"Hi, Jack, it's great to see you again!"
Chen Fan greeted Bob, his daughter, and Su Yingxue as they approached.
Bob gave Chen Fan a hug as soon as they met.
Chen Fan smiled and gestured for him to sit down. He then turned to Su Yingxue and asked, "How is it, Xue? Are you all set?"
"Yes!"
Su Yingxue nodded. "We're just waiting for Miss Meng Dandan to take the stage."
"Then we'd better be ready to take pictures!" Wang Tingting exclaimed.
"Sister Xue, your work is definitely going to be beautiful!" Wang Dongdong also chimed in with flattery.
Bob, however, shook his head. "Jack, I think the piece would be better presented by Su herself."
Chen Fan chuckled. "Bob, Su isn't a professional model."
"Alright, although I still feel it's not quite perfect, since it's decided, I won't insist any further."
Bob didn't push the matter.
Everyone was in a relaxed mood, waiting for the show to begin.
Just then, a woman wearing glasses, accompanied by two companions, walked over.
She was in her thirties, of average looks, and as soon as she arrived, she fixed her gaze on Su Yingxue and Wang Tingting.
"Who is Su Yingxue?"
Su Yingxue looked a bit bewildered. "Who are you?"
"My name is Liang Xiaotong. Remember it!" the woman said proudly.
Su Yingxue looked confused.
"Don't play dumb. You invited Meng Dandan to be your model, didn't you?" Liang Xiaotong sneered. "Your work isn't that great, yet you hire a celebrity to model for you. You're quite adept at using these outside tactics, aren't you?"
"However, you probably didn't expect that the organizers have changed the rules. Even with a celebrity as your model, you won't gain any advantage!"
So that's what it was!
Su Yingxue, not to be outdone, retorted, "We invited Miss Meng Dandan to model because she's a perfect fit. The competition is about the work, not popularity. I believe my piece will be outstanding!"
After experiencing many things, Su Yingxue had become much more confident and poised than before.
She didn't flinch in the face of this sudden accusation.
"You're doomed to lose!"
Liang Xiaotong sneered. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the Creative Director of Phoenix Fashion, a seasoned designer. My work has won the North American Fashion Award. Today, you are destined not to be the champion; you will only be a foil to my success!"
Su Yingxue blinked in surprise.
As an insider in the industry, she knew the prestige of that award.
Those who received such accolades were typically internationally renowned designers.
The question was, if Liang Xiaotong had won such a prestigious award, why was she participating in today's competition? It seemed a bit unnecessary.
Although the designer competition didn't explicitly state that only newcomers could participate, seasoned and famous designers generally wouldn't lower themselves to compete.
Winning such an award wouldn't be particularly glorious for her.
Liang Xiaotong sneered again. "Surprised? I just can't stand people like you who don't take the proper path but resort to underhanded tricks. Do you think this designer award is already in your pocket? Stop dreaming!"
After a pause, she leaned in and said, "Su Yingxue, I almost forgot. I've prepared a gift for you. Enjoy it..."
With that, she gave Su Yingxue a disdainful look and turned to leave.
"Hey, who do you think you are?"
Wang Tingting stood up and blocked Liang Xiaotong's path. "You come here to spew nonsense and then run off. Doesn't that stink?"
Liang Xiaotong froze, her face turning pale with anger at Wang Tingting's words.
"What, you can't win the competition, so you're resorting to physical intimidation?"
She said coldly.
"Tingting!" Su Yingxue quickly pulled Wang Tingting back to her seat.
Liang Xiaotong let out a cold laugh, swaggered back to her group, and started talking to her companions, pointing in their direction.
"Mr. Chen, do you need me to teach that woman a lesson?"
Jiang Tiansheng, standing beside Chen Fan, narrowed his eyes and whispered.
"No need!"
Chen Fan glanced at Su Yingxue and shook his head. "I believe Xue can win!"
Su Yingxue was still a bit dazed. Liang Xiaotong's last words made her feel like she had overlooked something.
However, the competition was about to begin, and the host was already waiting to go on stage.
The host came on stage, introducing the rules of the competition and the runway schedule.
The introduction wasn't long, and the runway show commenced.
