Edmund and Jiang Xia met online.
At that time, Jiang Xia was a die-hard fan of the movie star Jiang Yuan. Because the movie star was being attacked on foreign websites, Jiang Xia and a group of fans bypassed the Great Firewall and fought against the haters for three days and three nights!
In a battle between fans and haters, there are onlookers watching the show, and naturally, there are also supporters chiming in.
Jiang Xia was surprised to find that Edmund, whose official website profile identifies him as a senior partner at Hera Custom and an internationally renowned designer, actually used his main account to support his idol Jiang Yuan on the international internet!
What's that saying again? In the fandom, as long as you support my idol, we're the closest sisters/brothers!
It was under these circumstances that Jiang Xia became friends with Edmund and actively provided this fellow actor, who didn't speak Chinese or know Chinese characters, with various positive promotional materials about the Best Actor award.
Later, Jiang Xia went abroad with Jiang Yuan's team, and the two met in person by chance.
Jiang Xia always thought that only someone with Jiang Yuan's looks could be called a peerless beauty. Little did she know that in Edmund's industry, not to mention famous people in China, he had worked with countless handsome men and beautiful women around the world.
Edmund didn't fall for countless globally renowned handsome men and beautiful women, but he fell head over heels for Jiang Xia, this little charlatan.
Foreigners have always expressed their feelings passionately and directly. After falling in love at first sight, Edmund launched a fierce attack on his little oriental charlatan. He even made an exception and took the initiative to invite Jiang Xia's idol to participate in his early autumn collection fashion show just to see him.
But Jiang Xia is such a wicked little devil who kicks people away after they've served their purpose!
He disappeared as soon as the press conference ended!
Edmund tried to find him online, but Jiang Xia had only used someone else's account to access the internet and then deleted it after use. How could he be found?
He then approached Jiang Yuan, hoping to obtain Jiang Xia's home address in China from him, but was politely refused again.
Although he desperately wanted to please the internationally renowned designer, Jiang Yuan, being a responsible idol, chose to protect his fan's privacy. Even if Edmund repeatedly explained that he only admired Jiang Xia… then he definitely couldn't give in, okay? What if Jiang Xia was straight?
Trying to turn a straight man gay is a big no-no!
Moreover, Edmund's romantic history is notoriously rich.
Who knows if his feelings for Jiang Xia were just a passing fancy?
If he turns Jiang Xia gay, then washes his hands of it and goes off to find a new muse, wouldn't that be ruining Jiang Xia's life?
Jiang Yuan gave his team a gag order and politely told Edmund that Jiang Xia was just a fan of his, not an employee of his team. He didn't know where she lived or even had her phone number.
Others may not understand this principle, but surely Edmund, an insider, doesn't understand it either?
A big star like Jiang Yuan, who is an award-winning actor, has tens of millions of fans. It's not like every time a fan jumps out and says they like him, Jiang Yuan has to add them as a friend, right?
Yes! Edmund did invite Jiang Yuan to walk the runway for him because of Jiang Xia, but that doesn't mean Jiang Yuan and Jiang Xia are very familiar with each other.
Edmund was devastated!
It wasn't until he saw Jiang Xia briefly in an advertisement that Jin Yan posted on the internet that he realized what was happening.
Thus, Jin Yan had the opportunity to collaborate with them, a collaboration that allowed them to "sit at home and have the ultimate luxury come to them."
Collaborating with an internationally renowned fashion designer of Edmund's caliber is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even for a well-established national brand like Jin Yan. Unless Mr. Jin is brain-dead and lying in a hospital bed, he would never refuse Edmund's request to collaborate.
This foreigner is quite intelligent. He knows that if he rashly comes to Langshan, not only will he not be able to find Jiang Xia in the vast mountains, but even if he does find her, what if Jiang Xia ignores him?
Perfect timing, isn't this the opportunity Jin Yan wanted to take to go abroad?
Edmund could help them gain a foothold abroad, provided that they could reach a cooperation agreement with his studio, and Jin Yan had to personally hire Mr. Jiang Xia, the successor of the Langshan shaman, as the art consultant for the new project.
Jiang Xiaoman never expected that this blond, blue-eyed foreigner would be so cunning. However, he was unaware of the entanglement between the two of them.
