Chen Xiao was a bit worried. 

He really hadn’t expected that giving Lu Nan more responsibility and letting her take the lead would result in such an unexpected situation. 

According to Chen Xiao’s plan, after this large-scale tasting event, Lu Nan’s work abilities would be recognized across the entire provincial office. Since she will also be officially confirmed in her position, it will be a logical step to promote her to Business Supervisor. 

But now… what could they do to fix this? 

“Is there any other solution? That model really can’t go on stage?” Manager Wang realized how serious the situation was. 

It was obvious. Everyone had seen it just now—the girl’s ankle was swollen to the size of an egg. 

If it weren’t for that, Pei Xuedong wouldn’t have made a last-minute decision to let Dong Hui, someone he didn’t even think highly of, step in for the runway show. 

But while they had a backup for the runway show, there was no replacement for the dance performance. 

Manager Wang frowned after getting confirmation. “Lu Nan, can we adjust the program? Maybe cut the dance performance altogether?” 

Before Lu Nan could respond, Pei Xuedong spoke up: “Every part of the show is connected. If we remove the classical dance, what are we going to use to fill that time?” 

“The classical dance ‘Tang Style Elegance’ is based on Tang dynasty style, which fits perfectly with the theme of tonight’s grand event, ‘Mid-Autumn Moon, Dream Back to the Han and Tang Dynasties,’” Chen Xiao added. “And the latter half of the dance incorporates the old song ‘Love the Country, Love the Beauty,’ which Mr. Yang has been preparing for a long time, and he even wanted to sing…” 

The entire program had been refined together by Chen Xiao, Lu Nan, and Mr. Yang. Randomly removing a segment would make the evening feel much less polished. 

As the saying goes, “Three ordinary men together make a mastermind.” Now, Manager Wang, Chen Xiao, and Pei Xuedong stood there exchanging glances—three men of different heights, builds, and ages, all wearing the same deep frown. If the situation weren’t so tense, Lu Nan would have laughed. 

Lu Nan silently sighed. 

Some things were just impossible to avoid, like the never-ending game of Werewolf, or in this case, the inescapable classical dance performance. 

“Give me two minutes,” she said before jogging off. When she returned, she had already taken off her stockings. She walked to the edge of the stage, slipped off her mid-heeled leather shoes, and stepped onto the platform barefoot. “Let me give it a try.” 

Dong Hui, who had just been practicing footwork and memorizing key positions with the models, was shocked. What was Lu Nan going to do? Dance? Was she crazy? Did she think this was just some simple warm-up routine where anyone could step in? 

But there was no room for Dong Hui to speak out in this situation, because Manager Wang and the others didn’t say anything—though their expressions were also filled with surprise. 

“Brother Pei, can you have them play the music again?” Lu Nan didn’t care about other people’s thoughts. Right now, all she could think about was making sure tonight’s grand event ended successfully. 

Then, Lu Nan turned to the girls who had been waiting for the arrangements and said, “Where was the injured girl standing? Here? Alright, let’s go again. No changes—just stick to the original choreography.” 

The girls, waiting to dance, exchanged looks: Was this really going to work? 

It definitely worked. 

Halfway through the music, Pei Xuedong was already ready to bow down in admiration—Lu Nan could actually dance! She really could dance! 

Although her movements were a bit smaller than the other dancers (Lu Nan: “Well, I am wearing a pencil skirt”), she still managed to fill in the gap perfectly! The classical dance performance wouldn’t have to be canceled after all! 

When Lu Nan got off the stage, she was slightly out of breath. She put her shoes back on and asked the three men, “Did anyone record that?” She hadn’t performed every move precisely; she had danced mostly by memory and feeling, so she wasn’t sure how neat it looked. 

Uh… the three of them had been too busy watching. None of them had thought to film it. 

Surprisingly, Yan Kai, who had appeared out of nowhere, said, “I recorded it.” 

“Let me see.” After doing a few jumping moves, her previously tied-up ponytail had a few strands of hair falling loose. Lu Nan pushed the stray hair behind her ear and focused on watching the video. 

Thankfully, all those years of training hadn’t gone to waste. 

Luckily, she had paid extra attention during rehearsals before. 

