Chapter 261: Shabbily Dressed Celebrity is Thrown Out
The post had gone viral, obviously. The live stream and her social media post on the incident were hovering around 10,000 reactions, 16,000 shares and over 3,000 comments.
This was not to mention the other people who were posting about it separately.
"This is spreading like wildfire," Qian Meng said under her breath.
About the news impressions, there were over 70 articles written in big and small publications. Video clips had been posted and quoted. The overall tone of the articles was negative. Not one came in support of Venus.
Among prominent fashion bloggers and the like, there was some outrage as well.
A popular fashion and accessories blogger posted: [I have seen really badly dressed people walk into Venus outlets. It's no excuse for someone to be kicked out. This is just terrible bias. Doubly shameful that we are in Shanghai, a liberal city with a mixed and cultural soul.]
Qian Meng pointed at the name. "Has this blogger been contacted by our PR team before? Has she done any reviews on our products? Anything related to us?" she questioned.
Li Min looked at the name and shook her head. "This blogger has been sent a PR package for some of our cosmetic and jewelry lines but she is known to only review products she buys on her own. Anything she bought from us, she has reviewed. They are widely viewed and appreciated videos, as well," Li Min acknowledged.
"So, she is not part of the smearing campaign. She believes what is being said online." Qian Meng looked through the other comments and realized that there were even people who said they had similar experiences in Venus outlets.
It was mostly because they felt like an imposter in such a store or the employee sounded rude to them. Nothing to the extent of this Shi Yuhan, but everyone saw it as a culmination of the bad behavior common people receive at luxury stores.
At a time when people were conscious of bias against social classes and activism was at its peak, no one cared for the truth. They only cared about making their own points.
"Make note of all the bloggers and celebrities posting about the matter. We'll have to keep track of packages and who to approach for promotions according to how they phrase their posts from now on."
Li Min made note of this quickly.
"Ah. Did you order food for everyone who is staying back? We can have bento boxes packed for them from the local restaurant, right?"
Li Min's eyes brightened. "I'll order one for you and me as well," she said chirpily before skipping away.
She heard some cheers from the nearby conference room and smiled. Obviously, the employees had found out that the boss was treating them to a meal for their hard work.
As everything progressed and Qian Meng waited for the CCTV footage to come, she looked through the titles of the news articles.
'Venus is Shallow and Inhuman' was one of the first stories she clicked on.
'After Inhuman Tag, Venus Says They Will Look Into the Incident'
'Luxury Brand Venus Faces Backlash After Shabbily Dressed Celebrity is Thrown Out'
'Venus Finds Itself in Hot Water After Celebrity Speaks Up About Biased Treatment'
Everything went along the lines of this.
There were some new articles published after their first response went out, but things still looked grim. And the comments and shares mounted.
It was late in the night when the video footage came in.
Qian Meng could clearly see Shi Yuhan looking around the store and coming inside. She made the employees take out loads of things, always frowning and moving on. And then… she asked for another box. Her eyes flickered to the direction of what Qian Meng assumed was the visible security camera before she plucked out a ring and pulled it up to her face.
Qian Meng frowned when she saw the celebrity putting the ring in her mouth and starting to walk out of the store without a care in the world. The employee caught up and asked her what was happening before she realized that this was a case of shoplifting.
In front of so many customers, the employees didn't make a huge scene and guided Shi Yuhan into a more personal space and security was called.
She was being questioned and the ring was taken back.
Qian Meng looked at the whole ordeal and felt like this female celebrity had been really stupid. Most stores had fully functioning CCTVs placed in them. Furthermore, the jewelry section would always be well-monitored for security purposes.
"Do you think she is a little stupid?" Qian Meng asked softly.
Li Min also looked confused. "This is a new method of stealing jewelry, that's for sure. She put the ring into her mouth without a thought of whose hands it was on."
Qian Meng snorted. "Some people don't mind putting things in their mouth without the thought of where it has been." It wasn't meant to be a lewd joke, but it sure came off that way.
Li Min tried to stifle her laughter but failed.
"This proves everything, does it not?" Qian Meng said.
Li Min nodded. "Do you want us to give the video footage to the media?"
Qian Meng shook her head. "This is about someone's reputation. Even if we have enough proof, we can't simply throw it out into the public to turn the tides. It's crass and unethical. It will also not help with the situation because it will come off as aggressive on all ends. What about the people who say they felt out of place in our store because they didn't have a lot of money? Those people will think they are being targeted as bad people as well."
Li Min looked confused. "Then what do you think we should do, Boss?"
Qian Meng thought for a minute before answering. "Call the marketing and PR directors right now. I'll talk to them and come to a final decision."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