Chapter 162 The matter of shooting posters for the opening ceremony, in reality...
Shooting posters isn't as fun as you might imagine, in reality.
On the contrary, the filming process was extremely boring.
Under Xu Fei's lens, Lin Xi mechanically and repeatedly changed poses and expressions, while Xu Fei remained expressionless, pressing the shutter button again and again.
After shooting one outfit, they change the look and clothes, and then repeat the process.
As Mingxi watched, she couldn't help but start yawning.
It must be Guan Lixin; otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten up so early on the second day of the Lunar New Year to help out with this unpaid work.
"ha--"
Mingxi yawned deeply, her eyes involuntarily glancing at Wei Ning, who was standing upright beside her. How come Wei Ning looked so energetic and not tired at all, even though they both got up early in the morning?
Wei Ning seemed to sense Ming Xi's gaze and turned around: "Hmm? What's wrong?"
Mingxi shook her head: "Nothing."
Wei Ning lowered his head, leaned close to Ming Xi's ear, and whispered, "Are you hungry?"
His warm breath brushed against Mingxi's ear and neck, sending shivers down her spine.
Mingxi subconsciously took a step back, increasing the distance between herself and Weining: "I'm not hungry."
Wei Ning: "So you're sleepy?"
Mingxi nodded. Actually, she didn't need to nod; Wei Ning could tell just by looking at her constant yawning.
Wei Ning quietly pulled out a chair behind him and said, "Then you can take a nap. I'll keep an eye on things for you. If anything happens, I'll call you."
Mingxi glanced at Lin Xi and the others who were busy working not far away, then at the chair behind Wei Ning, and finally couldn't resist the temptation and nodded.
"I'm going to take a nap. You keep an eye on things for me, and call me if anything happens!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mingxi quickly sat down in the chair, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Although the environment was uncomfortable and there was constant noise, Mingxi slept very soundly. When she opened her eyes again, she could no longer see Wei Ning beside her, but she was covered with Wei Ning's coat.
Mingxi rubbed her eyes, stood up, and put Wei Ning's coat aside. She saw that Lin Xi had changed her clothes and even her hairstyle, but she was still following Xu Fei's instructions to pose. Guan Lixin was still supervising from the side.
Mingxi raised her hand to look at her watch and realized it was already past eleven, almost midnight.
She slept for almost two hours.
Guan Lixin saw that Mingxi was awake and walked over: "Awake?"
Mingxi hummed in agreement and asked, "Where's Wei Ning?"
Guan Lixin: "I'm going to buy some food. I'll be back in a bit."
Mingxi nodded, her voice still hoarse from just waking up, and asked, "Why didn't you wake me up when I was asleep?"
Guan Lixin: "Hey, you're sleeping so soundly. Anyway, it's just a change of hairstyle and clothes. Lin Xi can do it herself, so we didn't call you."
Mingxi said "Oh".
She had just woken up and was still a little sluggish.
A short while later, Wei Ning returned carrying two large bags of lunchboxes. Upon seeing this, Guan Lixin waved to Xu Fei and Lin Xi, saying, "Stop filming for now. Now that we've bought the food, let's eat first. Once we're full, we'll have the energy to continue filming this afternoon."
Xu Fei put down his camera: "Okay, let's eat first."
Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, she was the most tired of all the people in the room. She had spent the whole morning changing clothes and poses, and cooperating with Xu Fei's instructions to smile fake in front of the camera. Her physical strength was the most severely depleted.
She hadn't had time to eat anything that morning, and now she was starving.
Guan Lixin paid for Wei Ning's lunch.
Guan Lixin himself knew that during the Chinese New Year, everyone was helping him out of friendship, not because they really wanted to make money. So he was generous and gave Wei Ning 100 yuan to choose the more expensive one.
Guan Lixin didn't care how much money he spent, and Wei Ning had no reason to save him any. He simply waved his hand and ordered a dish from every menu item at the nearby state-run restaurant.
So Mingxi and the others had a very luxurious lunch.
Five people, ten dishes, including meat, vegetables, chicken, and fish, three staple foods: steamed buns, rice, and dumplings, and two soups.
