After Bankruptcy, the Billionaire Asked Me to Marry Him!
Chapter 380: The Fallen Idol

Chapter 380: Chapter 380: The Fallen Idol

The middle-aged man outside the door had long hair flowing, exuding a decadent temperament, with the distinct feel of an artist.

Even in the hot June summer, he was wearing a fall jacket.

As soon as the door opened, a faint scent of alcohol mixed with the smell of not having bathed for days, instantly covering up the fresh air scent in the room.

At first glance, he looked like a homeless person living under a bridge outside.

Ye Li had no time to speak.

The man outside the door began, "Hello, Ye Li... I, I’m Xie Chenlu... Chang Chuan said your studio is looking for designers, so I came to check it out."

Chang Chuan?

Luo Changchuan?

After a moment of confusion, she seemed to understand.

Ye Li stepped aside to let him in, "Mr. Xie, please come in."

"Thank you, thank you..."

Xie Chenlu entered with his head down, visibly uneasy.

A man dressed like a homeless person, with the aura of a homeless person.

Two young women.

Evening.

Almost as soon as Xie Chenlu entered, Wan Mingyi became anxious.

She constantly signaled with her eyes: Lizi, should you ask Uncle Fu to come over? Or should I call the security downstairs?

Ye Li just shook her head, handed him a glass of water, and asked, "Mr. Xie, after the big fire at the art gallery, you disappeared. Do you mind if I ask if you have created any works in the past five years?"

Art gallery.

Big fire.

The missing designer with the surname Xie.

In front of the office door, Wan Mingyi was utterly stunned.

Then she looked at Xie Chenlu with utter disbelief after recognizing him carefully.

Xie Chenlu, a well-known jewelry designer in the country.

No one knew who his mentor was or where he graduated from. As the gold medal winner of the 12th "Shining with You," Xie Chenlu became famous overnight, subsequently becoming the most sought-after talented designer by major jewelry studios in the country.

In the end, Xie Chenlu chose to join Dane and became a senior designer at Dane.

It took Xie Chenlu only two years to go from senior to chief designer.

Under Xie Chenlu’s leadership, Dane also gained fame in Imperial City, even winning third prize at the Milan Jewelry Exhibition five years ago.

Dane Studio rose overnight.

Acclaimed, Dane was almost the No.1 presence in Imperial City.

However, a few months later, Dane’s jewelry show at the art gallery was hit by a big fire the night before the exhibition.

The loss was minimal, but after that fire, someone noticed that the chief designer Xie Chenlu’s name was missing from the list of designers at Dane Studio.

And after that incident, Xie Chenlu disappeared entirely from the domestic jewelry industry.

Some said he went abroad.

Others said he ran out of talent and retired.

There were even rumors that he set the fire himself, and Dane didn’t hold him accountable, so after counterbalancing his merits and demerits, they removed his name.

No matter the industry, unless you achieve something without precedent or successor, becoming renowned as your works pass down through the ages.

Otherwise, like Xie Chenlu, who bloomed briefly, would soon vanish completely.

Over time, almost no one knew about Xie Chenlu anymore.

But Wan Mingyi never expected that one day, her former idol would appear, and in such a downtrodden manner.

Neither did Xie Chenlu expect that Ye Li actually knew him.

He lowered his head, gazing into the clear water in the cup, then looked at his dry hands, and softly said, "I’m dying... Chang Chuan said, even if I die, I should stand and die with dignity, instead of bearing a stigma that isn’t mine and die silently. So, I came."

As he spoke, Xie Chenlu raised his head to look at Ye Li, "The big fire five years ago, I set it. Because someone impersonated my work, and I fought to no avail."

Glancing at Wan Mingyi, then at Ye Li, Xie Chenlu’s eyes grew excited, "White Pear Blossom, and Pearl, are all my works. But because I signed an unequal agreement, those pieces bear someone else’s name. I’m not resigned!"

"Pearl is your work?"

Wan Mingyi exclaimed.

Seeing Xie Chenlu nod, everything that hadn’t made sense to Wan Mingyi a moment ago was answered.

She wanted to wait until Xie Chenlu left and then ask Luo Changchuan.

If he really thought so highly of Xie Chenlu, why not introduce him to the Star Studio?

Given Xie Chenlu’s past fame.

With Star’s numerous successful operation experiences.

As long as Xie Chenlu could still produce works, given time, he would become the next Dane, famous in Imperial City, so why introduce him to Ye Li here?

At this moment, Wan Mingyi understood.

Seeing Wan Mingyi’s skepticism and Ye Li’s calm expression, seemingly indifferent to his claims.

Xie Chenlu raised his voice a few notches, "Ye Li, you don’t believe me?"

"I believe."

Ye Li smiled brightly, "Not only White Pear Blossom and Pearl, Jiangnan Spring has half your credit, and also that... Plum Blossoms, Fate..."

With each name Ye Li mentioned, Xie Chenlu’s once dull and troubled eyes became brighter.

When Ye Li mentioned Fate, Xie Chenlu sprang up from his chair.

The water in the cup spilled onto his hands, unnoticed, and Xie Chenlu gazed at Ye Li, his eyes sparkling, "You, you know it all?"

Ye Li nodded, "It’s often said an outsider watches the spectacle, an insider watches the craft. As long as we’re in design and familiar with your style, we can definitely tell."

He raised his hand to wipe his eyes, not letting Ye Li see his loss of composure.

Xie Chenlu put down the cup, hurriedly took out his dirty phone from his pocket, opened the photo album, and handed it to Ye Li, "In these five years, you might as well think of me as already dead. I, I don’t have any complete pieces worthy of showing. But sometimes when drunk, I scribbled some sketches. Take a look..."

Handing it over to Ye Li, then afraid she’d dislike it, Xie Chenlu wiped the phone back and forth with his clothing multiple times before he finally opened it and handed it to Ye Li.

They say a few.

But as they swiped back and forth, it took quite some time to get through them all.

Occasionally there were night scenes of Imperial City that he photographed.

Yet only a few of those were there.

Inside one album, it was filled with his line sketches.

Some were just a spark of inspiration.

Some were almost complete designs for entire sets of jewelry.

Slightly touched up, they could be turned into drawings, finished products.

After more than ten minutes of viewing, the studio was utterly quiet.

Retrieving the phone and putting it back in his pocket, Xie Chenlu cautiously looked at Ye Li, "Chang Chuan said, you have vision and a big picture, as well as a chivalrous heart, as long as I truly have talent, and create well in the future, you’d definitely want me, and help clear my grievances from back then, hitting them hard in the face. So, I came!"

"Ye Li, as long as you can help me, I’ll do whatever you ask!"

If Xie Chenlu wasn’t still here, Ye Li would really want to immediately call Luo Changchuan, this is my Ye Li’s Studio, not your Star, who gave you the authority to decide for me?

Facing Xie Chenlu’s eager and hopeful gaze, Ye Li nodded, "Are you sure you’ll do what I say?"

"Definitely, you say!"

Xie Chenlu nodded repeatedly.