Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Clothes Gone Missing
"Iâm leaving now, sorry for interrupting. You guys carry on." Lin Wanwan smiled and said goodbye, then opened the door of the dressing room to look for Chen Jinyu.
Lin Wanwanâs phone was entrusted to someone to hold before she went on stage, and now she needs to find her to get it back and change into her outfit to leave.
Chen Jinyu was already waiting for Lin Wanwan at the bathroom entrance in Times Square.
This group of freelance models doesnât have exclusive dressing rooms at the show, so they make do at the bathrooms in the plaza. Luckily, the bathrooms in Times Square are like those in star-rated hotels.
To Lin Wanwan, the washroom was even more upscale than the modelsâ partitioned dressing room at the show. The only thing missing was the mirrors with make-up lights.
"Wanwan, you were so beautiful just now! Oh my God, you even held hands with Xiao Junning! How was it, worth the trip, right? Iâd say you donât have to wash your hand and can go straight to bed."
"Yeah, yeah, so envious! Itâs Xiao Junning!"
Chen Jinyu and the girls around her spoke excitedly.
Lin Wanwan chuckled, "I donât chase stars, whatâs there to be excited about? It was unexpected, that wasnât in the script!"
"Come on, heâs Xiao Junning!"
Chen Jinyu laughed, "By the way, Xiao Junning is also from Yongcheng, Wanwan, you could have spoken dialect with him."
Lin Wanwan shrugged, "We just met on stage for a moment, no conversation throughout, you all saw it. Alright, I need to change clothes and leave, Iâm tired."
Chen Jinyu said, "Donât be like that, itâs rare that weâre all together today, how about us girls having a night snack together? My treat. I know a newly opened quiet bar in the old Bund area, the resident singer there is handsome, plus, they sell skewers too! Watching the night scene while eating skewers and listening to a handsome guy sing, isnât that great?"
Lin Wanwan uninterestedly said, "Forget it, Iâm really a bit tired, you guys go have fun."
"Come on, join us together."
The girls coaxed for a bit, but Lin Wanwan was determined, wanting to leave after earning her paycheck.
While looking for her bag that contained her clothes and makeup, Lin Wanwan was stunned, her bag had disappeared.
Clearly, all the girlsâ bags were placed in the same cabinet backstage at the show, why was hers missing?
Chen Jinyu was quite anxious too; she needed Lin Wanwan to change out of the gown to return it to the host.
"Could someone have taken it by mistake? You just had a set of unbranded sportswear inside, not worth much, how did it get lost?"
Lin Wanwan sighed, "Looks like Iâll have to wear the gown back first, and return it tomorrow, okay? Can you check with the person in charge?"
Chen Jinyu frowned slightly, "Otherwise, Iâll go to the mall to get you something to replace it."
Lin Wanwan lit up her phone to show the time, "Itâs ten ten! Apart from the show, other shops are long closed. Otherwise, I wouldâve bought it myself, no need to trouble you."
"Alright then, no choice," Chen Jinyu actually wanted to suggest wearing her dress, since the evening gown she wore wasnât expensive, a few hundred bucks from Taobao. But facing Lin Wanwanâs radiant appearance, she felt embarrassed to voice it, making it seem like she didnât trust her.
Just as Chen Jinyu was about to reluctantly go find the person in charge, Lin Wanwan linked arms with her and said, "Letâs talk to them together."
"Alright." Chen Jinyu didnât oppose, hopefully the person in charge wouldnât make things difficult seeing Lin Wanwanâs beauty.
"Your phone seems to be vibrating." Chen Jinyu said.
Lin Wanwan picked up the phone to see it was a call from Lu Shouyue, she answered, "Mr. Lu, what a coincidence."
"Yes, such a coincidence. Didnât expect you to still be modeling, itâs an honor for Cartier to have you."
Lin Wanwan laughed, "Iâm just a small-time model worth less than two thousand."
After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Shouyue asked, "Itâs quite late, and you donât have a car, should I give you a ride?"
Lin Wanwan didnât want to bother him and casually replied, "No need, itâs quite convenient for me to call a ride-hailing service."
Lu Shouyue confidently said, "I wouldnât be so sure, imagine how many people are coming out from the show now. Lots of them were drinking at the banquet before, canât drive and need rides."
Lin Wanwan thought it sounded right and then laughed, "Okay, then Iâll trouble you, weâll get in touch in the underground garage later."
After hanging up, Chen Jinyu gossipingly nudged her shoulder, "Whatâs with Mr. Lu? Thereâs something going on, his voice sounds so charming, he must be a hottie."
Lin Wanwan said, "Are you Sherlock Holmes? Can you tell someone is handsome just by hearing their voice? Anyway, thereâs nothing between us, given his education and career, he must not be young, probably around thirty, much older than me."
"Pft, whatâs thirty? Men only gain charm at thirty," Chen Jinyu expertly commented.
Lin Wanwan smiled without replying.
Quickly, the two found the clothing manager of the show amid the chaos, Chen Jinyu directly stated their purpose.
The person in charge furrowed his brows higher than a mountain, with an arrogant demeanor, "Lost your own clothes and want to wear this SV gown back? Are you kidding? Do you know how much this gown costs per piece? You really dare to imagine anything."
Chen Jinyu said, "Really sorry, but the clothes canât be found, no way to change out of it."
The manager looked Lin Wanwan up and down, initially wanting to say something nastier but held back, Lin Wanwanâs beauty earning a bit of respect. Someone with such looks is akin to having a key to high society, itâs hard to tell when theyâll make it big.
He sighed, "Itâs not that Iâm being difficult, Iâm in a bind too. I have an early flight tomorrow, need to take all the clothes. If you wear it now, I wonât be able to find you tomorrow. What about the dress you brought? Let this lady wear it temporarily?"
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Chen Jinyu looked at Lin Wanwan, clearly meaning the same.
Lin Wanwan immediately said, "True, almost forgot you have a dress on your end, Iâll go change."
"Wanwan, turns out youâre here." At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind, it was Lu Shouyue arriving.
Lin Wanwan turned to look at him, "Mr. Lu."
Lu Shouyue said, "No need to meet at the parking lot, letâs head down together."
"Ah, itâs Lu Sho!" The manager, upon seeing Lu Shouyue, immediately beamed with a bright smile, passed between Lin Wanwan and Chen Jinyu to greet Lu Shouyue with both hands extended.
Lu Shouyue politely shook hands with the manager and asked, "Whatâs going on?"
The manager cheerfully explained the matter again, then said to Lin Wanwan, "Oh, so you know Lu Sho, thatâs fine then, with his status, you can return the clothes a few days later. Iâll explain it to the brand."
In his mind, he silently praised his own judgment, see, he knew such a beauty is no ordinary figure; lucky to have held restraint earlier, avoiding offense.