MMB Chapter 105 Saved the Empress Dowager
Chapter 105 Saved the Empress Dowager
Chapter 105 Saved the Empress Dowager
Inside the shop, Lin Mu found a black crescent-shaped plastic statue and had Karadi stand in front of it, stretching his long legs and striking a pose with a faint air of world-weariness on his face.
With a click, the image froze. Lin Mu fiddled with the camera, taking several more photos to use as promotional images. The shoot went smoothly, taking only an hour to complete.
After finishing her work, Sheng Mingyue brought over an invitation and said, "Lin Mu, would you like to attend a high-society gathering? All the big names in Paris will be there, and I heard that Karl Lagerfeld, the chief designer of Chanel, will also be attending."
Lin Mu's eyes lit up, and he said, "Could we send Karadi too? What if the Empress Dowager takes a liking to her? Wouldn't we be hitting the jackpot?"
The so-called "Old Buddha" is a nickname used in the industry for a celebrity whose real name is Karl Lagerfeld.
Because of his supreme status and dominance in the fashion world, as well as the authoritative image brought by his advanced age, he is respectfully called "Kaiser Karl" in the industry.
He was the chief designer for top luxury brands such as Chanel and Versace, and almost single-handedly revived Chanel.
Sheng Mingyue thought for a moment and said, "That works too."
Lin Mu asked the translator to tell Karadi about this and ask her if she wanted to go together.
When Carradine heard that she could meet Karl Lagerfeld, she was overjoyed. Lagerfeld was a household name in the fashion world, and countless models had dreamed of being chosen by him and achieving a "rags to riches" transformation.
Karadi said excitedly, "Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I really don't know how to thank you enough."
Lin Mu thought to himself: Actually, according to the normal timeline, this child works backstage at the Paris Fashion Show, and given enough time, he would have met Karl Lagerfeld himself.
Now, he's simply moved the time forward. Lin Mu, however, isn't sure if meeting her earlier will change Karadi's fate. Probably not, right? She's a girl with incredible luck.
At the same time, Lin Mu asked curiously, "Mingyue, you're quite the hidden talent! You even have connections in Paris?"
Sheng Mingyue replied, "It was just good luck. Do you remember that Louis Vuitton store in Wulin Square?"
"My father is a minor shareholder in Wulin Plaza and bought a lot of things at that store."
"On one occasion, my family came to Paris for a trip, and my father used his connections with luxury brands to get into Parisian high society. Of course, our family is just considered nouveau riche here, and we have no chance of really pulling any strings. Everything depends on seizing opportunities."
Lin Mu thought for a moment. He had never been involved in the Parisian high society in his previous life.
In his previous life, after rising to the rank of senior executive, he only knew the powerful and influential people in Hangzhou and had met Jack Ma a few times. He had never been on such an international stage before.
However, he wasn't too nervous. To put it bluntly, the elite circles in Paris and Hangzhou are essentially no different; the only difference is the resources they possess and the things they exchange.
If we're really going to compare, wasn't Alibaba much more powerful than Louis Vuitton later on? He wasn't afraid of betraying Jack Ma later, let alone these other people.
Sheng Mingyue looked Lin Mu up and down and asked, "Did you bring any suitable clothes?"
Lin Mu smiled and said, "Paris has no shortage of tailor shops. I can just pick any shop here and have a suit made to my measurements. It won't be expensive; 500 to 1000 euros will do."
The next day, Lin Mu and his group arrived at the party venue.
The event was hosted by a French business tycoon who booked the entire Kering Hotel.
Lin Mu wore a white suit that he had custom-made for 800 euros. This color scheme is not easy to pull off, but it looked just right on Lin Mu.
He was young and full of vigor, and wearing a white suit, he was not easily mistaken for a doorman or waiter.
On the other side, Sheng Mingyue wore a Chanel women's blazer and carried a small handbag, exuding the capable style of a female entrepreneur. Carradine, on the other hand, changed into a grey British-style coat, dressing with a distinctly British flair.
As the group entered the venue, they saw celebrities gathered in small groups, chatting amongst themselves.
Someone said, "France is about to rejoin NATO. I really don't know what the leaders were thinking, insisting on being America's hunting dogs."
