When Wang Mingming finished singing two songs and left the stage, many onlookers were still cheering. How stylish was it to hear a Hong Kong star perform live in 1985? It made enduring the cold morning wind worthwhile!

Unfortunately, today’s main event was the fashion show, and Wang Mingming’s performance was just to warm up the atmosphere, much to the crowd’s disappointment.

As the music changed to a gentler rhythm, tall young women began walking the runway. Since mainland China didn’t have professional models yet, and Ji Ya hadn’t had time to train new ones, she had to temporarily hire models from Hong Kong. She had initially wanted to bring in foreign models, but even without considering their fees, just the round-trip tickets for over ten models would have been costly. After the failed wedding banquet wasted considerable money, and since George wasn’t running a money printing press, Ji Ya had to consider cutting some costs.

She felt Hong Kong models weren’t as good as American ones – these Hong Kong models just did photoshoots and mall events in Hong Kong, lacking professionalism. But for the 1985 mainland audience, the impact was tremendous! Tall young women swaying their hips and showing their legs – those wearing pants were fine, but those in skirts walking on the 50-centimeter high platform revealed glimpses underneath their skirts with every breeze.

Ji Ya was fully aligned with international standards – this was how international fashion weeks operated, always previewing ahead of the season. What was there to see in winter shows with everyone bundled up? This was the preview of Elegance’s 1986 Spring/Summer collection!

The exposed legs stunned the local audience.

The pants were too short!

The skirts flew too high!

Heavens, this was simply indecent!

Some mothers who brought their children quickly covered their eyes.

Young girls thought the clothes looked nice, like in foreign movies.

Young men tried to steal glances without appearing improper.

With various thoughts running through their minds, the crowd quickly forgot about Wang Mingming.

The journalists and editors Ji Ya invited remembered their purpose for being there and hurriedly started taking photos. Editor-in-Chief Cui sat steadily, having not participated in the earlier rush to interview Zhang Xiao. He now watched the show with a critical eye.

Fashion shows were crucial for fashion magazines. The fact that China now had its own brand hosting fashion shows proved that Chinese fashion was truly emerging.

“If Elegance’s ready-to-wear line maintains the runway’s style, it truly demonstrates elegant taste. Although these designs draw inspiration from international brands, we can’t expect too much from Chinese designers. If no one borrowed ideas, most designers worldwide would be unemployed…” Editor-in-Chief Cui jotted down key points in his notebook.

The show met his expectations, and he was pleased with this step forward in Chinese fashion. But could Elegance succeed with fashion shows? Could the brand sell well in China? Editor-in-Chief Cui had no idea.

Was Elegance targeting professional women with good careers and financial stability? They were the ones who could evolve toward “elegant and tasteful” fashion. But what income level would be needed to afford Elegance? Editor-in-Chief Cui didn’t know! The difference between a 50-yuan dress and a 100-yuan dress was vast. If it was the latter pricing, very few could afford Elegance.

He could only be certain of one thing: if the entire show featured Ji Ya’s designs, she had talent in fashion design.

However, having design skills didn’t necessarily mean understanding business. Elegance had previously learned from Luna’s soft advertising, and while they were first to propose a fashion show, which should have caused a sensation, Luna’s Chen Xiliang had just announced “donating 1 yuan for every piece sold” – such a powerful move released before the fashion show had distracted many journalists.

Magazine editors remained interested in the runway show. However since magazines were published later than newspapers and TV stations, today’s newspaper and TV reporters preferred interviewing Zhang Xiao and Chen Xiliang.

Editor-in-Chief Cui clasped his hands. He had been right – Luna wouldn’t fall so easily. While Elegance focused on fashion, Luna focused on business. He still favored Luna… their endless marketing strategies could overwhelm Elegance and other fashion brands!

“Ji Ya’s designs are quite good, Old Chen, don’t you think?” Xia Xiaolan spoke honestly.

Chen Xiliang tried to set aside his subjective dislike and appreciation objectively. “Yes, they’re quite good.”

But so what? After a year of building the brand, Chen Xiliang was no longer the rookie who dared randomly alter customer orders. Dreams floating in the sky were useless – you needed to stay grounded.

Having talent was one thing, but monetizing it was another. Running a fashion brand wasn’t just about sitting in an air-conditioned room, dressed beautifully, drinking coffee, and drawing designs. Even with his brother-in-law managing the factory, Chen Xiliang still had frequent disputes with “Chenyu.” He had to worry about every aspect – one oversight could waste the entire team’s hard work!

What about Ji Ya? Did she ever personally visit the workshops to see the environment in the contracted garment factories?

Chen Xiliang felt his earlier speech was his life’s peak performance – he hadn’t expected to deliver it so well: “Didn’t we just steal their attention? Ji Ya must be regretting it now.”

Since Wang Mingming looked down on Luna, Luna would promote Zhang Xiao instead. Aunt Xia had said that if Zhang Xiao cooperated with Luna’s promotion today, once Luna’s advertisement aired on TV, Zhang Xiao would be more famous than Wang Mingming across China!

Xia Xiaolan shook her head, “Ji Ya won’t be content letting her fashion show pave the way for Luna after investing so much money and effort. She’ll heavily court the reporters here after the show. We and Ji Ya still have fifty-fifty odds of success.”

Chen Xiliang immediately looked worried.

Zhou Cheng understood his wife’s meaning. The late Professor Ji had been an education pioneer with students everywhere, so having connections in newspapers, magazines, and even TV stations wasn’t surprising.

But could the Ji family completely control public opinion? Not only had Professor Ji passed away, but Ji Ya wasn’t equivalent to the late Professor Ji.

Moreover, comparing the two news stories, their implications differed. One was about fashion, while the other warranted nationwide discussion. Which is better aligned with socialist values and reform and opening up?

Zhou Cheng looked at Chen Xiliang, “After the fashion show, return to the hotel to prepare. Don’t give too many interviews – quality over quantity. We need to find the most influential… I’ll arrange this for you. Focus on organizing your entrepreneurial journey, consider what you can and can’t say, or discuss it with Xiaolan. Let Elegance have the spotlight today. Your formal interview will run on the 26th – isn’t that when the advertisement airs too?”

Chen Xiliang nodded vigorously.

Zhou Cheng had significant connections – Chen Xiliang had witnessed firsthand when people were sent to warn Ke Yixiong.

Xia Xiaolan leaned close to Zhou Cheng’s ear, her warm breath tickling him. “That’s my man! I love your double-strike strategy!”

Why did Xia Xiaolan love Zhou Cheng? When she went for the kill, Zhou Cheng helped by setting fires beside her. The wife leads, and the husband follows – it was absolutely exhilarating!