Rebirth of the Fashion King

No. 31 Kangpeng Street

Six o'clock in the afternoon.

As darkness fell later in Paris, the streetlights on Rue Cambon remained off, and the famous wall of the Chanel flagship store gleamed a pale gold in the sunset.

Fan Bingbing stepped out of a black minivan, her face partially obscured by sunglasses, followed by her agent and assistant.

This was not her first time visiting 31 Kangpeng Street.

In 2007, she came to Paris to attend fashion shows and spent over 100,000 euros there, buying a classic flap bag, a tweed jacket, and several accessories.

That time, she was greeted by a regular sales consultant who swiped her card, saw her out, and politely said, "Welcome to visit again next time."

"Are you sure you can run into him if you go there now?" the agent asked in the car.

"Not sure." Fan Bing took off her sunglasses and touched up her lipstick in front of the makeup mirror.

"But it's better than sitting in a hotel waiting for a phone call. One or two months before a Chanel haute couture show, Mr. Karl will definitely be in Paris, and his team will definitely be on Rue Cambon."

She was really indignant. She had endured all sorts of hardships to enter the fashion industry, and she had put in a lot of effort and humbled herself to attend the shows in Paris. Why should Liu Yifei be allowed to do this? She had checked Liu Yifei's schedule for the past two years, and apart from going to Los Angeles during the promotion of "The Forbidden Kingdom", she had no international exposure at all.

No fashion week schedules, no brand events, no magazine covers, and he's only been to Paris a few times.

The agent swiped open his phone screen and lowered his voice.

  

"There are rumors that Liu Yifei was able to get the invitation because Li Xun personally recommended her."

Fan Bing nodded slightly and began to act according to the plan.

Her goal today wasn't shopping; she needed to create an opportunity to connect with Chanel's core team.

Liu Yifei's receipt of Karl Lagerfeld's personal invitation has already put her at a significant disadvantage.

If Liu Yifei had sat in the front row at that haute couture show and been seen by Anna Wintour and photographed by global fashion media, her position in the international fashion circle would have been completely different from then on. As for Fan Bingbing, she hadn't even gotten a ticket to enter that circle yet.

She came to Kangpeng Street to shop as an excuse; what she really wanted was to meet the person who could give her that ticket to the event.

"Is Mr. Carl here?" Fan Bing asked directly.

The sales consultant smiled politely: "We are very sorry that we cannot confirm Mr. Carl's schedule."

Fan Bing didn't press the matter further. She asked the sales consultant to show her the new styles, from ready-to-wear clothing to leather goods, and from leather goods to fine jewelry.

She tried on a coat, two dresses, a new colorway of the currently trending J12 watch, and two pairs of Coco Crush rings...

She swiped her card without batting an eye, spending several hundred thousand euros in total. This figure was almost two and a half times more than what she did in 2007, and it was carefully calculated.

"Ms. Fan, shall I pack it up and deliver it to your hotel, or...?"

"No rush." ​​Fan Bing sat down on the sofa and took off her sunglasses.

"I'd like a cup of coffee."

She spoke casually, as if she were genuinely tired from shopping and needed a rest, but her gaze swept over the spiral staircase leading to the upstairs studio.

She had certainly done her research on that staircase; it led to the studio of Karl Lagerfeld's team, the core birthplace of Chanel's haute couture collection, and was not open to any guests.

Many Hollywood stars have visited 31 Cambon Street, but they could only get to the VIP reception room on the first floor at most, and couldn't even go up to the second floor.

She refused to believe that this was the end for her today.

Her spending was no small amount; enough to buy a decent sports car in Paris. Fan Bing sat on the sofa, her fingertips lightly tapping the rim of her coffee cup, her face expressionless, but her mind racing.

It would be too deliberate for her to say she wanted to see Li Xun directly. She had only just arrived in Kangpeng Street; she shouldn't even know of Li Xun's existence.

The best approach is to attract attention through consumption. High-net-worth clients usually have access to higher management levels. Once they meet the store manager or regional director, she has a way to steer the conversation toward the seating arrangements at the haute couture fashion show.

Fan Bing picked up her coffee, took a sip, and turned to ask her agent, "Any news from Zhou Xun?"

"No, her team has withdrawn all Chanel-related press releases; they haven't published a single word." The agent's voice was very low.

"She knew better than we did that Chanel had given up on her."