Another person chimed in, "I have some additional inside information about the collision between the British submarine HMS Vanguard and the French submarine Le Triomphant in the Atlantic last month."
Someone over there is discussing: "A strike in the French public sector has caused a major disruption to public services. What might be the underlying logic behind this?"
Some people joked, "The Parisians are truly something else. Their ancestors suffered for three generations, and they're unwilling to endure hardship anymore."
Lin Mu observed the scene casually, while Sheng Mingyue introduced him to several celebrities in the fashion world.
This is a well-known photographer, that is an executive of a fashion company, and this is an executive of a luxury goods company.
Lin Mu thought to himself: Sure enough, the celebrities in Paris chatted just like the celebrities in Hangzhou. They all loved to gossip and spread rumors.
"You want to see Karl Lagerfeld, is that right?" The executive from the luxury brand gestured with his eyes in a direction not far away.
The group looked in the direction he indicated and saw a handsome middle-aged man with white hair wearing a suit, holding a cocktail in his hand, talking to the person next to him.
Seemingly noticing someone watching him, the handsome man turned his head, his gaze falling on Carradine. He paused, a look of admiration on his face.
Karl Lagerfeld walked slowly towards them. A big shot like him seemed to exude an aura of authority, and people around him would subtly glance in his direction, wanting to see where this big shot was going and what he was doing.
When everyone realized that the old lady was walking towards Lin Mu and his group, many people cast curious glances, wanting to see who these unfamiliar Asian faces were.
Karl Lagerfeld smiled and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, would I have the honor of getting to know you?"
The executive who had previously gestured to them was also surprised that the Empress Dowager would personally step forward, and quickly introduced them: "This is Ms. Sheng from China. Her family is in the real estate business, and she also owns a clothing brand. This is Mr. Lin. He is a very talented marketing person and works for a well-known e-commerce company in China."
"Oh?" Karl Lagerfeld raised an eyebrow. In the internet age, Europe had gradually fallen behind, and there were no internationally renowned internet companies in the country. He was more curious about the e-commerce companies from China and how they operated.
Of course, this was merely a matter of curiosity; he had no intention of collaborating. High-end luxury brands would lose value if they were listed on e-commerce platforms. Even Amazon had approached many people seeking collaboration with Chanel, but he rejected them all.
However, his real target was Carradine—this child's figure and temperament were perfect for him to be a clothes hanger, and he could personally bestow upon her wealth.
Perhaps because he was thirsty, Karl Lagerfeld took a sip of his cocktail. There happened to be a decorative cherry on the rim of the glass, and he reached out to put it in his mouth, but unfortunately, the cherry got stuck in his throat.
Karl Lagerfeld was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened, the glass in his hand crashed to the ground and shattered, and he clutched his throat tightly with both hands, his face instantly turning red.
In an instant, this place became the center of attention.
"Oh my god, what's wrong?" the executive exclaimed.
Some people rushed forward to support Karl Lagerfeld, while others shouted anxiously, "Doctor! Where's the doctor? Call a doctor!"
Actually, everyone was too far away to see clearly what happened to Karl Lagerfeld; only Lin Mu and his group saw it clearly.
Lin Mu never expected things to turn out this way. He really didn't remember if the old lady had ever suffered like this in his previous life. Could this be a small butterfly effect brought about by his rebirth?
At this moment, Karl Lagerfeld had squatted down on the ground, his face flushed red, and his breathing becoming more and more rapid, clearly on the verge of suffocation.
Logically, a high-profile gathering of this caliber would normally be accompanied by a doctor, or even a medical team. But for some reason, perhaps due to the inevitable oversights of makeshift teams at high-end events worldwide, no doctor has arrived yet.
Lin Mu gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and stepped forward to prepare to perform basic first aid.
He helped Karl Lagerfeld up, laid him face down on his lap, and then, with one fist clenched, thrust upwards into his abdomen – this is the Heimlich maneuver.
After several attempts, with a "uh-huh" sound, the stuck cherry was finally spat out.
Karl Lagerfeld slumped to the ground, his face gradually turning from purple to red, panting heavily, finally recovering.
"Oh, that's great!" The onlookers breathed a sigh of relief and applauded Lin Mu.