Chapter 230 Preparations Complete
Liu Xuhui was immensely pleased with himself, believing he was exceptionally clever. Yang Long had invested fifty million yuan to establish this new Hanfu clothing factory. Five million of this was discretionary funds, which could be used to recruit talented design personnel.
Liu Xuhui pocketed one million of these five million yuan. From the remaining four million, he allocated three and a half million to heavily recruit Professor Han Wenqing, a renowned design master from Jiang Province.
Professor Han was the Vice Dean of the Design School at Jinling University and held a prominent position in the design industry. Liu Xuhui invited him to serve as the factory's design director and consultant. He then used the remaining fifty thousand yuan to hire some recent graduates.
Liu Xuhui’s strategy was simple: he took the blueprint stolen from Liu Ran, then produced high-quality imitations and copied it, transforming that single design into ten similar designs with slightly different styles.
These ten designs were submitted and indeed secured a spot within the top twenty.
Therefore, Liu Xuhui was now very confident.
Upon hearing Liu Xuhui’s words, the old Mrs. Liu nodded with satisfaction. Then, she voiced her concern, "Oh dear, that design blueprint was stolen from Liu Ran, after all. What if that little vixen, Liu Ran, comes up with another even better design?"
Liu Xuhui burst into laughter at this remark. He replied, "Grandmother, you don't need to worry. I guarantee that in this design competition, Liu Ran is finished. Her work won't win any awards, rest assured."
The old Mrs. Liu's eyes lit up. She chuckled and patted Liu Xuhui’s shoulder, saying, "You truly are my eldest grandson, always dependable in handling matters. Your confidence alone is excellent. Alright, grandson, tomorrow Grandmother will go to the venue to cheer you on."
Liu Xuhui laughed heartily. At this moment, Liu Xin and Yang Long also walked in. Yang Long's face was beaming with joy. He asked Liu Xuhui, "Brother-in-law, I heard that the Hanfu clothing factory's design has also made it into the top twenty?"
Liu Xuhui proudly nodded and said, "More than just the top twenty. Tomorrow, we're going to win first place. Brother-in-law, I won't hold back this time. After all, the profits from both factories belong to you, and if I win first place, it'll bring you face too, right?"
Yang Long burst into laughter at this. He asked, "Are you that confident? I'm just afraid that tomorrow, Liu Ran will expose your work as plagiarism in front of everyone."
Liu Xuhui immediately waved his hand dismissively and said smugly, "Her expose me? Hahaha, be careful I don't counter-accuse her of plagiarism. Trust me, your brother-in-law Liu Xuhui handles things with care!"
"You must understand, the lead person for our team this time is Professor Han Wenqing. Just think about how renowned Professor Han Wenqing's name is in the design world. Once he reveals his name, who would dare suspect Professor Han of plagiarism?"
"So, even if there's a dispute tomorrow, everyone will surely say Liu Ran's work is plagiarized. Besides, Liu Ran is definitely not going to win any awards tomorrow."
Hearing Liu Xuhui’s absolute confidence, Yang Long became even happier.
Yang Long said with a faint smile, "I never expected this, truly never! Tomorrow, out of twenty competing companies, two will be under my name, Yang Long. If both of our factories can make it into the top three, hahaha, the position of Yang family patriarch will be within my grasp."
Liu Xin was incredibly excited. She held Yang Long’s hand and then tugged at her brother Liu Xuhui’s arm. Liu Xin exclaimed joyfully, "This is wonderful, truly wonderful! Our family's ascent is tomorrow!"
The next day.
Qingzhou City Gymnasium.
By noon, the entire gymnasium was decorated with colorful flags and lanterns, exuding an auspicious atmosphere.
Cars were parked outside the gymnasium, and numerous media outlets had arrived early. Nearly a hundred media organizations had set up their cameras in strategic positions to ensure the most perfect live broadcast.
Simultaneously, various clothing factories began bringing their model teams into the gymnasium's rest areas.
At this moment, the rooms within the gymnasium had been converted into fitting rooms for the models of the twenty factories.
After two hours of preparation here, the Jiangnan Six Cities Clothing Design Competition would officially begin.
The gymnasium was brightly lit, with the central area transformed into a long, crimson catwalk.
The twenty clothing factories were eager, and the staff were busy doing the models' makeup, making final adjustments to the clothing, and fine-tuning the perfect music.
Each clothing factory was allocated about twenty minutes for their runway show. Within these twenty minutes, the factories had to perfectly showcase their designed garments through music, lighting, and models.
While twenty minutes may not seem like a long time, with twenty participating enterprises performing, the entire competition would take six hours.
Due to the lengthy duration, factories that ranked higher would have an advantage. Unless the models appearing in the mid-to-late stages were exceptionally stunning or displayed extraordinary expressiveness, they were unlikely to achieve good results. By then, everyone would be hungry, and their aesthetic senses dulled, making it difficult to secure a good ranking.
In fitting room number eighteen.
Zheng Yanqiu, Liu Ran, Su Ya, Liu Xiaomei, along with ten models and three staff members, were in the fitting room making final preparations.
The ten models were delicate-looking with graceful figures. The makeup artists were applying the finishing touches to their makeup and hairstyles.
Zheng Yanqiu paced back and forth in the fitting room. She glanced at the number tags, a hint of worry in her expression.
Zheng Yanqiu said to Liu Ran, "Ms. Liu, our luck seems a bit poor! We drew number eighteen. This number is difficult for achieving good results. I thought, given the stunning nature of our clothing designs, we would be ranked among the top five!"
Liu Ran smiled and replied, "It doesn't matter where we are ranked. As long as we prepare to the best of our abilities, that's all that matters."
Zheng Yanqiu nodded, then said with a wry smile, "Ms. Liu, you are too calm. As for me… alas… I'm getting goosebumps from nervousness right now. I hope we can get into the top three in today's competition!"
Liu Ran couldn't help but chuckle. She looked at the ten perfectly crafted Hanfu dresses displayed on the racks and said, "Top three is a minimum. I estimate we have a high chance of winning first place."
"Ms. Zheng, I must say, the fabrics you brought are truly perfect. Especially when making the Hanfu. Originally, I felt my design sketches were quite good, but I was always worried the finished Hanfu might look a bit… awkward.
"However, after cutting and tailoring these Hanfu with the fabrics you provided, they have turned out truly perfect."
"At first glance, they seem to embody the essence of the blue sky, flowing rivers, majestic mountains, and vast grasslands, perfectly merging with nature. This is what they call the unity of heaven and man."
"Therefore, there's no need to worry even if we have the eighteenth slot. I estimate that first place is almost guaranteed."
Hearing this, Zheng Yanqiu's eyes lit up, and her heart finally felt a bit more at ease.
Just then, a burst of laughter echoed, and Liu Xuhui, accompanied by Liu Xin and the old Mrs. Liu, entered fitting room number eighteen.