Zhan Ruoqing's face turned green.
She had deliberately avoided Ye Zhi today because she knew that Ye Zhi and Qi Xuan were in the throes of a passionate romance and would surely be glued together wherever they went. Thus, she wisely chose not to be a third wheel.
But no one had told her she'd be stuck with Cen Ya!
If she had known this would happen, she would have preferred to be the third wheel!
Cen Ya said nervously, "Hello, I'm Cen Ya. I'm from Country K, and Shan Jin Jewelry is our family's..."
"I've heard of you," Zhan Ruoqing said politely. In such a public setting, basic courtesy was still necessary.
Cen Ya beamed with delight, "Miss Zhan, you've heard of our Cen family too..."
Zhan Ruoqing: ...
Help! Why would someone take polite words as truth?!
"Is there something you need?" Zhan Ruoqing's attitude became even colder.
"It's like this," Cen Ya said quickly. "I've started a clothing design studio. Recently, I designed a gown that would be perfect for you, and I wanted to gift it to you..."
"Why would you give it to me?" Zhan Ruoqing frowned. "Giving me a gift out of the blue, do you want to be friends with me, or do you want me to invest in your studio?"
Cen Ya was stunned. She truly hadn't expected Zhan Ruoqing to be so direct.
Her intention, of course, was to use this gift as an opportunity to build a good relationship with Zhan Ruoqing.
Ou Minghan had previously mentioned that his plan was to snatch all of Ye Zhi's business partners. She wanted to help Ou Minghan, so she was preparing to cooperate with him by snatching Ye Zhi's best friend.
However, if she said she just wanted to be friends with Zhan Ruoqing, wouldn't Zhan Ruoqing think she was hypocritical?
Soon, Cen Ya answered affirmatively, "Of course, I hope to become good friends with Miss Zhan. If I can take this opportunity to gain your approval for my studio, that would be even better!"
Zhan Ruoqing looked at Cen Ya with a detached expression. She still didn't quite understand why Cen Ya had approached her. But she understood that Cen Ya intended to latch onto her. If she simply refused Cen Ya a few times, it would likely be difficult to make Cen Ya give up.
"I don't accept just any clothes. Does your studio have any well-known designers?" Zhan Ruoqing asked.
Cen Ya immediately became a bit flustered, "The studio has just opened. Currently, it's just me and two assistants responsible for the design work..."
Zhan Ruoqing was astonished, "You mean, your studio doesn't even have a single well-known designer? Isn't this just a small workshop?"
Cen Ya hurriedly defended, "This, this is just temporary. In the future, the studio will hire well-known designers and cultivate many new talents belonging to the studio itself..."
"Wait," Zhan Ruoqing frowned, "What you're saying is confusing me. What kind of future development plan does your studio have?"
Cen Ya was stumped by her question. She didn't understand. Wasn't she here to make friends? Why did it feel like an interview?
After thinking for a while, she said uneasily, "It, it's developing towards fashion..."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Ruoqing was greatly shocked. With such a vague and empty answer, it seemed Cen Ya hadn't planned anything at all!
"I'm not talking about that," Zhan Ruoqing couldn't help but say. "Who is the main target audience for the clothing your studio designs? Wait, when you established your studio, you didn't even consider this issue, did you?"
Cen Ya opened her mouth, her heart filled with confusion. Was this something she needed to consider?
She said nervously, "Our, the clothes we design are for all customers..."
Zhan Ruoqing spoke eloquently, "Are you kidding me? The needs of different customer groups are completely different, you know? For example, the lower-tier market doesn't have very high demands for clothing design; they are more concerned with clothes being cheap, comfortable, and durable. If you want to go for a light luxury route, then besides having unique and attractive designs, your brand must be well-known, able to prove the taste and financial strength of the person wearing the clothes. If you want to do high-end private customization, then only world-renowned designers can attract the corresponding customers. Without master designs, why would anyone spend a lot of money buying clothes from your studio? Even as an outsider, I know that the needs of these three groups are completely different. If you go for the lower-tier market, do you think the other two groups will be willing to give your studio a second look? If you go for the light luxury or customization route, in the eyes of users in the lower-tier market, it's no different from being labeled as low quality and high price; do you think they'll be willing to buy?"
"This, I..." Cen Ya stammered, completely unable to speak.
Seeing her dumbfounded look, Zhan Ruoqing was even more shocked. She had a bit of gossip interest when she heard Cen Ya mention starting a studio, thinking of gathering some information for Ye Zhi. As a result, Cen Ya hadn't even considered such basic questions? She couldn't help but complain, "Cen Ya, don't you think that as long as you design a few clothes casually, you'll receive countless praises, and countless people will come to you with money asking you to design clothes, renowned designers will kneel and beg to become your apprentices, and money will fly directly into your account? No way, no way? Don't you really think building a career is this simple?"
Cen Ya's face turned red and white. When her studio first started, she had indeed envisioned it this way. Now, having her innermost thoughts exposed so bluntly by Zhan Ruoqing, she couldn't help but become angry and embarrassed. She argued unwillingly, "But, but the clothes I design are really beautiful!"
"I absolutely believe that," Zhan Ruoqing said, crossing her arms. "You've lived a life of luxury since childhood. Ye family provided you with the best in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities. Therefore, your aesthetic in fashion has a higher starting point than ordinary people. In fact, in this regard, you are even better than Ye Zhi."
When she mentioned the Ye family, Cen Ya was originally uncomfortable. But upon hearing the last sentence, she couldn't help but be surprised and secretly pleased. She knew then that she was no worse than Ye Zhi.
"But what's the point?" Zhan Ruoqing said mockingly. "There are plenty of people who can design beautiful clothes! Not to mention, look at the clothes from Journey to the West; each one of them, taken individually, can outshine so-called first-tier brands. And there are many employees in design companies; do you think their sensitivity to fashion is worse than yours? Even if your designs are beautiful, if your studio has no reputation, your clothes still won't attract suckers to buy them! Even if you give them away for free, people will only think they're a pile of trash!"
"You, you..." Cen Ya's face turned pale. She never expected Zhan Ruoqing to insult her like this, calling her designs a pile of trash.