When the news reached Sang Rui’s agent, his expression was slightly complicated.
At that time, Sang Rui was doing his red carpet look for the afternoon.
Seeing his expression, Sang Rui asked in confusion, “What’s with that look?”
The agent hesitated for a long time, unsure of how to start, before finally saying,
“I heard that a VIP client of the brand invited Shen Shu to him, and the person who invited her… was your sister.”
“My sister?”
Sang Rui glanced at him in the mirror, furrowing his brows.
“…How is that possible?
Why would my sister invite her?
How do they know each other?”
“Wait, did you say VIP client?”
Sang Rui noticed something more off.
The agent answered his question, “Yes, I heard from people in the industry who were there at the time.
There was an important guest in the venue, and the brand’s senior staff specifically accompanied them.
That person was your sister, no doubt.”
Among all the luxury brands, D.S is one of the most selective.
Apart from a few limited edition pieces that are lent out to major celebrities, their clientele has always been the royal family, aristocrats, and wealthy women, offering them bespoke designs to ensure that everyone’s design is unique.
A few hundred thousand for a dress, many people can afford this, but simply buying a dress doesn’t make you a VIP client of the brand, or rather, having money alone doesn’t guarantee you’ll get one.
Luxury items at the top of the pyramid and special services are always scarce, which naturally divides people into different circles.
Even among wealthy people, their class status is differentiated.
What they’re buying is that exclusivity.
Sang Rui knew that her sister currently had money.
The millions that arrived in her sister’s account every month weren’t just numbers sitting idle she had that before.
But would her sister buy such luxury goods, and just like that, become a VIP?
D.S isn’t like the luxury brands on the market, where spending millions each month can get the brand to cater to you.
What’s more, for someone like herself, spending millions each month just to buy bags, clothes, and jewelry was already somewhat of a stretch.
Among the wealthy ladies in the industry, who didn’t have various limited-edition pieces?
When socializing with them, she felt that even those weren’t enough to make her stand out.
How could she have the spare money to buy haute couture dresses?
Not to mention, her sister isn’t even working now.
Even when she worked at the magazine, her salary couldn’t even afford a bag.
Could she really buy haute couture with her savings?
That doesn’t seem like her style…
The only possibility is because of Meng Peisheng…
But if he were the type of person who would easily buy a bunch of luxury items for a woman, why would she have been too afraid to speak up in the past and try to manage with only a few million each month?
“If I had known this earlier, we could have just borrowed from D.S., right? With your sister there, it would have been so easy,”
the agent said regretfully, interrupting her thoughts.
The fashion industry is different from the film industry.
The production company behind that film is backed by the Meng family’s capital, so of course, she could have pulled a few strings.
As for the fashion industry, she had never connected this with Meng Peisheng and had never considered the possibility.
Moreover, she didn’t need to ask specifically; there were already plenty of good options available, which is why she didn’t bother with D.S.
Sang Rui suppressed the indignation in her heart.
It’s just D.S., if she doesn’t have it, others can’t get it so easily either.
The dress she has now is already enough to turn heads.
Besides, the event starts in the afternoon, so there’s no point in dwelling on it now.
“This time, Shen Shu He really picked up a bargain.
I heard that her red carpet look today is from D.S’s spring collection,” the agent said regretfully and indignantly.
Sang Rui suddenly looked up at the agent.
“Who did you say? Shen Shu He?”
The agent immediately regretted bringing it up.
Seeing that the red carpet was about to start, he shouldn’t have mentioned it now.
Sang Rui’s expression was extremely unpleasant.
She could accept it from others, but it was particularly irritating that it was Shen Shu He.
Just thinking about being overshadowed by her on the red carpet made Sang Rui nearly lose control of her emotions.
It was almost certain that Shen Shu He managed to get that haute couture dress largely due to the benefits of being invited to the brand’s fashion show previously.
And those benefits, of course, came from her sister.
…
Shen Shu He never expected to have an extra surprise after attending the fashion show.
