Red and Green

After tasting the blue cheese, they couldn't just leave without buying something. Qin Ran mischievously wanted to bring some blue cheese back for Sister Li and Wu Assistant, but Yu Shuman vetoed the idea. Instead, she bought two portions of regular cheese at the counter, which had the rich aroma typical of cheese.

After saying goodbye to the cheese stall staff, they found a place for lunch. Although they picked a spot at random, they boldly chose the stall with the longest queue. This stall sold large sandwiches, so big that even someone with Yu Shuman's appetite could only share one with Qin Ran. Together, they managed to finish it.

The sandwich was filled with thick slices of beef and cheese, so cheesy it stretched when bitten into. While Qin Ran didn't think it was anything extraordinary, watching Yu Shuman sit on a park bench, enjoying the cheesy sandwich, made the long wait worthwhile.

After their shopping spree, they returned to the hotel hand in hand, carrying bags full of their purchases. They hadn't arrived too early, and Sister Li, along with other artists from 99 Entertainment, had arrived in the misty city and checked into the same hotel the following day. Since Sister Li was traveling with other artists, Yu Shuman went downstairs to greet them, with Qin Ran following closely behind.

Seeing Qin Ran, Yu Shuman wanted to say something, but much like how Qin Ran couldn't refuse Yu Shuman's affectionate gestures, Yu Shuman couldn't resist Qin Ran's puppy-dog eyes either. So they ended up heading down to the lobby one after the other.

Sister Li and the others were punctual, arriving at the time they had previously agreed upon with Wu Assistant. To ensure they wouldn't miss them, Yu Shuman and Qin Ran had been waiting in the hotel lobby for about half an hour. The group was hard to miss—there were fifteen artists plus Sister Li, making sixteen in total. Counting their assistants, it added up to thirty-two people. Some stars had their own managers, and some assistants had more than one helper.

Big stars like Rong Hua even had two or three assistants and brought their makeup artists directly from home.

This large group looked like a big tour group coming to check in, drawing quite a bit of attention. Sister Li's translator and her assistant were at the front desk handling check-in, and as they turned around, they saw Yu Shuman and Qin Ran approaching. Yu Shuman greeted Sister Li first, then went on to greet Rong Hua and the others.

In the entertainment industry, there's a certain etiquette to follow when greeting people. Since Rong Hua was a big name, both in terms of seniority and age, it was only proper to greet her first, followed by the others in order of seniority.

Yu Shuman did everything correctly, but Sister Li was left feeling a bit flustered when she looked at Qin Ran. After all, seniority didn't quite matter here—Qin Ran was the big boss, and most of them were here thanks to her. It wouldn't make sense to ignore her presence as an employee.

Sister Li sighed, wondering why Qin Ran even came down.

She glanced at Yu Shuman, who was busy greeting the other artists from the same company. Now she understood—it was the influence of love. Wherever Yu Shuman went, Qin Ran followed like a shadow.

Darn love-stricken fool!

Sister Li inwardly rolled her eyes at Qin Ran but kept a smile on her face as she approached her, greeting, "Hello, Boss." After that, when Yu Shuman returned from her round of greetings, Sister Li introduced the artists and assistants to Qin Ran: "I don't need to say much, do I? This is 99 Entertainment's big boss, Qin Ran. Come and say hello."

Then, the process Yu Shuman went through repeated itself, but this time, instead of Yu Shuman going around to greet everyone, they came up to Qin Ran, one by one, saying, "Hello, Boss."

Qin Ran nodded in acknowledgment, brushing off the formalities, and simply told them to rest well and enjoy themselves after Fashion Week.

No one had a reason to disagree, so after the greetings were over, Qin Ran and Yu Shuman went back upstairs. The other artists waited a bit longer until check-in was complete and then headed to their rooms. With everyone gathered, Fashion Week was just around the corner. During this period, both Sister Li and Wu Assistant were busy beyond measure. Sister Li was handling everything related to Fashion Week, including the dresses and cars, making sure everything was in order.

Although these things were prepared in advance, Sister Li needed to confirm everything multiple times and come up with backup plans just in case.

Wu Assistant was busy because of Qin Ran's numerous overseas ventures. Compared to domestic businesses where it's easy to find out who the owner is and risk being caught by Yu Shuman, Qin Ran preferred the complex, more secretive nature of foreign investments.

Domestically, businesses are very transparent, which is great for regular employees but not so much for capitalists. Corporate inquiries not only reveal a company's network but also its legal and compliance status, alerting job seekers to be cautious.

