Helian Xin stared intently at the woman a few steps away; her face, even the mole on her face, was exactly the same!
Even though five years have passed, Helian Xin couldn't be mistaken! That was Mu Yiran's face!
No! Or rather, this is the prototype of Mu Yiran's surgically enhanced face!
Who is this person?!
Is she the woman who replaced Mu Yiran back then?!
But didn't Toki say that person was already dead?
Is it just a coincidence that they look alike, or... is this the woman Shi Youxi has been unable to forget?
She not only didn't die, she's alive and well!
Has Shi Youxi already met her?
Realizing this, Helian Xin broke out in a cold sweat. Her intuition told her that the appearance of this woman in front of her would not bring anything good.
Helian Xin's reaction was so extreme that even her usual professional smile couldn't hide the look of utter disbelief on her face.
Her eyes were already big, but now they looked like they were about to pop out, so much so that her manager couldn't help but remind her, "What's wrong, Xinxin? Why are you so surprised? Are you...acquainted with Aorsa?"
"...Aorsa?" Helian Xin blurted out a question.
Agent: "Yeah, you don't know her? I thought you knew Aorsa since you were so surprised."
The agent took the initiative to walk towards Mu Yiran and politely invited her to stand in front of Helian Xin. "Nice to meet you, Saorsa. If your assistant hadn't shown me your photo just now, I would never have guessed that Saorsa's designer is such a young and beautiful lady."
Upon hearing this, Mu Yiran glanced at Ji Yunli indifferently. Realizing that she might have done something wrong, Ji Yunli stuck out her tongue and said, "Sorry, Aorsa, Sister Mai came by once before, but you weren't there, so I showed her your photo and contact information."
"You did nothing wrong." Mu Yiran smiled faintly and said to the agent called Sister Mai, "This saves me the trouble of introducing myself again."
Mai: "Yeah, if I hadn't looked into it beforehand, I probably wouldn't have believed your self-introduction. I would have thought you were some internet celebrity hired from somewhere. You're so pretty!"
She quickly glossed over the introductions, and Mu Yiran didn't say much either. She shifted her gaze to Helian Xin, who was staring intently at her with pursed lips.
Five years later, Helian Xin had also improved somewhat, referring to her acting skills.
The two women locked eyes, and Helian Xin quickly reverted to her composed and radiant self as the movie queen, saying calmly, "Sorry, you just looked too much like an acquaintance."
Perhaps it was intentional on Mu Yiran's part, but she noticed that Mu Yiran deliberately emphasized the word "acquaintance" in her speech.
Was he testing her?
But it doesn't matter. Only those with a guilty conscience need to feel guilty. Mu Yiran was just surprised that Helian Xin actually became a movie queen based on her previous acting skills of pouting and glaring.
But regardless of whether she is a film queen or a big-name "hard" queen, Mu Yiran does not want to work with her on stage this time.
She hadn't forgotten that it was Helian Xin who conspired with Sagin to drug her.
Thinking of this, Mu Yiran inexplicably felt a sense of resentment towards Shi Youxi.
The feeling was somewhat inexplicable. Mu Yiran realized what was happening but didn't know why she was complaining; it was as if…
It's like when she was a child, she got into a fight with another classmate and went home to cry to Ms. Wen, but Ms. Wen didn't stand up for her.
This temper of hers came on so strangely. Mu Yiran took a breath and shook these inexplicable thoughts out of her mind. She then exchanged some polite words with Helian Xin with a fake smile.
Mai interrupted, saying, "Aorsa, we have a photoshoot to do later. We're here on short notice, so let's not talk. Can we just look at your sample photos? It would be even better if you could try on the finished garments."
Mu Yiran wasn't surprised by her unreasonable demands; she'd encountered plenty of clients, some of them quite eccentric.
Moreover, in this kind of circle, everyone thinks they have "exclusive customization" at any time.
She smiled and said, "The production team only gave me the theme the day before yesterday, and I didn't even know who my goddess was. The fact that I was able to get a sample image was because I drew a version based on other goddesses first. Moreover, I will have to make changes based on the goddess's personal characteristics later."
In short, it's good enough that we can see the design sketches; there aren't even any finished garment prints!
Mai looked at her and said, "Really? That's a bit of a problem. There are still two weeks before filming starts. Won't your current pace be a drag on Xin Xin? After all, she has other filming projects and can't keep coming here to cooperate with you."
She feigned disappointment and said to Helian Xin, "What a pity. Before we came, the director said that this time the partners were worth looking forward to."
Her words implied that Saorsa was a makeshift operation.
The assistants and designers who have gathered at the offline studio today are all here. As soon as they heard Mai's condescending attitude of scolding them before even looking at anything, some of them immediately expressed their dissatisfaction.
They were all well-known figures in the domestic fashion circle, and their youthful arrogance was incredibly untamed. This circle was known for its outspokenness, and few fashion enthusiasts had good tempers.
If you dare complain that my skills are slow, I'll mock you for being ugly!