Xu Fei originally said he would just eat a bite, but seeing that Wei Ning had brought back so much food that the tables in the studio couldn't all fit it, he specially ran to the main room and brought over a large round table so that all the dishes could be placed.
The dishes were placed on the table, and everyone sat down around it. Guan Lixin coughed twice to clear his throat and began to speak.
"Thank you all for your help today. It's the Lunar New Year, and I'll remember your kindness. If you ever need my help again, just let me know, and I'll be there right away."
As he spoke, he gripped the cup, tilted his head back, and downed the tea in one gulp, saying, "I have things to do this afternoon, so I'll toast everyone with tea instead of wine."
He put down his cup, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "I have things to do this afternoon, so let's just have a simple lunch. Everyone, don't be shy, eat your fill. You'll have the energy to continue filming this afternoon."
Mingxi chimed in, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you!"
Guan Lixin: "Don't be shy, don't be shy. It's not convenient to go out for lunch today, so we can only eat something simple. After filming this afternoon, let's go eat hot pot together. I've already made a reservation."
Mingxi nudged Linxi with her elbow and said, "Did you hear that? Don't be shy, eat your fill. There's hot pot waiting for us tonight!"
Lin Xi nodded, but couldn't help thinking to herself: Good heavens, so many dishes and we're just going to eat a little bit?
This is about all the dishes her family usually cooks for Chinese New Year, right?
This is all because her sister-in-law married into the family this year. Her sister-in-law is capable; the factory provides a lot of New Year's goods, and after the family split up, they no longer need to contribute money to the public fund. They are not short of money, which is why they ate so well this year for the New Year.
In previous years, before the family split up, the Lin family, a dozen or so people, would often not have enough food even if they all squeezed together.
It's not that Lin Xi is exaggerating. Old Man Lin is stingy, and the other two families have their own selfish motives. Although there's only one New Year's Eve dinner a year, no one is necessarily willing to put in any effort for it. They'd rather go back to their rooms at night and secretly cook something special.
So Lin Xi was truly shocked when she saw the huge table of food in front of her.
Lin Xi held her chopsticks, unsure where to begin, but Ming Xi noticed her shyness and placed a piece of braised pork into her bowl.
"Don't be shy, eat up. You've put in the most effort and worked the hardest, so you should eat more meat, otherwise you won't have any energy in the afternoon."
Guan Lixin: "Yes, Lin Xi, don't be shy, please don't be shy. There's such a big table of food. If we can't finish it, it will just be a waste."
Lin Xi took a bite of rice, her mouth stuffed full, and could only nod and grunt to indicate that she understood.
After lunch, the group didn't rest. Lin Xi immediately changed her clothes, and Ming Xi, acting as her makeup artist, immediately touched up her makeup.
After changing her clothes and makeup, Lin Xi immediately began filming.
The shooting continued until the afternoon, and as the sun began to set outside, the filming finally came to an end.
In the end, there were only two outfits left to photograph.
Although it's said to be two sets, it should actually be considered one set of clothes.
Guan Lixin mainly wanted to photograph the jacket underneath the shirt, a wool suit jacket. Two jackets of the same design were made, one in a lighter off-white color and the other in a darker dark gray. Besides the color, the two jackets were also different sizes.
The dark gray one is noticeably a size larger than the off-white one.
Guan Lixin explained, "This is a unisex item. Men can wear it, and women can wear it too. I've already put together an outfit: one piece for a skirt and one piece for pants, so it can be considered a couple's outfit."
These days, there's no concept of matching outfits. Couples wearing the same thing are very noticeable when they go out.
Guan Lixin was hoping to build a brand with this, but there was a problem: there was only one female model, Lin Xi, and no male model to cooperate with in shooting the couple's outfit poster.
After Guan Lixin told everyone about it, everyone in the room turned to look at Wei Ning and Ming Xi.
There were only a few people in the room. Xu Fei was definitely out of the question, as a photographer he couldn't live without his camera. Guan Lixin was also out of the question; his appearance wasn't up to par. It wasn't that Guan Lixin was ugly, but as a model, you definitely had to choose someone good-looking. Guan Lixin wasn't ugly, but he was still a bit short of good-looking. So, the only person left was Wei Ning.