If it weren't for the fear of Yu Shuman finding out, Qin Ran would prefer to invest domestically.

In addition to managing Qin Ran's foreign businesses, Wu Assistant was also in charge of overseeing Yu Shuman's affairs, thanks to her good relationship with Sister Li. She delegated the details to another assistant under Qin Ran. This assistant, aware of Yu Shuman's importance, ensured that all resources were top-notch.

Esteemed designers from the misty city's long-standing luxury brands came directly to the hotel to tailor outfits for Yu Shuman, working overnight to create the most suitable little black dress for her. Including the clothes brought from home, Yu Shuman had five gowns ready, each paired with equally exquisite jewelry. The assistant swept through several boutiques on the Champs-Élysées, bringing back the latest collections for Yu Shuman, except for a few store-exclusive pieces.

Two of the jewelry sets were sponsored by Qin Ran's jewelry company, intended for Yu Shuman to wear under the guise of sponsorship. Abroad, Qin Ran was even more indulgent, having completely thrown the notion of "restraint" out the window. When the two jewelry sets were delivered, the assistant's hands trembled. She kept reminding herself, "If I drop these, I won't be able to pay for them even if I sell myself!"

Yu Shuman wasn't aware of the value of these two sets, but the assistant knew very well.

One of the sets featured diamonds and emeralds. The diamonds paled in comparison to the emeralds, which were one of the four most expensive gemstones in the world. They were not only rare but also incredibly pricey. High-purity emeralds were nearly impossible to find.

The necklace had fifteen emeralds, with the largest being a five-carat square-cut emerald. The price of the stone alone was 20 million yuan. When it was purchased, it hadn't undergone oil treatment, but it had clearly been treated for a more lustrous appearance when set into the necklace. Oil treatment in emeralds makes them look smoother and more transparent but can affect the stone's resale value.

Qin Ran opted for the oil treatment, indicating that this necklace wasn't meant for resale; she wasn't concerned about its value dropping because its sole purpose was to adorn Yu Shuman. The other fourteen emeralds on the necklace were equally stunning, with the cheapest valued at 6 million yuan.

Ignoring the other diamonds and the craftsmanship of the design, this necklace was already worth a fortune. You'd need at least two or three small targets to acquire it. Including the matching earrings and rings, the entire set was worth a cool five small targets.

Being able to gather so many emeralds, this set was sure to captivate everyone at the event.

Combined with the custom-designed little black dress, the assistant could already imagine how Yu Shuman would outshine every other star. But such extravagant jewelry posed the problem of how to make Yu Shuman's charm surpass the brilliance of the jewels, drawing all the attention to her.

However, this was Lucy's problem to solve.

She had been working on Yu Shuman's makeup for the red carpet for a while and had seen the designs for this set of jewelry. But when the actual set arrived, it made Lucy's throat tighten. The gems were simply too dazzling, even making her instinctively feel the need to be cautious. No one could resist being drawn to these gems; they instantly conveyed their exorbitant price, even if one didn't know the exact amount. It was clear they were out of reach for most people.

Men and women alike would go crazy for them.

Yu Shuman was also worried about accidentally damaging the jewelry and how much it would cost if she did.

However, the company representative smiled and reassured her in broken Chinese: "Miss Yu Shuman, please don't worry. We've insured this jewelry set, so even if you accidentally drop it, it's fine. And we've sponsored this Fashion Week hoping to gain more attention. A beautiful Eastern lady like you is a perfect match for this jewelry."

It wasn't easy for the representative to say such a long sentence in front of Yu Shuman, but what could they do? It was a direct order from the big boss. Compared to the investment promised by the boss, what was this small jewelry set?

Thinking about Qin Ran's investment promise made the representative smile even more brightly.

On the day of Fashion Week, Yu Shuman dressed to the nines. The little black dress wasn't cumbersome and didn't have a large skirt that could hinder walking. The misty city's late-February weather was neither too cold nor warm enough for wearing a sheer dress. The designer created a gown with a stiff woolen fabric; the dress was predominantly red, reaching down to the calves. A slit on the side added a touch of allure. The top resembled a small cape with hidden clasps at the sleeves, allowing the arms to slip through.

Qin Ran, worried about Yu Shuman catching a cold, made sure she wore stockings and gloves. Both were black, paired with black high heels. Yu Shuman felt like the Black Widow herself. Coupled with the emerald jewelry, her outfit was a classic red and green combination—a bold choice indeed.