"Next, we invite our beautiful model to present the work of designer Yan Wenshan, Designer Number One!"
The lights in other parts of the venue dimmed, leaving only the dazzling spotlight on the T-stage.
A model walked onto the stage wearing a stylish suit, exuding personality and an air of heroism under the spotlight.
On the screen at the side of the stage, the judges' preliminary scores appeared.
Chen Fan glanced at it. The outfit displayed by the first model could only be described as mediocre; it couldn't compare to Su Yingxue's work.
"How vulgar, it's an eyesore!" Bob grumbled. "This outdated design is being entered into a competition?"
In the audience, fans who had come specifically for Meng Dandan were buzzing with excitement, creating a loud clamor, eager to see Meng Dandan appear.
Su Yingxue frowned slightly, feeling a sense of unease.
Just then, two staff members hurried over and whispered something to Jiang Tiansheng.
Jiang Tiansheng's expression changed. He stood up and said, "Mr. Chen, there's a problem. Meng Dandan is missing!"
"Missing?"
Chen Fan was surprised. How could a living person just disappear?
"She's not in her dressing room, nor is she waiting in line. This is my oversight!"
He immediately instructed his subordinates to search. Jiang Tiansheng stood up. "I'll go backstage to check."
Because of the noise in the venue, Su Yingxue hadn't heard clearly. She turned to look, and her feeling of unease intensified.
Chen Fan wasn't overly anxious about this, but with Liang Xiaotong's earlier provocation and Meng Dandan's sudden disappearance, he sensed something was amiss.
He also stood up and led Su Yingxue towards the backstage area.
Wang Tingting started to follow, but Su Yingxue quickly signaled her to stay behind and look after Li Xiuying and Nannan.
As they went around the T-stage and passed a certain area, they saw Liang Xiaotong's face, etched with a cold smile.
When their eyes met, Su Yingxue's heart sank. She realized that this sudden development might be the "gift" Liang Xiaotong had mentioned earlier.
But there was no time to dwell on that now.
She reached the backstage area. The dressing room was empty, and Meng Dandan was indeed nowhere to be found. Su Yingxue's designed piece was also missing.
Jiang Tiansheng's face was grim as he ordered his subordinates and staff to search room by room.
After a thorough search, they still couldn't find her.
"Go get the spare outfit first!"
Su Yingxue said anxiously.
Meng Dandan had needed some adjustments after trying on the outfit. Bob, finding the alterations unsatisfactory, had created a new one.
This new outfit couldn't be folded and required a special garment bag for storage. It had been brought along and was on the car that Su Yingxue and Bob had arrived in.
As for the outfit Meng Dandan had been wearing, it was brought in carefully by Su Yingxue and Bob because the garment bag was cumbersome to carry.
Jiang Tiansheng quickly sent his assistant to retrieve it.
"I'll go too!"
Wang Dongdong had also followed them backstage. He volunteered to go with the assistant to fetch the outfit.
"What do we do? What do we do?"
Su Yingxue's anxiety didn't subside. "How could Meng Dandan just disappear?"
Jiang Tiansheng, his face dark, urged his subordinates to continue searching. "Have the organizer's Mr. Zhang come and see me. A living person can't just get lost backstage! Keep searching. Turn this entire backstage area upside down until you find her!"
Consequently, the higher-ups from Huancai, Jiang Tiansheng's subordinates, and many staff members relentlessly continued their search.
Backstage, some of the models waiting to go on stage were startled by the commotion and began whispering and pointing amongst themselves.
But at this moment, no one cared about that. Su Yingxue's eyes were welling up with tears.
She had prepared for a long time for this competition and had invested a great deal of effort.
Furthermore, Master Bob's hard work was also involved. The thought of it all being ruined caused her immense distress.
She recalled Meng Dandan's dissatisfied expression when trying on the clothes and suspected that Meng Dandan might have done this intentionally.
As she was panicking, the host's voice echoed from the stage:
"Next, we invite our fifth model... This is a bit unexpected, but also a delightful surprise. I'm sure you'll all agree. Please welcome our fifth model, Meng Dandan, to present her design, 'Rainbow Dance'!"