Fan Bing didn't speak. She knew that Zhou Xun had been in contact with Chanel earlier than anyone else.

"Do you have detailed information about Li Xun?" Fan Bing asked.

"There isn't much publicly available information. He's 23 years old, of Chinese descent, and graduated from Central Saint Martins at 19. His graduation project caught the eye of Virginie Viard, and with the recommendation of Louis Wilson, the legendary fashion icon of Saint Martins, he was directly recruited into Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld."

During his time in the studio, he participated in the ready-to-wear line design, but was mainly responsible for leather goods. The Himalaya series was his signature work that established his reputation. Insiders say that he was not only valued by Mr. Karl and Ms. Virginia, but also highly favored by the big bosses, the Wertheimer brothers.

Who is Virginie?

"Virginie Villede, creative director of Chanel's creative studio and Karl Lagerfeld's first deputy."

The core creative team at Chanel consists of Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie. Liu Yifei's invitation was most likely due to Li Xun's recommendation, which led to her being unanimously approved by both Lagerfeld and Virginie.

Fan Bing placed the coffee cup back on the tray with a soft click.

"So the person I've always wanted to see is my compatriot, Li Xun."

Before the words were finished, footsteps echoed from the mirrored spiral staircase.

Fan Bing raised her head.

Four figures came down the stairs.

Sebastian the butler, plus the "three giants" of Chanel's old, middle and young design departments.

They walked and talked in French, seemingly because the studio was still working on fittings.

Fan Bing made her decision in that instant.

This opportunity may only come once.

She stood up from the sofa, carrying her coffee cup, and walked towards the stairs at a leisurely pace, as if she were just heading to the restroom. She passed right by Li Xun in the few seconds the three of them stopped to talk as they descended the stairs.

"Mr. Li Xun," she said in Chinese, her voice not loud, but clear.

Li Xun turned his head.

Fan Bing stopped, turned slightly to the side, and naturally faced the group of people coming down the stairs.

She chose a good angle; it was neither offensive as it would block the four people's way, nor would it force Li Xun to respond to her greeting.

"Excuse me for bothering you, I'm Fan Bing. I saw your designs for Chanel and I admire them very much. The Himalayas collection is the most aesthetically sophisticated handbag design I've ever seen. I'd love to have a chat with you sometime..."

She practiced that sentence for the entire afternoon.

She begins by making it clear that she is a customer who comes to spend money, not someone who is waiting for him. In the middle, she mentions the Himalayas series to prove that she has done her homework and is not just giving a casual compliment. She leaves a polite impression without putting pressure on the other party.

Li Xun glanced at her.

Fan Bing has seen all sorts of looks when people first meet her.

Men mostly look at her with desire, industry veterans tend to scrutinize or be polite, and brand representatives evaluate or scrutinize her...

But when Li Xun looked at her, he was as calm as if he were looking at someone who already knew the whole story.

There was no curiosity, no amazement, no "Oh, so you're Fan Bingbing" reaction, not even the most basic social smile.

He simply nodded, as if to a passerby, then looked away and continued talking to Karl beside him in French.

Fan Bing stopped in her tracks.

This reaction is so strange.

It wasn't polite indifference—it was courteousness with social distance.

Li Xun's reaction seemed to indicate that he had no intention of getting to know her at all, nor did he intend to leave any possibility of further development for this opportunity.

But he hadn't even met her yet.

Karl Lagerfeld noticed the woman standing in front of Li Xun.

He glanced at Fan Bing through his sunglasses. Fan Bing's well-maintained skin and delicate features were indeed outstanding under the lights of the Chanel flagship store.

He raised an eyebrow slightly above his sunglasses and asked Li Xun in French, "Do you know him?"

Li Xun turned his head slightly closer to Karl and said in a low voice.

Fan Bing could understand English, but not French; she only recognized two words.

"Hua Yi" and "pas bon (bad)".

Hua Yi.

He was referring to Huayi.

She is not a contracted artist with Huayi Brothers; she runs her own personal studio and has no contract with any agency.

However, the close relationship between her and Hua Yi is well-known in the industry.

Her personal studio is nominally independent, but in reality, it is highly dependent on Huayi's resource system—Huayi's film projects, Huayi's variety shows, and Huayi's media relations.

When she first established her personal studio, her claim of "independent operation" was more of a fancy phrase. People in the industry know how much resources she takes from Huayi Brothers every year in exchange for favors.

……