Everyone knows that Wei Ning has feelings for Ming Xi; even Xu Fei, who only met Wei Ning and Ming Xi today, can tell.
If Wei Ning and Lin Xi were to model matching outfits together, everyone would find it awkward.
So everyone set their sights on Mingxi again.
Mingxi swallowed hard under everyone's gaze: "No, what do you mean?"
Guan Lixin rubbed his hands together: "Hey, Mingxi, how about this, can you do me a favor? For this last outfit, can you and Wei Ning be my models?"
Mingxi pointed at herself, looking confused, and asked, "Me?"
Guan Lixin nodded: "Yes!"
He said, "This outfit of mine is best photographed by a man and a woman. I think you and Wei Ning would be a good match."
Mingxi hesitated, but Guan Lixin shamelessly pleaded with her, "Please, you've come all this way to help, so please go all the way and see it through. We only have this one last set left to film, and once we're done, we can go eat."
Mingxi: "Okay, okay, I'll take the picture."
She and Wei Ning went to change into the sample clothes prepared by Guan Lixin. To be honest, Guan Lixin had excellent taste; not only was the coat nice, but the inner layer he chose was also good-looking.
Wearing a beige wool coat over a pink turtleneck top, and a matching beige A-line wool skirt, Mingxi came out after changing her clothes. She then styled her hair in a high ponytail and applied a light layer of lipstick, looking incredibly youthful and radiant.
Wei Ning wore a black turtleneck sweater under his dark gray coat, but the sweater underneath was black, and he wore matching black suit pants.
When Wei Ning and Ming Xi came out alone, it was not obvious that the two clothes were related. But when the two stood together, it was obvious from the embroidery on the chest, the decoration on the cuffs, and the details of the opening of the collar that they were a pair of matching outfits.
Guan Lixin: "Great! You two look so good together! I knew you two looked good in these clothes. Just by standing there, people can tell you're a couple!"
Mingxi glanced at him: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Guan Lixin said with a grin, "I was talking about the clothes, the clothes are obviously a pair, I wasn't talking about the two of you."
Mingxi then looked away, glanced at herself in the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction.
She was quite satisfied with her look, but when she turned around and saw Wei Ning, she became somewhat dissatisfied. She beckoned with her finger and said, "Come here, let me fix your hair."
Wei Ning obediently walked over, and Ming Xi grabbed a handful of hair wax and smeared it directly on Wei Ning's head. Wei Ning cooperated by half-squatting, making it easier for Ming Xi to play with his head.
Mingxi grabbed Wei Ning's bangs and combed them all back behind his head.
She seemed to have used a little too much force in the middle, and Wei Ning gasped and hissed softly. Ming Xi said, "Did I hurt you? Then I'll be gentler."
Wei Ning shook his head. Because of the angle, he tilted his head back and looked at Ming Xi obediently, saying, "It doesn't hurt."
Mingxi lowered her head and met Wei Ning's watery eyes.
She couldn't help but soften her movements. Even if Wei Ning said it didn't hurt, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Mingxi worked quickly and finished Wei Ning's look in no time. She patted Wei Ning on the shoulder and said, "All done."
Wei Ning straightened up, and Ming Xi stepped aside to speak to Guan Lixin and the others, asking, "How was it?"
"Why!"
Guan Lixin leaned closer, staring at Wei Ning from head to toe, and said, "Hey, you know what, it looks better with your hair up than without!"
Xu Fei changed the roll of film and said, "This outfit suits me better now that I've styled my hair."
Lin Xi nodded in agreement.
After getting ready, Mingxi and Weining arrived at the center of the shooting location and officially began filming.
Xu Fei: "You two stand side by side, leaning towards each other. Yes, Wei Ning, lean towards Ming Xi, and Ming Xi, look to your right in Wei Ning's direction. You two should look at each other with affection in your eyes."
Mingxi and Weining adjusted their postures according to Xu Fei's instructions. Just as they got into position, they heard Xu Fei say something from the front.
