It wasn't until 10:30 in the morning that the executive committee member finally managed to find a way to contact Huang He.
This was largely thanks to his wife. Seeing her husband anxiously making calls, she inquired about the reason and then reminded him, "Didn't the princess of that small country call you a few days ago, asking you to arrange for a Chinese designer to participate in the main show of Paris Fashion Week?"
"Is this Chinese designer related to the Jiangnan Group?"
The executive committee member didn't know if the Chinese designer was related to the Jiangnan Group, but he figured that since they were both Chinese, there might be a way to connect them.
When Qu Wei was studying abroad in France, she was also one of the designers registered with the Fashion Association. Therefore, he quickly found Qu Wei's contact information and dialed her number.
"Finally found you! Shall I give him the phone?" The executive committee member didn't know that Qu Wei was sitting in the Tuileries Garden at that very moment, smiling at Huang He as she watched the sea of flowers beside him.
"Too slow. It seems my reputation in France isn't big enough yet!" Huang He sighed, then nodded, allowing Qu Wei to pass her phone number to the executive committee member.
A short while later, Huang He's phone rang, and a string of French came from the other end. Huang He didn't understand it and hung up directly.
A few seconds later, the call came again, still in French, so Huang He hung up again.
After four or five consecutive attempts, the phone finally stopped ringing. On the other side, the executive committee member was so angry he almost threw his phone.
"I won't approve your allowance for a new phone!" his wife suddenly said, startling him into quickly picking up his phone. He saw several cracks on the screen and his heart sank.
So, while lamenting, he cursed the damned Chinese person. Finally, his wife reminded him that the Chinese person might not understand French and suggested he find a Chinese translator to convey his message.
"But where can I find a Chinese translator on such short notice?" the executive committee member said dejectedly.
"Didn't you just talk to a Chinese person?" His wife's reminder made the executive committee member suddenly realize. He dejectedly dialed Qu Wei's number, explained the situation in detail, and asked if Qu Wei could act as an intermediary to explain things to Huang He and let the construction team in.
"I won't do it!" Qu Wei flatly refused.
"You dare refuse me! Don't you want your membership anymore?" The executive committee member was furious. A member of the Paris Fashion Association dared to refuse him. Did she not want this valuable membership?
"Does the membership mean anything to me?" Qu Wei laughed angrily. "According to the association's standards, I've long met the criteria to participate in the official main show of Paris Fashion Week, but you've held me back. What do I need this membership for? Kick me out if you want; it has nothing to do with me!"
With that, Qu Wei hung up the phone.
"Feeling good?" Huang He asked with a chuckle after the call ended.
"Great!" Qu Wei nodded vigorously, her face flushed.
"Then I'll make you feel even better later," Huang He grinned.
On the other side, the executive committee member was stunned. He seemed to have just remembered how he had treated Qu Wei. However, he didn't think it was his fault. Instead, he blamed Qu Wei for not understanding the bigger picture and berated her harshly. Unfortunately, Qu Wei couldn't hear him, and his own blood pressure rose significantly.
"Fine, I'll find a Chinese student myself to be a translator. France has plenty of Chinese students anyway!" The executive committee member decided to bypass Qu Wei and communicate with Huang He directly.
At this moment, the situation outside the Tuileries Garden became even more chaotic because a fashion brand, along with their models, had already arrived.
Although the main show was scheduled to start at 7 PM, the models needed to familiarize themselves with the venue, and the staff needed to rehearse the flow of the event. All of this required advance setup on-site.
So, although they arrived a bit later than the construction workers, the first batch of brands and models arrived around ten in the morning. However, they never expected to be blocked outside the Tuileries Garden. And they weren't alone; the construction workers and an almost desperate Kelt were also stuck with them.
"What happened?" the brand's staff asked and were then informed that the Tuileries Garden would be closed for three months, with no access in between.
The brand's staff were dumbfounded. They tried to communicate with the staff and flashed their international brand credentials, but it was useless. They were still blocked outside.
The models, meanwhile, looked at the Tuileries Garden with bewilderment, unsure of what was happening.
Soon, the staff reported this critical situation to the company. The company was also taken aback and called the executive committee member of the organizing committee, only to find his phone was busy.
At this time, the executive committee member, through connections, quickly found a nearby Chinese student and had him call Huang He on his behalf.
"As expected, Huang He didn't refuse when a Chinese person spoke to him. Instead, he quietly listened to the Chinese student's account."
"Tell him to open the Tuileries Garden for me immediately and let the staff in!" the executive committee member yelled, and the student quickly translated.
