The personal embroidery exhibition area was unimaginably crowded. The reason was that someone had spread the word that the works of the legendary embroidery master, Elder Wang Huiping, were on display.
This year's Fashion Week was organized by the Embroidery Bureau and themed around national style embroidery. Therefore, most of the attendees were those interested in the craft. Upon hearing about the master’s works, reporters and attendees alike rushed into the personal exhibition area.
The person in charge of the exhibition area, seeing a crowd several times larger than anticipated, began to sweat profusely. They quickly dispatched more staff to manage and restrict the flow of people to prevent any stampedes.
After more than half an hour of frantic efforts, the crowd was finally brought under control. However, even then, the exhibition area remained so packed that people were shoulder to shoulder.
Quan Jiu hadn't expected such a large crowd either. She followed the flow of people for nearly twenty minutes before reaching her grandmother's exhibition area, only to find it impossible to squeeze in.
As she was fretting, Quan Jiu heard a jarring voice cut through the general hubbub, "I bet a million that this is a fake. It couldn't possibly be Wang Huiping's genuine work."
Quan Jiu's brow furrowed. She would never allow anyone to speak ill of her grandmother's art.
Just as she was about to push forward, a sudden commotion erupted ahead. A strong force pushed from the front, causing Quan Jiu to stumble back two steps. She fell into a solid chest, immediately enveloped by a familiar scent of perfume.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she tried to shift away, but the person in front seemed to be moving backward. Before she could react, a pair of hands gripped her waist. Her vision then suddenly elevated, and all she could see was a mass of heads.
She was sitting on Chu Rong's shoulders, lifted entirely off the ground.
Quan Jiu was both surprised and flustered. While steadying herself, she had to gently cup Chu Rong's head to avoid falling.
Chu Rong, meanwhile, held her legs tightly and, during this brief interval, quickly moved to the edge of the crowd.
Their actions quickly drew the attention of everyone in the exhibition area. Someone started the cheering, and the crowd erupted in a clamor that gradually turned into applause.
"Beautiful lady, marry this good man if you meet him."
Quan Jiu was so embarrassed she could have disappeared. Angrily, she said, "Put me down."
Chu Rong, however, remained unfazed, as if nothing had happened. He even smiled at the surrounding blessings and compliments, accepting them with thanks.
Quan Jiu forced a smile, but secretly pinched Chu Rong's ear.
Chu Rong's smile froze for a moment. He carried Quan Jiu a few steps along the edge of the crowd, only setting her down when they were close to the artwork.
However, with his back to the crowd, he seemed to bite her ear lightly, as if in retaliation, and whispered, "A return of favor."
Quan Jiu's cheeks flushed with surprise, a mix of anger and annoyance. She stomped her high heel down firmly.
Chu Rong grunted, but the smile on his face grew even more pronounced.
Quan Jiu shot him a fierce glare, pushed him away, and stood directly in front of the embroidery.
The person who had spoken was about fifty years old, with permed and dyed curly hair, and a rather arrogant demeanor.
"An early work by Wang Huiping. It's alright, has some merit. Her later works must have been when she knew her eyesight was failing, hence her disappearance. The reason I say this piece isn't hers is that she never embroidered this kind of pattern when she became famous. Later, when she was old and her eyesight failed, she retired. How could she have produced such a work? This must be a fake."
Quan Jiu's eyes narrowed slightly, a chilling glint in them.
She grabbed the speaker's collar and said coldly, "What stray rat crawled out from under which rock? Elder Wang Huiping is the only legendary embroidery master of modern times. What are you to comment on her work?"
The speaker was startled at first, then his face contorted with rage. He shouted, "You insolent girl, let go! Do you know who I am? How dare you disrespect me like this? I have a million fans, and you've offended me by offending them."
Quan Jiu's lips curved into a cold smile. "I don't care who you are, but if you dare to spout nonsense in front of this piece, don't blame me for not respecting elders."
With a fierce release, Yao Guangqi stumbled back two steps.
Her face hardened, and she promptly sat down on the ground, shouting loudly, "She hit me! A young person is trying to hit an old person! What did I do wrong for you to push and trip me? I've fallen on these old bones, and who knows how many are broken. How can you be so malicious, bullying even an old woman like me?"
She thought this staged fall would surely fluster the girl. However, all she received was a cold stare and a single word: "Scram."
Yao Guangqi was furious. She immediately got up and opened her social media account. "I'm an internet celebrity with a million followers! Who do you think you are, telling me to scram? Do you believe I'll expose you, put you online, and let netizens 'greet' you one by one?"
Quan Jiu ignored her and instead introduced the embroidery to the others. "This is a genuine work by Elder Wang Huiping from her lifetime. This piece has no name. Elder Wang Huiping did not name her later works, which reflects her open-minded attitude – not to deliberately pursue, but to let things happen naturally."
"Bah. This is not Wang Huiping's work at all, it's fake. You're all amateurs just watching the fun, thinking this embroidery is good? In my eyes, this level is kindergarten-level. Follow my account, 'Embroidery Master Yao Guangqi.' I've updated many of my works, and my million fans all praise them. You all go and see what a truly 'good work' looks like."
The crowd buzzed, some arguing, some confused. A few people actually searched for the account, and seeing it was a popular account with a million followers, they began to believe it.
Quan Jiu's face darkened. She said coldly, word by word, "I told you, if you dare to disrespect this piece or Elder Wang Huiping again, don't blame me for not respecting elders."
With that, she grabbed Yao Guangqi's collar and, with a cold gaze, addressed the crowd, "Please make way."
When her beauty turned sharp, it made people involuntarily tremble with fear. The crowd thus parted to make way.
Yao Guangqi struggled to break free from Quan Jiu's grip, wailing and shouting, "What are you doing? You're hitting me! Let go! What do you want? With so many people here, do you still want to beat me to death?"
Quan Jiu, still holding Yao Guangqi by the collar, dragged her outwards, quickly tossing her to the periphery of the crowd.
"If you dare step foot in here again, I'll throw you out onto the street."
Quan Jiu issued her threat and was about to turn away when she heard a laugh from behind her.
"Little girl, your temper is exactly like your grandmother's."
Quan Jiu turned around, her cold expression immediately melting away. She stepped forward and said, "Greetings, three elders."
Guo Pin glanced at Yao Guangqi with disdain. "Your embroidery skills are mediocre at best, only good enough to fool your fans. I'm too lazy to bother with someone as insignificant as you, but you've disrespected Elder Wang, so don't blame me for not leaving you a way out. Be careful, I might ruin your million followers. I have an account too."
Yao Guangqi still didn't dare to act presumptuously in front of Guo Pin, so she could only say resentfully, "What did I do wrong for you all to target me like this? I just said it was a fake, and she grabbed and pinched me, and threatened to throw me onto the street."
"She won't throw you, and I won't allow her to, but I will throw you for her," Miao Lan said coldly. "If you don't get out of here, this cane in my hand won't recognize you."
Yao Guangqi, frightened, retreated a few steps, cursed under her breath, and dared not linger any longer. She hurried away.
Quan Jiu's expression finally softened. She then ushered the three elders to her grandmother's embroidery.