Shen Qi smiled obediently. "Auntie, I'm not picky. I just hope I won't be too much trouble for you!"
"Oh my, this child, such a sweet tongue! How come I couldn't have a daughter like this? I'm so jealous!" Xu Yunxi shot Liu Yi a glare. "Look at her, learn from her—so refined and pretty! And you, always looking like a tomboy. Hurry up and clean out all those love letters in the mailbox! I'm tired of clearing out piles of girls' love letters for you every day."
Liu Yi replied nonchalantly, "They're blind. Can't you just explain it clearly?"
Xu Yunxi answered with a hint of pride, "Hmph, not my problem."
Standing nearby, Shen Qi felt an awkward, inexplicable embarrassment.
The way this mother and daughter interacted was so unique!
Even though they were constantly bickering, Shen Qi could clearly see that the bond between them was deep.
Finally, after the call ended, Liu Yi couldn't help but say to Shen Qi, "Xiao Qi, we only have this one chance to make a call. If there's someone you should thank, go ahead and call them."
Shen Qi thought for a moment and dialed Mr. Charles's number. Even though she knew he had been following her competition closely, she still recounted every detail of the entire process.
Mr. Charles chuckled on the phone. "Very good, Xiao Qi. Making it to the finals has already fulfilled your mission. For the rest of the journey, just do your best and don't push yourself too hard. Also, the company that was negotiating with you has contacted me. They watched your performance and expressed great confidence in your creative ability. They were initially considering it further, but now they've stated that once the competition ends, they want to buy the designs for your three-button series on the spot."
Shen Qi was a bit surprised. "Teacher, I've only been studying design for a short time."
Mr. Charles replied with a smile, "Child, this is affirmation for you. Have confidence in yourself!"
After hanging up with Mr. Charles, Shen Qi glanced at the time and hesitated, unsure whether to call the old lady of the He family.
Then she thought about the fruit the old lady had specially sent over and figured she should call to thank her.
So Shen Qi dialed the He family mansion's number.
The call connected, but there was no video feed.
The old lady's voice came through. "Xiao Qi, congratulations on making it to the finals."
"Grandma, you already know," Shen Qi bit her lip as she replied. "I'm calling to thank you for the fruit you sent."
"That little thing is nothing. The He family has plenty of it. As long as you and Yining get along and have a child, the entire He family will be yours," the old lady answered.
Shen Qi glanced at Liu Yi waiting by the door and felt she should report this. "Grandma, a friend I met in the competition invited me to her home as a guest."
"You're the second young mistress of the He family. You have the right to decide your own schedule. The He family's rules are strict, but they're not overbearing," the old lady said. She already knew about Liu Yi's invitation, but she was still pleased that Shen Qi had proactively informed her.
The old lady added, "After the competition, don't rush back. It's fine to take a trip and relax."
"Yes, Grandma," Shen Qi replied. "I'll give it my all!"
After hanging up the call to the He mansion, Shen Qi didn't make a third call.
Meanwhile, the reactions of the three people who had received calls were all different.
After Xu Yunxi hung up her daughter's call, she was about to leave when she suddenly froze and muttered to herself, "That girl named Shen Qi looks so familiar. Oh, right, she looks a lot like Ziyao! Ziyao's daughter should be about that age by now, shouldn't she?"
Xu Yunxi was about to share this interesting discovery with her friend, but before she could pick up the phone, a servant came to report that the furniture ordered online had arrived and asked for her opinion on how to arrange the rooms. So she set the phone aside and followed the servant away.
After receiving Shen Qi's call, Mr. Charles hung up with satisfaction and said to his assistant, "That child Xiao Qi truly has talent! Given time, she will definitely become a top-tier designer."
The assistant chuckled. "Then congratulations, sir! You've finally found a satisfactory student!"
Mr. Charles shook his head smugly. "Such a happy occasion—shouldn't we have a couple of drinks to celebrate?"
The assistant's face instantly darkened. "No way! Miss Shen specifically instructed me to report to her if you sneak a drink!"
Mr. Charles huffed angrily. "This student—I'm not satisfied with her!"
After hanging up, the old lady of the He family said with a beaming smile, "This child really is impressive. She actually made it to the finals."
