Chapter 203: 195 Not seeking death won't lead to death [1 update]

“`

It was a design diagram for an evening gown.

It even included the matching jewelry.

Crowns, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, plus rings.

While it seemed elaborate and intricate, it didn’t come across as excessive.

Zhiwan’s gaze was glued to this piece of paper.

She had never seen such a complete design before.

Even though she hadn’t graduated from high school yet, she had attended quite a few banquets.

Every time she picked out a gown, she had to choose matching jewelry, which could sometimes be difficult due to the color and style of the dress.

Even a minor mistake during selection could look completely out of place.

Zhiwan had also studied design.

After all, the Jade Pavilion was Zhong Corporation’s primary industry, and if she wanted to join Zhong Corporation in the future, not understanding design would not be acceptable.

So she could tell that this design diagram was perfect.

The patterns on the gown were also meticulously drawn.

If a set of gowns like this could indeed be made, it would definitely cause a sensation in the design world.

It must be that Zhong Corporation was looking for a new spokesperson for the Jade Pavilion and had asked a designer to draw up the diagram.

There had been quite a few designers in the past that Zhiwan had observed, but none of their sketches came close to this one; they couldn’t even touch the surface.

Yet, this perfect draft had somehow been thrown away.

But Zhiwan could understand.

The more skilled the designer, the more they strove for perfection.

A poorly drawn line would lead to starting over.

However, Zhiwan wasn’t particularly interested in this draft; she was still in school, and anything to do with the Jade Pavilion was unrelated to her.

She just looked at it and then shifted her gaze away.

After greeting Old Master Zhong again, Zhiwan carried the trash bag out and threw it in the large garbage bin outside the iron gate.

She returned to continue her studies and happened to meet Mu Chenzhou, who had just returned from outside.

Mu Chenzhou had been leaving early and returning late these past few days, and he hadn’t allowed her to follow, so she didn’t know what he was busy with.

Zhiwan guessed it must have something to do with the imperial capital.

Mu Chenzhou was deep in thought and didn’t notice Zhiwan.

He had a frown on his face, clearly facing a difficult problem.

“Chenzhou, what’s the matter?” Zhiwan knew this was a good time to build a relationship and greeted him, “Has something happened?”

“Ah, Zhiwan.” Mu Chenzhou was jolted out of his thoughts and was fairly gentle with Zhiwan as he mentioned offhandedly, “My mother’s maternal family has a clothing design company that’s running into some issues. They don’t have a suitable design.”

He didn’t elaborate further and went inside the villa.

Mu Chenzhou had been staying with the Zhong family for almost a month, and following Lady Zhong’s instructions, Zhiwan had also come to know quite a bit about what was happening in the imperial capital.

Madam Mu’s background might not compare to the Mu family, but it was far from low.

The clothing industry in Hua Country ranked 13th, and it was her family’s business.

However, Madam Mu’s family hadn’t focused on this clothing design company; they were more invested in electronic products.

Designs?

Suddenly, Zhiwan recalled the discarded draft she had just seen, and her heart started racing.

She ran back and retrieved the design draft from the large garbage can outside, feeling relieved.

If it was discarded, it meant it wasn’t wanted anymore.

Using it for a bit wouldn’t be a problem.

Trading a discarded draft for the Mu family’s attention was well worth it.

Besides, it was a designer hired by Zhong Corporation, so it was essentially their own.

When the time came, she would just explain to Elder Zhong, and he wouldn’t blame her.

**

In the room.

“Hello, Mom, I’ve contacted the designers here in Shanghai as well, but they’re still not up to standard,” Mu Chenzhou sighed, “You know how high the professors’ standards are at the Royal Academy of Arts in O region.”

“Without any innovation, let alone winning a prize, we wouldn’t even make it past the preliminaries.”

Madam Mu was well aware, “It’s also hard to find one in the imperial capital; all the top designers have been invited away already. Let’s just wait and see. If worse comes to worst, we’ll just have to withdraw.”

The Royal Academy of Arts in O region wasn’t just a university; it was also a palace of art to the world.

Many international competitions were organized by it.

Including this fashion design contest.

If they could win an award at the contest, their company could also come to the fore.

