21
The moment Xu Zhaixing and Zhao Jinjin entered the changing room, discussions broke out outside.
The man who had greeted Xu Zhaixing earlier was named An Nan. A former editor at a top fashion magazine, he was familiar with most of the designers and models in the room—a true social butterfly.
As soon as the door closed, he exclaimed, “Goodness, sixteen! She’s probably the youngest contestant in all the competitions so far, right?”
Another person chimed in, “Among those who made it to the semi-finals, she’s definitely the youngest, no doubt about it.”
An Nan sighed with admiration, “The younger generation is formidable.”
In the design industry, diligence alone can’t compensate for lack of talent. This field heavily values innate ability. You could say it’s ninety-nine percent talent and one percent effort.
Sometimes, professional training and experience can’t compare to a single flash of inspiration.
For a sixteen-year-old to reach the semi-finals, she must be exceptionally talented. As they talked, their words couldn’t hide their envy. A female designer at the far end of the makeup stations, who had been silently styling her model’s hair, suddenly spoke coldly, “Getting a sketch into the semi-finals is one thing; the finished product might not qualify. Design talent is important, but practical execution isn’t something talent alone can handle. No need to praise her to the skies.”
An Nan’s personal aesthetic had always favored vibrant, youthful beauty. The young girl who just entered perfectly matched his taste. Hearing this sarcastic remark, he couldn’t help but retort, “If she dared to come, it means she’s confident. Whether she qualifies or not, we’ll know when she comes out. Even if the finished piece isn’t perfect, a sixteen-year-old getting a sketch into the semi-finals is already impressive. What’s wrong with praising her?”
The female designer, knowing An Nan’s extensive connections, looked displeased. She snorted coldly and didn’t say anything more.
But her point wasn’t entirely wrong.
Besides the garment itself, the competition rules stated that the model’s hair, makeup, and styling from head to toe must be handled solely by the designer. Only then would the presentation be considered a complete work.
The female model who had entered with the girl was quite pretty but had her hair down, wearing only light foundation and lipstick. Once changed, the designer would still need to style her hair and apply makeup.
An Nan couldn’t help but worry a little for the young girl he’d only just met.
As he was thinking, the changing room door opened.
All the designers stopped what they were doing and looked over in unison.
Zhao Jinjin walked out holding the dress. Xu Zhaixing crouched behind her, adjusting the hem. She pointed to station twenty-seven. “Go sit over there, sit down! Lower your hands, you won’t step on it!”
Obediently, Zhao Jinjin let go of the skirt. The light gauze at her waist cascaded down like ripples on water. The train of the dress unfolded gracefully with her steps, instantly filling the room with a starry radiance.
Everyone, including the models, fixed their gaze on Zhao Jinjin.
Their eyes conveyed one meaning:
Stunning.
From top to bottom, transitioning from white to light hues, deepening into the midnight blue of the night sky, the hem melting into ink, scattered with sequins like stars. Resembling feathered wings, it was hard to tell if the dress was more beautiful or the wearer. They complemented each other, making everything around them pale in comparison. After a long moment, An Nan murmured, “Goodness gracious.”
He stopped doing his model’s makeup and hurried over, crouching directly behind Zhao Jinjin. He examined her from the back, waist, down to the hem, finally focusing on the sequin-covered train.
There had to be at least a thousand of them.
He turned and asked Xu Zhaixing, who was opening her makeup case, “You hand-sewed all of these, right?”
The difference between handwork and machine work was quite obvious to their trained eyes.
Xu Zhaixing nodded.
An Nan sighed in disbelief. “If I had to sew that many sequins, I’d go blind. Youth is truly an advantage.”
The dress’s appearance had won everyone over. An Nan now adored this young girl immensely. He quickly stood up, took out a business card, and handed it to her. “Let’s get acquainted. I’m An Nan. Let’s keep in touch!”
The card read “Editor-in-Chief, Li Magazine.” Now it was Xu Zhaixing’s turn to be amazed.
Wasn’t this one of the future “Big Four” fashion magazines?
