Chapter 76

Chapter 76

This time, even without Zhou Hongmin saying anything, Gu Xiaolei took the initiative to talk to Zhang Qiaoyun.

"You know, overseas, there are professional models wearing stunning outfits, walking down the runway. The clothes are amazing."

Gu Xiaolei’s eyes sparkled.

She wished she could wear so many beautiful clothes too.

Models got to wear so many pretty outfits, which was why Gu Xiaolei had this idea.

"Don’t blame Qiaoyun for thinking that way. Modeling is mostly for runway shows overseas, but we had it here decades ago too."

"Last time my mom asked me about the competition, and when I told her, she called it improper and not real work."

It was 1978, and most people here didn’t know much about these foreign terms, words, or professions.

Even if you explained everything clearly, they’d still picture models strutting around half-dressed in public and think it was improper and not a serious job. That’s why Jiang Yiwei understood how Zhang Qiaoyun felt.

In fact, modeling had existed overseas for a long time, and even in China, fashion shows had taken place more than forty years earlier. However, wars and reforms had made “model” a forgotten word.

But eventually, all of this would seem normal.

"Once our country develops further, there will naturally be people who become models."

"Hongmin and I could even design outfits that will be worn by models like them."

Yiwei was sure that day would come.

"Yiwei, how do you know all this?" Zhou Hongmin had never seen such detailed information in any material she had read.

Jiang Yiwei bopped Hongmin on the forehead. "You’ve been slacking. You didn’t read the materials the teacher gave us, and you hardly ever go to the school library."

Most of Jiang Yiwei’s knowledge came from browsing the internet in her past life—before entering the book—though some of it was indeed from current newspapers and foreign magazines.

But she couldn’t tell Zhou Hongmin about her previous life.

At that, Zhou Hongmin immediately said, "I’ll hit the books more after the competition."

If Yiwei worked this hard, how could she not?

"Yiwei, do you think I’d make a good model?" Gu Xiaolei hung onto Yiwei’s arm, eagerly waiting for her answer.

"No, you wouldn’t."

Jiang Yiwei dashed Xiaolei’s hopes without hesitation.

"Why not? I killed it on the runway!"

She'd rocked it on stage, and even Yiwei had praised her.

She thought she’d be perfect as a model.

Why did Yiwei think otherwise?

"You really aren’t suited for it."

This was just a university competition—anyone tall and slim enough could walk the runway. But if she wanted to become a real model, Gu Xiaolei just didn’t have what it takes.

Moreover, Gu Xiaolei’s family probably wouldn’t want her to participate in a fashion show, let alone agree to her becoming a model.

So, Jiang Yiwei shut down Gu Xiaolei’s hopes immediately.

“Forget about it. If you even think about being a model, your mom would never allow it.”

“Ugh! Don’t bring up my mom. Just mentioning her makes me depressed.”

Gu Xiaolei made a face.

The thought of her mother finding out she wanted to be a model—she might actually kill her.

Her face fell at the thought.

“Ahhhh!” Gu Xiaolei screamed, letting off steam from all the frustration.

“I’d love to meet your mom and see how she keeps you in line,” Jiang Yiwei teased. She found it amusing that Gu Xiaolei had such a healthy fear of her mother—though it wasn’t exactly terror, more like the kind of apprehension a little hellion feels toward strict discipline.

“Please don’t! Otherwise, I’ll just catch hell again.”

Her mom always gushed over anyone more accomplished than her, which only left Gu Xiaolei catching hell later.

“Alright, alright.”

Jiang Yiwei agreed easily.

Just then, a voice came from the stage outside. Jiang Yiwei and the others perked up, knowing the competition results were about to be announced.

The four listened nervously.

When the final results were revealed, they broke into grins.

Jiang Yiwei bagged second place, while Zhou Hongmin placed seventh.

All top ten finishers, including Jiang Yiwei, were summoned to the stage to collect their certificates.

Jiang Yiwei drew herself up, accepted her certificate, and before she could even take a proper look at it, Fang Wenyu’s voice cut in.

“Don’t get cocky, Jiang Yiwei. It’s just second place.”

“Still better than your third.”

That’s right—Fang Wenyu had come in third.

Seething, Fang Wenyu was beside herself. She couldn’t believe she’d lost to Jiang Yiwei. But no matter how bitter she felt, the results were final, and she had no choice but to accept them.

To celebrate Jiang Yiwei and Zhou Hongmin’s achievements, the four decided to splurge on a meal at a government canteen.

Seated before a table full of dishes, Gu Xiaolei hung all over Jiang Yiwei, gushing nonstop.

“Yiwei, thank you. I absolutely love this design.”

Clutching the outfit to her chest, she couldn’t bear to let go of it.

This was the dress Jiang Yiwei had lent her for the fashion show. Even after the competition ended, Gu Xiaolei was reluctant to return it.

