Rebirth: The Ascent of a Socialite-Chapter 619 - 250: Fame and Fortune
Those who appear on the cover of VOGUE are either top fashion pioneers, like the supermodel Mor on the previous issue’s cover, or well-known socialites.
The three people on the cover are sitting in a formation that spells out the Chinese character for "product," with handcrafted gold silk symbolizing the royal air of the East as their sole backdrop.
The tall Lin Ying and Sister Mu are seated at the bottom, while Su Ziceng is given the place of honor at the center, her hands casually resting on Sister Mu and Lin Ying. Her flawlessly made-up face bears a smile that is demure yet generous. None of them are wearing the VOGUE-designated attire but are instead dressed in unreleased new apparel from Espr, as previously arranged with the magazine.
From the seating arrangement alone, one could tell that the magazine places great importance on Su Ziceng. A woman of no renown and without a prominent background has captured the attention of VOGUE. This was the same question that lingered in everyone’s mind, including Wen Maixue.
And when Pello flipped through the magazine, in addition to paying attention to that familiar yet unfamiliar face on the cover, he noticed something else.
The three fashionably casual figures each held a can of Coke in their hands. The conspicuous red and white color scheme with the visible coca-cola text was plainly an advertisement.
Furthermore, in the internal pages, during the interview when the reporter asked the three women, each with a distinct style but similarly slim figures, their secrets to maintaining their shape, everyone except Sister Mu unanimously mentioned their preference for running in Camper sports shoes, while Sister Mu claimed her figure was maintained through an American brand of protein powder.
"Blatant advertising," Wen Maixue called out as soon as she got the magazine, immediately requesting all Zara executives to attend an emergency meeting at the company. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
The head of the publicity department mentally praised Apple’s publicity strategy, and verbally echoed it: "This is a disgrace to the fashion world, to blatantly advertise during an interview."
The financial director calculated: "Who knows how much advertising revenue these companies have paid to Apple."
Just one interview managed to cover advertisements for Apple itself, as well as beverages, footwear, and health products—hitting four birds with one stone. It certainly made a hefty sum for Apple.
"If it were just about the money Apple earned, that’d be an easier issue, but I think it’s not that simple," Pello said, his expression furrowing with worry lines creasing his forehead.
"Indeed, if it were just about the money, the problem wouldn’t be that big," Wen Maixue gazed at the English-translated VOGUE, a publication only distributed in North America, which only a few professionals in the country would browse, beyond reach for most consumers.
Publications circulated only in North America and English-speaking countries do have certain impacts but obviously won’t affect Z country’s market much. Su Ziceng is still too green in the area of apparel management to grasp such simple and obvious things.
That’s what most Zara executives thought. Being a cover figure, so what? It was just another pretty vase, albeit an exceptionally beautiful one.
Pello thought back to the night when Su Ziceng had debated with him in an orderly fashion and couldn’t help wondering if she really intended to be just a qualified vase.
Su Ziceng was still unaware that she had just been labeled as a vase and had made the magazine cover. The joy of this achievement was trivial compared to Jim’s dissatisfaction at that moment.
"Why not charge them advertisement fees?" When VOGUE was first published, Jim had managed to get a copy from an American friend through connections. In the magazine, the "trio of beauties" were prudent and measured in both their words and demeanor. Lin Ying had addressed the speculation about her marriage, and Sister Mu, undaunted, had put her post-amputation poise on full display.
Su Ziceng, however, was the one asked the most questions. Even this was beyond her own expectations. She was somewhat taken aback upon learning that her interview transcript was personally reviewed by the editor-in-chief.
The photoshoot took place in one of VOGUE’s main studios. When the powerful photography lights were turned on, Su Ziceng could feel that, under the dual pressure of the lights and her inner panic, her complexion must look terrible.
On the other side of the studio, Lin Ying and Sister Mu reviewed their own interview scripts, while she aimlessly looked at her heavily revised copy, her gaze struggling to focus.
"Don’t be nervous, there’s always a first time for everything." Su Ziceng took out a coral red lipstick from her makeup bag and applied another layer to her lips, hoping that the artificial color would help mask her current pallor.
