After all the works were displayed, chrischou took to the stage wearing his newest t-shirt from this season and gave a speech in broken and disjointed Chinese.
The gist of his speech was a reflection on the past few years since he founded the brand, the special meaning behind incorporating Chinese elements into this season's collection, and a thank you to everyone for their continued support.
The show came to a successful close, and Ji Mingshu couldn't help but applaud along with everyone.
But no one expected that Christchou's bow and pause just now did not mean the end of his speech. Holding the microphone, he suddenly changed the subject, looked in Ji Mingshu's direction, addressed her directly as "Shu", and gave her the title of interior designer. He thanked her for a full two minutes, all of which were about her efforts for today's show.
The former socialites thought they had misheard. They had heard that Ji Mingshu had designed Christchou's Milan debut show, but at that time Christchou was far from being as well-known as it is today, and very few people had actually seen the show. Many people felt that there was probably something fishy about it.
But at the last moment, Christchou personally expressed his gratitude... Does this mean that today's exquisite and complex show, which combines modern chic with the decadent charm of old Shanghai, was designed by Ji Mingshu?
The girls who have been secretly following Cen Ji's divorce gossip lately are a little confused, unable to believe that this rich girl who only knows how to shop can actually produce any decent works.
There will be an after-party after the show, and the showroom will be open to all guests. Anyone interested in the runway designs can go there to place an order.
Ji Mingshu and Jiang Chun walked together toward the showroom.
Cen Sen remained seated, flipping through the new product catalog and instructing Zhou Jiaheng. He glanced up and saw Ji Mingshu accidentally bump into a young man.
Ji Mingshu, not noticing, nodded and then apologized, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright." The man smiled gently, and as he passed Ji Mingshu, he seemed to remember something and suddenly asked hesitantly, "Are you... Mingshu?"
Chapter 48
Upon hearing this question, Ji Mingshu subconsciously looked up.
The man was very tall, about 185 cm, similar in height and age to Cen Sen. He wore a well-fitting suit from Christchou's June Autumn/Winter collection, exuding a gentle and clean-cut aura, and possessing handsome features.
But she didn't know him or had never seen him before.
She glanced at Jiang Chun beside her as if it were an accident, but Jiang Chun turned to look at her blankly, her face full of innocence and dazedness.
Ji Mingshu: "..."
The little goose didn't recognize it either.
She had initially thought this was a new face who had recently entered the industry and was trying to get close to her, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
Too lazy to guess, she cut to the chase and asked, "Hello, do we know each other?"
The man looked at her intently, his smile widening, his voice clear and melodious, "Xiao Shu, you're still exactly the same as when you were a child."
The words "when I was a child" sounded to Ji Mingshu like a key to a magic box, inadvertently bringing out a piece of old, yellowed childhood memories. She stared at the man, paused, and the doubt in her eyes slowly faded. The man's outline also slowly changed and shrank, seamlessly overlapping with a blurry face in her memory.
However, her voice still held some hesitation, "Cen...Cen Yang brother?"
The man laughed again, nodding readily in agreement, and added with a playful tone, "It's kind of Miss Ji to have so many important matters to attend to, yet you haven't forgotten me completely, name and all."
Ji Mingshu was either too shocked or had a slow reaction time, and remained silent for a long time.
Jiang Chun, who was standing to the side, was not stupid either. Just hearing the surname, she felt that there was a lot of stories behind it.
The man's surname is Cen, so he's from the Cen family. Judging by his age, could he be Cen Sen's brother?
But if they were brothers, how could Ji Mingshu have almost not recognized him after not seeing him for so many years?
In just a few seconds, Jiang Chun had already imagined a dramatic power struggle among brothers over the inheritance of a wealthy family. She nudged Ji Mingshu and whispered in his ear, "Who is this? He's quite handsome. Is he Cen Sen's cousin or some half-brother?"
Ji Mingshu was finally brought back to his senses by the push.
But after she came to her senses, she didn't feel any extra emotions besides shock. She even subconsciously turned around and glanced in Cen Sen's direction.
As luck would have it, after the show ended, the piano stairs retracted automatically, and the old ship-themed runway set slowly rotated. In those few seconds, its rotation positioned itself to perfectly separate the showroom from the viewing area.
Ji Mingshu seemed lost in thought when Cen Yang glanced at his watch and suddenly said, "Sorry, Xiaoshu, I have some things to do today and can't chat with you any longer. I'll treat you to afternoon tea in a few days, and we can have a proper chat then."
He took out his phone, brought up the QR code interface, and handed it to Ji Mingshu, saying, "This is my WeChat, add me."
"Oh, okay."
Before Ji Mingshu could even think, she passively took out her phone and added him on WeChat.