In the previous competitions, they had also participated but only made it to the finals.

“`

But this time, the competition was the most special because there was no set theme, allowing designers to create freely.

That made it even more difficult.

“There are a few days left, I’ll keep looking,” Mu Chenzhou said, “Mom, don’t just focus on the top designers, take a look at the small shops too, maybe you’ll find someone.”

Madam Mu didn’t think this approach would find a designer, and she didn’t nod in agreement.

After Mu Chenzhou hung up the phone, he thought for a moment and prepared to call a noble he knew abroad.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

He put down his phone and turned his head: “The door isn’t locked, come in.”

Zhong Zhiwan entered cautiously: “Chenzhou, am I disturbing you?”

“Not at all.” Although annoyed, his good upbringing prevented Mu Chenzhou from losing his temper, “Is there something you need?”

“I heard you saying you didn’t have the right design,” Zhong Zhiwan held a piece of paper behind her back, clenching it tightly, hesitated a long while before handing it over, “What do you think of this?”

Mu Chenzhou didn’t have much hope, so he glanced over it casually.

But at that glance, his eyes fixed on the page.

He immediately took the design draft and looked at it for a full three minutes before he looked up with an excitement he couldn’t hide in his voice: “Who is the designer who drew this?”

Zhong Zhiwan didn’t expect such a strong reaction from him, her fingers pinching again, nervously saying: “What, I was just idle and sketched something.”

“You drew this?” Mu Chenzhou’s expression grew more serious as he remembered Zhong Zhiwan had a background in traditional Chinese painting.

And this set of designs incorporated some elements of Chinese painting.

Mu Chenzhou couldn’t help but exclaim: “Zhiwan, you’re really a genius.”

So young, yet so talented in design.

“It’s nothing,” Zhong Zhiwan smiled, “I saw you so anxious and thought I’d see if I could help you. I’m glad if I could.”

“You can, more than you know,” Mu Chenzhou said, picking up the phone, “I’ll talk to my mom about it.”

With the design ready, making the garments would be much simpler.

**

Chuguang Media, Shanghai Branch.

Ying Zijin threw away ten failed drafts before finally creating a design she was satisfied with.

She had only studied oil painting with Qinuo Feng and had never delved into clothing design.

The design contained a total of four outfits.

Two dresses and two pantsuits.

The style was purely Eastern and looked very innovative.

The female secretary picked up the design draft and suddenly realized: “Boss, did you use the Four Divine Beasts as your inspiration?”

“Mhm.” Ying Zijin opened her computer, “From left to right, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, White Tiger.”

“That’s amazing,” the female secretary exclaimed, “Many designers have used this theme, but none have made it look as attractive as yours.”

Just by looking at the design, she could almost envision what the four Divine Beasts of ancient Chinese mythology looked like.

Compared to the designs submitted by the company, the others seemed lacking.

The female secretary scratched her head: “Boss, what made you decide to design the outfits yourself?”

“I have money.”

“…” The secretary was flabbergasted.

Then she took out the document and checked the competition’s prizes.

First place, one million US dollars.

But for designers, the money in the prize isn’t the most important part—it’s the fame and future invitations from major brands.

The secretary was perplexed: “Boss, our company isn’t poor, quite wealthy actually, why go to such lengths over one million US dollars?”

Ying Zijin lifted her head and asked seriously: “Does anyone think they have too much money?”

The secretary: “…”

Indeed, no one does.

She wished money could bury her.

“Then, I’ll have the branch office start on these four outfits right away,” the secretary nodded, “We’ll definitely use the finest materials and even order diamonds.”

To take first place at the fashion design competition hosted by the Royal Academy of Arts in Europe, just having the design wasn’t enough.

The concept, the design intention, and the models on the runway were all indispensable.

“Boss, this pattern is pretty attractive,” the secretary noticed that each outfit featured a cluster of patterns, some on the cuffs, some on the collars, “But I don’t understand, does it mean something?”

Ying Zijin raised an eyebrow slightly: “You’re quite perceptive.”

She took a red marker from the side and traced the patterns on the paper.

With the red outline, the secretary could finally see clearly.

She hesitated, unsure: “Is that a ‘Charm’ character?”

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