Fang Xiaoli was very interested in the competition and was asking the veteran employees for advice. As soon as they saw her come out of Jiang Yuan's office, they immediately surrounded her and asked her questions with great interest.
"Jianhuan, what does Director Jiang want with you?"
"We just talked about work-related things," Jiang Jianhuan replied with a smile.
"Okay." Fang Xiaoli was a little bored, but then immediately pressed for more information.
"Are you participating in this competition? Zhou Ran and the others said it's quite difficult, with a large number of participants, almost encompassing all the young designers in the country."
"Yes." Jiang Jianhuan nodded. "I want to give it a try."
"I want to too..." Fang Xiaoli said with longing, leaning on Jiang Jianhuan's table and continuing to talk.
"I heard that the first prize in this competition is 100,000 yuan. My God, I don't ask for much. I'd be happy with a second or third prize. That would be 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, which is several months' salary, sob sob."
"Then why don't you hurry up and get ready!" Jiang Jianhuan said, exasperated. Fang Xiaoli stuck out her tongue, straightened up, and strode back to her desk.
During the free time throughout the day, Jiang Jianhuan looked at the winning entries and author introductions from past competitions, and roughly learned about the judges' preferences and the advantages of the winning entries.
The theme of this competition is 'birth'. At first glance, it seems like a good topic to start with. Similarly, Jiang Jianhuan already had several elements in mind, but what she could think of, most designers could probably think of as well.
Thinking of this, Jiang Jianhuan couldn't help but sigh softly.
The topic is simple, which has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it is easy to start, but it is also difficult to stand out, especially among a group of designers.
On the way back, the bus was still stuck in traffic during rush hour. Jiang Jianhuan took out her phone and scrolled through it. Inadvertently, she saw Zhao Zhao's post.
My idol is sick, I'm so heartbroken I could cry!
The text was followed by a series of crying emojis, but the short video below featured a familiar person.
It's clear that Zhao Zhao is a die-hard fan; he bought the most expensive VIP seat and managed to capture Su Mo's face very clearly.
He was sitting in front of a piano with a microphone next to him, but before he could play, Su Mo suddenly bent over and coughed twice. Even though he turned his head away, the coughs still came through the microphone.
As if a bomb had been lit, a burst of heart-wrenching, excited shouts erupted from below.
【Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!】
Remember to get some rest!
Take care of yourself!
Don't get sick!
The whole scene was noisy and chaotic, but Jiang Jianhuan just stared at it, forgetting to look away. Su Mo turned her head and spoke softly into the microphone.
"fine."
His voice was much lower and hoarse than usual, but the fans were still excited until the first piano note sounded, and the scene gradually quieted down.
As the video ended, Su Mo's singing stopped abruptly. Jiang Jianhuan stared blankly at her phone until the screen went dark, revealing her dazed face.
Jiang Jianhuan deliberately ignored Su Mo's news and immersed herself in the design competition.
She drew several versions of the blueprints, but she was never quite satisfied with any of them. Fang Xiaoli sighed and looked worried every day, which showed how much effort she had put into the work.
Many people in the office signed up, but when they talked about their entries, they only said a few words. Inspiration is such a broad thing that you can easily use other people's work without realizing it.
Jiang Yuan has recently received several high-end bespoke invitations, including from second- and third-tier female celebrities in China, as well as the wives of some political and business figures.
One of the ladies, Mrs. Li, really liked several outfits that Jiang Jianhuan wore at her last fashion show. After buying them, everyone around her praised how beautiful they were. So when she saw Jiang Yuan, she couldn't help but mention them casually, but Jiang Yuan looked thoughtful.
After a while, Jiang Yuan's eyes flickered, but she smiled as usual.
"Mrs. Li, as you know, I have a lot of designs on hand lately, and the finished product should be ready by the end of next month."
"Ah..." Madam Li hesitated. She knew that Jiang Yuan had invited her many times, but she was still a little hesitant and unhappy to hear that she would have to wait so long.
"How about this?" Jiang Yuan changed the subject and said.
“You really like designer Jiang’s style, and since she’s currently preparing for a competition and doesn’t have any other projects lined up, I’ll have her design a set for you first. If you’re not satisfied with it, I’ll redesign it for you.”
"I see—" Madam Li's face lit up with delight, but then she hesitated for a moment, as if she had thought of something.
Jiang Yuan waited expectantly for her reply.
After all, they all care about appearances when it comes to their clothes. Although Mrs. Li is only a marginal figure in the circle, she still cannot be treated with disrespect.
"Hmm... okay then, let's make this clear first, I won't hold back if you're not satisfied." She joked with a smile, and Jiang Yuan nodded with a smile as well.
"That's only right. I'll go call Designer Jiang in so we can discuss your ideas about the clothes and I can take your measurements while I'm at it."
Jiang Jianhuan accepted Madam Li's custom order, and the news spread quickly. Everyone in the office knew about it, and the peaceful atmosphere that had lasted for a while became somewhat turbulent again.
There were quite a few people secretly dissatisfied. Several times, Jiang Jianhuan even overheard Zhou Ran and the others chatting in front of her, their words full of veiled meaning. Fang Xiaoli was extremely embarrassed and didn't join the conversation, quickly running over instead.
Jiang Jianhuan didn't care and focused on her own business. She was busy and didn't have the energy to worry about these complicated thoughts.
These past few days, Jiang Jianhuan has been refraining from looking at anything related to Su Mo online, but she can't resist the fact that there are too many related contacts in her WeChat Moments. Looking at the photo that Li Sa posted, Jiang Jianhuan's mood involuntarily became heavy again.
It looks like it was taken in a hospital. The lights are cold and dim at night, and on the armrest of a gray-white chair, there is a hand receiving an IV drip, wrapped in white medical tape.
Li Sa is only worthy of the four characters "文".
Speechless
Actually, when things get busy, working overtime is exhausting, and when I get home I almost fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Jiang Jianhuan is quite satisfied with this state of mind.
But sometimes, we get caught up in things that remind us of too many past events, making us feel extremely depressed and restless.
Jiang Jianhuan lay on the bed with her eyes closed for a few minutes before getting up and taking out the sleeping pills that hadn't been touched in a long time from the bottom cabinet.