Chapter 160 - Golden Pineapple Collaboration

To strike while the iron was hot, a huge press conference was scheduled to address the rumours. Pamela was initially afraid of handling the big shots from Pineapple Group so Scarlet decided to personally attend the meeting. Needless to say, the manager was flawed by how the young singer handled the situation effectively in a nest of snakes. Nobody doubted Scarlet's abilities or authority after that incident.

In the car on the way to the scheduled press conference, a certain CEO couldn't stop thinking about it. The way Scarlet spoke up for him at the meeting with his company's PR representatives was too good for him. He would be attending the scheduled press conference for two reasons. The first was to make a public statement believing and the second was to pass Scarlet something that would be of use to her.

In the eyes of many others, he was a tyrant. However, Ming Yang never once did dirty to those who helped him in his time of need. He remembered revenge as well as he remembered gratitude. For Scarlet, he might have initially approached her with ulterior motives but the singer had gone above his expectations and now, the CEO was indebted. It was a true pity that she wasn't older. If she was, Ming Yang would make her Mrs Zhu once everything was over.

Back in New York, a certain university student was looking very sour. Ever since the news about Scarlet's scandal reached America, there had been no shortage of speculations for what was going to happen. He did his best to gather information but stopped short at China's censorship and media control. To make matters worse, he only got to know the news about the true reason behind Scarlet's scandal from a third party. If Alex didn't tell Elfie that she was flying to China to provide support for her sister's collaboration project with the Pineapple Group, he would have only found out after the release of the news.

Alex and Scarlet were nervous. The model had been rehearsing the script that Scarlet gave her. As the model never had a proper education in speaking Chinese, she had an exceptionally tough time getting the intonations right. Jean helped as much as she could and gave the model a crash course about speaking Chinese as much as she could over the last three days.

"Thank you," Scarlet tested her sister.

"Xie xie," Alex replied with confidence despite the lisp at the 'x' sound that sounded more like 'sh' instead.

Scarlet nodded. "What's 'I love you'?"

Alex swallowed. This was the easiest one but most important. "Wo ai ni. Also, I remember the last one. Wo ai zhong guo. Did I get everything?"

Scarlet smiled. Last-minute revisions were going well. For everything else, she would handle the reporters with Ming Yang. Scarlet's Chinese might be a lot better than Alex's but she was still nervous. Whenever she didn't understand something, Pamela would translate it for her. However, her manager wouldn't be able to sit beside her during the press conference to do that and she would have to rely on the CEO to help her out of it.

Weaving a believable story for Alex to agree to the collaboration project wasn't difficult. However, Scarlet had to put in extra effort to make the story more detailed because she knew that Alex wasn't someone who would keep such things to herself. If Jasper or Orita started to ask, Alex would no doubt spill all the beans. In order to successfully deceive one's enemy, one had to first fool their allies. Scarlet was prepared for that much.

Like the changing of tides, they eventually reached the venue where the conference would be held. Raven ushered the two ladies to the waiting room where the sisters revised Alex's greetings in Chinese once more. Pamela wasn't here to accompany them, too busy taking care of matters back in Jupiter Record's main office. Claire was with them but she chose to spend time talking to Raven to get an update in person.

While chatting, Alex didn't stop trying to find clues about what Scarlet was up to. According to Elfie, her sister was definitely still trying to pull some tricks to uncover more about the mafia boss in China alone. Alex wondered when would be a good time to tell Scarlet to come back to America with her. It was too dangerous for Scarlet to remain in China alone and even Orita agreed. They planned to enrol Scarlet in a university bridging program somewhere in New York where it is closer to home but they didn't know what Scarlet would be interested in.

"Hey, Scarlet… you know I've been thinking about it. Do you want to continue studying? Lately, I heard that those in the entertainment line don't usually work for more than five years. Fame is a fickle thing. I'm not saying that acting and singing isn't good but… was it not your dream to be a writer?"

