Chapter Forty-Six: The Interview

The Dorsch-Yuri store was founded by two designers, Dorsch Winch and Yuri Brad, whose design philosophy is accessible luxury fashion, targeting the mid-to-high-end market.

Before entering, Sheng Jiaoyang gave Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu a few instructions, telling them not to show any nervousness, as she would translate for them. She briefly explained the store's philosophy and positioning to give them a heads-up.

With such a formidable team leader by their side, the two were a little nervous but not afraid. Instead, they felt a sense of confidence and excitement, as if nothing could stop them as long as Xu Jiaojiao was there. Upon

entering, the store's layout was immediately apparent.

There were display windows, clothes racks, and a semi-circular sofa in the center, where the two designers were waiting for customers.

At first glance, the clothing in the store was predominantly dark and cool-toned, but the designers' dedication was evident in every piece, from the fabric and patterns to the style and details—each item was of high quality.

Sheng Jiaoyang greeted the two designers in Italian as soon as they entered.

Hearing this, Duo Shi and Yuri put down their teacups and stood up together.

"Welcome! I thought we'd have to wait a long time!" Because the interviewees spoke their language, the designers, who had been worried about communication issues, immediately relaxed, and their gazes towards the three interviewees became much more friendly.

"We also wanted to avoid scheduling interviews with the others, so as not to cause you any trouble," Sheng Jiaoyang said with a slight smile.

"Darling, what should we call you?" Duo Shi asked.

"I'm Xu Jiaojiao, you can just call me Jiao," Sheng Jiaoyang introduced herself, and then introduced her two teammates, "This is Wang Wei, and this is Pu Mingyu."

Knowing they were in a competition, the two designers were very understanding and didn't chat anymore. They picked out an outfit for each of the three and led them, along with the cameraman, up to the second-floor studio, which was fully equipped, even with a simple photography studio.

While upstairs, designer Yuri explained her and Duo Shi's styles and what kind of feel they wanted. With Sheng Jiaoyang there, Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu quickly understood the designer's requirements.

Sheng Jiaoyang was the first to have her photos taken. After changing, she received unanimous praise from the designers.

"Jiao, you perfectly match our vision."

"Your temperament is amazing!"

"If it weren't for your production team's requirements, we could have chosen you right now."

"Yuri, tell me, seeing her gives you some inspiration?"

"Exactly, Jiao is fantastic!"

The two designers excitedly chattered on.

The cameraman, filming this scene, was completely oblivious to the designers' joy.

"Come on, Jiao, just relax. Your temperament means any pose will fit our style," Duo Shi said kindly.

Since the designers said so, Sheng Jiaoyang naturally had no problem. She casually posed a few times for the photos and then went to change.

Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu didn't give the designers that same initial wow factor, but Pu Mingyu's work experience, coupled with Sheng Jiaoyang's guidance, made her a suitable fit for the designers' needs.

The designers quickly chose Sheng Jiaoyang and Pu Mingyu as their poster models, handing them invitations. They sincerely apologized to Wang Wei, who wasn't chosen, and gave her a small gift.

Although Wang Wei was somewhat disappointed by her elimination, it was expected. From the moment she heard the store's style, she knew she wasn't a good fit, and she even received a small gift, so she wasn't upset and cheerfully congratulated Sheng Jiaoyang and Pu Mingyu.

Thanks to the driver's help, they quickly arrived at the next clothing store.

With Sheng Jiaoyang as their powerful ally, Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu benefited greatly. The designer's requirements and suggestions were relayed to them accurately and promptly, which was a huge help. It's like a class being asked to write an essay; will those who know the topic and those who don't get the same results?

Everyone could communicate in English, the internationally used language, but the key point is that most of these designers were native Italians, and Italian was their mother tongue. Speaking their native language definitely allowed them to express their ideas more effectively. Even when speaking English, not every contestant could communicate as fluently as Sheng Jiaoyang.

By the time they left the third store, Wang Wei had received an invitation.

“Jiaojiao, I’m so lucky to be with you! I never thought I’d get an invitation too!” Wang Wei exclaimed excitedly, flipping through the invitations in her hand.

