The four of them immediately got down to business as soon as they met, treating Shen Qi as one of their own without any hesitation or secrecy.
While tapping on his keyboard and working on a plan, Wen Yibo said to Shen Qi, "Xiao Qi, I rushed over here and I'm dying of thirst. Could you pour me a glass of water?"
Shen Qi was startled for a moment, then quickly responded, "Ah, sure! Fan Sheng, Fan Li, what would you like to drink?"
"Juice!" Fan Sheng and Fan Li replied. "We can't drink alcohol right now; we need to keep our minds sharp! Tonight is crucial!"
Shen Qi acknowledged with a sound, turned around to open the fridge, and conveniently poured a glass of water for He Yining as well, bringing them all over together.
Seeing the water Shen Qi had poured for him, He Yining's lips curled up in delight, and he downed the entire glass in one go.
Shen Qi sat down nearby, listening to the four of them discussing something with serious expressions, unable to help with anything.
As she listened, a wave of drowsiness washed over her, and Shen Qi dozed off, curled up on the sofa.
He Yining had been keeping an eye on Shen Qi the whole time. When he saw her fall asleep, he immediately made a shushing gesture to the other three.
He Yining carefully lifted Shen Qi horizontally, carried her into the bedroom, settled her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.
Before leaving, he gently kissed her forehead and cheek, then reluctantly left the bedroom and returned to the living room to continue their discussion.
Wen Yibo said in a low voice, "Feng Manlun can't sit still anymore. With Fan Sheng, Fan Li, and me applying pressure together, he can't stay behind the scenes forever!"
He Yining doodled on the paper with his pen and said, "This way, Juli Electric will have to shift its focus, freeing up space for us to make a move! Once Juli Electric shifts, he'll need those Ministry of Commerce cases even more. If I'm not mistaken, he'll come to me on his own within two days!"
Fan Sheng said, "That way, you can openly trade Juli Electric's stock for that Ministry of Commerce case!"
Fan Li added, "Congratulations, Yining. You've finally made it onto Juli Electric's board!"
Wen Yibo chimed in, "From now on, Feng Manlun will have to think twice before making a move on you, weighing whether it's worth losing a thousand of his own to kill eight hundred of yours!"
He Yining smiled as well. "It's been a long time in the making. How about a drink to celebrate?"
Wen Yibo and the Fan brothers laughed together. "Forget it! You've been itching for this, haven't you? We're not that clueless! We're off! Enjoy your precious time alone!"
He Yining laughed too.
He was just being polite, after all.
Hahaha.
After seeing Wen Yibo and the Fan brothers out, He Yining turned and went back to the bedroom, carefully lying down on the other side.
Realizing that Shen Qi hadn't been woken by him, he slowly crept closer, gently wrapped his arms around her, took a deep breath, kissed her forehead, and murmured sweetly, "Little one, did you misunderstand something between Cui Yuelan and me? Silly girl, how could I ever do something like that? In this life, I won't touch any woman but you. When will you finally understand how serious I am about you?"
When Shen Qi woke up, she found herself lying in the best suite bedroom of the hotel.
The space beside her was empty.
Shen Qi sat there in a daze for a long time before remembering what had happened the night before.
She sat up with a hint of frustration.
How had she fallen asleep?
Wasn't she just there to thank him?
Why had she ended up sleeping here?
Why hadn't He Yining woken her up?
Was it out of the lingering marital bond that he hadn't kicked her out?
Shen Qi's eyes dimmed.
She got out of bed, didn't go looking for He Yining, grabbed her things, and quietly slipped out of the room.
Back in her own room, Liu Yi had already returned from the gym, freshly showered and looking refreshed.
Seeing Shen Qi come back, Liu Yi didn't ask much, just said, "Take a shower and get ready for breakfast. We're starting the design work today."
Shen Qi nodded silently. Before heading into the bathroom, she couldn't help turning back to ask Liu Yi, "Aren't you curious about what I did last night?"
Liu Yi smiled openly. "You're legally married. Anything you do is perfectly natural."
Shen Qi let out a soft laugh and said nothing more.
After breakfast, Aunt Zhao arrived as promised.
Everyone gathered around Aunt Zhao, starting to design her clothing, styling, accessories, shoes, and bags.
