Fortunately, Luo Changchuan didn’t press further and simply asked about the two pieces in the final round, "Shadows of Ink and Spring Night—who’s are they?"
Ye Li countered with a question, "What does the great designer Luo think?"
He looked at Ye Li wearing an expression that said, "guess all you want, you won’t figure it out."
Then he glanced at Wan Mingyi, whose flushed cheeks and downturned head seed to betray sothing.
Luo Changchuan hesitated briefly, "Shadows of Ink is Ye Li’s—its the is ink. Spring Night is Wan Mingyi’s—its the is night, correct?"
Ye Li and Wan Mingyi exchanged a smile.
Luo Changchuan imdiately realized his guess had been wrong.
He turned to Ye Li again, his eyes lit with surprise. "But the the is ink, right?"
Ye Li nodded.
Luo Changchuan pressed, "Then how did you connect ink with Spring Night?"
"Isn’t it obvious?"
Ye Li’s face was full of incredulity. "Night is black. The moon over the sea rises with the tides, the white mist over shoals becos invisible—it’s still black. Who does the river moon wait for? Only the Yangtze River sends flowing water—the mood is black too. All the black cos together to form that stroke of ink. Whether it lands on rice paper, embeds in the heart, or lts into my design... as long as I talk nonsense seriously enough, I can convince you."
And the answer was clear—the judges had been convinced.
Even though Ye Li had never explained the inspiration behind her piece.
Luo Changchuan was in awe.
He glanced at Wan Mingyi’s "Shadows of Ink," which had also made it to the finals, and sincerely extended his hand, "Congratulations!"
"Thank you, Mr. Luo!"
Wan Mingyi smiled and shook his hand.
The competition was brutal.
Rivalry was fierce.
By the ti the crowd returned to the venue in the afternoon, even the host ascending the stands wore an expression more solemn than before.
"Out of the 328 entries that advanced to the semifinals, after intense competition, only 56 designers have secured spots in the final round now."
The host’s voice echoed through the venue, and after a brief stir, the crowd fell into a hushed silence.
The judges whispered amongst themselves, yet no matter how hard the designers in the back rows strained to listen, they couldn’t hear a thing.
Then, the overhead screen lit up, displaying the nas of the 56 finalists.
Perhaps it was due to the simplicity of its strokes, making it instantly recognizable.
Or perhaps it was because of his familiarity with her na.
Chen Jiayuan’s eyes imdiately landed on the third row, where Wan Mingyi’s na appeared.
And right before that, Ye Li’s na as well.
In that mont, his foreboding hunch was confird.
As he scanned the list from start to finish, he saw only his own na within those 56. This ant that Shiny Studio had only one representative left.
The surge of excitent he’d felt upon learning about the final round taking place the next day imdiately diminished significantly.
"Let us congratulate these 56 outstanding designers!"
As the host spoke, thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.
"The finals of this year’s ’Shining with You’ competition will take place tomorrow at 2 p.m. Submission deadlines for entries are tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.—which ans the ti left for your inspiration to ignite is limited."
To lighten the mood a bit, the host raised a hand, and the screen transitioned.
The awards structure for this year’s competition.
As with previous years, there would be one gold dal, two silver dals, three bronze dals, and ten awards for exceptional works.
In other words, out of 56 participants, only 16 would ultimately erge victorious.
"Tomorrow morning will be the critique of the entries, followed by award announcents in the afternoon, and in the evening, there will be a celebratory gala organized by the event sponsors for the outstanding designers!"
A gentle piano tune began to play, marking the end of the semifinals.
In earlier rounds, designers had approached familiar judges seeking conversations or advice on jewelry knowledge.
But this ti, for those disqualified, there was no heart to speak of it. And for those advancing, the day shortened into a single night of preparation left them frantic and overwheld, many leaving the venue before the judges even exited.
This was destined to be a sleepless night for countless individuals.
Wan Mingyi didn’t even return ho, spending the night at her office.
