Translator: Lan Editor: Efydatia

  He took one end of the ribbon tied around the middle of the hourglass, while the two ambassadors held the other end.

  Three, two, one! The ribbon was untied.

  The watches poured out like sand, shiny and luxurious.

  The photographers snapped pictures like crazy. They had to record that extraordinary moment.

  Zhuchuan introduced the chief designer to the audience and got off the stage. Next was the introduction of the brand concept.

  Qin Guan’s photo album and the watches were shown on a big screen in the back.

  Qin Guan and Kyoko Fukada retreated to the backstage area. There would be a ten-minute break before the press conference, during which they could rest a little.

  Before going backstage, Qin Guan looked at the T stage in confusion. Who had taken his suit jacket?

  There was a bulging plastic bag in a big LV carry-all, which belonged to Qu Xuemei.

  She smiled at Qin Guan slyly. This is what you get for showing off on stage.

  Thanks to the influence of the internet, all the media, both mainstream and not, had experienced the power of ordinary people.

  They dared not provoke Qin Guan now.

  They asked questions carefully during the press conference, trembling in fear.

  The reporters were as professional as the distributors. They asked questions about the design, the inner structure, the target group and the advertising concept. There were no questions about the two ambassadors’ personal lives.

  This satisfied the distributors. We didn’t pay them. Why are they being so considerate today?

  They were overthinking. The reporters were just afraid of Qin Guan.

  Kyoko Fukada was disappointed. She had originally planned on "carelessly" talking about the collaboration between her and Qin Guan while making an ambiguous comment about their relationship. She was used to doing things like that in Japan. They always promoted her popularity. Why would that be unacceptable in China? The media had inexplicably lost any interest in her though.

  Qin Guan, on the other side, was relieved. He had been afraid that some brave idiot would stand up and talk about the news on the internet.

  All the reporters were good boys though. They were just taking notes on the side.

  They actually felt wronged. Other stars are eager to have affairs. Why are we being punished for ambiguity? You have a relationship with an insider, don’t you?

  Qin Guan had no idea what they had on their minds. When the conference was over, Zhuchun returned to the empty meeting hall. The staff had tided up, leaving only one bottle of champagne on a small table and several shining goblets.

  Zhuchuan asked a waiter to open the bottle and fill two goblets for the ambassadors.

  "Mr. Qin and Ms. Fukada, thank you for your hard work. Judging by what I heard from all sides, I think we can celebrate in advance. I expect a leap in the sales volume in China. To our success! Cheers!"

  The beautiful goblets clanged against each other. Qin Guan and Sister Xue let out a long breath of relief.

  The most important part was finished. Now they could just wait for the sales.

  Qin Guan had been planning on leaving, when suddenly someone patted him on the back. He turned around and saw Kyoko Fukada standing behind him with her goblet. She was smiling.

  "Mr. Qin, may I have the honor of having a drink with you?"

  "My pleasure."

  Qin Guan drained his goblet in one gulp, then showed the empty cup to her. He put it down and prepared to leave. He wanted to keep a respectful distance from the girl.

  Suddenly, he was pulled back by his tie. He grabbed one end of the tie, trying to pull the other end out of her hand.

  Kyoko Fukada opened her lips slightly and stood on her tiptoes, whispering to Qin Guan, "Not here, let’s have a drink alone. I heard that there’s a good bar at the bottom of the plaza. Shall we?"

  Qin Guan smiled and lowered his head, whispering back to her, "Why are you insisting on having a drink with me? As far as I know, you’re flying back to Japan tomorrow morning."

  Kyoko Fukada smiled back. She seemed happy by the fact that he was whispering. "One night is enough." She was fascinated by Qin Guan’s gentle smile. She loosened her grip on his tie unconsciously.

  Taking the chance, Qin Guan pulled the tie back from her.

  "It’s a pity I’m already drunk. No more wine for me."

  He smoothed down the tie, which had cost him more than 1,000 yuan, and escaped as soon as possible, heading into the noisy crowd.

  Yumiko walked up to Fukada at once, looking around her in alert. Sister Xue followed Qin Guan to the exit of the hall.

  She raised her eyebrows at him proudly. "I told them we were leaving."

  Qin Guan put the empty goblet on a waiter’s tray and fastened his cuff.

  "Let’s go!"