Investment Cashback, Billionaire God [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 20: Walking the Red Carpet

Chapter 20: Walking the Red Carpet

In the hundred-square-meter secondary hall, luxury brand staff in various uniforms stood in two rows, bowing slightly to them. Among them were not only salespeople in skirt suits or business attire but also atelier tailors in color-blocked workwear, and even an emerging designer from a secondary brand had come.

In the corner of the hall stood a massive body dimension scanning machine, with a long table beside it holding various materials and tools for alterations. A transparent cabinet nearby was neatly organized with assorted fabrics and buttons.

Behind the staff hung dozens of haute couture sample garments and newly released ready-to-wear pieces, separated into menswear and womenswear sections. Each garment was displayed on an individual mannequin, meticulously maintained without a single wrinkle.

This officially certified member of the Haute Couture Association was undoubtedly the industry leader, particularly renowned for its exclusivity and high-end aesthetic. Yet now, this iconic logo had appeared in Mega-Entertainment’s office, with the brand being so attentive they seemed ready to move their entire workshop over.

Liu Xiaolan wouldn’t dare to dream this big. Compared to Director Fang’s completely natural attitude, she appeared extremely reserved. Four others shared her nervousness the main cast of the short drama “Great-Grandmother” sat primly on the sofa against the wall, each more formal than the last, their expressions even more tense than the brand staff’s.

Xiao Zhou couldn’t help but exclaim “Wow!” as she unconsciously drifted toward a gown displayed in the corner. “Is this the vintage haute couture from Star Era 4988?”

The salesperson offered a sweet smile. “Yes, you have excellent taste, miss. Would you like me to take it down for you to try?”

“No, no.” Xiao Zhou snapped out of her captivated state and waved her hands in alarm.

Since entering the room, Liu Xiaolan’s mouth had remained agape. As a professional stylist, there was no more dreamlike scenario than this. Dozens of runway classic haute couture sample garments hung before her in an orderly yet varied arrangement, with her standing closer to them than she would at an exhibition.

Grid pattern fabric hand-stitched over hundreds of hours was clearly visible before her eyes, while the brand’s internal emerging designer followed beside her, kindly explaining the design concept behind each garment.

Halfway through browsing, she couldn’t resist gently tugging Jiang Yu’s sleeve. “How did Director Fang manage to get Charent? Doesn’t this brand only accept custom orders from clients who personally visit Planet 13?”

Jiang Yu rubbed her thumb and forefinger together, making a money gesture. “As long as this is sufficient, anything can be arranged.”

Liu Xiaolan returned a stunned look, her idealized perception of haute couture brands shattering completely.

Fang Zhuo leaned against the sofa in the center of the hall, glanced at her watch, and said to Liu Xiaolan, “I’ve sent you Director Zhang’s measurements and three-dimensional image. Prepare two outfits for him he’ll try them on backstage right before tomorrow’s red carpet.”

Liu Xiaolan immediately responded, “Got it, got it.”

Over there, Liu Xiaolan had already entered work mode, boldly selecting gowns for Tong Qinglu. Fang Zhuo set aside the paper catalog handed by the salesperson and browsed through the project proposals and resource links Deng Jiaqiang had sent on her Light Brain.
During the period when Great-Grandmother was being filmed, the Group Broadcast had already completed four episodes at a frequency of one broadcast every two to three days, with revenue gradually stabilizing.

Although a few similar competing live-streaming rooms had recently launched, their hardware quality and hosts’ professional skills were far inferior, temporarily not diverting much traffic.

Deng Jiaqiang suggested that Mega-Entertainment strike while the iron was hot and take the Group Broadcast to the next level. He was indeed very experienced the new proposal he submitted was almost flawless.

After reviewing it for a while, Fang Zhuo crossed out the final “title rewards” section in the document and added a few words in the online draft.

Noticing the changes in the document, Deng Jiaqiang immediately sent a kneeling emoji: [Your revised reward proposal is much better, truly impressive!]

Fang Zhuo replied casually: [You’re not bad either.]

Just as he switched away from the proposal interface, Liu Xiaolan timely stood by the sofa and slightly bowed:

“Director Fang, Miss Tong’s evening gown has been selected. Could you please come try on the menswear as well?”

Charent’s haute couture and atelier lines had extremely high requirements for body measurements, including runway models who were uniformly tall and slender types over 185cm.