At dawn, she stared at the submission button on the competition’s website, which had turned into a dull, grayed-out "Submitted," before finally reclining her chair and lying down.
Just seconds before closing her eyes, she sat up as if sleepwalking, set an alarm, and only then allowed herself to relax and fall asleep.
Ye Li had slept at the Ye Mansion.
She rose early, took a walk with her mother, then went to shop at the supermarket together. Upon returning ho, she spotted Fu Yanci sitting on the sofa in the living room.
After lunch, Fu Yanci drove while Ye Li took a nap in the passenger seat.
When she woke, the art gallery was already in front of her.
The venue for the final round had switched from a large hall accommodating over a thousand to a differently styled, smaller venue.
Previously, once people took their seats, designers from all directions greeted one another, asking which studio each one represented.
But by the finals, it seed every heart was beating in their throat, leaving no space for idle chatter.
Still, when Ye Li and Wan Mingyi entered, they attracted the attention of nearly everyone around.
Walking in together, both from the sa studio.
Even if the initial round had seen over a thousand participants unfamiliar with one another, by the finals it was well-known that these two beauties hailed from Ye Li’s Studio.
One of them, stunningly beautiful and impossibly young, was even the owner herself.
"Your fiancé didn’t co?"
The teasing voice ca from beside her as Wan Mingyi turned, spotting Chen Jiayuan seated next to her.
Glancing around, the venue, which held no more than a hundred seats, was already full. With seating fixed even if she wanted to shoo him away, Wan Mingyi shot him an icy glare.
She turned back, only to et Ye Li’s gaze, practically telepathic, "Sister Mingyi, let’s switch seats!"
Wan Mingyi stood up.
Ye Li followed suit.
Just like that, the two seamlessly swapped places.
Chen Jiayuan: ...
As the host’s voice echoed, the already silent venue fell even further into utter stillness.
The judges entered one after another. This ti, instead of being seated below the stage, they sat on the sides of the platform.
For each piece displayed on the screen, judges offered comntary, followed by scoring from each of the ten jurors.
However, aside from the judges, nobody in the audience could see their scores.
Ye Li’s gaze unintentionally fell on Jyang Wanruo.
If it weren’t for Jyang Wanruo’s identity as vice-chairperson of the charity gala having been in place years earlier, Ye Li would have almost believed she ca here specifically for her.
During the mid-point break, as Ye Li exited the restroom, Jyang Wanruo’s opening words made her heart faintly skip a beat.
"Ye Li, if I said I ca here specifically for you, would you believe ?"
The sound of running water accompanied her words, as Jyang Wanruo continued facing the mirror, touching up her makeup, her expression casual yet unrestrained.
"If you say so, I’ll believe you. But I don’t believe you’ll be able to eliminate !"
Young and unapologetic, her eyes briefly flickered with uncertainty. But the words she spoke showed not an ounce of hesitation, brimming instead with bold confidence.
Jyang Wanruo was tempted to ask Ye Li whether her confidence ca from her own talents or from Fu Yanci, an unrivalled power in the Imperial City.
The mont those words reached the tip of her tongue, another designer entered, and Jyang Wanruo swallowed them back.
She rely nodded toward Ye Li, "Ye Li, good luck!"
Ye Li stared at Jyang Wanruo’s retreating figure for a long ti.
Beautiful features, elegant deanor.
An enviable figure.
The deep green qipao hugging her body accentuated an alluring waist and hips.
It carried that particular blend of mature sensuality unique to her age.
The kind of allure that Ye Li couldn’t possibly possess at twenty.
She thought of Fu Yanci’s calm remark, "a college friend."
She thought of her mother’s admiring complint, "the perfect daughter-in-law for a wealthy family."
Ye Li sighed.
Great—now she was feeling sour all over again.
A soft chi from her handbag signaled a ssage from Wan Mingyi urging her to return quickly. Ye Li glanced into the mirror, adjusted herself, and pushed open the door.
She bent slightly as she returned to her seat, and her eyes lit up as she saw the works bearing Ye Li’s Studio logo flashing across the screen.
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