Ch48 - Comfort

Gu Qingchi stepped forward and spread out his arms under Charlie’s instruction. Then, he turned around, showing off the clothes on his body.

When Gu Qingchi had been in the corner, everyone else had only dared to shoot subtle glances toward him. They brushed their gaze across him and quickly pulled back. 

Since Gu Qingchi was standing in the center, those who had been watching him secretly now had a legitimate reason to stare at him openly.

He was the center of the crowd, presenting himself with a very natural gesture.

Vano swept her critical gaze across Gu Qingchi, from top to bottom.

It was hard to say whether she was looking at the clothes or the model. 

The Grecian clothing, the exposed back, the metal accessories, it was reasonable to say that this kind of outfit seemed rather licentious. The Greek pantheon mirrored human nature. This could be reflected in the clothing, and it was exactly what Charlie was trying to show.

However, all of this was overwhelmed by the model’s unique temperament and transformed into something more seductive.

What was there to miss about something that was always at your fingertips?

True beauty did not belong to something that existed within this universe. Rather, it was a product of human imagination.

Vano had always thought so. That was until now.

Today, she met an unimaginable beauty.

Still, Vano remembered that she was a judge, so she tried to keep the model and the clothes separate.

“Charlie, your theme of choice is Apollo. Uh, the clothes aren’t bad. No matter what happens, you’ll be able to get a good score. Everyone would agree that they’re beautiful. I really like the details and accessories, but—” 

Vano tapped her ballpoint against the table and looked up at him.

“You’re a clothing designer. The accessories are important, but your focus should be on the clothing itself.”

“Are you serious about this? The style you’ve got going on here has been done before. There’s nothing new here. My god, you are way too cautious. I could tell just by looking at those accessories. However, this isn’t what we need. What we need is something different.”

She leaned back in her chair. 

“You need to be bold, Charlie. You’re a good designer but not if you’re like this, not if you don’t let yourself go.”

Charlie was a little dispirited. His voice was rather hoarse.

“Still, thank you—”

Vano interrupted him. 

“However. This is the important part, so listen carefully. Your Paris Fashion Week will end here. However, if you are interested, I can personally recommend you to one of KK’s studios. You already have an established style. You’re not suitable for this kind of competition.”

KK was a well-known affordable luxury brand. Designers would fight tooth and nail in order to get into one of their studios.

Vano was very optimistic about Charlie’s attention to detail and choice of accessories. He was a little mediocre in other areas.

However, sometimes, being above average in one particular field was more than enough. 

The judge sitting next to Vano quietly retracted Charlie’s passing result.

Charlie’s face flushed with excitement.

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However, for the public, the biggest attraction were the models and the celebrities that attended the shows.

In recent years, various brands have started getting their brand ambassadors to walk the runway like the models.

For the models who weren’t famous enough to make it onto the stage, this preliminary selection was their only chance to walk the runway. 

Gu Qingchi ended up getting eliminated here.

At this point, he stepped back behind Charlie, just like he was in the beginning. He maintained a deferential attitude.

From beginning to end, Gu Qingchi focused on showcasing the clothes. The person on the runway might be the model, but the clothes were the focus. The designer was the person he needed to serve.

The onlookers were a little surprised. They couldn’t believe that there was someone who could say no to Gu Qingchi. 

Charlie thanked her several times in a row. Just as he was about to take Gu Qingchi and leave, Vano stopped him.

“Hey. Just a minute, sir. Have some patience.”

Vano took off the sunglasses that she had been wearing. She stood up and extended a hand to Gu Qingchi, who was standing behind Charlie. When Gu Qingchi reached out for a handshake, Vano promptly gave him a kiss on his hand.

She slowed down and softened her voice. 

“May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

Fashion, at its essence, was the pursuit of beauty.

Xie Luyu was currently in the kitchen. There were all kinds of bowls and dishes sitting in front of him. Each one was filled with flour, eggs, and cream.

There was a tablet propped up on a table not too far away. It was displaying a video on how to make a cake. Xie Luyu was following along as he watched. 

“Sugar is 60 grams. Milk is 48 grams. This kind of cake is way too small. That’s no good. We should double it. Your dad’s birthday cake needs to be a big one, don’t you think?”

Xie Luyu turned to look back at the cat. It was squatting on the sofa and meowed.

In the corner of the living room, there was an entire set of climbing towers, both tall and short.

Xie Luyu continued talking to the cat without any troubles. 

“Alright. It’s settled.”

Xie Luyu rolled up his sleeves.

He had learned how to cook from actual professional chefs. There wasn’t any recipe that could stop him.

Xie Luyu usually made simple desserts every now and then, but this was actually his first time baking a cake. 

He kept a steady grip on the sack of flour and poured a smooth stream of flour into a glass bowl. Slowly, a small peak started to emerge from the bowl.

Vano looked into Gu Qingchi’s eyes. She spoke very convincingly.

“Phryne was said to have committed blasphemy against the gods and eventually forgiven by the jury because she was too beautiful. Before today, I had always thought of this story as ridiculous. I couldn’t imagine someone being that beautiful, so I assumed that the story was fake, that it was exaggerated.”

