Jiaochen

Chapter 52.4: Freedom (4)

Hed normally not bother remembering things like this, but after hearing them too frequently, of course hed get the gist of things.

In his recollection, asides from her special talent in design, every man shes ever been with was chosen to be helpful to her work.

This was what Ye Zhenzhen had said: Zhou Zhilan had a good eye for men, but she never really bound herself to them. Shed only choose to be with one if they benefited

Whether it was a company president, a talented designer, or a certain heir, all of them have helped her career move forward to a higher level.

She was said to be free, open-minded, and casual, and definitely not old-fashioned. These labels were put on this person.

Fu Yanzhi looked straight at the person who looked down at even the people on the stage with her, as he felt a strange emotion rise within him.

He guessed that Ji Qingying herself must have also seen the news and comments made by the netizens on the Internet, but he wasnt sure on how she felt about reading those comments about Zhou Zhilan.

Fu Yanzhi only felt like hugging his person on the stage.

The finals had officially begun.

The theme for the finals was Freedom, so there werent a lot of restrictions put in place. As long as you felt it represented freedom in your heart, then that was enough.

The contestants on the stage raced against the clock to design a work that they felt represented freedom the most, in the shortest possible time.

The audience watched nervously with heavy hearts, just like the designers below.

When Ji Qingying saw the word "Freedom", she suddenly thought of the kite she and Fu Yanzhi flew that day.

The feeling of running on green grass.

A picture had formed in her mind.

Minutes by minute, time went by quickly.

The designers on the stage all seemed to be relatively clam, at least on the surface as none showed any obvious sign of nervousness.

Zhou Zhilans gaze swept across all eight designers, but finally settled on a single person on the side.

For the sake of convenience, she had dressed pretty casually today.

Wearing only a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, she looked quite ordinary.

She lowered her gaze to see the movements of this persons hands.

There was a large screen on the side that zoomed in on the movements of the designers hands.

She stared at it briefly before making a guess.

At her two sides sat the two chairpersons of this design competition. Their presence in the judging panel represented fairness and equality.

After looking at the image, the one on her left suddenly asked, Is that beautiful designer making a cheongsam?

Zhou Zhilan didnt reply.

But the man continued, Cheongsams and freedom they dont seem to fit together, right?

The chairman on the right replied, Not necessarily. Cheongsams can also be very free.

The two continued their discussion before looking at Zhou Zhilan, What do you think, Teacher Zhou?

Zhou Zhilan simply smiled slightly before lightly saying, Lets see the final result.

The two nodded in unison.

Ye Qing and Fu Zheng happened to be there too.

However, the two did not sit with Fu Yanzhi. Ye Qing was an invited audience member and brought his family along.

"Fu Yanzhi has a good eye."

Fu Zheng smiled and said, "Is that his girlfriend?"

Ye Qing nodded, "Yes."

She glanced at her before commenting, That girl is making a cheongsam again.

Fu Zheng raised his eyebrow in curiosity before whispering a question, Is that a problem?

Of course not. Ye Qing replied. But you must know that the champion of this national competition will directly enter the DLMH International Competition. The judges evaluation will also take into account works that are in line with international

Fu Zheng didn't quite understand.

Ye Qing explained further, Many foreigners are unfamiliar with cheongsam or even Chinese culture in general. Thus, cheongsams arent really popular. In fact, many local designers also think that cheongsams are niche products and are not too suitable for general fashion.

Fu Zheng finally understood.

He nodded, but asked, Do you also think so?

"Of course not."

Ye Qing smiled, Just believe in Qingyings ability. She has a pair of skillful hands that can break everyones prejudice against the cheongsam.

Fu Zheng looked at her in surprise, before smiling and saying, You have a high opinion of Fu Yanzhis girlfriend.

Ye Qing just looked at him and, without hesitation, stated, Youll also grow to like this girl if you just talk with her.

I shouldnt like her, though. Fu Zhen said seriously. If I did, wont you and Fu Yanzhi kill me?

Ye Qing: ""

The couple chatted and laughed while watching from not too far away.

With only an hour left, Ji Qingying also started to have a worried look on her face.

She looked down at the thing in her hand, before muttering a few words to Rongxue.

Rongxue nodded to express her understanding.

Ji Qingying took out a box from the side. All the designers were allowed to bring a few items of their own before entering the stage. They have all been checked beforehand.

Ji Qingying proceeded to squat down to embroidery patterns on the fabric.

Ye Zhenzhen watched this and was surprised, Was Sister Ji planning to do this all along?

Embroidery?

Huh?

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the time before asking, Can she make it in time?

If shes doing it, then she must think its possible.

The timer ticked down, with only sixty seconds remaining.

Ji Qingying was finishing putting on the dress on the mannequin.

The timer had stopped.

All eight designers had finished their work.

As everyone looked over, the first thing most of them noticed was the cheongsam on the stage.

***

[ADVANCED CHAPTERS]

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