These days, only Hong Kong superstars have managers. As a superstar of her caliber, Wang Ming Ming wielded considerable influence, and at the very least, her manager would strive to fulfill her every request. There was no question of whether requests were reasonable or feasible – the manager’s capability was measured by their ability to make things happen. If a manager consistently disappointed their star, job termination wouldn’t be far behind.
Perhaps it was because her original performance time before the midnight bell had been changed, putting Wang Ming Ming in a foul mood. When she heard someone call her “Sister Ming Ming,” it struck a particularly sensitive chord. What was once a respectful form of address now served as a reminder of her age – she would have preferred to be called “Teacher Wang” like mainland actresses!
In any case, a woman’s heart was as unpredictable as a needle at the bottom of the sea, and Wang Ming Ming no longer wanted to wear that outfit. She wanted to appear on stage in something young and playful, like what that persistent Chen boss had brought – for Chen Xi Liang, this was an unexpected stroke of luck.
After this year’s Spring Festival Gala moved from the TV studio to the Workers’ Stadium, many admission tickets were distributed to the public, otherwise Chen Xi Liang wouldn’t have managed to get into the venue. After two days of rehearsals, Chen Xi Liang had been eyeing potential targets. He had considered the female hosts, but their outfits had already been determined by the TV station, and they wouldn’t dare make unauthorized changes.
The situation was the same for mainland actresses. After eliminating programs incompatible with fashionable women’s wear, like comedy skits and traditional opera performances, there were few targets left to pursue.
Chen Xi Liang finally set his sights on Hong Kong star Wang Ming Ming. As the magazine editors would say, she was a top-tier Hong Kong celebrity, and if anyone had the authority to decide their own Spring Festival Gala performance costume, it would be Wang Ming Ming. Hong Kong actresses knew how to take care of themselves – at 38, Wang Ming Ming looked only about 30, perfectly matching Luna’s target customer profile.
Chen Xi Liang’s self-promotion hadn’t initially caught Wang Ming Ming’s attention. As the Gala began, Chen Xi Liang thought his mission had failed – he was still wandering backstage, partly out of unwillingness to give up, partly to observe the female performers. He remembered the dismissive attitude of some magazine editors towards him. If he could establish connections with these Gala performers, he wouldn’t need the magazine staff to make introductions anymore. In the future, when he needed actresses for photo shoots, he could contact them directly!
This mindset kept Chen Xi Liang drifting through the backstage area like a restless spirit, distributing his business cards to performers. The title “Luna Clothing General Manager” was quite impressive, and when Wang Ming Ming’s manager found Chen Xi Liang, he was telling others that Luna would open a boutique in Xidan, Beijing after the New Year, welcoming everyone to visit.
The evening was chaotic, and the performers were letting loose. Someone playfully asked Chen Xi Liang, “Will the clothes be cheap?”
“They’ll be discounted for anyone who brings my business card,” Chen’s boss was enthusiastically promoting his yet-to-open brand store when Wang Ming Ming’s manager grabbed him: “Manager Chen, Sister Ming Ming wants to see you. Bring all your clothes!”
It was like a pie falling from the sky and hitting Chen Xi Liang on the head. His clothes were pressed perfectly neat, hanging on a wheeled rack. Chen Xi Liang quickly urged the female designer acting as his assistant to follow: “Hurry, let Sister Ming Ming choose her outfit.”
Wang Ming Ming wanted to change her performance costume? These Hong Kong stars lacked discipline, changing clothes right before going on stage!
Chen Xi Liang appeared before Wang Ming Ming at a quick trot, bowing and smiling obsequiously. Wang Ming Ming asked him to remove the dust covers from the mobile clothing rack: “To be honest, I’m still hesitant about why I should wear your clothes on stage.”
A flash of inspiration hit Chen Xi Liang: “Sister Ming Ming, look at these clothes – each piece is one-of-a-kind. You’ll be the first person in the world to wear them.”
One-of-a-kind beautiful clothes waiting to be worn by Wang Ming Ming. This description pleased her, making her smile.
…”Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome the midnight bell together…”
The Gala had reached the midnight bell segment. The dumplings prepared on the table had long been finished, the bowls and chopsticks cleared away, replaced with sunflower seeds, peanuts, various candies, and cut fruit. Everyone gathered in the room around the fire, watching the Gala welcome the New Year, with no one feeling sleepy.
Tang Hong En didn’t feel tired either, despite having been traveling right up until he arrived at Qi Jing Village. Although this year’s Gala seemed poorly coordinated to Tang Hong En, he still watched with enthusiasm. The different New Year atmosphere was attracting him, as was the lingering aroma of food in the room. Before midnight, Liu Yong and his son Liu Zi Tao had set up firecrackers in the courtyard, and at midnight, the entire village erupted in firecracker sounds.
Watching father and son Liu set off firecrackers together, Tang Hong En felt a bit envious. When Ji Jiang Yuan left him, he was about Liu Zi Tao’s age. By then, Tang Hong En had already been sent to the cowshed, with no firecrackers for New Year’s. He remembered that Spring Festival, staying in the cowshed when Ji Ya brought Ji Jiang Yuan to see him… It wasn’t a family reunion – Ji Ya chose that time to ask for a divorce, and Tang Hong En would never forget that Spring Festival.
It wasn’t just about the breakdown of their marriage, leaving him wallowing in self-pity like others who had been abandoned. Ji Ya’s decision to leave had shaken Tang Hong En’s beliefs – he didn’t know when the light would come, or if it would ever come at all. From then on, Tang Hong En no longer wanted to celebrate the Spring Festival.
Every Spring Festival after his reinstatement, he would pack his schedule full. Only on New Year’s Eve could he not escape. Everyone would be on holiday with no work to do, and all friends and subordinates would be reuniting with their families, leaving Tang Hong En alone.
Liu Fen stood inside the house looking out. Liu Yong and Liu Zi Tao were throwing firecrackers at each other, while Tang Hong En just watched, seeming quite envious. Although she had firmly rejected Tang Hong En, Liu Fen couldn’t deny that Mayor Tang was a good person. In that moment, she felt that Mayor Tang wasn’t high and mighty at all, but rather quite pitiful.
After the midnight bell ended, the Gala continued, and the village’s firecrackers persisted. Hong Kong star Wang Ming Ming appeared – she wore a lake green dress with medium-length sleeves and a straight off-shoulder neckline. The dress was shorter in front and longer in back, light and beautiful, making Wang Ming Ming look slim and tall.
“That’s Luna’s dress…” Xia Xiao Lan muttered. Chen Xi Liang had done it. Instead of giving the sample to a female host or mainland actress to wear, he had convinced Hong Kong star Wang Ming Ming.
Wang Ming Ming would sing three songs consecutively, meaning she would wear this Luna spring fashion new release, walking around on the Spring Festival Gala stage, visible to the live audience and clear enough for every TV viewer to see how beautiful the dress was – she would be performing for over ten minutes. Chen Xi Liang’s successful target was completely beyond Xia Xiao Lan’s expectations!
This would have an even better effect. Xia Xiao Lan knew she wouldn’t stay in the countryside until the fourth day of the New Year. After the Luna store opened in Xidan, it would be swamped.
This brand belonged to both Zhou Cheng and Chen Xi Liang. For Xia Xiao Lan, who was operating it, it was like giving Zhou Cheng a New Year’s gift, although Zhou Cheng knew nothing about it yet!