Chapter 351 Pretending to be a Returning Businessman in a Historical Novel 24
The music in front suddenly stopped.
Immediately afterwards, a brand new kind of music, with strong drumbeats and guzheng melodies, exploded out.
A staff member holding a walkie-talkie shouted something in a bird language towards their corner.
Section Chief Zhang shuddered and immediately translated, "Our turn! First one, go!"
All eyes instantly focused on Zhou Xiaoman.
Zhou Xiaoman felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.
She took one last look at Zhou Jue.
Zhou Jue didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly to her.
That's enough.
Zhou Xiaoman took a deep breath. The smell of hairspray and perfume made her lungs ache, but it also completely woke her up.
She lifted her skirt, took a step, and walked towards the brightly lit entrance.
Light.
Endless white light.
The moment she stepped onto the catwalk, the whole world seemed to consist only of this white light and the booming music that sounded like war drums.
The audience was a sea of black, and nothing could be seen except for countless flashes of light going off wildly, like stars exploding in the night.
She remembered Zhou Jue's words.
The road, after all, is still walked on foot.
They have two legs, and so do we.
Nothing is different.
She took the first step.
Her high heels were firmly planted on the ground without the slightest wobbling.
She raised her chin, looking straight ahead towards the end of the light.
The noise around me and the blinding flashes of the cameras disappeared at that moment.
She can't hear or see anything.
In her world, there was only the road beneath her feet and the red cheongsam she wore, which burned like flames.
The silk clung to her skin, flowing and swaying with her steps.
The golden phoenix on the skirt seemed to come alive under the light, each feather shimmering with light.
Her pace was slow, but every step was full of power.
Step by step, it felt as if they were stepping on everyone's heartbeats.
The audience.
In the front row of the audience, an elderly man with gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses was idly flipping through the show's booklet.
When Zhou Xiaoman came out, he merely raised his eyelids slightly.
But with that one glance, he stopped moving.
He slowly put down the booklet in his hand, leaned forward slightly, adjusted his glasses, and stared intently at the Eastern girl on the stage.
“Mon Dieu…”
Beside him, a lady in a suit instinctively covered her mouth, her blue eyes filled with amazement.
"What's that... red?"
"No, that's life," the old man murmured, his voice trembling slightly.
Low gasps of amazement began to spread through the crowd, like pebbles thrown into a lake, creating ripples upon ripples.
Zhou Xiaoman walked to the end of the catwalk.
She stopped at the designated spot, turned to the side, and fully displayed the phoenix spreading its wings pattern that ran from her waist to the hem of her cheongsam to the cameras below the stage.
Then, she turned around, her gaze calmly sweeping over the blurry yet shocked faces below the stage, and walked back with composure.
The second one.
Sun Li.
He came out wearing that moon-white trench coat.
If Zhou Xiaoman is a burning flame, then he is the cool moonlight.
His steps were clean and crisp, with a soldier-like uprightness, yet his clothes added a touch of scholarly elegance to his appearance.
"Oh my god, look at that cut!"
"Is it a trench coat? No, it's more like... some kind of oriental robe?"
"I love the collar! And the bamboo leaves on the cuffs!"
One model after another stepped onto the stage.
Bai Lu's light purple jasmine-patterned dress was elegant and refined, making her look as if she had stepped out of a painting of misty Jiangnan.
Each outfit is like a walking painting.
When a model walked out wearing a suit that combined a tailored silhouette with traditional Chinese knot buttons, the murmurs from the audience reached a new height.
That was Lin Wanwan's design.
A well-known fashion critic suddenly grabbed the arm of his assistant.
"Write it down! Write it down quickly! The perfect fusion of tradition and modernity! This is a revolution! A fashion revolution from the East!"
Backstage.
Lin Wanwan clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, but she felt no pain whatsoever.
Through the gap in the curtain, she watched as the clothes she designed were perfectly displayed on that dazzling stage.
Tears welled up uncontrollably.
That wasn't the luxury item I saw in a shop window in my past life.
