CH 36

Although those words were spoken to Mo Li Xin, Xu Qing Man was clearly cheering herself on.

The backstage was very crowded, the designers were briefing their models.

“Ah-” Mo Li Xin’s back was bumped into and she heard a suspiciously familiar voice from behind. When she turned around, she saw Gu Yi Yi getting up from the ground.

“Why is it you?” Gu Yi Yi looked at Mo Li Xin in astonishment. She obviously did not expect to see Mo Li Xin here.

“Xin Xin, do you know her?” Xu Qing Man asked. There was still a period of time before the show started, many models had already donned their gowns. But Xu Qing Man listened to Mo Li Xin’s instructions, thus she had yet to wear hers. Hence Gu Yi Yi could not tell that they were also here to participate in this competition.

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“Don’t know, I’m not familiar with her,” Mo Li Xin replied flatly. She really did not like this Gu Yi Yi.

“You!… Why are you like a ghost lingering everywhere? Why are you here? Is this a place anyone can enter?” Gu Yi Yi seethed. Especially thinking back on yesterday’s humiliation, she got even angrier. Although there were many people around, she did not think to care about her image. Let alone after the fall she had.

“You’re such a peculiar person. This isn’t your house, so who are you to disallow us from coming? You can participate, but my Xin Xin cannot? That’s hilarious,” Xu Qing Man, who was a straightforward and candid girl, directly shot back.

“Ebyv? Zswa jkde sq rlsrzl nyd yzps ryavknkryvl kd vbkp nsxrlvkvksd? Slyzzu xyjkdt rlsrzl zywtb vblka blyep sqq,” Qw Zk Zk alqwple vs zlv vblx ts.

Gp Qw Zk Zk’p hsknl oyp y zkvvzl zswe, xydu rlsrzl oyvnble yp vbl pkvwyvksd wdqszele. Gzvbswtb vblal olal sdzu vos vlyxp qasx Uswdvau G, Uswdvau G’p zydtwytl oyp ralhyzldv, ps xydu rlsrzl nswze wdelapvyde vblka nsdhlapyvksd.

Ys Nk Dkd nwazle bla zkrp.

“Xb? Ebyv jkde sq rlapsd yx R? Ebu esd’v vbkp zyeu lmrzykd vs xl obyv xu vurl sq rlsrzl ldnyrpwzyvlp? Gp qsa usw… obyv jkde sq rlapsd usw yal, R’x lmvalxlzu nzlya. Fbyxlzlppzu vaukdt vs plewnl svbla rlsrzl’p bwpcydep, byhkdt ds nsdpnkldnl obld pzydelakdt svblap, yde zkjlp vs bkel clbkde obkzl pnblxkdt ytykdpv svblap. Gald’v xu osaep… vawl?” Tla vsdl oyp kdekqqlaldv.

“Zsw! Zsw’al prswvkdt dsdpldpl!” Mbkdjkdt cynj vs ulpvlaeyu obld bla zklp tsv lmrsple, vbl lxcyaaypple Qw Zk Zk eldkle kd y qzwpvlale xyddla.

“Zsw jdso nzlyazu oblvbla R’x vyzjkdt dsdpldpl. Ebyv R byvl xspv kp clkdt wddlnlppyakzu vaswczle, ps rzlypl pvyu yoyu qasx xl kd vbl qwvwal. Xb… yde sdl xsal vbkdt… Yu bwpcyde pyke bl qlzv ekptwpvle pllkdt usw vos elprlayvlzu vaukdt vs nzkdt sdvs bkx,” Ys Nk Dkd zlydle nzspla vs Qw Zk Zk yde obkprlale kdvs bla lya. Rtdsakdt bso cye Qw Zk Zk’p lmralppksd oyp, pbl vwadle bla cynj vs bla. Ys Nk Dkd pyv cynj kd bla plyv yde blzrle Dw Ckdt Yyd vswnb wr bla xyjlwr.

Rv oyp byae qsa Qw Zk Zk’p ydtla vs ekppkryvl, cwv vbl pbso oyp ycswv vs cltkd yde pbl oyp ryav sq vbl qkapv cyvnb vbyv oyp blyekdt swv. Mblalqsal pbl nswze sdzu ldewal yde poyzzso bla ekprzlypwal. Uzknjkdt yoyu sd bla bktb bllzp.

