CHAPTER 571: CHAPTER 569: INTELLIGENCE ONLINE

Mai Qiqi couldn’t help but say, "How can you carry this thing with you? Are you ready to pick locks at any time?"

"Better safe than sorry," Wan Chu’er focused on picking the lock, and after a while, they heard a soft click as the lock opened.

She twisted the doorknob, opened the door, and Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi hurried inside, only to see Yu Zimu drawing intensely, oblivious to their intrusion.

Mai Qiqi looked at Wan Chu’er, "Could he have been drawing all day? Not even drinking water or going to the restroom?"

"It’s possible." Wan Chu’er remembered how Yu Zimu was also deeply engrossed in drawing at the coffee shop.

Mai Qiqi walked over and knocked on Yu Zimu’s desk.

Yu Zimu sluggishly paused his drawing and looked up at Mai Qiqi.

Mai Qiqi couldn’t help but gasp, exclaimed, "Director Yu, do you not care about your eyes anymore? Don’t you feel discomfort in your eyes? You should rest a bit."

Wan Chu’er walked over to see Yu Zimu’s eyes were bloodshot and filled with blood vessels, clearly strained and unrested.

Yu Zimu still hadn’t come out of his drawing trance and said blankly, "It seems a bit blurry."

Eventually, Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi forced Yu Zimu to stop drawing, and Wan Chu’er took him to the hospital for an eye examination.

At the hospital, after examination, the doctor said it was just eye fatigue and he must rest well; otherwise, it would damage the eyes, possibly leading to blindness.

Hearing he might go blind, Yu Zimu finally obeyed, no longer insisting on returning to the studio to continue drawing.

If he went blind, he might truly have to say goodbye to fashion design, and then he wouldn’t be able to seek revenge or retrieve his own glory.

On the way back, Wan Chu’er asked, "Were you provoked by Rose’s ranking? Is that why you’re working so recklessly?"

Yu Zimu sighed, "Yes, she’s actually the first place. I mean, any other person being first place would be fine, but it’s her. I’ve seen her preliminary contest works, and they are just designs I drew three years ago.

Can you imagine how infuriating that is? The thief won over the original creator. Who could swallow such humiliation?

So, to vent out, I have no choice but to keep refining my final entry. The finals are just days away; I wanted to finalize the design quickly and then do the cutting and sewing myself.

During the finals, I must win over her; otherwise, I can only consider it a bloodshed on the battlefield, turning into a sudden snow in June."

Wan Chu’er listened painfully, "What bloodshed on the battlefield, sudden snow in June? Even if you lose, you lose to yourself; there’s nothing to despair about. Even if she takes the first place and you get the second during the finals, we can still consider it a success. The top three will become stars in the fashion design industry, adored by everyone.

If she knew that you’re closely following her, she would definitely panic and feel pressured, making mistakes easily. We can gradually unveil her true colors."

Yu Zimu thought for a moment and said, "As an owner, your idea is no problem, but personally, if I lose to her, then I lose, everything else is trivial. I’d be deeply hurt and upset."

"Chuchu, when the time comes, you must find a way to cheer me up again."

Chuchu?

Wan Chu’er twitched the corners of her mouth, "Yu Zimu, don’t just make up names for me, be careful my husband will punch you if he hears ’Chuchu’."

Yu Zimu grinned, "Seems like your husband is really anxious about you, I really want to see him jealous. You must have a way to handle it, right? Haha..."

Wan Chu’er curled her lip. This guy is really boring.

"Oh, right, Rose might not recognize me." Yu Zimu suddenly said.

Wan Chu’er was curious, "Haven’t you been collaborating for many years? How could she not recognize you? Did you get plastic surgery?"

"Plastic surgery?" Yu Zimu touched his chin, pondered thoughtfully, and said, "When I achieve fame and success, I might consider trying plastic surgery, but I haven’t done it yet, mainly because I’m broke.

Back then, I regarded myself as an artist, and you know, an artist’s image has to be artistic, so I used to have a big beard and long flowing hair, quite dashing and romantic.

Now, I have shaven my head to express determination, and I guess my image has changed quite a bit, probably nobody would recognize me."

Big beard and long flowing hair, Wan Chu’er thought about it and felt helpless, "Yu Zimu, in the future, if your hair grows longer than ten centimeters, I will deduct your salary, fifty thousand for every extra centimeter."

Yu Zimu immediately protested: "No way, I do not agree, you can’t restrict my freedom to pursue art. Name one artist who doesn’t have long hair, it’s the flowing look that matters."

Flowing, my foot!

Wan Chu’er huffed and said, "Do you know why you were so foolish initially and got deceived for so many years? It’s because your IQ ran off to your hair, what they call ’IQ online’, which is why your brain wasn’t working properly. Don’t you feel that since you got this new look, your brain has been much fresher?"

Yu Zimu laughed, "You really can spin tales, even better at making things up than me."

After this conversation, Mai Qiqi specially arranged a personal life assistant for Yu Zimu, taking care of his daily routines and meals.

After that playful banter with Wan Chu’er, Yu Zimu felt less pressured and cooperated well with the assistant, maintaining a relaxed yet constructive work-life balance, and even had free time to guide Jiang Lingling and another designer in the studio.

Jiang Lingling initially joined the competition just for fun, not expecting to make it to the finals, and although she ranked last, she was still thrilled.

After her excitement, she became full of confidence, tirelessly creating and revising drafts day and night, preparing even more fiercely for the finals than Yu Zimu himself.

The day before the finals, Wan Chu’er visited the studio again to confirm with everyone that the final preparations for the competition were set.

Jiang Lingling’s final pieces were based on the four seasons, namely ’Spring’, ’Summer’, ’Autumn’, and ’Winter’. The outfits, besides being seasonally themed, looked ethereal, as if specially made for fairies, captivating the women in the studio, each of them planning to get one after the finals, even if it meant spending months of salary, after all, every woman has a fairy heart.

Yu Zimu’s final pieces were themed around the seven human emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, thought, grief, fear, astonishment—boldly stunning. Those who saw them were speechless, feeling that these clothes were not merely made by humans, but crafted by spirits.

Everyone was highly anticipating tomorrow’s finals, feeling that tomorrow would be the day when Time sets sail.