That was a painting she created herself, a work that carried her memories of two lifetimes.
On stage, the aesthetics of the Flower Kingdom are on display.
It is a Chinese knot button, a cloud pattern, a Suzhou embroidery, and an ink wash landscape.
It is the pride and integrity accumulated over five thousand years.
This powerful and majestic Eastern aesthetic, like a hurricane, struck the senses of every Western audience member present.
"Elegance! True elegance!"
"Like smoke, like mist, like an oriental dream!"
"I want that phoenix! I must have that red cheongsam!"
The reporter accompanying the group from the country was so excited he was almost going crazy.
He carried the heavy camera, squeezing through the crowd, sometimes pointing the lens at the catwalk, sometimes at the excited, flushed audience below.
He wanted to record all of this!
We must take these images back to show the people of the whole country!
Let them see how our country's clothes drive these foreigners crazy!
When Zhou Xiaoman finished her final journey and returned backstage, passing through the curtain that separated light and darkness, her legs went weak and she fell forward.
That tension, which had been building up for who knows how long, completely dissipated at that moment.
A pair of strong hands steadily supported her.
Zhou Xiaoman looked up and saw Zhou Jue's smiling eyes.
“Excellent, Zhou Xiaoman.”
Zhou Jue's voice carried a hint of pride she had never heard before.
With a loud bang.
Zhou Xiaoman couldn't hold back any longer. She laughed, but tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.
She did it.
She really did it.
Sun Li was the second to step off the stage. He leaned against the wall, covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders were shaking violently.
Bai Lu squatted on the ground, hugging her knees, and cried silently.
They succeeded.
On this completely unfamiliar land, they withstood all the pressure and won the battle.
"Everyone, stop crying! Touch up your makeup! Get ready for the curtain call!" Section Chief Zhang's voice rang out from the corner. He was so excited that his voice was trembling and his face was flushed.
"Chief Designer Chen, Lin Wanwan! Designer Zhao! Quick! You guys go too!"
Chief Designer Chen rubbed his hands excitedly and gave Lin Wanwan, who was still in a daze, a push.
"Let's go! Designers, come up here! Let the whole world see that these clothes were designed by people from our country!"
Lin Wanwan's mind went blank. She was pushed by Chief Designer Chen and, in a daze, followed the model team back onto the catwalk.
The music reached its climax at this moment.
Ten models stood side by side.
Chief Designer Chen, Lin Wanwan, and several other members of the design team stood beside them.
"Whoosh—"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Everyone stood up.
That applause wasn't just politeness or formality; it came from the heart, the most enthusiastic praise and respect.
Zhou Xiaoman stood at the front of the line. Looking at the faces of those who stood up and applauded for them, tears blurred her vision.
She saw the old man with gold-rimmed glasses clapping vigorously.
She saw the lady in the suit looking at her with sparkling eyes.
She straightened her chest and, along with everyone else, bowed deeply.
This bow is for the sake of the magnificent robes I wear.
It's also for the sake of the country behind us, which is taking off.
The show has ended.
The group returned backstage, still reeling from the immense excitement.
Section Chief Zhang was almost ecstatic. He grabbed Zhou Jue's hand and started talking incoherently.
"Director Zhou! Director Zhou, did you see that?! They've stood up! They've all stood up!"
"My God! I've never seen anything like this in my life!"
Just then, a well-dressed man, accompanied by his assistant, rushed into the backstage area.
He spotted Section Chief Zhang immediately, rushed over, grabbed his arm, and spoke rapidly in heavily accented English.
Section Chief Zhang was stunned.
"What...what did he say?" Sun Li asked quietly from the side.
Section Chief Zhang adjusted his glasses, trying hard to decipher the other person's language. After several seconds, his eyes suddenly widened.
He turned his head and looked at Zhou Jue in disbelief, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Director Zhou..."
"He said... he was the purchasing director of Galeries Lafayette."
He asked us if we were selling the "Beautiful Landscape" series.
He wants to...buy them all!
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