"Tch, what about our progress? The only thing slowing us down is the person wearing the clothes."
"That's right, didn't the production team say that both sides should cooperate? Other goddesses can have free time, so why can't they?"
"As we all know, whether clothes look good or not depends 80% on the person. This is the first time I've seen such a bad model... It will probably take a long time to revise the photos. I was hoping to get ready-made clothes."
They weren't speaking loudly, but they weren't trying to hide it either. Helian Xin and Mai heard a few words and their faces instantly changed color. Helian Xin's face turned even darker after hearing the phrase "such a bad model".
Her figure has always been criticized for its poor proportions. Back then, she was still a minor when she was developing her career in China, and both her fans and she could comfort her wounded heart by saying that she could still grow.
However, the reality is that one's innate genes are hard to change. After adulthood, Helian Xin's body proportions were fixed. Her overly narrow shoulders made her look top-heavy. She also habitually wore high heels to compensate for the disproportionate leg proportions. All of these factors caused her to spend more time on styling than other female stars.
In this situation, how dare you ask about ready-to-wear clothing right away?
I'm not worried about wearing them and them dragging on the floor! A clothes hanger can hold them longer than you can!
Both of them looked annoyed, but dared not show their impatience directly because there were crew members filming behind-the-scenes footage nearby.
Mu Yiran heard it too, but she pretended not to. Instead, she opened the sketchbook with a normal expression. She preferred hand-drawing to digital painting, firstly because the effect was better, and secondly because it was more private.
"Here's the thing, Sister Mai, take a look first. You can make any requests you have. Half a month is more than enough time to make a few pieces of clothing. The sooner we get everything sorted out, the sooner we can start making them."
Mai glanced at Helian Xin, wanting to ask her for her opinion on whether to just leave, but Helian Xin's mind was elsewhere; she was lost in thought, staring at Aorsa.
Mai felt something was off, but she needed to decide quickly whether to continue working with this designer. This was crucial for Helian Xin's first public appearance in China after five years, so she couldn't be careless. The production team could replace the designer, but the director had previously mentioned that Saorsa had the best online reputation and popularity among the various design teams…
Helpless, Mai could only suppress her displeasure and coldly accept Mu Yiran's design drawings.
Ji Yunli, who was standing to the side barely daring to breathe, was immediately surprised when she saw Mu Yiran turn to the page.
This isn't the original drawing I made for my goddess...
That was just a discarded design from Mu Yiran's previous brand new product. It was rejected not because it was ugly, but because it was too beautiful. The bold color blocking design was something most people couldn't pull off, and the tight, high-slit skirt, which wasn't for everyday wear, really tested the wearer's figure.
Putting aside the fact that it doesn't fit the theme given by the program team, the highlight of this outfit is that it perfectly exposes Helian Xin's shortcomings, leaving her with no flaws from any angle.
Why did Aorsa show this to the other party?
Sure enough, Mai frowned as soon as she saw it.
She pretended to show it to Helian Xin, and the two of them discussed it for a while, whispering among themselves. Finally, Mai said to Mu Yiran with a stern face, "There are quite a few problems. I need to go back and discuss with Xin Xin's stylist how to fix it. I might have to ask Aorsa for news."
One of the color stylists, who had returned from studying abroad, expressed her dissatisfaction: "Can't you say what the problem is now? You can just call the stylist over. Why are you wasting our time like this?"
"It's okay!"
“Aorsa?!” The colorist looked at Mu Yiran with a slightly aggrieved expression.
Mu Yiran interrupted her color stylist and smiled at Mai: "After all, it's going to be worn by a goddess, so just go with your style. Mai, just give me your feedback as soon as possible."
Mai had already made up her mind and was too lazy to care about anything else. She just went through the motions, told the people filming, and was about to leave.
Throughout the entire process, Helian Xin barely spoke. She took out a pair of sunglasses and put them on. When she passed by Mu Yiran, she suddenly stopped as if she remembered something.
"The production team wants everyone to have dinner together the day after tomorrow. Will Aorsa come?"
Before Mu Yiran could answer, Helian Xin asked again, "Does Aorsa have a boyfriend? There will be other actors with her, and I know them all. Do you need me to introduce them to someone?"
These words came out of nowhere, and Helian Xin added, "For people in this line of work, it's always good to know more people in the industry, isn't it?"
Those large, dark sunglasses completely obscured Helian Xin's eyes, and along with them, her thoughts.
Mu Yiran didn't care how Mu Yiran tested her. "I don't have a boyfriend, and I don't need to trouble Miss Helian. If the production team invites me, I will go."
Hearing this, Helian Xin felt a little relieved.
Regardless of whether this person is the woman who impersonated Mu Yiran five years ago, even if she is, it seems that Shi Youxi has not found her yet.
Helian Xin knew that Shi Youxi would definitely look for this woman after he regained his memory, so he immediately ran away from him when Shi Youxi regained his memory.
