Seeing Lu Xi’s astonished gaze, and she remained silent for a long time, not taking the flowers, Xie Heng could feel the eyes from all directions falling on him, each carrying different emotions. His scalp suddenly began to tingle.
He had promised himself he wouldn’t be nervous…
But now, he was starting to regret it.
Had he overdone it? Was it too much? Did she not like this?
Just moments ago, he had barely stepped off the stage and was about to change his clothes when the host approached him.
They told him that Lu Xi had won first place in the voting and that they needed someone to present her with flowers and announce the good news. They asked if he was willing to do it.
The hosts, one teacher and one student, seemed a little apprehensive about him. When they asked, their tone was especially polite. After explaining, they even added, “If you don’t want to, we can find someone else. Xu Jiaming is willing to do it.”
Xie Heng immediately frowned in displeasure. “She’s my family, so this is my business, why wouldn’t I be willing?”
Delivering flowers to Ms. Lu might be a bit embarrassing, but there was no way he was letting someone else do it.
Seeing that he hadn’t refused, the hosts continued discussing the ceremony arrangements with him.
“Our plan is to announce the voting results first, invite Ms. Lu onto the stage, and then you come out to present the flowers and congratulate her. How does that sound?”
Xie Heng scoffed. “Not great.”
How cliché was that?
Making her walk up and down the stage, what a hassle. It was just handing over a bouquet; why make it so complicated?
But deep down, he had another thought.
He wanted to be the one to personally tell her the good news, not the hosts.
It was a bit self-indulgent, sure… but Xie Heng felt that if he told her himself, she would be happier. After all, if not for him, she wouldn’t have designed that school uniform.
Time was tight, so he didn’t have the luxury of coming up with a more creative idea.
Since Lu Xi liked watching him walk the runway, so he would just put on the school uniform she designed and walk one more time, straight to her, with flowers and congratulations.
And so, the Young Master made his move.
But now, Xie Heng’s mind was buzzing, half of his face was numb, and he was drowning in regret.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have tried to act cool. Seriously, did he think he looked that good? Why did he have to go with this over-the-top, dramatic entrance?
His eyes were dazed as he started contemplating the feasibility of time travel.
Just then, Lu Xi reached out, gently touching the baby’s breath decorating the bouquet. Then, she took the flowers, smiled, and held Xie Heng’s hand as she stood up.
Xie Heng blinked and stood up with her.
Then, she hugged him.
Her voice was soft in his ear, like a feather brushing against him. “Thank you too, Xiao Heng. You did great today. You helped me a lot.”
Xie Heng was stunned.
Hearing the sincerity in her tone, he unconsciously pressed his lips together, his fingers quietly pinching the hem of Lu Xi’s sweater.
Suddenly, his heart felt like it was soaking in warm spring water, comfortable and cozy.
See? She said it herself. He had helped her today.
Lu Xi glanced at Xie Yizhao and playfully blinked at him. “Right? Xiao Heng did a great job today. Don’t you think you, as his Dad, should give him some praise?”
Xie Heng wanted to say it didn’t matter.
But Xie Yizhao had already stood up.
His gaze was steady, carrying an approval Xie Heng had never seen in his Dad’s eyes before. First, he patted his wife’s head, then glanced at Xie Heng and squeezed his shoulder. “Mm, Xiao Heng did well today.”
Xie Heng froze.
He opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. Looking at Xie Yizhao, he finally smiled.
That’s right. He had done well today. Even his Dad… had done pretty well.
Today was truly a good day, worth remembering.
Lu Xi was about to let go of Xie Heng, but she suddenly felt a light tug at her waist.
A clear, youthful voice, tinged with regret, reached her ears. “That day… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. It’s just… you’re so good, I was afraid of losing you.”
Lu Xi was momentarily stunned. Her eyes flickered with confusion before clarity returned.
This little guy was still thinking about that…
Honestly, how could he be so adorable? She had already forgotten about it, yet he was still dwelling on it, feeling guilty.
Lu Xi felt both amused and deeply moved. Her nose suddenly tingled with emotion. Just as she was about to ruffle Xie Heng’s fluffy blue hair and tell him it was okay, this guy had already turned bright red, completely overwhelmed with embarrassment.
He let go of Lu Xi, stammered out, “I-I’m going to change,” and fled the scene in a hurry.
“…”
Lu Xi shook her head, the corners of her mouth curving up uncontrollably.
Her little cub still had a long way to go in his journey of growth, but he was becoming more and more lovable.
Now that she had won first place in the voting, none of the other competing parents had any complaints. They all applauded, and many came forward to congratulate her. Some even saw an opportunity to build connections with her and the Xie family.
These parents had an open-minded attitude. They had hired professionals to help with the competition, mainly for participation’s sake. Besides, after seeing Lu Xi’s design, they had to admit that she had put real thought into it. Her choice of model was excellent, and the runway segment had been a visual feast. They had no objections to her winning first place.
Before coming here, Lu Xi had already planned to use this event to meet other influential ladies and expand her clientele. She wanted them to order custom outfits from her studio in the future.
