Translator: Lan Editor: Efydatia

  Ou Qiang gestured to Sister Xue and turned back to greet the man, "Hello, my handsome younger brother. I just met one of my favorite acquaintances. I’m afraid there is a conflict between us. We selected the same outfit."

  The model walked up to Sister Xue and looked down. Then he cast a glance at the outfit Ou Qiang had selected for him, and nodded handsomely. "If you two are old friends……"

  Before he could finish his words, Qin Guan, who was done laughing, returned.

  Ou Qiang’s cousin recognized Qin Guan at first sight. His attitude suddenly changed. "If you are old friends, then you should be generous. We’ll kindly accept the outfit."

  Qu Qiang’s cousin was No.22, the model who had had a fight with Qin Guan during the preliminary competition. Qin Guan smiled at the scene. Before he could say anything, Ou Qiang introduced his cousin happily, "Oh, dear! My cousin Ou Fen is such a good talker. Ha, ha, ha…… We are friends, we don’t care about such trifles."

  Ou Fen? Oh, Sh*t? Ha, ha, ha! Both Qin Guan and Sister Xue burst into laughter. No. 22 looked ashamed and angry as he explained to the onlookers loudly, "I have changed my name to Ouyang Fen!" Oh, Sheep Manure? It was still sh*t! The two of them laughed even louder.

  Ouyang Fen had no idea what they were laughing about. He started pulling away his cousin angrily. Ou Qiang waved his handkerchief at Sister Xue and said, "Meet you after the competition, okay?"

  Sister Xue shivered. There were few outfits left on the hangers anymore. She frowned in hesitation, but Qin Guan was resolute. Pointing to one of the outfits at random, he said, "That’s it."

  It was a camouflage uniform used during the military training of college students. The pants had a large crotch. Sister Xue shook her head repeatedly. "No, no. Your partner will complain. Shall we go with this one?" What she recommended was a suit with a metallic lustre.

  Qin Guan shook his head. Is this even clothing? It covers no more skin than a leaf. Without further discussion, he picked up the military uniform again and said, "I’m going with this. It’s a done deal."

  Sister Xue burst into tears on the spot. She had nothing to say. Qin Guan was too determined to listen to her. She took the uniform and handed it to the assistant, saying torpidly, "It’s for No.21, Qin Guan. And here are the clothes for the female model. Shall I give them to you?" The assistant in charge of stock nodded and pinned a No.21 tag on the women’s uniform.

  When all the male models had finished their selection, the assistant pushed the rolling hangers with the 30 outfits to the changing area of the ladies. The girls surrounded her and got their outfits according to the number tags. Naturally, some were joyful, while others were worried.

  "Oh, my! My little dress is so pretty," said the lucky girl who had gotten the gown.

  "Look at that metallic lustre! It’s so revealing! My shoulders are really broad, and this is a halter top. What a disaster!"

  The surrounding girls all looked at her. The girl’s skeleton is indeed large. If she wears that mini dress, she will be out of the competition! Somebody was kind enough to try to comfort her. They pointed at the military uniform and said, "At least, your clothes will show your figure to the audience. Look at that one……"

  That was when they saw the camouflage uniform. A heated discussion suddenly began.

  "This is the most terrible outfit in this competition!"

  "Maybe the organizing committee has no financial support. Did they select that outfit at random? Thank god I don’t have to wear it!"

  While everyone was talking, model No.21 took the uniform calmly. That outfit had made her the underdog. Actually, Li Xiaoli was silently chuckling to herself. She was a student at the Design Department of the Institute of Fashion Technology. Her figure was pretty good, so she had entered the modelling circle naturally.

  It was said that a good actress could also be a good singer. The same actually applied to the fashion industry. Many designers failed to find a good job after graduating. By being a model, Li Xiaoli could meet many older and more experienced designers. She could learn from them, expand her public relations, and change profession when she got the chance. There were many cases like that in the fashion industry.

  That was Li Xiaoli’s plan. The uniform actually really matched her taste. She could modify it with her professional skills and show off her extraordinary talent during the competition. I’ll also try my best to help my partner, who chose this uniform. Li Xiaoli sewed as she thought.

  Meanwhile, Qin Guan had changed into his clothes for the talent show. He was wearing a rented black suit and a pair of dancing shoes he had made himself.

  That’s right, Qin Guan had made the shoes himself. Professor Li had thought about the regulations of the competition carefully and decided that Qin Guan’s social dancing skill would not work without a partner. She had thought deeply for a long time and finally chosen tap dancing for him. It was suitable for a solo performance, and it was a dance full of enthusiasm and rhythm, which was exactly Qin Guan’s style.

  They had decided together on the music and tutor. When the discussion had come around to his outfit and equipment, Qin Guan had volunteered to buy the shoes himself. They had been so expensive though! He couldn’t afford to spend so much money on a pair of shoes he would only wear once, so he had made them by himself. Who would care? The special slices for tap dancing cost only 60 yuan per pair. Qin Guan had found a professional shoemaker who had nailed the slices to ordinary cowhide shoes, and that was it!

  The host began to make a short introduction about the regulations and process of the competition. Then the local final of the New Face Model Competition started.

  Female model No.1 got on the stage first, followed by male model No.1, and so on. The models got on the stage sequentially according to the host’s announcements.

  Qin Guan and Sister Xue were sitting on a bench behind the curtain, watching the show with relish. The models were singing, dancing or playing musical instruments. Those who could do nothing recited poems. They all tried their best.

  Professor He and the other three judges had completed their task and retreated from the front line. The four judges were much more important this time.