Vano paused for a while. Then, she sighed. 

“That was until I met you. I don’t know what to say. There isn’t a single compliment that could possibly do you justice.”

Gu Qingchi nodded politely. He pulled his hand back and replied courteously.

“I’m honored.”

Charlie was standing by the door. It was already open. 

Gu Qingchi stepped forward to leave.

Vano called out to him.

“Wait.”

Gu Qingchi stopped and turned around. The earrings he was wearing swayed slightly. 

“If I were to work with you right now, that is, if we were to cooperate for Paris Fashion Week, it probably wouldn’t be very feasible. The lineup has already been decided. That can’t be changed. I’m just an editor, so I’m not involved in these things. However, I might be able to recommend you to a couple other brands.”

“In this way, we might run into each other during next season’s fashion season. Also, I’ll reserve next September’s cover page for you.”

Autumn was a high point for sales. This was an unwritten rule in the world of magazine publishing. The September issue was the most important issue of the year, and the October issue was trailing right after it. Celebrities that could make it onto the cover of a well-known magazine during autumn were all big names.

Not to mention, this was TL. When it came to TL, industry status didn’t matter because everyone that showed up on their covers was an industry giant. These were international stars, national treasures. 

Every year, TL’s September issue would attract a lot of attention. And yet, Vano had so easily promised away next year’s cover.

Gu Qingchi nodded.

“If you don’t mind leaving me your contact information, my assistant will contact you.”

Gu Qingchi and Charlie returned to their temporary studio. Gu Qingchi handed the business card to Xiao Ke. 

Xiao Ke clasped the business card in her hands like it was a prayer.

Actually, Xiao Ke had been the one responsible for all of Gu Qingchi’s affairs recently. She’d even been the one to coordinate his trip out to France for Paris Fashion Week.

Ye Li was handing over the less important affairs over to Xiao Ke. After all, Ye Li usually wasn’t able to follow Gu Qingchi around. There were some things that he couldn’t take care of. He relied on Xiao Ke for these.

Xiao Ke took a few deep breaths. 

“No, no, no. I can’t do this. This is too important. I already made a mistake. I brought you out here to Paris, yet it ended up like this.”

Gu Qingchi sat next to Xiao Ke.

“Ye Li didn’t blame you. You don’t need to blame yourself.”

Xiao Ke felt a little bad, but she still wouldn’t budge. She insisted on going to Ye Li about this. It was as if she’d finally found her mother once Ye Li picked up the phone. Her back straightened up, and her spirits soared. 

When Xiao Ke hung up the phone, she had regained a lot of her energy.

“Ye ge’s getting in touch with Vano. He even complimented me. He said that I got super lucky.”

Xiao Ke was still immersed in the shock brought on by Vano.

“Gu ge, were you nervous when you met Vano? What did she say to you?” 

Gu Qingchi earnestly answered each and every question she asked.

“I wasn’t nervous. It was just work as usual. She didn’t really say anything. She just complimented me a bit.”

“Then, what was it like when Vano complimented you?”

“I don’t really know. I didn’t really take it seriously. In fact, I was actually a little frustrated. At the time, I thought she was just being polite and trying to comfort me.” 

Gu Qingchi laughed at himself. He had never considered himself particularly outstanding.

“After all, I had been eliminated.”

Gu Qingchi had been cooperating with Charlie. Charlie’s rejection was also Gu Qingchi’s rejection.

In fact, Gu Qingchi also felt that it was only natural that he was eliminated. 

The brands that Vano recommended all agreed to give Gu Qingchi an interview.

KK was among one of them. Their headquarters happened to be located close to the venue for Paris Fashion Week. The interview was scheduled to be held within the next couple of days.

On the day of the interview, several other models and celebrities were also invited.

Even Xiao Ke, who wasn’t familiar with foreign celebrities, managed to recognize several familiar faces. 

It didn’t seem like anything much on the surface, but it was actually very strange. Paris Fashion Week was just about to start, yet they still had the time to interview models.

Gu Qingchi and Xiao Ke sat outside and waited.

Inside the room, there were several people in suits. They were in the middle of a discussion.

“We can’t pick just anyone for the finale. The clothes aren’t for everyone. Paris Fashion Week isn’t a place where you can walk the runway just because you have a pretty face.” 

“Hey, isn’t our designer right here? If the clothes don’t work, we can change it up. Do you have a problem with the celebrities that I invited?”

“Stop arguing. Let’s continue. It’s not like our situation can get any worse than it already is.”

The nerdy-looking designer with the glasses put a hand down on the table and called out.

“Next.” 

The employee at the door opened the door, and Gu Qingchi walked inside. He walked towards the center of the room and stood before the judges.

Gu Qingchi wore a very simple outfit today. White button-up, jeans, black hair, and black eyes. He looked clean and simple, like a student.

The entire room was silent. You could hear a pin drop.

After a while, a man suddenly spoke up. 

“Which one of you said that you can’t walk the runway just because you have a pretty face?”