“I’m sure I’m in your system,” I say. “It’s Chanel Cao.”
I wait as she types, her long nails clicking against the keyboard. “Chanel Cao,” she murmurs to herself. A pause as shefrowns at the screen, then a slow shake of her head. “No, I’m sorry. Your name’s not coming up.”
Okay, fine. Another way then. I scan the lobby and spot two girls around my age posing by the bamboo. One of them has paired a cropped Louis Vuitton shirt with simple sweatpants, the ultimate fashion statement to let you know she’s rich but totally casual about it. The other is in a full floor-length gown, her makeup so heavy that her eyeliner is visible from here, like Sharpie on a white wall. They rotate between taking photos using their phones with the flash on, then the flash off, then the digital camera that every influencer has been recommending lately, then their phones again but video this time. Definitely my target demographic.
I wait until they’ve finished assessing their newest photos before lowering my sunglasses a few deliberate inches, right as they glance up.
They both do a double take.
Then Louis Vuitton Girl elbows Ballgown Girl, and they exchange a look, curiosity and confirmation at once.Oh my god,could it really be her? Are you seeing this too? Yes, yes, I think so, let’s find out.And they unanimously make the decision to approach me.
“Excuse me,” Louis Vuitton Girl says in a breathless voice. “Sosorry to bother you, but are you... are you Chanel Cao?”
I grin at them like I’m surprised to be recognized, a little shy, even. “Yeah, I am, hi.”
They exchange another look, that shared language between best friends, a silent scream of excitement andI can’t believe this is happening,and they both start gushing.
“Oh my god, you’re even prettier in real life—I didn’t think that was possible—”
“We’re huge fans. Weworshipyour Instagram, you have no idea—”
“I’ve been following you for years—”
“You’re literally so pretty, like, for real—”
“Iloveyour leather jacket,” Ballgown Girl coos, and makes a motion as if to stroke the material, then thinks better of it, though her fingers still twitch in my direction. “It’s the limited edition one, right? I heard they only sell it at their flagship store in Venice and it’s, like, fifty thousand dollars.”
“Yeah, I don’t think they make these anymore,” I agree, though I can’t remember the price. I’m not even the biggest fan of this jacket—I’d bought it on a whim during my last trip to Venice because it was getting chilly and I happened to be walking past the store. “I have another really similar jacket at home, to be honest—do you want this one?”
Ballgown Girl’s eyes widen. “What? Are you being serious?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind that it’s secondhand,” I say, shrugging off my jacket and holding it out to her.
“I... Would Imind?” Ballgown Girl makes a choked sound as she takes the jacket from me. “I can’t even... there’s no way—”
“That’s sosweet of you, what the hell,” Louis Vuitton girl says.
Without turning around, I can sense the receptionist watching the exchange from behind us, the scales of her risk assessment tipping heavily in my favor.
“Do you have an event at this hotel or something?” Ballgown Girl asks.
“We actually had plans to go to the restaurant, but I forgot my ID,” I tell them, glancing over at the receptionist. “So it’s just taking a while to get my identity verified....”
Ballgown Girl makes an indignant sound on my behalf. “Oh my god, since when didChanel Caoneed verification?” She whirls toward the receptionist. “She’s literally famous. Just look her up right now.”
Before the receptionist has even turned back to her laptop, I know what will show up. The professional photos and viral selfies and family portraits, everything from my reported height (a few inches above my actual height) to my reported weight (a few pounds below). All the suggested search results:
is Chanel Cao related to model Coco Cao?
Chanel Cao net worth
Chanel Cao boyfriend
what high school does Chanel Cao go to
Chanel Cao interview
what is Chanel Cao famous for
