CHAPTER 575: CHAPTER 573: A LASTING IMPRESSION

The competition started quickly, with each judge taking their seat one by one. Listening to the exclamations and discussions of Mai Qiqi and those around her, Wan Chu’er knew that the ten judges were heavyweights in the fashion industry. To her surprise, Dan was also among them.

The presence of such an authoritative panel of judges increased the prestige of the competition. Receiving affirmation or favor from these ten judges during the contest would greatly smooth the future career of any designer.

Mai Qiqi sighed quietly, "I don’t know how they managed to gather these ten people together, the organizers really have a lot of clout."

Wan Chu’er laughed, "It’s a mutual need. The competition benefits from the judges’ presence, and the judges need recognition from the industry. What better way to affirm their professional capabilities than being the judges of the most prestigious event?"

"You’re right."

Soon, the host announced that the final competition had officially started, and then the order of the contestants’ appearances was announced.

What Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi didn’t expect was that Jiang Lingling was actually the first to appear, leading the lineup.

Mai Qiqi said worriedly, "Oh no, is it in reverse order of the preliminary results? I wonder how Lingling is doing right now. Is she nervous?"

As the host announced the order in which each contestant would appear, they also introduced the contestants’ preliminary rankings. So, immediately after Mai Qiqi’s remark, the order of the rest was made clear.

There were a total of twenty contestants, with Rose ranking tenth, and Yu Zimu closely following her, appearing eleventh.

They were so close in order; Yu Zimu must have been delighted. It would be clear who was better. If he could win against Rose this time, Yu Zimu would be over the moon.

Wan Chu’er wondered if someone had deliberately arranged it this way, but she thought it unlikely. Besides herself and Yu Zimu, no one else knew about the past between Yu Zimu and Rose. Furthermore, Yu Zimu was now using the name Zimu and had drastically changed his appearance, so it was unlikely he would be recognized.

Backstage, Jiang Lingling was a tiny bit nervous, but more excited. She had just been to the restroom and taken her medication; she should not embarrass herself on stage later, she reckoned. She estimated that her time on stage would be at most ten minutes.

Yu Zimu came over to encourage her, "Getting into the preliminaries was already a stroke of luck. Treat this final as a game; let loose a little later. Your goal this time isn’t your ranking, but to leave a strong impression on everyone."

"Got it," Jiang Lingling said, feeling even less burdened now.

Hearing the call of the backstage staff, Jiang Lingling immediately had her four models walk out one by one. She nervously went to the stands from the side, quietly found Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi, and sat down with them.

Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi didn’t pay her any attention; they were nervously watching the models on stage and their outfits.

The four models were dressed in ethereal, celestial garb as if untouched by the mortal world. Paired with Jiang Lingling’s designs for the four seasons of fairies, the crowd was instantly captivated by the sight of what seemed like four fairies suddenly appearing.

As those four fairy-like models gracefully walked forward, they suddenly took flight, creating an uproar throughout the venue.

Jiang Lingling sneakily observed everyone’s reaction and asked Mai Qiqi anxiously, "Do you think this leaves them with a good or bad impression?" To make the fairies fly, their studio had negotiated with the organizers for a long time.

Such a situation had never happened before; the venue was lively with people chattering, some laughing, others thinking it was a gimmick, and some finding it novel. There were all kinds of reactions.

Wan Chu’er thought for a moment, then quietly took out her phone and quickly started recording a video.

After the fairies flew around for a while, they returned to the ground, and then the host invited the designer to come on stage.

The host said with a smile, "This is the first time we’ve encountered models flying in the sky. It’s indeed an unforgettable scene, full of celestial aura. Now, let’s welcome our designer onto the stage, Jiang Lingling from Time Studio."

Mai Qiqi took Jiang Lingling’s hand and gave her some strength. Jiang Lingling took a deep breath and walked onto the stage with an air of youthful exuberance, greeting the judges and audience once she stood in the center.

The host smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, could you tell us about your work?"

"Of course!" Jiang Lingling replied cheerfully, her exaggerated expression clearly a performance for those familiar with her.

"My inspiration comes from the four seasons. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter—when heaven and man respond, and the phases of nature align. Planting in spring, growing in summer, harvesting in autumn, and storing in winter. The colors in my works are drawn from the elements of the seasons, and the cuts follow the changes of the seasons. But regardless of the changes, all aim to portray a beautiful little fairy frolicking through the cycle of seasons."

The host said warmly, "Miss Jiang speaks wonderfully. Next, let’s see what the judges have to say."

Actually, Jiang Lingling’s clothes were not that stunning. However, she chose some techniques to emphasize the features of her designs, which was very risky. Those who liked her style would like it even more, while those who didn’t would severely criticize it.

As expected, the judges’ opinions were incredibly divided. Adding to the fact that the artistic mind is unpredictable, the judges’ discussions became heated; they nearly started arguing, leaving the audience dumbfounded. Such a scene over a single contestant was very rare.

While the audience was shocked by the judges’ reactions, some women were very interested in Jiang Lingling’s designs. Celebrities and socialites who followed the fairy-style trend had their eyes shining, carefully appreciating the models’ effects, and secretly planned to approach Time Studio after the contest to buy a set for all four seasons.

After a lengthy debate, the judges could not persuade one another. In the scoring phase, the ratings were polarized, with the lowest score being a shocking three points.

Three points!!!

Mai Qiqi raised three fingers under the table, clicking her tongue for a while, then said to Wan Chu’er, "The lowest score in history! Normally, no one wants to embarrass the contestants; they would at least score above five."

Fortunately, there was only one three-point score. The rest were fives and sixes, making up half of the scores, with eights making up the other half, and there was even one nine.

After removing the highest and the lowest scores, the final average score was six point seven.

Any other contestant might have cried their eyes out in such a situation, but Jiang Lingling came with a mindset to just see and decided to leave a strong impression. Now that her goal had been achieved, hadn’t she seen the judges almost come to blows? And there was almost one critic short of cursing her out, so she was very happy inside.

Finally, Jiang Lingling thanked the judges with a beaming smile and bowed off the stage with her models. Her generous and open demeanor also left a good impression on many people.