Chapter 112

Chapter 112

At the Weiyang Clothing Design Shop.

Huang Yunxiang stood behind the counter, taking the receipt and handing over the finished clothes to the customers.

Customers came and went.

Meanwhile, in the tearoom, Jiang Yiwei and Zhou Hongmin were showing the wedding dress designs they'd created for the clients seated across from them.

"Miss Wang, Mr. Li, please take a look. If you like it, we'll go ahead with this one," Jiang Yiwei said, pointing to one of the sketches.

"Boss Jiang, these two pieces," Wang Caizhi pointed to the designs, her eyes showing satisfaction. She loved the wedding dress Jiang Yiwei had designed.

"Great, we'll finalize this one then. And Mr. Li?"

"This one," Wang Caizhi pointed to another one.

Once confirmed, Jiang Yiwei started on the paperwork.

She handed the receipt to Wang Caizhi, reminding her to return at the agreed time to collect the dress.

Looking up, Jiang Yiwei noticed a group approaching the shop. She narrowed her eyes slightly—one of them was familiar.

Even Zhou Hongmin's expression changed subtly; she instantly became wary.

The person who'd been speaking quietly to her companion sensed their gazes and instinctively looked up, then gave them a smile.

It was Fang Wenyu.

Jiang Yiwei raised an eyebrow. If the group hadn't been heading straight for her shop, she wouldn't have wondered about Fang Wenyu's intentions in bringing them here.

As Fang Wenyu reached the shop entrance, she waved in a friendly way at Jiang Yiwei.

"Yi Wei, long time no see."

Fang Wenyu's odd behavior made Jiang Yiwei even more suspicious.

Still, a customer is a customer.

"Long time no see."

Fang Wenyu looked pleased with her polite reply.

At least Jiang Yiwei knew how to behave.

Inside the tearoom, Jiang Yiwei poured tea for Fang Wenyu and her companions. After taking care of that, she went back to their earlier conversation.

"I'm just an ordinary seamstress," she said modestly.

The middle-aged woman sitting in the middle drank some tea.

"Boss Jiang, Wenyu was telling us that your designs are always creative and original."

"You don't seem ordinary at all. Ordinary seamstresses aren't as good as you—theaters and singers all come to you for clothes."

Jiang Yiwei is far from ordinary.

Jiang Yiwei chuckled lightly, "Teacher Yu, you flatter me. I'm just making a living."

"Just making a living? If that were true, you wouldn't have beaten me in every competition."

Every time Fang Wenyu remembered losing to Jiang Yiwei, she burned with indignation. Why did Jiang Yiwei always come out on top?

She could admit Jiang Yiwei's designs were good, but she didn’t think her own work was any worse.

"Competitions? It comes down to skill."

She won fair and square—no one could blame her.

Fang Wenyu’s face twisted in displeasure. If the others hadn’t been there, and if she hadn’t learned restraint after starting work, she would have already lashed out at Jiang Yiwei.

Seeing Fang Wenyu bite back her anger, Jiang Yiwei thought to herself—Fang Wenyu had really grown up.

It was true—work changed people in every way.

Jiang Yiwei looked over Teacher Yu and the others.

"Did Wenyu bring you here for something? Do you need my help—perhaps with making clothes?"

Earlier, when Fang Wenyu introduced them, she mentioned they were a director, screenwriter, and stage art director.

Jiang Yiwei had been puzzled—why bring them here?

Fang Wenyu said they were shooting a historical drama in a few months.

With so many characters in a TV series, there would naturally be countless costumes to make.

So Jiang Yiwei figured—maybe they needed extra help with the sewing.

Teacher Yu shook her head. "Actually, we want you to design the costumes for our drama—to be our series' costume designer."

Jiang Yiwei froze at Teacher Yu’s words.

Did I hear that right?

They wanted her as their TV series’ costume designer?

"Teacher Yu, did I hear that right? You want me to design your drama's costumes?"

Teacher Yu smiled. "You heard right."

They really were asking her.

The more she thought, the weirder it felt. "Why me? I’ve never designed costumes for a production."

Why would they pick her?

No matter how she puzzled over it, she couldn’t understand.

