C22 Chapter 22

After giving birth, she moved to London right away to work in fashion design. She was no longer collaborating with top international brands, but she still rose from an unknown designer to one of the most sought-after designers in London’s Chinese community.

The road here had been bitter and hard. But with her natural talent for design and the relentless effort she poured in afterward, it was no exaggeration to say that her professional skill now ranked among the very best in the country.

Xia Bing walked over to the outfits designed by Du Yawei. Du, Sang, Jun, and the people gathered around to watch all followed, forming a tight circle around her.

Her graceful figure stood tall and proud, without the slightest trace of fear.

“I can tell you’re trying to modernize the qipao, the style that best represents the softness and elegance of our women. The idea is good. But why do I say your design feels awkward and confused?”

Her professional tone made the crowd fall silent, all waiting for Xia Bing to continue.

“First, you don’t understand the qipao at all.”

At those words, Du Yawei immediately clenched her teeth, a cold flash crossing her eyes. “That’s nonsense! You—”

“Don’t rush. Let me finish,” Xia Bing cut in.

The people around them were full of anticipation and nodded along. “Yeah, let her finish. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

With everyone saying that, Du Yawei could no longer interrupt. She could only clench her fists and wait for Xia Bing’s next words.

Xia Bing smiled. “As everyone knows, the qipao is treasured because of its soft lines, which perfectly show off a woman’s graceful figure. But the beauty of the qipao isn’t limited to that. There’s another detail people often overlook, and that’s the collar. Look at the stand collars on these two outfits.”

Xia Bing stepped forward and adjusted the stand collar at the model’s neck. Everyone’s eyes followed the movement of her fingertips.

“The second beauty of the qipao comes from its stand collar, which follows the line of a woman’s neck. It highlights the long, slender neck beautifully, giving it the elegance of a swan’s. But look at this collar,” Xia Bing said with a cold laugh, slipping two fingers into the neckline of the model’s outfit. “I can fit two fingers in here, and it’s still loose. I have no idea what this was supposed to accomplish. Not only does it fail to bring out a woman’s beauty, it also makes the whole design look heavy. To me, a design like this is a joke.”

At that, everyone suddenly understood and nodded again and again.

Some of the designers had already sensed that there was something off about Du Yawei’s design, but they just couldn’t put their finger on it. Once Xia Bing pointed it out, it all clicked. So that was it.

Hearing this, Du Yawei clenched her teeth and argued stubbornly, “I did that on purpose. It was meant to make the dress feel more in line with modern trends!”

“Modern trends?” Xia Bing smiled. “Then I’d suggest getting rid of the mandarin collar altogether. Not only does it fail to improve the dress, it actually drags the whole design down. In the judges’ eyes, that kind of choice is a major drawback.”

“You really think you know that much? Maybe you understand qipao a little, but my design—”

“Hold on, there’s more. Let me finish.” Xia Bing cut Du Yawei off without the slightest courtesy.

Du Yawei froze, completely caught off guard that Xia Bing could still find more flaws. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say and could only let Xia Bing continue.