Seeing that Gu Xiaolei really liked the dress, Jiang Yiwei said she would give it to her.

"I'm glad you like it."

Jiang Yiwei genuinely meant to give it to Gu Xiaolei.

She had no idea this dress would bring her a huge business opportunity.

A few days later, Gu Xiaolei took Jiang Yiwei to a drama troupe called Fangyuan.

"Sister Mingzhu."

Gu Xiaolei guided Jiang Yiwei with familiarity to a beautiful and graceful girl.

Yao Mingzhu looked at Jiang Yiwei. "So you're the one who made the red dress for Xiao Lei. You're around her age."

Yao Mingzhu had assumed the person would be at least in their thirties, but she wasn’t even twenty yet.

"For someone so young, your craftsmanship is excellent—even better than many master craftsmen." Yao Mingzhu had seen the dress; its workmanship and design were top-notch. Her technique might not rival the master craftsmen in the capital, but the style of her clothes surpassed theirs.

"That's very kind of you."

"I just focus on more innovative designs."

Jiang Yiwei didn’t dare compare her skills to those of master craftsmen. If anything, her designs were more eye-catching.

"Don’t sell yourself short."

Jiang Yiwei’s humility made a good impression on Yao Mingzhu.

"I take it Xiao Lei filled you in?" She wasn’t sure if Gu Xiaolei had explained the purpose of their visit to the troupe.

"Sister Mingzhu, you know you can trust me!"

Playful as she could be, Gu Xiaolei knew exactly what to do and what not to do.

"Xiao Lei told me. Today, I’m here to hear your vision."

Just yesterday, Gu Xiaolei came to her school.

Gu Xiaolei said her neighbor’s sister was an actress in a troupe called Fangyuan. Recently, the city was hosting a performance where many dignitaries and officials would attend.

Yao Mingzhu and her troupe planned to perform a dance called *Moon Over Water*.

Because of this performance, the troupe’s leaders were treating it as a top priority. Besides their troupe, several renowned troupes from the capital and one or two from other provinces would also participate in the event.

With so many troupes, all exceptionally talented, they naturally had to put on a spectacular show.

Yao Mingzhu’s troupe had specially prepared the *Moon Over Water* dance.

A great dance naturally required gorgeous costumes to do it justice.

Originally, their performance costumes had been prepared well in advance.

But a few days ago, the room storing the dance costumes and accessories caught fire. Though the troupe’s caretaker noticed in time and managed to save some of the clothes, the costumes for this performance were reduced to charred, unrecognizable scraps.

To guarantee a show-stopping performance in front of the leaders, the troupe’s director made a special trip to Suzhou to have master craftsmen create the costumes.

When the costumes were lost, the director made another trip, but this time, the master craftsmen couldn’t help—they were too booked to handle their order.

Because Gu Xiaolei and Yao Mingzhu's families were neighbors, that day Yao Mingzhu happened to be seeing her boyfriend off when she encountered Gu Xiaolei returning from outside. At that moment, Yao Mingzhu was drawn to the red dress Gu Xiaolei was wearing.

She took the initiative to ask Gu Xiaolei about the dress.

Gu Xiaolei proudly said it was made by her good friend, adding that most of the clothes she wore now were made by her.

A sudden idea struck Yao Mingzhu.

That was why Jiang Yiwēi appeared at the Fangyuan Drama Troupe today.

"Follow us."

Yao Mingzhu led Jiang Yiwēi to a dance studio where five girls were practicing.

Seeing Jiang Yiwēi and Gu Xiaolei, they all greeted them warmly.

"This is Jiang Yiwēi, the one I told you about. She will be designing and making the costumes for our dance performances," Yao Mingzhu explained to the troupe members.

"She looks so young, can she do it?"

One of the troupe members voiced her concern.

Yao Mingzhu had mentioned before that they would find someone new to make the costumes, but they hadn't expected the person to be so young, possibly even younger than they were.

Would the costumes she makes really be suitable?

"Yiwēi may be young, but that doesn't mean she can't make good costumes."

Seeing someone question Jiang Yiwēi's ability, Yao Mingzhu quickly defended her.

Gu Xiaolei was restless.

After all, they were just like her and Zhang Qiaoyun when they first met Jiang Yiwei—having their doubts about her. But everything she had Jiang Yiwei make proved flawless, beyond her wildest expectations.

"She's your friend, so of course you think she's good," someone retorted to Gu Xiaolei.

Although Yao Mingzhu hadn't introduced Gu Xiaolei to them, it was clear from their interaction that the two knew each other well.

They could understand Gu Xiaolei wanting to help her friend.

Helping was one thing, but they couldn't just go along blindly.

