Ultimately, Fang Xiaoyuan became the champion of Caiwei Fashion Apprenticeship, a program that lasted for nearly ten months and spanned almost the entire year of 2004. She was then accepted as a disciple by Qu Wei on the spot. It was also announced that Fang Xiaoyuan would become the chief designer for "Caiwei," a sub-brand of Liushangqushui Caiwei. Her first independent collection, the spring main line, would go on sale in all Caiwei showrooms worldwide in March 2005, and related blind boxes would also be available from Jiangnan Blind Box.
Although the blind boxes would also contain items from the spring main line, they would be rare, alternate-color versions of the spring main line. Of course, with nearly four months still to go until March 2005, it was a rather long wait. However, Caiwei's showrooms had already opened in the core areas of all first and second-tier cities across the country, and they couldn't be left empty. Therefore, Caiwei would be stocking the works of the top eight contestants tomorrow, meaning the outfits designed by the top eight contestants during the top eight competition would be publicly sold in Caiwei showrooms.
Good heavens, seven of these top eight contestants ultimately failed to advance, but this did not prevent their creations from starting to generate profit and publicity for the Caiwei brand. Furthermore, it was foreseeable that the designs from the top four competition, as well as the semi-finals and even the finals, would all be featured in Caiwei showrooms and become available for public sale.
And for the outfits that had captured the attention of people nationwide, once they were actually released into the market, giving everyone the opportunity to purchase them, one could easily imagine the immense influence they would unleash.
After all, these were the works of bona fide design masters!
Wearing an outfit that had appeared on television would immediately inform all Chinese citizens that I was wealthy!
However, clothing was not the hottest topic after the conclusion of this variety show. The hottest topic ultimately remained focused on Leng Zhiwen.
It couldn't be helped. His cross-dressing performance was simply too stunning, so stunning that all men were captivated by it. From the moment he appeared, he was hailed with the title of the most beautiful Chang'e in history.
Of course, no one knew what the real Chang'e looked like. Here, the most beautiful Chang'e referred to the most beautiful among all actresses who had ever portrayed Chang'e. This title carried considerable weight. It was well known that before 2004, anyone who dared to play Chang'e was invariably one of the top beauties in China and abroad. The fact that Leng Zhiwen, a man in women's attire, could outshine them all and claim this title was practically invincible.
However, this transformation left Leng Zhiwen's fans somewhat bewildered. The majority of Leng Zhiwen's fans were naturally girls. Such a handsome and dashing man would naturally be adored by girls.
But when they discovered that their idol, upon transforming into a woman, was even more beautiful than themselves, it was quite a blow, leaving the fans in a state of confusion for quite some time.
However, a major characteristic of women is that they are not too averse to same-sex relationships. You can often see two girls of similar age, who are not relatives or friends, sharing a bed together, but you would never see two men of the same age sharing a bed to sleep.
Therefore, even though they experienced a moment of bewilderment when their idol transformed into a woman and looked so beautiful, they quickly felt that this was perhaps not so bad. They could now "stan" together... well, at least they didn't have to worry about their idol "hooking up with fans."
Ah, speaking of which, it's worth mentioning that while normal girls are more likely to form close same-sex relationships, if they were to actually come out and become homosexual, the number of gay men would far exceed the number of lesbians. This is quite strange, and it's unclear why.
Besides Leng Zhiwen's vast number of female fans being somewhat confused, the biggest benefit of this event was that Leng Zhiwen inexplicably gained a legion of male fans. Many men were completely smitten by Leng Zhiwen's appearance in women's clothing.
However, this group of fans had to remain in the shadows. After all, if others were to discover that they were attracted to a man because of his appearance in women's clothing, it would be social suicide.
Of course, this did not prevent them from secretly liking him in their hearts, much like how, over a decade later, a large number of "cross-dressing streamers" emerged online, attracting donations from numerous "top big brothers." It was essentially the same phenomenon.
However, for every gain, there is a loss. Leng Zhiwen also garnered a significant number of anti-fans. These anti-fans bashed Leng Zhiwen online, calling him neither male nor female, a "monster," and someone who corrupted social morals. They demanded he be banned from the entertainment industry, claiming he was misleading the youth.
For a time, a considerable wave of controversy swept across the internet. Leng Zhiwen seemed to be facing universal condemnation. After all, the internet at that time was still dominated by male netizens. It wouldn't be until the rise of mobile internet in the future that women would become the dominant force in online public opinion.
