14 – I like
On Christmas Eve, the entire city of Shanghai was immersed in the festive atmosphere. Shops along the streets displayed various Christmas trees at their entrances, while inside the malls, decorations exclusive to the holiday season were hung everywhere.
Wen Man wore a champagne-colored sequined dress, her hair slightly curled. Surrounded by security guards, she stood in front of the brand counter, showcasing the cosmetics in her hand.
A crowd of onlookers and fans gathered before her.
Today, Wen Man had been invited by the brand to participate in an offline event at the counter, endorsing their Christmas limited-edition collection.
Every year around this time, major brands launch such limited-edition products to ride the wave of holiday enthusiasm, often inviting big-name celebrities to endorse them.
Of course, some brands don’t prioritize the star power of celebrities, opting instead for those who are photogenic and attractive, relying on their looks to draw in fans.
Wen Man belonged to this category.
Holding the Christmas limited-edition lipstick in her hand, she struck a few poses for the cameras before gently wiping her lips with a makeup remover pad. Then, with a slightly surprised expression, she said,
“It really doesn’t smudge.”
The sales assistant beside her took the makeup remover pad and lipstick from Wen Man and handed her a brand-new shade.
Without much thought, Wen Man twisted it open, but in that instant, she froze in place.
Wen Man’s appearance had always been bright and sultry. Unlike other rising stars who leaned toward a pure, innocent look, her beauty was somewhat too bold and striking. As a result, her team often styled her with a “strong woman” aura in her makeup.
Thus, Wen Man could pull off various dark shades of lipstick, even purples and blacks.
—But the one she now held in her hand truly made her heart sink.
It was a very pure magenta pink, so pink it almost resembled… a deadly Barbie pink.
She looked at the mirror held by the sales assistant. In the reflection, her eyebrows were sharply arched, her eyeliner winged upward, and even her eyelashes were thick and full.
How could such makeup possibly match this deadly Barbie pink?
Wen Man thought the sales assistant might have made a careless mistake. Pretending she couldn’t twist the lipstick out, she subtly signaled with her eyes.
But the sales assistant showed no reaction, completely missing Wen Man’s hint. Reluctantly, Wen Man spoke up, feigning confusion.
“Ah, this lipstick doesn’t seem to twist out easily. Should we switch to another one?”
She had made it so straightforward; surely the sales assistant would understand.
Wen Man was certain.
A hint of confusion also appeared on the sales assistant’s face. She then took the lipstick from Wen Man’s hand, gently twisted the tube, and effortlessly extended the lipstick, holding it right before Wen Man’s eyes, speaking matter-of-factly.
“It twists out just fine.”
Wen Man stiffened. Staring at that damned deadly Barbie pink in the sales assistant’s hand, she felt her breath catch.
After a long pause, she forced a smile and took the lipstick.
“Wow, you’re so thoughtful.”
This offline event was broadcast live online.
In the livestream, fans watched Wen Man’s expression, and the screen was flooded with comments like 【Hahaha】.
【I’m literally dying of laughter. Wen Man probably thought the color was too ugly and wanted to find an excuse to switch, but the sales assistant didn’t get it.】
【”Wow, you’re so thoughtful” — this line deserves a place in the history of sarcastic remarks. I could practically hear her gritting her teeth as she said it.】
【Genuinely gritting her teeth, veins bulging at her temples, hahahaha my baby is about to explode with anger!】
【Are you all out of your minds? How can anyone praise this? Isn’t this just being unprofessional and arrogant? You took the money, so do the job. Does “death Barbie pink” mean you don’t have to wear it? Just because it doesn’t suit her doesn’t mean it won’t suit other consumers.】
【Where did this hater come from? So good at arguing. Wen Man taking on this kind of event is promoting and selling for the brand. Wouldn’t wearing a color that doesn’t suit her just tarnish the brand’s reputation?】
【Even this can be criticized as unprofessional? Wen Man really has it rough.】
Meanwhile, Wen Man stared at the lipstick, feeling a headache coming on.
After a long pause, Wen Man seemed to make up her mind and gently traced her lips in the mirror.
Wen Man’s lips were naturally somewhat red, and now with the rose-pink color applied, it really didn’t look great. But her fair skin and delicate features made it not too much of an issue.
In the parking lot.
A black extended Bentley was parked.
Wen Yanchuan sat in the back seat, leaning slightly against the chair with his legs crossed, his phone resting on his knees. Wen Man’s voice still echoed in the car.
“Wow, you’re so thoughtful.”
Wen Yanchuan watched Wen Man’s exaggerated performance on the phone screen, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
He had seen Wen Man’s schedule on Weibo, saying she would be hosting an offline livestream here today. He had spent quite some time searching the trending topics to find this livestream.
Aside from real-time political news, he never watched livestreams.
This was his first time.
It felt somewhat novel.
The woman on the screen had every movement magnified, every emotion in her eyes amplified and laid bare.
Wen Yanchuan watched Wen Man’s expression as she unscrewed the lipstick, finding it quite amusing.
The only thing that bothered him was the barrage of comments scrolling up, which looked utterly irritating.
On the screen, the woman applied the rose-pink lipstick, glanced at herself in the mirror, and her expression carried a hint of helplessness.
Wen Man leaned closer to the camera, pouting her lips slightly as if to showcase the color, her tone tinged with a bit of playful dissatisfaction.
“The color is pretty, but as you can see, it doesn’t suit me. However, sisters who love a youthful style can place an order.”
After saying this, Wen Man picked up a makeup remover pad and began wiping her lips.
Perhaps because she had tried on too many colors, Wen Man’s lips now had a faint red tint, looking particularly enticing.
Wen Yanchuan narrowed his eyes, feeling his throat tighten once again.
He leaned forward and pressed the central console, lowering the air conditioning temperature slightly to ease the dryness in his throat.
When Wen Yanchuan looked down at his phone again, it was already flooded with scrolling comments.
【It really looks awful. This brand hiring Wen Man is just ruining its own reputation. Won’t buy from them again, consider this a warning.】
【The internet really has no memory. Both the spokesperson and the brand are just cashing in on low-quality deals. Won’t buy from them again.】
【Just asking out of curiosity, is Wen Man really that good-looking? Might as well hire a few influencers as spokespeople. They’d definitely look better than Wen Man.】
On the screen, Wen Man seemed to freeze for a moment, perhaps having seen the comments, her eyes filled with a trace of confusion.
Wen Yanchuan’s gaze darkened slightly.
He handed his phone to the driver in the front seat and asked, “How do you get this patterned font?”
The driver glanced at it and explained to Wen Yanchuan, “Mr. Wen, you have to recharge and send gifts to get this.”
Wen Yanchuan nodded and said in a low voice, “Help me set it up.”
The driver quickly took the phone, followed the tipping process step by step, and finally Wen Yanchuan entered his password.
He watched as Wen Yanchuan entered the password over a dozen times in a row, then tapped a few times on the screen.
On the other end of the screen, a dazzling display lit up.
[Anonymous user tipped Carnival x100.]
Anonymous user: [It’s very nice, I like it.]