Edmund couldn't speak Chinese, and Jiang Xiaoman's English was limited to theoretical knowledge. The two couldn't communicate on any deeper issues. Jiang Xiaoman thought the foreign designer was eager to see Jiang Xia's family's collection of books. Seeing that Jiang Xia hadn't arrived yet, she simply took Edmund and the others directly to Jiang Xia's village.
Jiang Xia had indeed promised Jiang Xiaoman that he would host Jin Yan's field trip group with them, but unexpectedly, just before leaving, a family in the village was about to give birth and they couldn't find anyone to help carry the stretcher. How could Jiang Xia just stand by and watch someone die?
Before he could even call Jiang Xiaoman, he and the villagers carried the stretcher down the mountain.
When Jiang Xiaoman and the others arrived, Jiang Xia had not yet returned.
Could it be that he and Jiang Xia are truly not meant to be?
The repeated missed opportunities dealt a heavy blow to the sensitive and delicate Edmund!
Just as they were feeling secretly sad, they saw the Chinese man who had brought them there skillfully pull a key out of the doorway of Jiang Xia's house!
He... he actually opened the door to Jiangxia's house and went in without the owner's permission!
This is absolutely illegal in their country!
"Wait! You can't trespass on Zhang's private property, it's illegal!" In his panic, Edmund even started speaking his native language.
The translator doesn't understand Italian either.
Fortunately, Edmund himself speaks five languages. Seeing that Jiang Xiaoman was unmoved, he quickly switched to English and emphasized it again.
He missed Jiang Xia so much, yet he didn't dare break down the door. How dare this short Chinese man?!
Edmund swore that if Jiang Xiaoman disregarded Jiang Xia's wishes and insisted on trespassing on his private residence, then he would need to have his lawyer negotiate with Jiang Xiaoman's lawyer.
Jiang Huaxia Little Dwarf Xiaoman: "..."
He didn't know how to explain to a foreigner that in their rural areas, everyone keeps a spare key in a place known to acquaintances. If they are away from home and don't have time to feed the pigs or chickens, they can call a neighbor and the neighbor can find the key and go in to help feed them.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xiaoman decided to explain it in a way that foreigners could understand—
"Jiang Xia, my brother! We're brothers! Understand?"
Whether he's a biological brother, a cousin, or a paternal cousin, foreigners consider them all relatives.
Jiang Xiaoman used vocabulary from her College English Test Band 4 exam that she still remembered to explain, and Edmund actually understood it.
He was just thinking of finding a lawyer to confront Jiang Xiaoman, but now he can't wait to invite Jiang Xiaoman to dinner.
I knew it! No Chinese person would trespass on private property. So it turns out he's Jiang Xia's brother?
"Hello, little brother!" Edmund gave Jiang Xiaoman a big hug and then rattled off a long string of English that Jiang Xiaoman couldn't understand.
The translator next to her understood and quickly translated it for Jiang Xiaoman.
Jiang Xiaoman was speechless after hearing the translation.
This foreigner used almost dozens of adjectives to praise Jiang Xia's beauty from every angle... Could it be that the Jiang Xia Edmund knows is not the same person as the one he knows?
Jiang Xia, that charlatan, is also a crazy fanboy. He even went abroad to follow in his idol's footsteps... Wait a minute! Could it be that he met Edmund during his time abroad?
As if on cue, Jiang Xia helped take the pregnant woman to the health center. On the way, he heard that Jiang Xiaoman and the others had gone to his house. He slapped his forehead and realized that he had forgotten to pick up Jiang Xiaoman as promised. He rushed back and bumped into Edmund's big face.
"Zhang!!" Edmund rushed over in surprise.
Jiang Xia was utterly stunned.
How did you find my house?
That shouldn't be the case. He deleted his account and quit the internet. He hasn't even joined his fan group in a long time. How did Edmund find him?
Jiang Xia wasn't stupid. After a brief moment of astonishment, he looked at Jin Chengjie following behind him, and Jin Yan's brand promotion manager. What was there to misunderstand?
Previously, when Jin Yan invited people to Langshan to shoot an advertisement, they even went to his home to film scenes in order to explain the origin of the totems and patterns of Langshan embroidery.
