354 The World Is My Stage

"As you know, our boss is very ambitious. It’s difficult to find a place in New York. There are so many leisure brands here!"

"Even with your help, the future does not look that bright. Seven out of the 10 best leisure brands in the world are gathered in New York. These are terrible odds for a Chinese brand. We have to find another way out."

"Otherwise, we’ll just be following into the footsteps of Japan and Taiwan's stupid decisions. Do you know what kind of people gather at the Chelsea Fair?"

"Designers, of course."

"Bingo! I’ll show you the latest collection and give you a general idea of our brave, creative boss’ plan."

Actually, Guo didn't want to take the products out. They were embarrassing, but all the staff at J Clothing liked them.

He pulled the clothes from the bag while Qin Guan swallowed his coffee as fast as he could for fear of spitting it out.

Guo took out a thick cotton T-shirt with long sleeves. If one wore a coat on top, it would be able to withstand the chilling autumn wind.

There was a giant Chinese character "舞" [1] on it in a brush stroke. It reminded Qin Guan of the lively women dancing on public squares for exercise.

The following shirts nearly drove Qin Guan mad. There were different Chinese elements on them, including Kylin, blooming peony, and others...

There were only a few pedestrians around. Qin Guan picked up the shirt with the character "舞" and put it on. Clothes were not just for customers after all.

The size fit him fine. Qin Guan stood up.

The street suddenly turned into the most luxurious T stage and the hurried passersby into the best audience. The ordinary T-shirt looked like Versace on Qin Guan's body, illusory and entirely imaginary.

Qin Guan stopped at the end of the street and took a pose before Guo. "Not bad."

Guo gave him a thumbs-up with shining eyes. Suddenly, Qin Guan was surrounded by a group of people.

"Young man, where did you buy that shirt?"

"Is it a new product at Chelsea Fair? I didn't see it on a stand."

Designers and artists started asking Qin Guan questions one after the other.

Guo Nuoyan, who was a smart guy, hastened to take out his card holder and promote J Clothing in New York.

"Our new store is opening next week."

"Thank you for the compliment. Our fall and winter collections are both made by a famous designer, Liu Cheng."

The interested designers looked in the direction he was pointing at. It seems like a good store.

They felt the shirt with professional sensitiveness, using their fingers. Thick cotton, well-knit and practical. They were all satisfied.

Two designers lingered around with their cards. One of them was Lillian, who had an oil painting studio, and the other was a street photographer named Juan. They wanted to talk to Qin Guan.

Everyone had left. Guo Nuoyan excitedly expressed his admiration of his boss. Americans will experience China’s strong productivity.

Looking at the capricious expression on Guo's face, Qin Guan patted him on the shoulder with a smile. Then he took off the shirt. "What’s its factory and retail price?"

Guo grinned. "Five yuan and 29.9 dollars... Ho ho ho!"

Ho ho ho? You are cheating American people. I believe in you though. You can beat Hollister, Mary Zeta, and cheap supermarket T-shirts alike.

Qin Guan could imagine people surging into the J Clothing store. Of course, as the brand ambassador, Qin Guan also had to make a contribution.

Before he left, Guo pulled him to a door beside the store. It was a blind zone, so most passersby ignored it.

"There’s a room next to our store that’s useless to us. It’s about 40 square meters though. Not small at all. Here is the contract."

Confused, Qin Guan opened the file and read it. The terms stated that Qin Guan could use it for free as advance payment. In return, he had to wear J Clothing during the entire next year.

This was real profit. The room was in New York, where even an inch of land was worth an ounce of gold. I better make good use of it.

Qin Guan left any plans about the room for the future and picked several clothing samples, including men and women’s clothes from the stock.

"I’ll wear them. Wait for my call."

He took a card from Guo and left the hall that smelled like paint.