"So, are you planning to interfere with the final results?" the housekeeper asked, her kind and gentle demeanor hiding her true depth. "The second young mistress will probably only make it to the finals. If you don't intervene, she likely won't reach the finals. And if Cui Yuelan makes it to the finals, the madam will be quite pleased!"
The old lady nodded. "Indeed, given that girl's talent and current level, making it to the finals is already her limit. Advancing further would be very difficult. And I really can't let Cui Yuelan reach the finals, or else Xiao Qi will be suppressed."
"But the madam will probably interfere too, won't she?" the housekeeper reminded the old lady.
"What if the one making the move is Yining?" the old lady said with a meaningful smile. "Now there's someone even more anxious than we are."
The housekeeper smiled as well. "You're right, madam. If the young master steps in, the madam can't blame anyone else."
Meanwhile, He Yining, who had been schemed against by the old lady, was anxiously waiting, and waiting, and waiting.
After a long time without receiving a call from Shen Qi, he finally realized he had been forgotten again.
He couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
When had he ever waited so eagerly for a woman's call?
For the first half of his life, it was always others waiting for his calls with longing.
Truly, what goes around comes around!
Now he finally knew what it felt like to wait for a call!
Wen Yibo and Fan Sheng Fan Li looked at He Yining with sympathetic expressions.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, how pitiful!
He was practically wearing out his phone.
And yet, it still hadn't rung!
"She... she must have forgotten my number, right?" He Yining muttered to himself. "Xiao Chun, send her my phone number!"
Wen Yibo: "Pfft..."
Fan Sheng: "Pfft..."
Fan Li: "Pfft..."
Xiao Chun: "Pfft..."
Xiao Xia: "Heh heh heh heh..."
From the finals to the final round, the remaining twenty contestants were no longer the eager, gung-ho bunch from the start. Instead, they were all cautious, nervous, and walking on eggshells.
Think about it—those who made it this far were nothing but the best of the best!
Everyone's skill level was pretty much the same.
If anyone truly stood out, they would have been picked off already.
This competition was essentially a grassroots selection.
Cui Yuelan was slumming it.
Given her status and connections, she really didn't need to participate in such a competition.
Relying solely on the He family's position and reputation, she could easily walk through the doors of a top-tier design studio.
Shen Qi, on the other hand, was just along for the ride.
She knew her own abilities well enough to realize that making it this far was already a stroke of luck.
For the battles ahead, she had no advantage other than giving it her all.
Shen Qi said to Liu Yi, "I'll probably stop at the finals, Xiao Yi. You keep going!"
Liu Yi shook her head. "If you don't have confidence, I have even less. For me, this competition is already a win—meeting you is the biggest gain! Even though that sounds cheesy and a bit like I'm hitting on you, it's the truth. Honestly, I'd rather be a boxer than a designer. But I can't convince my mom, so I just came along obediently. I give my all in every competition, but I don't care about winning or losing."
Shen Qi nodded. "I'm really glad to have met you too. I've never had many friends in my life."
"Huh?" Liu Yi looked at her, puzzled.
Shen Qi took Liu Yi's hand and sat down on the top step of the hotel, gazing at the starry sky. She said leisurely, "I actually had a very good friend once, but I haven't seen him in eighteen years. Back then, I told him to wait for me, but I broke my promise. After eighteen years, he's probably forgotten me by now."
Shen Qi shook her head wistfully and gave a helpless smile. "My memory is a bit fuzzy. I can't even remember what that little brother looked like anymore. After all, I was only five back then. He was so handsome, with a gentle personality. He always smiled warmly at me and called me 'little one' affectionately. Even though He Yining sometimes calls me 'little one' for no reason, he's not that little brother."
"I've got nothing to do tonight, so listening to your story is pretty entertaining," Liu Yi said, hugging her knees and grinning. "It feels like a fairy tale! That's a world I've never even touched!"
Shen Qi laughed heartily and nodded. "Indeed, indeed! Back then, I went with my dad to a mountain villa for a vacation. I snuck out to play and found a boy by the roadside, all dirty and covered in wounds. I happened to remember a cartoon I'd watched where someone was rescued, so I mimicked the character and plastered every band-aid I had all over him."
"Pfft... hahaha, go on!" Liu Yi laughed without restraint. "Little Qi, you were such a cute little goof as a kid!"
Shen Qi laughed along. "Then, after the little brother woke up, I brought him food and drink. He'd chat with me and smile as I covered him in band-aids."