Chapter 989: Chapter 989: A Behind-the-Scenes Bouquet

Chapter 989: A Behind-the-Scenes Bouquet

The annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show concluded with a grand finale. Rihanna’s closing performance ignited the passion of all the guests, while Candice Swanepoel, who had a starring role tonight, once again became the center of attention. She joined Adriana Lima and Doutzen Kroes on stage for the final walk, ending the party amid a wave of cheers.

After all the Victoria’s Secret Angels took the stage for the final walk, they all excitedly returned to the backstage. Celebration champagne and cake were already being served. Six bottles of champagne were opened almost simultaneously. With a series of pops, the champagne foam sprayed everywhere. The backstage of the armory was filled with sweet and passionate laughter, and another party began.

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Candice walked toward the back of the armory with a smile, not forgetting to congratulate her hard-working friends along the way. Everyone was hugging each other and giving each other celebratory kisses. Their laughter revealed a sense of relief, and the three months of hard work had finally come to a temporary end.

She accurately found her personal rack. With the help of her wardrobe assistant, Candice took off the angel wings on her back, finally relieving herself of a heavy burden. The performance looked glamorous, but only she knew the reality. The wings were a cumbersome weight, making her walk a little wobbly. On top of that, she had to pay attention to her runway walk while keeping her back straight.

Then, Candice grabbed the white shirt that had been prepared for her. She quickly put it on and carefully buttoned it up. Next, she picked up a long, navy blue trench coat. After putting it on, she quickly tied the belt, instantly completing her transformation from a runway model to a casual outfit.

"Didi! Didi!" A voice called out from a distance. Candice instinctively turned around and saw Doutzen Kroes walking toward her in big strides. Her light steps were filled with excitement. "Adriana just said that Bambi came tonight? Is that true? Can you introduce us?"

"Doutzen?" Candice looked surprised. "I didn’t know you watched football."

As one of the top models in the Netherlands, Doutzen was only 27 this year, but she had gotten married early and became a mother at the beginning of last year. However, this did not affect her extremely high popularity in the industry, especially with her Barbie doll-like looks that combined classic and elegant beauty. She was still a darling of countless photographers.

Doutzen shook her head, her eyes full of anticipation. "No, no, I don’t watch football. It’s just that they kept talking about him, and I got curious. When you mentioned him before, didn’t you say he was just a boy next door? Why did the story suddenly change? What’s going on?"

The performance had just ended, and Candice hadn’t had time to think.

Why did Lu Ke suddenly show up tonight? What about his game? What about his practice tomorrow? What about his post-game rest and recovery? Would Lu Ke’s appearance here tonight really not affect his preparation for the rest of the season? Also, how did Lu Ke get an invitation to tonight’s fashion show, and a front-row seat, no less?

One question after another hadn’t even surfaced. They were just lurking in the back of her mind. Then Doutzen appeared, and Candice could only say instinctively, "I’m not so sure what’s going on myself. If Adriana hadn’t reminded me, I wouldn’t have known he was here." This was the truth.

"Oh." Doutzen didn’t hide her disappointment. "I was thinking, everyone is talking about him as if he had three heads and six arms. When ’Twilight’ first came out, everyone was talking about Robert Pattinson. Then I saw him in person. Oh, he was so disappointing. He was absolutely not my type. After that, I became a little allergic to these rumors. I was just thinking, you know Bambi. He shouldn’t be that bad, right?"

Candice’s mouth was slightly open. For a moment, she didn’t know how to answer. After some thought, she said, "To me, he’s a handsome guy." Was this the best answer? It wasn’t too direct, and it was still objective.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Adam just gave a bouquet of 999 roses to Behati!" A stir suddenly started in their ears, and everyone’s eyes were cast in the same direction.

This was not a difficult thing to do, because a bouquet of 999 roses was a huge target. It was hard to ignore, and it was even pushed in on a supermarket cart!

Adam was Adam Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5, whom Lu Ke had met before the show started. For the past three years, Adam had been a regular guest at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, as his girlfriends had all been Victoria’s Secret Angels. He dated one in 2009, another in 2010, and another in 2012.