"No, Mingxi, I said you should look at Wei Ning with affection, not glare at him like a demon. Why are you staring at him like you're looking at an enemy?"
As soon as Xu Fei finished speaking, two muffled laughs rang out from inside the room. Ming Xi didn't even need to look up to know that the sounds must have come from Guan Lixin and Lin Xi.
She pursed her lips, adjusted her gaze, and looked up at Wei Ning again.
Xu Fei: "No, Mingxi, you don't have that murderous look in your eyes anymore, but you're crossing your eyes on camera."
Mingxi: "..."
She quickly raised her hand to rub her eyes, but unexpectedly rubbed something into them. Suddenly, she felt something and instinctively hissed. Wei Ning heard the sound and immediately looked over with concern.
"What's wrong?"
Mingxi shook her head: "It's nothing."
She had already rubbed the foreign object out of her eye.
As Mingxi spoke, she put down her hand, looked up at Wei Ning, and their eyes met. Just then, Xu Fei shouted "Good!", followed by a crisp shutter sound.
Xu Fei: "Okay, we got it. Let's take another one to make sure it's a good shot."
Before Mingxi and Weining could react, another crisp shutter sound rang out. Xu Fei said, "Okay, all done. We can call it a day."
Mingxi: "All done?"
Xu Fei: "Alright, that's a wrap!"
Guan Lixin: "That's a wrap! This has been a lot of work for everyone. It's getting late, let's pack up and have some hot pot!"
"OK."
Since Xu Fei and Guan Lixin both said it was all settled, Mingxi had no objections. She quickly went with Wei Ning to change her clothes. With hot pot meat hanging in front of them, Xu Fei, who had been looking lazy all day, immediately sped up his preparations.
When Mingxi and Weining came out after changing their clothes, the equipment outside had already been packed up. Guan Lixin and the other two stood at the door: "Let's go, let's go for hot pot!"
Mingxi: "Here we come! You wait, we'll eat you out of house and home tonight!"
Guan Lixin: "Eat up, I'm not afraid you'll eat me out of house and home."
"You said it yourself, everyone heard it. Guan Lixin said it. When we get to the store, we'll only order the expensive stuff..."
"I heard that..."
"We have to make Lao Guan bleed today..."
Everyone walked out laughing and joking, the dim sunset lengthening their shadows.
-
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed. Before we knew it, it was March 8th, International Women's Day, which was also the day Guan Lixin's clothing store opened.
Guan Lixin has been very busy these past two weeks, setting up the store, recruiting staff, posting posters, and announcing the store's opening.
Mingxi heard from He Li that Guan Lixin had been so busy these last few days that he hadn't had time to go home and had been living in the shop.
On March 8th, Mingxi took half a day off.
The Women's Federation was supposed to have a half-day off today, but it was in the afternoon. Guan Lixin's opening ceremony was in the morning, so Mingxi took half a day off to make it a full day off.
Although she had taken the day off, Mingxi got up very early in the morning. After getting ready, she rode her bike to the flower market to pick up the opening flower basket she had ordered for Guan Lixin before riding her bike to Guan Lixin's shop.
Guan Lixin's shop name is simple, just four characters: "Fashionable Women's Clothing." Mingxi thought it was a bit tacky, but Zhao Sulan, He Li, and Guan's parents all thought it was a good name—simple, pleasant-sounding, and clearly indicating that it was a women's clothing store. Moreover, just hearing "Fashionable Women's Clothing" would make people think that the clothes sold in this store were fashionable.
Mingxi: ...Alright then.
This may be the gap between eras.
Mingxi was born decades later, by which time the word "fashion" had become so commonplace that it even seemed a bit outdated.
But in today's context, these two words represent fashion.
If we were to adopt the naming conventions used by clothing brands in later generations, they might not even work.
Thinking of this, Mingxi didn't offer any further opinions. And so, the name "Fashion Women's Clothing" was officially established. The next day, Guan Lixin ordered the signboard to be made and hung it directly on the storefront.
The brand-new signboard is now gleaming in the sunlight.
