Obsessive Tycoon and His Swan Girl
Chapter 176 - 176 176 Its a Shame Jiang Zhe Wont Be a Judge

Chapter 176: Chapter 176: It’s a Shame Jiang Zhe Won’t Be a Judge Chapter 176: Chapter 176: It’s a Shame Jiang Zhe Won’t Be a Judge Jiang Zhe did not wear makeup, donned her school uniform, and wore no jewelry; there was truly nothing she needed to buy.

However, she still casually picked out a few gifts for Xia Enci and Xiao Meng.

Midway, she received a phone call and stepped aside to speak, “Uncle Liang.”

“You still remember your Uncle Liang, huh?” Liang Hani’s tone was slightly reproachful, “Have you come to Beijing to serve as a judge for the preliminary round of the fashion design competition? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“No, I’m just accompanying a friend in the competition.”

“No wonder, I was saying—you had declined to be a judge for the final round before, and now you are attending the preliminaries! If an old friend hadn’t said they saw you at the registration site and called me in disbelief, I would still be in the dark!”

After finishing, Liang Hani then asked, “Which friend of yours is competing?”

“A friend from the orphanage.”

Liang Hani understood, “Do you need any help?”

In truth, there was no need for Jiang Zhe’s friend to compete in the design industry to make a name for themselves, but Liang Hani knew her character. She was determined and would not change her decisions based on others’ judgments, so he did not suggest her friend should just skip the competition.

“If I need help, I’ll give you a call,” Jiang Zhe said.

“Alright, but I believe your friend must be quite exceptional. Make sure to introduce them to me first when the time comes.”

“Definitely,” Jiang Zhe nodded.

As she finished speaking, something crossed her mind, “Oh, Uncle Liang…”

“Go ahead.”

“Please ensure the fairness and integrity of the competition,” Jiang Zhe stated.

“You child, don’t worry about it. Since you’ve come personally with your friend, it means your friend must be special. How could I let the judges give them an unfair advantage?”

“Thank you, Uncle Liang.”

After hanging up, Jiang Zhe found Qin Jingchen holding bags not far away, maintaining an appropriate distance.

He kept a space that was neither too close to intrude on her privacy nor too far to let her out of his sight.

When Jiang Zhe turned her head, she caught Qin Jingchen’s indulgent glance by chance. She looked down to check her phone for new calls or messages.

Seeing no issues, Jiang Zhe tucked her phone back into her backpack, encountered a box of gum, and remembered that it had been a long time since she had the habit of chewing gum routinely.

She used to have a fiery temper that needed something to keep it in check.

Fen Ye returned with Xun Yining and the others after they finished shopping, only to see Qin Jingchen and Jiang Zhe had just returned as well.

Jiang Zhe, nonchalantly leading with her backpack, walked with an air of casual grace.

Qin Jingchen followed behind her, holding shopping bags, and even carried a box of fruit with a disposable fork sticking out, an obvious sign that Jiang Zhe had been eating from it recently.

Seeing Qin Jingchen in this state, Fen Ye took some items from Qin He’s hands to carry, maintaining the same pattern as Qin Jingchen.

Qin He: “Mr. Fen, there’s really no need to force a style.”

“It’s about time to head back,” Jiang Zhe declared.

Xun Yining also wanted to return early to rest.

The group boarded the car and headed back to the hotel.

“For tomorrow’s competition, should we go to cheer on-site? We’re not familiar with this competition; Miss Jiang, could you introduce us to it?” Qin He earnestly asked.

“There is no on-site audience; this is a design competition. The contestants work on their sketches and designs in their notebooks, and final products are made after some time. You wouldn’t see much just sitting there, so there’s no seating for spectators,” Jiang Zhe briefly explained.

“Oh, never mind then,” Qin He said, a bit disappointed. He had wanted to bring banners and light sticks for support, as he’d seen others prepare when attending such events.

Xun Yining laughed, “I start at 8:30 in the morning and should be done by about two or three in the afternoon.”

“So long?”

“A complete set of designs takes quite a bit of time indeed,” Xun Yining said, “and that’s with prior preparation.”

Jiang Zhe said, “Just focus on the competition, and if you finish early, you can still come out for lunch.”

“Okay,” Xun Yining smiled.

Back at the hotel, it was just nine o’clock, not a minute more or less.

Jiang Zhe waved goodbye to Qin Jingchen and the others, then headed straight into the hotel after getting out of the car.

The three children followed closely behind.

Qin He couldn’t stop expressing his admiration for Jiang Zhe, and while watching her retreating figure, he exclaimed, “Miss Jiang is so cool.”

A smile played upon Qin Jingchen’s deep-set eyes.

…

The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Zhe went to send off Xun Yining.

The competition venue was more than twenty minutes away by car, and Qin He had arrived early.

Jiang Zhe originally didn’t want Xiaoqi and Fang Ting to follow them on this trip, but since both wanted to see off Xun Yining, she didn’t stop them.

“Good morning, Miss Jiang!” greeted Qin He, “Master Qin has some business during the day and has to attend a meeting at the department, but he said he’ll rush over to join everyone for lunch.”

“That’s fine,” Jiang Zhe settled into the car, her manner cool and detached.

Xun Yining, however, gripped his hands tightly, trying to relax.

Although he had participated in some small competitions before, this was his first encounter with a large-scale one.

This was a preliminary contest that designers from Dragon Emperor Country would join, and those who ranked high might have the chance to participate in the international semifinals—essentially, the international finals.

For him, it was both a challenge and an opportunity.

Fang Ting and Xiaoqi wouldn’t be competing, but they could feel the importance of the contest and didn’t dare to disturb Xun Yining, fearing it would affect his mood for the competition.

Only Qin He kept pointing out the scenery along the way to them.

Jiang Zhe, however, maintained her usual demeanor—cool and composed, as if no matter what happened, she would always carry the same expression.

Her state of being oddly calmed Xun Yining down.

At the competition venue, today was busy with people coming and going.

There were countless competitors and those accompanying them.

With so many people, Jiang Zhe decided not to let Fang Ting and Xiaoqi get off, accompanying Xun Yining to the entrance herself.

“Go on,” Jiang Zhe said, “I’ll be waiting here afterwards.”

“Okay,” Xun Yining turned and entered.

On the other side, Jiang Fanyue had also arrived.

Compared to other competitors who came by themselves or at most with friends, she was surrounded by many people, including Liang Jinlan, and also Han Jiayan and Gu Jiaheng came together.

“Fanyue, give it your all in the competition,” Han Jiayan was truly pleased; she had personally accompanied Jiang Fanyue to the National Conservatory of Music to meet Zhou Yaming not long before, and within just a few days, Jiang Fanyue was here to participate in the design competition.

This gentle-looking girl, seemingly the quiet type, surprised many with her impressive abilities, each one capable of outclassing numerous others.

Having nothing else to do, she made the trip specifically to accompany Jiang Fanyue.

“I will, Aunt Gu,” Jiang Fanyue said tenderly, “Thank you and Jiaheng for taking the trouble to accompany me here.”