Scarlet paused and looked at Alex who appeared genuinely concerned. Even though her sister was physically bigger than her, it didn't change how Scarlet felt about her whenever she saw the blonde model. Alex was like a puppy and no matter how old she grew, Scarlet would always see her as an innocent child.

"What about you?" she smiled. "Didn't you want to become an artist? We did say that we would create books together. If I go back to studying, will you accompany me?"

Hearing that Scarlet didn't reject her immediately, Alex beamed. Elfie definitely prepared Alex well when he proposed the idea to the heiress. Alex gushed on and on about the different universities in America, especially New York because it was closest to home.

Scarlet listened to her sister ramble on and wondered how long Alex had been planning for it. The level of research Alex put into this was certainly very thorough. Was she really neglecting her family for so long trying to chase after Anastasia? Suddenly, Scarlet felt like she was doing what Wilmer did to Orita and felt guilty. Chasing after Anastasia had almost destroyed Orita and Wilmer's loving relationship when Mr Wilde succ.u.mbed to something near borderline obsession with his determination to put everything he had into work.

The door opened and Alex saw the man from the scandal. At once, the sisters stood up to greet CEO Zhu who smiled at the sight of Golden Frost's founders.

"You must be Alexandra," he smiled and offered a handshake to the model.

Alex returned the gesture politely, "Please call me Alex. I must say that you look a lot younger than in the photographs."

CEO Zhu laughed at Alex's frankness. It must be a Wilde thing with how straightforward both sisters were. They might not have been blood-related but they behaved rather similarly and are even closer to each other than some real sisters.

After exchanging pleasantries, Alex smiled at the CEO. "I understand that this is a very good opportunity for Golden Frost and the Pineapple Group to expand business and influence. It is also the reason why I agreed to the press conference. However, if you have any other ulterior motives such as becoming a son-in-law of the Wilde family, I suggest you perish that thought after today."

The rude words coming out of Alex's mouth betrayed the angelic expression and for a moment Scarlet couldn't believe that this was the same sweet sister she had moments ago.

"Alex?"

CEO Zhu smiled, unfazed by the direct threat aimed at him. It appears as if Alex was not to be underestimated either. If he had to compare them, he might say that both sisters were fiercely protective and strong. However, in terms of viciousness, he would be more cautious about offending Alex. The girl looked sweet but she was like a viper. On the other hand, Scarlet was easier to deal with. The singer often tackled things head-on, unlike her blonde sister who was not against back-stabbing.

"Don't worry. I'm not into girls younger than me by more than five years. Also, I don't think you should be who I should be most worried about first. That bodyguard beside Scarlet has been glaring at me since our very first meeting and her manager had declined many of my invitations prior to our first meeting."

Alex smiled. "I'm happy that we can come to an understanding. It would be tragic if something were to happen after today's announcement of the collaboration. Despite my words, I am rather thrilled about this project. Golden Frost needs all the help it can possibly get to cater to more people of the lower-income classes. It's not possible to slash the prices much further if we keep manufacturing in Poland because materials have to be shipped there."

Scarlet watched as Alex spoke like a true business owner and was impressed. Just how much did her sister grow over the years? Like her, Alex must have put in a lot of thought to enter the showbiz. Either that or Claire must have done a very good job of training Alex to be a respectable heiress. Maybe a little bit of both now that Scarlet thought about it. The whiny part of Alex still hasn't disappeared.

"Rest assured. I wouldn't do anything that will harm Golden Frost. However, I cannot speak the same about the Pineapple Group if you get what I mean, Alex. Unlike you, I'm just a powerless puppet right now which is why I need the influence of Golden Frost and borrow the Wilde name as a shield."

Alex didn't seem surprised. "I thought as much," she said. "No wonder my sister wanted to ally with you. It's alright. I can guarantee you as the heiress of the Wilde empire that we will treat you well if you don't betray us. Prove your loyalty and be rewarded, the Pineapple Group can use a capable man like you. The press conference is ready to start, shall we?"

Scarlet didn't even know what to say as they walked out of the waiting room. Why did it suddenly feel as if her sister was trying to distance her from Ming Yang?