Mingxi parked her bicycle, picked up the large flower basket, and walked towards the store entrance. Guan Lixin and his family had also arrived early this morning. Guan Lixin was currently giving the new sales clerks he had recruited a final training session inside the store, while He Li was standing at the door.
As soon as Mingxi arrived, He Li saw her immediately and pulled open the door: "Oh, Mingxi, you're here, why did you bring something?"
Mingxi smiled and said, "After all, it's the opening of a business, so we want something auspicious. By the way, where should I put this?"
He Li opened the door, peeked inside, and pointed to a spot near the entrance, saying, "Put it here; you'll see it as soon as you come in."
Mingxi put down the flower basket, patted the pictures off her clothes, glanced around the shop, and said with a sigh, "I must say, this shop is actually quite nicely decorated."
The entire store is open-plan, with warm white paint on the walls and matching tiles on the floor. The large area of white, combined with the warm lighting, makes the store space appear much larger, clean, and spacious.
Upon entering the store, a row of plastic mannequins is placed opposite the entrance, displaying the latest seasonal styles. On the wall next to them are posters that Guan Lixin painstakingly photographed.
The poster of Mingxi and Weining in their matching outfits was prominently displayed on the wall.
Opposite the mannequins are rows of clothes racks displaying the latest seasonal items. The racks are at the perfect height, and there's a row of full-length mirrors nearby for customers to easily compare their clothes to the garments. Further inside, there's a row of fitting rooms where customers can try on clothes if they prefer not to measure directly.
When Guan Lixin was decorating his shop, Mingxi offered a lot of suggestions, trying to make the shop's style resemble that of clothing stores in the future. Although Mingxi didn't come to see it when it was finished, looking at it now, the effect is really good.
Although it can't compare to some boutiques and multi-brand stores in later generations, it's a complete game-changer compared to department stores today.
He Li said, "I have to thank you for your suggestions. Even when our shop was still airing out after the renovation, it attracted a lot of attention. Later, when Lixin came to arrange the layout, many neighbors came over to ask if he was opening a shop and what he was going to sell."
Mingxi: "Hey, I was just saying a few words. You and Guan Lixin are the ones who actually made the arrangements."
Just as they were talking, more people arrived. This time, several of them were buddies that Guan Lixin had met when he was setting up his stall. Mingxi didn't know them very well, but He Li did. He Li, who was heavily pregnant, greeted them, while Mingxi chatted with Guan's mother on the side.
Guan's mother has been quite busy lately. Guan Lixin is busy with the shop, so he has to neglect things at home. He Li is currently pregnant, which is a sensitive time in terms of all aspects. Guan's mother has been through this stage herself, so she pays special attention to this at home. When He Li is resting at home, she doesn't go out and stays at home to take care of He Li.
So Mingxi hadn't seen Guan's mother in the alley for a long time. Now that they were together, she couldn't help but share the latest gossip about the alley with Guan's mother.
It's said to be the latest gossip in the alley, but there's really nothing new; it's just the same old family squabbles.
If we're talking about something new, then it's still about Dong Chunling and Hu Mingyi.
On the night of Lunar New Year's Eve, Dong Chunling and Hu Mingyi went back to the alley and had a fight. Later, Jiang Wenhua came, and Hu Mingyi chased after Jiang Wenhua to leave. Dong Chunling then chased after Hu Mingyi to leave. The fight was only half over.
Mingxi thought the matter would end abruptly, but who would have thought that the next day, she would be able to witness the second half of the story.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Dong Chunling came back crying, saying that she had been bullied by Hu Mingyi and that she wanted her family to go with her to Hu's house to settle accounts with Hu Mingyi.
Having endured so much torment from Dong Chunling, the Dong family was no longer as naive as they once were, rushing to settle scores at the first sign of trouble. This time, however, when Dong's eldest brother heard that Dong Chunling had been bullied, he wasn't flustered at all. Instead, he calmly asked her what had happened.
Dong Chunling kept crying and wouldn't say what happened. After her brother asked her for a long time, she finally said that she suspected Hu Mingyi and Jiang Wenhua were having an affair because they were too close. So, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, when Jiang Wenhua was visiting her parents' home and there were many people in the Jiang family, she went to Jiang Wenhua's house and beat her up.