“Dkd Dkd, obs’p vbyv? Rv yzxspv zssjle zkjl vblal’p psxl ellr-plyvle ydkxspkvu clvolld usw vos,” Dw Ckdt Yyd fsjle.

Just so happened, Dai Meng came over, “a shameless, rude, and arrogant person.” 

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Dai Meng glanced at the direction Gu Yi Yi had stomped away and slowly retold what happened that day. Thus, Xu Qing Man finally understood what had gone on between them.

“Then Xin Xin, what did you mean by that last sentence?” Xu Qing Man continued quizzing as she loved a good gossip.

Mo Li Xin felt helpless as she told Xu Qing Man about Ji Nan Feng’s encounter with the hotel thief and the subsequent incident at the necklace shop.

“Oh… so that’s what happened… So, you still don’t know who she is!” Xu Qing Man concluded.

“En, but I’m assuming that the Xie Jing Jing is the more dominant one out of the two. Although both of them look like they have no brains, it’s obvious that this lady is always trying to get into her good grace,” Mo Li Xin thoughtfully determined.

This small episode at the backstage of Bai Sha Exhibition did not affect its grand opening. After the majestic countdown, music resonated, and the first contestant’s design, which positioning was previously allocated, stepped onto the runway.

Xu Qing Man also wore her first wedding dress. It had a long train, looking grand, luxurious, yet dignified. Xu Qing Man’s hair was also slightly curled, leaving some loose hairs to frame her face. Although Xu Qing Man had tried on this wedding dress many times before, she was still surprised by her appearance. Just too beautiful, she was blown away by her own beauty. 

The first row under the T-stage was occupied by judges, made up of renowned designers of the fashion industry. And one of them was Gong Ze Yun. As the founder of Jiu Zi, he was not without substance and naturally had his own abilities. Filling up the second row were the important figures of upper society that must not be offended, they were all with status that was undeniable. Amongst them was Ji Nan Feng who came as a ‘spectator’, and even Gan Yun Ting, whose reason was still… unknown.

“Third Brother! I’m here to see Third Sister-in-law win first place!” When Ji Nan Feng first arrived at his seat and saw Gan Yun Ting, Gan Yun Ting hurriedly explained as if he was afraid of being misunderstood.

Ji Nan Feng was silent, it seemed like coming to watch the show was just an excuse, Gan Yun Ting just wanted to see Xu Qing Man!

Gong Ze Yun, who was seated at the front, turned around to nod a greeting in their direction. 

The music in the venue ebbed and flowed as the audience watched in anticipation as beautiful wedding dresses passed by. From all around the world, the top hundred wedding dresses selected would definitely not be shabby. Some of the gowns could even rival those designed by renowned designers. The audience, whether laymen or experts, were discussing softly, speculating which wedding dress could win the top spot and its designer would become Bai Sha Exhibition’s up-and-coming star.

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However, most of the wedding dresses were similar. Thus, as the show continued, the enthusiastic discussions slowly decreased. That was until a beautiful oriental woman stepped onto the catwalk. Following the rhythm of the music, she slowly made her way out onto the center of the stage. Everyone was dazzled by the beauty. 

Like every model before her, a beam of light shined onto her, illuminating her distinctive silhouette. Her white wedding dress shimmered with reddish blush under the multitude of layers. Under the spotlight, her long train dragged behind her, looking extremely light as if it was floating behind her. It could be seen that the wedding dress was very sophisticated.

The oriental women leisurely stepped onto the stage. Her pace was a bit slow, but the audience held their breath, not wanting to miss even a single detail of the wedding dress and the model. It was truly beautiful, what a breathtaking sight.

Unfortunately, the T-stage was only so long, the catwalk only lasted for two minutes. Before the audience could wrap their heads around it, the model had already left the stage. What a pity…  

That oriental woman was none other than Xu Qing Man, garbed in the first wedding dress Mo Li Xin designed.

Xu Qing Man hugged Mo Li Xin once she stepped off the platform. After returning backstage, she felt that her second round on the catwalk would not be as daunting. 