After watching the video, Lu Nan handed her phone to the group and said, “I think it’s fine. What do you all think?” What she really meant was: If they don’t think it’s good, well, there’s nothing she can do about it. 

“I think it’s great,” Pei Xuedong was the first to speak up. 

Chen Xiao also nodded. 

Manager Wang let out a sigh of relief and said, “Lu Nan, you’re quite talented.” 

And so, the matter was settled. 

Lu Nan didn’t even need to look at the program schedule and said directly, “The opening runway is at 6:00 PM sharp, the show will last for 4 and a half minutes, and after the runway, there will be a piano solo and a speech from Mr. Yang, which will take about 10 minutes. During this time, the models need to maintain their poses. The speech from Mr. Yang until the classical dance performance will take about an hour. The classical dance will last around 6 and a half to 7 minutes. Counting the makeup and removing the makeup, from 6:30 PM to 7:40 PM, in this hour and ten minutes, I will need someone to take over my backstage scheduling duties.” 

According to yesterday’s work allocation, the only ones who could substitute Lu Nan during this time were Dong Hui and Xiang Feifei. 

Dong Hui, who had been listening attentively, wanted to speak up. 

“Dong Hui can’t do it, she’s filling in for the model in the runway,” Lu Nan calmly explained the facts. 

Chen Xiao glanced at Dong Hui, then looked at the slight sweat on Lu Nan’s forehead and nodded, saying, “You should hand over this part of the work to Xiang Feifei immediately.” 

“Okay,” Lu Nan nodded. 

Xiang Feifei took the opportunity seriously. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything runs smoothly.” 

“It’s fine, don’t be nervous. I’ve already sent you all the details on WeChat. Just remind them to get on stage at the right time,” Lu Nan reassured Xiang Feifei. “Aside from the performance time, I’ll still be backstage for the rest of the time. You can rest assured; everything will be fine.” 

Xiang Feifei looked at her phone. The work schedule was detailed to the point that even someone unfamiliar with the tasks could follow it step by step, proving that Lu Nan was not keeping anything to herself. 

Lu Nan spent the rest of the time running around, even busier than before. 

Going from an organizer to a participant, she couldn’t help but grumble internally: If only the grand event wasn’t part of my responsibilities, or if I were already the city manager, I wouldn’t have to go on stage. This kind of attention isn’t suited for me. 

… 

Around 4:30 PM, Mr. Yang and his wife arrived. 

They had already learned about the solution from Pei Xuedong, but they still had some doubts. However, after watching the final rehearsal where Lu Nan changed into her outfit, they were reassured—Manager Lu was clearly professional and no worse than the dancers next to her! 

By around 5:00 PM, guests started to arrive one after another. 

During this time, Lu Nan stayed at the sign-in table to keep an eye on things, making sure Xiang Feifei and Dong Hui didn’t get overwhelmed. 

Mr. Song arrived with his nephew, clearly putting a lot of effort into grooming him. Xiao Song was dressed in a suit and looked quite sharp, although his speaking skills were still lacking. He immediately said, “Lu Nan, this event is pretty decent.” His tone was even more confident than his uncle’s. 

Lu Nan didn’t bother arguing with him. The guy was simply a bit thoughtless and wasn’t actually a bad person. 

A little later, Mr. Yuan arrived with a male friend and introduced him. “This is Mr. Tao. He doesn’t have many hobbies, except for a love of fine drinks. So I brought him along to taste your selection.” 

Dong Hui smiled and said, “Mr. Yuan, Mr. Tao, it’s an honor to have you here.” 

Meanwhile, Professor Zhu and Jiao Bo arrived together. Lu Nan stepped out from behind the check-in desk to personally hand them pens for signing in and guide them through collecting their name tags and gift bags. 

At 5:30 PM, Dong Hui went to change and do her makeup. 

By 5:50 PM, over 90% of the guests were seated. Only Sun Bo was left outside to keep watch, and the rest of the team could handle their own tasks. 

At 5:58 PM, the lights in the banquet hall dimmed. 

The LED screen lit up with several palace lanterns, which illuminated the eaves with the ancient inscription ‘Chang Le Wei Yang’ in seal script. As the camera zoomed out, a grand palace appeared. 

