152 Exposure

Reaching the floor where the room he was currently staying at was located, Zhang Chenric still had his nose covered with his two hands as he strode down the corridor.

He was still in awe of what had happened between him and the woman who punched him straight to the face. As he continued to take steps towards his destination, he cannot help but think if he really mistook her for Xing Yin. Did his assistant Lee Qingya get the wrong information?

But the resemblance between that woman and his beloved was so uncanny despite the difference in hair color. The height and the voice sound were almost the same too! And did they not bump into each other at the condo he previously stayed at?Wait, but the one he bumped into and kissed looked exactly like his Yin. But the one he saw earlier looked slightly different. Perhaps, it was because of the hair color and the attitude?

As he dwelled deeper into contemplation, Zhang Chenric felt a part of his heart hurt more than his physical injury. He did not know what to believe anymore. His heart was sure as hell that the woman with him inside the comfort room a while ago was his beloved. But his mind was telling him otherwise.

"Damn it!" Zhang Chenric angrily slammed the room's door open right after he used the key card to unlock it.

As the door behind him closed, he immediately removed his bloodstained shirt off and went straight to the bathroom. There, he checked his nose in front of the mirror. Luckily, the injury he sustained was not really something major. He just needed to prevent the swelling for the blood had already ceased from gushing out.

He then went out of the bathroom to get some cubed ice from the fridge when his phone started ringing. However, he did not pay much attention to it since he was pretty sure that it was only Lee Qingya calling him.

For now, he did not want to talk about what had happened to him earlier. He just wanted some alone time with himself to think and come up with a new strategy to get close to the woman whom his heart truly believed was his beloved.

----

While Wang Reiji was busy pondering upon Zhang Chenric's somewhat confession, she failed to notice that the couturier whom they had a meeting dinner with was already inside the restaurant.

Fortunately, Rentao was already back from getting the first aid kit from the car when he saw Miss Teri standing in front of the entrance talking to one of the restaurant staff. He slowly approached the couturier and politely greeted her.

"Good evening, Miss Teri. My name is Rentao. I was the one who set the dinner meeting with you." Rentao introduced himself and extended a hand.

"Oh, hey! Good evening, sir. I am Miss Teri and I am excited to discuss business with your company." Miss Teri quickly responded as she accepted Rentao's handshake.

"That sounds great, Miss Teri. This way, please." Rentao then ushered the masked woman towards the location of table reserved for them.

As they moved closer to the table, Rentao saw Wang Reiji nursing her swollen knuckle. He then sighed a relief when he saw that his boss listened to what he had said to her.

"Good evening, Miss Jing. Miss Teri had arrived."

"Hi, Miss Teri! My name is Jing Yizhi. I am the model who will be wearing your creation for Oriental Europa's tv advertisement." Wang Reiji abruptly stopped from what she was doing to greet the couturier. She was about to extend her right hand to offer a handshake when she remembered it was a bit swollen.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Jing. Hmm... Looks like you had injured your hand. We can probably skip handshake for now." Miss Teri replied.

Wang Reiji then let out a quick smile as she wondered if Miss Teri was really sincere about the concern she showed her. Though her voice sounded honest, Wang Reiji cannot ascertain whether it was genuine or not. Too bad she had no ways of finding that out since the woman's facial expression and her eyes were well hidden underneath the mask she was wearing.

"Thank you for your consideration, Miss Teri. Please, have a seat." Wang Reiji said as she also sat down in the upholstered chair.

As Miss Teri moved to sit down, Rentao assisted her before he sat himself down in one of the chairs around the table reserved for them.

"Thank you, Miss Jing. Thank You Sir, Rentao."

Soon after the three of them had settled down, Rentao asked the two women if they would like to eat first before they start with their business agenda. The two women both agreed that they can have dinner while they discuss the details with each other. Rentao then volunteered to get them food so the two can begin with the meeting.

"Excuse me, I will just get us food." Rentao said politely as he stood up and walked his way to the buffet area.

"Hmm... Sorry if I am wearing a mask. I hope I don't make you feel uncomfortable." Miss Teri was the first to break the silence between her and Wang Reiji.

"That is okay, Miss Teri. I am not fastidious when it comes to people's taste for fashion." Wang Reiji replied with a smile.

