Jiang Lingling had also completed her task; with nothing pressing on her mind, she felt light and even her health seemed much improved. She once again snuck over to where Mai Qiqi and Wan Chu’er were seated, joining them to watch the other designers’ collections.
The second designer to take the stage had ranked eighth in the initial contest, and their designs were very dynamic, clearly a cut above Jiang Lingling’s work.
Moreover, compared to the controversy surrounding Jiang Lingling, the judges seemed to be much more in agreement about this designer and their work—passing through the presentation calmly and cheerfully.
Designer after designer took the stage, and Jiang Lingling watched with great interest, declaring this to be the greatest benefit she got from participating in the competition.
Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi were happy to see her eagerness to learn and didn’t disturb her observation and study.
Finally, it was Rose’s turn to present. Rose had returned early from the backstage to the seating area, sitting next to Lin Jiayi, and Yu Zimu also took a seat beside Wan Chu’er. He was keen to hear how Rose would introduce "her" designs.
When the host mentioned Rose’s name, Lin Jiayi immediately became excited, looking around, whispering and eagerly introducing Rose to the people around him, incessantly and even proudly recounting Rose’s accomplishments abroad.
By this time, Rose had already come out from the backstage, sitting beside Lin Jiayi, greeting those around her with a charming smile, and looking quite pleased with herself.
After a dazzle of flashbulbs, slow music started playing, and the first piece was worn by the internationally renowned supermodel Yan Ling, who walked out with a captivating elegance. Yan Ling was quite famous internationally, having endorsed many major brands, and was also very well connected within the local fashion industry. Her appearance solicited a round of applause from the audience.
On the panel, two of the judges even stood up, and when Yan Ling reached the front, she blew a kiss to the judges’ seats.
Mai Qiqi sighed and murmured to Wan Chu’er, "Look, look how harmonious their relationship is."
Wan Chu’er replied with an unreadable expression, "Focus on the clothes, look at the clothes. Indeed, they are not bad. Yu Zimu’s handiwork on the right is truly impressive."
Yan Ling’s outfit was the epitome of luxury, adorned with shimmering gemstones that glinted like a sky full of stars, taking everyone’s breath away with its opulence!
Cameras clicked away non-stop, with the flashes of light playing off the fabric and stones to stunning effect.
Wan Chu’er whispered to Yu Zimu with a complex expression on his face, "Look at you, how did you design such extravagant clothes? You’ve dug your own hole now."
"My initial design didn’t have this many gemstones. Although this piece has a lot of them, it has altered the intended mood," Yu Zimu said evenly, his tone containing a touch of regret and annoyance at Rose for ruining his design concept, laced with a hint of mockery, but with no hint of worry.
Afterward, the second, third, and fourth designs, also worn by well-known models displaying similar magnificence, took the stage in succession, but it was Yan Ling’s piece that seemed to be the centerpiece.
As all the supermodels lined up at the forefront, Rose walked onto the stage brimming with pride, and the audience broke into enthusiastic applause once more.
The host, beaming with a smile, began the introduction: "The designer of this collection is an up-and-coming young talent, Miss Rose. She has quite a reputation in the international fashion circle, and I believe her name must already be very familiar to everyone here. Her achievements are a great source of pride for our community.
"This is a heartfelt creation by Miss Rose after her return to the country, allowing us the privilege to appreciate such beautiful attire. Now, we ask Miss Rose to tell us about her collection; though its beauty speaks for itself, we would still love to hear the story behind the collection."
For every statement the host made, Yu Zimu had a sardonic retort, until the end when he snorted, "The story behind it? Hmph, is it how she used dirty tricks to deceive and swindle? If that’s the case, she’ll have plenty to talk about."
Wan Chu’er couldn’t stand the way he was muttering like a jealous woman and poked fun at him, "She could only have fooled you because you were such an easy mark, you fool."
"You!" Yu Zimu glared furiously at Wan Chu’er. Wan Chu’er couldn’t be bothered with him and focused on listening to Rose speak, while Yu Zimu backed down and stopped his criticism.
Rose bumbled through her description of the collection, managing to bluff her way through it.
However, Jiang Lingling listened with a frown, finally saying after some thought, "I feel like she’s missing the real point. Is she worried we’ll steal her inspiration?"
Mai Qiqi and Wan Chu’er didn’t quite understand, but Yu Zimu’s eyes lit up, finding Jiang Lingling’s comment particularly appealing. He immediately swapped seats with Mai Qiqi to sit next to Jiang Lingling, engaging in a quiet conversation with her.
Finally, Rose declared on stage with great delight, "Here, I must express my gratitude to my partner—Miss Lin Jiayi. Without her sincere invitation, I might not be standing here with the opportunity to interact with all the teachers."
Mai Qiqi couldn’t help but make a snarky remark, "This sounds like an acceptance speech. Does she think she’s already won first place? Isn’t she thanking everyone a bit too early? She’s not afraid of being humiliated by a reversal of fortune."
Wan Chu’er barely managed to suppress a laugh as she watched Lin Jiayi walk up to the stage somewhat millennially to stand beside Rose.
Lin Jiayi smiled widely and generously: "Rose is a genius in the field of fashion design. We hit it off right away, and I extended her an invitation three times, urging her to come back home for her career. She has brought us many more surprises. Our Zhi Mei Studio is committed to offering everyone the most beautiful gowns, and we invite you all to come and find the ultimate in beauty at Zhi Mei."
"Heh, now they’re advertising too. Impressive, very impressive!" said Mai Qiqi, then firmly added, "But we absolutely must not stoop to this level."
Although it seemed petty and undignified, the advertisement was indeed effective.
Finally came the judges’ scoring, and most people believed there was no suspense left—the designs by Rose were indeed the best up to that point, plus she had topped the scores in the preliminaries.
Ten points, ten points, ten points... ten points, nine points, nine points.
Rose received eight tens and two nines, the highest score so far. She and Lin Jiayi were thrilled, gratefully thanking the judges, models, and all the audience, appearing very affectionate. Fresh chapters posted on novèlfire.net
"Showboating!" Yu Zimu couldn’t help but exclaim.
Mai Qiqi took a deep breath and said, "Okay, okay, it’s our turn now, silence!"
Without the glare of flashing lights or accompanying music, as the audience was still reminiscing about Rose’s collection, the first model walked onstage. But as soon as this model appeared, everyone was taken aback.