It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Sofia casually picked up the Rheinische Zeitung next to her. Having already read it once, she rested her chin on her hand and flipped through it aimlessly until a small print suddenly caught her attention.

[Aorunji Li, a clothing designer, possesses boundless creativity and a bespoke fashion sense. Affordable fees and warm service. Address: 14 Tulip Street.]

"Number 14 Tulip Street, I think it's around here?"

The interest sparked by this chance encounter ended there. It was hard for Sophia to muster the motivation to investigate this little-known tailor. She gently pinched the paper, intending to turn to the next page.

At that moment, a woman sat down next to her—one of her few close friends.

"Sophia," her friend said seriously, "do you know that you've worn this dress to the salon more than once?"

"know."

"Do you know that this dress was the most popular style last year?"

"I know that too."

"Great—so, have you considered changing to a longer dress that's more in line with current fashion trends?"

“Oh, of course I’d like to change to another one, but Father doesn’t want to waste the money.” Sophia scratched her cheek in distress. “I remember telling you last time that I had my eye on one, but I was rejected.”

"Because that one is too expensive! You can lower your requirements."

A friend advised, "You don't need to chase after those expensive luxury clothes. Cheaper ones that keep up with the times are enough. If that's all you need, your father probably won't refuse."

But Sofia's fragile pride wouldn't allow her to lower her standards.

She tried to find an explanation: "But..."

“No buts. I don’t want my friend to be ostracized for clinging to so-called high society ideas,” her friend interrupted. “Look, besides me, is anyone else talking to you now?”

Reflecting on the treatment she received at the recent salon, Sophia lowered her head and said dejectedly, "Okay, you're right—I just saw an advertisement in the newspaper, I'll go ask about it after the salon."

"very good."

My friend nodded in satisfaction.

After reaching a consensus, the two chatted happily about the latest popular topics.

Time flew by amidst the casual conversation, and soon the salon was drawing to a close. The invited guests rose to bid farewell to Miss Phillips, including Sophia and her friend. After taking one last look at the enviable gown, they left.

Finally, all the guests left, leaving only Phillips and an old butler in the living room.

"Whoosh-"

With a long sigh of relief, Phillips' eyes lit up with a completely different kind of joy, and he said in a light tone, "Butler West, they praised me today too. I knew choosing this dress was the right decision!"

"You have a discerning eye."

"And this time I spoke much more than last time, and no one noticed anything unusual,"

"A huge step forward."

"..."

After expressing her excited emotions, Phillips finally calmed down, picked up the corner of her long dress, stood up and said, "That's enough for today, it's about time for me to go back."

The old butler bowed and said, "Yes, young master."

Chapter 257 Classic Client

When the salon came to a complete end.

No. 14 Tulip Street.

Li Cheng stood at the doorway, politely refusing the man holding a jacket with a hole in the chest: "Sorry, I don't have the function of mending clothes."

The man was clearly not having an opinion, and he shouted at him, "Aren't you a tailor? Can't you even mend clothes???"

"tailor......"

Li Cheng's lips twitched: "No, I'm not. I'm a fashion designer."

He overlooked a detail when registering the advertisement: just as dentists and surgeons are often tailors on the side, fashion designers these days are often tailors and artists on the side—the former being the vast majority.

Since the main difference between the two is the price, when Li Cheng highlighted the keyword "cheap," almost everyone assumed he was a newly opened tailor shop...

"The third one today."

After seeing off the angry man who had made a wasted trip, Li Cheng slapped his face and sighed to the heavens, "I'm going to take the ads down right now!"

"Mr. Orenki, it's lunchtime."

Mrs. Hudson, who had been waiting on the sidelines until the appointed time but hadn't come forward yet because of guests, walked to the door with the prepared lunch in her hands.

Thank you.

While thanking the landlady, Li Cheng took the warm lunchbox from her and casually asked, "Mrs. Hudson, what do you usually enjoy for entertainment?"

As a single woman who doesn't have to take care of her husband and children, nor does she have to work hard to make a living, and is bored out of her mind all day long, Hudson couldn't be happier if someone came to chat with her.

So when Li Cheng brought up a topic, she skillfully assumed the most effortless standing posture, leaned against the door panel, and smiled easily: "I prefer knitting sweaters."

Knitting? Isn't knitting a traditional British skill? What's a French lady doing getting involved...?

Because Britain originated from wool, knitting is almost a national pastime. From Prime Minister Churchill to ordinary people, almost every Briton knows how to knit.

Li Cheng glanced at the landlord with considerable surprise, and Hudson continued:

"Knitting is a great way to relax your mind and pass the time, and the finished product is also practical—I learned this from a British friend."