Pu Mingyu had two invitations each; the third store had only reserved one for Wang Wei, leaving the other one to see which interviewees would come later.

Even so, their group was already in a winning position, since they had invitations from the two furthest stores.

“Luo Yi!” Pu Mingyu suddenly raised her hand to wave across the street.

Sheng Jiaoyang looked over and saw Xiao Yang, Luo Yi, and Chen Han.

Luo Yi’s English was pretty good, so their trip shouldn’t be too difficult.

“Are you going in, or have you already come out?” The three of them crossed the street and stood in front of them.

“We’ve already come out,” Pu Mingyu said.

Xiao Yang saw the invitation in Wang Wei’s hand and asked, “Did you get all the invitations for this store?”

“No, they left one.” Wang Wei proudly waved the invitation.

“Have you been to the last two stores?” Luo Yi suddenly asked.

Wang Wei was about to speak when Pu Mingyu pulled her back, reminding her that they were in a competition and some information couldn't be revealed.

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at the two of them, then turned to Luo Yi and the others, saying, "You don't need to go later."

After saying that, she gestured for Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu to get in the car.

"No wonder they were so fast, they had a car to pick them up. I remember they left by hitchhiking, do they still have money? Impossible!" Chen Han asked suspiciously.

"There are cameras filming them, they wouldn't dare break the rules. Let's go in quickly!" Xiao Yang said.

"Should we go to the other two stores later?" Luo Yi asked.

Xiao Yang hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's go, we'll feel bad if we don't go."

"Yeah, who knows if Xu Jiaojiao will lie to us." Chen Han agreed.

Luo Yi nodded and didn't say anything more.

Meanwhile, Sheng Jiaoyang quickly arrived at the second store. When they went in, Yin Meiling's group was still taking photos.

The designer of this store was Chinese. When Sheng Jiaoyang entered, she was hesitating whether to give the remaining invitation to Yin Meiling. When Sheng Jiaoyang walked in, her eyes lit up and she immediately put the invitation away.

"Why are you so late?" the designer said.

She spoke Mandarin, which Wang Wei found particularly endearing, and quickly replied, "We came from the last interview."

The designer looked surprised. "You guys are really fast!"

Sheng Jiaoyang asked directly, "Do we still have a chance?"

"We still have a chance. I'll help you pick out clothes, go change quickly."

Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu were quite happy; although there was only one chance left, any chance was a good thing.

Seeing the three of them arrive, Yin Meiling was a little unhappy because the designer hadn't taken out the invitations, indicating that the designer wanted to see Xu Jiaojiao's group's performance before making a decision. They didn't want to miss this opportunity, so they had to wait on the sidelines.

In the end, they watched as the invitations went into someone else's pocket.

Yin Meiling and the other two were very disappointed, almost to the point of tears. They hadn't received a single invitation, but there were still three stores to go, so they had to cheer up and head to the next store.

"Jiaojiao, congratulations!" Wang Wei and Pu Mingyu sincerely congratulated her.

Sheng Jiaoyang smiled.

Back in the car, Sheng Jiaoyang asked the driver to take them back to where they started.

"Jiaojiao, aren't we going to the first store?" Wang Wei asked.

"They've already been to both stores, so they definitely don't have a chance. We might as well go back early. Jiaojiao, am I right?" Pu Mingyu turned to Sheng Jiaoyang for confirmation.

"Yes," Sheng Jiaoyang nodded.

The driver asked them how their interview went, and upon hearing a positive answer, he was very happy and wished them success in the competition.

When Sheng Jiaoyang got out of the car, she still gave the driver all the change the production team had given her, saying it wasn't for the fare, but just a little something for winning the competition, and wished him a long and peaceful life.

The driver waved and drove off with a flourish.

Seeing their group leave in a car and return in a car, the production team staff waiting at the starting point were all surprised. Zhuo Yiyan immediately asked them about it and learned that the driver had volunteered to drive them the whole way. Zhuo Yiyan could only marvel at Xu Jiaojiao's resourcefulness.

When the remaining two groups returned defeated, seeing these three leisurely enjoying cold drinks and a sumptuous lunch while all they had left was a bowl of instant noodles, they were utterly devastated.