Behati Prinsloo, nicknamed "little pumpkin," was Adam’s current girlfriend. In May of this year, not long after Adam broke up with his ex-girlfriend Anne Vyalitsyna, who was also a Victoria’s Secret Angel, he was photographed by paparazzi on dates with Behati.

Behati, like Candice, came from the African continent. Candice was from South Africa, while Behati was from Namibia. Behati was only 23 this year.

Now, Adam and Behati were in a passionate relationship. Tonight, Adam naturally went all out to show his romantic side. Even with reporters and cameras everywhere, he was happy to show his affection on social media. This was how they dated. It more or less carried the mark of fame and fortune.

But the excitement over the 999 roses only lasted for a moment. The discussions in their ears changed. "...Bambi? That’s Bambi!" "Bambi is here, the one next to Leo!" "Yes, yes, yes, the one standing with Leo!" "Wow, he really has a different vibe. He’s not at all inferior even standing next to Leo!"

"Didi, is Bambi here?" Doutzen pulled Candice’s arm and looked over with her chin raised.

Candice followed the direction of their gaze and saw Lu Ke.

He was wearing a gray-blue striped collarless shirt, a charcoal gray suit jacket, black casual dress pants, and white sneakers. There were no extra decorations or embellishments. It wasn’t too serious or formal, nor was it too casual and simple. It exuded a youthful and vibrant energy from an elegant and scholarly look.

All the buttons on his collarless shirt were neatly fastened. With no tie or bow tie to distract, his youthful vibe was even more apparent compared to Leonardo standing next to him. His neat black hair was slicked back and styled with a two-to-eight part, subtly outlining a retro and noble look and fully exposing his features.

This was the first time Candice had seen Lu Ke dressed like this, and it was a far cry from his usual sportswear. She almost couldn’t help herself.

His tall and slender figure, strong muscles, and well-proportioned body, along with his upright posture that hid a hint of the hormonal scent of early summer, effortlessly made him stand out from the crowd like a lighthouse, firmly attracting all eyes.

Thump. Thump.

Candice felt her heart pounding hard against her chest again. It was almost jumping out of her throat.

"...Didi?" Suddenly, a face appeared close to her, interrupting her gaze. Then she saw Adriana’s face, full of a bright smile. "Hey, what are you thinking about? I’m asking you, can you introduce Bambi to us? We’ll all go over together, and you can introduce us."

Only then did Candice react, but... she didn’t know how to answer.

Not only Adriana, but also Karlie, Alessandra, Doutzen, and others were all looking at her with curious and expectant eyes. Candice instantly felt immense pressure. She was even more nervous than she was on stage. What should she do? What should she do?

"...Okay!" Although her heart was refusing, under everyone’s gaze, the words that came out of her mouth changed. "No problem! Now he should... not be busy. Uh, I don’t think so. Should we... go over now?" In the end, Candice still had a hint of doubt in her voice, and it went up at the end, as if she wasn’t so sure herself.

"Of course, of course!" Adriana was an active one. She grabbed Candice’s arm and started walking forward in big strides while calling out to her other friends. "Let’s go, let’s go! Didi is going to introduce Bambi to us! Hurry up and follow!"

Then, the group grew bigger and bigger. Things seemed to be a little out of control.

Candice was a little flustered now, her mind full of "what should I do, what should I do, what should I do?" but it seemed like she was already in a difficult situation with no way out.

At this moment, Adriana stopped and said in a low voice, "He’s coming over. Girls, Bambi is coming over."

Only then did Candice notice that Lu Ke and Leonardo were walking toward them with smiles on their faces. Their destination was clearly aimed at them.

She quickly turned her head and saw that more than twenty people had already gathered around her. She couldn’t see anyone behind them. With such a grand setup, how was she going to end this now?

Closer, even closer!

All the models started to get restless. When it reached its peak, they all held their mouths shut, their eyes filled with anticipation as they looked at Lu Ke. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Lu Ke’s steps came to a stop in front of Candice without any rush. Then, he took out a fresh and vibrant golden tulip from behind his back and handed it to Candice. He said with a smile, "Congratulations! Tonight’s performance was fantastic!"

It was just a single tulip. Compared to Adam’s 999 roses, it was completely insignificant. But at this moment, all eyes were on Candice, filled with excitement and cheerfulness.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz

On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!