The sounds of bronze bells and chimes followed, then the sound of a building drum. With each drumbeat, a spotlight lit up on the stage, revealing models in qipaos, each holding different bottles of wine. 

Xiang Feifei, who was backstage, whispered to Lu Nan, “The theme ‘Dream of Han and Tang’ is about the Han and Tang dynasties, so why are they wearing qipaos?” 

Lu Nan couldn’t help but feel a little helpless at this question. “I suggested something more fitting, like simple, deep-toned cotton and linen clothes, but Mr. Yang thought it looked too plain.” The aesthetic preferences of middle-aged men could be stubborn at times. Lu Nan and the designer didn’t really agree, but since Mr. Yang was the final decision-maker—the biggest boss of the company—it wasn’t easy to argue, unlike with Pei Xuedong, who was more open to persuasion. 

“But for events like this, while the theme is important, you also have to consider the audience’s preferences,” Lu Nan continued, motioning for Xiang Feifei to take a look at the captivated audience. “In the end, Mr. Yang’s taste is still quite representative.” 

Xiang Feifei understood, then added, “But I think the classical dance costumes are beautiful. They’re ruqun, right? Thank goodness they’re not wearing qipaos to dance.” 

Lu Nan was happy to share some communication tips with a colleague she found easy to work with, “Yes, they’re ruqun. This set was one of the options we compared and voted on when the designer and I were making choices. Sister Pei was particularly fond of it.” While the men might prefer qipaos that fit the body and split to the thigh, Lu Nan had to remind Sister Pei that among the guests they invited, there were families with children, which is why Sister Pei insisted on using ruqun for the dance. 

After the models finished their runway, they retreated backstage. The nine other dancers immediately started changing costumes. 

Lu Nan also had to prepare. She patted Xiang Feifei’s hand to encourage her, “Follow the schedule, you’ll do fine.” Then she added, “If anything unexpected happens, call Brother Xiao immediately.” 

Xiang Feifei nodded firmly, “Go get changed and do your makeup! Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on everything backstage.” 

Lu Nan gently patted Xiang Feifei’s hand again, applying a little more pressure this time. “This is the big event organized by our office. It’s our event.” 

Lu Nan’s hair was long enough to tie up, but she still needed a fake bun to complete the look. 

The makeup artist they hired today had some skill. She decorated her forehead with a flower sticker, painted the corners of her eyes with a peach blossom shade, and shaped her eyebrows like distant mountains. Lastly, she painted her lips with a crimson color, similar to vermilion. 

Looking at her reflection in the mirror after the makeup was done, Lu Nan couldn’t help but think, Wow, I look really good. 

After changing into her outfit and while waiting backstage, Xiang Feifei quietly called out to Lu Nan. 

When Lu Nan turned around, Xiang Feifei quickly snapped a photo, then smiled and said, “I’ll send it to you later.” 

… 

The Grand Tasting Event came to a successful end. 

Mr. Yang was very polite. Since there were some leftover mooncake gift boxes prepared for clients, aside from the leaders and City Office who were invited, the six helpers, including Yan Kai, also received a gift box. 

Lu Nan naturally got her share… two boxes! 

She looked at the luxurious mooncake gift box with the hotel’s name on it that Pei Xuedong had pushed toward her, feeling both amused and helpless. I’ve never liked this kind of mooncake, not in two lifetimes. 

However, the gift was given with good intentions, a gesture of respect for her, so she naturally accepted it and expressed her thanks. 

In addition to the mooncakes, Pei Xuedong also gave her a red envelope, which seemed a little thick: “You’ve really worked hard today, Manager Lu.” 

“This is part of my job, I can’t accept this,” Lu Nan replied. 

Pei Xuedong quickly explained: “It was my sister who asked me to prepare this for you. Look at you, you haven’t had a break all day and even stepped in to help with the classical dance. If you refuse this small token of appreciation, my sister will feel bad. I know your company has certain rules, but don’t worry, this is a thank-you for your hard work. My sister already spoke to Manager Wang and Manager Chen about it.”  

He then also added, “And this is for your colleague, the one who modeled in the show. If you don’t take this, she might feel awkward about it too.” Then, Pei Xuedong pulled out another, much thinner red envelope and handed it to Dong Hui.