The elderly male lead in the short drama crew had gained some weight, and even Director Zhang’s measurements clearly couldn’t fit into haute couture suits. If they forced it, they could only choose the baseball series with loose tops and shorter bottoms.

Liu Xiaolan simply couldn’t bear seeing men in their fifties and sixties walking the red carpet in above-knee shorts, so she didn’t insist on the haute couture prestige and selected the more relaxed-fitting ready-to-wear series for the middle-aged gentlemen.

But Director Fang’s physique was practically identical to runway models. She rubbed her chin

Styling someone with such innate advantages was like an open-book exam. Whichever series you picked would be an easy win.

Fang Zhuo took the stack of clothes Liu Xiaolan handed him and turned into the fitting room.

The first set was a light gray double-breasted casual suit with a longer top paired with a black tie. The heavy drape of the fabric softened the formal seriousness, making him resemble those second-generation heirs commonly seen at business cocktail parties in his previous life.

Liu Xiaolan clapped her hands slowly and contentedly, taking another set from the rack: “Director Fang, try this one too.””

Fang Zhuo rarely wore such striking red ties, and this calf-length leather trench coat was something he’d almost never worn. When he emerged from the fitting room, he heard collective gasps.

Liu Xiaolan snapped her fingers: “Director Fang, I think this set is better. What do you think?”

Not wanting to dwell on it, Fang Zhuo told the salesperson: “I’ll take both sets.”

After all, everyday menswear jackets weren’t like evening gowns that could only be worn once might as well consider them personal purchases.

Seeing this, the salesperson promptly wheeled over a full rack of mannequins:

“Mr. Fang, would you like to try the iceberg ready-to-wear series just released at last month’s fashion show? I think this series’ style suits you perfectly.”

Fang Zhuo glanced over these clothes were just as casual as the first set.

Now that he was running an entertainment company, there weren’t many formal occasions requiring full suits. Changing his dressing style appropriately wasn’t a bad thing.

He randomly pointed at a few overly flashy outfits on the rack: “Except for these, I’ll take one of each.”

“Very well, sir.”
The salesperson’s smile contained no trace of professional courtesy, only genuine longing for the massive commission.

Liu Xiaolan covered her mouth in shock, whispering to Jiang Yu, “Help me, does your boss always shop like this?”

Jiang Yu chuckled, “You’ll get used to it. He’s your boss now too.”

While the workshop tailor was taking measurements, the salesperson calculated the price with heartfelt sincerity:

“Director Fang, your stage presence and personal image align perfectly with Charent’s brand aesthetic. Our official account will immediately coordinate with your red carpet event for promotional posts.”

“Feel free to contact us anytime in the future. Your orders and costume requests for company artists will receive priority consideration.”

“Your menswear purchase totals eleven pieces, including two haute couture items just released in this year’s VIC exclusive runway, plus nine ready-to-wear sets.”

“The womenswear includes one embroidery craft workshop series dress and this year’s spring-summer beaded haute couture gown.”

“The total including service fees is 6.2 million. The electronic breakdown has been sent to your email.”

Upon hearing the amount, Liu Xiaolan grabbed the nearby table for support.

Where was the oxygen tank? She needed a moment to recover.

That sum could buy a small apartment in the Fifth Ring of the Primary Star.

The salesperson continued enthusiastically, “Mr. Fang, we’ll be hosting the autumn-winter haute couture menswear runway show on Planet 13 in two months. If you’re unavailable to attend, we can bring selected styles to your location for presentation.”

Fang Zhuo responded bluntly, “I’m busy. Coordinate directly with Ms. Liu.”

After completing his body measurements on the device, he told Liu Xiaolan before leaving, “My clothing expenses and those of company artists can be reimbursed through company accounts. I’ll leave this matter in your hands from now on.”

Liu Xiaolan waved her hands nervously, “No trouble at all, it’s my responsibility.”

The salesperson carried a portable printer and casually placed the printed receipt on the table.

Xiao Zhou exchanged a look with Liu Xiaolan, and they immediately huddled together to scrutinize it, covertly analyzing each item’s price like country bumpkins.

The faintly scented paper lay quietly on the table surface when a hand with long acrylic nails tapped the corner of the card.

This paper had clearly been handled countless times, even harshly folded once, with sharp crease marks cutting across several names in the final row.

