28

The seven designers waited in the living room for about twenty minutes before the M.Crush group emerged with the final results. Compared to their earlier energy, the seven members now showed subtle shifts in mood — some were noticeably excited, while others seemed sullen.

The host worked to liven up the atmosphere, using an exaggerated tone, "The discussions were intense! Your designs were all incredibly impressive, making it hard to decide. Our M.Crush members took more time than expected to finalize the rankings."

She smiled and waved the card in her hand, "Fortunately, we now have the final list, which will determine the order in which you'll pick your rooms."

"Let's start by announcing third place."

Several designers sat up straighter on the couch.

"The highlight of the third-place design is its bold off-shoulder style, which emphasizes the group members' figures while maintaining a strong aesthetic. With a total score of 84 points, third place goes to…"

As soon as the host mentioned "off-shoulder," the designers who hadn't used that element knew it wasn't them. Shi Yue, taking a sip of water, discreetly glanced around and noticed Zhou Leya frowning.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the host called Zhou Leya's name.

Amid scattered applause, Zhou Leya stood up and gave a simple bow to everyone.

The host noticed her expression and asked, "You don't seem too happy. Are you dissatisfied with the ranking?"

Zhou Leya nodded slightly, "Not being in first place is a failure in my eyes."

The host quickly explained, "This was just a small test to determine the room selection order, with rankings based entirely on M.Crush's personal preferences. For the official competition, professional designers will join the judging panel, providing more objective scores.

"So regardless of your score here, don't take it too seriously."

Zhou Leya seemed to accept this explanation and sat back down.

"Now for second place!" the host continued, "To be honest, the design in second place tied with the first-place entry in the initial round of scoring, both receiving an impressive 92 points! This made it difficult for M.Crush to decide the final ranking.

"But in the end, there can only be one winner. Let's take a look at the second-place design—"

The screen lit up with three cheongsam designs, which were none other than Shi Yue's sketches.

Unlike Zhou Leya, Shi Yue wasn't overly ambitious and accepted the result easily. When joking with the host, she said, "Now I'm really looking forward to seeing the first-place design. I'm curious what kind of creation earned such high marks from all of M.Crush."

Hearing this, the group's liveliest member, KK, winked at her, "The captain and I liked your designs the best, but unfortunately…" She shrugged. "the others preferred another set."

Shi Yue smiled politely, "Thank you."

The host, however, wasn't done teasing, "Since Miss Shi Yue is eager to see the first-place design, let's first announce…"

"The fourth to seventh place entries!"

The camera zoomed in on Shi Yue, who pursed her lips in a helpless smile, offering no further comment.

It was clear that the designs ranked lower didn't receive much attention. However, it was worth noting that Shi Fang, who landed in last place, had also chosen to base her designs on a cheongsam. Her entry bore a striking resemblance to Shi Yue's first sequin cheongsam.

The moment Shi Yue saw the design, she knew what had happened and shot a warning look at Shi Fang. But Shi Fang, seemingly anticipating this, turned away before their eyes could meet, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

Since the designs were only similar in style, it was at most an unfortunate coincidence rather than outright plagiarism. Shi Yue chose not to make a scene and calmly averted her eyes.

As for first place, it was no surprise that the honor went to Shen Lingling, who had been brimming with confidence from the start.

"In just one hour, Miss Shen Lingling produced five design sketches, which far exceeded our expectations. Even more impressive is that despite the quantity, she paid close attention to detail, creating outfits that resonated deeply with the M.Crush members," the host praised enthusiastically. "Let's give a big round of applause to Miss Shen Lingling!"

Shi Yue joined the applause along with the others, but as she looked at the five dresses displayed on the screen, her brows gradually furrowed.

It wasn't that she felt unfairly beaten — she could admit that Shen Lingling's designs were superior in both quantity and quality. What puzzled her was how Shen Lingling managed to complete five detailed designs in just one hour, while Shi Yue had struggled to finish three, with the last one still missing some details. How had Shen Lingling managed to execute five polished designs with such precision?

It was almost as if the designs had already existed in her mind, and she simply reproduced them without needing to think.

Glancing at Shen Lingling, Shi Yue noticed the smug curve of her lips.

M.Crush stepped forward to embrace Shen Lingling, and after some parting words from the host, they left the villa.

Once they were gone, the host announced the first round's official task: "As you can see, the first competition challenge is to design performance outfits for the M.Crush members. Today's mini-test was just a warm-up, and I'm sure you all have a good sense of their preferences by now. You'll have one week to prepare three completed outfits.

