Chapter 46 - Interview
Dolce Juliet was a store founded by two designers; Dolcie Wynch and Juliet Brad. Their design philosophy was luxury fashion, and their positioning was mid-to-high class.
Before entering the store, Sheng Jiaoyang cautioned Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu to not make a fool of themselves on as she would help them interpret. She briefly explained the store’s philosophy and positioning in the market, giving the two a heads-up.
With an awesome team captain like this by their side, even if they were somewhat nervous, they weren’t afraid at all. On the contrary, their hearts were filled with a kind of heroic spirit and excitement. As long as Xu Jiaojiao was there, there was nothing to be afraid of.
The situation at the store became apparent as soon as they entered.
Display window, clothes rack, and a semi-circular sofa arranged in the middle. The two designers were sitting on the sofa, waiting for someone to arrive.
At first glance, the disposition of many outfits was of a deep, cool colour. However, they could see that the designers had put in quite a bit of effort. From the fabrics to the designs, and from the patterns to the details, every piece of clothing was of superior quality.
As soon as Sheng Jiaoyang stepped in, she greeted the two designers in Italian.
Upon hearing this, Dolce and Juliet put down their teacups and stood up.
“Welcome! I thought we’d have to wait a long time!” When the other party spoke in their own language, the designer who’d previously worried about communication issues relaxed immediately. She then looked at the three candidates much more amicably.
“We wanted to stagger the interviews with the other contestants, to not bring you any trouble,” said Sheng Jiaoyang with a slight smile.
“Dear, how should we address you?” asked Dolce.
“I'm Xu Jiaojiao, but you can call me Jiao.” After introducing herself, she also introduced her two teammates. “This is Wang Wei, and she’s Pu Mingyu."
Knowing that they were still in a competition, the two designers were very understanding and didn’t continue their idle chat. They gave each of them a set of clothing and brought them, along with the cameraman, to the studio on the second floor. The things here were very comprehensive, and there was even a simple photo studio.
While they were going up the stairs, Juliet introduced her and Dolce’s style and suggested the kind of feeling they were striving for. Since Sheng Jiaoyang was there, Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu grasped the designers’ requirements very quickly.
Sheng Jiaoyang was the first to be photographed. She changed her clothes and received praise from the designers as soon as she stepped out.
“Jiao, you fit our vision perfectly.”
“Your disposition is truly great!”
“If not for the requirements of your competition show, we would’ve decided on you right away.”
“Juliet, tell me. When you look at her, aren’t you filled with inspiration once again?”
“That’s right, Jiao’s wonderful!”
The two designers gossiped excitedly.
The cameraman captured this scene, not at all understanding why the two designers were so delighted.
“Let’s start! Jiao, you can pose as you wish. Your temperament allows you to fit our style, no matter what pose you make,” said Dolce amiably.
Since the designer had said it, Sheng Jiaoyang naturally had no issues. She just made some casual poses for the shoot, and when she was done, she went to change her outfit.
Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu didn’t give off the same bright feeling in the designers’ eyes. However, with Pu Mingyu’s work experience and Sheng Jiaoyang’s advice, she managed to meet the designers’ requirements.
The designers immediately decided on having Sheng Jiaoyang and Pu Mingyu as their poster ads model and handed their invitation cards to the two of them. As for Wang Wei, who wasn’t chosen this time, they apologized sincerely and gave her a small gift.
Wang Wei was slightly disappointed when she wasn’t selected, but this wasn’t surprising to her. In the beginning, when she’d heard about the style of this store, she already knew that she wouldn’t be a good fit. In addition, she’d received a small gift, so she didn’t feel sad about it. She even congratulated Sheng Jiaoyang and Pu Mingyu with a smile.
With the driver’s help, they arrived at the next clothing store very quickly.
Having a trump card like Sheng Jiaoyang, Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu benefited greatly from it. The designers’ requirements and suggestions were promptly and accurately relayed to them, so this was especially helpful. Comparably, if students were asked to write an essay, then could the results of those who knew the subject of the essay and those who didn’t know the subject be the same?
Everyone could use English to communicate, but most of these designers were native Italians, and Italian was their mother tongue. Speaking the native language would certainly allow them to express themselves better. Even if they were to speak English, not every contestant could communicate as fluently as Sheng Jiaoyang.
When they left the third store, Wang Wei also had an invitation card.
“Jiaojiao, following you is truly blissful. I can’t believe that I also got an invitation card.” Wang Wei flipped through the invitation card excitedly.
Pu Mingyu had two invitation cards in each hand. The third store had only chosen Wang Wei and still had one invitation card left. They said that they wanted to see the potential of the other contestants before deciding.
Even so, their team had already secured an invincible spot. After all, the invitation cards of the two farthest stores were now in their hands.
