"Aunt Xie, you only have one daughter, we can't let things fall apart, let her come back." Qin Xiaoyu tried to persuade Xie Lanhua again. She was now more and more convinced that Director Fei had a capable person under him who was no less capable than Master Xu, and that person was not a current employee of Xiaotaiyang.

"I've been at odds with her my whole life. It's like God arranged for her to come and get me. Every time I try to do something, she jumps out and sabotages me!" Xie Lanhua said, sitting in her office, trying to calm herself down.

"What parent can win against their child? You're going to lose sooner or later, you might as well just accept it. You only have this one daughter, and you're going to push her away after raising her all this time?" Qin Xiaoyu could only try to pull the two of them together. These two, mother and daughter, were anything but ordinary when they got stubborn.

"No, I can't back down this time. I've already given in once. If she hadn't threatened to kill herself back then, would I have given her the Little Sun? Look what she's done to me! Now I'm cleaning up this mess myself, and she's sabotaging me again!" Xie Lanhua slammed her hand on the table in anger.

"Why don't we go and take a look?" Qin Xiaoyu didn't believe that Xie Lanhua was nowhere to be found; she was just keeping quiet about it out of some privacy concerns.

"Whatever, do whatever you want." Xie Lanhua retreated dejectedly.

Qin Xiaoyu returned to her office and stared blankly for a while. Holding on was only a short-term thing. When summer came, she would have to come up with some new styles to adapt to the changing season. If she couldn't deliver them by then, the department store would become a laughing stock.

The weather had turned warm, and Qin Xiaoyu's hair was quite thick. She had asked Master Wang to shave some of it a while ago, and now it was heavy again. So she went to a hairdressing school.

Lying back in the chair, enjoying Tian Tian's meticulous massage, Qin Xiaoyu's tense nerves relaxed a bit.

"Xiaoyu, what brings you here? I visited your house yesterday, and your mom said you were so busy you were practically invisible." Commander Wang walked over with a smile. Now they were all used to it; Qin Xiaoyu was a member of the Zhou family, their daughter.

"Aunt Wang, it's been quite a few days since I've seen you. Oh? You've lost weight?"

The word "slimmed down" is probably the best compliment for any woman, and Commander Wang's face beamed with joy.

"Let me tell you a joke. The announcer from last time was already selected, right? He seemed like a smart guy, but when it came to practice, he messed things up. No matter how we taught him, he couldn't understand it. He even went to the leaders crying and whining. Everyone in the troupe was fed up with him."

"Sigh, what a pity for Fengqin. She performed so well, and she was still eliminated." Qin Xiaoyu was also indignant. If she hadn't tried so hard, it would have been fine, but Tang Fengqin and Zhou Xing's mother had both put in a lot of effort, and yet they were replaced. Where can they go to complain?

"So, the moment she made a mistake, I thought to myself, 'Serves her right!'" Commander Wang said bitterly, making everyone in the room laugh.

"I've been busy lately and haven't seen Fengqin. How are things between her and your young master?" Qin Xiaoyu was very informal with Commander Wang and got straight to the point.

"They're getting along really well. My son tutors her, and she learns guitar from my son. Ah, youth is wonderful; I'm so envious." Commander Wang's face was beaming with pride, clearly very pleased with Tang Fengqin.

"Isn't that a difference in generation?" Master Wang teased her deliberately.

"Let each say their own thing, we don't care," Commander Wang hurriedly argued.

"It's fast, Fengqin is about to take the college entrance exam." Qin Xiaoyu counted the days and suddenly felt her heart sink. It had been 35 days since Zhou Xing left. It turns out that people don't live by days, but they die by days.

"Take the exam. Whether you pass or not, I can arrange it for you. Your uncle said that marrying such a good daughter-in-law is a blessing. He keeps telling Wang Lei not to bully Fengqin..." Commander Wang saw the melancholy in Qin Xiaoyu's eyes. Seeing her staring intently at the tree outside, he guessed what was on her mind, stood up, and pressed her shoulder heavily with his hand.

Qin Xiaoyu raised her hand and placed it on Commander Wang's hand, sighing silently.

“Some people are truly destined to be together but not to stay together. I never thought you two would be a good match, and now look what’s happened,” Commander Wang said sadly. Zhou Xing was someone she had watched grow up, so how could she not be heartbroken?

"People, the dead are dead, we should focus on the living. Don't think too much, Xiaoyu has a long life ahead of her!" Master Wang couldn't bear to watch anymore and quickly encouraged her.

Qin Xiaoyu knew that Master Wang was suffering, as he was also a young widow.

"By the way, Aunt Wang, have you heard about Master Xu's illness?" Qin Xiaoyu suddenly had a bright idea. The women around Commander Wang were at the forefront of fashion, and many of them were loyal fans of Master Xu. They had the keenest sense of smell. If one master fell ill, there would always be another replacement. This was much more convenient than her casting a wide net to find him.

"I heard that they've all moved to a different place to have their clothes made."

"Where did you go?" Qin Xiaoyu jumped up from the chair, startling Master Wang.

“I didn’t know that, and I haven’t had any done recently. Xiao Mengting definitely knows; she’s going to Beijing for a performance and has had two outfits made.” Director Wang provided an important clue.

Qin Xiaoyu ran out without even drying her hair, which made Master Wang anxious, so he draped a large white towel over her shoulder.

She drove directly into the cultural troupe's compound. The gatekeeper knew she was a friend of Director Wang and didn't stop her. She ran upstairs in one breath. Xiao Mengting had her own room, and she asked around and went there.

"Xiaoyu, what kind of fashion is this?" Xiao Mengting was surprised when he opened the door and saw Qin Xiaoyu's appearance.

Qin Xiaoyu then realized that in her haste to run, the white towel was still draped over her body.

"Sister Meng, I need to talk to you urgently. Are you getting new clothes made?"

“Yes, Master Xu had a stroke, so I found someone else to do it. It’s really good. Take a look.” Xiao Mengting walked gracefully to the counter and took out a modified cheongsam and an evening dress.

The cheongsam has a conventional upper body, but the slit at the bottom is adorned with many pleats that conceal the body and only peek out when the wearer moves, somewhat resembling a fishtail skirt. The fabric used for the pleats is exquisite—a shimmering satin that moves like rippling waves, yet remains perfectly still. This is a deliberate design choice.

If Xiao Mengting were to walk onto the stage with such grace and confidence, the audience would surely erupt in cheers.

"Give me the address of my master, Sister Meng, you saved me!" Qin Xiaoyu said with uncontrollable joy.

The address Xiao Mengting gave was a bit hard to find. By the time Qin Xiaoyu reached the black iron gate, it was almost dark.

The aroma of radish soup wafted from the house, and she gently knocked on the door.

"Are you here to pick up some work?" The person who answered the door was a tall, thin man wearing a pair of glasses with multiple layers of lenses, indicating a high degree of nearsightedness. However, it didn't seem to help his eyesight much. He squinted at Qin Xiaoyu several times but still couldn't recognize her.

"You must be Master Zheng. I was introduced by a friend," Qin Xiaoyu asked Xiao Mengting.

This Mr. Zheng only takes private jobs from home, doesn't display a sign, and is very capricious; he can accept jobs whenever he wants, and no one can persuade him otherwise.

But his craftsmanship was exceptional, so despite his bad temper, he was quite well-known in the city. Everyone considered it an honor to own a piece of his clothing.

When Master Zheng heard Qin Xiaoyu say that, he let her into the house.