Chapter 1510 - 1499: Avenging My Sister

Chapter 1510: Chapter 1499: Avenging My Sister

As time went by day after day, Ye Qiu later designed several more casual outfits, which were also very well received on the market, and not only did Li Zhihua not hide this, she even went around loudly proclaiming that they were all designed by Ye Qiu herself. For a while, Ye Qiu became the center of attention at school.

With money no longer a concern, Ye Qiu focused even more on designing haute couture pieces. This series of five garments took two months from start to finish; after countless cuts and revisions, she finally produced the finished designs.

They were created with the line "mist veils willows by the pond" as inspiration. Although they were modern garments, they carried a classical charm. The skirts were dyed in hazy tones, with an ink-wash painting feel, and one of the tops was embroidered with delicate little willow leaves, making it especially unique.

Seeing how Li Zhihua held on to the design drafts, unable to put them down, Ye Qiu knew that this series was a great success.

"Senior, do you think there’s anything that needs to be changed?" Ye Qiu asked in a tone of seeking advice.

Li Zhihua stared without blinking. "Your design is very good. For now I haven’t thought of anything that needs changing. If you’re not at ease, I’ll take it back and look it over first."

"Sure." Ye Qiu said guilelessly, "Once you’ve gone through it, I’ll use this series to enter the competition."

Li Zhihua was startled when she heard that. "There’s no rush yet. A single series is still a bit too little. Didn’t you tell me two days ago that you had other ideas? Draw them out first so we can take a look. I’ll submit this series for you first. Inspiration is something that flashes by. It’d be a shame if you let it get worn away by trivial things."

"All right, then I’ll trouble you with the competition, Senior."

"It’s fine. You just focus on doing your own work."

"Thank you, Senior." Ye Qiu seemed completely unguarded, entirely at ease.

A glint flashed in Li Zhihua’s eyes. After returning to her own desk, she turned her back to Ye Qiu and locked the design drafts into a safe, with no intention of submitting them.

After Ye Qiu finished her designs and went back to the dorm that day, Li Zhihua cleared away all the design drafts on Ye Qiu’s desk, even sweeping up all the scraps of fabric. Then she took out drafting paper and, copying from memory, produced a mock first draft, second draft, and final draft for herself. But after she finished, she still didn’t submit them under her own name; instead, she locked them away again.

A month later, when Ye Qiu asked Li Zhihua about the review results of the competition, Li Zhihua put on a very regretful expression. "Maybe this year’s judges don’t like your style. It’s okay, this series of yours is almost done too. We’ll go enter another competition. This time we won’t submit to a domestic one; we’ll aim for an international event."

"Is that really possible?" Ye Qiu asked, uneasy.

"There shouldn’t be a problem. The reason you didn’t pass the domestic one might be that people here are used to this kind of ink-wash style and think it’s just showy. This time we’ll submit both series, but competition abroad is tough, so don’t pin too much hope on it. The good thing is that you’re still young—anything is possible."

"Mm, even if I fail again this time, I won’t lose heart." Ye Qiu said with a strong fighting spirit. "But Senior, I’ve been thinking of taking more time off lately to go out and gather inspiration. Maybe I’ll gain more ideas."

"It’s good if you don’t feel pressured. It’s also nice to relax a bit and go out for inspiration. As it happens, my boyfriend and I are going on a trip to Yunnan. The scenery in Yunnan is very beautiful, and it has a unique culture. Why don’t you come with us?" Li Zhihua invited.

Ye Qiu declined with a smile. "That wouldn’t be right. You and your boyfriend traveling together—I shouldn’t go and spoil the mood."

"We’re not going for a vacation; we’ve got work to do, we’re just hitching a ride along the way, that’s all. Besides, it’s not safe for a girl to travel alone. Come with me, so we can look out for each other." That was how Li Zhihua persuaded her. In truth, she wasn’t worried about Ye Qiu’s safety; she just didn’t want Ye Qiu interacting with too many people. She wanted to have Ye Qiu completely under her control.

"Since you’re inviting me so sincerely, Senior, then all right. I’ll be in your and Senior Brother’s care."

The Yunnan trip was set for the winter break. After gathering inspiration, Ye Qiu would fly straight home for the New Year. They were driving themselves, and since Ye Qiu didn’t have a driver’s license and Li Zhihua didn’t want to tire herself out, most of the driving was done by Wang Chengyang.

At a rest area, Ye Qiu bought a bottle of water and handed it to Wang Chengyang, thanking him. "You’ve had a hard time, Senior. You must be really tired. Have some water and close your eyes for a bit. Once Senior comes back, we’ll definitely be leaving right away."

"You’re pretty good at taking care of people." Wang Chengyang didn’t turn it down, then asked her with a smile, "How do you know your senior will want to leave as soon as she gets back?"

Ye Qiu scratched her head. "Because I know what she’s like. She’s the kind of person who wants everything done perfectly. I heard her say the meeting is in two days. She’d never be willing to arrive on the day itself. She’ll definitely want to get there a day early to rest up first."

"Looks like you really understand her." Wang Chengyang asked again, "Do you ever feel pressured being around her?"

"Not really." Ye Qiu shook her head. "She’s helped me a lot with my studies."

"Then you need to study hard. I believe you’ll definitely become a fashion master." Wang Chengyang encouraged.

Being looked at like that by him, Ye Qiu’s face turned slightly red, as if she were very shy. She snuck a glance at him, then said softly, "Thank you for believing in me, Senior. I’ll definitely work hard."

Seeing how pert and charming she looked, something stirred in Wang Chengyang’s heart. Her eyes in particular felt very familiar to him and gave him a constant sense of fluttering excitement.

As his thoughts drifted, he heard Ye Qiu continue, "I really envy Senior for finding such an excellent, good-tempered boyfriend like you!"

Wang Chengyang asked her with a smile, his gaze teasing, "Am I that good in your eyes?"

Ye Qiu turned away shyly, then stammered a little. "O-of course."

At this point, even a fool like Wang Chengyang knew that the shy, captivating girl in front of him had feelings for him. Today, Ye Qiu was wearing a bright yellow trench coat over a white hooded sweatshirt, her high ponytail tied up. Under the winter sun she looked especially pure and attractive.

Wang Chengyang was a normal man. There weren’t many men in the world who were utterly faithful, especially when their official girlfriend was a domineering woman who wanted to control everything and never went easy on him. Faced with someone like Ye Qiu, he had no resistance at all.

Wang Chengyang thought to himself that only an idiot would pass up a bargain. This was, after all, arranged by Li Zhihua herself. Once they got to Yunnan and Li Zhihua got busy, he would test this little girl’s feelings again.

Carrying this hint of romance in his heart, Wang Chengyang didn’t feel tired at all despite driving the whole way. On the contrary, he was full of energy, enough that even Li Zhihua glanced at him several times in surprise. In the end, it was only because he was afraid she would notice something was off that he forced himself to rein in his restless thoughts.