Rebirth of the Fashion King

Chapter 58 will be formally introduced.

The Empress Dowager's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Li Xun.

"Alright, stop bullying the kid, Junker. What your cousin is saying is all young people's stuff. Why are you getting involved?"

Junkers, the butler, sat up straight: "I'm just curious; everyone seems to be paying more attention to Rhine."

"Curiousness has its time. Today is his birthday, so let's not stray too far from the topic."

He paused for a moment and then spoke to Li Xun.

"But then again, you really should give me an answer."

Li Xun met the Empress Dowager's gaze.

"What's the answer?"

"Give us an answer. You brought her to us, so you must have thought it through, kid. Not just anyone can get into this industry. The actress who appeared at Chanel last time clearly wouldn't be sitting at this table."

Vikinne Viard stopped laughing, Karin Lofeld leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed, looking on with amusement, and Anna Wintour put down her glass, clearly intrigued as well.

  

If everything before was just "playing along," then now it's for real.

The Empress Dowager didn't want Li Xun to get entangled in matters of love with men; she hoped to resolve the situation quickly and decisively.

The other party was a girl who bravely approached; there should be some outcome.

Karl Lagerfeld admired courageous people.

If he had thought differently, Jacques would never have been snatched away by Saint Laurent.

Li Xun was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.

"I was originally planning to talk about it later, but since everyone has asked, I'll say it today."

Liu Yifei looked up and met his eyes.

Li Xun held her hand; her hand was a little cold and trembling.

Then he turned back to look at the other people at the table, his expression serious.

"Let me formally introduce myself. This is Crystal Liu, my girlfriend."

"Are you sure you've thought this through?"

The Empress Dowager did not experience the unexpected event that one might have imagined.

"certainly."

Li Xun tilted his head and replied.

"I figured it out when I went to the Flower Goddess last time."

"Moreover, with Crystal by his side, Rhine can avoid a lot of trouble. Many supermodels probably won't bother him backstage anymore now that they know he has a girlfriend."

Virginia successfully made everyone laugh. She said this because in March she personally witnessed Li Xun being cornered and unable to move by that group of fierce women backstage at the Grand Palace—a scene that made the Empress Dowager shake her head.

"Hahaha----"

"It's definitely a good decision."

Anna Wintour poured a little red wine into her glass, then raised it and smiled at Liu Yifei.

"Congratulations, Crystal, welcome to the real fashion world."

Liu Yifei's heart was still pounding with excitement when Anna Wintour's words made her quickly pick up her glass and clink it with hers.

"Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Anna."

In the evening, Liu Xiaoli sat on the sofa in the living room, holding a cup of cold coffee in her hand.

She heard footsteps outside the door; they weren't walking, they were hopping.

Once, twice, three times.

The clinking of the keys was unusually crisp. When the door was pushed open, she saw her daughter standing in the entryway, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling like two stars.

It felt like the light was blinding her.

"Mommy!"

Liu Yifei called out, her voice not low, but with a rising tone at the end, the kind that couldn't be hidden at all.

Liu Xiaoli put down her cup.

-

"You're willing to come back?"

Her tone was somewhat helpless.

"Hmm." Liu Yifei changed into slippers, hung her bag on the coat hanger, and moved much more quickly than usual.

She stood in the entryway for two seconds, as if hesitating about something, then walked over and sat down next to Liu Xiaoli.

"Mommy."

"Um?"

"He said it in front of everyone today."

Liu Xiaoli turned to look at her. Liu Yifei did not avoid her mother's gaze. She couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. Her fingers were intertwined, and her pink fingertips occasionally touched each other.

"Karl Lagerfeld is here, Anna Wintour is here, and so are Ms. Virginia, Karin Loffield, Uncle Junker, they're all here."

Liu Yifei spoke faster than usual, and every word seemed to burst out uncontrollably.

"Mr. Carl asked him, 'You brought her before us, so you must have thought it through,' and then he—"

She paused, as if replaying that scene in her mind.

He took my hand and said, "Let me formally introduce you, my girlfriend—"

Liu Xiaoli looked into her daughter's eyes.

For twenty-one years, she had never seen Sisi show such an expression.

There was no day when filming of "The Story of Gold" wrapped up, no day when I got into film school, and no day when I signed with Sony Music.

It was a sense of reassurance that came from her eyes, something that couldn't be hidden no matter how hard she tried.

"And then?" Liu Xiaoli asked.

"Then Anna Wintour told me, 'Welcome to the real fashion world.'"

Liu Yifei curled up her legs and nestled into the sofa.

Liu Xiaoli's eyebrows twitched slightly; she actually had some understanding of how these circles operated.

Everyone can put on a show; they raise a glass, touch cheeks, say a few nice words, and then forget about you completely.

But if Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour speak in person, the situation is completely different; this isn't just a formality. This is a show of support.

