To her surprise, as soon as she came out with her luggage, she saw two people, one big and one small, holding up a large banner with her picture on it that read "Congratulations Mom for first place." It was clearly Gu Xiaotian's work.
Overwhelmed with longing after not seeing each other for so many days, Gu Anran ran out and saw Ye Lichuan opening his arms to her. She then threw herself into his embrace.
Gu Xiaotian also hugged the two of them with a smile, and the family attracted many envious glances from passersby.
"Mom, I miss you so much. Shall we go home now?" Gu Xiaotian said, shaking Gu Anran's hand back and forth.
Gu Anran glanced awkwardly at the four or five designer colleagues she had brought back this time, all of whom were looking at her blankly.
Ye Lichuan noticed them too and asked in a low voice, "Why did you bring so many people back?"
Gu Anran quickly explained, "They are all competitors with me, so I don't need to worry about the designer's matter."
Since the other person chose to trust her and followed her all the way to this unfamiliar place, Gu Anran had a reason to take good care of them.
The company has dormitories where they can stay temporarily, but as the host, Gu Anran needs to personally take them there.
Ye Lichuan noticed her hesitation and didn't want to put her in a difficult position because of him, so he said to her, "If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. I'll take Xiaotian home and wait for you. When you're done, come home and we'll have dinner together."
Gu Anran was very grateful to Ye Lichuan for understanding her, and smiled at him.
Ye Lichuan drove them to the company before leaving with Gu Xiaotian.
Most of the designers Gu Anran brought back this time were foreigners who did not understand Chinese, so Gu Anran acted as their translator.
Among them was a foreign designer named Richard, who had the most design experience and was also the most outgoing.
Gu Anran had seen his design works, and there were many that she really liked. She hoped to have more exchanges with him and create some even better works.
Gu Anran first took them to visit her studio, which was covered with her design inspirations.
"Please treat the company as your own home. If you need anything, just let me know, and I will do my best to help you," Gu Anran said to the designers with a smile.
Everyone expressed to Gu Anran that they really liked the place, especially the studio, which looked very professional.
But Richard, on the other hand, remained silent from the moment he entered, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.
He was intently looking at the notes Gu Anran had left on the wall, his expression very serious.
Gu Anran thought he didn't like it here, so she went over and asked, "Richard, do you like it here? If there's anything you're unhappy about, you can tell me."
“No, I’m very happy here.” Richard said, tearing off a note, his eyes sparkling. “What’s this?”
Gu Anran smiled and said, "It's just some little thing I drew in my spare time, a record of my inspiration."
“This is simply a creative paradise! I was looking at these slips of paper when I suddenly had an inspiration, and I’m going to draw it right away!” Richard said excitedly.
Knowing Richard's passion for design, Gu Anran wasn't surprised by his performance and instead helped him find paper and pen.
Richard was seen hunched over his workbench, writing furiously, and many designers gathered around to watch him create on the spot.
Gu Anran stood to the side, glancing at her phone screen; it was almost evening.
Richard spent a full hour drawing, finally completing his inspired creation, and proudly showed the design to Gu Anran.
"Look, this is my design sketch. The theme is flowers and love. What do you think?"
Gu Anran took his design draft, nodded approvingly, and said, "It's really impressive that you could draw something like this in such a short time. I think this element is excellent. I wonder how you plan to cut this fabric?"
Richard knew that Gu Anran understood him, so he immediately engaged in conversation with her and began to talk at length about his thoughts.
Several other designers joined them and began discussing the newly conceived design.
Gu Anran's phone kept vibrating in her coat pocket. She had put it on vibrate mode so as not to disturb her work.
Without even looking, it's obvious that Gu Xiaotian couldn't wait any longer, which is why he kept calling her.
However, everyone was in high spirits at the moment, and if she interrupted, it would inevitably disappoint them.
So Gu Anran had no choice but to pretend she didn't hear the phone call.
With the combined efforts of several people, the design draft was finally completed and handed to Gu Anran. Everyone applauded excitedly in celebration.
“Okay, I’ll personally make a sample of this garment tomorrow. I’m sure it will be the most popular design among everyone this season.” Gu Anran smiled and winked at everyone. “After all, this is the culmination of all our collective wisdom.”
They come from all over the world and should have different ideas and aesthetics, so it will be difficult to integrate them.
However, after what happened with Richard, it seems that everyone has suddenly become much closer, which is a good start for future work.
Gu Anran had her assistant take them to the dormitory, while she stayed in the workroom and picked up her phone to check missed calls.
Sure enough, all the missed calls were from Gu Xiaotian.
She immediately called back, and the other end answered almost immediately after one ring.
Gu Xiaotian was very happy on the other end of the phone: "Mom, you finally answered the phone. I thought you were lost."
"Mom was busy just now and didn't pay attention to you. I'm sorry," Gu Anran said, feeling quite upset.
She hasn't had much time to spend with Xiaotian lately because she's been busy with competitions and work. He's been with her for so many years and has never been away from her for long. He must be missing her a lot lately.
Thinking about this, Gu Anran felt a little guilty.
Not only towards Gu Xiaotian, but also towards Ye Lichuan.
Without their silent support behind the scenes, Gu Anran would not have achieved what she has today.
Gu Xiaotian didn't hold any resentment at all, and simply said, "I want to bring my classmates home for the New Year tonight, okay?"
Gu Anran thought that she wasn't around Gu Xiaotian often, and it was good that he was playing with his friends, so she readily agreed.
"Long live Mom! When are you coming back?" Gu Xiaotian glanced at the person sitting on the other side of the sofa, still desperately trying to eavesdrop.
"I'm going back now," Gu Anran said, turning off the studio lights and leaving the company with her bag.
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