Today's lesson was Daily Life and Postures During Pregnancy. After class, the ladies had a private activity to attend, while the men waited in the lounge for the time being.
This was where the utility of a high-end social setting showed itself. They were all men with families and careers, and they had come here with clear purposes. Naturally, they would not make friends based on shared interests and hobbies. What concerned them most was the other person's status, position, usefulness, and whether they could expand their network with quality connections.
Liu Chang'an felt that perhaps the fields he was involved in were too likely to land people in prison, so no one wanted to get acquainted with him. While everyone else chatted in twos and threes, he seemed rather alone. The men did not keep sneaking glances his way, either.
He was much more popular among the women. Even with their husbands right beside them, they could not suppress their love of beauty, frequently shooting him flirtatious looks.
So he picked up a magazine from the lounge. The magazines here were all things like VOGUE, Rayli, and ELLE. What was particularly rare was that there was actually an issue of North Korean Fashion.
Flipping through it, he saw at first glance that the clothes inside had a style somewhat reminiscent of China in the eighties and nineties. But on closer inspection, the outfits worn by the models were all styles suited to ordinary young women—proper, elegant, pretty, and fresh. They were the sort of clothes respectable people wore.
There was not the slightest attempt to cater to international trends or white beauty standards in the makeup, yet it was still beautiful. The magazine also contained quotations and the like, all with a distinctive character of their own.
Liu Chang'an