"I think, I like you already. Anyway, did Sir Rentao show you the portfolio I sent Oriental Europa?"

"Yes, Miss Teri. I have seen all the gowns. They look all lovely by the way."

"Thank you! So, do you now have the idea about the gowns you would like to wear for the advertisement? Well, if you are not satisfied with the gowns you saw I still have other gown collections that I can show you." Miss Teri replied as she turned on the tablet she held in her hands. She then navigated her way to her device's gallery where images of her recent gown collection were stored.

"Here, this is my end of winter collection. I haven't launched this yet but I don't mind you using one or two gowns from this collection." Miss Teri added as she handed her tablet to Wang Reiji.

"Nice, thank you!" Wang Reiji replied as she received the tablet from Miss Teri's hands. She then started to go over with the images one by one. She cannot help but to be impressed with the gowns. This collection was way better than the one that was in the portfolio and she can say that they were at par with Lady Tong's creation.

"So, what do you think?" Miss Teri asked as she stared and observed Wang Reiji who was looking closely at the images on her tablet screen.

"Can I be honest with you? Actually, I like the gowns in this collection way more than the ones in the portfolio you sent to Oriental Europa."

"I am glad you like them. I think when I created this collection my passion and motivation were at their peak."

"But I think I will wear the black mermaid-style gown for the first part of the advertisement, while for the second part I want this one..." Wang Reiji said pointing to the red sleeveless pantsuit gown ball.

"Good eyes, Miss Jing. I will have them all ready for fitting tomorrow. I will also put some gowns on display as well so you can take a look at them in person." Miss Teri seemed pleased about what she heard from Wang Reiji.

"Thank you, Miss Teri. And sorry for the late notification. We did not expect to come across a problem with the previous couturier."

"It's fine. Sometimes, things do not work the way we expect or want them to be. But I am glad that my line was given a chance to be seen in an advertisement for a prestigious hotel's campaign."Miss Teri said as her lips curved into a smile.

"Hehe... Looks like one person's loss is another person's gain." Wang Reiji smiled back at the couturier.

Before the two can continue discussing about the remaining details such as the price of the gowns, as well as if they will only be rented for the advertisement or will be sold, Rentao came back with several waiters carrying some dishes behind him.

"Excuse me, ladies. Here are your meals." Rentao said as he approached the Wang Reiji and Miss Teri.

"Aww! I don't think I can eat so much tonight since I need to fit in Miss Teri's gowns." Wang Reiji slightly pouted her lips in disappointment when she realized she cannot eat to her heart's content.

"You do not have to worry about that, Miss Jing. It is not possible to gain much weight in just one night." Miss Teri then reached out for one of the plates of dishes the waiter had brought for them.

"Miss Teri is correct about that, Miss Jing. You do not have to worry about gaining a few pounds." Rentao seconded Miss Teri's words.

"Now that I think about it, the focus of the advertisement would be on the rooms and areas of the hotel. I wouldn't get that much exposure." As an aspiring celebrity, Wang Reiji seemed to be not bothered by her minimal television air time.

"Hmmm... What do you think about becoming a model for my upcoming end of winter collection? It will be held both here and abroad." Miss Teri gave Wang Reiji an offer that was hard to reject by a nonfamous actress.

Both Rentao and Wang Reiji cannot help but exchanged quick glances with each other. Each contemplating whether to accept Miss Teri's generosity or turn it down in a nice way.

"Haha! Why do you look shocked? I am serious about my offer. I really mean it." Miss Teri spoke again after she noticed the anxiety on Wang Reiji's face.

"I am just overwhelmed, Miss Teri. If ever, this would be my biggest break. I am really grateful for your offer but I think I have to inform my handler first to avoid any conflicts or cancellation of prior engagements he arranged for me."Wang Reiji had found a way to somehow provide a plausible answer to Miss Teri."

"I admire your professionalism. It's good that you respect your handler and you did not dare bypass him." Miss Teri was all smiles as she showered Wang Reiji with praises.

"How about we eat first then continue our discussion after? This mushroom soup is best eaten while it still warm." Miss Teri added.

"Sure!" Wang Reiji then slightly nodded her head in agreement to Miss Teri's suggestion before she shoved a spoonful of soup to her mouth.