As for Li Xun—as a mother, and for Xixi's sake, she saw and learned a lot—

She discovered that the last young designer to excite the fashion world this much was probably John Ganniano, the artistic director of Dior in the 1990s, and before that, Alexander McQueen, who burst onto the scene in the 1980s.

But these two are completely different from Li Xun, whom Xixi has been in contact with.

Today, Liu Xiaoli saw his ultra-high-definition photos on the ChaneI official website, and at that moment she had a feeling.

Those eyes, and that aura—they were so calm, as if they had seen everything, knew everything, and nothing could surprise them.

This is not the look in someone his age's eyes.

"So you two are really together?" Liu Xiaoli asked uncertainly.

Liu Yifei nodded obediently.

"OK."

"When exactly?"

"So—if we start counting from the day of the Flower Goddess last week, about a week?" Liu Yifei's voice grew softer and softer.

"But I'm not sure what he's really thinking. As I've said before, Li Xun does everything quietly and without making a sound. Before, I felt that he was very close to me, but at the same time, I felt that he was very far away from me. It wasn't until today that I finally said it out loud."

Liu Xiaoli did not speak.

She's been through it all and understands the feeling her daughter is describing.

When a girl likes someone, she anxiously tries to guess what he's thinking, repeatedly pondering every detail.

I try to find evidence of being loved in every word and every glance.

This process is both agonizing and sweet, but ultimately, the initiative always lies with the other person, because you are the one who takes the initiative to reach out to them. So, the relationship only truly takes hold when that person publicly declares it.

"Are you happy?" Liu Xiaoli asked.

Liu Yifei nodded, nodding vigorously.

"I'm so happy, Mommy. It's not because of any recognition from the fashion industry, or because of Anna Wintour's congratulations, it's just because he was willing to say it."

He could have kept quiet. How old was he? And in that position, with so many eyes watching him.

He could have easily said to wait, or not to make it public yet, but he didn't; he just said it directly, in front of Mr. Carl and the others.

Liu Xiaoli reached out and tucked the stray hairs that had fallen across her daughter's cheeks behind her ear.

She has been doing this action ever since Sisi started learning dance at the age of five. Every time her daughter cried during practice, she would help her tidy her hair and say, "Just hang in there a little longer."

But things are different now.

Sisi didn't cry; she was smiling.

"Mommy," Liu Yifei suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Don't you think it's too fast? We haven't known each other for very long, but I'm really afraid he'll run away—"

'

"Do you know what I like most about him?" Liu Yifei suddenly asked.

"What?"

"He never asks me about filming."

Liu Xiaoli was stunned for a moment.

"It's not that I don't care, it's just—" Liu Yifei thought for a moment, trying to find the right expression.

"When he looked at me, he saw me as a person, not as the actress Liu Yifei, not as the celebrity Liu Yifei, but just the person in front of him."

He would talk to me about the used bookstores on the Left Bank of the Seine, about the French New Wave films of the 1960s, about which coffee beans have the best acidity for cold brew. He never talked about the entertainment industry, except for mentioning that he had seen me play Little Dragon Girl.

Liu Xiaoli understands now.

Sisi has been a bit tired in the industry these past few years.

She debuted at fifteen with "The Story of Jin Li," and later starred in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "Chinese Paladin."

She was pushed forward all the way, and everyone treated her as a symbol, a commodity, a star whose commercial value could be calculated.

Few people really care what she likes or what kind of life she wants as a girl.

Li Xun, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.

He's already in the fashion world; he doesn't need to get anything from her.

He can have everything he wants: resources, popularity, and commercial value.

Chanel gave him a platform bigger than any celebrity; his bags could have wealthy women around the world lining up for months. He didn't need to ride on anyone's coattails.

So his feelings for Sissi were purely platonic.

In the entertainment industry, the word "pure" is more precious than anything else.

She was also relieved that Sisi hadn't signed with Huayi Brothers last year.

"Xixi," Liu Xiaoli said, her tone more serious than before.

Are you sure he's serious?

"He said it to Karl Lagerfeld tonight," Liu Yifei repeated, as if to bolster her confidence.

"Karl Lagerfeld, you know him, Mommy, the soul of Chanel. What he said to Karl Lagerfeld must be true. He even held my hand."

"Xixi," Liu Xiaoli stood up, "I'll go heat up a cup of milk for you."

"Mommy, I don't want to drink—"

—

"Have a drink, you definitely won't be able to sleep tonight, I know you too well."

Liu Yifei did not refute, because her mother was right.

Her heart was still pounding. From the moment Li Xun took her hand, her heart felt like it was inside a hot box, pounding nonstop.

Liu Xiaoli went into the kitchen, poured the milk into a small pot, and turned on the stove.

She looked at the pot, but her mind was on something else entirely.

Perhaps I should meet with Li Xun?

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