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"Hi, I'm here from Gusu Lan, I was hired to play for the cocktail reception? Where should I set up?" Yuan gives the security guard at the back door a polite smile, though it's met with nothing but cool professionalism as the muscular man asks for his credentials in response.
Yuan digs out the company's copy of the booking confirmation and his own ID to show him, but though his smile never falters it's also never returned. The man doesn't look unhappy, just... not the smiling type, apparently. Yuan doesn't take it personally, just thanks him politely as his ID is handed back and shifts his guqin case on his shoulder while he waits for the guard to check his list.
Finally he's waved through and told where to find the event coordinator. He'd sort of been aware that this event was a big deal - it was a Jin Group event after all, everything they do is a big deal - but the fact they even had a bouncer on the service entrance suggested it was pretty serious even by their standards.
The event coordinator at least gives him a smile, however brief, but she also gives him an almost militarily precise rundown of the event. It seems like it's been scheduled to the second. There's to be a small press conference in the ante-room outside, followed by a cocktail reception for the invited guests to mingle (where he'll be playing) and then the official swearing-in of the new CEO followed by a dinner. Yuan will also be playing for the dinner as part of a group, but the others are due to arrive later.
Once she's double and triple checked that he knows exactly what he's doing, gone over his song list to confirm it is the planned and approved selection they agreed upon with his boss, and gives him a list of rules that would be dizzying if he didn't work for Gusu Lan (even part time), he's left to go and set up.
The hall for the reception is empty right now, apart from waitstaff hurrying about getting everything in place, so Yuan moves to his designated corner and begins setting up and tuning his qin.
"So you're the music guy, right?" An obnoxious voice breaks through his quiet concentration as he sorts through his sheet music and he looks up in surprise.
"Yes?" He says softly, wondering if there's some issue. The young man is about his own age, and for a moment Yuan mistakes him for one of the waitstaff, until he realises that his black trousers and white shirt aren't quite the full uniform of the staff, and they look much better quality than anything worn by anybody else in the room.
He's also got a glass of red wine in his hand, and none of these servers would be caught dead drinking on the job.
"What even is that thing?"
"It's a guqin." Yuan answers politely, patient with someone who is quite possibly a guest who's slipped into the room early.
"A gu-what?" He scoffs, carrying on before Yuan can repeat himself "So fucking pretentious. Everything about this stupid event is so pretentious."
Yuan isn't quite sure how to reply to that, so he just smiles politely.
"Can I help you with anything, sir?"
The young man just sneers at him and then, without any kind of pretense, just pours the remains of his glass over Yuan's dress shirt. Yuan's eyes widen in horrified shock.
"Wha-" He manages to get out before the guest bursts out laughing.
"Your face! Ha!" He taunts "Not so fucking perfect now, is it?"
He walks away laughing, knocking a tray of glasses out the hands of a server as he goes. Whatever the hell is going on with him, he's clearly just looking to cause chaos.
The event coordinator bustles in and stops in horror at the scene.
"You three, help clear that up," she barks out immediately, drawing other servers in to help with the broken glass situation before marching over to Yuan "do you have another shirt?"
Yuan shakes his head apologetically and she grits her teeth like she wants to say something unprofessional but can't.
"The kitchen will have baking soda and the bathrooms are down that hall, please just do what you can, and quickly." She says - brisk but not unkind. Yuan nods and hurries through to the kitchen and then to the bathroom, glad to find it empty as he tugs his shirt off and spreads it on the counter so he can try and wash it.
Yuan digs out the company's copy of the booking confirmation and his own ID to show him, but though his smile never falters it's also never returned. The man doesn't look unhappy, just... not the smiling type, apparently. Yuan doesn't take it personally, just thanks him politely as his ID is handed back and shifts his guqin case on his shoulder while he waits for the guard to check his list.
Finally he's waved through and told where to find the event coordinator. He'd sort of been aware that this event was a big deal - it was a Jin Group event after all, everything they do is a big deal - but the fact they even had a bouncer on the service entrance suggested it was pretty serious even by their standards.
The event coordinator at least gives him a smile, however brief, but she also gives him an almost militarily precise rundown of the event. It seems like it's been scheduled to the second. There's to be a small press conference in the ante-room outside, followed by a cocktail reception for the invited guests to mingle (where he'll be playing) and then the official swearing-in of the new CEO followed by a dinner. Yuan will also be playing for the dinner as part of a group, but the others are due to arrive later.