While Leng Zhiwen was causing quite a stir domestically, he was also about to gain fame in the United States, all thanks to the movie "Seek Xian·Tianting."
Zuckerberg had no interest in Eastern culture. However, recently, he had fallen for an Asian girl. In an effort to pursue this girl, Zuckerberg decided to invite her to watch an Eastern film to foster their relationship.
This girl's name was Priscilla Chan. From her name, it was clear she was the second generation of Westernized Chinese, a bona fide American. Her father owned a Chinese restaurant, and she was essentially a native-born American. She had no particular affinity for China; it simply didn't exist for her.
However, since she was of Chinese descent, Zuckerberg desperately wanted to cater to her interests. Thus, he invited her to watch an Eastern film. Coincidentally, Zuckerberg had also seen the movie's trailer and knew about a recent Eastern fantasy epic film directed by the director of the "Lord of the Rings" series. He figured it wouldn't be too bad, even though Zuckerberg had absolutely no interest in such Eastern films.
To Zuckerberg's disappointment, although Priscilla Chan accepted his invitation to watch the movie with him, she stated very directly upon meeting him, "Zack, I'm actually not interested in this movie at all!"
"Not interested? Why?" Zuckerberg was stunned. This was the movie he had specifically prepared to bring them closer. Why would she have no interest? Was he about to meet his end before he even got started?
"Because I'm not Chinese, nor am I of Chinese descent. I am a descendant of Vietnamese refugees. While I might have a little Chinese blood in me, I don't like that country. I have absolutely no interest in this kind of Eastern fantasy epic from China," Priscilla Chan said calmly.
"Ah?" Zuckerberg was somewhat bewildered. He didn't realize Priscilla Chan had such a complex background. Seeing Zuckerberg's dumbfounded expression, Priscilla Chan couldn't help but chuckle, "It's like this, my grandfather was indeed born in China. He was even a Chinese military officer. But during World War II, he took his entire family to Vietnam, and later, my father was born in Vietnam. Then my father married my mother, who was of pure Vietnamese descent."
"My father received a good education, so he had some wealth in Vietnam and became a government official in South Vietnam. Later, due to that war that everyone knows about, my father became a refugee and brought my mother with him to the United States. I was born in the United States."
"So you don't need to specially prepare anything related to China for me; I have no interest in that country!" Priscilla Chan stated very directly.
"I see!" Zuckerberg rubbed his head, feeling a bit of a headache. "Since you're not interested, why did you accept my invitation to watch the movie?"
"..." Hearing Zuckerberg's question, Priscilla Chan could only roll her eyes and give Zuckerberg a look for him to figure it out himself.
"Are you still going to watch this movie?" Zuckerberg asked nervously.
"Yes, why not? The movie tickets have already been bought, so we can't waste them. Besides, the cinema is actually a quiet place. If there aren't many people, we can even talk softly and enjoy the air conditioning, as the weather is really cold right now!" Priscilla Chan said with a smile. Zuckerberg nodded foolishly, and then they entered the cinema together.
"Oh, there aren't many people at this movie, only a dozen or so. We can sit in the back, so even if we talk softly, we won't disturb anyone else!" Upon entering the cinema, Zuckerberg was pleasantly surprised to find that there were indeed very few people, making it ideal for his romantic pursuit and for chatting with Priscilla Chan. From this perspective, it was indeed an excellent film!
Then, the two of them began to chat. As they talked, they discovered more common ground in their personalities, which made Zuckerberg even happier. Meanwhile, the movie slowly began.
This was the first time the two had met, but Zuckerberg felt as if they had endless topics to discuss. So, without even glancing at the movie, he kept talking to Priscilla Chan.
At first, Priscilla Chan could still respond to Zuckerberg's questions. It wasn't until the cinema lights dimmed that Zuckerberg suddenly heard Priscilla Chan exclaim in surprise, "Oh my gosh, is this what the interior of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum looks like? Did the ancestors of China have such grand architecture over two thousand years ago? Is this the country of my grandfather's ancestors?"
"What's going on?" Hearing Priscilla Chan's self-muttering, Zuckerberg was also taken aback. Then his gaze involuntarily fell on the movie screen. The scene being broadcast was of Fu Shan leading Li Qiang into the interior of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, with the entire layout and architecture of the mausoleum being displayed in full.
Rivers constructed from mercury, with dragon boats floating on them, and at the same time, the sun and moon, studded with various gemstones, hanging in the sky. And these suns and moons were even capable of moving!
This was the depiction of the interior of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum presented in the film!