To be honest, Dong Chunling was really fierce. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, when many relatives and neighbors were still visiting the Jiang family, she rushed to their door, cursing Jiang Wenhua as a vixen who seduced other people's men, and scratching her face until it was disfigured. Then, before anyone could react, she ran back to the Hu family and pretended to be dead.
Jiang Wenhua was not only disfigured, but also humiliated in front of her relatives. She was so ashamed that she couldn't face anyone and was acting like she was going to die every day at home. How could her parents be willing to accept this? They went directly to the Hu family to demand an explanation. In the end, the result of their discussion was that Dong Chunling would go and apologize to Jiang Wenhua.
But that's where the problem lies. Dong Chunling refuses to apologize to Jiang Wenhua, stubbornly refusing no matter what Hu Mingyi says. This led to an argument between the couple, and that's why Dong Chunling came back this time.
Jiang Wenhua would call for reinforcements, and so would she.
Jiang Wenhua's parents would pressure Hu's parents to apologize, and she would also move her own parents to Hu's house to put pressure on Hu's parents.
Dong Chunling's idea was good, but her parents wouldn't listen. Although they also felt that the girl surnamed Jiang was problematic, as she was getting too close to their son-in-law, they felt that it was perfectly reasonable for Dong Chunling to go to the girl's house and scratch her face, and for the girl to ask her to come and apologize.
They would be too ashamed to argue with the Hu family over this.
Dong Chunling cried and made a scene at home, but after a long time, she still couldn't persuade her family. Finally, in the evening, Hu Mingyi came to pick up Dong Chunling, and Dong Chunling had another big argument with Hu Mingyi in the yard.
She cried, made a scene, and even threatened suicide, saying that Hu Mingyi forced her to apologize to Jiang Wenhua, which was no different from forcing her to die. But Hu Mingyi fell for it. As soon as he saw Dong Chunling crying, he immediately softened and coaxed her away in a gentle voice.
Mingxi ate a huge melon, and now she's sharing it with Guan's mother, her eyes shining with excitement.
Guan's mother: "Really? Tsk tsk, how could this be..."
Mingxi: "Of course, I saw it with my own eyes that day..."
"Mom, Mingxi, what are you talking about?"
Mingxi was chatting and gossiping with Guan's mother when Guan Lixin's voice suddenly interrupted.
Guan's mother: "It's nothing, we were just talking about Dong Chunling. Um, have you finished your meeting?"
Guan Lixin: "Yes, the meeting is over."
Guan's mother: "Isn't it almost time?"
Guan Lixin glanced at his watch: "It'll be a while, but it'll be soon."
It's almost nine o'clock now, and the auspicious time for his opening, according to the fortune teller, is ten o'clock sharp, so there's still nearly an hour to go.
Guan's mother: "It's not early yet, I'll ask your father to go to the back and get the firecrackers."
Guan Lixin: "Mom, I'll go with you, you go quickly."
He turned to Mingxi and said, "You'll have to deal with this yourself later. I'm too busy to entertain you right now."
Mingxi waved her hand at him, indicating that these were all people, and she didn't need anyone to entertain her.
As Guan Lixin left, Mingxi was about to browse around the store when someone else came to the door. This time, it was an acquaintance of Mingxi's—Lin Xi.
Lin Xi's eyes lit up as soon as she entered: "Mingxi!"
She called out as she hurried over. Mingxi knew from her expression that she must have good news. Lin Xi, unaware that she had been exposed, stood in front of Mingxi and said mysteriously, "I have some good news to share. Guess what it is?"
Mingxi stroked his chin: "Good news?"
She thought for a moment and asked, "Any new developments in your work?"
Lin Xi's eyes widened instantly, like a startled little animal; her clear black and white pupils clearly said, "How did you know?"
Mingxi couldn't help but laugh. Lin Xi and Lin Hai were indeed siblings; they both wore their emotions on their sleeves.
Lin Xi came over excitedly, so she must have some good news to share. For Lin Xi, there are only two kinds of good news: one is about her relationship, and the other is about her work.
Lin Xi had previously stated that she wouldn't be considering romantic relationships for the time being, so today's good news is most likely related to work.
