The order for appearances always has a certain vibe to it, but who goes in the middle is usually no big deal—not like opening or closing. Zoe couldn't understand why Si Tian suddenly insisted on going after her. She exchanged a quick look with Lan, and both caught a trace of confusion on each other's faces.
Right then, a staff member coordinating the event walked over and said, "Miss Si, it's your turn now."
The staff hadn't caught what Si Tian just said. Si Tian's assistant looked a little stressed and leaned over, saying, "Miss Si, the lineup was set from the start. It's a bit hard to change last minute, so if you—"
"What's so hard about it?" Si Tian glanced over at Zoe. "Just go ask her to switch." The assistant looked even more uncomfortable.
Suddenly, all eyes were on Zoe, with different vibes in each look.
Zoe was completely lost. She'd never even crossed paths with Si Tian, let alone had any conflict. Why the sudden attitude from Si Tian? Why act like there's beef when there isn't?
Who cares about going first or second, especially if it's not the opening or finale slot? This was clearly just about making things awkward for her. Zoe looked over at Lan.
Lan whispered, "Not our problem, don't react. Let's just wait until someone from the brand actually comes over."
So far, this had all been Si Tian's own demands, and while her assistant looked uncomfortable, no one from the brand itself had approached Zoe about it. After all, anyone could tell Si Tian was just trying to stir up drama.
Any brand with a little class wouldn't put up with this kind of nonsense.
Because of Si Tian's demands, the brand had to scramble and ask the celebs scheduled to appear after them to go ahead first. Each person that walked past gave Zoe and Lan a quick, curious look.
Zoe leaned toward Lan and whispered, "Standing around like this, I feel like we're on display or something."
Finally, someone a little higher up from the brand came over. He first went to Si Tian to discuss, and when that didn't seem to go over well, a faint look of irritation appeared on his face.
But he didn't say much and came over to Zoe.
The manager gave a polite explanation and then asked, "Miss Zoe, would you mind going first?"
Zoe nodded, "Of course, no problem."
The manager looked visibly relieved, "Thank you for being so understanding."
Zoe smiled warmly, "I really love your jewelry—it's gorgeous."
Zoe's easygoing attitude only made Si Tian's face turn darker. Zoe's friendly attitude made Si Tian's fussiness look, well, petty. Si Tian felt annoyed but had nowhere to vent her frustration.
When Zoe hit the red carpet, there was an immediate burst of energy and flashes from cameras everywhere.
No one had expected Zoe to show up at this event. And with Song also expected to appear, the photographers clicked away even faster.
With her signature sweet smile, Zoe struck pose after pose, often angling her body to show her side profile. This way, her bracelet and earrings could face the camera directly. She switched up her hand positions, changed poses, and, in a flurry of flashes, finished the red carpet and made her way to the interview area.
The host's questions were all about the brand, and Zoe followed the script, sharing her thoughts, before finally heading to her seat among the other guests.