze to the outside of the temporary dressing room, scanning each boy group member as they came out. Her unshielded gaze made the Endless-9 members very nervous.
Why was the Big Boss staring at them constantly? Had they made some mistake without knowing? Why did the look in her eyes always seem a bit disdainful?
Just as they were feeling uneasy, Gu Wanrong spoke up. “Pack them all up and send them to train their muscles.”
“Huh?” The manager’s mind went blank. What was Director Gu saying?
In the next second, he cautiously looked at Gu Wanrong, then followed her gaze to the nine members. “Director Gu, are you saying their physiques are not up to standard? When there are no schedules next, I will definitely supervise them and make them train well.”
“Don’t train too hard; lean muscle is fine, like Jing Xiu’s current physique.” Gu Wanrong tilted her chin, signaling the manager to look at Jing Xiu. “Especially those few who are skin and bones—keep a close eye on them.”
While they were talking, after the photographer had shot Tan Dingcheng for a while, she felt the results were not good. She moved on to shoot solo photos of the other members first, telling Tan Dingcheng to take a rest.
After Tan Dingcheng stepped down, a very young-looking girl stepped forward quickly and was adjusting the clothes on his body.
As Gu Wanrong watched, her eyes lit up.
With just a slight modification, this girl had managed to hide Tan Dingcheng’s thin physique without changing the theme or effect of the outfit for the shoot.
Next, she also manually modified parts of the costumes for the other members with inadequate physiques. The modifications weren’t just “copy-pasted” but effectively flattered their bodies.
“That girl—is she our company’s employee or an employee of Zhijia?” Gu Wanrong pointed at the girl and asked the manager beside her.
“She looks very unfamiliar, probably from Zhijia.” As the manager spoke, he waved over a small assistant attending to the artists. “A-Ying, go call her over for Director Gu.”
After hearing this, the small assistant A-Ying immediately turned and trotted over to stop the girl.
Gu Wanrong, having good eyesight, saw the confused expression on the girl’s face as she looked over. She gave a slight nod, and the girl quickly organized the tools in her hands and followed the assistant over.
Gu Wanrong tilted her chin. “Sit.”
Luo Qiaoming stood before Gu Wanrong with three parts confusion, five parts nervousness, and two parts helplessness. She had heard gossip from Yishang employees that this mansion, located on the extremely expensive Champs-Élysées, belonged to the excessively beautiful girl in front of her.
“Director Gu, is there something you need me for?”
Luo Qiaoming sat down obediently while remaining confused.
“Xiao Luo, the modifications you made to the costumes for Dingcheng and the others were quite good. Director Gu is curious about you.” The manager’s gaze quickly scanned the work tag on Luo Qiaoming’s chest before explaining to her.
“An employee from Zhijia was not used to the environment here. Since I am studying at INGONI and my major matches, I came.”
Luo Qiaoming gave a brief introduction of herself. While speaking, she observed that Gu Wanrong held no ill will and tentatively said, “I won the Fashion Creative Potential Award at F&F. After completing my studies, I plan to establish my own brand.”
The art academy INGONI had cultivated many talents for the current fashion industry, such as magazine editors-in-chief, brand designers, heads of fashion brands, and so on.
The F&F fashion competition carried immense weight. The fact that Luo Qiaoming could win an award there at such a young age proved her extraordinary talent.
Gu Wanrong listened calmly to what Luo Qiaoming said, her mind constantly reflecting, and signaled her to continue.
“Director Gu, look, this is my award-winning design.” Luo Qiaoming took her phone out of her pocket and showed the finished photos of her award-winning design to Gu Wanrong.
It was a work that balanced creativity and practicality.
Gu Wanrong blinked. This was an unexpected surprise. In the Fashion Creative Potential Award, which valued creativity above all else, she had actually won with a piece that was also practical.
“Did you reference Eastern culture? This color scheme has an ancient charm.” This was another point that surprised Gu Wanrong. It wasn’t a blatant, distinct element, but rather a subtle, intangible feeling.