At the start of the design process, Shen Qi proposed, "I have a suggestion. Let's consider this: our design shouldn't stray too far from the person's actual identity. For example, Aunt Zhao is an ordinary cleaner. If we dress her up like a wealthy lady, the vibe won't fit, and it'll feel very off. We should stick with a commoner's level, but highlight our creativity in the details."
Everyone nodded in agreement. "Right, that makes sense."
Shen Qi continued, "For the makeup, I want to emphasize the kindness and gentleness typical of her age. So the clothing, accessories, shoes, and bags should match that theme. Any objections?"
"No," the team members replied in unison.
"Good. Since no one has objections, let's go with Xiao Qi's idea. Let's get started!" the team leader said excitedly, waving a hand to give the order.
And so, everyone in the room began brainstorming and designing.
Each person would sketch their ideas and show them to Aunt Zhao for approval before moving on to the next round of discussion.
Two days passed.
The day of the official semifinals finally arrived.
Before this, the teams had no contact with each other.
They only met again when the semifinals began.
Cui Yuelan hadn't seen Shen Qi in a few days. When she saw her again, she had shed her former arrogance and sarcasm, looking instead gloomy and dark.
Shen Qi felt that Cui Yuelan hadn't softened at all but had actually grown worse.
She used to be too flashy, and after a few setbacks, she seemed to have gotten smarter.
Still, Shen Qi couldn't afford to worry about whether Cui Yuelan would trip her up now.
She had to get through the semifinals first!
If she couldn't even pass the semifinals, it would prove she'd come here for nothing.
As the semifinals began, all ten teams looked tense.
After ten days of磨合, everyone had developed a sense of teamwork.
They huddled together, waiting for the final verdict.
Shen Qi and Liu Yi clasped hands, standing with the other team members in a circle, offering each other comfort and encouragement.
The models from all ten teams had already entered, but they had no chance to communicate with the contestants.
The organizing committee head and judges faced the ten models directly, conducting interviews and scoring.
In other words, the five hundred people outside could only wait for news, with no way to know what was happening inside.
To ensure fairness, the ten models entered in no particular order, without any identifying marks.
Scores were announced first, then the models' teams were revealed.
This made cheating impossible unless the judges were bribed.
Liu Yi squeezed Shen Qi's fingers tightly, offering her some comfort.
Shen Qi smiled back at Liu Yi.
"Xiao Qi, if we both make it to the end, and if you have time, and if there's nothing else tying you down, come home with me," Liu Yi suddenly said to Shen Qi.
Shen Qi was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
This scene was like a lovesick man proposing to a woman before a marriage proposal!
Especially since Liu Yi was dressed in an androgynous style, tall and handsome.
After laughing out loud, Shen Qi felt much more relaxed.
Seeing Shen Qi's muscles finally loosen, Liu Yi laughed too.
"I'm serious," Liu Yi said with a grin. "My mom would love a girl like you. When I was little, she bought me tons of pretty dresses, but I never wore a single one. I think if I brought you home, she'd shift all her attention from me to you. Since you don't have anything specific to do right now, why not come for a visit?" Liu Yi extended a friendly invitation.
Shen Qi smiled and nodded. "Alright. After the competition, I'll go home first. Once I've reported to Grandma, I'll come with you. You're right—I don't have anything concrete to do right now."
"Then it's settled." Liu Yi looked at Shen Qi encouragingly.
"Mm." Shen Qi nodded with a smile.
Finally, the results came out!
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the collective announcement.
It was either all survive or all perish.
For the five hundred people, everyone's heart was pounding like a drum.
The organizing committee head and judges finally appeared together.
Shen Qi felt like her heart was in her throat.
It was just the semifinals, but it felt like the finals.
If it was this tense now, how would she handle the semifinals and finals to come?
The committee head looked around at the crowd and began speaking slowly, "There are ten teams this time, and eight will be eliminated. It's not that your ideas aren't good enough, but the rules are what they are. While designers can work independently, a team requires collaboration. The talent we're selecting will also join a larger team and environment. So, teamwork is crucial. That's why the semifinals test team performance. We welcome any talent willing to integrate into a team and hope that skilled individuals get the recognition they deserve."
"Although some teams will be eliminated, a few exceptionally outstanding individuals can still advance to the semifinals. These select few, if they can obtain a letter of approval from the final judges, will be able to move on." The speaker paused, letting everyone digest the information before continuing.