Li Xiaomei was utterly depressed. But then she remembered that East Hong Clothing Factory was about to score a stunning victory, which would surely impress Zhengfeng. Thinking of this, Li Xiaomei finally managed to calm down a bit.
They were already more than halfway done producing their new styles. After the New Year, they could start selling them. But on Jiu Yi’s side, there was still no sign of movement.
Who said there was no movement?
On their end, Qin Jiao and Shen Yi had already taken their finished designs, produced samples ahead of schedule, and hired people to shoot a commercial.
It was scheduled to air right around the Spring Festival.
Although it would cost a lot of money, it would definitely be worth it.
However, a small hiccup occurred during the commercial shoot. Because they were featuring a youth-oriented line, the female model suddenly fell ill.
Qin Jiao thought for a moment and said, "I’ll do it."
The director was about to refuse, but when he saw Qin Jiao, he realized she was even more photogenic than the original model. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Alright, you’re it!"
However, the planner standing nearby said with some frustration, "But she has no name recognition. Shouldn’t we change the ad copy?"
Shen Yi, who was standing beside them, was not happy to hear that. He said, "She’s my wife, the vice director of our Jiuyi Clothing Factory, a school prodigy, last year’s top scorer on the college entrance exam in City A, and a top student at North City’s law school. You say she has no name recognition?"
The planner was taken aback. He wanted to explain that celebrity fame was different from academic renown, but then he had a flash of inspiration.
"’The Prodigy Girl’... that’s a great persona!"
At the time, media campaigns were still quite conservative. For instance, most commercials just featured a model holding a product and dryly reciting ad copy.
The effectiveness of the ad depended entirely on the model’s influence.
Jiuyi Clothing wasn’t a huge brand yet, so they couldn’t afford a big-name celebrity. Plus, since they were targeting the youth market anyway, having Qin Jiao—a beautiful, tall academic prodigy—as the model was a perfect fit!
"Come on, come on, let’s try a different approach. Xiao Qin, hold a book... yes, just like that..."
Compared to the awkward poses from before, the new concept had Qin Jiao sometimes reading a book in a study setting, and at other times holding a badminton racket in a sporty pose. It perfectly combined youthfulness with academics.
On top of that, Qin Jiao had a great presence on camera. She was poised, confident, and at ease the entire time, so the shoot progressed surprisingly quickly!
Then, after the male model’s solo shots were done, it was time for the parts where they worked together. One moment, Shen Yi was watching Qin Jiao with a face full of pride; the next, he felt something was wrong.
’Jiao Jiao is in the same frame as another man...’
"I’m going to replace the male model!" Shen Yi couldn’t sit still any longer.
Qin Jiao was speechless. "We’re already done shooting, and they’ve already been paid. If you go up there now, are you planning to scrap everything we just did? Will you be covering the extra costs? Shen Yi, can’t you try to save the factory some money?"
"But..."
"We didn’t even hold hands the entire time. What exactly are you so worked up about?"
Shen Yi opened his mouth, then carefully confirmed that the male model hadn’t touched Qin Jiao at all during the shoot. Only then did he stop talking.
The shoot was a great success, and everyone was delighted. On the way home, however, Shen Yi was sullen. Qin Jiao thought for a moment and said, "If there’s another opportunity like this, how about we shoot it together?"
"Okay." Shen Yi’s brow smoothed. He thought for a moment, then added, "Jiao Jiao, once things aren’t so busy, let’s find some free time and go on a vacation to the beach."