Half a month had passed in a blink of an eye. Lin Xian hadn't called again, and Ye Erlan had been busy with matters related to EL. She could hardly even squeeze out a moment of free time.
The location of the EL physical store was set at Jingrui International Shopping Center. Ye Erlan had arrived at the store very early to await the opening ceremony. Ning Qian and Aifor were busy greeting the congratulatory guests.
Suddenly, a reporter shouted, "Look! Lin Xian is here!" At this, all the reporters rushed over like a swarm of bees, hoping to scoop some headlines. After all, in this society, Lin Xian's news often received more public attention than that of the so - called mysterious designer L.
Ye Erlan's heart skipped a beat. She looked in that direction and, sure enough, it was Lin Xian. He was still wearing the clothes she had designed and was dealing with the reporters with ease. "Today belongs to the great L. I don't want to steal the show. Please focus more on EL's new products."
Lin Xian? Why was he here? They were from two different circles, yet he seemed to know so much about her affairs. He had come at just the right time. She knew that with his personality, he couldn't possibly stay silent. It turned out he was waiting for this day to make a big splash.
Just as Ye Erlan was collecting her thoughts, she found Lin Xian standing right in front of her. He ran his hand through his hair. "Long time no see."
"Long time no see." Ye Erlan forced a smile as best she could. She couldn't let the reporters take pictures of her talking to Lin Xian with a cold face. Of course, she had apparently forgotten that she was wearing a mask.
"You can go inside and wait. The ribbon - cutting ceremony will start in ten minutes." Ye Erlan hoped to get rid of him for a while so that she could calm herself down.
Lin Xian remained unmoved. Waiting inside was far less interesting than staying outside. This was a good opportunity for him to get to know Ye Erlan's current friends. "It's okay. I'll stay here with you."
Ye Erlan knew that once he made up his mind, there was no changing it. So she decided to ignore him. Just then, she saw Ning Qian leading two men over.
"Great L, I've long admired you." The man in the black suit walked straight towards Ye Erlan, his tone gentle.
Before Ye Erlan could figure out who this unfamiliar face was, Ning Qian smoothed things over. "Mr. Yu Jun came. Normally, we should have asked L to greet you in person. But she was just chatting with Actor Lin."
Yu Jun? Now Ye Erlan knew who he was. The name Yu Jun carried quite some weight in the country. He had become the president of the Imperial Capital Designers Association at a young age. To be honest, his design level was probably not far from hers. The only difference was that Mr. Yu never started his own business and only occasionally designed for some well - known public welfare organizations.
Ye Erlan reached out her hand and shook his. "Mr. Yu, seeing is believing. I've long admired you." Then she turned to look at the man in the white sweatshirt with a nice smile and extended her hand again. "This must be the great writer Xiao Yan, right?"
Xiao Yan smiled and reached out his hand. "I often hear Yu Jun talk about you at home. I've also seen your works. They're truly amazing. I'm tired of wearing the clothes designed by this guy. You must save some of EL's new products for me so that I can buy a few pieces."
"Of course. Even if you want our L to design something especially for you, it's no problem." Ning Qian echoed with a smile. After all, no matter how big EL was, it still needed Yu Jun's support in the Imperial Capital. Most of the designers in the Imperial Capital regarded Yu Jun as a role model, and it was well - known that Yu Jun doted on his Xiao Yan.
Yu Jun gently placed his hand on Xiao Yan's shoulder and looked at him with a smile. "Does the great writer think my works are not good - looking anymore? It seems I've fallen out of your favor recently."
Xiao Yan forced a smile and removed his hand. "Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"Who would laugh at me? Everyone knows about us anyway. They're just jealous." Yu Jun noticed that more people were coming, so he led Xiao Yan aside.
Ye Erlan felt a strange emotion welling up inside when she saw this couple. Subconsciously, she turned to look at Lin Xian and found that he had turned his head away.
Just as she was feeling a bit uncomfortable, Yu Nian and Xiao Mubai arrived. Xiao Mubai was very enthusiastic. He punched her gently as soon as he came up. "I'm finally getting to wear your new clothes again today."
"You'd better not get your hopes up. Half of the new products this time were designed by EL's new designers. Can you pick out the great L's works at a glance?" Yu Nian said with a smile.
"Why can't I? I can recognize his style at a glance..." Half - way through his sentence, Xiao Mubai suddenly paused. Then he pointed angrily at the person behind Ye Erlan. "You... Why are you here?"
