Chapter 4 - After Party

After presenting the awards to everyone who had been nominated, the emcee had taken over the stage. Zhao Sean was then led to his designated dressing room where he had to change to another set of clothes. He never really could understand the need to change into another set of clothes for these events. But he supposes it is needed by those who have to perform on stage or as a back-up for when they dirtied their clothes. Ah, whatever.

"Here, laoban," Jinnian said, helping Xiao Zhan in his red suit jacket. There were some people in the room--his team, which includes his manager (Ju Jinnian), his make-up artist (Peng Xiang), his hairstylist (Qi Ying), and his style coordinator (Sha Sha). He's usually with them whenever he decided to take on a role for a drama or even in these events. He wouldn't know how to style himself if they're not with him if he's being completely honest with himself.

Although they are not always with him these days, they are always and still on call whenever he needed them when attending such kinds of events.

"I'm sorry Ms. Qin but you are not---" Zhao Sean heard A-Yue (his secretary) say, following behind his fiancee who barged into his dressing room.

"Laoban, Ms. Qin said she wanted to speak with you," A-Yue bowed respectfully, the usually calm and collected secretary looking a bit ruffled and annoyed. Xiao Zhan waved his apologies off.

"It's okay," Zhao Sean said before turning to his team, "Please give us a moment," Jinnian and Sha Sha nodded before filing out of the room with the others in tow.

"I thought I said your presence is not needed for tonight's event?" Zhao Sean began, raising a delicate brow in Qin Yuer's direction.

"I know, but aren't we to be married? We need to appear together at the after-party." Qin Yuer said, batting her eyelashes innocently at him.

"Besides, grandpa said I need to accompany you at these social events from now on, get used to being by your side and-" Qin Yuer babbled, not minding that her voice is loud enough for others to be heard.

Zhao Sean visibly bristled.

"Mary," Zhao Sean began, cutting off Qin Yuer mid-sentence. His voice is calm yet you could feel how cold it is, "You do not have the right to call my grandpa so familiarly!"

"Why not? We are to be married now, right? So what's wrong with calling Mr. Zhao Fang Lei grandpa?" Qin Yuer asked innocently.

"MARY!" Zhao Sean roared, flushing red in anger. He had been very patient with this woman the whole time they have to appear at every public event his grandfather wanted him to attend.

He had also been very patient with her every single time she shows her face in his home (sometimes he really wants to move away from that house just so he could get away from her). Always trying to pretend that he's not disgusted whenever she asks for something. His nerves are already taut hearing her babble about their wedding and her calling his grandfather was the last straw.

"Okay, okay. I was just trying to get myself used to calling him grandpa now, jeez!" Qin Yuer said, smiling as if she hasn't offended Zhao Sean.

"What do you really want?" Zhao Sean asked, gritting his teeth to try and rein in his anger.

"Well, you see, my friends and I was planning on going shopping-" Qin Yuer began, but before she could finish her sentence, Zhao Sean is already pulling out his wallet.

"Take this and leave, you're ruining my night," Zhao Sean said, handing her the black and gold credit card.

"Does this mean there's no limit on how much I could spend?" Qin Yuer asked, clearly delighted.

"Suit yourself, I don't care anymore," Zhao Sean said before exiting the dressing room and leaving Qin Yuer behind.

"Give me a copy of every single receipt she'll produce, I want to add it on my record," Zhao Sean said when A-Yue approached him. A-Yue nodded.

Jinnian guided him towards his van, where the rest of his staff were already waiting. They could just fix him up before heading to the hotel where the after-party is being held.

"Oh gosh! Your make-up's a mess," Peng Xiang said, fussing with her kit for a few seconds before dabbing a light face-powder onto Zhao Sean's face.

"And your hair is too! I told you not to mess them up!" Qi Ying grumbled, immediately getting her hairbrush and the hair spray so she could fix his hair.

It's not my fault I messed them up, Mary is a pain in the butt!

When they reached the venue, Zhao Sean was escorted to the grand hall where the party is already in full swing.

Some of the artists are already there and had changed into another set of clothes too. He was handed a glass of champagne, but he returned them in favor of grabbing a glass of red wine instead for himself.

"Hey, handsome," Someone said after clearing their throat, linking arms with Zhao Sean. If he had not recognized the voice, he would have thrown them to the ground as his little aikido training was about to kick in.

"Bai Muyang," Zhao Sean felt his lips stretch into a genuine smile, facing his friend (another real person he was lucky to have met), and clinking their wine glasses together.

"Aw shucks, I think I'm in love again!" Bai Muyang said, clutching a hand at his chest as if hit by an invisible arrow and pretending to faint dramatically at seeing Zhao Sean's smile.

Because only a few people get to see that real smile.

"Shut up! Where's Qiushi-ge and Chris-ge?" Zhao Sean asked as he took a sip of his wine.

Ahhh, this wine is quite good. Zhao Sean may not like drinking beers but he sure as hell could appreciate a good wine when he tastes one. 

"They're over there, dummy!" Bai Muyang said, leading Zhao Sean towards the other side of the room where the DJ the event organizer hired was perched near the bar.

When they reached the two of them, they all exchanged a handshake and half-hug that Zhao Sean is used to giving to all the real people—friends—that he found and connected with.

"Qiushi-ge, how's you and Cai Zhao-di?" Zhao Sean asked, making sure that no one would be able to hear him. 

He had been a fan of ECHO ever since 2013 up until now and he is also a fan of Chen Qiushi and Cai Zhao's ship. Everyone thought that their ship had sunk when Qiushi left ECHO and left Cai Zhao, but Zhao Sean knows, their ship is strong so it will never sink.

"He's doing alright, always busy since they always have new ideas for an album and they had to promote," Qiushi said, smiling brightly.

They talked about everything and anything they could think of, catching up with each other's life as they can only meet each other at events and times like this. Each of them had a lot of things on their plates and it's understandable that they don't have a lot of time to catch up.

Zhao Sean was laughing at something that Chris had said, but was interrupted by A-Yue.

"Laoban, someone wishes to speak with you," A-Yue said, bowing at everyone and apologizing for having been the one to interrupt them.

"Okay, please excuse us," Zhao Sean said smiling before turning away and taking the call.