The room was filled with a foul odor blending strong pu-erh tea and tar, reminiscent of the acidic scent of acid rain-soaked soil. Those familiar would immediately recognize it as the smell of evaporated new-type hallucinogenic T-drug.

Chi Yingying impatiently fanned the air with her right hand and increased the fresh air circulation rate in the room.

A syringe flew past her ear and slammed heavily against the wall.

“Have those old fools at Jasha lost their minds? How can they give the red carpet finale spot to a cast from some newly released short drama?”

She frowned, pulling a classic slim cigarette from the case on the shoe cabinet:

“Stop raging like a mad dog. Isn’t the mess caused by that blind paparazzo you hired embarrassing enough? Instead of injecting this garbage at home, you should go get treated for your rabies.”

The room instantly fell into dead silence.

Ruan Zihan’s voice was hoarse: “Did you check with those styling studios last night? Which one did they actually go with?”
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Chi Yingying let out a soft laugh:

“There’s some good news you’ll want to hear. Giant Entertainment really is an amateur operation. For such an important red carpet event, they didn’t even contact independent styling studios – they’re handling the styling themselves like they’re still doing live streams.”

Only then did Ruan Zihan feel slightly relieved.

Mega-Entertainment’s development path was completely unorthodox – doing group broadcasts one moment and shooting short dramas the next, which showed their boss didn’t really understand the entertainment industry ecosystem.

Star Entertainment audiences were accustomed to praising the successful and disparaging the unsuccessful. Without proper fashion resources, you’d only become the target of mass ridicule.

The gap between an MCN agency that only knew how to grab attention and a genuine celebrity management company was more than just substantial.

He took several deep breaths: “Buy a trending topic and spread the news.”

Just as the first celebrity had stepped onto the red carpet to sign autographs, the official Jasha Magazine livestream was flooded with comments.

[??? Does anyone know if the rumor about Giant Entertainment celebrities wearing counterfeit on the red carpet is true? There are already hundreds of posts about it on the forums]

[Ears perked up, any reliable sources?]

[You’re starting early this time, spreading rumors before Sister Tong has even appeared? Starting with just one chat screenshot and making up stories – if that counts as reliable information then I could manufacture a hundred of these]

[Not paying attention, don’t care, I only know this is Brother Fang’s first offline event^^]

[…Actual industry insider here. Actually, Mega-Entertainment really didn’t contact any styling studios. This rumor originally came from within the industry – everyone’s guessing which brand would lend them gowns.

Blue-blood brands generally value their reputation highly. Without stable collaboration history, they probably wouldn’t even lend ready-to-wear]

[Uh, they definitely wouldn’t wear knockoffs or counterfeits. Brother Fang is so wealthy – even if brands really won’t lend, he could just buy]

[Are you crazy? With Star Entertainment events being so frequent, buying all the gowns? Even our 15-star genuine princess didn’t spend that lavishly when she entered the industry]

[All the trending flowers attending the red carpet posted their departure photos early. Guess why Sister Tong hasn’t posted hers? Either your Brother Fang doesn’t know about this standard procedure, or they’re afraid people will recognize the counterfeit]

[…They wouldn’t actually show up in those group broadcast performance outfits, would they?]

[That would definitely get them blacklisted from the fashion circle entirely. Those officially certified haute couture houses only have physical stores on 13-star planets. Remember that 05-star fresh face who wore counterfeit twice after debut? Now she gets politely turned away whenever she tries to enter those stores for fittings, and apparently no styling studios will work with her]

[Is no one paying attention to Goddess Yingying’s Elia Calb pink satin haute couture today? Her departure photo alone already slayed]

[Support Mega-Entertainment, understand Mega-Entertainment. Actually, every artist’s styling is rough when they first enter the industry. As long as they don’t wear counterfeits, we can accept performance outfits too]

[Hehe, your understanding doesn’t matter – blue-blood brands won’t understand]

[Can everyone calm down? Those making baseless assumptions must be getting paid. The Giant Entertainment Short Drama crew is next on the red carpet – don’t you have eyes to see whether it’s real or fake yourself?]

The fully enclosed Yun Lie provided by Jasha, adorned with flower bouquets, came to a stop at the starting point of the red carpet. The moment it paused, countless shutter sounds erupted in rapid succession.

Camera flashes flickered at high frequency as countless eyes both online and offline watched the Yun Lie’s sliding door slowly open.

A leather shoe landed on the red carpet as Fang Zhuo stepped out first.