Cen Yang changed the contact name to "Xiao Shu" in front of her, waved his phone, and said with a smile, "I just registered a WeChat account after returning to China recently. You are my third friend."
Before Ji Mingshu could reply, he put his phone away again. "Okay, I'm leaving now. I'll contact you later."
Even after Cen Yang was out of sight, Ji Mingshu remained in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
It's truly surreal that such a grown person could disappear so suddenly when they were a child, only to reappear a decade or two later.
Jiang Chun stood to the side, staring at Cen Yang's back for a while, then stared at Ji Mingshu seriously and questioned, "Tell me, do you and this Cen Yang have some kind of affair?! As soon as you see him, you stand here for ages like you've been bewitched by the Black and White Impermanence... Hey, is your conflict with Cen Sen because of this childhood sweetheart causing trouble? But speaking of which, how come I've never heard you mention such a person before???"
Before Ji Mingshu could speak, Jiang Chun released her arm and whispered, "Ji Mingshu, you've changed. You even have little secrets about me now!"
Ji Mingshu stared at her with an expression that seemed to say, "Have you been subjected to a dimensional reduction attack by the singer's civilization?" This vividly illustrated what it means to be speechless and unable to express oneself in words.
Meanwhile, Cen Sen remained seated, his view blocked by the rotating catwalk before he could even see what the man Ji Mingshu had bumped into looked like.
After calmly giving Zhou Jiaheng his instructions, he got up and walked towards Ji Mingshu.
However, the scene was chaotic after the show ended, and by the time he got to the spot where Ji Mingshu had been standing, Ji Mingshu was nowhere to be seen, and there was no one around either.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Jiaheng sent a first-hand report from the showroom: "Madam and Miss Jiang Chun are trying on clothes. Besides the outfits you mentioned, Madam seems to really like the white dress worn by the model at the opening show."
"Buy it."
Zhou Jiaheng responded with a "yes" and did not mention any other men.
Cen Sen didn't ask any further questions.
Christchou's early spring show opened with great fanfare and ended with stunning praise.
Even days after the show, entertainment gossip and fashion media continued to mention and discuss it frequently.
However, the former focuses more on the celebrities who come to the show—their clothing, hairstyles, makeup, the order of their group photos, their seating positions, and even the unsolved mystery of their sisterhood and height when they are in the same frame are all good material to make a big deal out of and discuss.
The latter discussion was more professional and in-depth, focusing on the significance of Christchou's show in China, the strengths and weaknesses of the three collections this season, the similarities and differences between this collection and his previous styles, and in which aspects it is inherited and in which aspects it is subverted... Of course, the design of the show was also frequently mentioned.
For example, in an interview with Gu Kaiyang's magazine, it was written: "In December, just as winter was beginning, Christchou launched its early spring ready-to-wear collection for next year at the Grand Hyatt Beijing..."
“chirschou once again invited interior designer Ji Mingshu to collaborate on creating the ‘Paper and Gold’ early spring show and to create an immersive video art installation of the same name to provide an ultimate sensory experience. The piano staircase corridor and mirrored reflections complement each other, and the immersive installation makes people dream back to the Shanghai Bund era. The rotating ship in the main show venue is also unique.”
"This season's early spring show has broken away from Chrischou's usual style in both the runway and the fashion. Chrischou and his interior design partners have delivered a perfect answer in the combination of modern minimalist art and retro Chinese elements."
Chrischou's last two-minute thank-you speech almost directly pushed Ji Mingshu to the forefront, elevating her status and prestige in the interior design field.
Like Zero Degrees, many fashion magazines and media outlets, when writing reviews, would subconsciously delve into the interior designer's work, only to find that she didn't have many other works.
Of course, that doesn't really matter. Just rave about her academic background and that she's chirschou's go-to partner, and that's it. Those who know she's a top socialite and are still daring enough to write that up will even give her the title of "socialite designer."
Immediately, a flood of compliments poured in.
In the past, Ji Mingshu would receive praise every day for her beauty, kindness, and good taste, even if she did nothing. Now that she has done something serious, the praise can be even more comprehensive and multi-dimensional.
Ji Mingshu couldn't keep up with everything. After Chrischou left, she just lay on the bed like a lazy bum for two whole days, her mind filled with the comments section of the live stream playing at double speed.
Does Cen Shi Sen Sen have any conscience? When will she finally beg me to come home? Will the little money I earned from this job last until then? I'm afraid I'll have to wait until I die?! Waaaa, work is so hard! I've endured so much!
Just when Ji Mingshu was completely slacking off and unwilling to turn over, Cen Yang, whom she had met by chance at the fashion show, sent her a message saying that a friend of his had bought a courtyard house in Xijing No. 3 and was looking for someone to help with the design.