Mingxi didn't guess it right away, but instead of explaining to Lin Xi, she asked, "What good news is it?"
Seeing that Mingxi had guessed, Linxi didn't hide it and said directly, "A director contacted me and said that there was a role in his movie that was perfect for me. He asked me to audition yesterday, and the audition results came out today. I passed! I'm really going to be an actress!"
"This is great news!"
Mingxi was equally surprised. After inquiring carefully, she discovered that this matter was related to the previous poster shoot.
Previously, when Xu Fei was developing poster photos, he accidentally left a photo of Lin Xi at home, which was seen by an old friend who was visiting Xu's father.
As luck would have it, Xu's father's friend was a director at the film studio, and he happened to be preparing a film where he couldn't find a suitable actress for a role that featured a frail-looking character.
The moment he saw Lin Xi's photo, he felt it was perfect, just right. So, he contacted Xu Fei, and Xu Fei then contacted Lin Xi.
There were some twists and turns in the process. Xu's father's director friend took a liking to Lin Xi at first sight and was about to approve Lin Xi's participation, but the others in the production studio disagreed.
Although he is the director, the production team is not his sole authority; the approval of others is also required. Only an "outsider" like Lin Xi, who does not belong to the production studio, can join, which is why there was an audition.
Fortunately, Lin Xi was really suitable for the role, and the audition went very well. Others also felt that the role was perfect for Lin Xi.
So in the end, it was decided that Lin Xi would get the role.
Lin Xi wasn't entirely sure what had happened, so she couldn't explain it to Ming Xi and could only give a general overview.
Mingxi was unaware of the details, but that didn't stop her from being happy for Linxi.
Linxi told Mingxi this for two reasons: first, to share the good news, and second, to thank Mingxi.
To be honest, Mingxi played a part in her being chosen by the director. If Mingxi hadn't introduced her to modeling, the director wouldn't have seen her photos.
She looked at Mingxi and said sincerely, "Mingxi, you are a great benefactor to our family."
Mingxi felt embarrassed by what she said and could only manage a dry laugh.
Lin Xi pulled Ming Xi aside and thanked her profusely, starting from when she introduced Lin Hai to someone. She got so emotional that she almost cried, and Ming Xi could only gently comfort her.
Fortunately, Guan Lixin's shop was really popular. Even before the opening time, curious onlookers had already gathered around the door. When Lin Xi saw so many people outside, she stopped crying.
There were too many people gathered at the store entrance, so the store staff started to get busy organizing the order, and Mingxi also helped maintain order.
Some of the people who came today lived nearby and had seen Guan Lixin renovating before. They found out he was opening today and came to join the fun. Others saw the posters and flyers Guan Lixin had put up and came specifically to wait for his opening. There were even quite a few who came today and saw a lot of people gathered here, and came out of curiosity.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering at the door, He Li went to call Guan Lixin out. Guan Lixin saw that it was about time, so he went out and set off firecrackers. The firecrackers crackled and popped all over the street.
After the noise subsided, Guan Lixin picked up a megaphone and shouted, "Today is the grand opening of our fashionable women's clothing store! For our opening promotion, buy two items and get 20% off, buy three items and get 30% off. This promotion is only valid for one day. In addition, we also have a special Women's Day promotion: anyone who makes a purchase at our store can receive a free pair of cotton socks."
After Guan Lixin finished speaking, the people who had been gathering at the door to watch the spectacle clearly showed interest.
Buy two items and get 20% off; buy three items and get 30% off.
Even if one piece of clothing costs twenty yuan, two pieces can save you ten yuan, and three pieces can save you twenty yuan!
That's all money!
So as soon as Guan Lixin opened the door, everyone rushed in and squeezed into the store.
As soon as they entered the store, they were stunned. It was completely different from the department store layout, and they didn't know how to choose clothes.
Just as everyone was confused, the sales clerk trained by Guan Lixin immediately stepped forward, smiled and said, "Do you need any service? Are you looking for clothes, or are you just browsing? Would you like me to introduce some items to you?"
The customer, who hadn't quite grasped the situation, immediately nodded.