Wait, no. At this point in time, Li Magazine hadn’t yet become one of the “Big Four.” It was struggling with the impact of new media, teetering on the edge of transformation. Back when marketing accounts used to tease S-Star fans with promises of a Li Magazine cover, fans would get excited. Xu Zhaixing hadn’t understood the significance of magazine covers for celebrities then and had done some research. While looking up information, she had come across rumors that Li Magazine had once been on the verge of bankruptcy.
It was said that someone, she couldn’t recall who, had turned things around by abandoning their previous style, breaking everything down, and starting over from scratch, eventually saving the magazine.
Who was that someone again? Can’t remember.
She put the business card away politely and extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Xu Zhaixing. I don’t have a business card.”
An Nan smiled and shook her hand. “You’re still a student, right?”
Xu Zhaixing nodded. “Yes, I’m about to enter my second year of high school.”
An Nan cheered her on, “Keep it up, little friend. By the way, do you know how to do hair and makeup?”
Xu Zhaixing gave him a wink. “I do. Brother, you should get back to work. Your model is waiting for you.”
An Nan was in his thirties, long past the “brother” stage, but being called “brother” by her made him blossom with joy, increasing his fondness for the girl even more.
Watching all this through the mirror, Zhao Jinjin couldn’t help but whisper to Xu Zhaixing, who was now starting to apply foundation with a puff, “Brother? He could practically be your uncle.”
Xu Zhaixing poked her cheek and whispered back, “But he wouldn’t like that.”
Back when she had just graduated and started working as a makeup artist, she had even called people twenty years older than her “brother.” It was a basic rule of survival in the workplace.
Zhao Jinjin’s inner thoughts: The young miss is amazing. The way she plays her little tricks is so cute.
After applying the base makeup, Xu Zhaixing focused on doing her makeup.
Zhao Jinjin kept her eyes closed, asking anxiously, “Young Miss, do you really know how to do makeup? Should I do it myself? Can you even tell which is the eyebrow pencil and which is the eyeliner?”
Xu Zhaixing: “Shut up. I know them all.”
Zhao Jinjin: “Don’t high schoolers forbid makeup? When I was in university, I didn’t even know how to apply lipstick properly. Are high schoolers these days that mature already? Doesn’t the school discipline head care?”
Xu Zhaixing: “If you keep talking, I’ll make you look like Ruhua.”
Zhao Jinjin finally shut up.
An Nan had arrived early and had already finished his model’s hair and makeup. He let his model rest on the sofa and came over to watch Xu Zhaixing work.
What he saw was astonishing. The girl’s makeup technique was incredibly skilled. Not just skilled, but fast too. Initially, when he saw the two delicate, arched eyebrows on Zhao Jinjin’s face, he had reservations. It wasn’t the trendy eyebrow shape of the time, and it might not pair well with the eye makeup. He considered whether he should offer some guidance.
But as the eye makeup took shape, he realized he was wrong.
The color palette Xu Zhaixing used for the eye makeup clearly leaned towards a Chinese aesthetic. The previously mismatched delicate arched eyebrows instantly became the finishing touch, giving the model’s entire face a graceful, classic feel.
An Nan couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the name you’ve given this dress?”
Xu Zhaixing half-crouched, using a brush to place a crimson beauty mark at the corner of Zhao Jinjin’s eye. She said softly, “Feitian.”
An Nan clapped his hands. “I knew it! The dress has a definite ‘feathered garment’ vibe. Feathered garments, soaring to the heavens—it fits perfectly!”
As the makeup look gradually solidified, An Nan’s admiration grew. He couldn’t help asking, “I’ve never seen this makeup technique before. The color palette is so innovative.”
Xu Zhaixing thought to herself: Of course, I’m using an aesthetic from ten years in the future.
The other designers, having heard An Nan’s constant questions, couldn’t resist leaving their models to come over and watch. Zhao Jinjin opened one eye and said, “What are you guys doing? Don’t try to steal her techniques! These are my young miss’s secret skills!”
Having stared at her for so long, An Nan finally remembered who she was. “Hey, I know you! Aren’t you that little snake demon from ‘Peach Blossom Pond’? What’s your name… Zhao something?”
