69: Haute couture stolen

There were many styles of clothing inside, including suits and casual wear, in a wide variety of colors.

Given Lu Qingyu's youth, many brands had sent over quite a few vibrant colors.

Lu Qingyu slowly scrolled through them, and one piece of clothing caught his eye. He pulled it out.

It was a moonlight white New Chinese-style suit made of silk. Beneath the exquisite fabric were matching hidden patterns, with delicate bamboo leaves embroidered on the cuffs and hem. On the chest, there was an ancient poem embroidered in cursive script.

"Cold jade flies a thousand feet, clear frost sprinkles the forest; though the worldly heart is heavy, one look and it suddenly departs."

With the ink-wash ancient poem paired with bamboo—one of the Four Gentlemen—this single piece of clothing was brimming with artistic atmosphere. Lu Qingyu fell in love with it at first sight.

"This outfit is so exquisite. Looking at the embroidery, it doesn't seem like ready-to-wear. Which brand sent this?"

Hearing Lu Qingyu's question, the Staff Member picked up the data tag attached to the back of the clothes and took a look.

"The designer is Qin Zhao. It's indeed not ready-to-wear; it was labeled as haute couture when it arrived. However, because the brand isn't very prominent, it was placed with the ready-to-wear. It was even specially made for you."

The Staff Member held up the other sleeve of the garment to show Lu Qingyu, and sure enough, it bore the initials of Lu Qingyu's name.

Lu Qingyu turned back to Su Jixing, who was discussing outfits with the designer, and said, "Brother Su, this one is also haute couture. I'll wear this one."

Both Su Jixing and the designer looked over. The designer didn't say anything, but the disapproval in his eyes was evident.

Su Jixing took a look and asked, "Who designed this?"

The Staff Member said, "It's Qin Zhao. He focuses on national style and founded a brand called 'Qingjin.' However, his popularity isn't very high; currently, it's not even considered third-tier."

Hearing this, Su Jixing shook his head. "That won't do."

Su Jixing didn't agree, but Lu Qingyu put the clothes on anyway. They were made according to Lu Qingyu's public measurements and fit perfectly.

Lu Qingyu was naturally thin but had a good frame that filled out clothes well. As soon as he put this outfit on, his temperament changed immediately—cold and noble, yet carrying the simple, ancient charm of national style.

The bamboo leaves embroidered on the clothing seemed to bestow the wearer with the virtuous qualities of bamboo, making everyone's eyes light up.

Su Jixing and the stylist had to admit that Lu Qingyu indeed looked good in this outfit, but Su Jixing still disagreed because the brand's recognition was too low.

Big-name haute couture has a drawback: the clothes are made by designers according to what they consider perfect proportions and don't fit everyone. It's like fans complaining about teams giving female stars ill-fitting shoes or clothes—there's no way around it; there's only one piece of haute couture, and if you want to wear it, you must adapt to it yourself.

Su Jixing knew that the haute couture he had previously settled on might not look as good as this one, but its brand concept and value were higher.

"Qingyu, if you like it, you can wear it for future events."

Lu Qingyu looked at the effect in the mirror; it was in no way inferior to any big brand, whether in fabric, tailoring, or creativity. "I've decided. I'm wearing this one."

Su Jixing: "No."

Lu Qingyu: "Then I'll go to the event naked."

Su Jixing: ... Don't be like that. He was afraid Lu Qingyu wasn't joking.

Su Jixing was a bit helpless. "Don't mess around."

Lu Qingyu: "Either I wear nothing or I wear this. You choose."

Looking at Lu Qingyu, it really seemed like he didn't plan on taking the jacket off.

Su Jixing: "Are you serious?"

Su Jixing asked this seriously. Based on his understanding of Lu Qingyu, he was afraid the boy really wouldn't wear any clothes.

Lu Qingyu: "Yes."

Su Jixing was a bit scared. A scene played out in his mind: if Lu Qingyu wore clothes he didn't like and then suddenly lost it halfway down the red carpet, stripping them off and stomping on them, that would be truly terrifying.

Su Jixing pondered. He looked Lu Qingyu up and down; this outfit was indeed suitable and looked great. Aside from the low brand value, everything else was fine.

Su Jixing: "If you wear his work, your fashion resources will decrease significantly."

Lu Qingyu understood what Su Jixing meant, but he also knew that while Long Country had such a long history, its national confidence was still lacking. Unlike in his previous life, where everyone had cultural confidence and felt proud wearing New Chinese-style clothing.

Lu Qingyu smiled and said, "I'm someone who relies on strength."

In the end, Su Jixing couldn't sway Lu Qingyu and agreed to let him wear the outfit.

Su Jixing was still a bit reluctant, feeling that Lu Qingyu had wasted a good opportunity to compete for a brand.

After the entire outfit was changed, the makeup still needed some fine-tuning. The makeup artist couldn't help but fawn over Lu Qingyu's looks.

At the "Qing Shi" studio, Qin Zhao had just seen off the landlord who came to collect the rent. Turning back to look at the dozens of self-designed clothes piled in the room, he couldn't help but sigh.

He had studied design in France. During university, because of his talent, he interned at Valentino and even participated in runway shows. Everyone around him envied him, thinking he had a limitless future and might even stay at Valentino.

But he hadn't expected that he would return to China just one year after graduation, giving up a great future to start such a national-style New Chinese brand.

The current market for New Chinese-style wasn't very good. Let alone for attending events, even for everyday wear, everyone's first choice was those foreign brands; they rarely wore Chinese style.

Since founding the brand, Qin Zhao had been losing money. To promote the brand, he would personally design many unique pieces and send them to celebrities to wear. But so far, he hadn't seen a single one of his garments worn by a celebrity.

The outfit he sent to Lu Qingyu took him a full two months to make. The design inspiration came from the song "orchid pavilion preface," and only later did he learn that it was sung by Lu Qingyu.

He had made this garment with great care, completing all the embroidery by himself.

When he first designed the outfit, he followed Lu Qingyu on Weibo. At that time, Lu Qingyu only had 120,000 followers. By the time the outfit was finished, Lu Qingyu already had four million followers.

Qin Zhao sent the clothes over, but he felt there was little hope of them being worn.

Looking at the many design sketches in his hand, he suddenly felt a bit tired. Between the lack of funds and the lack of appreciation for his work, Qin Zhao was even starting to doubt if his original decision had been correct.

He used to go to Fashion Week every year, but he didn't plan on going this year. Even if he went, there wouldn't be any results.