Once she's double and triple checked that he knows exactly what he's doing, gone over his song list to confirm it is the planned and approved selection they agreed upon with his boss, and gives him a list of rules that would be dizzying if he didn't work for Gusu Lan (even part time), he's left to go and set up.
The hall for the reception is empty right now, apart from waitstaff hurrying about getting everything in place, so Yuan moves to his designated corner and begins setting up and tuning his qin.
"So you're the music guy, right?" An obnoxious voice breaks through his quiet concentration as he sorts through his sheet music and he looks up in surprise.
"Yes?" He says softly, wondering if there's some issue. The young man is about his own age, and for a moment Yuan mistakes him for one of the waitstaff, until he realises that his black trousers and white shirt aren't quite the full uniform of the staff, and they look much better quality than anything worn by anybody else in the room.
He's also got a glass of red wine in his hand, and none of these servers would be caught dead drinking on the job.
"What even is that thing?"
"It's a guqin." Yuan answers politely, patient with someone who is quite possibly a guest who's slipped into the room early.
"A gu-what?" He scoffs, carrying on before Yuan can repeat himself "So fucking pretentious. Everything about this stupid event is so pretentious."
Yuan isn't quite sure how to reply to that, so he just smiles politely.
"Can I help you with anything, sir?"
The young man just sneers at him and then, without any kind of pretense, just pours the remains of his glass over Yuan's dress shirt. Yuan's eyes widen in horrified shock.
"Wha-" He manages to get out before the guest bursts out laughing.
"Your face! Ha!" He taunts "Not so fucking perfect now, is it?"
He walks away laughing, knocking a tray of glasses out the hands of a server as he goes. Whatever the hell is going on with him, he's clearly just looking to cause chaos.
The event coordinator bustles in and stops in horror at the scene.
"You three, help clear that up," she barks out immediately, drawing other servers in to help with the broken glass situation before marching over to Yuan "do you have another shirt?"
Yuan shakes his head apologetically and she grits her teeth like she wants to say something unprofessional but can't.
"The kitchen will have baking soda and the bathrooms are down that hall, please just do what you can, and quickly." She says - brisk but not unkind. Yuan nods and hurries through to the kitchen and then to the bathroom, glad to find it empty as he tugs his shirt off and spreads it on the counter so he can try and wash it.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-11 08:59 pm (UTC)From:Jin Ling wasn't ready for this. He was only in his second year at the university and had outlived his parents and his grandfather. Taking a shaky breath, he could feel the pressure like a concrete slab on his shoulders. The very edges of his vision wavered slightly and he stopped walking toward the reception hall. As soon as he walked in that room he would be under intense scrutiny as one of the youngest CEO's in China. The majority of people here sipping expensive wine he paid for and dressed like a flock of peacocks were here to simply watch him fall.
"Are you alright sir?" Some assistant of an assistant asked as his entourage was forced to stop when Jin Ling did.
The chosen heir take another breath that barely helps at all. "I'll be just a minute," he somehow manages.
Fortunately, he knows this building as well as his own home. Jin Tower was basically where he was raised! So when he feels the intense and foreboding sensation in his gut, he knows which way to turn. There's a set of bathrooms closer to where the staff and servant-types use not too far from here. They aren't as fussy looking and definitely won't be where these high class snobs would want to sit their gilded asses on.
"Where are you g-?" The assistant calls but receives such a stern look from Jin Ling he doesn't pursue him further.
Barging into the bathroom, Jin Ling barely notices the (shirtless?) person already in there. Instead, he crosses the short distance between the door and one of the toilets in record speed before hurling.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-11 09:12 pm (UTC)From:Yuan gasps when the door suddenly flies open, but there's not much he can do to react before somebody bolts into one of the stalls so fast he's almost a blur. He winces sympathetically when the reason for the speed is immediately obvious, and turns back to his shirt to give the guy some semblance of privacy.
Not that there's much privacy to be had in a public bathroom.
He wouldn't be who he was if he just left it at that, though, so when the sound of throwing up fades he edges over to the stall cautiously.
"Are you okay? Can I get you anything?"