"Sister Mingzhu, this performance is crucial. We can't risk any mistakes. She's too young—even if her clothes are good, they might not measure up to those made by the master craftsman."

"Sister Mingzhu, we still have time before the performance. Maybe we should try finding the master craftsman again."

They still trusted the costumes made by the master craftsman more.

"You've seen the performance outfits he made before, Sister Mingzhu. Going with him would be more reliable."

The troupe members weighed in one by one, offering their opinions to Yao Mingzhu.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Jiang Yiwei—it was just that this performance was so important that every single detail had to be perfect.

They had already perfected their dance, only to hit a snag with the costumes.

Yao Mingzhu stood aside, but the way she twisted her thumb showed she was considering the troupe members’ words carefully.

After a long pause, she finally spoke: "Comrade Jiang, prove what you can do."

Jiang Yiwei smiled faintly, then dragged Gu Xiaolei, who had a scowling face, in front of the troupe members.

"Look at the dress she's wearing."

The dress Gu Xiaolei had on was one of the pieces Jiang Yiwei had made for her.

In fact, many had already noticed the light purple skirt Gu Xiaolei was wearing, as well as the indigo-blue dress with flower-like embellishments and intricate patterns that Jiang Yiwei wore—both of which made the garments appear light, lively, and vivid.

Realizing their gazes had also fallen on her, Jiang Yiwei twirled around several times in front of them.

The dresses were truly beautiful.

Whether it was Jiang Yiwei’s or Gu Xiaolei’s dress, they had rarely seen such fresh and eye-catching designs.

Everyone was itching with envy, wishing they could have ones just like them.

"The dress I’m wearing and the one Xiao Lei has on were both made by me."

The troupe members' looks changed as they looked at Jiang Yiwei, though some still doubted whether her creations were good enough for performances and stubbornly insisted,

"Just because you make pretty clothes doesn’t mean you’re better than those master craftsmen."

"You're right," she admitted. "My sewing skills aren't as refined as the master craftsmen’s. But my strength lies in design."

She knew those master craftsmen sewed every stitch by hand, while she used a sewing machine. In that regard, she couldn't compare, but that didn’t mean her work was inferior or unfit for the stage.

Jiang Yiwei opened her bag and pulled out three design sketches she'd prepared earlier.

"These are the designs I made for you."

Yao Mingzhu and the others hadn’t expected Jiang Yiwei to have already prepared the designs.

The three sketches depicted the outfits, complete with hand-colored details.

The more they looked, the more their awe became obvious.

Yao Mingzhu even pictured how incredible it would be if these designs were turned into real garments—worn on stage as they danced, drawing every eye in the audience and moving their hearts.

The more they envisioned it, the more eager some became.

At the same time, Yao Mingzhu couldn’t help but admire Jiang Yiwei as an impressively talented young woman.

When she first met Jiang Yiwei, Yao Mingzhu had also doubted whether she could make the costumes they needed. But now, seeing the designs and the dresses Jiang Yiwei and Gu Xiaolei wore, she was convinced Jiang Yiwei could create exactly what they wanted.

"Can you really make the clothes exactly like this?"

Some still lacked confidence in Jiang Yiwei—just because she could draw didn’t guarantee she could execute the designs.

"You know what? If you’re going to doubt everything, just go find someone else!"

Gu Xiaolei couldn’t hold back her temper and shot back impatiently.

If not for Yao Mingzhu, she would’ve already scolded them the moment they started questioning Jiang Yiwei.

Hadn’t they made it clear? The dresses she and Yiwei wore were made by Yiwei—hadn’t they seen for themselves? Didn’t they like them? And now that Yiwei had even shown the designs, they were still doubting her. Who did they think they were dealing with?

"Young lady, you're still as fiery as ever."

Yao Mingzhu looked at Gu Xiaolei and shook her head, amused.

They were around Jiang Yiwei's age, but look how composed she was—facing everyone's doubts and producing work that won them over.

"Miss Jiang, we sincerely apologize. It's just that this performance means everything to our troupe, to us. Please understand."

This performance was not only crucial for them but also for their troupe.

Many important leaders would be attending.

Performing in front of these leaders—and earning their praise—could make or break their troupe's future.

As members of the troupe, they naturally wanted it to succeed. If the troupe did well, so would they.

No wonder they were on edge.

"Don't mention it," Jiang Yiwei replied. "After all, your previous costumes were handmade by those master craftsmen."

She understood Yao Mingzhu and the others, so she bore no hard feelings.

"Ms. Yao, if you're still considering having me design your costumes, we can start discussing details now. You're welcome to share any suggestions—I'm open to revisions."

"But if that’s not what you want, I'll get out of your hair."

If they still wanted her to do the costumes, they could talk about it right away.

If not, Jiang Yiwei planned to retrieve her design drafts and calm down Gu Xiaolei, who was clearly fuming.

