31 Put It On

Christmas was coming and Alice was so busier than a one-armed paper hanger. Mr. Thompson had privately and happily mentioned her bonuses would double that month. Because of the upcoming Christmas Eve theme event, the hotline for bookings and meals had been flooded.

After a serious illness, she started working with unprecedented vitality. On one hand, the hotel's catering and rooms departments had special promotions and plans for Christmas. On the other hand, the new limited edition Lemon phone named "Pro 6S" had started promotions.

Ads were everywhere, and even though the new phone wasn't on the market, it had already become the focus of discussion on various websites. Especially the 3000 limited edition models were in high demand, supposedly already sold out.

It was only a month until December 20th, the launch date for the Pro 6S.

This was the second time Alice was working with Jack, and she felt more at ease—willingly submitting to the abuse of busy work. She felt increasingly energetic and her positive attitude even shocked Jack.

She got up early, and the winter morning was indeed cold. She couldn't help but look towards the Bakery café, still closed—it had been closed for days.

Alice couldn't help but miss their Funfetti Cupcakes. With Christmas coming up, she thought Sarah could probably pull up the beautiful Christmas tree and new Cupcake designs.

She genuinely enjoyed these days, peaceful like the whole world was just her. Even John hadn't appeared for a while. Taking the subway, she looked at the list of media contacts in her hand.

The Pro 6S launch was different from the last time, making a dazzling brilliance in front of everyone. Lemon broke from their usual style, with the marketing team in charge of a famous actor's engagement ceremony to his long-term girlfriend, with a limited edition Pro 6S as the token. The release of the Pro 6S was also scheduled to start at midnight on the 20th.

The combination of these two events was obvious—either one could make the headlines. The Roosevelt security department was clearly struggling and had to bring in external help to maintain order that night.

Jack was extremely self-satisfied with this idea, and Alice had to admit that while it wasn't the first groundbreaking idea, combined with the specific target customers for the Pro 6S, it was very attractive—who wouldn't want such a gift for Christmas?

She had seen the entertainment news too. The actor, Tom, behaved honorably and kept himself pure, appealing to all ages. Unlike the current batch of stars who could easily rise to fame and just as easily vanish.

Alice was curious about her fiancee, wondering what kind of woman could make such a man decide to commit for life. She wasn't the only one with such thoughts; The Roosevelt must be full of paparazzi, all hoping for a scoop. She'd jokingly asked Jack, "What if they break up after they get engaged?"

Jack was surprised—"You serious? They signed a clear agreement."

She laughed, adjusted her mindset, and pretended she was just a viewer in this grand, dreamy movie theater, and since she had privileges, she could see the characters up close. Laughter and anger, as long as she understood, it was fine. Behind everything was a web of fame and fortune that no one could escape.

Alice thought while sitting in her office, alerting herself: "How can I be so lazy?" She quickly grabbed her usual mug got herself some coffee, and carried it to the lobby to see what was going on—it was her dinner time, and she'd pigged out on a packet of cookies earlier, now with no appetite.

Top-notch sound and lighting technicians were making last-minute adjustments, and Alice, holding her mug, stood aside and was ignored. Suddenly, there was a stir at the door, and looking over, she saw the Lemon CEO, Mr. Williams, actually being stopped by security.

Alice couldn't help but laugh and quickly ran over. She called out to the guard who was demanding identification, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Williams."

John looked tired. Alice guessed he'd just gotten off a plane. He nodded and casually looked at Alice before checking his watch.

"Would you like to have a rest?" Alice asked, "Or should I show you around?"

"No need, I'm not the leading role tonight." John also glanced at her, looking a bit thinner but in good spirits.

They quickly headed towards Building Two, and as they stepped out, Alice suddenly felt a chill—she had casually left her coat in the lobby, but didn't forget her cup. John abruptly stopped and blamed with care "It's so cold, and you're dressed so little.

It's easy to catch a cold." Alice couldn't help but look at herself, remembering her high fever. It was below-freezing temperatures, she wore only a thin sweater and winter skirt. She felt regretful, but once he mentioned it, she felt even colder.

John took off his coat and handed it to her, "Put it on." His tone was a bit harsh, and he must have noticed, as he smiled, "I don't mind taking you to the hospital again—but not today, we're both very busy."

Alice instinctively reached out to take it, but hesitated and stopped, saying, "No need. If you don't mind, I won't accompany you." Without waiting for John's reply, she turned and walked back to the lobby.

John held his coat in hand, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration. Watching her quickly disappear, he fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.