Hearing this inquiry, Ji Mingshu instinctively looked up.
The man was very tall, about 185 cm, similar to Cen Sen’s height, and he appeared to be around the same age as Cen Sen. He wore a ChrisChou suit from the fall/winter collection released in June this year, which fit him perfectly. He had a gentle, clean demeanor and handsome features.
But she didn’t recognize him, nor had she seen him before.
She casually glanced at Jiang Chun beside her, only to find Jiang Chun staring back at her with a face full of innocence and bewilderment.
Ji Mingshu: “…”
The little earth goose didn’t recognize him either.
She had initially thought he might be a new face who had recently entered their circle and was trying to get acquainted with her, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
She didn’t bother to guess further and directly asked, “Hello, do we know each other?”
The man gazed at her deeply, his smile widening, his voice clear like striking gold and jade, “Xiao Shu, you’re still the same as when you were little.”
The words “when you were little” fell on Ji Mingshu’s ears like a key unlocking a magic box, inadvertently bringing out a patch of old, yellowed childhood memories. She stared at the man, stunned for a moment, the confusion in her eyes slowly receding. The man’s silhouette gradually transformed and shrank, seamlessly overlapping with a certain vague-featured face from her memory.
However, her voice still carried some uncertainty, “Cen… Brother Yang?”
The man smiled again, nodding frankly in acknowledgment, and playfully said, “I’m impressed that Miss Ji, busy with so many important matters, hasn’t completely forgotten both me and my name.”
Ji Mingshu didn’t speak for a while, either from extreme shock or a delayed reaction.
Standing nearby, Jiang Chun wasn’t stupid. As soon as she heard the surname, she sensed there was a story behind it.
Surname Cen? So he’s from the Cen family. Judging by his age, could he be Cen Sen’s brother?
But if they were brothers, how could Ji Mingshu not recognize him after not seeing him for many years?
In just a few seconds, Jiang Chun had already imagined a grand drama of brotherly conflict over inheritance rights in a wealthy family. She nudged Ji Mingshu, whispering in her ear, “Who is this? He’s quite handsome. Is he Cen Sen’s cousin or some illegitimate half-brother?”
Ji Mingshu finally came back to her senses after being nudged.
But after regaining her composure, she didn’t feel much beyond shock. She instinctively looked back in Cen Sen’s direction.
Coincidentally, after the show ended, the piano stairs had automatically retracted, and the old steamship T-stage setting was slowly rotating. In these few seconds, its rotation position happened to block the view between the showroom area and the viewing area.
Ji Mingshu wasn’t sure what she was thinking when Cen Yang, timely, raised his hand to check his watch, suddenly saying, “Sorry, Xiao Shu, I have something to attend to today and can’t chat with you for long. In a few days, I’ll invite you for afternoon tea, and we can have a proper talk then.”
He took out his phone, pulled up the QR code interface, and held it in front of Ji Mingshu, “This is my WeChat. Add me.”
“Oh, okay.”
Ji Mingshu didn’t have time to think and passively took out her phone to add his WeChat.
Cen Yang changed his contact name to “Xiao Shu” right in front of her, and waved his phone, smiling, “I just registered a WeChat account after returning to China recently. You’re my third friend.”
Before Ji Mingshu could respond, he put away his phone, “Well, I have to go now. I’ll contact you later.”
Even after Cen Yang had walked out of sight, Ji Mingshu remained as if in a dream, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
How magical that such a real person had disappeared without a trace in her childhood, and after fifteen or twenty years, suddenly reappeared just like that.
Jiang Chun stood nearby, staring at Cen Yang’s back for a while, then seriously fixed her gaze on Ji Mingshu, demanding, “Tell me, do you and this Brother Yang have some illicit relationship?! As soon as you saw him, you stood there motionless like your soul had been taken by the Black and White Impermanence… Hey, don’t tell me your conflict with Cen Sen is because there’s this childhood sweetheart stirring things up? But wait, how come I’ve never heard you mention such a person???”
Before Ji Mingshu could speak, Jiang Chun released the arm she was holding and muttered softly, “Ji’s Shu Shu, you’ve changed. You even have secrets from me now!”
Ji Mingshu stared at her with a “have you been dimensionally attacked by the Singer Civilization” look, vividly demonstrating what it means to be speechless and at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Cen Sen remained seated in his original position. Before he could clearly see what the man Ji Mingshu had bumped into looked like, his view was blocked by the rotating T-stage.
He unhurriedly finished giving instructions to Zhou Jiaheng and stood up to walk in Ji Mingshu’s direction.
However, after the show ended, the venue was chaotic. By the time he reached where Ji Mingshu had been standing, she was long gone, with no sight of her anywhere.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Jiaheng sent him intelligence from the showroom, “Madam and Miss Jiang Chun are trying on clothes. Besides the ones you mentioned, Madam seems to like the white dress worn by the opening model.”
“Buy it.”
Zhou Jiaheng responded with a “Yes,” without mentioning anything about any man.
Cen Sen didn’t ask further.
ChrisChou’s early spring show opened with great fanfare and ended with stunning acclaim.
For days after the show, entertainment gossip and fashion media frequently mentioned and discussed it.
The former mostly focused on the celebrities who attended the show—their outfits, hairstyles, makeup, photo arrangement order, seating positions, and the mysteries of sisterhood frame heights in the entertainment circle—all good material for extensive articles and discussions.
The latter was more professional and in-depth, discussing the significance of ChrisChou holding a show in China, the pros and cons of this season’s three collection designs, how this work compared to his previous styles, which aspects represented inheritance, and which represented revolution… Of course, the design of the venue was also frequently mentioned.
For instance, Gu Kaiyang’s magazine wrote in a special interview: “Just as December entered early winter, ChrisChou released next year’s early spring ready-to-wear collection at Beijing’s Junyihuazhang Hotel…”
“ChrisChou once again invited interior designer Ji Mingshu to collaborate on creating the ‘Decadent Luxury’ early spring show venue, and to create an immersive video art installation of the same name to deliver an ultimate sensory experience. At the venue, piano stairs, corridors, and mirror reflections complemented each other, while the immersive installation transported people back to the Shanghai Bund era, and the main show’s rotating steamship was particularly ingenious.”
“From the venue to the clothing, this season’s early spring show has moved beyond ChrisChou’s inherent style. In combining modern minimalist art with Chinese element retro charm, both ChrisChou and his interior design partner have submitted a perfect answer sheet.”
ChrisChou’s two-minute closing speech and thanks almost directly pushed Ji Mingshu to the forefront, elevating her status and prestige in interior design.
Like “Zero Degrees,” many fashion magazines and media naturally delved deeper into this interior designer when writing reviews, only to discover that she had no other works.
Of course, this didn’t matter much—they simply hyped up her academic credentials and her role as ChrisChou’s exclusive partner. Those who knew she was a top socialite and weren’t afraid to write about it directly gave her the title of “socialite designer.”
All at once, flattery came pouring in from all directions.
Before, people would praise Ji Mingshu for being beautiful, kind, and tasteful even when she wasn’t doing anything. Now that she had done something legitimate, the praise could expand comprehensively in multiple dimensions.