"Yiwei, you and Xiaolei wait here a moment. I’ll go consult with our troupe leader."

Whether or not to hire Jiang Yiwei was a troupe-wide decision, and Yao Mingzhu couldn’t decide alone.

The troupe leader had the final word.

She had to run it by them.

"Alright, Xiaolei and I will stay here and wait for your good news."

Yao Mingzhu took the other troupe members and the three costume design drafts to find the troupe leader.

Jiang Yiwei sipped her tea and glanced at Gu Xiaolei, whose cheeks were puffed out in anger.

"Still upset? There's really no need."

"Here, drink some water and chill."

She handed the cup to Gu Xiaolei, who downed it in one angry swig.

"They’re so patronizing!"

"If it weren’t for Sister Mingzhu, I wouldn’t give two hoots about their troupe."

"Let them take their business elsewhere. Don’t help them make costumes. If they put so much stock in those master craftsmen, let them go to them."

The way they disrespected Jiang Yiwei—if she had known what they were really like, Xiaolei would never have mentioned Jiang Yiwei to Yao Mingzhu in the first place.

Let them chase after their precious master craftsmen instead.

"Didn't they say it themselves? This performance is very important, so their caution makes sense."

"And for such an important performance, they specifically sought out master tailors to make the costumes. Of course they'd doubt me."

As Yao Mingzhu kept saying earlier, this performance was crucial for them and their troupe. They even went the extra mile to find skilled master tailors for their costumes, showing how much this performance means to them.

As for their doubts about her, they were simply worried that the clothes she made wouldn't look perfect on stage.

"I don't care what they say—no one should doubt your designs. Your designs are unbeatable!" Gu Xiaolei wasn't having any of it. In her eyes, Jiang Yiwei's work was simply unmatched.

No one could compare to Jiang Yiwei.

Jiang Yiwei quirked a smile, barely suppressing her laughter.

She almost felt like Gu Xiaolei was acting like her biggest fan.

After nearly an hour, Yao Mingzhu and the others reappeared before Jiang Yiwei and Gu Xiaolei. This time, walking ahead of Yao Mingzhu was a somewhat older woman.

Yao Mingzhu introduced her to Jiang Yiwei: "Yiwei, this is our troupe director, Liang Xiaoe."

"Director Liang, hello!"

"Comrade Jiang Yiwei, sorry to keep you waiting. Mingzhu just told me everything—we got caught up in discussions inside."

Yao Mingzhu had taken the design drafts to Liang Xiaoe, who then gathered several other troupe staff members to discuss whether to adopt Jiang Yiwei's designs.

They'd been debating for nearly an hour.

"It did take a while."

So much so that Jiang Yiwei was about to lose her patience.

She had even considered discussing with Gu Xiaolei about taking her designs and leaving.

But before she could say anything, Liang Xiaoe and Yao Mingzhu returned.

"Director Liang, what's your final decision?" Now they would tell her.

"Comrade Jiang Yiwei, we’ve decided to have you design our performance costumes this time."

Liang Xiaoe announced the result of their discussion.

They had all agreed to let Jiang Yiwei handle the costumes for this performance.

Jiang Yiwei kept a straight face but inside she was thrilled.

She knew it all along—how could anyone not love her designs?

As expected, it was easy as pie.

"Now that your troupe has decided to have me make the costumes, let's go over the designs and also discuss my fees."

"Of course, Comrade Jiang Yiwei, right this way."

Liang Xiaoe led Jiang Yiwei and Gu Xiaolei into another room.

And so, they dove into a heated discussion.

Even Gu Xiaolei, a complete layman, joined in enthusiastically.

Since taking on the job of making performance costumes for the Fangyuan Drama Troupe, Jiang Yiwei had been working nonstop.

She even roped in Zhou Hongmin to help.

Sixteen days later, Jiang Yiwei finally finished all six costumes.

Making those six costumes just about wore her out completely.

Right then, she contacted Gu Xiaolei to let her know the costumes were done. She said she wanted to bring them to the troupe the next day and asked Gu Xiaolei to pass along the word to Yao Mingzhu. She even asked if Gu Xiaolei wanted to come along.

Of course, Gu Xiaolei wanted to go.

She spread the word right away to Yao Mingzhu next door.

Yao Mingzhu said she would drive over to pick them up the next day.

Jiang Yiwei thought it over and figured that’d work fine.

One costume might not weigh much, but six together was pretty heavy.

Thinking it over, she figured going with Yao Mingzhu’s offer would be easier.

The next day, Yao Mingzhu pulled up in her small car in front of the Jiang family courtyard.

As soon as the car stopped, it got everyone in Chao’an Alley looking—most of the neighbors had paused what they were doing to check out the car parked outside the Jiang house, and some even came by just to see for themselves.