"What on earth happened here?"
Zheng Xiaowen’s face was stern as she folded her arms and looked around at the others in the conference room, asking.
"Why has such a big oversight occurred?"
The staff responsible for delivering clothes to various clients bowed their heads in silence.
"Xiaowen, don’t rush, it’s not that big of a deal. We can just ask Zhou Yun to change her dress," spoke Zheng Xiaowen’s business partner, Yu Tianjin.
Before Chen Fusi’s investment, Yu Tianjin was Zheng Xiaowen’s biggest partner in Asia.
She and Zheng Xiaowen had also known each other for a long time.
"If this matter was as simple as asking Zhou Yun to change her dress, why would I be wasting my time sitting here?" replied Zheng Xiaowen, dissatisfied, "Also, why didn’t I know about the decision to invite Wei Ru Xue to the opening ceremony?"
Yu Tianjin quickly explained, "I made that decision. Wei Ru Xue is one of the hottest female celebrities right now. Plus, with ’Spring Cold’ about to start filming, her online popularity is soaring. I already knew her agent, so I tried sending an invitation. I didn’t expect she would also like the VX designs and agreed right away."
Indeed, getting Wei Ru Xue to come was a merit and would benefit the expansion of the VX brand’s reputation on the mainland.
Zheng Xiaowen said, "But now this incident has surfaced. Due to our negligence, we should just let Zhou Yun change her clothes. Do you think Zhou Yun is some easily manipulable eighteenth-tier small celebrity?"
Yu Tianjin said, surprised, "At best, she is just an internet celebrity. If it weren’t for the benefit of the gossip with Song Chi, she wouldn’t even be qualified to attend our VX event. It’s just a change of clothes, what’s so difficult about that for her?"
Yu Tianjin had previously always been in charge of the production line and had lesser interactions with the entertainment industry.
Zheng Xiaowen did not want to explain to Yu Tianjin at this moment. She frowned in thought for a few seconds and said, "If we are asking Zhou Yun to change her dress, we must issue a statement. Was it Xiao Sha handling the dress delivery this time?"
She looked up at the girl in the meeting room who had kept her head down until now.
Xiao Sha raised her head.
A hint of reluctance flashed across Zheng Xiaowen’s eyes, but eventually, she steeled herself and said, "This is your work mistake. You should resign."
Xiao Sha’s face instantly showed shock, and she was flustered, opening her mouth to speak.
Yu Tianjin preempted her, saying, "Xiaowen, you’re going to fire Xiao Sha over such a trivial matter? Aren’t you overreacting?"
Zheng Xiaowen replied, "Sister Tianjin, do you think this is a trivial matter? If it’s not handled properly and Zhou Yun is unsatisfied, once the word gets out, VX will be stuck with an unprofessional impression. Don’t you understand how damaging that would be for our brand?"
Yu Tianjin said, "Zhou Yun is no big star; it’s just about changing a dress, what could she be unsatisfied about?"
Zheng Xiaowen said, "Sister Tianjin, if you don’t understand the entertainment industry, then please don’t comment. The decision is made."
She looked at Xiao Sha, "You go and personally apologize to Zhou Yun’s team. I’ll help you get a recommendation somewhere else."
"Boss, this wasn’t my negligence at all!" Only after realizing she was truly facing dismissal did Xiao Sha become somewhat agitated and spoke up, "It wasn’t that I delivered the same dress twice. I first delivered to Zhou Yun’s side, then to Wei Ru Xue’s. But Wei Ru Xue somehow found out about the blue long dress that Zhou Yun had picked, and she insisted on that blue dress, so President Yu made me ask Zhou Yun to change dresses under the pretense of a mix-up."
Zheng Xiaowen looked at Yu Tianjin, shocked.
Yu Tianjin, realizing she could no longer cover it up, gave an embarrassed smile as if to ease her discomfort, and added, "Wei Ru Xue insisted on wearing that dress, and I had no choice but to find a way to have Zhou Yun give it up."
"Sister Tianjin!" Zheng Xiaowen looked at her, frustrated.
"Who does Wei Ru Xue think she is, and who does Zhou Yun think she is? You’re picking a fight with me over this?" Yu Tianjin seemed irritated.
"Forget it, Sister Tianjin. From now on, you should just focus on the production line. Any dealings with the media and artists need to go through my approval," Zheng Xiaowen said, clearly not wanting to start a conflict with Yu Tianjin, and addressed the others directly.
Yu Tianjin looked at Zheng Xiaowen in disbelief.
Zheng Xiaowen continued, "Xiao Sha, go apologize to Zhou Yun’s side and give them the blue dress. Also, let Wei Ru Xue know that the dress has been selected in advance and ask her to choose another one."
"Xiaowen, aren’t you afraid of offending Wei Ru Xue? Do you know how hard I worked to get Wei Ru Xue to attend the store opening?" Yu Tianjin asked angrily.
Zheng Xiaowen pretended not to hear and continued speaking to Xiao Sha, "If Wei Ru Xue’s side doesn’t agree, tell them we’ll have the opportunity to cooperate another time."
Xiao Sha nodded in agreement.
Yu Tianjin looked at Zheng Xiaowen as if she were a fool.
"I seriously doubt if your brain’s flooded with water," Yu Tianjin remarked.
"Sister Tianjin, let me emphasize one last time, the most important thing about the VX brand is its image and reputation. Playing favorites and disparaging others is not what VX stands for," Zheng Xiaowen said sternly.
Yu Tianjin scoffed, "Which brand doesn’t play favorites? Can Zhou Yun even compare to the value Wei Ru Xue brings to VX? I heard you’re close with Zhou Yun; no need to make excuses."
"Do you think I’m doing this because I’m close with Zhou Yun?" Zheng Xiaowen shook her head, somewhat helplessly. "Sister Tianjin, if that’s what you think, then I have nothing else to say. That’s all."
Yu Tianjin stormed out angrily, glancing at Xiao Sha before leaving.
Xiao Sha avoided eye contact somewhat but sat up straight with no sign of guilt.
The dress incident took an unexpected turn, leaving Zhou Yun and Zhou Lan utterly bewildered.
It wasn’t until Zheng Xiaowen personally called them to apologize and explain the situation.
Only then did Zhou Yun realize that there were some internal issues within VX.
Previously, Zhou Yun had only interacted with Zheng Xiaowen. She had only met the partner, Yu Tianjin, once at the afternoon tea after the last big show.
They hadn’t even connected on WeChat.
Zhou Yun expressed worry for Zheng Xiaowen: "Wouldn’t this cause you to offend Wei Ru Xue?"
"Don’t worry, an artist of Wei Ru Xue’s caliber might be well-received in your film industry, but for VX, she’s just one of many options."
"I’m not doing this for you. I’ve put so much effort into building up the VX brand; I don’t want to ruin it over a trivial problem."
Zheng Xiaowen is talented in design and has also demonstrated her ability in management.
Zhou Lan commented, "Now we’ll see what reaction Wei Ru Xue will have."
Zhou Yun said, "She’s probably very angry."
"That’s certain," said Zhou Lan, "it just depends on whether she’s willing to swallow her pride."