Zhao Jinjin said, “Zhao Jinjin! Jinjin as in ‘delicious and interesting’! And I wasn’t a little snake demon; my character was named Qing Ling!”
An Nan laughed apologetically. “Alright, alright, I’ll remember. If you act in TV dramas, why are you modeling now? Switching to the fashion industry? And why do you call Zhaixing ‘Young Miss’?”
Zhao Jinjin replied wearily, “You ask too many questions.”
Then she closed her eyes and stopped talking.
Xu Zhaixing thought: Serves her right. When two chatterboxes meet, one always surrenders.
After finishing the makeup, Xu Zhaixing started on the hairstyle. She gathered Zhao Jinjin’s long hair with a gauze ribbon of the same color scheme and began coiling it into a bun. An Nan couldn’t figure out how she transformed the smooth hair into such an intricate and beautiful updo.
Zhao Jinjin’s beautiful swan neck and delicate shoulder blades were fully revealed. She truly looked like a celestial maiden about to ascend to the heavens. Both the dress and the styling exuded an ethereal aura.
An Nan looked back at his own model and said sadly, “I suspect you’re going to win the championship.”
Xu Zhaixing clasped her hands in a modest gesture. “Brother, you flatter me too much.”
Once the hair and makeup were complete, Zhao Jinjin stared at herself in the mirror for several minutes before concluding, “I’m too beautiful. It’s against heaven’s will that I’m not famous.” She looked longingly at Xu Zhaixing. “Young Miss, how wonderful it would be if you were my personal stylist.”
Xu Zhaixing packed up her makeup kit. “Are you saying you dislike your current stylists? I’ll have my brother replace them when we get back.”
Zhao Jinjin sighed. “Sigh, what’s the point of changing? None of them would be you.”
Xu Zhaixing smiled and shooed her to the sofa to rest.
Once all designs were finished, it was soon the models’ turn to walk. Xu Zhaixing was number twenty-seven, giving Zhao Jinjin plenty of preparation time.
The other models nearby were all professionals. Some top designers had even hired supermodels. In comparison, Zhao Jinjin stood out as the lone amateur. Feeling nervous was all but inevitable.
Xu Zhaixing spent ten minutes feeding her the mantra “they’re not as beautiful as you, beauty is justice,” which finally calmed her down.
When the fourth group was called, Xu Zhaixing accompanied her to line up behind the entrance, smoothed out her train, gave her a thumbs-up of encouragement, then stepped aside to watch the runway feed on the screen.
Soon, the host’s voice came from the front: “Next on the runway is the work of designer number twenty-seven—‘Feitian’.”
Zhao Jinjin took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and stepped out.
The area below the runway was packed with people. White camera flashes lit up constantly. She kept her gaze straight ahead, her expression perfectly controlled, moving from one end of the runway to the other like a noble celestial maiden. She held her pose for five seconds at the front, then walked back, completing the two-minute presentation.
While posing at the front, she didn’t miss the appreciation and awe in the judges’ eyes.
As soon as she returned backstage, she rushed over and hugged Xu Zhaixing. “Young Miss! It’s a sure thing! Absolutely a sure thing!”
Xu Zhaixing also praised her. “You walked amazingly!”
Now, all they had to do was wait for the semi-final results.
Zhao Jinjin hadn’t eaten all day to keep her stomach flat, only drinking a few sips of water. Xu Zhaixing somehow found a box of yogurt for her to drink, then touched up her lipstick afterward.
An Nan’s presentation had also ended. Familiar with the scene, he even went to mingle in the media and magazine area below the runway. When he returned, he gave Xu Zhaixing a thumbs-up. “Mostly everyone is talking about ‘Feitian.’” He glanced with a smile at Zhao Jinjin, who was slumped on the sofa. “And about you. You’re going to be famous.”
Zhao Jinjin: “I want Coke. I want spicy hot pot.”
Xu Zhaixing remembered a particular spicy hot pot place she always passed by when going to the night market to find Cen Feng. It had great business and smelled amazing. She said, “I’ll take you there tonight. We won’t tell Brother Yun.”
