“Unlikely to work,” Gu Qiuyi shook her head. “You’re a foreigner, so you stand out already. Plus, your fans will recognise your physical traits. Even if you cover up completely, someone will still spot you.”
“What should I do then…” Tawana said with some disappointment, “I really wanted to walk around and see the sights.”
Gu Qiuyi smiled, “You can still go, just openly. It just won’t be private. I can go with you, but Brother Ye Chen definitely can’t.”
Ye Chen nodded, “You two should go have fun and explore. It’ll also give Tawana’s foreign fans a chance to see what China is really like. Make it lively.”
Tawana asked, puzzled, “Mr. Ye, why can’t you come with us? You’re part of our team too.”
Ye Chen smiled and said, “What’s my role? Feng shui consultant! I’m in charge of the concert venue’s layout. Under normal circumstances, it’s not my place to go climbing the Great Wall or touring the Forbidden City with you. The Great Wall and Forbidden City are part of China’s centuries- and millennia-old history, and the Forbidden City was a royal palace. It’s not for a feng shui consultant like me to go pointing things out.”
Gu Qiuyi chimed in, “Exactly. It’d be odd for Brother Ye Chen to go out with us. His wife would definitely find it strange. Plus, Brother Ye Chen doesn’t like being in the spotlight. If he went with us, it’d definitely end up online.”
“I see…” Tawana said, a bit disappointed.
She’d been hoping to use the rest day to hang out with Ye Chen and Gu Qiuyi, mainly to spend more time with Ye Chen.
She hadn’t expected Ye Chen to be so averse to public attention.
In that moment, she felt a bit frustrated with her celebrity status, which left her with little personal space.
If neither she nor Gu Qiuyi were celebrities, the three of them could go anywhere without attracting attention.
With no other choice, she said to Gu Qiuyi, “Then it’ll just be the two of us. I’m sure after tonight, there’ll be plenty of trending topics about us. Let’s capitalise on that and play up the ‘best friends’ label in the media. It’ll also be a great chance to promote China.”
Turning to Ye Chen, she said earnestly, “Mr. Ye, a lot of Western media portrayals of China are completely baseless. I hadn’t held a concert in China before because I was swayed by their narratives, thinking China was unsafe, backward, poor, and closed off. But coming here, I’ve realised China is a very friendly, open, developed, and modern country, with a rich historical culture. If I get the chance to show the real China to Western audiences, I’d consider it my contribution to setting the record straight!”
Ye Chen was pleasantly surprised by Tawana’s perspective and said with a smile, “It’s fantastic that you think this way. I’ll have someone spread the word on short-video platforms in advance to attract some big-name bloggers to livestream.”
Tawana nodded enthusiastically, “No problem! And before heading to Shanghai, I’ll have a couple of free days. I’ll use that time to explore Yanjing more.”
At that, Tawana seemed to have an idea and said with a smile, “Actually, every time I visit a Chinese city in the future, I’ll find a way to do a livestream and show the world the most authentic side of China!”
Ye Chen gave her a thumbs-up and said with a grin, “Excellent. If the Chinese authorities invite you to be a tourism ambassador, you’d better say yes!”
Tawana replied without hesitation, “If they invite me, I’ll definitely agree! It’d be my honour!”