“Luo Yi!” Pu Mingyu suddenly raised her hand to greet someone across the road.
Sheng Jiaoyang looked over. As expected, it was Xiao Yang, Luo Yi, and Chen Han.
Luo Yi's English was fine, so they probably wouldn’t have much trouble during this expedition.
“Are you girls preparing to go in or are you leaving?” The three of them crossed the road and neared them.
“We’ve already entered,” answered Pu Mingyu.
Xiao Yang saw the invitation card in Wang Wei's hand and asked, “Did you girls get ahold of all the invitation cards from this store already?”
“No, they’ve one more left.” Wang Wei swung her invitation card in an ostentatious way.
“You’ve been to the last two stores already?” Luo Yi suddenly asked.
Wang Wei was about to answer when Pu Mingyu gently pulled on her sleeve. Only then did she realise that they were still in a competition and that some information wasn’t appropriate to disclose to others.
Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at her two teammates, and then turned to Luo Yi before saying, “There’s no need for you girls to go further.”
After saying that, she urged Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu to get in the car.
“I was just wondering how they could be so fast, and it turns out they have a car. I remember that when they set off they also took a taxi. How come they still have money left? That shouldn’t be the case, right?” Chen Han questioned doubtfully.
“There’s a cameraman following them, so they wouldn’t dare break the rules. Let's hurry and go in!” replied Xiao Yang.
“Then…are we still going to the next two stores after this?” asked Luo Yi.
Xiao Yang hesitated a bit before finally saying, “Yes, if we don’t go and take a look then we wouldn’t feel content.”
“That’s right! Who knows if Xu Jiaojiao lied to us or not?” Chen Han agreed.
Luo Yi nodded and didn’t say anything else.
Meanwhile, Sheng Jiaoyang’s team arrived at the location of the second store. When they went in, Yin Meiling’s team were still in the middle of their photoshoot.
This store’s designer was Chinese. When Sheng Jiaoyang walked in, she happened to be deliberating about whether to give Yin Meiling the remaining invitation card or not. As soon as she saw Sheng Jiaoyang, her eyes brightened and she immediately put the invitation card away.
“How come you’re so late?” asked the designer.
She spoke Mandarin so Wang Wei found it particularly pleasant to the ear and quickly replied, “We came from the final store.”
The designer had a surprised expression on her face. “Then, you girls are surprisingly fast!”
Sheng Jiaoyang got right to the point and asked. “Do we still stand a chance?”
“There’s one last chance. I’ll pick out a set of clothes for you girls, so quickly go and change into them.”
Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu were quite happy. Even if there was only one chance, as long as there was still one, that was a good thing.
Upon seeing that the three of them had arrived, Yin Meiling felt somewhat unhappy. Since the designer hadn’t taken out the invitation card yet, it was clear that she wanted to check the performance of Xu Jiaojiao’s team before making the final decision. They didn’t want to miss this opportunity, so they had no choice but to wait on the side.
In the end, they were watching and watching until the invitation card landed in someone else’s hand.
Yin Meiling and her teammates were very disappointed and were on the verge of tears. They hadn’t managed to get even one invitation card yet, but there were still three stores left so they had no choice but to cheer up and rush to the next store.
“Congratulations, Jiaojiao!” Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu congratulated her sincerely.
Sheng Jiaoyang smiled.
When they returned to the car, Sheng Jiaoyang asked the driver to bring them back to the place where they’d departed from.
“Jiaojiao, aren't we going to the first store anymore?” asked Wang Wei.
“The two other teams must’ve been there already. I'm sure that there are no chances left, so we might as well go back earlier. Jiaojiao, am I right?” Pu Mingyu turned around to seek Sheng Jiaoyang’s affirmation.
“That’s right.” Sheng Jiaoyang nodded.
The driver asked them how their interviews had gone. When he heard them say that they went well, he was ecstatic and wished them all the best to win this competition.
When Sheng Jiaoyang got off the car, she gave the driver the pocket money which they’d received from the production crew. She said that it wasn’t their travel fare, but a good omen to win the competition and wished the driver a lifetime of peace.
The uncle waved his hand and drove away at ease.
Seeing this team leaving in a car and coming back in a car, the staff members stationed at the starting point were astounded. The first thing Zhuo Yiyan did was inquire about this, and he learnt that the driver had voluntarily driven them the whole journey. Zhuo Yiyan could only sigh at Xu Jiaojiao’s abilities.
When the remaining two teams returned in low spirits, they saw the three from Jiaojiao’s team leisurely drinking cold drinks and eating a sumptuous lunch, while there was only a bowl of instant noodles waiting for them, making them feel extremely bad.
xYuna's ThoughtsTL: Yuna | Editor: Purpledragon | TLC: Grace