Everyone stood on the stage, each holding a pair of scissors painted with gold, in front of them lay a five-meter-long red ribbon.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Following the hostâs command, everyone picked up the scissors and snipped through the red ribbon with crisp sounds. Next was time for representatives to offer their blessings and for Tan Rou to give her speech.
Tan Rou stood in the center and spoke, âThank you all for coming and for the support from all our friends. Our shopping center has just opened, and there are still many areas where we fall short, which will need to be improved in the future. We hope everyone can be understanding and feel free to give us suggestions; we will strive to correct them.â
âAt present, our shopping center does not have many products on display, most of which have already been sold in other malls, so I presume they wouldnât interest everyone,â Tan Rou continued, âHowever, there is a portion of the products that we have newly developed, not yet in production, which are hidden in every corner of our shopping center. If anyone is interested, please feel free to look for them.â
Many people came specifically for these not-yet-produced items because they enjoy novelty; having seen all available products on the market, they were eager to take this opportunity to discover something new.
A journalist asked, âMiss Tan Rou, I heard that your company has developed a wheelchair that can automatically climb stairs. I wonder if we can see a demo of it here today?â
Tan Rou was somewhat surprisedâthe news of their fully automatic wheelchair had not been released yet, so how could a journalist know about it? Nevertheless, now that the word was out, she saw no need to keep it secret.
âThere is indeed such a wheelchair,â Tan Rou said with a smile, âbut itâs still in the experimental phase. We havenât mass-produced this wheelchair, and we do not plan to sell it separately. So, it wonât make an appearance at this exhibit.â
Many expressed their disappointment.
Another journalist then asked, âMiss Tan Rou, may I inquire why you placed Miss Jiang Minâs position so prominently at the front? And why is Miss Jiang Min not present among those on stage right now?â
This journalist was clearly one keen on gossip and entertainment, but his question indeed caught the attention of many, all looking towards Tan Rou, expecting an explanation.
With a slight smile, Tan Rou replied, âMy journalist friend, does your question have anything to do with todayâs exhibition? To be frank, I invited the media to publicize for our TR Company, not for some to dig up gossip. So, do you think your question is appropriate?â
The journalistâs face turned pale, and he quickly apologized, âSorry, Miss Tan Rou, I misspoke. Let me ask a different question.â
Tan Rou cut him off, âSorry, there are many media representatives here today. If everyone is as verbose as you, are we expected to stand here until it gets dark?â
The journalist regretted it deeply. He should not have given in to othersâ urging. His intended question was about the construction of the last two floors of the mall, but he could not resist the lure of gossip and wasted a good opportunity to pose the question to Tan Rou.
Right after, another journalist raised the exact question he meant to ask, and Tan Rou answered patiently, âWe havenât decided the direction for the construction of the last two floors yet. Perhaps weâll turn them into leisure spaces according to the original plan, or we might extend the characteristics of the other floors and use them as showrooms.â
After answering the journalistsâ questions, representatives from the business and political communities brought forth their giftsâsome brought their own calligraphy, others their paintings, and there were also auspicious potted plants, all modestly priced but meaningful gifts.
Tao Zhi presented a pair of marble lions, which were placed at the entrance of the mall. Zhuang Liu gave a pair of couplets he had written, which artisans then crafted into gilt plaques to hang on either side of the entrance, perfectly complementing the marble lions.
Tan Rou stood at the bottom of the steps, looking over the entire shopping center, which was full of people inside and out.
âHow do you feel?â Zhuang Liu quietly approached Tan Rou.
Tan Rou narrowed her eyes and said, âI feel that this shopping center is very good. Starting from today, my TR Shopping Center is officially open!â