"Tell him that I have made my decision. The Tuileries Garden must be closed for three months and will not be opened!" Huang He said very decisively.
"Yes..." The student trembled as he translated Huang He's words to the executive committee member, who then roared, "You ignorant Chinese, do you know whose event you are rejecting?"
"This is the Paris Fashion Association. We are holding the world-renowned Paris Fashion Week. Hundreds of media outlets, thousands of reporters, and countless socialites will gather at the Tuileries Garden. How dare you prevent us from entering? Do you know you have offended someone you absolutely cannot afford to offend?" the executive committee member raved, making the Chinese student afraid to translate.
However, Huang He seemed to understand what he was saying. Without the Chinese student's translation, Huang He said very decisively, "This is a French royal palace. What are you tailors to me!"
Then he directly hung up the phone.
When the executive committee member called again, Huang He simply ignored it and blocked the number.
The executive committee member was on the verge of a breakdown. Meanwhile, outside the Tuileries Garden, more and more fashion brands and models were arriving, along with some early-arriving reporters.
Unlike the anxious brand companies and designers, the reporters' eyes lit up at the scene.
Whether Paris Fashion Week would proceed was secondary; what mattered was that they could get a big scoop. It was already 11 AM, and all the brands and models participating in the first show of Paris Fashion Week, as well as construction workers, were being kept outside. The Tuileries Garden had announced a three-month closure.
Did this mean that Paris Fashion Week, which had been held in the Tuileries Garden for over 50 years, would be forced to change venues and schedules for the first time in its history?
This was huge news! The situation was incredibly entertaining.
So, the media reporters were ecstatic, taking photos and gathering all sorts of news material.
The major fashion brands, as well as some fashion association staff who had also arrived, were bombarding the executive committee member's phone.
But the executive committee member clearly couldn't resolve the issue, so more senior officials from the fashion association received calls and learned of the news that left all of them stunned.
The fashion show was scheduled to begin that evening. If it couldn't be held at the Tuileries Garden on time, and especially if the news media reported and publicized it extensively, the Paris Fashion Association would undoubtedly become a laughingstock.
Especially those darned British. The fashion association's higher-ups seemed to foresee that jokes about France for the next year would fall upon them.
With this thought, how could the senior officials sit still? They all rushed to the entrance of the Tuileries Garden. When they arrived, they witnessed a magnificent spectacle: a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the Tuileries Garden, the most prominent being rows upon rows of tall, beautiful supermodels with fair, long legs and exquisite figures.
These stunning beauties lined up at the entrance of the Tuileries Garden. It was a rare sight that only occurred once in a century. Many passing drivers stopped their cars to gawk at their legs and whistle, creating a festive atmosphere.
However, the senior officials of the fashion association were far from cheerful. They immediately found the executive committee member, who had arrived earlier, to inquire about the situation. The executive committee member could only regretfully explain that no matter how he communicated with the Chinese entrepreneur, the latter refused to open the gate.
"Just call the management office directly!" the president of the fashion association commanded. However, upon calling, they were informed that the person in charge was on vacation, currently on a plane, and unreachable.
"Call the Minister of Culture!" the president said with red eyes. The minister replied that it was not under his purview but was a matter for the police.
However, the police stated that no laws were being broken and there was no reason for them to intervene, suggesting they consult the Ministry of Culture or the Interior Ministry.
"Call Mr. President directly!" the president roared. This time, the President did answer the call and did not evade the issue. After listening carefully to the request, the President sincerely stated that he would communicate with Huang He and asked the president and his colleagues to wait patiently.
The president then felt relieved and confidently told those around him that the gates would be opened in no more than five minutes.
However, thirty minutes passed, and there was still no sign of the gates opening. In utter humiliation, the president had to call the President again.
"This is very difficult for me!" the President said on the phone. "I just communicated with Mr. Huang He. Mr. Huang He expressed that he strongly supports the holding of Paris Fashion Week. However, he discovered that on a tree near the construction site of the venue, a nest of birds has been built, and they have hatched a brood of chicks."
"If a large and noisy fashion show is held at this time, these nesting birds will certainly be frightened away. And if someone crashes into the tree, they might knock down the fragile nest, repeating the tragedy that occurred a few days ago!"
Even if the nest wasn't knocked down, the fragile chicks might be scared by the loud noise and chaotic lights and fall from the nest.
Even if they didn't fall, they would certainly suffer severe psychological trauma. But there are no mental health therapists for birds in the world, so for the safety of this brood of chicks, it would be better not to hold Paris Fashion Week in the Tuileries Garden. As President, he couldn't bear the public's anger!