Chapter 59：The sun is rising from the west

Upon hearing Luo Xuan's words, Li Weijie couldn't help but be taken aback. He almost blurted out, "How do you know?" 

It was true. 

Li Weijie used to have a passion for hairstyling, but it was just a hobby. He didn't want to make a living out of it. 

He believed that as long as he could sustain a simple life with income from haircuts, that would be sufficient. 

The peaceful and contented life in town was what he truly enjoyed, and hairstyling was merely a hobby.

His participation in various competitions and workshops served the same purpose: to improve his skills, not necessarily to achieve first place. He treated them as exams of sorts, given that the judges were professionals. 

By making it to the finals and ranking among the top, his skills had already been recognized. 

The main reason for participating was to receive feedback and recognition from professional judges.

Since he didn't aspire to be in the first place, why should he hinder others' prospects? 

Furthermore, achieving first place would undoubtedly attract attention from salons and hair studios, possibly leading to invitations to join them, which would bring about some minor inconveniences. 

Therefore, Li Weijie intentionally held back during competitions, showcasing his skills alongside fellow contestants while not overshadowing talented participants.

Seeing Li Weijie's expression, Luo Xuan was certain that his guess was correct. 

Although Luo Xuan had paid attention to Li Weijie's competition results, he had only served as a judge in two of them. 

How could he possibly know about all the competitions? 

His previous words were mere speculation.

"Indeed, it seems you are quite modest," Luo Xuan patted Li Weijie's shoulder and sighed, "It's rare to see someone who understands the value of keeping a low profile. You are not swayed by fame and fortune, which is commendable. Miss Xu didn't misjudge you."

Li Weijie felt a bit embarrassed and said, "I'm not as noble as you think. I used to consider hairstyling purely as a hobby and didn't want it to become a burden. Well, now it seems I can't resist the temptations of fame and fortune, right?"

Luo Xuan smiled and said, "Don't say that. There are many paths to success. Hairstyle design can be a means of earning a living, and at the same time, it can be art. It all depends on how you measure it. By the way, your foundation and creative potential are good, but your works still have many flaws. Have you made any improvements?"

Upon hearing this, Li Weijie's mind raced, and he humbly asked, "I haven't been working at Sejue for very long, so I'm still learning. I hope you can give me some guidance, Teacher Luo."

Li Weijie had long ignited Luo Xuan's admiration, but Luo Xuan was burdened with his responsibilities and didn't have time to approach Li Weijie. 

Thus, the matter was put aside. 

Now that Luo Xuan saw Xu Rong taking a keen interest in Li Weijie, he felt delighted. 

So he thought about it and without any reservations, he expressed his opinion:

"I'm not sure if you deliberately concealed it, but after seeing your works in two competitions, both I and the other judges shared the same opinion. Your strong points are solid fundamental skills and good creativity, but your shortcomings include a lack of urban fashion sense and obvious lack of experience, making your execution less skillful."

Faced with Luo Xuan's straightforward critique, Li Weijie was startled and then pondered deeply. Living in the town, his understanding of fashion was limited to what was portrayed in the media, lacking a true sense of urban fashion. 

While he had some experience, it mainly involved working on lifeless mannequins, with very few opportunities for real clients. 

These were indeed his weaknesses!

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Luo. This is exactly what I need to improve," Li Weijie sincerely expressed his gratitude.

With a sense of wonderment, Li Weijie couldn't help but ask himself why Xu Rong hadn't pointed these things out earlier, considering her keen eye. 

However, he quickly realized the key point: Xu Rong had arranged for him to work as an assistant on the ground floor precisely to provide him with hands-on practice and real-world experience in dealing with numerous clients. She wanted to enhance his grasp of fashion tastes!

Although she didn't say it directly, she let me experience it firsthand, likely to avoid undermining my confidence and subtly address my shortcomings. 

Li Weijie appreciated Xu Rong even more upon realizing this.

"You don't need to thank me. It just happened to come up, so I brought it up directly. Even if I hadn't mentioned it, I believe Miss Xu would have taken the time to talk to you," Luo Xuan waved his hand and smiled.

Li Weijie felt that Luo Xuan was a good person. He spoke directly and clearly without hiding anything, making him an approachable friend. 

Li Weijie opened up his thoughts and engaged in a conversation, discussing things he wanted to know and seeking advice on hairstyling-related matters.

After the period of being Xu Rong's assistant and benefiting from Shen Mengli's influence and guidance, Li Weijie transformed from an amateur designer with a touch of naivety into a professional. 

He had completed the stage of being an assistant, and he had truly developed into a qualified hairstylist at Sejue, not just in terms of changing his job title but also in terms of personal growth.

Of course, Li Weijie himself didn't realize it yet, or rather, he hadn't felt it. He was used to using exams to assess his abilities. This time, the evaluation by the judges would be his test.

After the satisfied judges took a break before the official meeting, they continued chatting and joking around, extending it to dinner time. 

After the organizers arranged for dinner, everyone went their separate ways.

Li Weijie didn't have any plans, nor did he feel like going out. He returned to his hotel room instead. Having been out all day, he couldn't help but worry about those two girls. He wondered if they had been discovered or surrounded by fans or reporters.

Before entering his room, he thought about how the room had been paid for by someone else. It was only natural to show some concern. So Li Weijie pressed the doorbell of the suite.

After waiting for a while, just when he thought the two hadn't returned yet, the door opened, and there stood Lai Yayan with a slightly stiff smile.

"Oh... You're both here. Did you have fun today?" Li Weijie smiled faintly.

"Hehe, it was fun, it was fun," Lai Yayan forced a smile and glanced at him. 

"Did you just come back? Come in and have a seat."

Seeing her smile, Li Weijie couldn't help but wonder if the sun had risen from the west! 

Her attitude was so out of character. 

Could there be some ulterior motive behind it?