Luo Qiaoming captured the surprise in Gu Wanrong’s tone and the recognition of her work, feeling even more confident.
“Yes. While designing, I naturally integrated elements of our country’s culture into it,” she replied with an excited expression.
Just then, the photographer nearby began readjusting the lens, preparing to shoot Tan Dingcheng. Looking at her fluid movements, it was clear that Luo Qiaoming’s modifications to Tan Dingcheng’s costume had satisfied her greatly.
After a few brief words, Gu Wanrong let Luo Qiaoming return to her work, only saying to stay behind for a detailed talk after the shoot ended.
A new designer with talent, ability, and a vision that perfectly aligned with her own ideas—who had also just conveyed an intention to cooperate—had appeared.
In the study, Butler Liu gently closed the door.
Gu Wanrong summoned the system panel, opened the World Character Information Database, entered Luo Qiaoming’s name, and opened her personal profile.
Lines of text slowly slid across the page. Gu Wanrong scanned them carefully; there was no plagiarism, and her character was clean.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Butler Liu pushed the door open and entered, saying respectfully, “Miss, Ms. Luo is waiting for you in the drawing room.”
Gu Wanrong had just finished reading Luo Qiaoming’s data. “Bring her to the study.”
A short while later, Butler Liu brought Luo Qiaoming to the study. On the coffee table were delivered tea snacks, as well as coffee and tea.
“Make yourself comfortable.” Gu Wanrong leaned against the backrest. “I have already looked over your information. Your current value is not worth me investing in an independent brand for you.”
Luo Qiaoming had talent, but without investors, she could only graduate, intern, and build seniority step by step before she could slowly establish her brand.
Time, capital, and risk would all be obstacles to founding her own brand. It was precisely because of this that she wanted to seize this opportunity with Gu Wanrong, hoping to gain investment.
Luo Qiaoming also understood that her current self wasn’t worth Gu Wanrong helping her establish a personal brand, but she had hoped for a “what if.” Unfortunately, Gu Wanrong had rejected the idea the moment she entered.
She felt a bit dejected. “I understand, Director Gu.”
Then she quickly discarded that emotion and continued, “Director Gu, you also recognize my work. The greatest feature of my work is pragmatism, which is currently the most scarce element on runways and among major brands. I believe I am worth your investment.”
Gu Wanrong acknowledged her statement. “Indeed. Current runway designs are entirely expressions of the designers’ personal emotions; one no longer sees designs that possess both practicality and fashion as in the past. That is why I kept you here to continue talking.”
Luo Qiaoming looked at Gu Wanrong with an excited expression. Was there an intention to invest in her? She asked the question aloud.
“I am about to establish a fashion brand centered on Eastern elements. I hope you can join us.” Gu Wanrong finished speaking slowly, picked up her coffee cup, and took a sip.
Then she leaned back comfortably, looking at the frowning, considering Luo Qiaoming with a calm and patient expression.
“I still hope to be my own master when designing clothes. I don’t want anyone to interfere with my creation,” Luo Qiaoming said seriously.
“If you are talking about interference that changes your work beyond recognition, then that certainly won’t happen.” Gu Wanrong denied it and added, “Our brand’s characteristics are Eastern, high-end, and practical. As long as the designer’s work does not violate these three points, it is fine.”
After hearing this, Luo Qiaoming felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. At least her creation wouldn’t be interfered with.
She was well aware of Qianyuan Group’s reputation for being wealthy and generous. As long as one could create value, Qianyuan Group could provide compensation far exceeding that of its peers.
Thus, she was very excited to receive Gu Wanrong’s favor.
After some negotiation, Luo Qiaoming officially joined Qianyuan, obtaining conditions even more superior than she had imagined: absolute protection of the creator’s rights and the greatest degree of creative freedom.
She wouldn’t have to spend years building seniority to design and create independently.
Gu Wanrong was also quite satisfied. Just as she wanted to start a new brand, this talent had actively jumped into her pot.
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