Chapter 285: THE RUNWAY LINE UP

Guiying raised a brow. What was she talking about?

"You finally have a smile on your face; you looked a bit glum when you walked in."

Guiying shook his head, staring at his wedding band, so it showed on his face.

"I’m okay now, thanks to you guys. So what outfit am I fitting?"

Yansu quickly stepped in front of him, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Oh, we went all out with these designs. Your hair’s longer now, so we know you’ll slay it."

Wenxi stared at Guiying’s middle finger, assessing the rather eye-catching ring on it.

As they walked into the personal styling room, she raised her question just as Guiying was sitting down.

"You and Liu Liuxian aren’t just partners, right? That man isn’t just your "online" boyfriend; he’s your husband in real life."

-_-

Guiying froze, slowly hiding his hand behind his back; his lips twitched.

Jiang Wenxi had already pieced together the truth; there was no need to deny it now.

"You’re right, Liu Liuxian is my husband. We’ve been married for a while now."

Yansu’s eyes widened at the gossip; she wouldn’t have guessed, but it made sense. They were perfect for each other, so much that Liu Liuxian bought the entire Ruijie corporation, so now they all work for Liu Liuxian.

And she had a feeling he did it because Tang XiaoYu worked here.

"While we’re being truthful, I have another confession. My actual name is Xue Guiying, not Tang XiaoYu; that is my alias."

Jiang Wenxi struggled to keep her expression blank; she bit back her laugh, letting it come as a low cough.

"Haha, I knew that. You can’t sign an official contract with your alias."

"We knew you’d tell us about yourself eventually, so we just kept it to ourselves." Yansu settled him back into the chair and grabbed her comb.

Guiying’s heart warmed; they knew about it, and they kept it to themselves, never confronting him until he brought it up himself.

"Thank you. I was going through a lot, so my husband helped me create that alias. I didn’t need the world to know who I am just yet. But now it’s different; I’m not afraid to let the world know who I am, not anymore."

Wenxi glanced through the rack. Four garment bags hung in a neat row. Three belonged to TongShu’s upcoming collection, while the last carried Suwen’s logo. Her hand paused briefly before pulling the first garment free.

"I’ve decided to change the order."

Guiying looked up from the chair. "The order?"

"You were originally wearing the third look." She held the jacket against him, studying the proportions in the mirror before smoothing the shoulder with practiced fingers. "You’re opening the show now."

Guiying raised a brow. "I thought someone else was opening it?"

"He was." Wenxi stepped back another pace, her gaze never leaving the reflection before her. "But that was before this morning."

Guiying looked at her through the mirror. "What changed?"

"You." The answer was simple. "There was always something missing whenever you stood in front of me." Wenxi folded her arms, searching for the right words rather than rushing to fill the silence. "The clothes fit. The photographs were excellent. Even your runway practice was almost flawless." She shook her head. "But they never felt complete."

Yansu gathered Guiying’s hair behind his shoulders, clipping part of it away from his face before reaching for a spray bottle. "I know what Sister Wenxi means."

Guiying met her eyes in the mirror.

"When you first came to TongShu, you always looked like you were carrying something."

"I probably was."

"You smiled because we asked you to." Yansu’s voice remained gentle. "You laughed when Zichen was being ridiculous."

A smile tugged at Guiying’s lips. "That happened a lot."

"It still does."

The room shared a quiet laugh before Yansu continued combing through the longer strands of his hair. "But today’s smile wasn’t for anyone."

Guiying fell silent.

"It appeared before you even noticed us."

His fingers unconsciously brushed against the wedding band resting on his left hand. "...I see."

Wenxi noticed the movement but said nothing about it. Instead, she picked up another sketch from the table. "This collection is called Resurgence."

Guiying accepted the paper she handed him. He had seen the sketches before, though this was the first time he had looked at them while knowing the complete concept behind them.

"The audience won’t know the story behind every piece," Wenxi continued. "Most of them won’t care."

"They’ll care whether it looks good."

"They’ll care whether they believe the person wearing it." She tapped lightly against the first illustration. "The opening look decides that."

Guiying lowered the sketch. "So you’re trusting me with it."

"I’m trusting the person standing in front of me." Her answer came without hesitation. "Not Tang XiaoYu. Not Xue Guiying either." She looked directly into his eyes. "I’m trusting the model I’ve spent the last several months working with."

Guiying smiled faintly. "I’ll do my best."

"I know." There was never any doubt in Wenxi’s voice.

A knock sounded against the half-open door before Pei Jiahao stepped inside, carrying a thick folder beneath one arm. "The agencies sent their final confirmations."

Wenxi accepted the folder immediately. "Any changes?"

"One." Pei Jiahao flipped to the last page. "A replacement model arrived from Shanghai this morning. Everything else is confirmed."

Wenxi skimmed through the pages before handing the folder to Guiying. "You should familiarise yourself with the lineup."

Guiying glanced down. Twenty names filled the schedule. Five had TongShu written beside them. The remaining fifteen represented three different modeling agencies.

"So many."

"It was either this," Pei Jiahao replied, "or postpone the show."

TongShu didn’t have enough contracted models to carry an entire runway collection on its own.

Guiying nodded in understanding. "It’s our first show on this scale."

"Exactly." Pei Jiahao leaned against the table. "The buyers coming this time aren’t just local boutiques anymore. Department stores, investors, and media companies are attending. If we want TongShu to move beyond being a promising startup, this show has to succeed."

Wenxi turned another page. "The collection has forty-eight looks."

Guiying looked up. "So everyone changes more than once."

"Twice for most people. Three times for you."

He blinked. "Three?"

Yansu smiled apologetically. "You have the opening." She raised one finger. "The collaborative piece with Suwen." A second finger followed. "And the finale."

Guiying looked back at Wenxi. "So I’m walking three times?"

"You are." Wenxi closed the folder. "I discussed it with the rest of the team yesterday." She spoke matter-of-factly, as though the decision had already been settled long before Guiying arrived. "You’re the face most closely associated with TongShu. The audience should remember that before they leave."