Zhang Wan'er's face was filled with worry. She pleaded, "Actually, there are many upright people in Huaxia. Please don't let the actions of one or two people change your impression of us Huaxians. Your status is noble, and I need someone like you to help spread our culture. Therefore, I hope you can be magnanimous and not dwell on Chen Lishu!"
Looking at the contrast between Zhang Wan'er and Chen Lishu, Alice sighed silently and murmured, "Perhaps this is the difference between people. Gu Xingdong is a commander in the army, and he needs a wife with a sound outlook on life to support him. I believe he will adapt to your presence soon."
These words struck a chord with Zhang Wan'er. They exchanged glances, then covered their mouths and giggled.
Soon, the news of Chen Lishu's participation in the M country competition spread. Chen Lishu was discussing design inspiration for a fashion show three weeks later with Su Nian when she suddenly received a call from Zhang Bin. He said, "Miss Chen, I've heard about your participation in the M country Chief Designer competition. Firstly, congratulations. Secondly, I have something good to bring you."
Hearing Zhang Bin's words, Chen Lishu's eyebrows slightly rose. Wasn't this supposed to be a secret matter? Why was someone congratulating her out of the blue? A sense of foreboding arose in Chen Lishu's heart. She pursed her thin lips and asked softly, "Where did you get this news from?"
"It's all over the internet and newspapers. What's wrong, President Chen? I detect a hint of dissatisfaction in your tone. Could it be that this news was meant to be confidential?" Zhang Bin was smart, or rather, after being in this circle for so long, he understood the price of fame. Everyone in the design circle knew that the competition in three weeks was an internal M country competition, and no Huaxian had ever participated. No matter how confident and capable Chen Lishu was, she wouldn't venture into areas she had never touched before. After all, if this matter was mishandled, the potential downsides would far outweigh the benefits. Given Chen Lishu's abilities, she had no need to rush; she could achieve fame and internationalize her brand through other means.
However, Chen Lishu's decisions were always well-reasoned. At least during their time working together, he had witnessed how accurate Chen Lishu's judgment was, so he hadn't dwelled on the matter for too long. It was only when he called and heard Chen Lishu's unusual tone that he recalled his previous deductions.
Zhang Bin propped his chin with one hand, pondered for a moment, and then said somewhat anxiously, "Eight hours have passed since the news was released. The news came out last night, and people probably haven't had time to pay attention yet. I took a look, and the streets this morning were still quite quiet, so I assume not many newspapers have been sold. How about this: I'll immediately arrange for people to remove all the newspapers and online information! As long as the people in M country don't admit it, the news won't be widely discussed. What do you think of this plan? If you think it's okay, just say so, and I'll send people to handle it right away!"
Hearing Zhang Bin's suggestion, Chen Lishu shook her head helplessly. The outcome was indeed a bit bad, but everything had two sides. Looking at it from another perspective, things were different. Chen Lishu took a deep breath and said slowly, "Since someone deliberately wants to spread the news, it's too late for us to stop it now! It's okay, if the news gets out, the more attention it attracts, the harder it will be for the people in M country to make a move. The enemy is in the dark, and I am in the light. Many things are limited. Now it's good; if we bring things out into the open, we can also bring the competition into the open and let the people of both Huaxia and M country be the judges!"
Zhang Bin had intended to present the worst-case scenario, but then he thought that the competition was only three weeks away, and time was tight. Design was already a troublesome matter, and Chen Lishu was doing her best to adjust her mindset. If he were to be insensitive and ruin Chen Lishu's mood, causing her to lose inspiration, wouldn't he be the most heinous offender? With this thought, Zhang Bin chuckled and followed Chen Lishu's lead, saying, "I think what you said earlier is very correct. Let's not talk about these things for now. Don't you need some good fabric for designing your gowns? I happen to have some to provide. Would you like to come and take a look? This is an inspiration I worked hard to obtain from a collector!"
Chen Lishu knew that Zhang Bin was offering her a way out. She greatly admired Zhang Bin's work ethic. The past events were unavoidable. It was a choice between career and family, and if she were to make the choice, she would have unhesitatingly chosen family. It could only be said that they had different paths. She would absolutely not let Zhang Bin work in the company again. Fortunately, Zhang Bin was quite capable. After leaving Xin Xin Group, he established his own company called Bala Apparel! The colleagues who had left Shu Se Group also returned to his side.
The reason Zhang Bin's strength was worthy of her admiration was that during their time together, Zhang Bin had learned a lot of design concepts from her. After opening his own company, he integrated these new concepts into his designs. However, Zhang Bin did not choose to use this acquired knowledge to cause trouble for her. Instead, he added new elements to her designs. She initially thought Zhang Bin was trying to be her enemy until one night Zhang Bin called her and said, "President Chen, I know your identity is special, and creating new works while breaking through feudalistic thinking will cause many people to interfere. Now that your company is growing larger and larger, you have more and more concerns, but I am different. I am just a small company just starting out. After your company designs a new work, I will add a bolder design style to your work. As people get used to these aesthetics, their acceptance will become stronger. Consider it as me, Zhang Bin, doing something wrong to you and using myself as a stepping stone for you! Of course, you won't fully believe me when I say such selfless things. To be honest, it's because I believe your aesthetic vision will lead Huaxia towards global trends. Consider it an early investment, and I'll piggyback on your success!"