Ji Mingshu subconsciously replied, "No, no."
After replying, she felt embarrassed to say that she was too tired to work lately, so she explained tactfully, "I'm not very good at Chinese design, and I just finished a show, so my inspiration seems to have dried up. But I know a very good Chinese designer who I can recommend to you."
Cen Yang agreed, and she then pulled out the business card of a designer from another group whom she had met during a previous recording of a program from her contacts and pushed it to him.
Not long after, Cen Yang asked her if she had time to go out for afternoon tea or dinner. He hadn't seen her for many years and wanted to catch up with her.
She had just turned down a design job and couldn't very well refuse another one, especially since she couldn't find a reason to refuse Cen Yang's requests. She didn't have a deep memory of many things from her childhood, but she always remembered how kind Cen Yang had been to her when they were little.
Without much hesitation, she replied with a "okay".
Ji Mingshu was living a carefree, lazy life, and didn't pay attention to the time. It wasn't until close to their meeting that she realized the day Cen Yang had invited her to dinner was Christmas Eve.
In the French restaurant on Christmas Eve, ethereal and soothing music danced and flowed in the air. Under the orange-toned lights, the exquisite tableware shone brightly, and every detail of the cups, glasses, tables, and chairs exuded the elegance of France.
Ji Mingshu was led by a waiter to the table reserved by Cen Yang. Along the way, all she saw were young couples who had come out to celebrate the holiday and have a big meal.
Cen Yang raised his hand towards her from a distance, then stood up and pulled out a soft chair for her.
Ji Mingshu sat down somewhat awkwardly.
Cen Yang returned to his seat opposite her, poured her some red wine, and asked with a smile, "Do you feel a little awkward? Actually, I feel a little awkward too."
After pouring the red wine, he pushed the glass forward by pressing the bottom, and continued, "I'm sorry, Xiao Shu, I didn't think it through. We're going out for a big meal tonight, and it seems like most of the people there are couples."
Cen Yang spoke so frankly that Ji Mingshu felt embarrassed to appear uncomfortable.
She took a small sip of wine and shrugged gently. "It's okay, I haven't had French food in a long time anyway."
Cen Yang nodded and ordered food with her.
It's so easy for people who were once familiar with each other to become close again. The two of them naturally started talking about the dishes and their first experience eating French food when they were children.
At that time, the two of them were very young and didn't understand much. Ji Mingshu pretended to cut the steak with her little hands, but somehow, with a "splat," the steak flew up and landed straight on Cen Yang's face. Cen Yang didn't hold it against the little girl and, with a great sense of responsibility as an older brother, cut his own steak and exchanged plates with her.
These things happened so long ago that Ji Mingshu usually finds it hard to remember them, but when Cen Yang brought them up, she slowly remembered them. The more she thought about them, the funnier and more embarrassing she felt about herself when she was a child. Not to be outdone, she also remembered some of Cen Yang's childhood jokes to retaliate.
A complete French meal can take a full two hours. Eating with someone like Cen Sen, who always says "I'll eat my words if I say another word," Ji Mingshu always found it both boring and unbearable. But eating with someone like Cen Yang, who has topics to discuss at will, was surprisingly enjoyable throughout the entire meal.
Moreover, Cen Yang, even as an adult, is just as tactful as he was as a child. He talks about everyday, lighthearted topics, without immediately launching into a long, grievance-filled tirade about the past.
It wasn't until they were having coffee that Cen Yang's smile faded slightly, and he brought up a sensitive topic, "I heard you married him. Is he good to you?"
Although Cen Yang maintained a harmonious atmosphere throughout, Ji Mingshu had a vague feeling before he arrived that... he would definitely ask about Cen Sen. Sure enough, he did.
She also picked up her coffee, took a small sip, thought carefully for a moment, and replied.
Cen Yang was slightly taken aback after hearing this, and after a long while, he hummed in agreement, then casually changed the subject, saying, "I'll take you home."
Ji Mingshu nodded, picked up her handbag, and stood up.
The music at the French restaurant remained ethereal and soothing, and the lighting was still very atmospheric.
One hour, forty-three minutes, and thirty seconds.
Cen Sen sat not far away, his wrist hanging down, and took a sip of coffee with a blank expression.
At this time of year, the Christmas atmosphere is strong everywhere. The French restaurant has a Christmas tree and Christmas snowflakes are pasted on the windows. Only Cen Sen sits alone in a corner, out of place in this joyful and lively atmosphere.
Watching Cen Yang and Ji Mingshu leave the restaurant, he slowly stood up as well.
He drove himself today without prior notice, intending to pick up Ji Mingshu directly from Xinggang International for dinner and a movie. Unexpectedly, he ran into her taking a taxi downstairs.