"As I mentioned before, aside from M.Crush's evaluations, three esteemed judges will also provide professional scores. I'm confident the final results will reflect everyone's true abilities."

She flashed a bright smile, "We're excited to see what you come up with."

Shi Yue exhaled in relief.

An entire week to prepare would allow her to thoroughly develop her designs.

Afterward, the staff directed the designers to select their rooms. As the second to choose, Shi Yue picked the most secluded room on the third floor, which was also the quietest, ensuring she wouldn't be disturbed.

Dragging her suitcase into the room, Shi Yue found the spacious, comfortable environment relaxing. However, she soon noticed a camera hanging from the ceiling. Not wanting to risk any privacy breaches, she immediately searched the room. Fortunately, there was only one camera, and as long as she was mindful of its placement, her privacy wouldn't be compromised.

Finally at ease, Shi Yue set her suitcase aside and sat on the bed to rest.

She checked her phone and found several unread messages, all from Leng Yanmi.

Leng Yanmi was about to finish her business trip in Europe and would return to the country the following Tuesday.

Shi Yue smiled helplessly.

[Got it, welcome back, Auntie.]

Leng Yanmi: [Do you have any plans for Tuesday? My assistant will be heading to the airport and can give you a ride.]

Along with this message, Leng Yanmi had sent her detailed flight information, including the exact time she would land. Even though she hadn't outright said it, the hint that she expected Shi Yue to come and pick her up was pretty obvious.

Shi Yue sighed.

[If your assistant is picking you up, I'm relieved. Safe travels, Auntie.]

After a brief silence, Leng Yanmi replied: [What about you?]

Shi Yue sent a crying emoji and explained truthfully: [The designer competition has already started, and I'll need the entire week to prepare my entry for the first round. I might not have time to go to the airport.]

[I'll make it up to you with a welcome party when I have time, okay?]

Leng Yanmi: [Not okay.]

Shi Yue sent another crying emoji.

Leng Yanmi: [When you have time? When exactly will that be?]

Shi Yue thought for a moment: [Maybe... after the competition? It depends on the schedule.]

Leng Yanmi: [...]

Shi Yue knew that Leng Yanmi was likely upset, but there wasn't much she could do. The competition required her full participation, and even if she could go out, a photographer would be assigned to follow her, making it impossible to act freely.

Moreover, with Leng Yanmi being the head of Leng Corporation, the competition's main sponsor, any photos of them together during the event would undoubtedly fuel rumors.

Shi Yue preferred to avoid meeting during the competition to prevent unnecessary gossip.

She quickly edited these thoughts into a message and sent it to Leng Yanmi, confident that her aunt would understand the reasoning.

After a while, Leng Yanmi finally responded.

[Then don't come.]

[I didn't really need you to pick me up anyway. I only told you because I thought you might want to come.]

[The designer competition is important for your career. It's good that you're prioritizing it. I was worried you might be distracted by me, but it seems you're handling things well.]

[Don't come.]

[My assistant will pick me up. I don't need you there.]

[...]

Shi Yue couldn't help but laugh.

It was the first time she had seen Leng Yanmi act so childish. Despite saying "don't come," she was clearly upset about Shi Yue's refusal.

Since Shi Yue wasn't ready to start working yet, she decided to tease her aunt a little: [I've thought it over. I shouldn't let the competition interfere with my life. I'll ask for time off and come pick you up on Tuesday, okay?]

Leng Yanmi's complaints stopped immediately, and she quickly replied with an eager [Okay].

Perhaps realizing she had been too eager, she then sent another message, trying to sound indifferent: [It's up to you. I don't really mind.]

Shi Yue couldn't suppress her laughter: [Oh.]

Then she added: [Just kidding.]

This time, Leng Yanmi didn't respond.

Instead, her phone rang.

Glancing at the camera, Shi Yue quickly slipped into the bathroom before answering.

"Hello? Auntie?"

"Shi. Yue." The low voice on the other end enunciated her name slowly, before a threatening question followed, "Are you playing with me?"

Shi Yue, feeling mischievous, dodged the question.

"Auntie, I miss you."

The other end of the line went silent.

"Really," Shi Yue continued, her voice soft and teasing, "I miss you so much. I want to see you right away, talk to you face-to-face, and… hold you."

She could hear the sound of Leng Yanmi swallowing.

After a pause, Leng Yanmi responded with a restrained, "Mm."

Shi Yue sighed, "I'm at the competition's villa, and I won't be able to leave until it's over."

"But you know I want to see you."

"...I know." Leng Yanmi's voice softened.

"Do well in the competition," she added. "Don't worry about anything else."