Everyone was busy. Just as Qin Jiao heard that the batch of clothes Donghong had rushed to produce before the New Year was struggling to sell even after a price drop, it was time for them to start the new semester.
The new university semester had just begun, and things were still quiet. After registering and picking classes, life fell into a predictable routine.
With the house in Rose District and the restaurant at the new property both needing renovation, Qin Jiao spent all her time outside of class running between the two locations.
Meanwhile, whenever Shen Yi had a spare moment, he had to be at the clothing factory.
Jiu Yi’s latest collection had been a resounding success, so the factory was still hard at work. Around the same time, as Qin Jiao decided to join Shen Yi for a clothing festival in the South, she began brainstorming designs for the summer collection.
However, the commercial Qin Jiao had filmed was broadcast over the Spring Festival, so as soon as the semester began, people would greet her whenever she walked around campus.
Her classmate, Han Juan, who had a cheerful personality and was closer to Qin Jiao than most, asked her directly, "Qin Jiao, are you planning to become a celebrity?"
This was an era when everyone was starting to buy cassette tapes and collect photos of celebrities. Some of the boys even taped posters of female stars to the walls by their beds.
The older generation didn’t really approve of becoming a celebrity, but young people were naturally more open to new things.
So when Han Juan saw Qin Jiao on TV, she had excitedly told her family, "That’s my classmate!"
The younger kids in her family were thrilled, but the elders had remarked, "Shouldn’t she be focusing on her studies? What’s this about becoming a big celebrity?"
Then Han Juan explained that Qin Jiao had been the provincial top scorer on her college entrance exams and was now acing all of her courses at the university.
Someone then asked, "Did she film that commercial because her family is struggling financially?"
Han Juan shook her head. "No, the Qin family is very well-off. They even own a clothing factory. Oh, and that brand of clothes? That’s their brand."
Her relatives: "..."
Seeing the sparkle in Han Juan’s eyes, Qin Jiao smiled and said, "I’m too busy to be an actress. I only filmed that commercial because the original actress had a last-minute emergency, and I had to fill in."
"Oh, I see! But Jiu Yi’s clothes are so beautiful, Qin Jiao. I even dragged my cousins to the mall, and we each bought a whole outfit!"
Qin Jiao smiled. "I’m glad you all like them. By the way, if you have any feedback or ideas, feel free to let me know. We’re already preparing the summer collection."
"It’s only the beginning of March, and you’re already preparing for summer?"
Others nearby who overheard were full of admiration. They secretly resolved to be the first ones to wear the new summer collection when it came out.
The concept of "trends" was beginning to take hold among these young people.
Some people treated her like a star, envying and admiring her with great respect.
But some were also filled with jealousy.
Not far away, a girl scoffed. "What’s she so smug about? It’s just because she’s pretty and married a rich guy. I heard that clothing factory actually belongs to Shen Yi."
Standing beside her, a venomous look in her eyes, Li Man frowned. "Can we please stop talking about her?"
All because of Qin Jiao, Xu Zhengyang wasn’t even speaking to her anymore, which left Li Man deeply frustrated.
’What’s so great about Qin Jiao anyway? She’s just trading on her looks. Besides, she already has a boyfriend, so why is Xu Zhengyang still so hung up on her?’
The girl was a good friend of Li Man’s. She said, "Hey, a new hair salon just opened up near the West Gate. They do really beautiful hairstyles, and the owner is a woman around our age. She’s amazing—she can tell what hairstyle will suit you just by looking at your face shape. I’ll go with you to get a new style. It might cheer you up."
"There’s a hair salon near the West Gate?"
"Yeah, it just opened. It used to be a restaurant. Oh, right! The salon is called Lian Feng."