Zhao Jinjin’s eyes lit up, and she swallowed hard several times.
After all the models finished their presentations, the list of finalists was announced an hour later. This was one benefit of foreign organizers—swift decisions, unlike domestic events with endless formalities and lengthy procedures.
All designers and models waited near the entrance, listening as the host announced the names one by one, each stepping out.
Xu Zhaixing’s name was the ninth called.
She and Zhao Jinjin exchanged a look, linked arms, and walked out.
The runway had been transformed into a spacious stage. The audience had shown the most interest in number twenty-seven, ‘Feitian.’ Hearing the name, they cheered and applauded.
But when Xu Zhaixing appeared, the crowd was stunned.
Wait… this little girl looks awfully young…
Even the host paused for a few seconds, but their quick reflexes saved them. They immediately said, “I never expected our designer number twenty-seven to be so young. What a surprise! Please, come over here.”
Xu Zhaixing followed Zhao Jinjin to the designated spot. The host continued announcing the remaining names.
This was her first time on this stage—the stage she had once dreamed of. It was impossible not to feel excited. But perhaps due to all she had experienced in recent years, her emotional control had strengthened. While her heart was doing cartwheels with joy, her expression remained perfectly natural.
She even spotted Xu Yan sitting in the second row.
Their eyes met. Xu Yan smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.
She couldn’t help but smile back.
A camera happened to pan to her at that moment, and her smile appeared on the big screen.
A young, tender girl, her features not fully matured yet, still with a hint of baby fat on her cheeks. But her bright eyes and gleaming white teeth, when she smiled, made her seem like dandelion fluff carried on sunlight, gently and softly landing in people’s hearts.
Cheers erupted instantly. Media cameras aimed at her, clicking away rapidly.
There were twenty finalists in total. Designers would explain their works one by one, followed by judges’ comments below. Zhao Jinjin leaned slightly closer and whispered, “Have you figured out what to say?”
Xu Zhaixing: “No. Chinese was my worst subject.”
Zhao Jinjin panicked. “Why didn’t you prepare a draft beforehand?!”
Xu Zhaixing: “Forgot about this part. Don’t worry, I’ll improvise.”
Zhao Jinjin recalled several red carpets she had attended and the speeches given by veteran actors and actresses. She quietly advised, “You should thank your parents, your teachers and friends, the organizers…”
As she was speaking, the host handed over the microphone with a smile. “Finally, we come to our number twenty-seven. Judging by the audience’s reaction and the judges’ expressions, I believe everyone is very curious about our young designer.”
Under Zhao Jinjin’s despairing gaze, Xu Zhaixing took the microphone, pursed her lips slightly, and spoke, “Hello everyone, hello judges. My name is Xu Zhaixing, the designer of ‘Feitian’.”
Scarlett, the founder of the renowned international fashion brand SV and one of the judges, immediately said, “My biggest question, probably everyone’s biggest question, is: how old are you?”
Since the competition was anonymous, the judges were only learning each designer’s identity now.
Xu Zhaixing said, “I’m sixteen.”
Even with an expected answer, the audience still gasped in surprise.
She was the youngest designer in the competition’s history. And she had made it to the finals!
Liu Chenghua, the vice president of the Fashion Design Association, was known for his strict impartiality. He asked bluntly, “Can you guarantee in front of all of us that this work, from design to creation, was completed independently by you alone?”
Xu Zhaixing nodded. “I guarantee that ‘Feitian’ is my independent design and creation.”
Given that the entire fashion world was watching this competition, there was no room for fraud. Her gaze was firm, her voice full of confidence. Liu Chenghua gave a slight nod and continued, “Explain your design concept.”
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes! The most crucial part!
Zhao Jinjin was so nervous her palms were sweating. She couldn’t help but turn to look at Xu Zhaixing.
Only to find her… spacing out.
Young Miss, how can you space out at a time like this?!
About ten seconds, maybe twenty, passed before they heard Xu Zhaixing speak. “The inspiration for ‘Feitian’ comes from an ancient line of poetry.” She looked at the dazzling lights ahead and smiled sweetly. “‘I long to ride the wind, and return there.’”
**