Just as she had hoped, before she even had to hand out her business cards, plenty of people were already approaching her.
In less than ten minutes, she had exchanged dozens of business cards. She couldn’t even match all the names to faces yet. Invitations also poured in, including offers to attend concerts together, have afternoon tea, get manicures, style hair, etc.
Everything was going exactly as she had planned.
Among them, the most enthusiastic and the one she was most familiar with was Zheng Suxin. It was also thanks to Zheng Suxin that she made an appointment that hit the mark.
Zheng Suxin took her business card, examined it carefully, and then smiled. “You’ve opened a design studio? That’s great! Where’s your shop? I happen to need a dress tomorrow and would love to take a look.”
Lu Xi suppressed the excitement in her heart. This was perfect, business was already coming her way!
She smiled and said, “The studio hasn’t officially opened yet, and I don’t have many ready-made pieces. But if President Zheng is interested, I’ll invite you before the opening. You’re welcome to order a custom dress.”
Zheng Suxin was very warm toward her. “Of course! You must invite me.”
She was genuinely grateful to Lu Xi and wanted to befriend Lu Xi.
If Lu Xi hadn’t discovered in advance that the design draft was plagiarized, Zheng Suxin would have ended up submitting the same outfit as someone else tonight! How humiliating would that have been? The entire social circle would’ve heard about it in no time!
No one would care about Wang Qianru, that insignificant designer—who even knew her? The only one embarrassed would’ve been Zheng Suxin herself.
Lu Xi’s smile deepened.
Thanks to Zheng Suxin leading the way, the other ladies started paying attention as well. That’s right, Lu Xi was a designer, and she even had her own studio. How could they not show their support?
For the sake of their own businesses, they should’ve been actively trying to build rapport with Xie Yizhao. But he was a tough nut to crack, far too difficult to find an opening with.
Now, with his wife, things were different! Supporting her business was a perfect shortcut.
Besides, the school uniforms Lu Xi designed were indeed beautiful, and her aesthetic sense was trustworthy.
Nowadays, many independent designers in the country were making a name for themselves, even winning international awards. Many celebrities were wearing their creations. People were no longer blindly chasing foreign luxury brands as they once did.
In just ten minutes, Lu Xi had received no fewer than twenty verbal orders. She was starting to feel overwhelmed.
These ladies were… just too enthusiastic. She was struggling to keep up.
In the end, it was Xie Yizhao who saved her.
He took Lu Xi’s hand, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with cool detachment, his tone distant. “Apologies, we have something to attend to. My wife and I will take our leave.”
With him having spoken, what else could the others say?
Lu Xi quickly tightened her grip on his hand and escaped this ‘storm of attention.’
She was still holding the bouquet in her hands as they headed backstage together. Xie Yizhao glanced at it, then reached out and took it from her.
In a low voice, he murmured, “Not as nice as the flowers I picked.”
Lu Xi found it a little odd. Did this man seriously have a competitive streak about flowers? She raised an eyebrow, her almond-shaped eyes curving in amusement. “It is pretty ordinary. But this was from Xiao Heng.”
The man curled his lips slightly but said nothing. He simply held the bouquet carefully and clasped Lu Xi’s hand tightly.
Backstage.
Xie Heng had just changed out of his outfit and was about to head out with Xu Jiaming and the others to find his Dad and Lu Xi. Lu Xi had mentioned earlier that she’d take them all out for dinner.
Xu Jiaming and Song Siyang were quick to change, so they were already waiting outside the girls’ dressing room with him.
“Did you see that? I looked amazing on stage just now! So many girls were staring at me!” Song Siyang grinned widely.
Xie Heng glanced at Song Siyang, feeling amused. Without a word, he placed his palm over Song Siyang’s face and pushed him away. “Yeah, right. You were the only one walking on the stage. Who else would they be looking at?”
Xie Heng had received plenty of attention himself.
Not that he cared.
Song Siyang just smirked, unconcerned. He was in a great mood today. His catwalk was a success, he made some money, and now more people at school would recognize him. Maybe he’d even find a girlfriend soon…
A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Wait, are we eating with your Dad later?”
The moment Xie Heng’s father was mentioned, Song Siyang’s expression turned slightly wary.
Xie Yizhao wasn’t like most parents. Every time Song Siyang went to the Xie house to find Xie Heng, if he happened to run into Xie Heng’s Dad, he’d only get a brief nod, no greetings, no smiles. The man was cold and serious.
It made Song Siyang reluctant to visit the Xie house too often.
These days, he went over more frequently only because of Lu Xi. The atmosphere at the Xie residence had changed a lot with her around. Even when he did see Xie Yizhao, he no longer felt any pressure.
Even Xu Jiaming, who had been silent all this time, now looked over, clearly curious as well.
Xie Heng let out a laugh. “What do you think? My ‘parents’ are treating us to dinner. Of course my Dad will be there.”
…Fair point.
But with Lu Xi there, it should be fine. Song Siyang quickly reassured himself.