As soon as Lin Xian turned around and saw Xiao Mubai, he knew something was wrong. He had no idea what was wrong with this guy. Xiao Mubai always seemed to pick on him. Sure enough, as soon as he saw Lin Xian, his attitude changed.
"We're old acquaintances. What's wrong with me being here? And it's none of your business."
Yu Nian sensed something was amiss. She regretted bringing Xiao Mubai here. "Stop it. Do you want to give the media something to talk about? You may not care, but it's EL's opening day. Where will EL's face go?"
Xiao Mubai wanted to say something else, but when he saw Yu Nian's look, he swallowed his words. He glared at Lin Xian fiercely, and Lin Xian glared back. They were like two immature primary school students.
Ye Erlan was still wondering what was going on between these two. She knew that Xiao Mubai didn't like Lin Xian the last time they were in the car. But as far as she knew, Lin Xian had been a really good person for many years. Apart from his cheesy lines, there was nothing wrong with his character. Had the entertainment industry really changed him over the years?
Just then, Ning Qian reminded her that it was time for the ceremony. Ye Erlan collected her thoughts and stepped to the middle. "Welcome, everyone. Today is the first time EL has opened a physical store in the country and since its establishment. Many people have asked me if opening a physical store is really necessary for EL, because EL's previous partners were all top - level wealthy people.
But I believe you've all noticed that EL started recruiting designers from major universities in the country about a month ago, injecting a lot of fresh blood. This is the opportunity for me to bring EL back.
The domestic EL will develop a light - luxury line. Compared with the past, it will be more approachable. Every employee in the physical store has received careful training. They will treat every customer equally and warmly. As for our new products, please go inside and have a look after the ribbon - cutting ceremony."
Applause rang out continuously. Ning Qian signaled the reporters that they could start asking questions.
The first to speak was a female reporter. "Will this affect EL's status as a luxury brand in the international market?"
"I don't think so. EL has always relied on exquisite design and excellent craftsmanship. You get what you pay for. The light - luxury series will surely be works that meet the standards of this circle.
For high - end luxury customers with higher requirements, we will still adhere to our previous attitude and provide the best service. Every customer who has worn EL clothes will fall in love with that unique piece. What they like may not be just the letters 'EL', but every piece of clothing that meets their needs.
Expanding our product line this time is just to meet the needs of more people. This is a good thing for us. There's no such thing as lowering our brand's status. EL is always a newcomer on the road of design."
Lin Xian watched her from the side and couldn't help but feel impressed. Although he knew that L was very capable, seeing her deal with the reporters' questions so calmly still amazed him.
After a few more questions, just as the time was almost up, the reporters were allowed to ask one last question. This question caused quite a stir.
"We all know that EL's first order in the country was the clothes on Actor Lin. Actor Lin is not EL's spokesperson, and EL has never had a spokesperson. So, may I ask why the great L designed these clothes for Actor Lin? Actor Lin is also here today. Are you old acquaintances?"
Ye Erlan was a bit annoyed. When she was abroad, the interviews never touched on such personal issues. Even the previous questions were closely related to EL. But the last question brought Lin Xian into it, which was really annoying.
Lin Xian also realized this. He stepped forward voluntarily, took the microphone from Ye Erlan's hand, and still had a smile on his face. "Today belongs to the great L. Although I know I'm quite popular, you can ask me these questions privately. It's almost time for the ribbon - cutting ceremony. We don't want to miss the auspicious time."
Yu Jun slowly walked to the middle and picked up one end of the ribbon on his own. "It's almost time. Don't miss the hour."
Ye Erlan naturally knew that these two were trying to help her out. She gave Lin Xian a meaningful look and then picked up the middle of the ribbon. Seeing that they were ready, Ning Qian also stepped forward and asked Aifor to hand the scissors to the three of them.
After the ribbon - cutting ceremony, a few reporters were allowed into the store to take some pictures. Most of the people who came were the powerful and wealthy in the Imperial Capital. What amazed everyone was that all the works incorporated Chinese - style elements without any sense of disharmony. Some were elegant, some were bold, all of them were extremely beautiful.
Ye Erlan had never liked dealing with such things. When she was abroad, she only focused on designing. Most of the external communication was handled by Ning Qian and Aifor. After seeing off Yu Nian, Yu Jun and the others, she simply left the store to Ning Qian and walked out of the physical store.
As soon as she walked out of the shopping center, Lin Xian called out to her. "Yezi."