There are very few female celebrities who have worn D.S. haute couture.
Her agent and assistant, relieved of their previous worries, excitedly gathered around her, admiring her and praising her:
“This design no wonder the brand has such high status. You’re definitely the focus of attention this time.”
Shen Shu He looked at her reflection in the mirror and also thought it exceeded her expectations.
She pondered for a moment, then struck several poses in front of the mirror.
Afterward, she picked two photos that best showcased the dress and sent them to Sang Miao.
Shen Shu He: Fairy, how does the dress look? Is it beautiful?
Sang Miao replied with a reserved tone: Mm, it’s okay.
She added an emoji with a nosebleed.
Shen Shu He immediately laughed out loud and happily typed: My golden sponsor sister, you’re so amazing, you can…
Sang Miao replied: Oh, I didn’t say anything, they must have thought you were suitable.
Shen Shu He smiled.
Sang Miao indeed hadn’t specifically asked the brand to lend Shen Shu He the haute couture, but since they had invited her and a major red carpet event was coming up, the brand, being smart, would have offered the dress to maintain its prestige.
To say she was being deliberate or compensating wasn’t quite accurate.
The consequences were already in motion, and she wasn’t the one to blame.
But to ensure smoother cooperation in the future, at least letting them both understand, this time losing the role’s influence would make future negotiations for resources easier.
Most importantly, her marriage with Meng Peisheng was most likely short-lived.
It could be even shorter than expected.
Right now, Sang Rui could look down on others because of her connection to him, but who knows what would happen once that family tie was gone?
Would she still receive the same treatment?
In the future, would Sang Miao still be able to protect her?
Her cousin isn’t so kind-hearted, and he might eventually feel that her behavior was harmful to their family’s reputation.
Competing for resources might seem like a small matter, but it was still within a controllable range.
No matter what others think right now, after this, there would be lingering doubts in the industry regarding her connection to Meng Peisheng.
Competing for resources in unconventional ways might not go as smoothly as before.
However, the level of public opinion wouldn’t be enough to make her completely fall.
If she could realize this and start reining herself in, reducing her connections to Meng Peisheng and avoiding creating more enemies, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
But it could be predicted that she wouldn’t be very satisfied with this now.
…
When the role change happened, it caused quite a stir.
A few days after the red carpet event, the two parties involved became the subject of much gossip not just in the fan and fashion circles but also in the entertainment industry.
Some said that Mrs. Meng wasn’t happy about Sang Rui’s sister using their family name to affect their reputation, so she took the opportunity to warn her.
Others said that after hearing about it, Mrs. Meng felt guilty and decided to compensate Shen Shu He.
Otherwise, why would she bother with a small star?
No matter which version of the story it was, it seemed to point to one thing: Meng Peisheng and Sang Rui didn’t support her causing trouble in the entertainment industry.
Sang Rui could feel that even the people from the production team weren’t as easy to talk to recently.
She needed to find an opportunity to ask her sister what she meant helping an outsider, and someone who was competing against her, to slap her in the face?
Was this supposed to be a lesson for her?
Mrs. Meng?
Was she now playing the fox, borrowing the tiger’s might?
… Did she think she could get away with this just because she was connected to Meng Peisheng?
Recently, Sang Rui had been feeling down, and her agent and assistant weren’t faring any better, as they had to deal with a lot of public opinion.
The agent admitted he was being a bit of an afterthought, but at the time, he hadn’t really figured things out.
“Actually, weren’t there quite a few good options before?
Did you really think this drama was the best one?”
“If it doesn’t live up to expectations, then it’s all for nothing,”
he said, clearly a bit frazzled now.
Sang Rui couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.
In fact, there were several hit dramas to choose from, and apart from the role being a good fit, more importantly, it was the aftermath of this drama.
Shen Shu He didn’t just rise to become a top-tier celebrity, but thanks to this role and the drama, she caught the eye of a renowned director, landing a great movie role.
She achieved both box office success and award recognition, and in just two years, her status skyrocketed.
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