Xu Jing spoke with the director, but her gaze never left Han Yutong.
This girl was simple-minded, not good at socializing, and a newcomer, making her easily manipulated. Xu Jing couldn't relax unless she kept a close eye on her.
When she saw others pointing at her dress, Xu Jing immediately excused herself from the director and went to Han Yutong's side. "Is something wrong?"
She asked this intentionally, to change the subject.
Han Yutong shook her head.
"Sister Xu, right? Your artist is attending a party dressed like this? Isn't it a bit too shabby!" the girl who had stirred up trouble earlier sneered, her nostrils flared.
Children raised in wealthy families were prone to arrogance.
Xu Jing smiled at her, recognizing the other girl instantly. "Miss Zhang, is there some misunderstanding? No matter how humble our Qinghe artists are, they wouldn't be so careless. We wouldn't deign to wear knock-offs."
Zhang Wenwen's face fell at Xu Jing's words.
Having been pampered her whole life, she had never been looked down upon like this. She scowled unhappily. "I just returned from abroad last week. There was a dress at a fashion show that looked very similar to this. However, that dress had a black background with white sheer fabric, embroidered with phoenixes. What else could this be if not a knock-off?"
"Who said this is a knock-off!" Xu Jing raised an eyebrow, calm and composed. "Since Miss Zhang attended the fashion show, you must know the name of that fashion designer, right?"
"Her surname is Su, she's a top fashion icon in China and an internationally renowned designer." Zhang Wenwen rattled off information about her idol.
Xu Jing smiled and continued, "Then does Miss Zhang know what surname our Qinghe boss has?"
This stumped the other girl.
"How would I know! It's just a small company, what's there to be so proud of!" Zhang Wenwen impatiently turned her head away.
Her agent returned from an outside phone call and, seeing the tense atmosphere, learned that his young princess had caused trouble again. He quickly forced a smile and apologized to Xu Jing. "Sister Xu, our Wenwen is new to this industry and doesn't know much. Please be magnanimous as a senior."
"Oh?" Xu Jing replied with a fake smile. "My Yutong is also a newcomer. Does that mean she deserves to be ostracized?"
"How am I ostracizing her? She herself..." Zhang Wenwen tried to say more, but was stopped by her agent's glare.
"Actually, it's not entirely our Wenwen's fault. The style she saw at Fashion Week was indeed very similar to this! And she just said it was similar, nothing more..."
Seeing her attempt to shirk responsibility, Xu Jing sneered, "If you want to whitewash, you first need to have the right attitude. Everyone here isn't deaf; they heard what she said just now. Also, the dress Yutong is wearing was designed for her by Su Ying. Designer Su and our boss both have the surname Su!"
Mentioning her boss, Zhang Wenwen's face darkened considerably.
"I remember now! Qinghe's boss is Su He, who grew up with Su Lin, Su Ying, and the CEO of Yi Teng Technology. They are closer than sisters!"
"So, the dress Yutong is wearing is indeed the masterpiece of Designer Su!"
"No wonder it looks so good; it's a custom piece from a master designer!"
"I heard Designer Su's orders are already booked until next year!" At this moment, a glamorous figure appeared before everyone, the acclaimed actress Rao Man.
She was late because she had been interviewed by reporters. "Sister Han is so lucky; she can get clothes just by asking the boss! I pulled some strings, and I still have to wait another month or two."
Rao Man sounded full of envy.
Xu Jing didn't know her intentions well, as their friendship wasn't deep, so she tried to stir up more trouble for her artist. "It's just this one lucky time! Designer Su charged our boss double the price! And there won't be a next time!"
"Ah? Sisters still keep such clear accounts?" Rao Man feigned surprise.
"Each to their own. Even close brothers settle their accounts clearly!" Xu Jing said with a smile.
Just then, a server pushed a cart over to serve dishes, and everyone returned to their seats in order.
A crisis had passed.
However, before leaving, Xu Jing insisted that Zhang Wenwen apologize to Han Yutong. Showing weakness once could lead to more. If she wasn't firmly reprimanded, trouble would follow.
Knowing Qinghe's background, everyone at the table was very polite to Han Yutong.
The meal concluded on a pleasant note.
After dinner, Xu Jing took Han Yutong aside to chat with the director for a few minutes.
As they left the restaurant, Han Yutong's palms were sweaty.
"After this meal, what are your thoughts?" Xu Jing started the car, wanting to debrief her about the dinner.
Han Yutong thought for a moment and said, "The salt-baked chicken was quite delicious."
Xu Jing: .......
As expected, she was a silly child!
Xu Jing rubbed her forehead and patiently explained, "I'm talking about the social dynamics. Tonight, so many people spoke to you. How many did you remember? Did you glean any useful information?"
"Ah?" Han Yutong snapped back to attention, blushing with embarrassment. "Well, I haven't interacted with many people... I felt that Sister Rao Man was quite nice. She didn't put on airs as an award-winning actress and kept helping me out..."
Xu Jing scoffed. "And that's good enough?"
"Compared to Zhang Wenwen, I think it's very good," Han Yutong replied.
"Then, do you think it's easier to deal with Zhang Wenwen or Rao Man?" Xu Jing guided her patiently. She couldn't have artists who were so naive; they would be easily deceived.
Han Yutong tilted her head and thought. "Zhang Wenwen?"
"Why? Don't you find her difficult to deal with?"
"Maybe it's because her emotions are all written on her face, so there's no need to try too hard to guess," Han Yutong was not actually stupid, just inexperienced, and unaware of the world's intricacies.
"That's right!" Xu Jing praised. "Some people seem pleasant on the surface, but you never know what schemes they have up their sleeves. In the future, when you meet such people, you must be polite to them on the surface and avoid offending them if possible."
"Then, I'll try to avoid interacting with them in the future?" Han Yutong asked tentatively.
"Not necessarily. Just treat them like ordinary colleagues and don't think too much about things you shouldn't, especially concerning our boss," Xu Jing reminded her.
After knowing Qinghe's background, many people would surely try to curry favor.
If they couldn't get close to the top, they would start with those around them.
Han Yutong, with her lack of worldly wisdom, wouldn't be able to handle it.