But we almost didn't make it.
As Helian Xin sat in the car, watching the towering office building behind her gradually disappear, she suddenly remembered the five years she had spent by Shi Youxi's side.
Those were five years she stole by borrowing Shi Youxi's blank memories.
An overwhelming sense of resentment welled up inside her, and the scar on her side left by Shi Youxi throbbed faintly. She closed her eyes briefly and said to Mai:
"Go and look up this Aorsa, the more detailed the better!"
Mai was texting with the production team when she heard this and asked in confusion, "Why are you investigating her? We're going to replace her anyway. What kind of lousy genius designer is she? Her drawings are so terrible!"
"We need to change the personnel for the investigation. We'll inevitably meet in the future to understand each other better and how to get along," Helian Xin said calmly.
Mai thought it made sense and immediately sent someone to investigate.
As soon as the production crew finished taking samples and left, everyone in the studio couldn't help but surround Mu Yiran.
“Aorsa, why did you stop me just now? You used to just yell at people like that!” the color stylist said.
"That's right! When have we ever treated the client like servants? She's not even the client yet!"
"But I really don't want to make clothes for her. What kind of people are they! I was thinking of Qingzi before! She has a great figure, is beautiful and strong, but what the hell is Helian Xin's 50/50 proportion!"
"Then just get rid of her."
"ah?"
The group immediately turned to look at Mu Yiran.
Mu Yiran shrugged: "I didn't want to choose her as my goddess either. This is perfect. We don't need to say anything; they will ask the production team to change her."
Ji Yunli suddenly realized: "Oh! So Aorsa, you just showed them the drafts because you were planning to do that."
The colorist pouted unhappily, the lip piercing on his lip making a grimace as he looked at his owner. "Ugh, but I'm still not happy. Why did they have to reject us? It's clearly their own problem."
“Aorsa, this isn’t like you at all! You were much more likely to accuse them first!”
Mu Yiran: "...How can you talk to your boss like that?"
"Your bonus for this month has been deducted!"
“…”
The colorist was stunned, then screamed in despair!
Mu Yiran dismissed them, took out her phone, and tapped on Mo Mumu's pinned message. Their chat window was still showing the message from that day when Mu Yiran said she was going to Wenxin to find her.
Why…
If it were Mu Yiran acting the way she always did, she would have directly asked the production team to reorganize the groupings when Mai gave her a hard time.
But these were the people Mo Mumu arranged for her.
Even before Mu Yiran joined the cast, Mo Mumu had already arranged with the director to give her the best resources. He Lianxin, having just won the Best Actress award, was making her first public appearance in five years since returning to China; this momentum would undoubtedly bring her brand immense attention.
But the other party was Helian Xin, which Mu Yiran could not accept.
She wanted to replace him, but she had to consider Mo Mumu's feelings, so she could only retreat as a way to advance.
In fact, Mu Yiran had considered telling Mo Mumu directly that she wanted to change people, but that would inevitably involve Helian Xin.
How should she tell Mo Mumu where she met Helian Xin?
He had just caused a fight between the two of them because he had kept it a secret. If he were to reveal this now, wouldn't that be telling Mo Mumu that he had also been hiding other things from her?
Wouldn't that make Mo Mumu even angrier...?
Mu Yiran slumped at her desk for a long time, then slowly typed into her phone: "My lord, I have reflected on my actions. I want to submit a letter of self-criticism and confess my other sins. I hope that my lord will be lenient in this regard, considering my willingness to confess..."
Before she could finish typing, the office landline under her seat rang, the ringing so loudly it nearly made her explode.
"What's up?"
The receptionist said, "Aorsa works for the property management and real estate agency."
Mu Yiran asked in confusion, "What's wrong? We've already paid the property management fee, it's only been a week."
After she finished speaking, the real estate agent's voice came through the phone, "Ms. Mu, it's like this, the owner of this building has changed, and your previous contract may have to be voided. The new owner is willing to pay you three times the termination fee, and hopes you can move out as soon as possible..."
Mu Yiran: "?! ...
This was no small matter. Mu Yiran abandoned her intention to confess to Mo Mumu and took the elevator downstairs to the front desk.
The reception area in the lobby was occupied by the property management and real estate agents, but the people who had signed the contract with Mu Yiran were not the same ones who had come.
Mu Yiran suddenly had a bad feeling and went up to her, questioning her directly, "What's going on? You didn't say this building was going to be sold before we signed the contract. I rented it for five years, and it's the fifth floor, the most expensive floor in this building. Do you think you can compensate me for the losses caused by your backing out with three times the termination fee?!"
Before the agent could answer, a gasp came from behind her, "Cousin?!"
Tsk...
That's an unlucky sound.
Mu Yiran frowned and turned around, and sure enough, she saw a face even more unpleasant than that unpleasant voice—Wen Qingyu was wearing a Chanel suit, carrying a new limited edition bag, and her makeup was exquisite, delicate and bright.
There was a girl following behind her.
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