Fang Wenyu was itching to snap. She nearly cursed—this was a huge break, and Jiang Yiwei was wasting it with pointless questions.

Teacher Yu shifted uncomfortably, but the woman in her thirties to her right explained:

"We’re filming a historical drama called *Zhou Yuanqing*. We’d already hired a design team early on, and the drafts were ready. Then they jacked up the price—250 yuan per sketch! Our drama has a huge cast, seasonal scenes, and grand set pieces..."

Here's the improved translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Shen Linyue is the director of *Zhou Yuanqing*.

She let out a deep sigh. "By our calculations, we'd need nearly three thousand different costumes. We were furious at their behavior, and our production's costume budget only allows for 200 yuan per design."

Their production budget had fixed allocations for each department.

The sudden price hike by their original costume vendor—for nearly three thousand outfits—was not only unexpected but exorbitant, putting it way beyond what Shen Linyue and the crew could afford.

"Oh! I see."

Jiang Yiwei understood why they'd approached her—they figured her costumes would cost less.

However, she was still a bit confused.

"But I still don't get it. I've never done costumes for a film production before. Are you sure you want me to design and sew outfits for your show?"

Just because I'm more affordable doesn't mean I'm the right choice. I have no experience with film costumes.

They were taking quite a risk. Weren't they worried my designs might not meet their standards?

Teacher Yu and Shen Linyue shared a look and smiled.

"Jiang Yiwei, do you remember the Yun Jing Opera Troupe?"

She paused briefly, then nodded.

"Yes, they've commissioned me to make stage costumes a few times."

Of course she remembered. The troupe had hired her several times, most recently three months ago.

"I've seen their shows *The Dream of the Yellow Millet* and *Dreaming of Heaven*."

"You made the costumes for both productions, right?"

Teacher Yu had decided to seek her out after seeing these performances.

"Yes, I made those garments."

"But Teacher Yu, you must have noticed they were radically different from traditional opera costumes."

The difference was striking. Was she really sure about this?

"Your designs for the troupe were major departures from tradition. I was really impressed by those outfits—they're why I want you to design for *Zhou Yuanqing*."

"I believe you'll create something truly unique for us."

The shows had struck Teacher Yu—how the costumes moved with the performers, so fluid they drew you in.

When their original vendor priced them out of reach, Teacher Yu recalled those remarkable designs.

She contacted the troupe's director, who put them in touch with the textile department's Fang Wenyu.

Fang Wenyu was the one who'd originally introduced the director to Jiang Yiwei.

"Teacher Yu, I've never made traditional opera costumes before. If you ask me to design and sew them... I'm not sure I can deliver."

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

The costumes made for the Yun Peking Opera Troupe and those for a film/TV production team are entirely different.

Jiang Yiwei feared she might not be able to handle making costumes for a production team.

"You haven't even tried yet. How do you know you can't do it?"

"In those city competitions, whatever the challenge was, you always did well and placed in the rankings."

Fang Wenyu was frustrated that Jiang Yiwei was already saying she couldn't do it before even attempting anything. At least give it a shot.

When did she become so timid?

"But making costumes for a production team is completely different."

It's not something you can just slap together.

"Then rise to the challenge—treat it like a competition."

"Besides, if you can make stage costumes for an opera troupe, you can definitely make costumes for a production team."

Fang Wenyu had complete faith that Jiang Yiwei could create the costumes Teacher Yu and the team needed. She gave Jiang an encouraging look.

"Ms. Fang is right, Ms. Jiang. How do you know you can't do it without even trying? Won't you give it a shot?"

As Fang Wenyu said, how could she know she couldn't do it without trying?

Jiang Yiwei might just create show-stopping costumes if she took the challenge.

Jiang Yiwei looked at Teacher Yu and Fang Wenyu, her feelings were all mixed up.

Making costumes for a production team.

This was really something Jiang Yiwei had never imagined before.

But could she really do it? Could she make the costumes Teacher Yu wanted?

Jiang Yiwei thought back to when she first started making clothes, encountering all sorts of clients, and how Yao Mingzhu's troupe came to her for stage costumes, which earned rave reviews and led more troupes to hire her for their costumes. That track record should give her confidence.