After Bankruptcy, the Billionaire Asked Me to Marry Him!
Chapter 396: She... is dreaming, right?

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: She... is dreaming, right?

"Is your name Xiao Qiao? I remember you!"

Ye Li stepped forward.

"Hello, Ye Li, my name is Qiao Li An, but you can call me Xiao Qiao!"

After a brief self-introduction, Qiao Li An bravely looked at Ye Li, "Ye Li, your feedback on the inspiration earlier was amazing! Can you take a look at my work? I’d love to hear your thoughts."

"Sure!"

Ye Li nodded with a smile.

Forgetting they were in the restroom, the two of them moved and sat on the marble bench, and Qiao Li An pulled up her design charts from a phone app.

From the overall design to the details.

Focusing on every minute aspect.

Ye Li looked intently.

Pointing here.

Discussing there.

They conversed earnestly back and forth.

The previously muddled mind seemed like an old, rusty electrical box, with wires sparking slightly.

Switch flipped, the crackling ceased, and the dim mind suddenly lit up brightly.

Qiao Li An experienced a moment of daze.

Strange designers usually hate sharing their inspirations with others.

But Ye Li not only listened to her thoughts but shared her own insights without reservation.

Before entering the competition today, they hadn’t even met.

Qiao Li An looked at Ye Li with gratitude in her eyes, "Ye Li, thank you!"

"You’re welcome!"

Ye Li smiled, and as she stood up to leave, she glanced back at Qiao Li An, "Xiao Qiao, even though you lost in the preliminary, there are lots of competitions ahead. Don’t be discouraged, keep going! Come visit our studio if you have time!"

"Really? Can I?"

Qiao Li An’s eyes lit up.

Ye Li smiled warmly, "Of course! On stage, we are competitors; off stage, we are peers. Add me on WeChat, and I’ll send you our studio address. Visit when you can!"

Confidently they exchanged WeChat, and she shared Ye Li’s Studio location with her.

Ye Li waved and left quickly.

Watching Ye Li’s departing figure, Qiao Li An exhaled softly.

She felt a bit aggrieved after being eliminated.

If she’d stuck to her original double romantic details, she might have made it to the semi-finals.

First witnessing Ye Li’s brilliance.

Then receiving her generous guidance.

Qiao Li An felt comforted.

Compared to Ye Li, she realized how far behind she was!

There was so much she needed to learn.

Rather than struggling to get into the semi-finals, only to be easily outshone by prominent designers.

It’d be better to gain more experience and skills first.

Next year, the year after, and the one after that... When she returns to compete again, she won’t be eliminated so easily!

Gathering her courage, Qiao Li An took a deep breath, feeling enlightened.

As she was about to leave, a cold laugh sounded behind her.

"Xiao Qiao, Mr. Dai dislikes it when studio designers side with outsiders."

Qiao Li An turned around.

Only to see Jiang Chengcheng smiling and saying, "If Mr. Dai finds out about what you’re doing, guess what..."

"Let him know then!"

Qiao Li An replied coldly, "I’m asking Ye Li for advice, not revealing Dane Studio’s secrets. What should I be afraid of? If you want to snitch, go ahead; who’s stopping you?"

With a rather undignified roll of her eyes, Qiao Li An turned and left.

Jiang Chengcheng’s face was pale.

They were both junior designers, yet Qiao Li An could participate in the competition while she was benched.

Why?

Angrily watching Qiao Li An’s retreating figure, Jiang Chengcheng took out her phone and sent the photos she’d just taken to Dai Qingzhou.

Opportunities need to be fought for.

She refused to believe that Dai Qingzhou would continue choosing Qiao Li An in the future.

Upon seeing Dai Qingzhou’s reply that he knew about it, Jiang Chengcheng put her phone away, just like a proud little hen, walking out with her head held high.

The competition scheduled for the next day was arranged for the afternoon.

When Ye Li arrived at the venue, there were even more people than the previous day.

At a glance, besides over a thousand competitors, many notable people seemed to have arrived.

Several in the front row had attended fashion weeks or jewelry exhibitions Ye Li had participated in before and were notable faces.

Thinking that if some designers’ works caught their eyes, a transaction could start once the competition ended, Ye Li felt a flicker of interest in her heart.

[Xiao Qiao Xiao Qiao, calling Xiao Qiao?]

[!!! Ye Li, you’re like a high-cold goddess in my heart, acting like this makes me really uncomfortable!]

[Do you see the man who’s bling-blinging in the front row? Tina Robert’s stylist. Your necklace might sell for a good price.]

[??? How do you know?]

[A secret I can’t share! Good luck!]

One part of her thought it impossible; how could a single necklace catch the eye of European celebrities?

Yet another voice screamed to believe her!

Not daring to mention that it was Ye Li’s idea, Qiao Li An cautiously commented that she saw some owners from Mo Du’s jewelry studios approaching the people upfront with their works.

As if Dai Qingzhou’s network circle was something a small designer like Qiao Li An could compare to?

She just hadn’t noticed.

Once she looked carefully, a single glance and Dai Qingzhou’s eyes lit up.

He swiftly pulled a tablet from his briefcase and headed to the front row.

After a moment of hesitation, Qiao Li An followed.

With more than half an hour until competition start, the few prominent figures in the front row were already surrounded by a sea of people.

Standing in the crowded sea for a while, Qiao Li An finally understood.

These people included the chief designers of international jewelry brands, looking to uncover dark horses at the competition.

Also present were editors-in-chief of jewelry magazines or stylists from modeling companies.

The former were seeking news stories and sensation.

The latter intended to purchase jewelry for their models or celebrities.

Just like at the annual fashion show, design exhibition, and this show or that, models stride across the stage while investors in the audience choose the items they desire from a catalog.

As soon as the exhibition ends, those selected items are delivered to them accordingly.

People surged in waves, and then ebbed away.

When Dai Qingzhou reached stylist Pierre, they familiarized themselves with familiar face pecks.

Upon passing his tablet to Pierre, design image after image slid by, and Pierre instantly fixated on Qiao Li An’s designed necklace.

"Dear, is this a single piece or a set?"

Pierre pointed at the necklace in the image.

Glancing at Qiao Li An who followed, Dai Qingzhou subtly furrowed his brow and replied with a smile, "It’s a set."

"I’ll take it!"

???

Not expecting Pierre to speak up, Dai Qingzhou was taken aback, "Are you sure? Wouldn’t you like to see the other jewelry design images?"

Even if it’s a set, it’s essentially just one necklace.

She hadn’t viewed the rings, bracelets, or ear lines yet.

Let alone the other designs from Dane Studio with their grandeur and elegance, each easily perceived to outclass Qiao Li An’s set in high-end sophistication.

"No need..."

Pierre waved his hand generously, "This set’s jewelry practically has ’Tina’ written all over it, that’s the one!"

Never imagining that Qiao Li An’s design would find a buyer.

They naturally hadn’t agreed in advance on suitable pricing.

Pierre happily expressed her intention to buy, and Dai Qingzhou, leveraging old friendship and rapport, quoted a price slightly above Dane Studio’s standard rates.

To his surprise, Pierre signed the check lavishly without haggling.

Dai Qingzhou was stunned.

And so was the astounded Qiao Li An behind him.

She glanced at Ye Li from afar whose face was indistinct.

Then at the check in Dai Qingzhou’s hand with a long line of zeroes.

Qiao Li An stood dazed.

Was she...dreaming?