Chapter 112 - A Subtle Guidance

The Rrad Hotel, District 7

The warm and dimmed lightings in the entrance gave off a sensual vibe of the entire hotel lobby. It was calming for the few guests sitting in the waiting area. The ambiance around was properly themed to the motif of the entire decoration of the hotel.

Such a scenery welcomed Sofia's gaze while the car pulled over.

'Not bad!' she mentally made a note as if giving the hotel a review for the decor they had placed.

Her eyes made a quick scan of the entire place before their driver swiftly opened the car door.

"We are here, young master Clark. Please enjoy the night. I will pick you up at 10 pm. This is the order of your father," the driver bent his body slightly as he reminded Clark of the time he needed to get back.

Clark nodded in acknowledgment, "I'll see you later!"

Red balloons accentuated with white ones filled on the ceiling, giving the vibrance of the occasion of the night. Most people who were falling in line towards to front desk were couples in their twenties to mid-thirties and forties. 

"This is my first time coming here!" Claire stated while admiring the place.

"A lot of first time had been happening to me today! Hehe," Joey stated while he examined the entrance area.

On the wall of the establishment, there were three heart banners, and four human-sized letters that could be read as "LOVE" were placed on the entrance door with a cupid sitting above. Few pairs took selfies on the post.

There was also a piece of romantic music playing in the background, providing all the people around this place the most soothing ambiance of valentines.

"Miss Sofia!" A voice called out from a corner just a few feet away from the front desk.

Sofia and her friends looked around the direction and saw the familiar face of Jing Jing.

"You've come!" Sofia greeted and sprinted forward. The other four figures were trailing behind her.

For a brief moment, the two shook their hands and exchanged a friendly smile.

"I had nothing better to do anyway. I might as well enjoy the food in this place!" Jing Jing giggled.

Her expression was too refreshing for Sofia to see that she stared at the lady for a long time.

"Is there something wrong with my face?" Jing Jing called her out when she felt comfortable with how the teenager scrutinized her. It was as if the gaze of Sofia had almost pierced right through her deepest soul.

"No! You look stunning!" Sofia gathered her composure and complimented her.

"Haha, I was on a budget this month but I brought this pink dress online! There was a sale and I couldn't help myself. I just had to buy the dress!" Jing Jing beamed with a pang of small guilt in her eyes. 

"Hello, sis Jing!" Claire greeted when Jing Jing landed her attention at her.

Jing Jing moved closer to her and whispered, "The shade of your eye shadow is perfect! Good choice."

Claire's smile widened upon hearing the compliment but she did not speak anymore. 

"Boys, you look good! No date for tonight, eh?" Jing Jing joked when she glanced at Joey, Stephen, then Clark.

"Hehe, this is our group date!" the three guys said in synchrony.

"Ohh, yeah! Let's go then. But before that, let's take some pictures of you here on that background and also here. I'm sure your fans would love to see you guys in this," Jing Jing quickly suggested.

She had arrived about five minutes earlier than the group. Instead of going directly to the exact location of the party, she decided to wait for them at the entrance. 

At first, she felt a little bitter seeing the design of the lobby. Although she had ignored all the unfortunate events she had gone through earlier that day, it still affected her view on the romantic vibe of the place. She could not appreciate the decor no matter how great it looked.

But after she caught the figure of Sofia when the Chronos squad arrived, Jing Jing was compelled by the idea of getting a picture for this group. It would be perfect not for the squad to greet their fans too!

"Sis Jing, don't stand in the ceremony! Join us, just use your front camera!" Sofia told her and then slightly pulled her arm closer to them.

"Ohh, no, no! I don't think your fans would appreciate me in your photo. I'll just take the picture," Jing Jing shyly replied.

"No way! The viewers would love to look at you for sure, sis Jing. No one will hate you! Just join us!" Sofia insisted.

"Yes, Miss Jing! Hehe, with your beauty, we will gain more fans!" Joey joked. But it was actually true that Jing Jing had several loyal fans and followers. The majority of the district also knew her very well.

"Okay, okay!" Jing Jing casually swiped the screen of her phone and changes the settings to the front cam.

After finding a right angle for them, Jing Jing snapped a photo. One after another, she took dozens of pictures with the group. The group finally took a few seconds to breathe from their photoshop session. 

"Uhmm, Miss Jing, can I trouble you to take a picture me of Claire too?" Clark suddenly requested. He then took Claire's hand and the two of them stood on the side of the human-sized letters.

"Awe sure!" Jing Jing moved her camera to the two and then smiled widely. "You guys are perfect!" she casually commented before snapping a photo.

After several minutes, Sofia glanced at her watch and noticed that it was almost time for the party to start.

"Guys, let's go!" she called maintaining a graceful smile on her face.

"Ohh, right! Let's go!" The group agreed and went to the entrance. 

Stephen moved closer beside Sofia while Clark and Claire were pairing already. As for Joey, he was looking around not paying much attention to anyone in particular.

"So, in this victory party, some organizers may ask you personal questions," Jing Jing started. She felt obliged to remind them since the group was newly formed and that they still lacked experience. In her mind, it was better to give them some tips about the talks revolving in the party.

"Oh, man! I thought we will just be eating at this party!" Joey groaned as if he felt troubled. "Can we just have a peaceful night after winning?"

"Ohh, now that you are a public figure, your peaceful nights had been officially ended!" Jing Jing told him.

The realization suddenly struck in Joey's face. That's right! They chose the path of being an online celebrity. At some point, they really need to sacrifice something. 

"Ohhh... this is really real!" Joey mumbled.

"No bro, you are dreaming! Go back to sleep!" Clark playfully chirped gaining faint giggles from the rest.

"Nah, this victory party is organized for the different media to familiarize you. The people behind the event would also express their joy for your winning. And also to celebrate the overall success of the tournament. You guys need to mingle to everyone, once we arrived at the venue," Jing Jing explained while they continued to walk in the lobby of the hotel.

"What kind of personal question would they be asking to us? Will it be hard questions? Miss Jing, please give us some ideas," Claire initiated as she felt a little anxious.

"Please help us. We are not so confident yet in speaking in front of the media!" Joey joined Claire.

"Hmm, yes! I will give you ideas!" Jing Jing stated. "So, they might ask for your goals, ambitions as well as your plans in the prize money that you got for being the champion of this tournament."

"Ahhh!" Clark trailed and glanced at Sofia with a meaningful look.

Didn't Sofia already had a discussion with them about the matters concerning their future plans? Was it just a coincidence that she randomly asked her members about their aspirations in the future?

Of course not!

With her last life experience, Sofia knew that this matter would be the subject of discussion the entire night in the party.

To say, she had already anticipated it the moment they were invited.

Since they were teenagers that had just gained such an amount of prize money, it was expected for the older people to be interested in what they would be doing on it. Everyone would surely be looking at how they would spend the amount that they obtained. 

One way or another, the people that they will be mingling with would ask one or two questions about their plans.

This way, Sofia made a subtle briefing of her teammate. Their group was fully synchronized about their goals.

Unlike Jing Jing who was blunt about giving them the tips of what would be the expected questions, Sofia was giving her four members the guidance without even them knowing about it.

"Ehem, it is good that we have talked about it earlier!" Sofia chirped after noticing that her friends had gone silent. 

"Ohh yeah? If you have talked about it, then, you guys are all set to mingle and answer the questions there!" Jing Jing stated and did not notice the slight changes of the expression from the group.