"It's a good hobby, but what else?"

“Every Friday I also go to my art teacher’s studio for painting lessons.” Mrs. Hudson made no attempt to hide anything; she had a strong desire to chat. “There I can find many like-minded people, and we paint while discussing topics that interest us…”

Li Cheng quickly regretted his casual question. After listening to Mrs. Haddon's long monologue, he interrupted the torture by saying that his lunchbox was getting cold and went back inside to enjoy his lunch in peace.

Knock knock knock—

But just as he opened the lunchbox and scooped out two spoonfuls of soup, there was another knock on the door, forcing him to get up and open it.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Aurunki?"

The person knocking on the door was a pretty young woman. She politely explained, "I saw your advertisement in the Rheinische Zeitung. I heard the prices are low..."

Li Cheng was still thinking about his lunch. Upon hearing the words "low price," he didn't ask any questions and said directly, "I only accept private clothing design, no sewing buttons, no patching, and no selling second-hand clothes... If you're looking for cheap tailoring work, please turn right and go 500 meters to the next street, Narcissus Street. There's a tailor there named Kasha who's said to be quite good."

They've mastered the process quite well, and have gained considerable experience in persuading people to quit.

"I'm here to have my clothes designed," the young woman said.

"Oh?"

Li Cheng immediately perked up, squinted, and carefully examined the newcomer's attire. He noticed that although her dress was gorgeous, it was outdated: "Hmm... I can tell that this style started to become popular last April. Are you looking to get a new one?"

After several days of intensive study of newspapers and magazines, he was able to make a reliable judgment.

"Yes."

The young woman was able to determine the exact month of his pregnancy at a glance, which increased her level of trust in him.

Li Cheng smiled and stepped aside to make way for her: "In that case, let's go inside and talk about the rest... May I ask how this young lady is addressed?"

The young woman replied, "Sophia, you can call her that."

After being persuaded by her friend, Sophia agreed to buy a relatively inexpensive dress first. Coincidentally, Salon saw Li Cheng's advertisement for a low price in the Rheinische Zeitung and, thinking that it was close by, decided to try inquiring about it.

So the two

He found a stool for Sophia to sit on, while Li Cheng sat behind the desk.

“Miss Sophia, this is how I address you.” Li Cheng had a pen and paper in front of him to jot down the customer’s needs. “Although I already have some ideas, since this is a private clothing design, you might as well mention your requirements first.”

"My request?"

"Yes, for example, your preferred dress style and color combination, etc."

When asked about her favorite dress style, Sophia immediately recalled her experience at the salon party: Phillips wore an excessively gorgeous long dress that overshadowed everyone else, dazzling everyone's attention and attracting everyone's gaze, even during conversations, everyone wanted to get her attention; while she was so inconspicuous, even deliberately ignored, sitting alone on the sofa in the corner reading the newspaper.

The thought surging in her mind almost materialized, and Sofia blurted out:

"I hope it's a gorgeous long dress."

“Okay, gorgeous.” Li Cheng wrote it down on the paper.

“But it can’t be too expensive.” Sofia quickly added, afraid of forgetting her original intention, “You mentioned in your advertisement that the price is low.”

"Of course, of course, please rest assured about that."

Li Cheng continued taking notes.

Sophia was finally relieved and continued to offer her opinions based on her vague thoughts. After discovering that Li Cheng rarely refused her, her womanly desire to chat and her pursuit of fashion were fully ignited, and she began to make one request after another.

"It needs to be creative, original, and have highlights that can attract everyone's attention, so that everyone at the salon or gathering can notice me."

"Ah."

"But it shouldn't be too flashy or abrupt; it should be the kind of understated creativity."

"...Alright then."

"Don't let the dress overshadow my features; it should ideally accentuate my beauty."

"it is good."

......

The conversation continued for quite a while, until Sofia's mouth finally got a little dry, at which point it was called off.

That's about it.

Sofia smacked her lips, seemingly still wanting more.

"Then let me summarize it briefly."

Li Cheng glanced down at the numerous requirements on the white paper, and his lips twitched involuntarily. A strange yet familiar sense of disorientation welled up in his heart.

Is that you, Party A?

But he immediately shook his head to clear the daze from his mind, and at the same time condensed his request as much as possible:

"Miss Sophia, you need a dress that best highlights your beauty while also being eye-catching, glamorous yet with a touch of femininity, capable of attracting the attention of everyone in the salon, both men and women, without being too flashy or abrupt, and also priced within one-twenty-fourth of the dress you're wearing..."

"Correct."

Sofia looked at Li Cheng with hopeful eyes: "Can you do it?"

Chapter 258 I Have Another Friend