The saleswoman immediately smiled and said, "Okay, let me introduce you to our new arrivals this season. Spring is coming soon, and our store's spring collection mainly features light colors. I recommend this one; I think it suits your style better. You can also take a look at the others..."
"Hmm, I'd like to see this one in the poster on your wall."
"Okay, I'll show it to you."
Although there was a brief moment of chaos in the store due to the large number of people rushing in, the staff, who had been trained by Guan Lixin, quickly stepped forward, took charge of their respective positions, and began serving customers.
Guan Lixin's shop isn't very big, only about 100 square meters in total. He only employs four people, and now that there are so many people, he and Mingxi have to help take care of them.
Guan Lixin never expected that the number of people at the opening ceremony this morning would not be the highest.
Many of the people who came in at the opening were just there to watch the spectacle. Although quite a few of them ended up making purchases, many others simply took a quick look and left.
Guan Lixin had anticipated this. His store was a boutique women's clothing store, and the clothes were not cheap. A coat could sell for over a hundred yuan. Not everyone was willing to spend that much money on clothes.
Guan Lixin had already warned his employees that the clothes in the store were expensive, and it was normal for some people to think it was too expensive and not buy them. When dealing with such customers, they must never show any dissatisfaction, but should still provide smiling service and normal treatment. If he saw anyone looking down on a customer, he shouldn't blame him for being ruthless.
Therefore, there was no instance of the store bullying its customers today.
After the first group of customers left, Guan Lixin roughly calculated that the turnover had already exceeded one thousand in such a short time.
It's only been open for an hour!
Even Guan Lixin's heart was pounding wildly at this moment.
Guan Lixin was so excited that after a brief pause, the store welcomed another wave of customers.
This group consisted of young women, all wearing their textile factory uniforms. Mingxi inquired briefly and learned that the textile factory had closed for the day, and they had the afternoon off, so they had arranged to go shopping together.
These girls are unmarried, have jobs, and have money in their hands, so they are more willing to spend money on themselves. Plus, they heard there was a discount today, so they immediately started a shopping spree.
They also mastered the group-buying model without any instruction. Several girls who knew each other would buy one item for each other, and then they would get a 30% discount on three items.
When the young girls came to pay, they were still nervous, afraid that Guan Lixin would not agree to them sharing the bill. But Guan Lixin had no objection at all and helped them pay with a smile.
The textile factory was not far from Guan Lixin's shop. The first group of female workers who left took the clothes back to promote them, which quickly attracted a second group of customers. This continued until the afternoon when the fashion women's clothing store closed, and the number of customers in the store never decreased.
During the busiest time, both Mr. and Mrs. Guan had to help serve customers. And that wasn't all; even Lin Xi was forced to work as a shop assistant for a while.
Even with her large pregnant belly, He Li couldn't relax; she sat at the counter, working as a cashier.
After seeing off the last customer, Guan Lixin closed the shop door and told the other employees to go home first. Once there were no outsiders around, he began to tally up the revenue. The more he calculated, the more alarmed he became. Just today, the day of opening, the turnover had exceeded 10,000!
The final result was over 18,200. Even without considering the top earner who made over 200, this turnover was still jaw-dropping.
You've only been open for one day, and you've already made 18,000 in sales?
The skinny monkey pinched his thigh in shock: "Ouch, that hurts!"
He cried out in pain, but his eyes shone even brighter.
The pain proves it's real, not a dream. Guan Ge's shop really does have a daily turnover of 18,000!
Of course, 18,000 is just the turnover. If you really want to calculate the profit, you have to deduct the purchase price, utilities, employee wages, etc. If you really want to calculate it, the profit is only a few thousand dollars.
But this number is still enough to shock everyone.
Guan Lixin: "Wow, this store was the right choice!"
Mingxi smiled brightly: "You definitely made the right choice!"
She was happy too, because she had invested in Guan Lixin's store and would also receive a share of the profits.
Everyone chuckled for a while, but Guan Lixin was the first to regain his composure. He said, "Alright, alright, it's getting late, you must be hungry. Let's go eat, I've already booked a restaurant. Let's go!"
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