The atmosphere at the Elegance studio was tense. Even the two Americans knew to keep their voices down – there was no choice, as the boss was in a bad mood and no one dared to provoke her.
The newspapers were constantly covering the story of Luna’s boss and actress Zhang Xiao donating money, sparking widespread discussion with the two of them appearing in the papers alternately. This had overshadowed the previous coverage of Elegance’s fashion show. What did it matter if it was China’s first fashion show? News has its timeliness – no matter how beautiful the stage setup or how attractive the models’ legs, it couldn’t stay in the headlines forever. Chen Xiliang and Zhang Xiao maintained their media presence because their actions aligned with society’s main values. Like writing an essay, you needed not only novel points but also had to stay firmly on topic!
These two, along with the advertisements aired after CCTV’s Evening News, had truly established Luna’s reputation. While the number of future franchises remained uncertain, the daily sales figures from the Xidan store, posted on the wall, were impossible to ignore. Could Elegance’s specialty store achieve similar sales of over 100 pieces per day when it opened?
Ji Ya hadn’t been to the studio for two days, reportedly overseeing ready-to-wear production at the clothing factory. Although the studio staff maintained their confidence in Elegance’s high-quality, elegant products and market potential… Luna’s current sales success weighed heavily on everyone’s minds.
One designer, feeling the oppressive atmosphere, tried to lighten the mood: “We should just focus on our work. The two brands have different positioning, why compare ourselves to others?”
Others glared at him. They were all employees who shouldn’t normally concern themselves with brand management and sales. But Ji Ya had subtly instilled in everyone that Luna was their competitor, and Elegance was established to defeat Luna.
Initially impressed by Ji Ya’s generous spending, everyone at Elegance had been confident – how hard could it be to deal with a year-old small brand? But this small band had been masquerading as a harmless carp in a shallow pond. When someone tried to catch it for soup, they realized their mistake – it was a fierce shark, and once disturbed, the shallow pond could no longer contain Luna as it headed for the open sea to assert its dominance!
This embarrassed those who had thought they could easily suppress Luna. Even Elegance’s Boss Ji, who usually just provided money and gave orders, now had to personally oversee the quality of their first batch of clothing at the factory. Boss Ji must be under considerable pressure.
Recently, for some unknown reason, fewer people were coming to Elegance studio for custom clothes. With no business and Boss Ji absent, the studio staff had nothing to do but discuss these matters. One designer secretly pulled out Luna’s promotional poster, muttering discontentedly, “I could design these clothes too, and even more beautifully!”
Yes, they had talent, but their luck had been poor during job hunting, ending up at Elegance instead of Luna. They had arrived full of confidence, but within days became as deflated as frost-bitten eggplants.
Some still maintained hope. Boss Ji was the first to hold a fashion show in mainland China, and Elegance’s specialty store hadn’t even opened yet – why boost others’ confidence while diminishing their own? Surely Boss Ji would have a strategy when the store opened? Such a large business venture couldn’t just fail, and they wouldn’t lose their jobs anytime soon. Thinking this way made them feel less anxious!
…
“The franchise fee increased so suddenly, fortunately, we paid early,” Li Fengmei was now one of the few who dared say this at Luna’s headquarters.
Naturally energetic, Li Fengmei had already paid the 50,000 yuan franchise fee to Chen Xiliang for opening a store in Pengcheng. Her shop there was being renovated – who else had such advantageous conditions with their clothing store? How could Liu Yong not renovate quickly?
Li Fengmei hadn’t planned to stock inventory so soon, intending to wait until after New Year when her son transferred schools to Pengcheng, starting with spring clothing sales. But now, with Luna’s unexpected success and others unable to even meet Chen Xiliang despite having money, Li Fengmei couldn’t ignore the opportunity to make money.
The shop was ready, franchise fee was paid – what was there to wait for? Let Luna supply the goods and open the Pengcheng store immediately. But when she arrived in Yangcheng, Luna refused, saying Li Fengmei hadn’t trained her staff!
“I’ll hire people…”
“Please recruit your staff first, we’ll send them to Beijing for unified training.”
Li Fengmei wanted to suggest using Ma Wei from the Shangdu clothing store, who had been personally trained by their Director Xia, but held back, knowing the Shangdu store needed Ma Wei for her sister-in-law’s management.
When Li Fengmei mentioned taking inventory, those prospective franchisees who had been waiting desperately for Chen Xiliang almost pounced on her. Hearing that Li Fengmei wasn’t yet qualified to “open,” the red gleam in their eyes gradually faded. Finally, everyone was equally unable to profit from this wave – mental balance was restored!
Unaware of these thoughts, Li Fengmei rushed back to Pengcheng to recruit local staff. Liu Yong also set aside his work to help his wife post notices and distribute flyers. This wasn’t embarrassing work – it could even strengthen their marital bond!
Accidentally handing a flyer to a young pregnant woman, Li Fengmei apologized: “I’m sorry, I didn’t see-“
She swallowed the rest of her words. Despite the pregnancy-induced facial swelling, Li Fengmei recognized Xia Dajun’s new wife, Xiao Yu. Her belly suggested she was nearly due, but she wasn’t as elegantly dressed as when they’d met on the train.
Her face was puffy and spotted with pregnancy marks. Her clothes weren’t new. It seemed Xia Dajun and Xiao Yu weren’t doing well lately.
However, Xiao Yu recognized Liu Yong. She cast a resentful look at him, then at his wife Li Fengmei, who appeared rough and unrefined to her. What a waste for Liu Yong to marry such a wife, she thought. While Liu Yong’s business was growing, Xia Dajun had recently suffered great misfortune. If only Liu Yong had accepted her back then – she could have had money to spend and trouble Xia Xiaolan as her aunt… But Liu Yong had rejected her advances. With ill intentions, Xiao Yu ignored Li Fengmei and said with tears welling up, “Brother Yong, it’s been so long, I…”
She trailed off, looking back several times reluctantly as she left.
Liu Yong stood as if struck by lightning, while Li Fengmei hadn’t expected this scene. Did they know each other? These two knew each other!
A hand was already pinching Liu Yong’s waist. Grimacing, he said, “Fengmei, let me explain. I never contacted her – she’s the bar girl Liu Tianquan sent to seduce me before! She’s deliberately trying to cause a misunderstanding between us!”
“What? Bar girl? She’s Xia Dajun’s wife, the former maid Xiao Yu from the Fan Zhenchuan household!”
Xiao Yu was Xiao Rou? They were the same person?
While Liu Yong was shocked that Xia Dajun had married a bar girl, something felt off. Wasn’t Xiao Rou (no, Xiao Yu) with that fat Liu Tianquan? How did she end up marrying Xia Dajun, who used to be Du Zhaohui’s bodyguard?
Liu Yong fell into deep thought.