“It doesn’t seem to be as nerve-racking as I expected. Xin Xin, how did I perform just now?” Xu Qing Man asked after taking a few deep breaths.

“Excellently, didn’t you realise that the speechless audience was in awe?” Mo Li Xin smiled.

The two exchanged a few words before they hurried back to change into the second gown. Gu Yi Yi, who was standing behind, had her nails embedded into her palms as she gritted her teeth in anger and disbelief. She really did not expect that this woman whom she had always looked down upon was actually a designer. And a very strong competitor too.

However, what she could never have thought of was about to happen. Because in this show, there were two wedding dresses that belonged to Mo Li Xin. Furthermore, she was the only one with two gowns in this exhibition.

When the second wedding dress strutted onto the platform, the audience almost did not know how to react.

“Isn’t that the oriental model from before?”

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“Yes, yes, she is! She actually modeled two gowns… This means there’s a designer who was shortlisted for two dresses! Tsk tsk, that’s amazing.”

“Isn’t it? Having one gown is already mind-blowing enough. I didn’t expect there to be two. I was still recollecting the feeling the first gown gave me. Who would’ve thought that a second gown would follow.” 

The audience was in a flurry of discussions before silence ensued as they stared at the second wedding dress unblinkingly.

This time, the music was more upbeat as the wedding dresses near the end of the show allowed for more agility. Therefore, the models were also given more room to infuse their style into their movement.

Xu Qing Man’s second dress was of a light blue hue. The white spotlight shining down, and the special effects created by the fog covered the runway; making it look like something out of a fairytale, and Xu Qing Man was like a goddess. The first wedding dress was more dignified and elegant. But the second gown gave a livelier energy. Although the train of the gown was still long, it gave off a lighter feeling. Xu Qing Man’s long legs would occasionally peep out from the slit at the front of the skirt as she walked. The waistline of the gown was embellished with golden sand flowers, giving off a more playful and cute vibe.

The music was also relatively fast-paced. Although other models also stepped to the rhythm, they still dare not make big movements. Yet, as per Mo Li Xin’s instructions, Xu Qing Man did just that. The pace was fast and slow, wearing high heels of three to four inches, her steps carried a bounce in them. It could be said that her base was solid, and her movement further accentuated the beauty of the wedding dress.

This caused the judges to nod repeatedly expressing their utmost approvals.

“This little lass usually acts like a man. Didn’t expect her to clean up this nicely, she looks pretty,” Gan Yun Ting could not help but smack his lips.

Although Ji Nan Feng just smiled and did not say a word, in his heart, he was filled with pride. After viewing so many wedding dresses, he still felt that none could compare to his wife’s. 

Four rows away from the T-stage, Xie Jing Jing received a text message from Gu Yi Yi. Only to realize that her favorite wedding dress was actually designed by the woman she hated the most. Before she could even wrap her head around it, another gown came out. She felt so infuriated that her liver hurts. Raising her eyes to Ji Nan Feng, seated in the middle of the second row, how could she not know what spot that was. The first row was reserved for the judges, and the second row was for prominent figures in society. Originally, she was proud of her standing as the Miss of Xie family; yet they could only sit in the fourth row. Now she was more convinced that the man’s background was not so simple.

Thus, Xie Jing Jing became more jealous of Mo Li Xin’s good fortune.

It took more than two hours before the show ended, and another half-hour break before the results were announced.

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Out of the hundred dresses, the rankings for the last ninety positions were announced directly. Afterwards, for the top ten, designers were given a chance to communicate their design concepts to the judges. And if the concept was appealing, the judges might change their own scores and the rankings. 

There was no doubt that Mo Li Xin would enter the top ten with her two wedding dresses. But who would have thought that they took first and second place. As soon as the rankings were announced, it shocked everyone, but at the same time, they felt that it was reasonable.

“Sure enough, it’s exactly as I predicted. The first and second spots were indeed well deserved. I wonder who that up-and-coming star is,” a blonde-haired man sitting in the second row mused.

“I think I know who it is,” the other blonde-haired man, seated beside him, replied. It was easy to tell that both of them were mixed blood. Despite the blonde hair and blue eyes, they held likeness to Country A’s citizens.

Those two were Miao Bai’s agent, Allen, and his friend, Ma De Yue.