The moment Meng Ruozhao stepped into the working room prepared by the program crew, several cameras focused on her from different angles.
They captured every moment of her conceiving, drawing, selecting materials, and cutting.
Although she had mentally prepared herself in advance, the feeling of having her life and work completely exposed under the cameras still made Meng Ruozhao feel a bit uncomfortable and stressed.
She took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore those pitch - black “eyes” and immerse herself fully in the creation.
However, whenever she occasionally lifted her eyes, a fleeting trace of nervousness would still flash across her eyes.
On the evening after the first day of recording, she received a call from Qin Mu.
“I heard from the program crew that you seem a bit nervous. Is it because of the cameras?”
Qin Mu on the other end of the phone seemed to sense the tension in Meng Ruozhao's silence. His voice softened even more, like being wrapped in a layer of soft cotton. “Actually, I was much more nervous than you are now when I first faced the cameras.”
Meng Ruozhao's fingers holding the phone moved slightly, and her ear tip unconsciously leaned closer to the receiver.
“It was when I went to shoot an advertisement. I started having insomnia three days in advance. I always worried that I might stutter when reciting the lines or that my movements would be too stiff.”
“So I got up in the middle of the night and practiced in front of the mirror dozens of times.”
Qin Mu's voice carried a smile of recollection.
“When I actually stood under the spotlight and saw the photographer aiming the camera at me, my mind went blank for two seconds, and I even forgot half of my lines.”
He paused for a moment, as if carefully choosing his words or giving Meng Ruozhao time to digest his words.
“Later, I found that the more I stared at those cameras, the more easily I would be 'trapped' by them.”
“Try to focus more on the fabric in your hands and the drawing paper.”
“Maybe when you concentrate on how to draw smoother lines and how to cut the fabric more fittingly, those pitch - black cameras will actually become blurry shadows in the background.”
Meng Ruozhao was sitting on the sofa in the temporary accommodation.
Outside the window were the warm yellow street lamps of the program crew's base. Qin Mu's voice on the receiver was like a warm current, slowly ironing out the nervousness in her heart.
Her hand that had been clutching the corner of her clothes gradually relaxed, and she raised a smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Qin.”
Her voice was a bit softer and gentler than before, with a hint of hoarseness from having let down her guard.
“I thought only I would be so nervous... After hearing what you said, I seem to be less scared.”
“Silly girl, who doesn't have a first time?”
Qin Mu's laughter came through the receiver, carrying a reassuring power.
“If you feel uncomfortable tomorrow, just think about your design drafts — they are much more interesting than the cameras, right?”
Perhaps it was because of this phone call, or maybe because Pei Jiangmu also called for a video chat in the evening to help her relax.
For the subsequent recordings, Meng Ruozhao completed them smoothly.
When she returned home from the program crew, Pei Jiangmu came to pick her up in person.
At that time, one of the other participants in the program joked, “Wow, Designer Meng, your boyfriend is so handsome. Could you lend him to me as a model someday?”
Pei Jiangmu certainly wouldn't be a model for others, but he also wouldn't make the other person lose face on such an occasion.
After all, Meng Ruozhao still had to participate in the subsequent recordings and get along with these people.
They were all adults, and it was natural to respond with polite remarks.
So even though it was a competitive variety show, Meng Ruozhao got along quite harmoniously with the other seven groups of contestants.
The program crew recorded one episode at a time and broadcast it immediately.
After the first episode was broadcast as scheduled.
With her precise grasp of the charm of the Republic of China era, unique design ideas, and the stunning visual effect of the final product.
Meng Ruozhao stood out among many designers and quickly attracted a great deal of attention.
Under the cameras.
She exuded a calm and professional charm when focusing on her work.
When occasionally communicating with the guests or peers, she appeared modest and appropriate.
Coupled with her outstanding beauty and elegant temperament.
She not only received praise in the professional field but also unexpectedly gained many “appearance fans”.
The popularity of [Floating Cloud Studio] also rose accordingly, and there was another small peak in online consultations and offline customer traffic.
Although Meng Ruozhao was busy, she felt fulfilled. However, a sense of emptiness would occasionally flash across her heart —
Pei Jiangmu had gone with his tutor to a closed - door academic exchange meeting in another city.
Although they still exchanged brief messages to report their safety every day, without his company and those clingy little actions by her side, she always felt that something was missing.
During the few days when Pei Jiangmu was away, one afternoon, a guest of extraordinary temperament walked into [Floating Cloud Studio].
Xu Lin stepped forward to receive the guest. The visitor was wearing a well - tailored new - season suit, carrying a luxury handbag, with delicate makeup and an aloof and detached air in her manner.
Her eyes slowly scanned the store and finally landed on Meng Ruozhao, who was modifying a sample dress at the workbench.
“Welcome to [Floating Cloud Studio]. May I help you?”
Meng Ruozhao noticed the gaze, put down the tools in her hand, and stepped forward with a professional smile.
“Just looking around.”
Cui Ran's voice was calm, showing no emotion.
She didn't reveal her identity. Instead, she slowly browsed the ready - made clothes and fabric samples in the store in an appreciative manner.
At first, Meng Ruozhao didn't think much of it. She just regarded the visitor as an ordinary customer with relatively high taste requirements.
After all, due to the program recently, there had been many customers coming, and since they were in the high - end business, most of the customers had good temperaments.
She patiently followed half a step behind and introduced the design concepts and fabric characteristics in a timely manner.
However, as the communication deepened, a subtle feeling gradually filled Meng Ruozhao's heart.
This customer's eyes were not like those of other customers, which were full of appreciation or criticism.
Instead, it was more like a kind of scrutiny, a curious and inquisitive look, as if trying to see into her soul through her physical appearance.
Moreover, when Xu Lin asked for her name just now, the simple words “My surname is Cui” that the visitor casually uttered made Meng Ruozhao inexplicably feel that the name was familiar.
Then, her heart seemed to be pricked gently by a very thin needle, giving rise to a brief but clear and inexplicable stabbing pain.
She calmly suppressed this strange reaction. Her smile was still appropriate, but her inner vigilance and doubt had already arisen.
Cui Ran was also observing Meng Ruozhao.
Up close, this woman was truly beautiful, not the kind of aggressive and glamorous beauty.
Instead, she had a gentle and jade - like, serene beauty that grew on people the more they looked.
Just standing there without saying a word, she could attract everyone's attention.
What bothered Cui Ran even more was the calm and focused aura around Meng Ruozhao, as well as the natural radiance in her eyes when she talked about design.
This was not the dodder flower that she had initially imagined, a woman who relied only on her beauty and weakness to attract Pei Jiangmu.
She had her own career, talent, and an independent world.