That's probably when he was accidentally filmed. I heard Jin Yan's advertisement will be simultaneously released in multiple countries worldwide; it seems they've really spent a lot of money on promotion. Even a designer of Edmund's caliber has seen it…
Jiangxia was utterly speechless!
To be honest, having grown up in a place like Langshan, he himself was not opposed to same-sex relationships. For a time, he even secretly envied Jiang Yu for finding such a good man as Shanyan.
But as much as I admire him, he's a staunch advocate of remaining single!
Just thinking about forming a family with a stranger, regardless of gender, and then suddenly having an extra person in the house, questioning where he goes, arguing about what idol merchandise he buys, and even having to report his monthly income to others makes Jiang Xia feel suffocated.
Honestly, he's doing just fine on his own. There's no need for him to find a patriarch to support his carefree solitary life!
The more Edmund pursued him, the more suffocated Jiang Xia felt. To avoid this man, he didn't even dare to go to Jiang Yuan's super topic, which he had been consistently checking in for over a thousand days. He also only dared to lurk in the fan group and not show his face. He had made it so obvious. Aren't foreigners supposed to know how to respect others?
Why can't we respect his wish not to get married?
Jiang Xia really wanted to turn around and leave.
"Wait! Zhang, I think my job really needs you!" At this crucial moment, for some reason, Edmund suddenly had a stroke of genius and somehow learned to take a roundabout approach to achieve his goal.
Sure enough, upon hearing Edmund mention work and thinking of Jiang Xiaoman's small embroidery workshop, Jiang Xia reluctantly stopped in her tracks.
Jiang Xiaoman looked left and right, as if she could smell the scent of gossip...
"What relationship do we have? I have nothing to do with him!" Jiang Xia was very dissatisfied with Jiang Xiaoman's gossipy behavior. "Who are you on board with anyway?"
Jiang, a shameless money-grubber, declared that he would side with anyone who could help him promote Langshan embroidery to the international stage!
Jiang, the charlatan, was so angry he died.
The locals of Langshan didn't recognize the internationally renowned designer, Mr. Edmund. After all, all blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners looked pretty much the same to them. All they knew was that this man was there to help them promote Langshan's traditional embroidery culture abroad.
This is incredible! Those little girls sit in their rooms embroidering all day long, and they actually manage to attract the attention of foreigners?
People in the mountains have no concept of high-end customization; they only know that if something can be exported and sold to foreigners, it must be extremely impressive.
Can their Langshan embroidery really be sold to foreigners?
“Sure, why not? Don’t let Edmund’s love-struck nature fool you. When it comes to high-end custom-made clothes, even our movie star doesn’t always wear his designs.” Jiang Xia’s tone was full of resentment.
If it weren't for his desire to curry favor with Edmund and help Jiang Yuan gain favor with him so that it would be easier for him to borrow clothes in the future, he wouldn't have offered himself up to him.
Chasing after celebrities has led to your own downfall; if word got out, people would think it was some melodramatic, sweet romance novel set in the entertainment industry.
However, despite his resentment, Jiang Xia had to admit that if a genius like Edmund could really join Jin Yan's project, it would most likely be a success.
After all, Edmund is truly a formidable opponent in the field of high-end bespoke tailoring.
Most importantly, Edmund's design style is so unique that even if others wanted to imitate it, they couldn't find a pattern.
Jiang Xia knew from their online chat that Edmund's biggest hobby was traveling the world to find design inspiration.
From an unknown tribe in Africa to a small country in the South Pacific, even his competitors ridiculously copied paparazzi from the entertainment industry, managing to buy Edmund's flight information and trying to analyze and guess the style of his next season's new products by following his travel tracks.
"It seems Edmund really excels in high-end custom-made goods!" Jiang Xiaoman couldn't help but exclaim.
"So you must seize this opportunity. Edmund isn't the kind of designer you can just hire with money; he's a true master," Jiang Xia snorted.
"Then why do you still dislike him so much? He traveled halfway around the world to Langshan for you. If it were me, I would be so touched, okay?"
"Hehe~ I heard that Edmund changes boyfriends every time he releases a new collection. I'm not cut out for a guy like that. Do you want him?"
"Then forget it..."
In Jiang Xiaoman's view, love can disregard gender, age, and social status, but it must not be as fickle as Edmund.
Tsk~ Changing boyfriends as fast as changing clothes, what else can he be but a scumbag?